...about face...

backwards

you unravel

may I so

reverse in

me to talk

...limited available...

iwishyouthis

apleasanttime

withyourloves

andlikingsevencloser

thaneverbefore

inthemetaembrace

wecallfamiliar

withthefamilial

andthefaces

inthecircles

weexchangeover

timeindifferent

radiifromourself

atthecenter

ofthisversion

ofthestory

...a warming red...

inched in bit

by bit a little

sitting and sipping

whispering little

magics into ears

and buds     

tongues and tastings

infused in 

and of fruits 

of this ground

this earth

this earthy

first sip and this 

aromatic/erotic dance

simple yet torrid

unbruised yet handled

...soft shot...

the photo is missing

and the image wants

and demands for a chance

to be viewed: the disappointment

is only technological,

the skin is still soft

and tastes of salt, stress

and use: the myth realized

in the kiss that makes

the wound heal:

we will try as long as we remain wounded 

...Sadie in the Snow...

this magic white 

ball is always in play

and as I cup my hands

and smooth it out

you come to me

smiling                 breath freezing

                       into little clouds

at the tips of your whiskers

looking for where 

the white ball went 

and realizing it landed 

all over the place

 

...(social) security...

a closet for a grand

and a half

or room with a half

of a shelf?

(these aren't

the dilemmas

of the security

deposit, but

the security

of the depositor)

...major adjustment...

the decompression

of the spine 

is the alleviation

of the pressures

we compound

in each footprint

we leave behind

we need to live

supine

...family ministry...

Harold Camping 

I swear to god

is the scariest thing

on the television

...going to sleep is harder these days....

going to sleep

is harder these days

thinking of the things

flying around my head

trying to swat

at them like dogs

dreaming that 

they are running

circling around me

...distance party...

the guise of youth

is no longer the shirt

she wears or the way 

she holds her hair up

it is the fact that she

acts out of place

on purpose to get

someone to help

her find another

lost venue 

or forgotten show

one she went 

to in her twenties

when she swooned 

around the room

chatting up all 

players and shakers

looking for a different

song from each one

...lost and found pt. III...

things I've lost this year:

my home

my dog

my grandma

my self

my love

*

(revisitations

aren't grievances

they are attempts

at recounting

the images

the heart holds 

closest when

it is cold outside)

*

blindly go for the picture

record the song

write the words

ask why 

you do it and wonder

why you did that

why you

caused the closest

things to explode

*

if this is remittance 

then let this be remittance

for all these children

I have taken on

*

I want to be molybdenum

and all will add me

for fortitude

*

good 

by(e)

31

*

...marked man...

all of this

nonsense has got to end

and what better time

than during the declaration

that this new one

will be indeed new

and that the words

will find their ways

into new ears 

before new eyes

and firmly solidify

themselves onto the page

that gets turned

by several hands

...Tip of the Day #3...

Take shorter feet.

Make longer friends.

...no classes...

these classes simply

did not exist years

ago: remedial

at this level

meant high school

and if you could 

not put a sentence

together they

didn't let you in

at all 

...little illuminescent...

from Hoboken

the fog over the city

sits like a grey water

foam cutting off

the tops of scrapers

and cornices of churches

while we sit here 

and wonder what happens

to clouds when they

reach too low 

to allow light 

to be direct

but diffused

...ol skhul...

in this class

we were strengthened

by spirits,

long deep breathes

and pursuant of life

because it had no

causes against us yet

(In the picture,

everybody is in their old

new bodies freshly grinning

faces)

...upon this (white/wish)...

smallest leaf/biggest pile

sitting on the suburban

street waiting to be swept

away into the next pile

on the corner of Main

and not as main

(at this time tomorrow

the leaf, with all of its

hopeful joy and energy

will be disintegrating

into the winter 

like the white flash)

we wish the stars

good night and feed them

with our startled conversations

                         all the fiery little 

lights remember

is                      the leaf flew

up and up and up

until it joined them

in that same 

                         white flash 

                         we wish

at the sight of

...rumi wanted...

Hey Folks...I am getting pretty antsy here

and I need to get out of Jersey by the end

of the year. If you know anyone in Lower Manhattan

or Brooklyn (Bay Ridge up to Williamsburg)

looking for a roommate or know of any 

reasonably affordable places for me to 

live/share/squat, please let me know. 

Take care. My unlimited love to y'all.

reiter76@gmail.com

...frost contact...

that the chill in the air

has lifted off of chests

but it immobilizes 

our fears and control centers

for the ice in the lungs

can't become fluid

or we'll die and to avoid

that       we must

       breathe deep

and keep breathing

...cuts...

sorry 

never cuts it

but that 

is what

I mean

...living eyes forever...

the faces are less real

than the flesh they pretend

to recreate   

her stroke

is one that feels small

and inarticulate

yet finishes

fully expressive

like the texture     

  her cheeks

always sallow

or just the people

she chooses to recreate

and the fame they tow

or the power of the subject

  they propel toward creation

...delivery confirmation...

surprise or no surprise

the act was with the heart's

purest intent and the brain's

ever swirling commotion

when thoughts of you

dance like petals

floating into the wind

of this November chill

...dissipating pixels reforming...

eyes from afar

are still eyes 

that can penetrate

distance like spaceships 

and astromen

and visions of technology

that brings space

to its tender knees

evaporating distance

sky and time

like water 

on a hot radiator

...veteran's dilemma...

thank you grandpa

for serving me (us) proudly

and for taking me (us) into

your arms, defending

me (us) from true threats

and real terror

you (we) would be 

ashamed of this 

campaign we (us?) wage

today    you would

say that it's not like 

(us) or (me)

...arch of history...

a great orator is only 

as great as the truths

he is able to uphold

a great man is only

as great as the dedication

he shows to his fellow man

a great leader is only

as great as the history he creates

and the arch that continues

VOTE IT UP!

VOTE OBAMA! NO, SERIOUSLY! VOTE FOR HIM! PLEASE! EVEN IF YOU ARE STIIIILLLL ON THE FENCE...SAY FUCK IT AND GO FOR IT! YOU'LL FEEL A WHOLE LOT BETTER THAN YOU DO NOW!!! 

(fingers crossed) (no voter fraud no voter fraud no voter fraud no voter fraud no voter fraud)

...the left behind...

the pillow smells of you

and I'll have to

take that into

breath and thought tonight     

while you sleep 

unheld and 

unsound

...decade out of synch...

what is ten years

when the wait has 

been internalized 

for so long,

it's miraculous

and all of the insights

become lucid

photographs 

of times when

we couldn't have

conceived the idea

of ebbing and flowing

together

a bit here 

a bit then

altogether synched

...lost breath...

can the running take your body 

to its precipice      or will there 

be room to go       higher and to breathe

                                deeper? Here

at sea level            the air is thicker

but the challenge is to not get

caught up in what the lungs

                                are doing        rather

embrace what the heart is

...bubbles in the soda pop...

is the Oil City

air chill giving

you your 

breath back

or is it the sound

of the voice

through the waves

of air that return

you to your 

city center

and the warmth

of hands placed 

in warmer places

that require

us to breathe deeply

...pumpkin...

the orange shape of your thrill

collapsed in a pumpkin chair

you lounge with a granola bar grin

while mumbling and chewing

just enough to keep your teeth

from chattering, wind

teasing and tossing

hairs across your tiny face

tickling at the senses

you use and the smile

you unleash 

...lover...

why must I

throw myself

at music 

the way 

I do

(her hair

the note

being played)

...problem...

the problem

with distance

is that it is distant

(cold is something

you feel, not measure)

both become

the problem

...palace aid...

too much meat

in the sand which

stole away my lips

crinkling eye lids

made mouth unmoist

and dried withstand

rock face cliff view

of the GW

...circling counter-clockwise...

when you circle

clockwise, I circle

counter and traverse

in and out

of your circle.

Eventually,

your path

encircles me

and I can not

fit through the gaps

in your stride

to make it back

out         counter-clockwise

...wedding presents...

in this ball

room we destroy

the past

and destroy

the future.

(the tech girl

is dynamite)

let her sing

the song

or play that twang

too fast 

like you do

(the tech

swings her

head back

to hear what

I hear)

...for Shay...

dogs stole things I had

like my heart

my mind

my limbs


and my lungs

and I want to let her

have them all

without stealing away


into the dark

I want to give

them to her

willingly


and her to take

them as she would

any touch

one would offer



(R.I.P. Seychelle "Shay")

...oar...

I wanna be your oar

and although it can be

used for going

forward or back

I really want to be used

and taken across

the lake toward the fire

on shore and show

you what kind 

of directions I give

or take

...resurfaced...

back for a swim are you?

we will see you soon then.

Good day. A really good day.

...imperfect from now on...

safe travels my friends

and show that we 

nor they 

are the enemy

and that the perfection

we seek to attain

is just as foolish

as any utopian dream

conjured up 

by the leaders

of our states

...the article spoke in pronouns...

I we the the we

(am able to find)

(are not able to find)

(table dancer dank pit)

(lush loathsome brown tree)

(gamble at the bay)

I we the the we

(will not give cup)

(cannot give up cup)

(former president's pancake)

(fresh flour funneling down)

(stampede at a cricket's chirp)

I we the the we

(am dancing three beats ahead)

(clam closer like clams)

(terrible fever you get away with)

(accent in her hourglass)

(forgot to say good)(bye)

I we the the we

...ear-plugs...

all tomorrow's

parties will come

back to haunt me

in the ghosts 

of an abandon

hotel and the joys 

of the first kiss

and the last song

of the evening

that came as soon

as the early exit

as soon as 

we were loveless

...inimitable fashion...

removing the webs

you opened up these eyes

and moved these old 

bones over deciding

to invent or reinvent

the concepts of heaven

and hell, depth 

and depravity

only to continue

on your stroll

through the yard

...mazel tov...

congrads John & Kim!!!

thank you for making me

a special part of you big day!!!

I love you guys!!!

...helping with the loading...

when we talked 

tonight you asked

me how I like 

my job

and I told 

you my name

as my answer

said it was

clever & convenient

...stupid cupid...

start:

where's my Cass

where's my Cass

sitting in class

here on my ass

where's my Cass

where's my Cass

:finish

...to do list minus the capital...

my morning jacket in philly (watch the wind)

silver jews in brooklyn, manhattan, hoboken (watch the storm)

john's wedding on the hudson (perform the ritual)

doug at kutsher's (so f'ing wierd)

mbv finally (in the borscht belt?)

doug at terminal 5 (bring a sweater)

gas money? (hmmm...)

...go get 'em big guy...

Let's cut down 

on the Challah 

big guy...

I'll curb the ale...

and we'll both work

on the coughing...

Happy Birthday Dad!!!

...extracting wisdom...

this is because of:

melon and scooter pies

blankets full of stems, sticks

and politics

I cover your back 

with mine

you signal to fix

eyes on the still

of the smile

(after words

form their digression)

...humming...

his goal of echo

was achieved 

even though the sound

stuck in the crowd

and never returned

back from the 

red brick wall.

...deviant power...

reception ladies phone lines

crossed lines like stormed over

lamplights and powerpolls

(as briefly as the sky opens

up it closes, sleeping on the soft

side of the pillow)

the dreams are now clever

as they fuck with you

when you think about the eyes

being opened before

they reach 

the state

...accidental sail...

busted up

the charts

(the winds fill it up)

(the waster begins wander)

crafted out for rent

shorter sea side

than the charted

course we had set

but we will get there

none-the-less

(sway left)

(stray left)

...not a poem, a complaint...

Last night, at around 2am,

August 5th,

I had five great quatrains

sitting on my screen,

not intended to be a blog or anything,

more intended for a crafted poem

and they were really good             you know,

when you push the chair back from 

the desk and go "How the fuck did I do that?"

and then 

I hit something. 

And then I lost it.

And then I searched for it for the next hour.

And I could not find it. And now, I am really

pissed about this. You would be too if you 

saw them. 

(needed to get that out there...)

...housecleaning...

this 

vacuum 

sucks (...)

(good

this place

is filthy)

(...)

...coin star...

when do you panic

when  the money runs out

           the water runs dry

          the damn nearly bursts

           the lump in your throat

doesn't fill me 

with confidence

...pant...

it is hot as fuck

and you wear pants

because you are a hipster

and complain about it

like we should care

(Satomi, you are the smartest

woman in indie rock)

...three dog night...

no

I will not sing Joy

to the World

or talk of a bullfrog

but the dog's barking

at the car door slams

and the scurrying howl

that translates to

"where are you?!?!?!"

forces me to keep them

assured that it will

be a short short night

and a long long weekend

(for Shea, Buddy, and Chester)

...range of motion...

want to experience 

sadness and happiness

all at once?

Tell someone

who doesn't love you

anymore to have

a happy birthday

and really mean it

while watching 

Tim, Eric, and Zach

advertise for Absolut

and you'll cry

and you won't know

exactly why

that is

...blue sky bitter...

inland

the shore birds find

unfamiliar ground

and greet it without

hesitation because

the seasons have shifted

like the taste

and acidity of the air

forced by our hand

...take me to the river...

in a blink

you came and went

back on your infamous

stroll through the trail

and frolic on the Delaware

when the sounds of things

natural beckons the toads

and creatures splashing

two more animals

on the path and in the camp

two more animals

feeling at home

in the shade

of the raised nook

above the river

that I took you to

and that you take

with me

..co-dependence day...

the nation celebrates

independence and I sit here

in the dark loathing it

(mine, not the nation's)

realizing how desperate

the situation has become

and just how dependent

upon you I am 

(once again, not the nation)

...wishing it away...

got to go to

the store to buy more

ham even though

you don't eat ham

but crave it like god

damn chocolate 

and you redirect

your energies to avoid

feeling the guilt

that I know you feel

and can see you 

in my head

wishing it away

...broke...

feel broken

feel nothing really

substantial

to provide

a coin a phrase

or a button

to put on your

shirt that I'd sell

but the words

here are not 

the words

there or the words

that they want

to buy

...lips ink..

similar to singing

she mimes the words

to the song

getting them 

all wrong

and knowing

that I'm watching

she laughs away

the blank lyrics

to avoid blushing

...ringtone...

no phone

no phone

I just want to be alone

today

(that is such bullshit)

...sad but truth...

in the dream I had

in Plattsburgh back in 1996, 

George Carlin appeared as a god, 

said that all I needed to be happy

was this honesty that most

mortals are afraid of

and that the fears that I had

up to that point

would no longer be

and he was right

(thank you, George)

...all for not...

jumping the gate

and dashing for the aisle 

I got free for a moment

lost it regained it

and lost it again

(damn security)

...one of one...

how many times

have we written about phone calls

or lines that didn't connect

like the ones in this poem

or the ones in the conversations

I have with myself

that are recorded 

on my friend's machines

This is the vacancy

that is lurking

when you don't want it to

this is the consumption

of thought 

the rumble of the stomach

when one's solitude

becomes their worst allergen

...tripping over the metaphorical shoelace...

in the whole place

nothing can beam forward

or jolt out of place

safe and secure

like the arms 

of the lover

or the assuredness

of the knot

tied tightly

...like a kid in a 128 mile per hour rocket...

the g-forces here 

are measured 

as "gee" forces

and the pure thrill

of a kid learning

how quickly one can 

overcome one's fears

you don't get a chance

to be scared when the ride

lasts a few seconds

(to the kid in the green t-shirt that was scared shitless

to ride Kingda Ka rollercoaster but came back

with a huge shit-eatin' grin on his face) 

...mid-state...

the power came back

at 2:45 in the morning

but I was already

dreaming that it

had been on for longer

...this heat...

it was so hot

that I thought you would melt

your tiny tiny figure

melting like a figurine

on the pool deck

but luckily 

we kept our cool

and composed figures

in the water trails

with our fingers

on the side of the pool

that would vanish 

quicker than sand 

paintings in wind 

...spector spectrum...

in the lightning storm

I saw the color you talked 

about the night before

and you are right

I cannot name it

nor did I actually

see it long enough

to name it

...food-less for thought...

(the stomach) (pains come) 

(from) (the fear)

(that things aren't)

(as) (they seem)

(in my head)

(it) (gets) (so) (bad)

(that it is) (like

being really) (sick)

(when illness) (isn't)

(really) (real)

(and) (the spaces)

(for those thoughts)

(to reverberate)

(in my head)

(increases with each

and every day)

(bouncing) (back

and) (forth 

echoing) (because

there) (is nothing

to stop) (the sounds

...new day's decision...

there is nothing automatic

about love or polls

there is no consensus

when it comes to politics

or relationships

of a more personal nature

you have your meetings

and your conversations

you have appointments

and joyrides

but we will never

fully agree when it comes

to who we believe 

killed our sense of faith

and the idea that 

we actually think

we have a say 

in any of our decisions

...2:20 of nice...

nice chat

nice chat

good good kitty 

we can talk

if you want to

or as long

     as long

nice chat 

nice signal strength

nice night

nice level

(I never ever use the word "nice")

(stare at it, it doesn't look, well...nice)

(that was nice though)

(the two hours and twenty minutes)

(of nice)

...the annual...

this year

we failed to blossom

due to the temperatures

and temperaments

the lack of rain

the lack of warmth

the lack of spring-like support

always bouncing back

after the cold cold days

the bulbs were planted

too deep and the roots

had already been

detached and frayed

for far too long

...red birds and brits...

alive with a voice

inside of the head

and the trees bow

chattering as they cheer

on the fact

that somebody is 

making you laugh

and that body is me

stepping out

into the finally warm night

...delayed reaction...

is there an absence 

when you wake?

that terror at night,

a reaction

to what you have lost

not what you

expect to lose?

is there anything

we can do 

without the delayed reaction?

is there a missing

line, poem,

complete entity

lost in this delay?

...false representations of real life on a memory card...

finding the battery charger

was a curse in disguise;

now, I am forced 

to look at those images

and forced to make decisions

as quickly as yours was made

to hit delete.

...clouds come down...

clouds come down

and get off the sky's back

already get it over with already

down come clouds

...pop lines and empty tables...

how to fight loneliness

smile all the time

--JT

Where does one

go to eat

alone 

on a Friday

night when

the present tense

singular is only

a pretext for

this solitude?

All I can do 

is visit pop lines 

and empty tables

and have to stop 

listening to those songs 

(I don't want to stop 

but you 

are in all of them)

...ready to bolt...

there is no where to go

and there is always somewhere

to go tonight but the winds

they are expecting will howl

and you will be busy

taking care of things

and I will always want

to be going somewhere

ready to bolt anywhere

with you

...Cee-lo Reiter...

I don’t have any friends at all
Cause I have nothing in common with ya’ll
So who’s gonna catch me if I fall
My backs always against the wall

I don’t have anything to say
I want everything to go my way
Shut up mom it is not OK
I’m alone almost every day

But it’s cool (it’s cool)
It could be better (could be better)
I don’t care (I don’t care)
Whatever (whatever)

Lalalalalalala

Went to my counselor bout how I feel
Everyone agrees I could use some help
I love my girl more than I love myself
She’s going steady with someone else

I don’t know what else to do
Said fuck me, well fuck you too
I know it sounds real sad but true
Being alone is nothing new

But it’s cool (it’s cool)
It could be better (could be better)
I don’t care (I don’t care) …huh
Whatever (whatever)

lalalalalalalala


("Whatever" lyircs are from Gnarls Barkley's "The Odd Couple")

...even if you don't...

I'll keep looking

at you because

you told me to

and the music

we listen to

is an act

of willingness

of unification

and we shall

keep on listening

...you are pretty amazing...

for putting up with our shit

the children of the world

would like to thank

you for all your hard and tireless

efforts considering we have

hardly treated you the way

that we should have

but we love you

we really do




(happy mother's day)

...hope you are well...

I hope you are well

but I guess you are

because you haven't

talked to me

which means

that you are ok

(I still don't understand)

...deja Turnpike view...

on the ride home

two trucks kissed

and parted and the scary

part was that I saw

this before and didn't

heed the danger

they parted and kept

control gliding beside me

off to their charted exit

...damn yankees...

at the game tonight

Jaba blew the lead


with one swift kick

just like I did with you


lost the lead

by not delivering


the right pitch

and this may be the season


for "lasts":

last time in this stadium


last time in this house

the last last kiss this


just like the game

we kissed it goodbye


just like the fans

I am bitter about the loss

...short poets are epically sad and if not careful, lose their game...

peculiar reading:

lost in the space:

of my head:

(Where are you?

I have no one to talk to

and feel wanted in front of)

peculiar social maladjustments:

the guy standing in the bar:

alone: unsure of what to do

with his hands, his eyes:

I didn't even get to see:

Anne read: Only heard:

Through the poor PA:

At the back of the bar:

I sat in a chair faced:

the wrong way:

looked at this girl:

then at this other:

and didn't know:

what to do:

Do I keep looking?

She's looking back.

Do I keep looking?

What the fuck:

has become of this:

petty petty poet:

in this bar:

full of poets?

...doubting it all...

so quickly

you turn to other's arms

and I understand

that you need arms

detest solitude

but to know mine were

too short and that you

can find the same comfort

everywhere

is discomforting.


Just remember this:

You turn around

and someone is always

there. That is what

you have created.

When you need arms,

they are there.


When I turn around

they are not.

When I turn around

its just me turning around

and the lack

of compassion

in this

truly leaves me

doubting it all.

...lost birds and dogs...

the dog barks at the bird

in the rain

next to the garage door


the bird

flies away in the rain

into the trees


the man

with the dog

looks lost


he is staring

off into space

wondering


did the bark

or the vibration

send the bird away?

...really, go away...

when will he go away

really

(her version)

...go away...

when will it go away

...home at last...

a big day I'm sure.

I am worried, but confident.

Ones heart takes comfort

in the scenes of the familiar:

the dog, the cat, the yard.

I am sure seeing this

would heal my heart, too.

Take care of that little girl.

Take care of that little girl.

...calls your name in the nighttime...

do you know

how hard it is

to not call

you?

...the big joke...

with all of it

nothing was said enough

and everything was said

too much

and so the big joke

in the matter

was that all we did

was talk and talk

and the punchline

was literal, not

the traditional,

comedic sense

(self deprecation

not the depreciation

of one at the hand of the other);

the punchline

was four years long.

The realization, when

it comes to you,

will stick like a punch.

a punch line.

Sinker,

sunk.

...passed over...

uh, I know its an easy pun

(tis a tradition in the joke

of the reformed)

Call me Moshe

call me

...dizzy deck...

I asked them

was I really out?

Someone said

"hell yeah, hell fucking yeah."

Class dismissed.

...this is...

this is a fire:

it will end things.

Oxygen, for instance.


this is a nightmare:

it will fake endings.

Falling, for example.


this is codery:

this yes when no is meant.

Closing it all in.


this is open:

it will stay open:

Hoping, and such.

...minus...

2

minus

1

leaves

2

lonely

1s

...bullets over Bloomfield...

one shot after another

you kept firing

but at least the aim

was true

It's just a shame

you know

each one pierces

the other

as if no one

were even standing

in front of you

as if you never

even took aim

(I'm afraid to

know what else

you have hiding

in that chamber)

...return to sender...

this is what I have learned:

that the heart is more

powerful than the brain.

Think about all the innate

services of the heart:

blood flow and pressure

pumping and palpitating.

The message sent

from the brain is that

something is not right,

that someone is not able

to use the beat the same way we

are. This fear that the message

does not get sent.

But, this is thegreatest

fear: endings,

of poems, lives,

pulses, us.

this is the worst

feeling I have

ever had

...just Hackensack...

do they drive

faster because

this is a hospital parking lot

or is it

that this is

just HackensacK?

Why are there

so many nicer

places in the world

and why

oh why did Billy Joel

have to be right

this one time?

(this only encourages him)

...no right turn...

I don't like leaving

you there in the glass

tunnel taking turns

at watching each of us

walk away in the reflections

on the brown glass tint


I told you that this part

was the hardest

and you told me

that nothing


nothing

is as hard

as this

(and you were right)

...the light above the bed...

glows down on your head

shining through the silvers

in your hair and then

back through the tubing

and into your lungs

shining and open

accepting the glow

as if it were oxygen

as if it were the only

thing we needed

to keep us alive

...bellyaching...

it was either

something I said

or something I ate

(probably the former

as is common

as of late)

...easier than breathing...

there is nothing

easy about taking a deep

breath and slowing

down the world around

you but you try and try

and puff and puff

until it becomes easier

to feel relief and solace

in knowing the world

around you you created

...2:39 in the morning...

we can't do this:

no matter where we are:

we can be here:

instantaneously:

if necessary:

and if something did:

go wrong:

we wouldn't be notified:

because nobody knows:

we're here:

we're here:

but it is useless:

we might as well:

be at home:

ready to spring:

to attention:

to the upright:

position:

of the rest:

who walk with us:

at 2:39 in the morning:

if necessary:

...prayer and praise...

the softest side of the skin is unseen

the last wisp of hair glimmers without the sun

foreseen only in the distant detail

we look closer and closer at the clock

and hope it will stay still

no arm moving forward

or back to a false belief

but right here

and seemingly now

this will all be part of the cycle

just like the dismissal of cells

that appear as skin

when we fold our hands together

we pray that they cannot ever

separate or lose the other

this is not what we get

when we praise one another

when it is undue

this is what we get

when we finally get

what it is

that takes us over

...scurry...

are these squirrels

in my ceiling

or in my head

or is my head

the ceiling

I am thinking of?

...to rest...

the shrouded

to rest

eternally

in the warmth

of the soil

and in the warmth

of the wife's return

to the husband

like the child

to the womb

or the lover

to the embrace.





(in memory of Ann Nagel)

...2/22/08...

at long last

we have white

and piles of it

and prior to

the plow's first

salt and pepper

mow the dog

is pouncing around

like a mini-horse

and naturally

without a change

in aperture

or setting

or lighting

we have the perfect

contrast:

black black dog

on white white snow

(shutter closing

slow)

...illness in flux...

with each wave

you go in and out

of real and unreal

and question the nightmare

as if it were actual



that fear in your eyes

is the fear in your head

and that fever that

comes and goes

is as real as the needle



that they use to settle

the stomach or spasm

this illness in flux

and will be for a few

more days

...like everyday...

I love you

and miss

you so much

it hurts

to say

I love you

and miss

you so much

...miss piggy...

you used to

call yourself

miss piggy


everytime

you belched

while playing


scrabble

and tallied

triple word score


I need

miss piggy

back today


a belch

is a sign

of satiation


that's all any

of us wants

right now

...damn it...

just got

shut out

for MMJ

tickets

damn it

this feels

like the old

days

who's got my extra

...semi-final...

This is in Australia:

women in short skirts

hit yellow balls really hard

and my father is the poet

this isn't bizzaro realm

it is perfect karma, yet anti-spiritual

I can't decide

which stroke produces

the loudest grunts

two hands or one

and I can't figure out

which is hotter

watching tennis

or writing a poem

about it (not just making

a dumb ass joke)

injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere


--Martin Luther King, Jr.

...1 Mil Press Con...

check out the new disc recorded in lovely Bloomfield, NJ...

http://www.archive.org/details/1MilPressConference

...with the dogs...

Size matters when fear exists:

Take Noah and the cat:

Take Noah and the dog:

Please don't take them:

He crawls to the claws:

The fear only lives in the feline:

He shys from canine:

This is a learned trait:

How can he fill his boat:

If he doesn't get along:

with the dogs:

I would hate to see them:

Miss the boat:

Him, too.

...first post...

welcome to the new year

dog who comes to town

sad and wet and boney

hopefully this will be

yours as it is ours

and you will be

forever warm

and in the right place

at the right time