Squirrelly Beat

Its tiny little feet
beat across the top of the fence
like claw hammers
playing a slat-key xylophone.

Murphy’s paws sped
to an Aussie’s four-four time,
but the critters tune
was an octave too high.

Ring Tone Number Four

I heard the competition
bellied-up like a Chinese carp;
a sweet and sour rumor
caddish tongues couldn't wait to take out.

If true,
my phone will sing itself hoarse;
ring tone number four on the menu.

A Walk In The Light

Stepping stones of sunlight,
with hardwood cracks between,
led from the bay window blinds
to the marble masked fireplace.

I stepped on each,
tip toeing
back and forth,

looking for enlightenment
to shoot up my bones, and
jolt my cluttered cranium
into organized order and solace.

But, all I got was a path of swept floor
and a pair of dirty socks.

Better Times

The moon trudged
across the night sky
like a bag-lady dressed
in dirty, stringy rags.
Her rusty wire cart
left a trail of faded stars;
wheels eerily squealing
from ghosts of better times.

Pushing The Wall

I’ve never mastered poetry,
though I’ve written hundreds.
The keys click, click again
like a street mime pushing,
pushing, pushing the wall
and then some more.

There’s resolution,
even initial satisfaction, but
the wall is still there, and
the stones of the last poem
turn to dust and blow away.

Single Ply Truth

It happened.
Surprised the fire out of me
when she said I googled you.

Why would she do that?
I spend my days sucking
acid reduced breakfast, lunch and dinner,
exposing the delicious smell of bacon frying
as the poopological con it really is.

I have mostly gray hair, and
a belly the size of a prize winning watermelon.
I do have all my teeth, and
some really sexy sunglasses.

Regardless her reasons
the odiferous truth is there,
my words are full of boaters good eats and drinks.
I am a shit poet.

Unroll a few lines of this single ply poem,
and wipe the grin off your face.

Work

Thanks for being missed. I have been working my "poop" business and haven't had time to write or visit. Tis the season for boating, and boaters are faithful worshippers at the ceramic alter of party necessities disposal. I'm open and operating 7 days a week and haven't had too many days off since 5/30. But that's good. Hope to be back blogging soon.

Ashes Of Ghosts

Words can be empty
even when full.

You can tie them together
like garlic in panty hose,

hang them from
the toe of a lost poet’s dream;

they’re still just words,
empty when full,

ashes of ghosts howling
in the period after goodbye.

Even Though

i woke up this morning
with my bones melting
pooling in the soles of my feet

i squished
when i walked to the bathroom
sloshed when i stopped

yeah though i walk
through the valley
of the shadow …

I still fear!
leaving puddle-prints
of skeletal slush

Thanks for all the comments. I've been very busy trying to start a new business: Pumping poop on Lake Lanier. I hope to have the boat rigged out and EPD/Corps of Engineers approval this week and working next week. In the construction business I've taken enough crap to build a mountain range, it will be nice to get paid for taking it. Hope to be posting and visiting all of y'all soon.

MySpace

Adrift in MySpace
where distance has evolved into sacred chambers,
hidden places,
and thoughts adorn silicon-chip walls,
as photographs,
skewed from whispers of illusory digital mache.

Bacterial Stones

The doctor called it a skin infection,
cellulitis to give it a proper medical name.
I thought it was the shepherd David
slinging missiles of bacterial stones.

There was a whoosh and whoosh windup--
which I didn’t see, but
the pain to my lower left shin
was Goliath as I ever felt.

Three thousand years of being dead
played havoc with the psalmist’s aim;
for this I “make a joyful noise”
and give praise unto the Lord.

Bouncing Off The Walls

There’s no sun today
arcing high like a basketball
floating down
through the steel ring of afternoon
disappearing in the nylon strings of night.

Only thunder clouds that cover,
like a robber’s mask,
with a muffled voice rumbling
to hand over my joy,
especially the stash
I keep hidden in the dog‘s leash.

I understand why
we won’t be playing outside today,
but Murphy-- my Aussie--
could care less about basketball,
and the only thief he’ll be barking at is me.

Light One Up

Are stars the flickering tips of cigarettes
being smoked by fallen angels that never sleep?
The sun, a fat smelly stogie burning down
to the last puff this world will ever know?

Paper rolling postulation?
Unfilterd thoughts of fantasy?

At the very least a musing
lighting up a smoke of imagination.

Something I Said

Words fall,
like soldiers on a field
of someone else’s choosing,

fatally wounded
in the trigger pull
of sound proof ears.

A Song Too Far

A mocking bird's song
skips like smooth stone-notes
across the lake
in a descending breezy scale.

In flight, or
water lips kissing,
momentarily,
whistled seductions,
the end is near:

a fading ripple dying
on sand and shell,
an unanswered inquiry
floating, floating down,
falling short the desire
of a waiting Spring dream.

All To Do With Temperature

I’m proud of my southern heritage:
“y’all” gliding from ear to ear
like a lazy-winged heron
piggybacked on a warm Georgia breeze;
wobbly-legged, centuries old oaks
with sparse patches of moss whiskers
pointing down to their sprawling root feet.

I have nothing against the North,
even know some “Yankees” I like.
It’s the bitter cold and gray of Winter,
and snow that won’t melt butter
like a bowl of hot Jim Dandy® grits.

Cleaning Required (Or Not)

You said I was looking down your blouse;
it was your pony tail,
that flopped from the back to the front,
when you bent over to get something from your bag.

It looked like a tilted fountain of hair
streaming strands in a carefree circle,
suspended
on filaments of shadows and light.

Of course when you questioned my gaze
I couldn’t believe I’d let such an opportunity pass.
I’ll promise you this: if your shirt should be
so risqué again,
my eyes will be tracking in dirt from my mind,
hope it won’t be too hard to clean.

Last One Out Lock The Door

Death is like a door in a room.
We paint over it, even the knob,
so, it’s inconspicuous as can be.
If we can’t see the handle
we surely won’t open it by mistake.

We can nail boards from jamb to jamb,
add sophisticated locks that require a key,
a combination, and a dead bolt with hardened steel.
Security measures make us feel safe, except
in the pit of our stomach we know
it opens from the other side, locked or unlocked.

Goodbye

The Sun fell from the sky two days ago
I thought he would bounce several times,
maybe longer; all balls bounce even low on air.

Instead, he formed into a spirit with a white straw hat,
and slipped quietly through the air conditioner vents,
and ceiling tiles until he reached the roof:

a last look at the construction next door,
the tears, the folded hands and sighs.
He hopped on the back of a saddled prayer,
rode due West to the edge of the world,
turned, and left the sunset as goodbye.

for Benny
goodbye my friend goodbye.