In a Poem

It's easy to get

Going

I'll get back

to the Title

in a Moment

A poem is Short

Unless it's the Iliad,

The odyssey is short

Like when I

got a car, crashed

and Totaled it

For an Instant

In hand, Bill,

I had... a Title

This Arthritis

that we've Caught

in the Family Joints

is Psychosomatic

the Witch Doctor

in Chile told me

for Health

He said, Keith,

Heathcliff, Fred err,

Whatever:

Stop Drinking in

the Diluted Expectation

of Society Conventions!!

Stay inside a Few Nights

a Hundred let's Say

on Your Back

in this Arabesque Twig Hut

with Its Gap Tooth grin

where the Sky and

all Its Bugs

can Finally reach

to Your Innards

unburden Your Skeleton

So you can Walk,

Free with Conviction

a Living Red Line

to Flow from

Bones to Fingers

When You Rise

Beethoven pens

the Music

Internal

Ppa Ppa Ppa Ppum!!

to Feel the Sound

as we Heard it

in Boxes, in Halls

and Wood or Metal

Tunnels

what Passes on

in Movement

on Breath

by Extension

he Bends himself

as Tapping a Finger

or Heart in the Breast

the Slow

and/or Quick

Exhale

as Hands

in Embrace

or Footsteps

in Haste

Major Gestures

as well as Lesser

bodily Functions

Beats that Fall

Sharp or Flat

and Charge

the Rhythm of

the Atmosphere

as Captured

on Lined Paper...

Dot chasing Dot.

What if it all goes Right

Instead of Left

Behind

or Up

Side-

Down

in Front

What if it all goes Right

Away

From

There

to Here

What if it all goes Right

Back

In.

Patches was a Lovey

Made long ago

Hand stitched

Hand me down

Kisses and Hugs

Hand me down

scrapes of Pants

Favorite T-shirts

and Pillowslips

a Stuffy, stuffed belly

Full like Thanksgiving

With the Fluff filling

Of our silly Outgrown

Warm winter coats

Experts recommend

Radical Responsibility

shooting Oneself in the foot

if it means Taking Action

and Feeling, if not Good,

then Something, say Useful

or Redemptive though

the dirty step Forward

may prove Backward

and so, One must Proceed

with reasonable Caution,

but Proceed, is the word

Operative, Prismatic

because doing Nothing

is tacit Approbation

of the Whatever aside

that is Happening live,

Like a shady White Lie.

Personally, I can't stand it when Authors make their characters have Contrived names. Or burden their protagonists with Oppressive symbolism or metaphorical Meanings that only the writer ever knows of... I like good wholesome Common names that you find on any street. Bob is good. Everybody can related. Who hasn't had a dozen Bob's in his or her life?

Your Honor,

seems

We showed up

on Time

Laying Down

I brought the Bail

Myself

Cause I know

There's no getting

Free Out

Like the

wrinkled Will

of the Forehead's

Knock

On Tick cover

of shredded

Concrete

Problems

in Shadow

Lined,

Conscience

Barred

in the Name

of the Almighty

Dollar

I

Co-sign,

Like a

Blank check,

that This

would Depend

maybe on That

or that That

would Depend

on This or

Some Other

Trick of mind

for Sleeping,

Fit...

Adequate

In Company

Any one of ten

I might Commit

Daily

against the

Twelve of Clock

or God forbid

Omit

in Tithing

and thus Offend

the Jury

of Public Opinion

for Not

Withholding

my Hand

or Keeping

my Tongue

or Greasing

a Squeal...

But your Honor

seems We showed up

Before Dawn

Wracking

my Brain,

and I can

say my Prayers

Honestly...

One more time

Hold On

Hold On

We Say,

say or Said:

and Saying,

Does not

Make it,

so... So?

Hold On,

as Expression

of Desires

Under Lying

What we

Know,

in True

Tact as

Let Go

Let Go

that Wish

to Make it

Easier in

Looking

back and

Forward,

a Truism

Universal,

Hold On

Now

(Let Go)

Now

Hold On

Now

(Let Go)

Man had Horse

He Loved

and said Old Girl

Here's my Shoulder,

Carry me Home!

And the Horse

Pushed that Cart

Best as One could

And neither They,

Nor the Carriage

Would move,

And the Babe

Puzzled over-

Hearing

The rattle

of Snake pits

Pockmarking

the Side of the

Main Avenue,

which Traverses

with such

Palmistry

as Each hand

and its Labour

might Produce

Cross the Ire

of the Lands,

As Luck would

Have the Woman

Planted a Hand

and Up from the

ground Sprung

a Fountain

of Water

and lo!

Then

the Whole

House Drank.