Mr. Words Worth! AKA Mark Campbell

Boy in the Bubble

2012-01-05T05:34:00.001-08:00

Of all the songs Paul Simon has done, this one has my favorite opening.

Not just musically.

But lyrically.

Simon was coming off of a major commercial disappointment at the time.

Hearts and Bones.

It also didn’t fare so well with critics, but it has undergone a reassessment.

So, one day, in his car, he was listening to a cassette given to him by a friend.

Struck by how much it reminded him of the music of his youth - 50’s pop and R&B, he began to explore it further.

And that led to the artistic and commercial triumph of Graceland.

Let’s set aside the discussions of cultural appropriation and the fact that Simon broke the UN ban on cultural contact, shall we?

Because the song is the thing.

Now, here’s why I love that opening.

Accordion.

Normally, I hate accordion.

But it plays this odd, off-kilter, loosey goosey rhythm unlike any I’ve heard.

It’s evocative of small villages.

Particularly the music of Newfoundland.

I’ve said before I don’t care for jigs and reels.

But this is not that.

It is, however, kind of universal.

You can hear Celtic and French elements in it.

At least until the band kicks in with a very distinctly African groove.

Again, kind of shaggy.

Like it’s held together by strands of chewing gum.

A bouncy, burbling thing that ambles along for a bit before Paul Simon drops a narrative that could easily launch a great novel or Hollywood thriller.

‘It was a slow day, and the sun was beating on the soldiers by the side of the road. There was a bright light. A shattering of shop windows. The bomb in the baby carriage was wired to the radio.’

That’s a lot of detail in just a few lines.

Any other artist would have explored the fallout.

But not Simon.

You get the sense of why as he goes along.

It’s a song about media overkill.

‘Staccato signals of constant information.’

Everything from a boy in a bubble to a baby with a baboon heart.

And this was 1986.

Imagine if you wrote a song about the media now.

Simon is not only trying to make sense of all this info, all this media, but also how we react to it.

How it reacts to us.

‘The way the camera follows us in slow motion. The way we look to us all.’

It takes everything in.

And has no answers.

The striking thing about it is, despite the hints of violence and death and privation, the words ‘these are the days of miracle and wonder’ never come off as ironic.

He doesn’t say how or why it is so.

Or how you encounter it.

But it is there.

The boy in the bubble?

The baby with the baboon heart?

Could be.

They’re science.

But they’re astonishing.

Or maybe it’s the ‘way we look to a distant constellation.’

It could even just be this song.

A magical meeting of cultures.

That happened because someone lent Simon a cassette.

A form of media.

One that brought a boy who thought he had spent his inspiration out of his bubble.

Sesame Street Song Challenge for January 5, 2012

2012-01-05T05:07:00.000-08:00

I struggled a bit with this one.

I wasn’t sure if I wanted to do parodies.

Quite often, parodies become dated.

You have to know the source to truly appreciate how the parody mirrors and subverts it.

But then, we live in a culture of reference humor.

Most of the jokes on Family Guy nod to cultural landmarks from many years ago.

Like The Noid.

Though many of the jokes on the show pander, you get the feeling they don’t care if one of their references is lost on you.

It was the same with MST3K.

They would make quips that only someone from Minnesota would get.

Or even the team that produced the show.

Which brings us to this.

Maybe the best parody ever done.

Because it’s not entirely a parody.

It’s a kind of tribute.

The Beatles are a cultural reference point.

One that has endured for the better part of 50 years.

They had an almost incalculable influence on popular music.

Less so in recent decades.

But at the time, they were the it thing.

They spawned everything from concept albums to bands making films to…

Well, you get the picture.

They also inspired many parodies or winking nods.

The Monkees, for example.

Or Eric Idle’s The Ruttles.

You really can’t escape them in popular culture.

Not even on Sesame Street.

If I remember correctly, one of the aims of the show when it started was to be a kind of Laugh-in for kids.

Yes, the show was educational.

But the cartoons and Muppets and other elements of the show had a manic and satiric edge.

They commented on popular culture.

Kermit’s breaking news stories.

Game show host Guy Smiley.

Tortured musical genius Don Music.

And so on.

Speaking of Don Music.

Richard Hunt, who brought him to life, figures into today’s song.

Letter B.

This dates back to 1981.

And it is one of the finest takes ever on both the Beatles’ sound and influence.

You could practically sing the words of this whimsical confection to the original.

‘When I find I can’t remember what comes after A and before C, my mother always whispers Letter B.’

It’s so obvious, you wonder why no one had thought of it before.

Well, maybe they did.

Even so, Christopher Cerf, whose father co-founded Random House and whose mother co-founded that company’s Beginner Books for kids, was the one who made it happen.

He and Douglas Adams were great friends.

I don’t doubt that.

I mean, listen to this.

It has a very strong British sensibility about it.

Not just in capturing the sound of the Beatles.

But also that unique style of absurdist humor that Britain is known for.

Cerf had lost his voice when the segment was made.

So Richard Hunt - Don Music, Janis, Beaker… - took on the task.

And acquits himself rather well, even if he doesn’t quite sound like any Beatle.

Want to know how spot on this parody was?

Northern Songs, which handled the Beatles’ songs at the time, launched a $5.5 million lawsuit over it.

Fortunately, around the time Michael Jackson purchased the Beatles’ catalog, the suit was dropped.

Even so, the Children’s Television Workshop, which produced Sesame Street, received a fine of $50.

And Cerf paid that himself.

Enjoy.

January 3rd poem, repurposed from Tumblr

2012-01-04T10:55:00.000-08:00

there is
a certain order
to everything
i suppose
and everything
you touch
has its place
however
i remind you
that the wind
has no home
it is everywhere
at once
and never able
to escape
itself.

MrWW's Sesame Street Song Challenge.

2012-01-04T10:43:00.000-08:00

Sesame Street Song Challenge - Adjunct.

I started a Sesame Street Song Challenge on Tumblr.

I am continuing it here.

I didn't do a post on January 1 or 2 so I have to catch up.

This is part of that effort.

The song I have chosen to catch up is The Ladybugs' Picnic.

Like the 10 Turtles on the Telephone, this is kind of a country/jug band groove.

It tells a rather detailed story in under a minute.

A more compelling story than that which James Cameron would have taken three hours to do.

12 Ladybugs have a picnic.

And they have sack races.

And jump rope.

And they tell jokes.

And it all goes swimmingly.

Until the marshmallow roast.

When they discover that, dollar for dollar, no one protects you quite like Allstate.

Enjoy.

This is just to say

2012-01-04T09:40:00.000-08:00

I will be posting more actively on this blog going forward, particularly if Tumblr continues to be a bunch of 'ignorant sluts.' If I do, it is not going to be strictly a poetry blog. It will be more than that. And I may be bringing Tumblr posts over here over the next little while.

Poem for January 4, 2012

2012-01-04T09:06:00.000-08:00

i could not forget you

anymore than i could forget

the grammar and syntax it takes

to tell you i could not forget you

even now i am distracted

by thoughts of little things

that comprise you

that you would think mundane

like the way only certain hats

seem to compliment your eyes

or how you curl into yourself

at night on the couch

your nimble fingers transforming

a single thread into a pattern for life

i could not forget you

even if i were to lose you

which is not to suggest i could

or that you would leave

if that would be your will

i could not forget you

in the way that you could not forget

how to breathe or even

the beat of your own heart

even as i gather more things

to remember about you

they are never enough

that i could not add more

or confuse one with the other

whatever the days make take from me

they do not take you

even as they take other things

and change you slowly

you become more and near

until i forget the time without you

as if you have been here every day.

Poem

2011-09-03T07:56:00.000-07:00

in spite

of all

the danger

i am

inclined

to dream

and yet

i leave them

often

where they

discover me

they are

impossible

to carry

too long

without becoming

a burden

without becoming

anything

other than

dreams.

Poem from Tumblr - May 02, 2011

2011-05-02T10:55:00.002-07:00

widowed
by the waning day
i fell into
the night garden
plunging my hands
deep into
the cool soil
as if they
were roots
but a season
passed like
a whim
and i
could not grow
no matter
how many stars
i swallowed
or dreams
i surrendered
to you.

Poem from Tumblr - May 01, 2011

2011-05-02T10:55:00.001-07:00

few things
tie my soul
to this world
like dust
when it whispers
be still
the light
is approaching
uncovered
a restoration
begins
i am made
morning
i am made
for your
eyes forming
in mine

Poem from Tumblr - April 30, 2011

2011-05-02T10:54:00.001-07:00

i made
a white hot
cauldron of
my heart
but i
could not burn
you out
i scrubbed
my hands
until the fingerprints
were gone
but i
could still
feel you
bit my tongue
until it bed
but i
could still
taste you
wrote your name
one thousand times
but even
this exorcism
could not
relieve me
you
have scarred
my soul

Poem from Tumblr - April 29, 2011

2011-05-02T10:53:00.001-07:00

Small cool circles
I circumnavigate
As the wind
Scurries under
My umbrella
To get out
Of the rain
And the lillies
Bow their heads
As I pass
It is not a courtesy
A sign of respect
It is only
The rain
It humbles everyone
Even as it splashes
In those cool circles
I avoid
The ones
That once quenched
My thirsty boots
When I was
As new
As spring.

April 28 Poem from Tumblr

2011-05-02T10:52:00.000-07:00

in our home
movies are seasons
and seasons
are pressed in glass
they come close
to real
and now
but they are movies
in glass seasons
all the life
and color
extruded
they are no longer
necessary
but they are nostalgic
for us
when we
are not here
and desirous
of new rooms
where light
lingers long after
our voices escape us.

Poem from Tumblr - April 27, 2011

2011-05-02T10:50:00.000-07:00

went looking
for my soul
in the concatenation
of theme parks
and the comfort
of fast food chains
i went looking
for my soul
in the soft tread
of office corridors
and in the harsh glare
of the produce section
i went looking
for my soul
with a fishing pole
in august
and after that
i dug for it
in december
i went looking
for my soul
in the devil’s dictionary
and the holy bible
i went looking
for my soul
in the mirrors
of morning
rain puddles
and shop windows
i went looking
for my soul
when there
was nothing else
to look for
a heathen
with a zealot’s heart
i doubt i
would recognize it

Poem for April 26, 2011

2011-04-26T17:49:00.001-07:00

the words
behind the words
are the ones
that will
overwhelm you
the ones
you cannot see
the ones
i withheld
because they
were not ready
to tell you
i love you.

Poem for April 25, 2011

2011-04-25T17:54:00.000-07:00

deep veined
and diabolical
the cry
of love
reveals itself
before and after
i remove myself
from it
before and after
it knew
i was
an instrument
of solitude
and fear.

2011-04-25T07:07:00.000-07:00

I haven't been posting poems here for a while.

But I will start back on that.

Today.

I have been putting them on Tumblr, because the feedback is more immediate.

But starting today, I will simulcast them.

Here and there.

And bring over many of the ones that wound up there.

But not here.

A poem about quiet, for @northernchick on Twitter....

2011-01-04T10:03:00.001-08:00

sound

is vast

and inevitable

always signifying

something

the start

of a school day

or cars

retreating

to the embrace

of the suburbs

when a thousand

minor variations

on a theme

are complete

all of them

are intrusions

loud and obvious

they want

too much

attention

even

the slightest motion

stirs them

into a frenzy

again

but if

we are still

they will

subside

slowly consumed

by silence

until

there is nothing

but suggestion

and possibility

suspended

in a breath

that fears

to provoke

or revoke

this perfect moment

when everything

seems to look upon us

with awe.

Poem, based on my Tumblr Cloud

2011-01-03T11:41:00.001-08:00

probably
people time
the poems
that they
love to tell you
in songs
and music
about how nice
a person
you are
as if
all the world
and its night life
read your name
just to feel
anything
at all

Poem

2011-01-03T11:40:00.001-08:00

hungry
for now
even though
I feasted
before
nothing
sates me
not even
your breath
on my lips
they only
make me
hungry
for now

Poem for January 2, 2011

2011-01-03T11:39:00.001-08:00

tonight
is a demarcation
the season
of lights
gives way
to a season
of withdrawal
or abnegation
trees
are just that
trees
bare once more
and no window
welcomes me
with warm
electric candles
all aglow
one by one
they are disappearing
only night
is joyful
and triumphant
and winter
is long
and dark
and cold
why do
we let go
so soon?

January 1 Poem

2011-01-03T11:38:00.001-08:00

i promise
i will tell
you everything
you are
to me
if i
can only
quiet my heart
enough
to speak
above it
but if
i cannot
or i talk such
that i lose my voice
then i
will write it out
or take you
in my arms
to convey
that i
am in
your love
always
even when
i am
alone or
asleep
in your dreams

December 31 Poem

2011-01-03T11:28:00.001-08:00

the year
offers us
an empty plate
it has
nothing left
to feed us
now in this
our time
of hunger
for something new
instead
it settles in
and listens
to our eulogies
all night long
knowing only
that what comes next
is as yet
undetermined
and anything
is possible
for now.

December 30 Poem

2011-01-03T11:27:00.001-08:00

silence
is something like
goodbye
and you
will not know
that was
the intent
until much later
when you wonder
where i am
if only because
even i
did not know
that was what
my silence
signified.

December 29 poem

2011-01-03T11:26:00.001-08:00

it only takes
one step
until
you are
outside
where the world
hides
everything
you touch
seems to freeze
framed
by your breath
laughing
as it swirls
around your head
the only audience
a thousand streetlights
silent sentinels
that see all things
and nothing
at once
they will not
dream of us
when they close
their eyes
they will not
even know
we are gone.

December 28 Poem

2011-01-03T11:25:00.001-08:00

i love you
for mysteries
as yet
unresolved
for errands
of enchantment
that i
apply myself to
for fireworks
that move
inside you
igniting
your eyes
for wonder
in winter
and any color
you like
becomes brighter
when in
close proximity
to your smile
tell me again
who you are
i love you
like no other
i know.

December 27 Poem

2011-01-03T11:24:00.001-08:00

no holy
burgundy laugh
no peace
that finds
a friend
in tumult
no moon
to clean
all parts
of me
and so
i sing
only of
twilight and
you
i sing only
when i know
no one
is listening.

December 26 Poem - The Sermon, for @feline_fatale

2011-01-03T11:23:00.000-08:00

this is
my statement
you got
to shake it once
you know
how it goes
because you
will feel it
somewhere
below the waist
lined up
and limber
or down
for whatever
works you up
and over
and over
until it becomes
a sweet patina
of sweat
like beads
of salvation
they drip
on and on
until the break
undone
and out
into the night
and your eyes
illuminate
the street lights
with something hot
and holy
until everything simmers
shimmering
like the blues
or lust
and the traffic
is a funeral march
that mourns
your passing.

December 25 poem

2011-01-03T11:22:00.001-08:00

outside
is not so different
than any other day
cars race by
like a sigh
and the corner store
is open
twenty four seven
everything
i pass
is mottled and grey
and the air
so cold
it pleads for snow
that won’t fall
apart from
certain ornamentation
you would not know
this is christmas
a strand of lights
an evergreen wreath
and people calling
ho ho ho
as they cross thresholds
with presents
it all seems
somehow ordinary
somewhere i suspect
is christmas
as big
and bold
as I see
every year
on TV
behind dark windows
or in passing cars
it is something close
a vague sensation
like nostalgia
or a hope
for something better
but not here
or now
it doesn’t meet me
on oxford
or allan
or anyone
i pass
all the weeks
of anticipation
pass peacefully
like a song
you hear
at night
in bed
drifting in
from the stereo
in your parents’ living room
you close your eyes
and it is gone
this brief respite
we call christmas
soon hidden away
in basements
and attics
presents
to open
some other day
and i
keep looking for it
everywhere
but in me.

December 24 Poem

2011-01-03T11:21:00.001-08:00

your heart
is a country
i have never
visited
a language
i do not
know
a day
yet to come
a trust
i am bound
to keep
a secret
i have not
revealed
a rhythm
that has become
my own.

December 23 Poem

2011-01-03T11:20:00.000-08:00

sometimes
the world
and i am
too hard
to touch
beset with numbers
that tick
and take
a toll or
too many voices
to hear
even one
mine
or yours
i turn away
and tell
everything
and nothing
to know one
i know
like you
and your touch
which is softer
than any word
i know
i want the world
at a distance
so i can leave
it alone
when it asks
too much
and strip ornaments
from my memory
to live
with you
now
somewhere outside
the world
somewhere inside
where my hands
and my mouth
are open
to receive
your tenderness
and i can hear
your heart
as clear
as if
it were mine.

December 22 Poem

2011-01-03T11:19:00.001-08:00

the moon
slumps in the sky
like a heavy heart
and gravity
tugging at my eyelids
in a cavalcade
of sighs
that dissolve
like ice
in spring
i am waiting
for sleep
to ferry me
away
any dream
will do
for now
i am
one more passenger
like you
i do not believe
we have been
introduced
who were you
before you
closed your eyes.

December 21 Poem

2011-01-03T11:17:00.000-08:00

i know
december and
what comes after
i know
how many steps
until i am
outside
i know
how the window
in the kitchen
lets the cold air in
in the morning
when i sit down
for breakfast
i know
your eyes
are as green
as spring
is vibrant
is new
i know
every spot
in our home
where sunlight pools
and the cat naps
i know
the path
that i
mean to follow
and great doubt
i know
that you
bring love
that is ever
unassailable to me
but i
do not know
my soul
it has no reflection
apart from that
which i find
in you

December 20 Poem for @nobodyspoppet

2011-01-03T11:16:00.001-08:00

when my mouth
was on fire
i could not hear you
i would not say
i was not
paying attention
i tend
to get lost
when the words
are raw
or slippery
they ask
a lot of me
and i
do not know
their intent
maybe
i should
surrender my voice
give it
to someone new
but i
don’t know
you would only
fill it with yearning
or fear
it cannot express
and i would
shake it out
until it is empty
a stillborn ghost
or fill it
with damn noise
and the sharp edges
of punctuation
better yet
let silence
negotiate a truce
and we
can start again
my name
is mark
what is yours
you know
we have
the strangest
conversations
when i imagine
what you will say.

December 19 Poem - Midnight, for Blanddiva11

2011-01-03T11:15:00.001-08:00

night
is defiling
everything
even the stars
are scarce
and tomorrow
is ever approaching
ready to take you
until today
begins
but this
is an interregnum
a time between then
and when
it is upon you
it is already gone
only morning
remains
and hidden
in the dark
slowly revealing itself
to you
like a lover
you never considered
before now

December 18 Poem

2011-01-03T11:09:00.001-08:00

there are
so many things
we have not
as yet forgotten
but i mourn
the ones
we have lost
and ask you
to forgive me
for repeating
what i recall
of us
as often as i do
although
i suspect
i have embellished
our story
somewhat
it is as close
to precise
as it needs to be
to be true

December 17 Poem

2011-01-03T11:07:00.001-08:00

is this
your song
of winter

it is
cold and
hard to swallow

it covers everything
in heavy layers
of nostalgia

and melancholy
such that
i cannot sing it

so lay it down
and i will make one
of my own

a brief refrain
an epitaph
for my footprints
swallowed whole.

December 16 Poem

2011-01-03T11:06:00.001-08:00

i lay my silence
down to sleep
and unwind the blue
when it is done
it is too close
too bright
and spent
even so
i ask you
lend your voice
to give me a light
and i will spark and
shadow you home
find your breath
on my tongue
trusting you
with my mistakes
see what you
can make of them
because they
made me dull
and unfocused
they made me
want you
too much
or at least enough
that i
could not finish
this.

December 15 Poem

2011-01-03T11:05:00.001-08:00

of all the names
i offered you
i liked that one best
i made it from beeswax
and gave it to flames
to free you
when i grew
too attached
to its beauty
when i forgot
it was not
your name.

December 14 Poem

2011-01-03T11:04:00.001-08:00

this is
for no one
in particular
and you
this is a first draft
an offering
i make it up
as i go along
adding details
like guests
to a wedding list
suddenly
there is a blue sky
even if you think
it is gray
or maybe i am blue
if not you
does it matter
you can walk away
from this
and not remember
a word
i said
but i
keep calling
to you
and no one
in particular
begging forgiveness
for this intrusion
the next one
will be more precise.

December 13 Poem

2011-01-03T11:03:00.001-08:00

the moon
and its jealous
delegates
are soon to appear
or maybe it is me
who is jealous
they do not need
to justify themselves
to anyone who passes by
not like me
revealing one detail
after another
my words
lose their luster
the moment
i let them go
but they deny scrutiny
with silence
and become divine
as i wonder how
to tell you something
without saying anything
at all.

December 12 Poem for @silkpillow

2011-01-03T11:02:00.001-08:00

do not give me over
to the silhouette of snow
in the sky
do not give me
to the eager hands
of evergreens
or to the graveyard
of reeds bent
like the penitent
or to that dark sea
that seems so still
and soulless
i know
i was not meant
for such things
their beauty
can only endure
without me
but my heart
would perish
without you

Poem for today.

2010-12-11T14:39:00.000-08:00

a splash of dust
peppers the street
where i do not go
no winter
will not take me
where i do not
know my face
let it be
another season
that binds me
to some unknown
fancy
i am not one
for cold
though it
gave birth
to me
it will not
take me
i will wait
it out
everything changes
eventually
but if
it should not budge
then i
will come calling
for you
i will call you spring

Poem from Tumblr posted Friday, December 10

2010-12-11T14:38:00.000-08:00

(For @sweet_steffy)

tell me
is it your intent
to turn me
then turn
and everything
will tumble
away
look now
i’m ready
with my eyes
my mouth
and my arms open
and unguarded
and i
will remain open
to all possibility
but if you
turn away
if you
have nothing
to offer
then i am closed
a summer cottage
given over to winter
wondering who is it
that has my key

Poem from Tumblr posted Thursday, December 9

2010-12-11T14:37:00.000-08:00

(for KristyV, edited slightly from the Tumblr version...)
This
is what loneliness
looks like
a room stripped
of all furniture
or a park bench
slumbering
under fresh snow
it smells like attics
on rainy days
or worn hymnals
on mondays
and it sounds
like a loon
breaching
the still of night
with its plangent cry
when it cannot see
even its reflection
it tastes
like tannic acid
or food left out
too long
for someone
whose absence
requires explanation
and it feels heavy
like humidity
or the anxiety
of anyone
awaiting execution
at best
it is solitude
and its worst
is despair
all sharp teeth
and a thousand
fathoms deep
like a dream
of falling
it is everywhere
and nowhere
one red rose
in a vase
on the table
a cat
curled up
in the sun
exquisite longing
a constant companion
like your shadow
or a star
sailing by
when even
your wishes
forsake you
that is
what loneliness is

Poem from Tumblr posted Wednesday, December 8

2010-12-11T14:36:00.002-08:00

let no day
know we are here
they tend
to tangle us
in distress
and disarm us
with conflicts
when we should
be moving
together
into the eager
and sweet eternal softness
of skin

Poem from Tumblr posted Thursday, December 7

2010-12-11T14:36:00.001-08:00

i was made
of dreams
that often
stayed awake
at night
i was made
of promises
that were
more dear
than a caress
i was made
of distant trains
emerging as swiftly
from nothing
as they returned
I was made
of hammers
the constant tick
of time
unwinding
i was made
of pools
of summer rain
staring intently
into the sky
i was made
of christmas
and snow swirling
like fireflies
over a frozen lake
i was made
of lamplight
that bathed
my room
in amber hues
i was made
of comic books
and super heroes
and wishes
for wings
i was made
of transistors
and top forty
every little hurt
became my own
but i
was unmade
the moment
my eyes
met yours

Poem from Tumblr posted Monday, December 6

2010-12-11T14:35:00.001-08:00

what comes to us
is fragments
when our dreams
consort with their dreams
and die without us
without a word
but we do not
so much as want
or wound them
as we embrace them
too long
until they star
to resolve themselves
and they cannot stand
to be so ordinary
or remembered
because they are divine
when they are forgotten

Poem from Tumblr posted Sunday, December 5

2010-12-11T14:34:00.001-08:00

when met
with those
who are
not given
to follow
you or
perhaps you
should suddenly
discover that
no path
becomes you
or perhaps
you see
no alternatives
then resolve
to make
your own
never following
or letting
any one
stand in
your way

Poem from Tumblr posted Saturday, December 4

2010-12-11T14:33:00.001-08:00

i remove myself
from every thing
i can
from the traffic
the cul de sac
the convenience store
i remove myself
from the arcane
and the obscene
i remove myself
from the wild
and the weary
from the armies
and the arms
of others
from commitments
and kindness
and questng
and I remove myself
from the rest
of these words
until I achieve
the sanctuary
of solitude
knowing
one thing
all the while
i cannot
remove myself
from you

Poem from Tumblr posted Friday, December 1 called The Coming Atlantis

2010-12-11T14:32:00.000-08:00

Go now
and submerge
yourself
in everything
you can
go down
and down
until you are
underneath it all
vast and uncertain
like a mackerel sky
before the snow comes
everything runs wild
and fast and fine
like mist
it sweeps everything
up
but wait
gestate
until no breath
animates your lungs
until you become
mythical, impossible
and free
and then
when you are certain
no one can see
or anticipate you
that is when
you rise.

Poem from Tumblr posted Thursday, December 2

2010-12-11T14:31:00.000-08:00

your heart is what
and where am i
if not within it
your heart is when
and why am i
if not beside it
your heart is whom
and how am i
to tell you
that your breath
takes mine
far away
where i
do not know
my heart
without yours.

Poem from Tumblr posted Wednesday, December 1

2010-12-11T14:05:00.001-08:00

a plane
passes
like a whim
blue cars
congregate
near the driveway
the fridge
hums
a nervous tune
the world
encroaches
on us daily
and I
embrace
your silence anew.

Poem from Tumblr posted Tuesday, November 30

2010-12-11T14:04:00.001-08:00

i am going
to leave
these words
here for you
to make of them
what you will
words
like love
stars, night, kiss
dreams and snow
just to see
what you will do
maybe you
will say
the eyes of the night
are as white as snow
or dreams
are a shower
of love
i don’t know
or maybe
you’ll leave
these words
as you found them
random
with no context
whatever you decide
please know this
they are my favorite words
in the whole world
let no harm
come to them
when you take them
as your own.

Poem from Tumblr posted Monday, November 29

2010-12-11T14:03:00.000-08:00

your heart
is a truth
i keep
to myself
i cannot
recall where
i found it
but i sleep
with it
at night
when the moon
is too obvious
and every breath
is a confession
that betrays
my love
for you

Poem from Tumblr posted Sunday, November 28

2010-12-11T14:02:00.000-08:00

whatever is
for us will languish
if we are not
swift
each second
that we hesitate
is a moment
gone
forever
into your arms
or mine
it hardly matters
to embrace
or be embraced
is all
and anything less
is regret.

Poem: kiss

2010-11-27T18:22:00.001-08:00

there
is nothing
i can say
that cannot
be more acutely
or intimately expressed
than in the confines
of one swift
and unexpected
kiss.

Poem from Friday, November 26 (Tumblr)

2010-11-27T18:21:00.001-08:00

(For @neviegirl83...)

every victory
is a day
i can tell you
something new
each one
is rare
in its way
and hard won
because things
have a tendency
to fall away
from us
or they
are taken
away
against our will
you can
take me down
to bone
but i am here
it is
a loss
and yet
i am rebuilding
the scaffolding
is being taken
away
piece by piece
and i
will emerge
anew
soon
those eyes
that fix me
and say
where did you go
mine reply
i am here
as ever
and still
it is where
i am going
that matters
now
and i
will see you
when I
get there.

Poem from Thursday, November 25 (tumblr - a thanksgiving prayer)

2010-11-27T18:19:00.000-08:00

come we
into this space
as open as
it discovers us
new and renewing
our hearts
which find
a solace
in the hopes
we offer
and the thanks
we give
for whatever
is for us
to share

Poem from Wednesday, November 24 (tumblr)

2010-11-27T18:18:00.001-08:00

this?
is not music
it is bare bones
it is words
chasing words
chasing you
along sidewalks
chain links
and other remains
ever loud
and solicitous of
the ghosts within
the moment
that you reveal
your summer smile
and nothing more
but when
you look away
it is autumn
again
and i long for sinners
and saints
to tell you only
that i am here.

Poem from Tuesday, November 23 (tumblr)

2010-11-27T18:16:00.001-08:00

those are dangerous days
that demand of us
a duet or two
in the tintinnabulation
the concatenation
of notes that ensue
we find
our voices
anew
and i find
the morning
in you

Poem from Monday, November 22 (tumblr)

2010-11-27T18:14:00.000-08:00

when i began this
i did not know
what i wanted
to tell you
i only knew
one thing
that when you
begin this
i will be done
and gone
lost somewhere
far away
in thought.

Poem from Sunday, November 21 (tumblr)

2010-11-27T18:09:00.001-08:00

do not put
your heart
in here
in this
small space
i left
for you
for it will
become entangled
in the unnamed things
that keep me
up at night
in clocks
in wings
and many
intangible things
like love
and memories
that do not
know you
do not
put your heart
in here
it will be
debased
by association
constrained
by description
disgraced
by association
with a yearning
that cares not
who you are
but only that
you are
open
to listen
do not
put your heart
in here
because i
did not
put mine there
put it here
because this
is over.

Poem from Saturday, November 20 (tumblr)

2010-11-27T18:07:00.001-08:00

waiting
at the bus stop
the snowflakes
come
like birds
one by one
they gather
in your hair
which seems
more red
today
than ever
under my umbrella
i reach
to brush away
your little passengers
only to pause
as the ghosts within
those crystals
cry.

Poem from Friday, November 19 (Tumblr)

2010-11-27T18:04:00.000-08:00

you remain ever
new and unfolding
mysteries before
my eyes and daily
i discover you
more dear than dear
or those gone before
the one you are
here in moments
like this but not
this and more again
remembering all that
i hoped you would be
startles me only
because you are more
and more and never
less than a phenomenon
or the constant revelation
there, in your kiss
where you and i
meet once more
with a thousand warm hellos
each a little prayer
preying on love

Poem: Untitled verse for @beingtheo

2010-11-18T11:25:00.001-08:00

the day lathered up

like dishpan hands

and the clouds

bump along

like a do do wah

or careless doodles

little salt shakers

just spillin snow

on unkempt neon

dreamin every instant

of the unruly night

but no never mind

they just bump along

with a fa la la

falling in line

like spectators

speculatin

what comes next

but that’s

the trap

they get plump

and ponderous

when they should

move quick

like a hey you

or a shoop shoop

instead they

like to linger

but will not

approach or answer

if you say

come in

or try to

dry their eyes

with no birds

to carry them home

they just bump along

they just saunter by

Wednesday's poem

2010-11-18T11:23:00.001-08:00

my body is
a troubled cage
there are
no locks
and everywhere
i go
i am imprisoned
leaving clues
for you
to find
and thus
find me
even if
you cannot
rescue me
your cage
is a solace
of sorts
at night
when our eyes
dim and
our guards
are down.

Tuesday's Poem:Down to Stars

2010-11-18T11:22:00.001-08:00

For @down_to_stars

down to stars
and still
we ask for more
the world
cannot contain
us
moving out
and often
trailing off
like the weather
until we are eager
hungry thieves
cautiously approaching
each other
sick with want
and other desires
nervously extending
our lips
to feed
our torments
to themselves.

Monday's Poem

2010-11-18T11:20:00.001-08:00

when i made
my home
in november
i took down
the rusty banners
from the trees
and laid them
on the ground
and slept there
for a century
while my dreams
were filled in
with kisses
as soft
and wet
as snow

Poem: No passenger

2010-11-14T12:11:00.002-08:00

the days
dream us
too soft
i fear
i like
when time
is new
rolling in
your hands
the way
a ball
will do
but with
no past
this moment
gives birth
to one
and another
and we
move forward
only because
there is
no return
only because
we love
no other
tell me
once more
there is
no end
to this
or please
tell me
this is
the beginning
it always
feels new
with you
and i
know that
i want
no other
passenger.

Verse: Saturday's poem, copied over from Tumblr.

2010-11-14T12:11:00.001-08:00

there is
no one in here
now
i did not
designate anyone
as a prisoner
every one
is free
to come
and go
as they please
but i
stand outside
your circles
and i say
nothing
as you
walk away

Verse: Friday's poem, brought over here from Tumblr

2010-11-14T12:10:00.000-08:00

tonight
the lights
did not notice us
approach them
as we traveled
across the harbor
we were only
temporary pilgrims
with nothing
to offer them
beyond a glance
a smile
we were gone
in the span
of a kiss
but they
looked on
into the night
searching
for stars
to call
their own…

Thursday's Verse: Originally posted on Tumblr

2010-11-14T12:09:00.001-08:00

i am not a silence
or something sharp
penetrating the air
like the scent
of memories
i am a coroner
exploring the death
of a moment
before it has
even passed
and i am telling you
it was as bittersweet
before you
as it is sure to be
untenable without

Verse: for Miracles4Ring14

2010-11-10T14:53:00.000-08:00

what will
you do
with your joy?

will you
send it
outside

with your dogs
echoing through
the canyons at night

will you
swallow it
in that moment

when there
is no breath
at all

will you
leave it
hidden

for others
to discover
by chance

will you
give it
away

to anyone
in grief
instead

will you
invest it
in hope

of one
small impossible
miracle

will you
let it stay up
all night

listening to
the moon tell tales
of imminent winter

what will
you do
with this

your inexhaustible
indomitable
elusive joy

that is
your life
your light

Verse: Please do not go

2010-11-09T11:49:00.000-08:00

please

do not go

gradually

the way that

winter

tends to recede

please

do not go

and leave

this world

without you

please

do not go

with only

the rain

in your wake

please

do not go

in the middle

of a sentence

or when

you have nothing

left to say

it is better

to have

your silence

than to be

without

Please

do not go

with kisses

as yet

unknown

or anything

that your hands

have not touched

please

do not go

so sudden

that there is

no room

for return

or goodbye

please

do not go

until

i am gone.

Verse: greetings

2010-11-08T08:52:00.000-08:00

you
who called me
by my name

who did not
once think
to afford me

the sweet
discretion
of anonymity

i ask only
that you
tell me this

is there
nothing
i can do

to forget
that which
i was

now that
you know who
i am

Verse: Maps

2010-11-07T16:47:00.001-08:00

perhaps you are
in your own way
eternal
but not me
you can see
the cracks
these tyrannical little scars
that overwhelm me
as they spread out
unevenly
in search
of each other’s
tender embrace
each crease
a path
forming a map of
my life
where my nervous fingers
my tense toes
are borders
i never venture
beyond
even as
the edges fray
and more lines
form
look at my palm
this is where
i was born
and there
is where my travels
end
and the in between
borders on you
whether you are
eternal or not
i know
no other way
to go
nor where
i will be
i only have
my map
and it
is incomplete

Verse: I am telling your story

2010-11-06T18:13:00.001-07:00

i am telling
your story
without rain
without a hint
of summer
or any mention
of your name
i am telling
your story
reluctantly
but only
because
i don’t want
to leave you
vulnerable
to those who
would make
assumptions
about you
because
they don’t know
i am telling
your story
and starting
with the crush
of leaves
carpeting sidewalks
because
it is as good
as any place
to begin
i will
fill more details in
and presently
but if you
sense a hestiancy
it’s only because
i was
i am telling
your story
from the inside
one table
in the corner
where i saw you
waiting
for me
with a smile
of familiarity
how long
had it been
years dominoed
in the memory
and we
built new paths
much like
the brain does
after a stroke
but not a healing
something else
i am telling
your story
and i bring
in the snow
and Valentine’s
and one chocolate heart
i could not unwrap
because
your heart
was not mine
not yet
that day
was so cold
i looked
into the deep blue
curlicues unfurling
on your shirt
and froze
i am telling
your story
with uncertainty
only gradually
giving way
to what
we knew
but would not say
for fear
it would not
be reciprocated
i am telling
your story
and this is
where i put in
the confession
the long walk
the brush of hands
that kiss
when the sun
emerged
like a blessing
but more like
the sun
i am telling
your story
often
i know
and adding
little details
about your eyes
the way
you bend your leg
when you make
breakfast
how your hair
rests softly
on your shoulders
and tumbles when
you turn to look
at me
and that smile
that restores
mine
i am telling
your story
because
i know no other
that fascinates me
quite like yours
and yet
when i
am telling
your story
somehow
it becomes mine
forgive me
one day
i will get
this right.

Friday's Poem from Tumblr

2010-11-06T18:11:00.001-07:00

the world
does not need
any thing
i have
to offer
the wind
absconds
with my words
the sea
distorts
my reflection
the sky
is an anvil
i break
my fists
upon
and one day
the warm wet lips
of the earth
will swallow
whatever remains
of me
just as eagerly
as i
eat a peach
in august
forgetting i was
ever here
so if
you approach me
do not offer
your name
or ask mine
and we
will never
be burdened
by each other’s
identity
that is
a lot to ask
of anyone
as fleeting
as a dream
as we
instead
i will look
for you
when i
close my eyes.

Verse: Tuesday's poem, today!

2010-11-04T02:51:00.000-07:00

(again, tossed onto Tumblr...)

these myths
that portray us
do not tell
the whole story
nor do
the shadows
that mimic
our every move
but if i dream you
or dream of you
it is our story
your heart
that i attend to
and the morning
that i sing
the end of this world
is the day
i wake
without you.

Verse: Wednesday's poem today

2010-11-04T02:50:00.000-07:00

(this was written for @onegirlrambles. I posted it on Tumblr, where I seem to be putting these first. And then I get lazy & forget to move them here. I tried to keep to three syllables for each line. I failed...)

those red leaves
ripe with flame
bow their heads
when it rains
as they cool
the waning day
breathes a sigh
and falls away

Verse: your want is whatever

2010-11-01T17:53:00.000-07:00

your want is whatever

i am meant to be

whether you know

what you want

of me

or not

i want only

for you to know

you are ever becoming

what i love

even without knowing

what i love

which changes

as you change me

everyday and

unwittingly

your love

becomes me

Verse: untitled

2010-10-31T12:03:00.001-07:00

if you
do not see me

when nothing
approaches

with an all
consuming silence

that takes
my voice

instills me
with great doubt

and removes
all traces of me

i want you
to know this

i cannot recall
a day

that i did
not love you

even when
the silence

was just
between us

even when i was
so distracted

by the everyday
that i neglected
to tell you.

Verse: untitled

2010-10-30T10:47:00.000-07:00

if you
would understand
the sea

you must
first look
at the stars

to see
how they
float by

if you
would understand
the night

you must
first look
at the sun

to see
how it
illuminates everything

if you
would understand
anything

you must
first look
at a dream

to see
how it
eludes you

if you
would understand
love

you must
first look
at longing

to see
how it
becomes you

when you
are not
here.

Verse: A winter poem for @gilesmarie

2010-10-29T18:35:00.001-07:00

first is the frost
a shroud
of stars
that falls upon
fallow earth
without so much
as any wish
to hold on to
and then
the bare trees
slip into
their coats
thick and white
like whipped cream
its wonderful
when it
is new
when the clouds
are mackereled
and the air
is crisp
and brisk
and we catch
sight of our breath
before it scatters
like chickadees
and yet
nothing compares
to watching
the streets
crawl under
fresh linens
woven by fireflies
darting about
in the amber glow
of festive streetlights

Thursday's Verse: Poem for someone who needs one. Originally posted on Tumblr

2010-10-29T18:34:00.001-07:00

the love
that you wish for
the love
that is
as fierce
and indomitable
as you
and yours
is waiting
for you
where you
cannot see
and you
will know
you have found it
or it has found you
only when
it has completely
overtaken you
and it will
soon.

Verse: untitled

2010-10-27T18:45:00.001-07:00

when you come
for me
and you will
eventually
cloaked
as you are
in anonymity
i will be
ready
because i
have already
surrendered.

Verse: untitled

2010-10-26T16:21:00.000-07:00

take back
the night
it is interminable
take back
the bruise
that is your kiss
take back
the goodbye
in your hello
and this silence
that i
reside in
take back
the day
we met
and give it
a name
to make it new
and take away
your veil
of sleep
and see
me trembling
with love
for you.

Verse: The Butterflies

2010-10-25T09:02:00.001-07:00

come

and i

will wrap

my wings

around you

here

in a dream

of life

that abounds

with you

quick

before

the day

absconds with you

and the wind

reveals all

of my secrets

that even

my memories

do not know

that i was once

a child of fear

but that was

so long ago

come

into my wings

i am calling you

from the embrace

of an evening

i am falling through

where is the grace

if not

in your eyes

come

into my wings

tonight, we rise.

Verse: Sunday's poem, today!

2010-10-25T05:20:00.000-07:00

(I put this on Tumblr on Sunday and forgot to copy it here...)

if you leave
in winter
spring will not come
to console me
if you leave
at night
what morning
could comfort me
without you
the light
of my life
no dreams
would sleep
behind my eyes
no songs
would sing me home
you would
unwittingly take
every color
every aspiration
when you go

Verse: mouth

2010-10-23T18:20:00.000-07:00

mouth
on hungry mouth
devouring each breath
before it leaves
the lips
we slip
into the small hours
between light
where we die
and dreams
cry for life
that we
cannot live

Verse: autumn did not often

2010-10-22T16:19:00.000-07:00

autumn did not often
occur to us
even as it sacrificed
itself, each day
and threw its garlands
at our feet
we only saw winter
over her shoulder
approaching us
with haste
and we wept.

Verse: Moments

2010-10-21T12:59:00.001-07:00

after entertaining
one another
with our secrets
each moment
discards itself
in haste
forgetting that
it ever made
our acquaintance
and we
let them go
like lovers
in the night

Verse: my heart

2010-10-20T09:23:00.000-07:00

my heart
is not my heart
it is yours

it is
with you
wherever you go

and experiences
your joys
and sorrows

as intensely
as if they
were mine

which they are
for it is you
love

who is
the heart
of my heart

which is now
and always
yours.

Verse: ballad of Lucyspet II

2010-10-19T10:21:00.000-07:00

i am
on my way
back home

where i
am meant
to be

which is not
where i am
now

desire lines
my face
with regrets

and even
my dreams
do not understand me

older than
ever and yet
still alive

i want only
to know
one thing

who is it
that waits
for me

on my way
back home

Verse: untitled

2010-10-18T09:54:00.000-07:00

the scent of
our shadows
fills the night

see how
they revolve
like planets do

and under
the soft covers of
a moonlit sky

every star
shivers
from wanting you

Verse: i love the light

2010-10-17T11:43:00.000-07:00

i love
the light

the way
it circulates

how swift
it suffocates a city

how it defines
a space

the way
it frames you

how it catches
your soul

when you are
not looking for it

how it reveals
you are home.

Verse: love is not here

2010-10-16T09:28:00.000-07:00

love
is not here

though i invoke it
with a word

it is
not here

it is in
the tickle of rain

the sympathetic gaze
of memory

the cool melodies
of coltrane

the sighs
of a summer's night

the candor
of a smile

but it
is not here

unless you
are here

to know
i love you.

Verse: Randomisms

2010-10-15T15:02:00.000-07:00

For @randomisms, who asked me to write for the word randomisms. This is the result. A failed attempt to be random in that I tied all the fragments I had together....

wind creeps word
by wordless word
through unkempt hours
of ocher songs
spilled by coffee birds
gone to ground
in the bleating black wings
of autumn’s undinal embrace
which denies us
until we cry out
for witnesses
to the confession
an avalanche
of epiphanies that
our sleep drawn hands
design with the silence
of a sky which
does not recall
when we were born
and will not sigh
when we are not here
to wake it.

Verse: this is just to say

2010-10-14T09:16:00.000-07:00

this is
just to say
i love you

for all
the reasons
you know

(your eyes
your calm
your smile)

and all you
think you cannot
be loved for

(every freckle
that knows you
more intimately than i)

and if i
should die
in these words

my love
for you
will prevail

my love
for you will
remain here

in these words
which are
no longer mine.

Verse: you whom I love

2010-10-13T10:47:00.000-07:00

you whom i love
not because
i know you love

but because you
are near
and present

even when
i am not
in need of love

or deserving
of a love
that is yours

which makes
my mouth ache
with anticipation

i move
from want
to want

and keep
myself ever
in love

with you
i am more
agreeable

even when
i am not
pleasant

or present
and yet this
is the constant

i am in love
as deep as it
is in me

and you
yes you
whom i love

not because you
love me
but because
i love you.