Phantom Storm - (Villanelle)

a storm is coming up the coast
some other place they’d rather be
the mariners fear this one most

they pour some rum and drink a toast
as tortured souls try to break free
a storm is coming up the coast

a skeleton ship that’s manned by ghosts
made up of sailors lost at sea
the mariners fear this one most

abandoned hope and left their posts
from sinking ships they could not flee
a storm is coming up the coast

in pirate tales they often boast
but now reduced to beg and plea
the mariners fear this one most

they sold their souls to Satan’s host
to sail into eternity
a storm is coming up the coast
the mariners fear this one most

Write it Down

People say I’m incoherent
others think that I’m insane
light a fire but don’t stand near it
daffodils and pork lo mein

Maybe I’m not really crazy
maybe it is all an act
sometimes I might pick a daisy
take a bite and put it back

You may think that I’m absurd
butterflies and child-proof caps
I don’t know what you have heard
hemorrhoid cream and memory lapse

Perhaps I’m getting tired of life
maybe I’m just sick of you
they won’t let me near a knife
they’re afraid what I might do

My good jacket is at the cleaner
I borrowed this one off the rack
they are watching my demeanor
and the sleeves tie in the back

They want me to keep a diary
they ask me to write things down
then it turns to an inquiry
as they turn my words around

So now I’m writing random words
often swearing, sometimes shout
floating fish and sinking birds
more shit for them to figure out

Politicians - (Villanelle)

the politicians make their plans
while lawyers all review their cases
and corporate money changes hands

make policies for foreign lands
as media promotes their faces
the politicians make their plans

in words nobody understands
speeches made from well known places
and corporate money changes hands

while noisy crowds and marching bands
assemble in our public spaces
the politicians make their plans

and as the voter base expands
pollsters all predict the races
and corporate money changes hands

keep kissing babies, greeting fans
phony handshakes, false embraces
the politicians make their plans
and corporate money changes hands

Always The Same Questions

a simple glance
instant romance
hoping for
an honest chance
a second look
is all it took
write your number
in my book
the slightest touch
I’m in your clutch
hold my tongue
don’t say too much
a little attention
no apprehension
my thoughts defy
all comprehension
Am I too needy?
Am I being greedy?
Are my emotions
just too speedy?
How can this last?
Am I type cast?
Why do I fall
in love so fast?
How do I feel?
Is this real?
Is this just simply
sex appeal?
Happy ending,
just pretending,
or is a new romance
impending?

Alien Nation

going through this world alone
feeling like you don’t belong
acting like a lifeless drone
feeling like your not that strong

living in a world unknown
wondering where it all went wrong
feeling like a mindless clone
only trying to get along

no one knows what it’s about
no one even has a clue
no one has it figured out
no one knows what they should do

but you know it’s not just you
many feel they don’t fit in
half of the people feel it too
feeling like they just can’t win

everyone I know has doubt
feeling all alone and lost
trying to find their own way out
feeling they’ve been doubled-crossed

My Beautiful Wreck

when they finish sifting through the debris
of fragments of your life that used to be
I hope they send the pieces back to me
though I may not assemble them perfectly

you would probably be a pain in the neck
with pieces back where they’re supposed to be
you’ll make someone a beautiful wreck
that someone might as well be me

when you don’t know what you are doin’
and when you’re tired of all the travel
I’ll sort through the mess and ruin
to see you don’t completely unravel

when the world you live in comes undone
and all your faith gets lost in rubble
I might just be the only one
to try and keep you out of trouble

I’ll be ready when you crash
to help you keep your life in check
and when it all goes in the trash
you can be my beautiful wreck

The Secret

I present myself
as a hard brittle shell
only because
I don’t want you to see me
as a soft runny yoke
and a drippy albumen