jude dillon writes

2012-02-16T20:02:00.001-07:00

a faraway

coast

freighters

beckon

with

lurid

drunken
touch

the

slinking

green

embrace

seeks

sudden

cautious

storm

itchy

autumn

rain

2012-02-12T06:26:00.000-07:00

I’m at my desk

and the pages areblank

notebook open tothe middle

words give whatpeople can’t

a pen decides

way too much

below the surface

like a radiowhispering

or mice in thewall

beside me coffeecooling in a cup

with stomachgrowling and the traffic,

up out of a yellowgloom

she won’t becalling at this hour

before daybreak

does the dance and

curiousity

steps on toes

2012-02-10T11:15:00.002-07:00

Scribbling

offers

deep

distractions

once in awhile

women

appear

and obsess

to free

the
gridlock

sniff

out

a neglected

dessert

find

a quick

drink

2012-02-05T15:06:00.002-07:00

The sparrow hesitates,

hungry forthe sky

waits to consume the piano,

sunlight
and yellowleaves

like the hangover

I’ve been nursing with breakfest

soaking up the runny bits
withtoast

2012-02-04T06:51:00.000-07:00

Delusions

sustain

the artistic

dialogue

giddy

stabs

intellect

pretending

sudden

highlights

approach

the

liquor

store

2012-02-01T07:47:00.001-07:00

Waves shushing in

around smooth blackrock...

won’t find the same words

deep in the hills

or in the city

when the going seemsgood

sitting up on lawns

and howling back

dusted with the blackened snow
trying very hard to leave

2012-01-30T22:33:00.003-07:00

She

worships

the bonfire

propped up

with sullen

damaged

boughs

brushing

ancient

broken

fence lines

rifle

the

berry

basket

demanding

sensible

plonk

2012-01-27T06:34:00.001-07:00

In and out of step

drags me across a month ofpoems

light,sooty with toasted snowflakes

has it down

the sky belongs to thesparrow

deep earth,

stony with no pockets

for warm hands

belongs to a ghost

reflecting on bare lawns

circles under her eyes

asking after wine

slipping into sandals

shefalls away,

a delicious bomb

abit of light set free

caught nibbling at the sun

wishing there were rain

to talk to

drifting in

to shut the blinds,

unplug the phone

2012-01-25T16:42:00.002-07:00

My
horoscope

feels

erotic

pouting

smoke

from

chimneys

disguising

a wild

apparition

a scribbled
page

a fever

getting

through

2012-01-23T11:36:00.001-07:00

She has a way

with boredom

counting the flowerpots

pouring out thick brown coffee

reaching out

I begin to

settle in with her

groove

acquiring her furniture

the bean pole I’m climbing upfor the view

whereI try to reset

the face on her clock

while a dog

barking at his tail

under a streetlamp

pokes through a whirl ofsnowflakes

hesitant to settle

trying to enchant

while the plonk waits in thefridge

takingour time

deep ships sway on their anchorchains

rusted at the waterline

unnerve me

with a bitter perfume

that creeps in across the bay

talking won’t revive

the mood

as she pours another

glass of

wine

2012-01-21T08:24:00.001-07:00

There's a flame running

through my mind

with a

a trick camera

to record all that’s said

and done

distance can go a week

without a drink

but not a week without aconversation

now walking in the rain

starving

we understand each other

cornered by the smoke

cooling in the wax

2012-01-20T12:58:00.001-07:00

a reluctant

winter

morning

whiskey

vividly

courted

tickles

ritual

slumber

abandoned

bluish

curled

surfaces

lurch

and

stammer

with

cool

probing

persuasive

wit

weeds out

a drowned

piano

cloudy

mood

forgotten

the

steady

and

down

roars

minimal

applause

2012-01-19T08:50:00.001-07:00

The snow is coming out

the sun is starting to fall
a slybit of style,

swirls the espresso

wired elegantly to thehyper-active bean

makes a violin nerve with panic

coaxes failure

tears up peace of mind

does he want her hard enough tohurt

parked in a corner with his pen

does she really wants totalk

until they’ve slept together

buried in arhyme

invaded with a tiny cup andsaucer

the sun is attacking the room

the flash in a metal tree

waits for

luck to shine

a password

is what he needs

2012-01-16T06:46:00.002-07:00

someone

new

nibbles

whiskey’s

charm

disguises

intimate

misery

upbeat

alcoholics

quide

a poet

into

obscurity

daybreak

grabs

underside

spreads

grace

drips

elegance

softly

lyrics

resonate

teasing

a fresh

ambulance

awaiting

a grim

visual

trouble

tracing

dark

promise

2012-01-15T06:36:00.000-07:00

I hear you all the time,

crashing on mybeach

as fluent

as the tabloids

darkening thelight each morning

with a lie

and the darkalways there for an embrace

the chug offreight trains rambling out

an empty cab

a splash of yellowin the rain

saxophones

thumping thesidewalk blue

slide into the faraway

lit up by the glow

you read the bookpartway

over black coffeein a caffe

and drop me offthe edge

of the weekend

then backwards youcome dancing in

for a cautiouslook

torn at the edges

light slowingthrough a cloud

hearing music in the traffic

sly as sexy evergets

2012-01-13T14:56:00.002-07:00

The rain

hints

of arguments

the pigeons

descend

gripping

stark

logic

as a raining

glow

batters

railway

yards

grows

dim

wrinkles

fence

wire

targets

the muse

2012-01-10T21:01:00.000-07:00

A few eleganttrees looking sorry they have come

leave me alone

to stuff rags ofdaylight

into worry

while I sense

the river

and your perfume

a sniff of victory

so quiet

I thought you’drun out of words

a squirrel jumpsin front of me,
as a truck, at the light,

makes a turn

we were never friends...

2012-01-09T05:13:00.000-07:00

We were

never

friends

happy with

how to listen

a ruthless

clock

growling

within

looking back

at a friendly

shaped

hill

aspen

grove

closing

behind

irrigation

ditch

freezing

over

solitary

drives

to the coast

ocean

rising

happy with

how to listen

whiskey shakes the world...

2012-01-06T06:47:00.002-07:00

Whiskey shakes the world
the way mustard goes with ham
you have fun being sad
the itchy ruin of your thighs
giddy with rage

the cool blue stare you offer
with the aperitif
comes with thin licks of foam
addresses my cappuccino
another stallion
sleek in the mirror
wrangling tickets to the rodeo
so I can see how bones get broken

it's been awhile since I romanced
a woman
took her for a gentleman
I had been seeing
about a camera
dancing on the head of a beer
writing myself out
dry as last night's bottle of gin
rain polishing everyone
down to grey

the timing device you invented
gradually, over the centuries
begins to cool
waiting for a kiss
eyes closed I approach this
intersection
with the essentials
to nurture a poem

slip into a subdivision
asphalt dotted with
streetlamps
listening to lyrics
that don't sink in
a destroyer moored in your living room

my blood is too cold for the south
with you
fearing the volcano
ashes spread across the floor of the sea

planning a little surprise
or a shower of falling rocks
interested briefly in
the barks of heaven
and the stars
who need to watch us

delusional...

2012-01-04T10:41:00.002-07:00

Skip

landscapes,

trees,

busting

ass,

liquored-up

icy
jazz

your

hungry

eyes

switch

to a richer

obscurity

around

the unpredictable

cliff-face

the lighthouse

creeping in,

with a reluctant

gush

the fog

circling

the evergreens

lit-up

arctic

igloos

weather

passing through

tasting

smooth

2012-01-02T19:29:00.000-07:00

With you

the vanished ink, the losttouch,

the unconnected phone,

tell the story

a woman

arriving with the baggage,

unpaid cab fare

too peculiar
for honesty
or the garden

beauty, sits in the sun

slopes on the hillside, thetrees

rummage in fallen leaves,

in the bygone regions

places not soyoung

you pull back from the table

slip the knife into theconversation

you can’t win

without me

focus tight

below the rooftops

the still convincing art

the glint of damaged right ofway

spinning out

beneath the canopy
the rifled self indulgence

you come to share

2012-01-01T06:18:00.002-07:00

Uncertain

anthems

jangle

sunrise

shape

specific

willows

flaring

perfect

snow drifted

hills

growling

chains

stir

deep looks

barking

torn

loose

hums

a litany

2011-12-31T15:17:00.001-07:00

Loud

needs

a saxophone

vivid

anxious

channels

skull

plugged

approaches

think

intimate

addiction

feel

knife

cutting

describe

the weary

believe

the cynics

midnight

thoughts

slash

the ground

river

ashen

cool

returning
calls

2011-12-30T09:02:00.003-07:00

Margaritas

pour

on bitter

roots

generate

a photograph

stricken

figures

celebrating

feel

and

touch

ready

to toast

a holocaust

2011-12-29T17:24:00.001-07:00

Light,

breathless,

blue

with

childhood

intensity

gathers

inheritance,

demanding

rain

expects

cheese and

pickles

eager,

thriving

pines

beyond

2011-12-29T06:40:00.004-07:00

Twilight

dissolves

fondly

applying

tongue

a pretty

shiver

trickles

swerves

ahead

a sly

wrinkled

invitation

wet

clinging

expectation

daybreak
in the
rain

2011-12-27T21:01:00.002-07:00

Warpaint

softens

a peculiar

perfume

bare

shoulders

a thin

quiet

rain

2011-12-25T14:38:00.002-07:00

A woman is a magnet

an occasional glance

keepsthe fire going

but with my urging of you

we diminish

the way light

swirls down the lane

where the treesarch

away from the torment

that nourishes me

this bride I can’t give away

blackensthe crisp white page

you will be missed

separate residences are derigeur

for a modern sage

2011-12-24T00:22:00.000-07:00

Isaved you for later,

my mistake,

the sting ofespresso, the tiny grip on the heart

nibbling the last ofthe whiskey

what you tell me,I can’t say louder

or as well

as the tickle of acloud ripples

on the snow

splits open andspreads the treasure

our deepest light

still shining

2011-12-23T06:01:00.002-07:00

Myhoroscope is accurate

unlike the weatherreport,

funny how

feeling doesn’tfade

although,

Hell, I recognizequite well

leaner,

belaboured

beautifullydescribed

plummeting

lines fly up outof reach

that short livedquickie I never quited

stretches out toinfinity

with a kind ofcertainty

lovers hate

your mistake

becomes louderthan a sunrise

your whisper

makes your secretmine

colour turns tosmoke

you grow colder inmy mouth

as if you’ve shutyour eyes to me

and now the lightis falling

or is the darknessgathering?

shadows you showto me

bounce back

ahead of the barkingdogs

on trails you’vecarved with

your neglectedskin

roughly

what you started

the faintestapparition

2011-12-22T12:45:00.002-07:00

Shadows fall

as the handyman rolls some paint

twists some screws

weeding out the larger sounds

tidy enough

the walls stare back

listening hard for words

and mime a curse

to autumn

and the dark

lights glow thoughtful, calm

with flavours of twilight

blinking finally at the sun

kindling

in your mind

to think someone else

may come along

persuasive rain is falling

and whiskey waits

not quite drunk on loneliness

quiet as a listeners ear can redden

2011-12-21T17:15:00.001-07:00

Ican’t tell you loving won’t hurt

as the shadows

spread gracefullyand drip off the edge

of the world

you slide and bobaway like ice underfoot

wait to catch myshadow

parcelled out topoets and gravediggers

used to the finalobscurity

and the unreadablebook

my sensitive self

dropseveryone

for a drink

howling as dogs dobest on lonely farms

befriending wolves

a new moon slidesback into a cloud

as the rainproceeds down river

pretends

that life is justahead

of the hearse

just around thebend

2011-12-21T15:08:00.001-07:00

Worry is speculation,

gambling with whatyou think

and never say

even intranslation

let me hobble out of range

stepping back andcareful of the wind

what’s glowing arethe words

the rain and

daybreak creepingin

like no otherworry,

the chill thatsets

the colour and thehues

I wash my hands ofthem

images I may havespoken through

2011-12-20T13:33:00.001-07:00

We vanish among

the snowflakes

the path uncleared

and stark young trees

as old as winter makes us be

as the view grows dim

you

stop snowing

and start raining again

a flavour

in the outgoing tide

let's

pretend

the canoe you admire

fits perfectly into the bathtub

not

opening a bottle

until the cigarette isthrough

Dream on - poem

2011-12-17T05:36:00.001-07:00

Dream of a solitary flight to the coast

to poke about for clams

embrace afaded yellow cab

rush to the bar

and drink

digging into neglect

to collect the sunbeams

feel a tug
for atime
away from pillows

Buried in the fire-pit - a poem

2011-12-12T20:45:00.000-07:00

Adull night to be passing through

on my way toeternity,

the whisper ofjazz through

the flush oftraffic,

skinny trees black as rooks

weary

of the narrative

stilled for a moment,

by clouds,

spitting at the stones

the elegance

I find at 3 a.m.

in no hurry for the snow to ease

that eerie lamplight’s friendly glare

through a screenof trees

you direct my inner movie,

brush off

who

I was meant for,

run through my veins,

laughing hysterically

your own show

creeps in at dawn,

a jolt of protons on your cereal,

the pig you buried in the fire-pit,

cooking in the dark

waking later

with fresh caffeine

around the corners of the day ahead

scewered and risen from the pit,

the view can’t find anything

to see

Winter solstice - a poem

2011-12-10T06:49:00.001-07:00

Lightcomes late in December

bottles rattle,

the chimney howls

as the whiskeypours

a bit of radio

just enough for me to know

the sound of idleness

winter seasoning

the light

needs to touchupon

the willow

every garden needs

since summer came

and went

with embers in thegrate

uncertain light

between us

softened by a greycloak

left by the rain

and the trance

streets begin tosow

at daybreak

A new poem on old whiskey

2011-12-08T05:49:00.001-07:00

Yourvoice

of silver venom

reaches out

across white water

giving in

I hear you

chiming with the rain

and pour a glassto revive my sorrows

your gift thatrefuses to unwrap

wrapping that haswrapping

underneath

for all of us who pause

for infidelity

one eye on thecigarette

the other

on the snow

grey afterthoughts

with moves

designed to win

the loss ofeveryone

and take you in

Upon waking -a poem

2011-12-05T21:50:00.001-07:00

Dark rushes up

to him

with rustling leaves

needing in

steady whips on bare skin

barks from spying crows

enough whiskey

to launch a poem

enough sea water in his blood

to walk away

between the clouds

leaving is a gift

cold as the ring on your finger

humming to console

whiskey slows the urge

goes to bed

with electric violins

in a bare room

rubbing against eternity

three walls and

a window

he is grateful

in his sleep

deep in the world

within his range of hearing

waking to black coffee and

a gentler rain

falling without a splash

he insists

the moment is right

to find you

but forgets

exactly why

poem (rewrite #2)

2011-12-01T11:31:00.001-07:00

A woman’s skin

wild like wind

bits ofdiscordant sound

on a humming wire

leaves me

melted down

on a street corner or inthe bar

whiskey tasted

reaching up

from the hangman's tree

closer on the mouth

where the kissing burns

fire falling in the west

on a winter afternoon

Streetwalker poem series #4

2011-11-30T19:54:00.001-07:00

Fear is always

waiting for eventsto collide

sidles up expectantly

sprung withunlucky turns

that bridge betweenus

while a mountaintumbles down

lets me slide inbehind you

with explosions ofgreen meadow

grave markers

scratch thediamond with a hammer

nailed andpounding whiskey back

on the face of itI don’t mind anybody,

babysitter crosslegged in front of the fireplace,

burning with ablue flame

celebrates longhauls on the cigarette

enough light togreet and

mix it up

stretch my legsalong the hardwood

great trees laiddown their lives for this

that is what youmean by fear

to rise againstthe rain,

hold a hand up forthe groom to resist

wonder at

the awestruck moongarbled in ruddy streaks

pouring out

the sparkle

deep whiskey burns

to recreate

Streetwalker #3

2011-11-28T22:09:00.001-07:00

Lightis breathless blue

comes slowly overthe waterfall

in a remote canyon

where shadows holdthe secret

and sweep away

a woman unloved

who steps backward

into the gravityof a quiet room

where ideas wrinkleand erupt

in surrealintensity

and she chooses among

the recurring nightmares

to walk newstreets

under altered leaves

to wonder in therain

in the backdrop ofeager pines

to thrills of

descending wind and

snow

and hesitates tocall

because she got itwrong

or wished

to see the roadahead

as lined andbrutal

as his face

Streetwalker #2

2011-11-27T15:25:00.001-07:00

Pretty light smudged over the sea

over dull stones

joy as fleeting

as agony

tiny ships leave cloakedharbours

to find someunchanneled deep

to leave this room

the lightburgled with cloud

as streetcorners

announce yourbeauty

on a wet snowy day

the grey clingingto your eyes

becomes a mystery

granite I can’tcrack with a hammer

the language webruise

plunked down

behind square tiltingtables

what I have left area laugh

and a glance

regrets in a whiskey glass

to spin a few words

a few loose dropsof rain

to stretch canvas between us

pull me out of themirror

at daybreak

to ache with your absence

and nibble on thewine

That groove of midnight

2011-11-26T16:09:00.001-07:00

One room

three walls

and a window

thebulb of sun bursting
to address us with fallen leaves
a windy lit afternoon

with a jug full ofphrases
pours a fresh jolt into a perfectly good
excuse for a glass
approaches a battered twilight
with armour

toward that groove
of midnight

one room

three walls

and a window

that last skinny poem of the series...ohla

2011-11-21T20:18:00.001-07:00

Spooky

light

cracks

bluish

canyons

puzzles

through

pathway

leaves

aspens

above

guiding

fragile

moons

tiny

fairies

gripping

shiny

ink

rigid

autumn

smoke

and a slow

broken

drunk

visits

a green

velvet

chair

pours

a whiskey

as the piano

goes on

smiling

running

out

fear

pretty

kinks of

prose

lie

knowing

under

spires

with bits

of wedding

cake

skinny moves

2011-11-20T07:50:00.001-07:00

Narcissus

gallops

the herd

murmurs

in spasms

awake

your

fists

skinny landscape

2011-11-17T13:41:00.001-07:00

Tender

rain

overwhelms

shades

of apathy

flecks

the soul

but a glimmer

of nowhere

breaks

down

a landscape

hides

the knife

skinny melancholia

2011-11-15T18:35:00.001-07:00

I fear

the voyage

ashes

flaring

magnets

stripping us

cure

my disguise

bozo

diva

child

count out

the stars

for me

wanting

drink

quick

cruising

beach

sand

skinny trains in the night

2011-11-13T06:14:00.001-07:00

In a hurry to

scribble

and rip

open

your abstract

garden

i lose

track

your

perfume

as trains

shatter

sleep

and
you

gather

camouflage

a skinny island remains unexplored

2011-11-10T16:13:00.001-07:00

Island

at dusk

spilling

lies

grey

streaks

as pigeons

arc

ruthless and

happy

to snap
our portraits

Skinny autumn thoughts

2011-11-09T13:17:00.002-07:00

intense

autumn

unravels

flowers

and

a mountain

sudden

and clear

fastens

a sprawling

desert

with ashes

and dust

Last poem in 'the whiskey diaries' series

2011-11-08T06:57:00.000-07:00

Roped in,

with a clearminded she

I sip cold tea

stirring whiskeyin with a crooked finger

to reopen thewound

wildlyover-staying my welcome

a match flares fora smoke

as a traindistantly inhales,

shuffles over therails

walking with her

I would beginagain

if she knew whereto start

I have the morning

I have the time

as wooded armorclings to the meadow

a skinny poem about delicious time -take 2

2011-11-07T14:01:00.000-07:00

Time,

ruins

a delicious
dream

flames

the tongue

with a reluctant

kiss

and
clocks

the sunrise

clouds charm

a faraway

ridge

Skinny poem - alive in the foothills

2011-11-05T22:53:00.001-06:00

Affections

swirl

with smoke, daylight

and desire

pause

to stroll

in the orbit

that boredom

sketches

as hallowed

vacuum cleaners

catch

the eye

with steady

lust

and mountains

swoop

with

ornamental

shapes

A skinny poem about the ease and exits of love...

2011-11-04T13:26:00.002-06:00

lightning

trickles

silver

ring

finger

kisses

the monotony

honeymoon

rain

and mouldy

cheese

eyes

the bashful

pirate

leaving

the quick

harbour

for a thicker

mattress

as sunrise

laughs

and the ocean

thinks about

the crow
on
a bare
hill

Skinny poem for travelers....

2011-11-03T12:47:00.000-06:00

Clouds

stranded

in their

grey

alphabet

knock

drums

and

soothe

as magpies

annoint

the

tangled

wreck

a slow

mountain

train

and a solemn

pool

ignites

the

fields

as starlight

barks

then

fuses

with

a wish

Second last poem of 'the whiskey diaries'

2011-11-01T17:52:00.000-06:00

You’re camouflaged among the good-lookingpeople

a blonde andsmiling bit of lean

with the one lineryou remember

after two martinis

you lie under meas I plough past the stars

mouth widening

curved into sirensand nerves

you become awalking bird

the way poplarsshare the snow

reach up likethose fine trees

to make a noteagainst the snowflakes

then settle backagainst my shoulders

leaning intoanother spring

writing is the wayi entertain

what I don’talways see

and you won’t alwaysunderstand

languishing overquick espresso

with achy blueeyelash

the train glidingin

spitting rainbeams off windows

the world just asedgy

as when whiskeywas my friend

Coming to the end of 'the whiskey diaries'

2011-10-27T12:37:00.001-06:00

Remember West Vancouver,

the lighthouse,

the caffe near the Lion’s Gate?

you have me, now

thinking of you, then

rising up without the moon

to stumble across a field

i return to bait the hook

with still black trees

in a spongy white field

and throw ink at the page

a bitter poem

sharpened to a stick

plunged into

the tiny ruin of your heart

we slip into each other’s wish,

give a gentle push,

as black dust
settles on the snow

2011-10-22T15:09:00.001-06:00

Smiling

virgins

sweep

down

jump a

balcony

under

troubled

garden

sun

scatter

rhymes

tighten

nerves

chuckling

panhandlers

shift

a poem

Wednesday's poem from 'the whiskey diaries'

2011-10-19T08:00:00.001-06:00

As we lie imagining;

a whiff of –maybe

torn from the mouthof shouting

and the fog you whisperthrough

with tracks through thedust

to a shining castle

without a word

we trade each other in

oceans pull and rupture

sending waves intotreachery

and wake up without us,

the curvy beach, the lickof salty foam

let the summer run out

with candles and brittleleaves

let the sky in

one star at a time

the rosy thorn oflaughter

stranded on a branch

waits like an undertaker

to soften the blow

Poem from my Monday night writing club

2011-10-17T21:13:00.000-06:00

we now curve north

walk among theleaves

take note ofslanting light

cloud thesandy path

the park unhinged

thin branchespoking bare

cluttered with ashroud

of multi-colouredhues

a train heaves amournful note

as afternoon slipsinto shade

old coats button up at twilight

suddenly the pathleads into

streets –lit upand speaking out

a spell broken bythe malice

of the night

and winter’s urge

nudging snowacross

the city’s hills

skinny poem

2011-10-15T19:57:00.000-06:00

Ocean

ever

closer

tightens

channels

crackles

heat

a serene

universe

skids

against

concrete

pours

scratchy

smoke into

ice cube trays

hums

last call

skinny poem 12 and 35

2011-10-14T12:59:00.002-06:00

Framing

whiskey’s

cloudy

glance

you swallow

your

last

slower

pitch

reaches

you

finally

underground

radio!

a new poem in the skinny poem series

2011-10-13T08:58:00.001-06:00

Trees

absent mindedly

walk naked

with a

luminous

urge

dogs

exhaust

their expiry date

slink

nowhere

as tiny

silver

potatoes

surprise

the

planet

are

heard

softly

from 'the whiskey diaries'

2011-10-11T09:30:00.002-06:00

I have a route through a broken heart

as the poplarscount their leaves

voices runningover stones

without changing thelocks

you cross yourlegs and ignite the world

earning stares andrivals

soon you’ll be outof focus again

running milesinland to the well

burnt out,stirring ashes with a stick

talking in mysleep

a puddle ofconversation steps to one side

as smoke pours out

and resorts todialect

translatinginstantly

into skin and lips

with accents ofwhiskey and smoke

a handsome look,in a broken mirror

a glow from thegutter

to restrain thesea

the whore withsaucers for eyes

and teacups foranswers

reading leaves onthe sidewalk

trying to undress

a drunk is asleepin the front room

booze hoarded inthe fridge

shoves the picklesaside and the cheese

just desserts

dark rings underyour eyes

–I need to begoing

skinny poem and some thoughts on nature

2011-10-10T08:33:00.000-06:00

Without

ideas

a field

becomes tragic

but settles in

bees

reluctantly

glow

summer

coaxing

autumn

shakes

a ruffled

choir

and
sways

super skinny poem with thick oozy thoughts...

2011-10-09T19:03:00.002-06:00

Life

not

sad

eventually

turns

out

the

balcony

the

marvelous

awe

the

defeated

with

the

charming

images

the

mundane

skinny poem no.6

2011-10-09T11:38:00.001-06:00

Dusty

intersections

strangle

weeds

a forest

begins

vivid

autumn

praising

leaves

welded

spring

mud

droll

worms

bulge

and

collapse

skinny poems

2011-10-08T16:39:00.002-06:00

Flowers

burst

buoyantly

in the hills

shimmer

beneath

wanting

rain

muffled

thoughts

unglue

my urge

to paint

sniffling

ache

bony

chipping

thorns

2011-10-06T22:55:00.000-06:00

Snowflakes and

cigarettes

spoil with

soot

scrape

delay

into

riddles

edge

the rain

to smolder

take

intense

ocean

stretches

and

whisper

of idleness

2011-10-06T12:40:00.000-06:00

Crooked

eyeliner

tightens

and

stings

a quiet

strip

taunts

with

handcuffs

wrapped in a

box

both of us

regain

drinks

undermine

touch

with

shiny

vivid

looks

turning point

2011-10-04T11:59:00.002-06:00

I’m on a train

pulling out fromTipperary Station

everything isgreen

it’s June inIreland

everything in bloom

i stand up betweenthe cars

and look

surrounded by greylooming sky

lush green growth

the rails blackwith soot

i knew at the time

i would have tohold this moment

on this train

the green meadow

the waving goodbyetrees

this

is what

I remember

monday monologues

2011-10-03T19:13:00.003-06:00

Rounding the next hill

clinging to thefog

trees circle and

salute

in the hiddenoutskirts

railroads

offer a glum

compliment

dulled as

her voice crumbles

into faraway looks

chilly finger paint
fizzled light bulb
whiskey

sucking

slowburn

mountains

rasp as

crows

fall sleeping

hostage

to the

concrete

2011-10-01T18:32:00.002-06:00

Looking down she sees

a river moving quickly

there’s a drunk in thatmirror

and thunder in the rain

he's cheating with thebottle

bruised to no-end withstories

winning her,

with someone else he lost

he creeps in with thebourbon

offers her oblivion,

instead of a good cry

with no connection tomoney or the grave

to grind down beauty,

leave her weightless

she slims against him,then peels away

with a cool stare

forcing him out with ashiver

whiskey begins anafternoon he won’t remember

scenery pouts into rangeand shuffles out of view

words come down and speakwith the children

brush desire into thedustbin

everyday living

weighs heavy,

on a hill called earth

monday monologues

2011-09-26T12:14:00.000-06:00

The trick is to signal

with an eyelash

under a

thundercloud

shiver

a lipstick scrawl

grinds

hungry

and

dark

a stranded tulip

charged with rain

swells

ruin

the whiskey diaries

2011-09-20T10:02:00.000-06:00

I slide in around your edges

you let me die

inside

with words thatneed us

to say them

to tear at theseams

and find among thedying rocks

a river’s spin, anocean seething

under the drummingroof

fingers search

the tightly givenskin

heavy stones spitback at the slightest drops

you take me as

the range ofclaustrophobic hills

sweep into the funnel

where houses catchyour breath

and begin to sink

i want yourslender wounded body

by time or trick

cornered by a glimpseof autumn

to stammer againstthe flags

as a curtain ofsmoke drags over the lake

holding in closelike we mean it

and still do

for

someone

the whiskey diaries

2011-09-13T08:43:00.001-06:00

Shesleeps from room to room

there’s no placefor me in her hotel

other women ondisplay

turn off theirsignal lights

come in for coffee

find a place

to get away

but shedoesn’t need to be described

only inhaled

I hold up a bottle to the light

and babysit

she puts thosearound her out of focus

the clown she’swith

signals foranother long stretch of conversation

the destiny ofbreakfast lies far ahead

they scheme with eachother

trying honesty on

caught coming outof a Laundromat by the paparazzi

dusk falls uponthem

yelps ofpassion

in a kennel

of neglect

the whiskey diaries

2011-09-06T08:57:00.004-06:00

Downwind from your perfume

your crowded self

scatters last years leaves

tilts toward glitter and mirage

the cool, silky feel

between us

-shiny lips of liquor and smoke

settle down with

warnings from the sparrows

the seam of ripple in the whiskey

as stagnant water finds a home

in the dark places, where secrets trap us,

sit over the grave

and grow heavy with the rain

you’re in the middle of someone

under a veil of smoke

a curl of burning wood

high in the hills where a forest swirls

hacking away at the wind

with a dance I’m trying to memorize

in case you turn the music on

the shiny hammer of the sun

shags a bit of silence

to plant a kiss

or lay a wreath

the janitor puts his cigar away unlit

most of me has come and gone

but rips softly

every word

the whiskey diaries

2011-08-29T23:46:00.012-06:00

You tow a conversation out to sea

lean over the rail and vomit

i push on,

into the interior

camouflaged by word-play

impervious to the storm

fooled by the same young faces

if I left us up to God; I’d be with someone else

out of words

as quick as whiskey

bits of light glow up from a ripple

worms stretch out for robins in the rain

as I sit

in a blue pencilled dawn

and grow furious

the party

starting up without me

the whiskey diaries

2011-08-23T20:23:00.010-06:00

You left

to marry the first sign of autumn

to weigh in

between a river and a mirror

before I begin

i want to say, goodbye

your best years ahead of me

smeared with clarity

you’re like reaching for the bottle or the knife

with vast amounts of listening

rain comes back inside

the thin brew of living alone

a coin that never flips

the kiss that never burns

a poet found the skeleton

the singer found the blood

words blown in from other sources

need to let you go

i no longer miss who I was

pushing a bicycle through the snow

or in a rowboat, listening

to the slap of water underneath

2011-08-16T05:33:00.016-06:00

Tumbleweed piles up on the patio

by the motel

you pick me up

worn and ready

under the trees

you nail the wheels on asphalt

whip under me

Now

twigs the antlers of power lines

peels the last held leaves

and swerves

2011-08-09T08:46:00.005-06:00

You stir me in with sugar and crème

tied to no particular

mood

a night can answer

or the day

just me

lining up to say

hello

around the fire

you left

standing in the woods

each drink though

before I sip

in the blue light by the water

crowds with sun

this joke I’m having with myself

words can’t go

the dust bears down on

tranquil women

a scratch of dawn

raises a window

girls who spoke back

as if time was short and mattered

or where the river livedPublish Post

2011-08-02T07:40:00.003-06:00

You are morbidly appealing

saucy with alcohol and smoke

flip easily off the tongue

leap into the open mouth

of laughing

the weight you give my words by listening

tumbles from the birches

as they line the waterways

where daisies find a place to stand

as machines grind on

with chatter and alarm

to line up

in tidy rows of sense

as the twist of Jesus on the cross

stares across the fields

listens for a groove of rain

and lightning hits

tried and true,

the simple lies are best

to winter in your hills

and hum a masterpiece

i’ll take the bread and slice myself

a bit of wine

2011-07-26T07:21:00.013-06:00

The number 3 bus pulls out the plug of dawn

skips into limbo

I'm thinking about the perils of drift

versus the chartered voyage

I never touch you when you need it

have no gift of giving

as I settle down in drink

listening to the buses chime with hell

you begin with the clock and

end with a glass of wine

rushing past me with eyelids closed and open mouth

I won’t capsize the lifeboat you’re dragging

behind your yacht

there are other women

setting words down as they adjust themselves

but no one at the bottom of the page

calling me for breakfast

2011-07-20T00:39:00.010-06:00

The putty of your tongue

twitches the pen

as night keeps me writing

wanting in

with black coffee and cigarettes

astonished with

the autumn of your looks

shaped around a world

called spin

2011-07-12T12:40:00.011-06:00

The darker rhymes

stay fat on cigarettes and alcohol

delicate in destruction

on the lookout for what the music says

with a bottle of good looks

and a snug grip on the thighs

staring into whiskey, ripped on tv

as mountains throw up their hands

and retreat

as if to murder clocks

would stop their evolution

crab apples shake from stingy trees

dropping into

a tiny brook, trickling with voices

miles above the hinting creek

a thirsty field

clouds in with leaves

no one is safe

surviving

on bits

now

2011-07-05T18:13:00.005-06:00

The sulky blue motel on the gravel side road

twitches and yawns

to glimpse icebergs and meringue

know a sidelong view of a woman

tame with fever

bright as ice

bits of chocolate on the cookie of life

grip the planet

the glisten of light rain

spills from gravy boats sailing over tablecloths

dyed in the wooly heads of hillsides

drink untouched

and you

gone sour and south

coming in closer than I need

two trains running slow to a hush

wrench the clouds loose

before they rush past, concentrating on the menu

or the liquor bill

the woman with long blue looks

as the music died and the rent went up

on the exhausted bedroom

over-easy off the balcony

a bus comes across the city with whistling gloom

as i lean in against you

puffed against your feathered tongue

between a light bulb and dawn

motors brush the air with painted noise

close in

off the hush of hills

words draw you in and push back the claws

clinging to bits of me

the fashion of the young

on the auction block of looks

veer into the pub for pickles and wine

listening with their lights turned off

milking the leaves

don’t know where the road comes out

but the coffee’s cold

2011-06-28T21:42:00.001-06:00

We step into the air as if the clouds were parked and still

the last time you left a man and held me close

charged up with shadow

a ribbon of highway in your eye

the whisper I have of you

bringing us close

raindrops couldn’t fall as light

i know how deep you have to ache

to soak up the night

as clouds gather with toe-holds in the rain

enter into the moment

with drums to beat the madness down

laughter shouting out of us

and the world holding still

intent on a kiss

under drifting rain

with that crooked look

2011-06-22T12:43:00.002-06:00

You giggle to keep the rats at bay

hear the bus squeak and hiss,

hesitate and stop

the rain crowds over against the sun

and refuses to speak

you come wrapped in dust

in an old housecoat

the shrubbery dull as last night’s intentions

horny with liquor

you don’t know you’re spoken for

trust the fingers to unbutton

i call this city, a garden

you call it a heap of ashes

taste the blood rising on your tongue

tilt the universe back into play

sudden as the butterflies

watching spring

unravel

you place the silverware out to be tarnished

and the muffler

you plan on using to asphyxiate herself

if loneliness gets too noisy

at closing time

i don’t want to bathe by the pool

any more than you want to swim with my metaphors

spill your guts

or bark at the trees

who came first, my orgasm or your surprise?

my ears take in nothing but the buzz

never trust the mayonaise

no matter how fresh the sourdough