Moon (2008)

Far distant moon,
Lit by reflection from the Sun,
Forgive me if I mourn the lack of light
From other heavenly bodies.
It is childish of me to spurn your glow,
Wishing instead for illumination
From Venus, say.

You let spacemen walk all over you in your past:
Now those interlopers are gone,
Again you inspire fascination with your mystery.
Your green cheese is alluring,
But while I would like to visit you,
I respect your wish for peace
Amid vacuum.

Why I Stare (2008)

Your complexion is  

A window to heavens of stars 

And I an astronomer. 

Travel by Night (2008-2009)

Dusk on the highway 

Readjusting driver's seat

Clouds mixed with cocoa. 

Trees silhouetted 

Darkling sky, streetlights missing

Sorry hitchhikers. 

Short ramp, brief detour

Quantity of maps and guides

Hope of clean restrooms.

Final exit ramp 

Streets of unfamiliar town

Lighted motel sign. 

Sheets of cool linen 

Double beds, extra pillow

Go back tomorrow.

First post

A fellow Twitterer (or Twit? what is one called??) asked to see some of my verse. This site accommodates that request. I haven't written much poetry in the last several (uh... twenty?) years, but what I have written is here, along with some of my college-age stuff.

This stuff is copyrighted, so fer cryin' out loud, don't plagiarize!

Ladies (2008)

I have a friend who's a wonderful cook

If I could I'd live in her kitchen.
I'd pant like an excited pet
And have love in a doggy dish.

I know a girl who cuts her arms.
Why do I bleed, she asks me.
I don't know what else to do
But tell her that my heart bleeds too.

A pale woman with eyes like fire 

Gave me peace from her cool fountain. 

I splashed and drank, my shoes got wet 

And she kicked off her shoes and ran. 

I'll sleep.  When I awake, I'll be fine.
I'll smile and joke and laugh.
I'll think about a friend, a girl and a woman.

Gentle ladies all, fragile my heart. 

Love in the Year 2000 (1999)

If I could in one magic magnetic sweep
Wipe clean the thought-tracks of our memories,
I could clear the cache of cumulative baggage
And recompile the romance with fresh lines.
But would our love still exist
Without those date dependencies?

The Marriage Thief (1998)

Creeping quietly toward the prize
The thief arrives to find
One who gave away the gold for free
(But for lawyer's fees)

I find myself beneath your respect
Like a prattler who's bound to cease
But can those who dispose of love expect
To find release?

Silence and pain, only these survive
In the caverns of your sunken eyes
Scintillating once with beams of bliss
Now it comes to this

Truth is nothing but a slippery line
I'm possessed by a spirit within
To know the truth as you believe
Then (perhaps) I can grieve

Did I discard the sacred trust?
Did I ignore the fateful signs?
Did I malign the tears you shed?
Do you wish me dead?

The thief pursues me wherever I go
Sometimes I want to drown my woe
And anger and anguish and all my fears
In five or six beers

Ugly and tall the marriage thief abides
Knowing he will never lack opportunities
To steal precious memories from the rubbish bin of years
Leaving only tears