The Superhero

the superhero
rarely experiences
the luxury
of a full night's sleep

always crime to fight
wrongs to right
if the building falls
they'll call
no matter what time it is
it's what I do

there's always
fire fire fire
it burns
without pity
I just keep moving
before pain sets in
and the earth turns
again

someday
when they sing songs
to remind them of me
i hope i hid
how weak i can feel
how the man in mirror
can turn on me
how easily i have become
my enemy

snakes and lightning
deadly sins
risen to pillage
scarier than a
mere comic book
like a car accident
as it unfolds
in slow motion
trapped inside
helpless to reverse

the superhero
never tips his hand
showing only
his brave facade
image is important!

never failing
to put out fires
is most important
of all

My Bandaged Soul

Nobody's worth
another beat of
the broken drum
my broken heart

Nobody's worth
the heavy sigh
a dying ember
choking smoke
i wish it would
just die

Nobody's worth
what i gave away
in naive innocence
my heart's folly

beyond crying, too late
the gloom of existence
wrapped inside a glacier
permanent winter

Nobody's worth
stopping the clock
stopping the car
get the hell out!
i've had enough!
a long walk home

zoom out, breathe
as it must, time passes
and all returns
sweet sunlight and
sneaky unexpected joy
suddenly i'm too spent
to stop from smiling

white light now caresses
my bandaged soul
my friends toast
with glasses high
the return of
my wicked
sense of humor

Summertime Blur

summertime
so hot you can
see your own mind
melt on pavement
a fallen popsicle
brain freeze ice pick
c'mon in!
it's kool inside!

smoking scorch
hot grill symphony
flaming coals hiss with
pavlovian meat sizzle
beachcombers flock like cattle
time to flip
tasty burgers and dogs

thrill of the loud surf spray
sandy games played and
look out!
4th of july explodes!
startling the weak and the sober
swooshes loud, zig-zagging
past my deaf ear
loud guitar band
serenades the distance

waxed wood swells underfoot
salt water up the nose
young bikini girls laughing
light and shadow in motion
sweat reflects beauty
smooth goddess curves
laughing, bubbling like crazy

a soda can - watch those bees!
their sting is pain
where's the lotion?
how did that sand get in there?

it's all a part of
burning long days
longer cooler nights
breathe it in
delicious
so why the hell are you
working?
don't let
your frog boil
enjoy before it's too late
too soon snow
and ice
and darkness
descend unmercifully
have mercy
upon yourself
enjoy
summer
now
!!!

One last gift

my foot on the gas
is tired tonight
a million dollars
is mine
all mine
with fifty thousand
in a black bag
on my backseat
in my new car
it knows the way
far away from here

how i got it
is now a haze
the bank teller
she sure looked
surprised
and maybe a little
hot for me

after my new car
and fine meal
i felt like
santa claus
get outta my way!
i'm driving this sleigh!

my mother and sister
their wide-eyed
merry christmas looks
keep the fireplace warm

even bought
a stack of records
at my favorite
childhood record store
i then gave them all back
to the store owner
his hornrims and pipe
never understood
how the boy he knew for so long
suddenly got so crazy

and there was one more
in my old town
to make happy

she was my life
too many years ago
for me to still feel like this
long black hair
dark eyes
when i made them smile
i felt finally worth
the air i breathed
i remade my world
just for her
to smile within
and smile we both did

but time ran away
straight into
sudden change
one day the sign said
closed for repairs
and the bulldozers came
love bright as the future
ripped from my baby soul
i cried in broad daylight
and i let her see
the look on my face
as i woke from the dream
to find it
all gone
all gone

she was alone
when i rang her bell
late last night
when surprise spread
across her aging
beautiful face

black bag in my hand
i had a gift
the skies burst open
as her eyes discovered
fifty thousand dollars in the bag
she said she had never
seen that much money before

and we made love

so different
from old times

made love for the shards
that still cut in my heart
never dulling with time

made love for the memory
that curses every love
i felt after her

made love for her look
as she closed the door
for the last time

made love for the mystery
why have i never forgiven
nor let go

that night she slept
the same old bed
sleeping springs holding
ever-after tales untold
i rose gently as
her clock weakly glowed
3:06

getting dressed i spied
the black bag
with more money than she'd ever seen
still inside

it was then it struck me
just how to give her
one last gift
that keeps giving
like the one
she gave to me

her driveway dark
i took inventory
my pants
my shirt
my heart
still swollen in my throat
on my backseat
the black bag
the fifty thousand
still inside
it was mine
again

as i drive
squinting at
rainy roadsigns
through hot tears

i realize
vengeance
is no consolation

still my only regret
is that i will never see
the look on her face
as she wakes from the dream
to find it
all gone
all gone

Grey Sky Research

june gloom
weighs tragic
sadness shows
in the eyes
of my neighbors

as i drive
i look inside
the approaching vehicles
their drivers
on their way to work
mouth angry words
into their cell phones
or else sing
their favorite sad song
inside sad cars
all is not safe
behind their
windshield glass
as darkness envelopes
outside

down in the dirt
a seedling flexes joyfully
discovering its newfound survival
inspired in knowing
rain is about to arrive

clouds move slow
opening dark and crazy
heavy drops spill and
people panic and scatter
as if
the water might hurt them

the rain smacks dry ground
sneaking into soil
green roots push down
turning black as they drink
and find their strength
to complete

after muddy rains
blue sky and
sun on fire
roses bloom virally
for their courage
the world smiles
as new life surrounds
and in passing cars
drivers now sing
here comes the sun

Train of Thought

my train of thought
was just derailed
wheels sparking
white hot
the sky screams
shocked agony
otherworldy loudness
cars twisting
down
down
down the mountainside
the disfigured
smoking metal
plummets to its
unexpected grave
below

and i smile

as that little girl
cute as pie
smart as a whip
needs another
story read to her
as she smiles
i smile even more
and i notice
she has lost
another tooth

and as for that
train wreck
its disaster
glorious
cleaning up the
smoldering mess
once thought to be
an important project
will just
have to wait
some things are
far more
important

Just Like On TV

every day
that soap opera couple
always
fights
like hell

ripping away at
each others senses with
battering words
unminced
topped with silence
subtle as a
falling piano

housewives gasp
the tears flow
like lines
rehearsed and
flawlessly spoken
hand-wringing heartbreak
sublime
staged kinetics
flow like
angry water
until commercial time

the actors are
used to being
heckled when seen
on the street
those hecklers look
so
pissed
off
how COULD they?

but when the rushes
become takes
wrapped tight
and the stagehands
shut down
all the lights

those two
rendezvous
behind
other doors

conversation flows
smiles and laughter
warm touch
all kept
quietly
between them
unscripted
safe knowing

if the world
as the stage
mistakes real life
for the play
just close the door
and make your own
honesty always
finds the way