The Break-In

alone in the house she
can't sleep, can't stop
her mind is racing, running
marathons of ifs and oughts
like they ran together in
06. Maybes outnumber sheep in
the pasture adjoining on
dreamland. A locust swarm of
whys and why nots plague the
cornfields. satin sheets in
a king sized bed, half full.
sheets tousled like, after
the marathon. victorious,
fulfilled, sweaty accomplished.

lying there in the dark alone.
waiting for sleep, for the
sandman to bring her a dream
he was the sweetest thing, at
first. in this house, these halls
they loved, fought, talked till
eight in the morning about the
ancient Aztecs (she was an Anthro
major, at the time). She hears the
refrigerator hum, full of only her
food now, no ham or pickles or
stupid, stupid sauerkraut.
she hears the night's song, wind against
windows. cold air on her cheek

eyes flash open, adrenaline flash flood
through the canyons of her limbs
cold sweat coats her pores.
mind flashes, hyper active, seeking
explanation, plans, defense, weapons.
This is their house, was their house,
and she will not let it be defiled.
sheets slide silently to the floor,
bare feet pad to the closet
door slides. over-sized bat retrieved,
examined, approved. A gift, from his
friend from the softball league (he loved
the game, tried to teach her. she hated it,
so boring and static). No time for
memory now, time for action.

she slinks down the hall, weapon raised
to ward off fear. she knows someone is in
the house, someone who should not be
can feel the temperature difference, smell
the fresh air. French doors, opened, did
she lock them? Light from the study.
a shape, a shadow, a figure, a body
crouched unwary, unprepared, distracted.
no time to see what it is looking at
she steps into the room, hesitates.
and swings, stepping into it (as he tried
to teach her so many times).
Connects with the side of his head as
he turns, eyes open, pleading for
forgiveness, finally, he came back.

and she sits on the floor, with his head
in her hands. And a carving in his hand,
the whalebone flute that he had been
examining when she struck. They had picked
it out together, in Nova Scotia, on their
honeymoon. Memories of better days, better
love intermingle with the blood on the
floor, coming from his head.
yolk spilled, smile fixed, tears flow
and mix with the blood and memories
i'm sorry, i'm sorry
it's all my fault, not too proud
now that its too late.

lewis carroll on the economy - rough

the time has come, the walrus said, to talk of many things
of run on banks and interest rates and insider trading rings
of why the economy grows not, and the pains a meltdown brings

a glint in his eye, a lick of the lips as the walrus sells
false hope to an audience trapped within their shells
and the little ones listen rapt, willing prey to his spells

Buddha belly earthquake rumbles, hunger never sated
walrus and the carpenter, demons we've created
as the be-tusked, be-vested fat one pontificated

artificial scaffolds grown silently in the background
building a fire pit and spit on which to turn around
cooking up the fat of millions, eat us pound by pound

as the unwary little bivalves pay their bailout tithes
they don't realize that they are mortgaging their lives
waiting for salvation while on the cross they writhe

gobbled down with pepper and vinegar to taste
the walrus weeps as his teeth make paste
the carpenter reasons 'we can't let food go to waste'

what a price the little clams paid to be saved
to end up in the belly of a pair of knaves
happy they may be, live forever in their graves

the last flight of the cicadas

Seventeen years after the world ends
The shadow blasted earth will shift.
Skeletal trees will give no shade
To the last emergence of life
Hideous larval grotesqueries churn
lifeless ground gives birth to legion
Final cycle circling in the ashes
Spread and cover every dead surface
Bereft of predators or sustenance
One last bittersweet melody shall play
Cicada concerto in the wasteland

No one to see chitinous exoskeletons
litter the sidewalk like shell casings
Discarded templates reflect gray light
Translucent remnants of a hundred
Thousand Houdini transformations
Cover the fissured, scared, broken
Earth that was illused, illtreated
Carapace shed, antennae unfurl
Sticky ichor coats wax wings
Shimmer like glass, fill the air
Ancient, multi-faceted eyes regard
Barren ruins devoid of life,
Crawl through deserted playgrounds
Rising tide washes empty theatres
Pale ancient angelic insects
Fly through leaden skies
Consume ashes and dust
The final cicada’s wing
Flutters one last time
The song ceases
silence rules all

Camera Obscura - rough

Glass eyes tell no lies but only
record sins hidden behind long lenses.
Aperture admits as much light
as he chooses. No choice, no agency
Just unblinking uncaring ever staring
analytical, dispassionate observation

flies flit about festering fruit
rotten, split guts spilt seeds
overripe blood oranges litter the field
falling amongst corpses posed
in the act of living. Paused mid-
scream, mid-scene, mid-

Slow death of a life imprinted upon
fast film stock at ISO two fifty.
When the film is used up so is he,
direct your own life efficiently.
Extreme close up, pupils dilate
stage-fright immortalized

horsefly lands upon the reflection
of a killer in a dead man’s eye
one of a dozen sprawled amongst
the roots, died running – away, to?
From? Died running amidst
Falling leaves and special effects

Who would want to watch their whole life
again, and again and again? Could one edit
and make montage of moments
put conversation in static framing
shot, reverse shot, point of view subjectivity
continuity created, narration unrestricted

A dying man’s hand clutches, reaching
for salvation. Falls upon a fallen
orange, bloody handprint mars
the pebbled aromatic peel.
Soldiers live and wonder why
The voiceover narration declares

live your life like a movie
they said. But what kind of film
would this mess make? Who
would want to watch me? He
says to himself, behind the lens.
Calls cut, and takes five.

bleak by squiblur

And we are coming
Coming to bring light to this bleak bleak world
And we are coming
Coming in through the sounds you heard
And we are coming

Coming in through the door with a gun in hand
Don’t you understand this is a smash and grab ‘mam
And don’t say damn just hand over the cash
Jewels and china don’t start to whine or raise a fuss
Unless you wanna fuck with us and get religious
Like close to god and far from earth
Even though your heads in the turf
Similar to assault these words attack
Aggravated battery of guns go crack
Firing off rockets rising bills like stack
Now watch your whole world fade to black
Squiblur takes over handle cocked back


And when the wobble fades out there’s always satyre
Man in the corner mouth dripping hot fire
Rabid beast unleashed rages pent up desire
Wolfman makes his stand in a bed of sand
Shifting world betrays his stance
Ends up in a heap before your glance
Falling down like its part of the dance
Shrinks back to manchild heart still size wild
Gaze seeking escape from this cage of style
Can’t see the light in the midst of the pile
Wood all around can’t see a single tree
Death all around who wants to be free
Eyes face the ground or flee into glee
Running from dreams we hardly can see
I think that my dreams are talking to me
Do they tell me true futures late at night
Or do they show me a world where everything’s right
Idyll where my heart spills so free
Real world where my blood is black oily
And my veins pump acid on the daily
Heart hides away behind walls and screens
Truth dives away swims beneath sea green
Inhale escapism just to balance the beam
Exhale hope so bright it gleams

last flight of the cicadas - rough

Seventeen years after the world ends
The shadow blasted earth will shift
Skeletal trees will give no shade
To the last emergence of life
Hideous prehistoric grotesqueries arise
Final cycle circling in the ashes
Spread and cover every dead surface
Bereft of predators or sustenance
One last bittersweet melody shall play
Cicada concerto in the wasteland
If there are no ears
To hear it, will it make a sound?
No one to see the cicada carpet
Cover the fissured, scared, broken
Earth that was illused, illtreated
And when the last cicada’s wing
Flutters for the final time
The song will cease
And silence rule all
After the last flight of the cicadas
Ends

Post-Industrial Love

Factories are dust machines
Churning out the end of dreams
Future mortgaged on the assembly line
Killing ourselves just to kill the time
like hey buddy pop a pill or snort a line
Inhale candy to feel something like fine
And dandy
finding love in whatever’s handy
or close to hand we don’t understand
gotta rise gotta stand gotta raise a hand
like stop in the name of love
before you break a heart or fall apart
reclaim the brain don’t go insane
be careful where you light the spark

breaking news we got thoughts on the loose
shedding chains to steal the golden goose
beanstalk thoughts rise through clouds of confusion
climbing so high to slay giants of illusion
elusively allusive I curse in cursive and steal purses
jack it and flip it, stack bills and tickets
to see these magic beans drip from my pen
thousand seeds for a thousand sins
pay these bills with a thousand grins
pearly whites excusing slights
flashing lights seen through the fog
pierce the smog invest the madness
inhabit this time and banish the sadness
lose the self on the edge of being
teeter tooter on the razor’s gleaming
ride your reflection up into the stars
set your course for foreign shores
dive into the mists in search of more
jump off the cliff with a spliff in hand
carefree freefall fall down downfall
swim through the air like underthere
so wet like insider her underwear
and girl relax let down your hair
just want to relieve all your cares
just between us these cats are squares
lets go get bent curved quantum entagled pair
just flee with me up the down stair
case in point you got me upside down
always turn my head around
eyes in the back of my head look funny
rear view vision's always twenty twenty
now i can see my missed chances
dissecting a thousand sideways glances

view of the lake mk 2

Walking down observatory drive I glance aside
There’s a spot that the eye seems to slide by
Threadbare curtain of leaves drawn back by winter
Snowfall levees hold, break before a flood
of memories, washed back to first days at school,
Overwhelmed by experience so raw and new
feeling the need to leave the routine
escape the beaten path, turn away from the lake
Slipped behind the drapes and found a window
with a clear view of the lakeshore, path and forest

Grounded and centered I found my rock
Crystal bubble, unbreakable transience fleeting
Cross my legs and close my eyes
unfolded heart and opened mind
Lotus soul flowers fed
by inner fire coals
tongues breathe
embers glow
petals unfurl
nirvana buds
cusp of heaven
delicate balance
unthinking being
my
thoughts intrude again
Flower fires fade away
Open my eyes and bank the coals
Unfold my legs and rejoin the herd
back on track amidst the mass
Standing apart but still on the path
amongst placid cattle driven to class
Buddha mind rises above my stress

I rarely get back to lakeshore these days
But I’ll never forget my solitary zen rock
whenever shit gets tough or I think of quitting
I can slip out of the push, the grind the bustle
Sit down and contemplate the beauty of a moment.

Breathe out my cares, dark heavy thoughts
Breathe in the air, crisp cold draught
Breathe out insanity, breathe in clarity
Breathe out taught, breathe in naught
Breathe out wrong, breathe in song
Breathe out, breathe in

view of the lake

Walking down observatory drive I glance aside
There’s a spot that the eye seems to slide by
Threadbare curtain of leaves drawn aside by winter
Snowfall levees hold, break, flood with memories
When I first came to school I often felt alone or bitter
Overwhelmed by experience so raw and sensory
One day I felt the need to just sit and be
So I wandered off the beaten path, away from the lake
Slipped behind the drapes and found a window
Clear view of the lakeshore, path and forest
Grounded and centered I found my rock
Big old stone on which to park my rump
Cross my legs and meditate
Close my eyes and learn
Open my eyes to see the sky
Open my legs to rejoin the herd
But while I was alone in my unseen hideaway
No one ever seemed to look my way
Eyes always faced forward
No time to look aside and smell the roses

I don’t make it past Bascom too often anymore
Rarely have the time to sit on the lakeshore
But I’ll always have my sideways sitting
Never forget my little zen rock
And whenever shit gets tough or I think of quitting
I’ve learned that there’s a way to stop the clock
To sit and appreciate the beauty of a moment
To live your life like it was a sonnet
Slip out of the push, the grind the bustle
Sit down and contemplate my hustle
Breathe in the air, crisp cold draught
Breathe out my cares, dark heavy thoughts
Breathe in nature, breathe out nurture
Breathe in life, breathe out strife
Breathe in free, breathe out me
Breathe in, breathe out
Be