Human Hands

Praise the truth hold it up

like Simba 

but keep in mind

it might be deep in your heart

unable to be touched

by human hands

Play Like a Child

Play like a child in the sand building 

castles and caves and rivers and ribbons

swing swords invisible wildly wielding

The blood and bones in your arms thickening

Dragons and enemies of invention

with eyes closed you see them very clearly

then adulthood comes with her intentions

and neurons flicker and flutter merely

to get work done and in dullness action

loses its magic and musical tone

so take time today, make it a fraction

and make the wonder of childhood your own

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Proper

There is no proper time to make a proper edit to this page of life

No sentence unscathed which behooves itself to avoid run-on

No gerund to pull from the hat like a rabbit grabbed by the hand of the magician

No noun to group or singularly miss

No profound thought to flesh out

There is a time to erase the period:

and put a comma.

Morning

There is no time like the present

life is not a dress rehearsal

wake up for God's sake

The Devil is Patient When There's Hell to Pay

The apocalypse turned on a dime

the whirlpool down the drain

of my crimes

I didn't mean to do enter

there was a broken window

and a lock of his hair

I didn't mean to ask questions

there was a gun and this mob boss 

a sack of diamonds and a golden ring

I escaped just barely 

on a train to Austria

with a suitcase and a beer

sitting on a beach out of reach

but the plans were foiled

the water boiled

the snake coiled

and here I am

counting slashes on the wall

singing "Redemption Song" in B

in a prison

down in New Orleans

The Sun Took Over

I don't know how I noticed it was you

your hat was pulled down over your face

Fog rolled in by the bay

and the morning boats pulled away

The shadows stretched like the tide

as the streetlights extinguished

and the sun took over

 

Holding Me Together

 What is to be said about the thousand pieces of tape?

The Speed of Time

Many strange things have transpired inside of my heart

Many strangers have seen into my soul

Many souls have seen into my stranger

Many rocks have seen my roll

Many rolls have gathered stones

Moss thinks itself smarter

but it is the speed of time

that gets me now.

Hope

I cannot let the mindset of hope dwindle

I cannot let the bear of the microphone eat me

I must sing, dance and play

running circles around my own doubt

until I am laughing at myself

Smile and Verify

The computer often asks me to verify myself

and I've been asking myself the same

turning the ring on my finger

and smiling into the wind because life is short

and why not smile

Bring the good mood

Usher in the day

It's about coffee as well as

It's about jogging and eating food to gain energy

I've often thought of prayer

on rainy nights sitting by the window

heart beating and storm raging

I've often thought of sun

when sitting under the moonlight

Why can't I just see what is in front of me

for once?

Home Inside Myself

 I am home inside myself.

 I am home inside myself.

 I am home inside myself.

 I am home inside myself.

The Earth tunes in to 

the waving clouds

burned solid through

the mosquito smoke

trees hang in the wind

like bunches of grapes

ocean waves dark and

indigo melting into the

sand, dreaming in 

wild colors.

How

After speaking in tongues for so long, snake pit venom mixed in with the red wine

on the table with the hemlock the hems of the dresses being pulled by the threads of time

How can I ever now turn honest, in the court of law?

And love the angel that came to me

in the fog of the Clark Street night

Puckered, Pampered, Pacified

Second version:

The night whispers through the trees and hums my favorite tunes

in the darkness, blacker than oil, smoother than a movie star's silk robes. 

First version:

Pacified for now, the heart of my jewels shines

Opened for now, the treasure trunk dusty genie lamps heave wishes

Closed for now, the door to my soul is always creaking in the wind

Pampered for now, the movie star's silk robes are dropping

Puckered for now, her lips are like a wild rose

Pumping for now, the oil fields are on fire

Burning for now, the hearts of men are charred to black

Black for now, the night is calling you

whispering for now, humming her favorite tunes.

Poems After Sunset

It's weird, I've had this blog for years

and I've never tried to write a poem at night

Is it because after sunset, the demons come out?

Or perhaps a Jewish violinist can't stay awake.

Not sure. I throw rocks into the Lake at night

or run a stick through the mud

count the stars and heave smooth glass at the tree trunks

I cup the cold sand in my hand

and peacefully become a remission of my own self.

That's what I usually do at night, 

not write poems. 

No Longer Afraid

These deceits that have no receipts

The correction on the player's book

The pool game that got thrown

The river rocks that got smooth

The grains of sand collected into a hourglass 

     turning it 

                        back and forth.

The champion of the day

The child who, held close at night

The pillows cut and unfeathered--

I am no longer afraid of freeloading SOBs.

Rohn's Battles

The obstacle of passion

governed by feelings 

is pavement 

underneath the bus

of sacred commitments.

These are small battles

affirmations of proof 

evidence of words and deeds

concrete with time and progress.

Feelings are not your friends.

They plan for comfort.

You need a sherpa 

leading you down the hard path

between who are are

and who you want to be.

Tiger Palms

 He said that God will provide it

this feeling of abundance

of peace

He said that God will demand it

this commitment to 

society's release

He said that the bandits will hand it

over, this treasure that they stole

when you became convinced

salvation was in rock and roll

He said that God will revise it

this edited Bible of verse

when spoken from the pulpits

of voices tense and terse

He said that God will reverse it

this pain and this woe

and like a child and a lamb

together you will go

but I know 

he just wants guitars

hanging on the walls

raining from the skies

painted on the trees

tiger palms beckoning

The Old Days

Package of letters

sent from Mississippi

came by rail

and stage coach too.

Don't know what I am about to do,

I've got the Blues so deep

I need a shovel and a tool.

I don't know what I am a gonna do. 

Played

Let my hands touch your drum 

Let me play you let me sway you 

let me run for cover take away you 

Let me run

Let me become 

your solace your leafy glade 

Let me be your finally made 

Your damnation saved

Your piano jammed and John Caged 

played.

Time Will Tell

Time will tell

or will it shout

loudly at night 

in the rain

when I am locked out of the car

screaming,

"you're not innocent!"

There's a story there,

but you will tell you in time.