Life on the Hill
Shot glasses slam; backslap, slap, slap,In car lines, SUV school moms gulp down happy pills,Yoga, botox, empty bottles of gin and sin,Lawyers lie with paralegals; life on the Hill. Life on the Hill. Fundraisers at the country club,Blue pill erections, prom queens, drama queens,Cheerleaders, fearless leaders on the fields,In boardrooms, war-rooms and living rooms. Tires […]
The Interrogation of Lauren Lundgren
A perfect hole in the ice, sawed clean and round,at Clearwater Lake, where grey meets greyand the horizon is just a scalpel cut.That perfect hole, where Ely Lundgren felland where Ely is still, clawing, a fossil trapped in quartz. A giant catfish, whiskers thick as hangman’s rope,tangled his line and pulled him down.Bottle o’ Jack […]
There Must Be Water
There must be water.A hollowed-out lake, warm as bathwater in summer,Near a glinting creek, that runs fast and shallow,With the smoothest pebbles, that fit snug in our hands. And hills. There must be hills.Saddlebacks, blanketed in trees, where the sunset lingers,The very shape of it, a memory of Hardin country,So those who are gone, can […]
#NotMeToo
My tormentor wears a tired look, to the bone,Tired from years of carrying all the weight,Of guilt and of all the God damn lies.Who can ever sleep again after innocence is stolen?Who can rest when there is no respite to be had?From memories carried over the steaming coals of hell. Hungry newshounds click away, urged […]
The Jump
Jumping from rocks, emboldened leaps,Short frozen frames in a life’s long road,Fears conquered, memories made to keep,And so it goes. So it goes. And though of course we all know this cycle,A moment etched; so infinitely foretold,It won’t be stolen, nor the devil buy it,It’s yours and hers to hold. Exhale for a moment, seize […]
The Awakening
Uncurling, swirling, a carousel whirling.Slow from a crouch, a flashing black pounce.It sleeps with deep breathes, sigh, rise, sigh, rise.Dreaming its dreams; muffling its cries.It opens an eye then stretches and flinches.I watch it awaken, synapses twitching.Chained and shackled, it half rises then sinks,Startled by sunlight; Blink, blink, blink. Trill birdsong, fresh morning, the guns […]
Spray Can Spiderman
Johnny Chow got mangled on the El track Friday nightFound his head way up in Gainesville, arms on 9th and WhiteHalf stoned, maybe half dancing and never looking backJohnny walked like Jesus, along that railroad track At the viewing of his casket, the legend lay within, Johnny was a champion, barely touched by sin.His friends […]