Polyester Sausage

belt and tie, choking me off at both ends.
pretty sure I could do a better job in a bloodstained loincloth.
I'd be just as polite and comfortable, too.
probably settle for relief of either link of pressure.
you likely aren't aware of the suffocation that goes on
when you're trapped in a uniform past 15yrs of age.
it ain't pretty, lemme tell ya that right now.
I'm pretty sure you can see steam when I tug at my collar.
for the record, I've had far worse jobs.
but I was young, then, and uniforms fit me better.

I'm king of the fruit flies
emanating from their beercan cities
they bring me information
from the rest of the house
those wild provinces far away from my desk
perfect replicating genes
convinced they've evolved enough
to receive my prophecies
"Thou shalt not fly in front of the monitor"
and such
do my bidding
insofar as replicating and avoiding the screen

I thought I was a painter until I started writing
I thought I was a writer until I started drinking
I thought I understood people until I met some
I thought it was your turn to pay
I thought this was what you wanted
I thought you thought we were happy
I thougt I coud still type
I thought I was your type
I thought that the word thought looked really pretty fucking funny if I typed it over and over again

I was going to write this great poem.
then I was just so happy that I'd had
an urge to write a great poem.
the afternoon light was falling perfectly
and there were beautiful women walking by.
I'd been eating good food and enjoying a fine book.
for a good forty five minutes there wasn't nothing bothering me.
I just felt just fine.
and I told myself, you should write a great poem about this.
and I said to myself, self, I'll never have time to,
and I probably won't remember anyway.

Drive

road so hot

the car gets to feeling all loose and wobbly

like meat



the sun

through all the trees

sizzling by



burning fuel

and the trail of heated smells

from in front

boneshaker

only guy on the last bus
music, book and I
pass those same stops
same spots
just the dust and exhaust
no cloud of contained human smells
watching lights of all kinds go by
cross the bridge
light on the water
peek out my window into all the other windows
and write

report

that wavering pain starts like a walnut in my shoulder
works its way down my arm
until my hand goes numb
wonder what it is while trying to ignore it
it'll pass
systems functioning less efficiently than they once did
felling rusty, kind of
oxidized

4:43am, April 6, 2008

usually when I try to write feeling happy I turn out shit
I assume tonight will be like any other
on the topic of shit,
my farts now seem to smell exactly like my infant son's poop
and I was right about time speeding up for any of you
who give a flying fuck
I'll turn around here in a little while and be an old man
crotchety to beat all and with a bunch of useless advice
about cooking, fucking and home repair
s'been a million years already and that's just half
so I should feel lucky to live so long

Cough

laugh

though

ought

thought

through

rough

tough

Shit Hear.

oh my dear lord this is the hardest thing I've ever done.

I can't seem to find anybody else

that's going through what I'm going through

forgive me if I grab you and drag you

into a conversation

about a film

or whatever you're drinking

you can be depressed

be happy, for God's sake

I don't care

you can't leave me alone like this

please.

you can see this too, right?

the Japanese have really tapped into something here...

I mean,

fuck cinema, you stupid heathen.

balls.

balls to you, balls to your entire family down to the third generation.

weight.

wait, you selfish son of a syphilitic whore

Jesus Balls Christ

get over here

fine.

I'll just sit here.

Hello, son.

staring up at me with those big, black weirdling eyes
all full of tubes and wires and things
I get to wondering what you must think of all this
70 strange women looking after you and visiting hours
twice daily
just brand new in the world and already locked up
if you could talk or shout, even, what would you say?
we feed your milk into a machine, take it to your machine
and another machine feeds it to you
and I am becoming not unlike a machine
and your mother is, too
we don't know anybody who has to do this
sometimes I like to think you're so powerful
that they had to put you in that machine to keep the world safe

Sorry, No Pets

but they're all fixed!
we really need a place to live.
I'll pay extra, just please...
whaddya mean, you hate cats and you're a filthy communist?
sorry, sorry.
just listen.
they're sweet and furry and good.
if they piss on your carpets I'll eat my hat.
so, look.
look here.
just turn a blind eye, I'll keep up the yard, shingle the roof.
whatever you need, I'm your man!
ooooh, fuck, I swear to God,
these cats that I have are unlike every other cat you've ever met.
why do you hate me?
what do you want I should do?
put 'em in a burlap sack and drown them?
you and I, we're business men, right?
we don't know from cats.
but lemme tell ya right now, buddy,
they're made of gold, these cats!
you could pr'olly even have one.
it's the dumb one, I know it,
but she's worth her weight in gold and she's the fattest one of them all!
here's my number.
that's all I'm saying.
we could work something out, you and I.

Fear.

How are we going to do this?

Is he going to be okay?

Is she?

What if anything,

Got a whole sack of what ifs.

Everybody's telling me I look like shit.

I mean, I feel like shit...

But I've looked way worse and nobody's said a thing.

Our son is trapped in a box of clicks and beeps and my wife can't stop bleeding.

Money'll get tight pretty soon, and the rent's going up.

I'm not scared, exactly

Longest Week In 8 Lines Or Less

hospitals are ugly
they serve ugly food
make people seem ugly
and I am ugly too

then it was beautiful
and they were all angels
even the dying seemed bright
they brought my son and saved my wife

Hey God!

you dirty fucker.
I see you up there.
you owe me at least one, you know.
get us through this latest of your tests.
I swear to God, you rotten son of a bitch,
if you don't intervene here I'm coming up there
and tear you a new one.
she doesn't deserve this and neither does our son.
so if you don't want to be looking over your holy shoulder
for eternity you'd better get off your fat divine ass
and do something.
I don't much care if you look out for me, you know that.
but this isn't about me.
show me you're still there.
don't make me come looking for you.

Oral And Intravenous Sedition

Listen,

Listen I just need a rest

I know you're probably tired, too

My skin is disolving

And my brain is flying apart

Please, you must know some dark quiet place

I'll give you all my money

Look, look

Just let me curl up in here for a while

I won't take up much space and I'm quiet

I can be quiet

Pass The Port

obey the forms

gitcher kids outta here

come early and stay late

and for god's sake you're buying this time

get in line to pay too much

bathroom's over there

what was this about?

Me and Dawn Buildings

We creak and smoke and reflect poorly all covered in frost

Things come in the front door and go out the back

If we're standing far enough apart we're the same size

I've got things roosting and shitting under my eaves too

We look filthy at street level and better from the air

Full of ideas running from floor to floor door to door

Wallet Haiku

Big fat sweaty lump

Made of plastic and cow flesh

Stuck to my ass cheek

_nice things_

I love you, you know

everything about you

I love your body

my body loves your body so much it sparks and sizzles

you talk to me like I'm real even when I'm not

you're changing our life and letting me come with you

you smell like heaven all the time

and you're a child-goddess in the morning all warm and sleepy

you're stronger than me and I love that

but you don't take advantage

you should know how I do feel so much about the way you are

fuck like a demon, you do, if I can say that

and your voice is kind and good

I appreciate that you listen to my nonsense

that you laugh at my dumb jokes

you're brave when I am fearful and confident when I'm unsure

smart as a whip but you don't make me feel stupid

and I'll chase you and tickle you and bite you

I love you, you know