Blog Archives

amputee

11/13/2024

At the top of the flag pole
the floods never reached
me;
I was above the clouds
in my own world;
safe -
unless there was
a thunder storm
with my perch
as a lightning rod
cooking me whole
in my nest
full of unmarked bills

I'm an amputee here,
of course,
missing my brain
and nothing more;
people seemed to like that
though
it prevented me
from speaking in complete
sentences
and distracting them
with organized thought

others just liked
seeing through my open skull
to see the lone monkey
working overtime with gears
and levers and diode bulbs,
animating me
for your viewing pleasure

I was told
it would be
ok
if I just never (ever)
acknowledged
my
dis-ability
and kept gesturing
wildly
at something off screen
when the cameras
were pointed
at me
after the flashes began

thermostats

11/1/2024

I debated
turning up the
heat
when it became
too cold for me
but not for you

I'd either make
myself
more comfortable
or cause you to sweat

neither of us
would feel the same
though
until
we both
cooled
in death
and reached
equilibrium

report from the edge

11/1/2024

Deployed
to the edge
unwillingly,
I at least thought to bring
a pen
and a pad of paper
to take notes about
how long it took
to get there

Dateline: A wednesday in May
I was born
with the troops
waiting outside the door

They busied themselves
until they could draft me

Some years they just waved
through windows
while holding bayonets;
other years
they showed me
the heads
they decapitated
in their boredom,
sometimes their own

I couldn't tell
if that was supposed to
represent
a victory
or signal impending defeat

Other people
had ballerinas
and carnival barkers
waiting for them;
handing out funnel cakes
and lockets

I received
an inkwell full of blood
and a scrapbook
of blurry photos
that meant nothing
no matter how long
you stared at them

On graduation,
I joined the fight
of the 100-year war;
listening to an old fan
whirring inside my tank
while I made up stories
of what was happening
in a conflict
beyond me
that I didn't
sign up for

wind

11/1/2024

Opening the French doors
you paused
to listen
for the last time
to the newscaster
Warning!

Silence around you
and the sound of
panicked monarch butterflies
flitting past your head
newly hatched
and naive again
learning how to function
in a new body

This wasn't good,
you thought

The wind began to
lick the threshold
soft and violent;
more chaos whipping
anything
loose
like a cat innocuously
pushing cups
off a table

An invisible force
ready to hurt you
with glee
without letting anyone know
it had ever been there

It was too hard
to close the door
after that;
rats and raccoons
and half dead squirrels
sought shelter
behind you
like bullied children
fleeing a monster

The acorns they stored
to live off of
became projectiles
you had to dodge;
You ate as many
as you could

There was no safety
in storage or waiting,
just a higher chance of death
from homegrown bullets

You'd sacrifice
your beehive
this time
knowing you'd never
get it back;
the wasps would replace them
and you'd have no solace
in knowing they lived
in your wreckage

gravel

11/1/2024

All your bits
and pieces
seemed smooth
from 1000 miles away

Anyone who dared
to look closer
knew to shut up
about the reality
of how broken
and inconsistent
you were

It wasn't that important
when transport past
you
was all that was needed

The more you got
run over
the less
anyone noticed
you had
no center mass
or profile
or shadow

You just pieced it
all together
like a swarm of angry bees
wearing a suit
wanting you
to believe
it's a man

elections

11/1/2024

I left my sandbox
when suddenly,
my playmate,
became a zombie

I told the teacher
post haste
but she had turned
into something I didn't
recognize
either

When I told my mother
that night
she insisted
that the monsters
were normal (now)
as she seasoned
my baby sister
for the amuse-bouche
wondering
how many servings
she'd get out of her

bullfighting

11/1/2024

The rodeo clowns
waited
patiently
for us to decide
what the show
would be today

Death and destruction
or
a hero's return

I sighed in fear
as I assessed
the bull;
this one wouldn't do either

You needed one
that you could clearly
beat...
but they all seemed
bigger than before
when you cowered
in the corner

No one would return
tomorrow
without a refund
so we picked
the one with the
kindest
eyes
and proceeded
with a gambler's abandon

high dive

11/1/2024

At the end
of the platform
you hesitated
like a pig
in a slaughterhouse

Down below
all eyes up;
you in opposition.

you focused on
a bald spectator below
coughing in the stands

The wart on your big toe
would surely
slow you down

this was higher
than anticipated

You feared
bleeding
in the water
or in the air
so there was no where else to go
but to remain
on the platform
or to descend
further
and hope your cold heart
didn't expel
from your body
upon impact

on the shelf

11/1/2024

On the shelf
we sat in jars
like captive fireflies
with a million
millimeters
between us

During the day,
we remained still
for fear of detection
but at night
we had the chore
to haunt each other
with charades

You often stared
right at me
but you seemed
more hypnotized
by your own reflection
than in focusing
on my grand gestures

We each hoped
for an earthquake
when the door slammed
or some other external
jolt
to destroy
our structure

The excitement
of wondering
whether my glass
or yours
would shatter first;
leaving the other
one
behind
to clean up the mess
after the other was
long gone

bubbles

11/1/2024

Rising to the top
pushing past
the dense
goop

Lighter now,
ready to escape
released
but
unseen

No one to notice,
only voices
saying something
was suddenly missing
in the mire;
and things seemed
different
now
and tasted
funny

Escaped invisible
into the space above;
misremembered as leaving,
for the longest time

Attempting to be popped
when seen;
because there's
more fun
in
destroying you
than in watching you
self-destruct

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