Tuesday, November 30th, 2004
|
|
9:13 pm - waiting to dry
|
full on puppy again
ears
perked
paisleys stuck to my back
eyes scanning the floor
for clean bits of clothing
waiting to be put on
when my skin is ready
full on puppy again
phone
handy
comics stuck in my bag
scanner at the ready
I haven't been in this room
for days
and I can't wait to leave
so I think of songs to give you
and I read the things you wrote
full on puppy again
waiting for the ring
running downstairs
pulling on a shirt
still wet
though it's been hours
|
|
(comment on this)
|
|
|
2:52 pm - Schrodinger's Nocturne
|
this small box
all full of complications
sharp gears
pulleys
and bells
makes my favorite music
each night
as I slide it open
on well-oiled hinges
and fall asleep
to the tiny noises it makes
each night
a different tune
each day
I press my ear
against its smooth walls
and listen
for a hint
of what is happening
inside
but still
the music is a mystery
until
each night
I lift the lid
and my breath catches
every time
|
|
(2 comments | comment on this)
|
|
Tuesday, November 23rd, 2004
|
|
10:43 am - Stolperncorpse
|
my monster
when I fall down here
and sink into the soft ground
I beg you
wait until nightfall
find me with your shovel
throw my bones in a bag
and stow them
under the passenger's seat
smiling through the checkpoints
with these remnants of me
they will dream in burlap
calling my spirit to follow
the tiny red lights
on the lonely road
at dawn
remove my tokens
and set them in order
down the length of your body
my ribs on yours
feet touching
my skull
resting on your forehead
shoo the crows
as I knit myself together
and promise I will wake
new lips kissing your neck
eyes sparkling
bold legs flexing
never to stumble again
|
|
(4 comments | comment on this)
|
|
Friday, November 19th, 2004
|
|
10:34 am
|
this room is full of people
and space
the people huddle around me
but
I'm only reading to you
and while I'm working the jaw
and making those words
I slip
and see you naked
looking up
your hand
pulsing softly
in my chest
my blood
running down your arm
dripping off your elbow
and with a flick of your wrist
you stop my heart
and again
my eyes roll back
|
|
(2 comments | comment on this)
|
|
Thursday, November 18th, 2004
|
|
12:21 pm - des Platindatums
|
come here
stand by this building
with its rough walls
stand by the sign
past the white van
and
look at the time
5:47pm
on a Wednesday
the seventeenth
of November
look at the people
passing by
the neon sign
of the hotel on the corner
you know the date
the seventeenth of November
and yet
for this moment
you have no idea
what day it is
please
hold my mittens
|
|
(4 comments | comment on this)
|
|
Tuesday, November 16th, 2004
|
|
6:35 pm - Come See Me
|
If you live in Seattle:
What: Ekphrastika
When: This Thursday (around 7:30 start)
How Much: $5
Where: CoCA, at 410 Dexter Ave. N.
I'll be talking dirty.
|
|
(2 comments | comment on this)
|
|
Friday, November 12th, 2004
|
|
5:37 pm - At the Register
|
Me: We would like to buy these CONDOMS and nothing else!
Cashier: Very good sir. You two look like you're in a hurry.
Me and Her: Hahahaha.
Cashier: Last night, a woman came in and bought two cartons of cigarettes and some lube.
Her: Sounds like someone who knows how to have a good time.
Me: Or someone who is extremely confused regarding the proper way to use cigarettes.
All: Hahahahahahahahahaha!
I'm going on VACATION!
|
|
(comment on this)
|
|
|
1:46 pm - Stadtmedizin
|
solid shadow
she comes to me
on nights when fog smothers the city
so we may creep among its bones
to make it live again
although I am dreaming
this is not my dream
I am walking through the city
of Weiße Mutternacht
as she slumbers
through back alleys
where old paint sticks to rough wooden walls
like stubborn frost
where every house has bed sheet curtains
and satellite television
as we walk
Weiße Mutternacht runs her hands
along the patterns
locked in the wood of fence posts
until she stops
and holds up a small hand
"sad ghosts"
she mutters
pointing to the shapes in the grain
and
reaching into her cluttered purse
she pulls out a rusty six-inch nail
and
gripping it loosely
she drives it up to its head
with a flick of her wrist
and the post bleeds black tar
I kiss the back of her head
and with a satisfied grunt
she is off again
a small limp
in her determined gait
her rubber boots and fur hat
separated by five feet of fierce compassion
she stops at every crossroad
and blows a plume of smoke from her black cigar
searching the shape of it
and each time
she laughs to herself
as she continues forward
as though someone has started to tell her a favorite joke
to which she already knows the punch line
later
she pulls a leaf off a tree
sniffs it
and
placing in her mouth
chews it thoughtfully
then
as we pass certain properties
she will spit
sometimes on the ground
sometimes on branches
and each time
she says a small phrase
like
"sick plants"
or
"happy tree"
and each time
I kiss the back of her head
other than this small act
I remain motionless
moving only enough
to follow her
as she draws the window
of a martial arts school
with the oil from her fingers
using her hot breath
to make the symbols visible
and again
I place my lips
on the soft hair
that covers her warm skull
and kiss
some days
she asks me
if I understand
what we have been doing
and
as always
I will simply smile
and rest my head in her lap
we both know
she does not expect an answer
for dreamers rarely know
the content of their own dreams
and those of us
who are privileged to walk in those of others
cannot expect too much
I am content to watch
as Weiße Mutternacht heals her internal city
until
satisfied
she leads me back
to our home
|
|
(2 comments | comment on this)
|
|
Wednesday, November 10th, 2004
|
|
1:29 pm - The Whitest Gift
|
although the society
called it Weiße Honigwelle
it was known to the old women
who live by the edge of the woods
by many names
die Singenblume
which Peter translated as
"the singing flower"
die Weinendecke
which Susan said meant
"the weeping blanket"
you can find them
in November
always alone
on a bed of dead pine needles
if you put your ear
to its delicate white petals
you can hear soft music
a delicate sobbing
and feel a slight undulation
and a scent will fill your nostrils
sweeter than any you have ever known
and if you dare
place your tongue against this flower
you will soon find it stuck fast
adhered to the source
of the most delicious of flavors
it is at this time
that you will know
the meaning of its other name
süsses Todeswort
which both of your companions agree
means "sweet death word"
for
with your face pressed against it
you will hear it whisper
in the smallest voice
"Ich bin Gift"
which
you will never learn
means simply
"I am poison"
known by highwaymen as
das weißeste Geschenk
which Stephen says means
"the whitest gift"
the victims of its song
are drained of their color
and very soon stripped of their possessions
eyes rolling
naked
they stare
unblinking
dreaming of a taste
they hope never leaves their lips
|
|
(2 comments | comment on this)
|
|
Wednesday, November 3rd, 2004
|
|
10:51 am - What Happened the Last Time
|
during this process
whenever anyone
would speculate over the uproar
that would occur
if our current President
would manipulate events
so that he won unjustly
I would point out
that many people agreed
this is exactly what happened the last time
with only a few ripples
so I could be wrong
of course
but since there was no revolution last time
and none of my friends left the country
after swearing they would
except for one family
who eventually moved back
and since apparently
half the country
thinks things are going really really well
there was no overt theft at all
and since we don't have to worry
about any messy transfer of power
things will probably settle down
just like they did last time
of course
public opinion seemed just as bad
as it is now
that last time
but then something happened
that put our nation in crisis
and everyone rallied around our begrudged leader
and I'm sure
before public opinion gets too bad
this time
he'll be given an opportunity
to show the entire nation
his powers of leadership
because the United States of America
always gets what it asks for
eventually
|
|
(2 comments | comment on this)
|
|
|
10:14 am - A Pleasant Morning
|
having mailed
all of my choices
well in advance of the deadline
I spent yesterday evening
avoiding all forms of news coverage
with the girl I love
when I awoke
the sky was blue
with a few white puffy clouds
the air was brisk
but not cold
and there was no evidence
of any riots
or wild celebration
no buildings demolished
no overt displays of community solidarity
no shock troops in the streets
no parades of happy children
everything
was exactly as it was yesterday
and because I avoided newspaper headlines
until I sat down at my desk
it was a nice start to a typical day
in a nation of complete jackasses
|
|
(6 comments | comment on this)
|
|
Monday, October 25th, 2004
|
|
1:59 pm - Getting You Across the Border
|
each time before
when we came across
you went first
my hand in your strong grip
not looking back
you moved constantly
pulling me forward
even as my head bounced
reeling hard
from low-hanging beams
that you could sprint under
without ducking
and after we collapsed
breathless and giggling
on the shores of our beloved home
we would plan once more
to walk in the country of our enemies
and return safely once again
bringing the children home
but this morning
I left you lying there
and even as my body
followed the old paths
I imagined you leading me
but my spirit
stayed behind
in that bed
and will remain
until you are with me once more
my darling
when next we meet
I beg you
do not ask for my smile
but find my happiness
in these eyes that love the sight of you
for without you
I cannot find my way back
and to retreive you
I had to leave part of myself behind
do not think me foolish
to walk beside you
less than the man I was
it is far better
than to live without you
with my golden teeth intact
|
|
(2 comments | comment on this)
|
|
Friday, October 22nd, 2004
|
|
4:52 pm
|
I know
when I drink to fast
I burn my tongue
but somehow
this time
I burned yours as well
and all the way
at the back of your throat
was a wound
so we sat there
in the dark
under the covers
with flashlight and mirror
trying to determine the shape
and you said
it looked a bit like me
walking away
and each time you swallowed
I took a step further
until the mark
was nothing more than a dot
and when it was gone
you punched my arm
hard
to prove I was still here
and we awoke
with identical bed-sheet tattoos
and later
when I asked the doctor
about the marks on my back
and the blood on my shirt
and he said
it appeared
as though I'd been bitten
by a small animal
and I fell in love with you
all over again
|
|
(4 comments | comment on this)
|
|
Thursday, October 14th, 2004
|
|
5:16 pm - She Who Could Not Be Named
|
my invisible friend
you took form
the moment you spoke my name
once
in that old building
with symbols painted on the wall
you manifested
as a flock of birds
and when you left
their bodies remained
on the sprung wooden floor
so they were gathered up
and nailed to my kitchen wall
later
in that kitchen
you poured yourself a glass of water
and
that night
we wrestled
but not until dawn
really
and you touched my side
but my hip
stayed in its socket
still
it made me scream like a little girl
and you would have won
if I hadn't used my legs
|
|
(comment on this)
|
|
Saturday, October 9th, 2004
|
|
1:58 am - girl on fire
|
the smell of your smoke
on my skin
makes my eyes water
burn off this paper jacket
and I'll take the charcoal of your tongue
between my teeth
just like a carney
without a scar to show for it
|
|
(comment on this)
|
|
|
12:20 am - These Variables Are Best Left Undefined
|
once there was a magician
who created a square hoop
and when you stepped through it
all the bad things
that you ever feared would come true
did
he placed these hoops
all around the city
and wouldn't you know it
almost half the people
who came across them
stepped right on through
most immediately lost all of their money
in bad investment deals
got their teeth kicked in by angry youths
and were sodomized by bears
but not in a good way
when the people were asked
why they would do something
so incredibly stupid
each replied
with the following memorized speech:
well I pretty much knew
this shit was going to happen anyway
plus real life
is sometimes good
and sometimes bad
and I can't trust something
that inconsistent
and I'll tell you what
I walked through that hoop
knowing I'd be raped by bears
and now look
at how much I'm being violated
by this violent
ignorant creature
it's just so good to be sure
about something
for a change
|
|
(3 comments | comment on this)
|
|
Thursday, October 7th, 2004
|
|
7:37 pm - Monkey Wrench
|
when you wish for love
your world
like a well-meaning grandparent
lost in their local department store
eventually delivers
some familiar options
wrapped in the manner of a distracted seven-year old
which will approximate
though ultimately fall short of
the things for which you asked
but look closely
for
lost among these many artifacts
long discarded
may be a tool
of infinite use
and though it may have appeared
less than impressive
when you saw it last
it may do well
to keep it close at hand
because when your talented mind
solves all the puzzles set before you
and all the gears are in motion
if you notice a gap
right there in the corner
that has yet to be filled
its odd shape
may fit perfectly
|
|
(2 comments | comment on this)
|
|
Wednesday, October 6th, 2004
|
|
10:17 pm - I Want to Take You to that Party
|
when all the doors jump off their hinges
and go tearing through the house
we'll hide
under the bed
and listen to the hosts
trying to tell them
that doors can't do that sort of thing
and later
when the doors have tired themselves out
panting
piled on the floor
we'll come out
and eat all the snacks
and no one will ask
why your hair's a mess
and there are lipstick marks on my neck
because
they'll totally know
by the look on our faces
and will be too busy
putting ice on their black eyes
and broken bones
to say a damn thing about it
|
|
(3 comments | comment on this)
|
|
Tuesday, October 5th, 2004
|
|
10:02 pm - Venus de Milo
|
so
if I went to the Louvre
and the Venus de Milo
started hitting on me
and I could totally tell
I wouldn't be all like
Holy Shit!
that chick doesn't have any arms!
because that's rude
and I wouldn't be like
oh, no!
I kind of like the Venus de Milo
but I don't want my friends
to think
whatever the hell I'm worried about
my friends thinking
because that's lame
I'd be all like
hey, Venus
or
hello, Ms. de Milo
depending how classy
she ended up being
and probably go get coffee with her
and then
I'd say
you know
I think you're kind of hot
but
and I don't think I'm telling you anything new here
you're also sort of creepy
and I think we both agree
in the long run
a shy guy like me
dating a half-naked woman who's over 2000 years old
and made of stone
and who makes alarms go off
any time you try to take her somewhere nice
wouldn't work out
but I think you're awesome
and we seem to get along
and I don't want to ruin that
so let's just be friends
you know
like
friends who make out
|
|
(2 comments | comment on this)
|
|
|
12:13 am - Mädchenhautkopierer
|
I knew we'd be friends
the moment I met you
and I asked you
if you liked the muppets
and you said
"I wanna shove them all in a suitcase!"
and even if
you didn't really say that
you kinda did
you know
with your eyes
and that thing you did
with your knee
|
|
(1 comment | comment on this)
|
|