311 North Gaffey

Scan the speedometer

Engine light off
Gas light on
Plastic pump

Grand Theft Auto bruiser

You back up
I back up
I back down

Feel like a rotten banana

Been slipped on
Been slipping up
Been slipping away

Smack silver skin against

Red lipsticked lips
Red bollard dicks
Ready set go

69 to 86

Isn’t it wild
how passion
can lead to

passive-
aggressive
nonsense

in three years
or less, based
on the context?

A Fugue Number

Sure you can sing
like a nightingale
if you'd like but I
won't be listening
unless you record
yourself and send
it via text the next
morning so that my
first cup of caffeine
has already braced
my face for the tears
that will accumulate
on both my cheeks
the way that coffee
adheres to porcelain.

A Lighter Version of Life and of Love

Tell me if you’ve felt
something like this lately;
tell me if you’ve felt
anything at all for how long.

I’d give up my lunch
to experience some version
of the love that I want;
it’s the least important meal.

After all,
after all,
after all,
after all…

I never cared about eating
anyway; and any way you
want to slice it, this bread
has gotten stale and moldy.

You are cheesy; I am vegan,
at least in my ideals, but I’m
too afraid of becoming a pain
in the ass, like the rest of them.

A Microsoft Word

I’d like to speak
with you in private.

I guess I could send
you a text or an e-mail.

No, I’m almost forty now;
I’m a dad with experiences.

I’ll write you a letter instead;
I’ll sign it in blue ink, I think.

(A Rather) Trivial Pursuit

Get a clue—
what’s the context?

Categorically,
what’s the content?

A Whimpered Sentiment

My dog is becoming
more neurotic
with each passing year.

"You are who you
surround yourself with"
is perhaps my biggest fear.

Ablative

Direct me
to wherever
you want me
to go or to be.

About Things

CBS sitcoms
and procedurals
are prime-time
acts of torture.

[slow heavy metal music playing]

I know nothing
about your puppet
state of martyrdom.

[guitar solo]

Give me a clue
so that my efforts
are less fruitless.

It’s not worth trying;
it’s not worth crying.

Are you about things?
What are you about?

[interlude]

So you’re not scared
of a hurky-jerky blade?

Oh, you think misplaced
modifiers are a problem?

Just wait until you
get a load of what
this tabby is about
to do to your sofa.

Absurdist Theater

I tattooed “I’m miserable”
on my forehead and waited
for you to read it. But then
after two years, I wondered
if you needed to get your
vision checked. You were
on my health insurance
plan, so I reminded you
of our excellent coverage.

You decided to see the partner
of the doctor that fucked up
my prescription. You said you
thought he was really nice,
which was more than I could
remember you saying about me
since the pandemic had started.
But I knew that if I said anything
more than what I had written on
my face, you would likely call me
dramatic—a comedic turn of turns!

Acid Zen

when you can see this planet
and all those beyond it
for what they are
you realize how
insignificant you
and each of your problems
are were and ever will be

Actually

It wasn’t long ago
that I hated all men
who owned guns
and shot crossbows.

Actually, it was
yesterday, and
it’s only today

that I’ve decided
to never again
succumb to hate.

Because to say
that you hate
is to say that
you don’t love.

Adair, Holism, Voilà

Hold out your hand,
stick out your tongue.

I want to take a photo
to keep just for us.

You’re in my head,
you’re in my heart.

You’ve been my best
friend from the start.

Addiction

There’s a serpent
slithering about my
abdomen and oh my
my I can’t see my eyes.

The lives of the too wise
go down down down to
the bottom of oh well
it’s nothing after all.

Agnostic Frontal Lobe

You never thought you’d be
in the drive-thru of a Taco Bell
near a city called Commerce,
but here you are, waiting for
your antibiotics to make some
sort of difference, praying for
there to be a god, so that you
no longer have to feel so alone.

Albatross

My neck
My back
My freedom
And some slack

Allergies

I can’t see
I can’t feel

I don’t want
To leave bed

I don’t want
To get ahead

I am allergic
To this life

I am not afraid
To close my eyes

American English

Language evolves with culture;
what are we doing being this ass-
backwards as each year passes?

And Then

I nicked my skin;
and then, and then,
I scratched a surface
of understanding
that only plants
might know (I think
I believe); do you
know what I’m
talking about?

How could any
one person
know what
it’s like to move
a mountain
if they’ve never
even climbed one?

And then, and then
again and again,
I feel a faint rush
of what it might
be like to begin
anew, after the end.

Another Day

Good morning,
Mother Earth!

It’s a wonder
that I’m still
here among
the insects.

I thought I
would have
been deep
beneath
the dirt
by now.

Antihistamine

"Touch your toes; okay,
can you feel anything?"

[numbness]

"Hold your heart; how
about now—anything?"

[coldness]

"I think it’s time; can
we have a quick chat?"

[alarm rings]

"I need to leave; why
are you allergic to life?"

[door shuts]

Antiquarian Expedition

In the future,
I shall swim
to Beirut to
retrieve all

the memories
I lost way back
when I still was
barracked out
in North Brooklyn.

Do you think
I might hear
a horn, or
perhaps at
least a bell?

Apocalyptic Tone

Nonprofits beg
Corporations take

Current partners nag
Exes shop for body bags

Here I am at happy hour
Thinking about life

You’re home e-shopping
A sale is always nigh

Approaching the Hill

Depression is not a joke.

Have you ever walked
eight miles to get home?

Have you ever had to
treat sofas like pylons
in a drug-induced drill?

Do you remember
what it was like to
dance in dirty-ass,
smoke-filled rooms?

Do you remember
how exciting it was
to drunkenly smooch
someone in a park
way past your bedtime?

Being an adult is no fun;
no matter how much
money you have, no
matter how bad your
youth was, not matter
what; just don’t grow up.

Arcadian Rhythms

While nibbling on Taiwanese dumplings,
I thought of my old Toronto desaparecidos.

What happens to a person when they
are no longer present in your life?

Do they become a postcard or some other
form of wistful memorabilia that is attached
to a desk, a wall, or another piece of you
or the place where you rest your sorrows?

I can't go back to feeling bad about myself
and all the things I could have done differently.

I am different now; I am better now—
it is up to my mailing list to believe me.

As-salamu alaykum

Don’t bring home bacon
Don’t barrel any pork

Just do your best always
And don’t charge to cork

Assholes Anonymous

Some pain
is based
in reality.

Some fears
are rooted
in fantasy.

It is within
the liminal
states of
existence
where we

begin to see
how poorly
an orchard
might grow,
you know?

All phonies must
be called out,
and they who
might do so

ought not be
caught out
in a field like
a literary mouse.

If you have a back,
you have a spine.

If you can live a life,
you can give a gripe.

Attachment >< Detachment

stick with what you stuck
on to what you picked up

plucked out from beneath
the bee’s tree nested right
to the left of the window in

which you stand from which
you can see me watching
you waiting for you to walk

on away from your own harm
but instead I guess I’ll disarm

Autonomy v. Authority

All cops: Hang yourself.

All robbers: Hang on a sec.

Does nobody own a knife?

Does anybody rent advice?

Back Slap / Forward Slash

I need a hand
I need a woman

I’m on the web
I’m in my head

Give me a drink
So I can think

Give me liberty
So I can speak

Bad Gateway

I carried my basket of plums
to the webbed void of this
new world we have created

you shooed me away while
watched your smutty screen
and I was fine to let you be

some roads are made of silk
and some are made of asphalt
but all of them can lead you astray

with gas being the price it is today
I figure I'll start walking to wherever
but fuck me I live in Los Angeles

Baron

Has your nose ring
ever rusted, or is it
as fresh as Dave’s
kimchi on Sundays?

Have your stars ever
lost their alignment,
or are they as strong
as Stacy’s backbone?

You can smoke and drink
like a native digital queen.

You can bend and snap
like a raw-ass undergrad.

It’s a vibe for the night;
catching strays for days
is the only way I know
to exist now, you know?

How did I fall into this trap
of rhyming after three beers,
when we both know I try to
avoid flexing the clever lever?

Ah, shit! Here we go again,
getting tender on the tender.

Won’t you please come back
to California and congeal?

Benzo Boulevard

I passed on the sunset,
and added it to the list
of every other regret—

you can be another one
if that is something you
think might be appealing.

I guess I’ll just ride off,
because that’s what
you do in Hollywood.

I guess I’ll just die off,
because that’s what
you do in Hollywood.

Bic Pic

I thought
it was going
to be one thing
and then it became
another thing I think
and that’s when I said
I’d stop writing for tonight.

Big Bad Burrito

You rarely think
the Internet will
fail you; that is
until you log on.

But in the real
world, my knees
feel like they’re
fat and numb.

And now, my tum
needs some Tums.

And my feed needs
some good weed.

I’m never going to
eat another burrito.

I’m never going to
repeat rushed love.

Bight Sights

I bend my body
better than ever.

Neck craned, I
slowly sip beer as
I peer at twin piers.

You can see as far
as your eyes allow;
I need new glasses.

Wherever I walk,
I see new asses
caressed; god bless
the wobbly decks.

People stand
on the sand,
queer as pink
flamingos, but

I know better than
to talk too much;
it’s a loaded lesson
I’ve learned over

the past few years,
stronger than any
of the fairest seas.

As the wind blows,
so does the ghost
of red-pilled Brandon.

A character actor
in crisis: So long!

Billy Bragg

The irony
of some
surnames
is just too
rich, innit?

Black Death

She goes medieval
I go back home
& play chess
With strangers
From Estonia
To Ethiopia
Until 3 am
& I’m out

Blind Texts

When you’re missing eyes
from the messages,
you can be so much more
casual, less selfish.

Bloated Grasshopper

Some nights
you feel so
confident
that you just
ignore auto-
correct and
spellcheck.

And then
some nights
you think back
on the mornings
when you thought
back on the nights
when you should
have been more
discerning…?

Blossom

The expansion
and evolution
of everything

contained
in a ceramic
item can be

like a house or
a homestead
sliced in half

or any fraction
or of any faction
say for example

that of an in situ
vintage iteration
or maybe the idea

of anything else
deemed essential
by anyone but elites

because if we must
continue to meander
we must with the many.

Boat Life

I left the sand inside my shoes
to remember the weekend
I just spent with you.

Boop Boop Beep Beep

I’d like to head over
to the sound gazebo
and forget about all
the heels of the past.

We can hold embraces
on this empty path of
complete empathy; we
can lose our voices, too.

There’s no need to speak
in every moment—this is
a lesson I’m afraid took
far too long for me to learn.

We’re told to never forget
some things: terror, for one;
but here’s something else
we must always remember:

Compassion is a passion;
also, love can be misguided.
Be kind to yourself—VCRs
are tough to find these days.

Brandywine in Brandenburg

I found myself wandering
around the parts that labor
around the capital, drinking
and thinking about what it
means to hug and be hugged.

Love truly is a drug, and if you
are lucky enough to have it, you
likely want to give it; if you are
less than fortunate, you can
have drunk sex with a cynic.

Bravo

Did you know
that from
May to September,
it’s monsoon season
in Taiwan?

Here in Los Angeles,
a particular person
has been making things
dark and stormy
every day
of every month,
regardless of season.

As soon as I feel safe
from viruses
and aggression,
I’m going to drive up
to the Formosa Cafe,
order two Mai Tais
and some Chow Fun,
because I’m tired
of being suffocated
from thirty miles away.

I want to feel alive;
I want to have fun.

West Hollywood
is a place
where you can make
your own reality.

And sometimes
that’s what you need
when the delusions
of other people
are clouding
and/or
are crowding
your perception.

Brimming Away

I’ve collected so many caps
while playing isolation ball,
I don’t think I’ll ever need
to own another pair
of sunglasses.

What’s the use
of plastic if you’re only
going to lose it, anyway?

What’s the point of looking
cool if you keep getting shade?

Bus Boy

He’s as sweet
as a matcha mochi
and by that I mean
he’s perfection.

Bye-Bye, Tyrant

Damn, it feels good
to be free from the clutch;
no more pressure, no more
stressors. Rehab is fab;
therapy is therapy.

By the Book, By the Bay

Next time
I travel
to NYC
I will meet
the Queen
of Queens
and apologize
in person
even though
wrong is
relative
but she is
my relative
now and then
when I say
I’m sorry
I hope
she’ll say
she still
loves me.

Cadaver

In the early morning hours,
I dig up all of the nuts
that have found their way
into the cracks and the crevices.

Cephalophore

I’ve made it
so that I must
preemptively
carry my own
head in hand;
otherwise, I risk
having my exes
cut it off for me,
and I’ve decided
it’s not for them
to determine
whether I can
walk and talk,
simultaneously.

Cerebral Drip

My divorce group therapist
talked to me solo, while in bed,
for longer than we intended.

We connected over Buddhism
and now my mind is soaking wet;
after dinner, I’ll play speed chess.

Ceremonial Grade

I vow to never order
another matcha
for the rest of my life.

It is the most inconsistent
thing I have ever experienced
on this planet, I do believe.

Chairman

Neapolitan ice cream,
Milano cookies—
I don’t need either
type of super-sweet
chow to satiate my
tastes; I’m basically
trying to basically
waste away my days.

I just need wine; mostly
wine, but also cheese
and bread, I guess.

I mean, yes, of course,
I need it to soak up
the mess of my stress.

Chino, CA

one pair
is not like
the rest

cotton
&
thread

cotton
&
thread

one pair
is not like
the rest

Cistern

I know a man
who likes to hold
his liquor like a tank
built for war or a storm.

City Pop

These words
are like rivers;
they meander
and they shiver.

My days have
frozen over;
my nights have
gone slower.

Ever since I left
you in Rampart,
I’ve wished for
a fresh start.

Cloon (Under the Moon)

Watch out
for the bugs;
don’t step
on the bugs.

It’s okay if you slip
on a banana peel.

I assure you
there are never
banana peels
on sidewalks
like there are
on film or in
the cartoons.

And even if there
were split fruit
splayed upon
cement, I bet
you’d see it under
the night’s light,
would you not?

It’s okay if you leave
me by night’s end.

Watch out
for any love;
don’t step
on all love.

Club Life

Have you ever
eaten the blues?

Some sadnesses
are worth the cost
of bathroom puke.

Have you ever
drank gin and jazz?

Get funky at night
and don’t stop until
you see the light.

Cold, Flash, Mirror, Bang

Went up to New England
It’s all the same to me

Took a couple rolls of pictures
Then dumped them in the trash

Watched my body morph in time
Heard my mind was out to lunch

It all comes crashing suddenly
Nothing’s very sweet in the end

Convivial

The smell
of salt
can awaken
the most
lethargic
of beings.

No taste
goes wasted
in a merry
establishment.

No face
is misplaced
when you’re
deep in cups.

Bear hug
yourself
and walk
home happy
because
reality never
says goodbye.

Coasting

When I get home,
I’m like a blueberry
in the sun, wilting
until the moon
beats me into
the undead dog
I’ve always been.

Cock-Up

Life,
my life,
our life

is a maelstrom,
it’s a male storm.

I know, I know—
men are to blame,
but can you give me
a break for once?

Country Western Cloudbursting

I’d draw back
in the past,
and she drew
lines in the sand.

She was from the East,
which is west of here;
her mother was from
another planet, I think.

The last time I was out
among the cacti, I thought
what a sight it’d be to see
her near-olive skin in denim.

Her fine, coarse black hair
hiding under a cowboy hat;
her perfectly polished nails
sparkling under the pink sky.

I think I heard some
hope in heartbreak
sung by a sorceress
on the wet jukebox.

County Poem

Click-clack
in the bivouac;
how many
heart attacks
until you cut
yourself one
ounce of slack?

A man is a stand
of oranges; and
let me ask you:
How deep is
your squeeze?

Crimson Tide

I thought
it might be
nice to fly to
Tuva tomorrow
and let each
throated word
soak my skin
like how red wine
refines my soul
when I want to reflect
on my pseudo-sins.

Crude Vanilla

Did you ever think
you’d need a visa
in your own country?

Have you ever been
to a bleaker state
of affairs than Ohio?

You can dial 800,
you can dial 877,
you can dial 888.

But now, here we are,
hours into an anxiety-
laden lobotomy; what?

And then, when you said
you wanted to stay friends,
how’d you draw those words?

The illustrious wish they’d be
illustrative of the rest of us
curling up like Croatian sardines.

But check this shit out, regardless:
You have barely ever even known
me, and you’ll never understand me.

Cuffing Yourself

Do you ever feel like
you’re roommates
with an old person
but then you remember
you live by yourself?

Cynic Rawk

If you believe in equality,
you might live online;
equity among all people
is not part of this life.

You can beg, you can sleep,
tap the keg, liquid dreams.

If you think in the past,
you might be Greek;
suppressed knowledge
is what Americans teach.

You can put two fingers up;
it doesn’t matter which ones.

Dad Jeans

(sigh) You can wear them for me;
I like how they fit your body
better than they’d ever fit mine.

I’ll drink the beer that you fear
will make your belly touch
the button; just do me a favor:

By night’s end, drop that denim
next to the Roomba and toys
on my new living room floor.

Dawn of the Day

pants off
lights on

beer warm
bed cold

no sweat
no stress

back to bed
trivial gems

Dead Poet

I’ve got a wrong hand wound
that looks like Alka-Seltzer,
and all I want to do is pour
another story into my head.

I might walk down Pacific until
I want to get high, and once
I’m rolling up the hills, you will
be able to anticipate my estate.

Deep Blue

I could lose you
I could lose to you

If only I still wrote
Sad songs like Phil
Or Bill instead of
Writing sad poems

I would be new
I would be anew

I don’t think people
Want to read anymore
I guess unless there
Are numbers or images

Default A

When you’re ice skating
in America remember
the fragility of even
the coldest of people
and the malleability
of everyday language.

Delaware

It takes me
about as long
to shuttle my
son to and from
his mother’s
as it would take
to drive from
the bottom tip
of a state up
to its very top.

Depression/Exhaustion

Don’t cry
over spilled coffee;
it’ll only
get you more down.

Desert Dessert

Dry me out
No more dairy

Get me wet
Enter the diary

Disaster Kettle / Closet Freak

Turn on the stove,
let the flame settle
into its usual groove;
the steam will start
to suh-suh-suh-sing
and the phone will
begin to be-be-beep;
and your skeletons
will never ever cease
to try on your clothes.

DIY FIX

Olive oil
vinegar
alcohol
and tears
can give
you the
fantasy
of wiping
away all
your sad
wounds.

Diagnosis

I thought I might die
20 minutes into this movie;
how economical, I thought,
but you’re just cheap.

I mean in terms of words
and actions, not money.

I mean, you spared me,
if only for an extra 20 or so;
in the end, it wasn’t really
all that necessary.

Done Did It

Did you know
a life could be
destroyed by
only a pair of
gym shorts?

Do Not Disturb

Once I return home
upon dropping my son
off at his mother’s,
I feel like a sober maid
at, like, a Red Roof Inn
somewhere in Arkansas
after Nikki Sixx passed
through after passing out.

Double D

The nastiest person
I’ve ever met comes
from the epicenter of
the “Midwest Nice.”

She exited my life
in the midst of the
most drama and
trauma I have ever
had to experience.

I am so grateful she
is now gone for good,
but I legitimately hope
she freezes in Fargo.

Drunk Marathon

Shape up
Downtown

We’ve still got
A couple rounds

1, 2, 3, 4

Stay thin
Stay young

You might even win
Before you’re done

Emblem (Black Flag)

Fill in the knot—
not like the holes
in the same old
plots; make it more
whole, just make
it less of a part,
prematurely pre-
paring to be, of
course, discarded.

Empirical Empire

Promises get made
only to be broken.

Delay, delay, delay;
the risk is inevitable;
assess, assess, ass.

All you can do is be;
all you can be is you.

And in this climate,
in this ecosystem,
there’s no good time.

Euphemism

I hope theirs hearts
gets blessed by
more capable fools.

I aim for the positive
mental attitude that
my bold brain sought
as a younger version
of the person I have
become as decades
decide my mere fate.

I hope her their lives
become the stuff
of struggling swans.

You can wish for what
you want but I advise
to expect not much
more than that which
has previously been
plainly presented if
you want to sing like
a dying spinto soprano.

Everyday Olympics

I scratched my new silver,
and I guess that’s for the best.

If I had won the gold, maybe
I’d have made more of a mess.

Everyone Hates You

This is the silliest thing
an adult person can say
to another adult person.

Exerted

I’ve been feeling a bit off lately.

The doctor at the urgent care
in this strip mall off the PCH
where I spend too much time
walking around and thinking
about lost time and money
asked me if I masturbate—

I think the mountainous ring
that proved her engagement
and her lime green fingernails
made me feel more comfortable
to talk to her about sharing more
details about my sexual proclivities.

At least that’s my theory, anyway.

F1 Cat

You can puff your chest
as your skull swells up.

You can blow hard into
the straw inserted in that
bottle of Mexican Coke.

Just don’t forget your lines
if you want to stay in this city.

Fading

earlier this evening
my friend told me

about a micro-dose trip
that led to a threesome

and I told him
how tired I am

and he said he mostly
could relate but I think

he just said that
to avoid the truth

about how divorce drains
all of your energy always

but I remind myself
single people sleep

whenever they want to sleep
and with whomever they want

but you know the old
saying about martinis

Familial Motifs

Joni said, “You don’t know
what you got till it’s gone.”

And Johnny said, “Flesh and
blood needs flesh and blood.”

A stranger hugged me,
and I thought I might
have caught the plague.

But he’s safe and I’m safe;
but if I died later this year,
would you still speak poorly?

I watched Vin Diesel flex
last Sunday afternoon,
and it made me grateful
that I have you (and you).

I listened to my mother
calm my father down
from the backseat of
a rental car and then
I thought of how I have
no one to do the same
for me, but that’s okay
because I still have you.

And you and you and…

Fantasy Basketball, Etc.

I forget how to hold a guitar
and grip a chord now that I
have wasted a life holding
a brush and a pair of what,
oh right, a pair of crutches;

I regret about half of what-
ever it is that you think I’ve
done and about twice as
much as you think I ought
to stomach on my own or
with some other nemesis.

The hate that derives from
regret and remorse is like
some special sort of beast
that only sci-fi geeks know.

First Second Third

Chipped plastic
Nailed to skin
Cracked upon
Lit below a no
Which never

Means yes
I guess you
Knew when
You told me
To undress

Before I came
I thought you
Went and said
What you meant
Not what you did

Fishing for Whatever

You thought you were outthinking
the man known as me, but you
were just on the outs with yourself.

Like me, like us, like how we once
were in on it all together, yet now,
we’re just slipping and losing our
grips on everything we once tried
to grasp—like a stoned teen staring
at popcorn ceilings, memorizing
the worst raps since “Informer.”

I’m a snow dog, a husky; what
are you, homie? What are you
trying to do after work today?

Flesh Eating / Keep Drinking

I drove up to the foothills
to get a coffee and forget
about all the bad nights
and the worsening days
that would always follow.

I put my best balaclava on
when I got off the highway;
I crossed off all my regrets
and cut out what’s left of
my heart for you to hold.

As you munch on my husk,
I can finally see how corny
you have become, Gen X.

Hippies became yuppies,
and you went boom boom
for stock options; oh, please.

You can chase America
to the bottom of a well.

And you’ll never know how
far you can go until you
finally leave the city.

It’s only then that truth
becomes gold; it can be
real capital on the streets.

Flux Capacity

I’m not coming
I’m not going

I am static
I am stable

Mantras should be
Fluid and favorable

It’s imperative in order
To wake up every day

Frankly

sometimes
I feel like a
natural man

Free Radical

I'm reactive
I'm reactionary

I'm loose
I'm a loser

I'm proud to be me
But not my country

Don't hate fellow citizens
Hate cops and politicians

Free Will

Eating tacos in Mar Vista,
I am reminded of days
from years ago when
minutes seemed longer
and hours felt fresher.

Do you know what
I’m talking about,
or do you just find
my words to be as
cryptic as my exes?

I think maybe this Saturday,
I’ll take my son to temple.

And on Sunday, we’ll go
to an ornamental church.

On the other five days,
I’ll pray five times just so
the two of us get saved.

I think maybe every decision
I made before I chose to be
free was halfway slippery.

And now that I’m living some
version of my way, I must ask:
Will you won’t you will me?

Funny Ha-Ha or Funny Peculiar?

for the past few weeks,
my elbow’s been stinging
any time it touches a surface.

when something like this happens,
I often wonder if it’s like when dogs
can sense a storm coming their way.

how strong of a sense of
humor do you believe
your god actually has?

Ghost in the Arena

I’ve heard that sometimes
a pony gets depressed.

And I’ve learned that horses
can get shot; ain’t that right?

If you wanna do what it is
that I think you wanna do,

well then, maybe it’s best
that you get to moving on.

There’s a game to play
every night and every day,

but you gotta know the time
and you gotta know the place.

If you were ever to look up,
you just might see the score;

if you let it get you down,
you might always settle.

Don’t fret over death, my friend;
have faith in an inevitable end.

Gingham Style

Too much pasta
is never a problem.

On second thought,
too much of anything
is kind of an issue.

I’ll have a side salad
and a glass of red.

Gnats & N’at

The property manager
of my apartment complex
told me she had never
seen an insect inside
a home since she moved
down to the South Bay.

I didn’t mean to be rude
when I asked her
if she had glaucoma.

Write this down somewhere:
Intentions are important.

Go-Go Mon

Sometimes some things
dubbed to be dubious
are in retrospect rather
insightful and that’s just.

Gone South

There’s a sadness
in the ramen out
here in Torrance
tonight, all right?

I slip on my words
and I slurp up
the bean curds.

The tears are just
about perfection;
the fears are just
about to get some.

Fuck me, fuck you,
fuck it all, if y’all
think I’m wrong.

But I’m bound to
be found near
the port of calls
lost to distraction.

It’s easy enough
to be drunk up
and down the Bay.

Gorgon, Be Gone

I choose
to shave
my head

every week.

Group Chat

Are we actually
being analytical,
or is it best to be
blasé? I dunno.

Guitar, World

I prefer an arpeggio
over a boastful solo
any day of any week.

I like my notes to go
up and down like
the hourly mood swings
of a life in confusion.

You can run, you can fret;
you can regret, you bet.

Gully Washer

Maybe I’ll tuck in my shirt
and walk past Pasadena
City College and Caltech,
like I used to when I was
a sucker; maybe I’ll put
my headphones back in
and turn on “Fast Car”
by Tracy Chapman now
that I’ve decided to slow
down my life a few paces;
maybe I’ll dream in places
made into virtual realities
by men I’ll never meet, like
I.M. Pei, but hey, you only
live for as long as you want
(and I’m not sure how I feel
about the meaning of death
without anyone to mourn me).

Half-Choice

You ever
think you
can’t commit
to one way
of commenting?

(well well well)

Put a comma here
splice a comma there
don’t think too much
talk like it’s a tweet
and just go to sleep.

Hand In/Hand Out

Each of us has been
a beggar in a previous life;
that is why we all feel
shame in this current one
where we’re present.

Harmless Thief (Take Five)

Bold coffee, poured over;
I pore over all my porous
thoughts, words, actions.

My limbs don’t feel like
moving anymore today;
my core is so hardcore.

Do you have the guts
to survive? Will your
guts survive or what?

A few years ago, I was
hospitalized because
I couldn’t digest properly.

And the irony is that
she who arrived by my
side could not care.

It’s not that she wasn’t,
or isn’t, caring; rather,
she was simply stuck.

Some things are moments,
some things are momentary;
staid, we were not, but then

what ever happened to
the fun we once knew?
Where did it go, after all?

And after all, we all must
stress less, if we want to
be friends in the end zone.

I’m going to steal my soul,
and we’re going to go out
for a walk, for a while, just

the two of us; don’t worry—
I probably won’t find Jesus
on such a short journey.

Headlines

No more bad news
I want
No more bad news
I need
No more bad news

Hello, You

Sun peeks through cranes
Ships carry dreams about
Sidewalks care for beasts

High & Confined

Jamming toes into doors like a boor
stored in the steamy cellar of the
Village Green Preservation Society;
a natural kink of a matured soul,
you know, like fool’s gold for the old
getting young in their mind’s eye.

Hindsight

I once had a girlfriend
who told me I had
too many friends,
and now that I spend
so much time alone,
I think she might
have been right.

Honkalong

I walk around this tight space
marked off with gaffer tape
like a Foley artist acting out
the rebellion of a teen star
on whatever drug is now
the one best designed for
buying in and faking out
the most defensive of all
offenders; if that’s the cab,
it’s time for me to finally find
the peace I’ve said I so desire.

Horticulture

Accidentally killing a plant
can be so tragic—maybe
on the level of Shakespeare
in the Park, but like in some
suburb of Dayton, you know?

When I say that out loud,
I no doubt realize how
comical it sounds, but
there’s only so much
one can laugh at lately.

We humans live on water,
just like plants, yet we
can eat them, and they
can make us feel bad;
I guess we’re even, huh?

How to Handle a Cucumber

Make sure you keep it crisp;
they can get slimy as fuck.

If you think you have failed,
just chop it and set it on fire.

Hubris

Should have never
left New Jersey…

Should have never
signed those deals…

Should have never
made assumptions…

Should have never
felt those feels…

Human Nature

Pock-marked skin
Neon yellow lights

Tongue caught
In tight ass crack

Street tacos galore
More natural wine

Time is circuitous
Earth is our mess

Hypochondriac

First there’s one dot
and then another
and another and another
and you connect them
from your armpit
to your waist line
down to your toenails
and back up to your eyelids
and you look down
and back up until you
are crossed and tangled
and your words
are mushed and mangled
and your doctor
asks you to slow down
and take a breath
before you swallow
your voice whole.

I Am My Density

What's it take
to be like
a lunatic
when, like, fate

(or whatever)

decides it's time
to break
your back &
pack your bag?

I hope this finds you well.

Here’s the thing:
What’s that even mean?

You don’t know me;
you don’t know anything,
as far as I can tell.

That’s what I tell
myself, anyway, because,
I know the laws.

That is to say:
Tomorrow’s not today.

“I Found Brownstone”

When I was a poor youth,
I didn’t understand why
LCD Soundsystem was
a popular demand, and
I just wanted to party
at houses I could enter
without a French helmet
stuck upon my skull; but
now that I’m a single dad,
I understand why they
appeal to many people
living out their third decade.

I Think I’ll Ink

Hey hun,
let’s have
some fun.

You can write
words anywhere
on my pale skin.

I write them
on copy paper;
ain’t that cool?

Ice Cream Dream

I couldn’t decide
between peaches
for my cream and
cucumber for my
slumber, but one
look at your smile
and bra-less chest,
and I expressed,
“I am yours and
your words are
mine to devour;
your mind does
nothing else but
delight,” but you,
a stranger, said,
“Maybe come
back next week,
and we can see.”

Identity Crisis

My name
predates
my face,
but what’s
in a name
anyway?

Look at me,
I’ll look at
you, if you
want me to;
and if not,
well, okay.

If I’m being honest

All I've ever wanted
Was for someone
To love me as much
As my son does

If You Can, Will You?

It’s just a question,
it’s just a wonder.

And I have to worry
about the answer.

“I love that.”

Stop saying
things you don’t
believe in or feel,
because nothing
is real if we’re fake,
and if that’s the case,
what’s at stake, huh?

Images of Damages

the profile is punctured
the spine is shattered
the heel is hammered
the camera is capturing

In Media Res

It's quite easy
to feel alone,
even among
so many bodies;
life lacks love.

When you can't
leave your home,
you're fucked;
maybe you fuck?

Isn't it strange
that hospitals
are often where
we are born and
where we die?

Initial Public Offering

I’d rather write when raw,
then right the wrongs.

That’s always my preference,
rather than strategizing first.

This is real life, not a tactical battle;
that’s why it’s always so much easier
to misconstrue a memo than to read
the words of a woman with accuracy.

It’s not until I stop thinking of the failures
of relationships that things really get hard;
you can always be a bozo in the bone zone,
or you can be a hero in this weird world.

I’ll cut and paste my own poems
into a Microsoft Word memorial.

You can offer them to the cold dirt
if that would relieve you of your hurt.

Intermodal Thoughts

A rusty anchor rests
its weathered body
on cracked concrete
and moans something
about World War III.

Passersby don’t pay
attention to the ground;
they smack their shoes
against the outdoor floor,
waiting to pay for booze.

***

When you wake up,
do you hit the snooze,
or do you get right
to caffeine and soap?

When you go to sleep,
do you hit the pipe
before you dream
about future drama?

***

I’ve been living here
in this coastal town
for three months now.

It feels more like home
than anywhere since
I left home at eighteen.

***

My divorce therapist told me
I should take a personality test.

The results said I’m both secure
and preoccupied; I’m also anxious.

***

Is there anything more elusive than love?

Can you be any less delusional when in love?

“I Want It Now.”

These are the words
of children and those
who never were able
to grow up in any way.

J.F.C.

Why is every goddamn thing
so last minute these days?

Even death arrives
at least 15 minutes
late, and that’s not
specific to California.

When I left my wife
two years too late,
I studied spiritualism,
and that’s So Cal.

But hey, if I die before the time
I can get the senior discount,
I guess it’ll just be another
example of my dissidence.

Iconoclasm is essentially the practice
of tired thinkers, if you think about it.

January

Counting sheep
in a wool blanket
I forget about all
the lies you told.

Journal (Clinical, Critical)

Some people have the power
to be passionate without
pushing others away.

Certain places have little
to nothing to convince its
residents to want to stay.

If you could, would you
change the ways in which
you used to choose to behave?

Judgment Night

The cashier at the 7-11
told me to “be safe”
three times last night.

I told myself it was time
to get out of this town.

You can’t live anywhere
too long if there’s no love.

You can’t live anymore
if you never find it again.

I tell myself it’s about time
to find some joy somewhere.

I listen to sneakers squeak,
and that’s comforting for now;
sometimes sweating feels good.

Junked Up

My dreams have not been shattered,
but the pour-over coffee maker I owned
lost part of its side like a porcelain pig
when I was washing dishes this morning.

I have not replaced the kitchen ware;
instead, I have made a substitution—
I am going to be a French press man
for the foreseeable future, sans pastries.

I suppose I’ll still occasionally have cravings
for a flaky, buttery croissant, but I’ll suppress
the impulse to have greasy crumbs cling to my
chinos, kept for the sake of romantic memories.

It’s imperative to learn how to pivot, if you want
to avoid complete depression and desperation;
this world does not want you to succeed, and thus,
you must accept and embrace positive plot twists.

And if you work hard, you might get lucky enough
to feel like you’ve done something right, like you
are not worthless and that life is not meaningless
and that pastries actually can be so fucking good.

Just Wondering

Is it possible to wrap
something too tight?

I unwrapped an English
cucumber this morning,

maybe about an hour
after I had purchased it.

As soon as I pulled it
out of the plastic,
it seemed to go limp.

Is this why guys say
they don’t like to wear
condoms despite fear?

(and then)

I looked at my son

who was looking
at the pre-pickle

and we were all
looking quite sad,

but at least we all
have each other

no matter what.

Keith Jason Version

It’s acceptable for some
to create a religion of one.

Keppie Down

When the sky is falling,
refrain from looking up;
it’s going to hurt more.

Knave Grave

I know I know
you can know
you can trust
me and what
I say and what
I believe I know.

And I’m never
going back to
where you tried
to dig the earth
for a slumber
too long to last.

Knots from the Sea

I never fully appreciated
the full scent of garlic
until I actually decided to
start cooking, and that
hadn’t really happened
until I was left alone.

But now that I’m
by myself four days
a week (at least),
I’m happy to not
immediately wash
my hands after dinner.

Kung Fu

The legend continues,
and my heart still hurts
from all the kicks dropped
on my chest. I think it’d be
best if I left a note worthy
of reading; perhaps, you
know, something like…

”There are two words
of wisdom in this world:
silence and reflection.”

L’Chaim

Today is my boy’s
second birthday.

And I want to say,
“Buddy, I’m sorry
things didn’t work
out the way I thought
they would, but we’re
still working, aren’t we?”

You are the only thing
that makes me feel
even close to being
close to complete.

Leased at Sea

Oysters floating
on the stove;
I say, “I gotta go.”

Don’t worry, babe;
I’m still on the
judgment-free zone.

Leviticus

The United States
is not God’s land;
no place is, really.

Some Americans
just want to oppress
and be oppressed.

If only bibles could
be burned like books
that are worth reading.

Life on Mars

Whenever I hear David Bowie
come on the sound system
at a semi-hip bar or restaurant,
I’m like, “Uh-oh, have I become
Noah Baumbach all of a sudden?”

Linoleum Teeth

The plastic melted
into a forced smile.

The string became
a thing unto itself.

Every bit of being
wound up, around.

And around and
around and down.

You can’t save all
the puzzle pieces.

Physics is a failure
for more than just us.

Longing, Lost, Relative

Lines carved into the skin
in the shape of a red cross
can make anybody feel bad.

Go ahead and peek through
the chest to see how they who
sit across from you really feel.

It’s probably time for another pot
of coffee or maybe another more
weed in whatever form you have it.

I’m sadder than you can imagine,
but I still have a roof over my head
and my nostrils and veins are clean.

Look Above

The sky is falling
apart and a part
of me is okay with
whatever happens
next since it must
be better than what
had come before.

Los Angeles Times

Thirty-something single father
tells two-year-old son not to
cry over spilled oat and flax milk.

Lunch with Zoe

I was drunk by two
& I was happy
I was without you

Lush

I drank four glasses of wine
and now I feel high.

I drank four glasses of wine
and how I feel fine.

Market Lessons

Only ever buy as much
as you know you can
finish, but always try
to save what you can
before it’s too late.

Tardiness is common
on the West Coast,
but so too is fresh fruit
and vegetables; fresh
like few other places.

If you cook something once,
don’t cook it more than twice.

I have yet to learn what can
happen if you choose to do so.

Masculinity

What does a man
mean to you, any
way you want it
to mean? I mean,
do you want to be
one with me, or are
you content with
being spent in this
toxic waste reality?

Mediation

These sorts of things
only work, I’m told,
if you’re willing
to listen as much
as you’re willing
to speak; is that true?

Mental Escapade

While you were getting harassed by geese
I was dreaming about sitting lakeside
Watching bears eat fish with bare paws

Isn’t it natural to love nature?

We could probably leave the lights behind
Bring all your candles in one of your totes
Let’s treat every future day like the Sabbath

Isn’t it wonderful to sit in wonder?

The sun is smiling upon me in this cold field
The moon is getting less depressed every night
All I can think about is getting used to getting right

Isn’t it beautiful to love beauty?

Mercy Me

I’ve got a pellet lodged in my larynx
and a mystery mule is kicking cavities
around the upper barrel of my body;
if I die in my sleep, you’ll know what
is up, and if I awake to tell you how
I can’t feel my mostly weakened arms,
then please reel free to reach out.

Midnight Horchata

It’s wild how many steps
you can take when sharing
stressful circumstances.

An amateur botanist just
kept asking me questions
until I nearly peed myself.

The threshold wanted
to be crossed, while
both of my nostrils
remained as moist
as the winter sky.

(and)

Wool socks on wood
floors is a moonwalk.

(you know)

Most or at least much
of the rest of my body
begged to be caressed.

I drove up Crenshaw
for a calming present
to begin the week.

Never expect to find
a connection with
a perfect stranger.

(because)

You’ll only be let down
by yourself and by them.

(but)

In this particular case,
a middle-aged woman
made me blush for almost
two hours as she touched
my skin and told me stories.

The following day, I tried
to remember the recipe
she gave me for hot tea.

When I realized I forgot,
I just ordered a horchata
a little bit after midnight.

Mission: Impossible (Boomers)

Imagine a world in which
all of the conservative
Supreme Court justices
could have been aborted.

Monstera

When the organic
becomes synthetic,
is it the water
or is it the earth,
is it the people
or is it their lack
of self-worth?

Morally Grounded

There are days
when I wish I could
avoid eating plants
like how I refuse to
eat animals but then
I would shrivel up
entirely and besides
paper and buildings
are made of trees
so how could I would
I survive without these
semi-selfish priorities?

More Pills

Hyphenate the wild life:
crumbs on the table,
jars unscrewed, and
I’m out of breath like
a seventy-year-old man

More Town

Run to me
like she
used to run
away from
her dreams.

Run like a
freak bassline
up and down
a beaten
fretboard.

Let’s do;
let’s run,
run, run.

Let’s do;
let’s run,
run, run.

Mortal Rights

I momentarily aborted my own life
when I read what you wrote after
I got out of the shower and thought
to myself, “What is the point of any
of this when we all can be so stupid?”

Go ahead, make me aware of my own
guilt; go ahead, and I’ll make myself
feel better by creating distance from
myself, as that’s the only way to get
ahead when you’re losing your head.

Mystery Cactus

Where did it go?

I thought they were
immobile, to a degree?

We on the West Coast
treat them like statues
to admire as they bake.

There’s a magnetism
to the desert; I think
people are less afraid
of death than they admit.

Natural Bohemian

One decade ago ,
I decided to walk
up the highest hill
I'd ever seen paved.

Worker boots on my feet
for a leisurely vacation?

When I reached the top,
I asked a sweet old lady
if I could buy a bottle
of her ice-cold water.

The price was about as high
as the hill on which I stood.

I told her it was much cheaper
down at the shop I couldn't see
from my new vantage point;
she said I could go back down.

I handed her some rusty coins
wrapped in crumpled paper.

She thanked me and said,
"You remind me of my grandson,
who died last year; that poor soul.
Oh, the wonders of metamorphosis."

Natural History: Please Reply

In the coldest months,
I think back on when
I used to walk around
cemeteries on borders
of East Coast counties.

There’s nothing like
death to remind you
of the pains of being
alive, and there’s little
else worth expecting.

First it’s birth, and then
it’s death, and then you
do nothing but wait until
another friend sends you
another funeral invitation.

Natural Skin Contact (Don’t Know It)

I set forty dollars on fire
just to prove to you that

I care about the well-being
of you, me, and humanity.

What have you done lately
to show you have us in mind?

What have you ever done
to show you have feelings?

Nearly a Decade

I don’t want to find
more things to despise
on the turn of year nine.

I’d rather remember
how I felt the weather
that first September.

Now that it’s officially fall,
it’s time to wheat-paste walls
with flowers, failures, and all.

New Arc, New Jersey

Subverting the subplot
is something that has not
been lost on me when I’m
in the middle of something.

Night Diner

I get so lonely
when I look in
my pocket &
the only thing
I feel is lint &
once I pull it
out I see some
sleaze on my
smart phone
screen cracked
from the corner
begging for just
a couple more
ounces of juice

NoHo Poem

She said she
hated me
more times
than she
said sorry.

No, No, No

I don’t ever
want to hear
another bitch
or moan or
gripe or groan
or anything
approximating
anything in
between, okay?

I know,
I know,
I know!

Believing in that
happening is like
believing that God
exists or that more
than a handful of
politicians will ever
tell the truth about
anything greater
than how they take
their coffee or tea,
and I don’t trust
anyone who doesn’t
ever drink caffeine.

Nö Örthödöxy

We're often told
not to have zeal.

We're often fearful
to approximate real.

If you wish to be cool,
passion drains away.

If you wish to be hip,
irony is all the rage.

Notebook

I killed two more plants,
and cut off my left thumb.

I gave birth to three new ideas,
yet I still felt more or less dumb.

The space heater was running,
the air purifier was staying put.

The cigarettes were all burning,
the practice felt increasingly fun.

Not So Wise, Bud

I didn’t want to drink
this tall boy down,
but the port has been
more humid than
a droopy scrotum down
in the Everglades,
knee-deep in August.

Nuts & Bolts

I screwed myself on a vintage sofa
and washed my dreams away;
nothing will ever be the same,
and it’s okay to only listen to
podcasts when you’re feeling
this insecure in the wintertime;
just remember to spring back,
only to fall down, because, well,
failure is a practice older than God.

O Concord

America
is nothing
without you.

On Notice

Sometimes
the less you care
the more people
think you do.

Pardon The Interruption

Whenever I start to miss
my ex-wife, I think about
all of the things she made
me miss; like, for example,
what it feels like to kiss.

I’ve made a lot of poor
decisions in this life.

I think about how I could
have more money, but
what’s the point of bad
thoughts in a worse world?

Sometimes you smell
like mildew or mold;
sometimes you taste
like witches or weed.

What’s the difference
between this or that?

In the past nine months,
I can be proud of at least
three things, I believe,
and that’s better than the
previous four hundred or so.

And I know this much to be true:

I am a good father;
I am a good brother;
I am a good son.

I’m also fairly confident that:

Acid is the best drug;
Meat is the worst drug;
Pavement is classic rock.

Paterfamilias

Thank God!
Praise Allah!

This man has chilled out
over the past few decades.

He's always wanted fans;
he's always needed fans;
he's always had them, too.

Now he takes a moment
to fold his handkerchief.

He's always lacked time;
he's always managed time;
he's always made it, too.

Now he has the patience
to read past the lede.

Good God!
Great Allah!

Pause Resumé

Who writes in paragraphs
in the 21st century?

This is a bullet point society;
conform to conventions
or get marooned forever.

Who wants nutritious meals
at decadent tea parties?

Penny Loafing

Rub horsetail
on head for
ancient relief.

Swish and swirl,
secrete and salvage.

Oh, the dulcet tones
of a young Tom Jones!

Forever remember
the words of old ladies;
wisdom is female.

Personal Sequins

You can drape sparkles
on your core and limb
by limb crawl out of
your own skin but
in the end a rat
dies all alone.

Petty Kingdoms

Some men want to dominate
Some women want to dictate

I look forward to future days
When everyone is gender-fluid

Physical Material

Debate the security
of social dynamics:
you go your way,
I guess I’ll go mine.

Exchange all types
of modern currency:
what’s yours is yours,
what’s mine is mine.

Picayune Times

I discovered some old Polaroids
sandwiched between Pynchons;
I rewound my life back to a place
in my mind—a myriad of moments
when I could appreciate freedom,
when I could listen to jazz without
interruption, and not be inclined
to dwell in small, swollen feelings.

Pie Hole Poem

My baby boy’s locks
are all tightening up,

but these winter winds
can still blow them loose.

It’s so cold in this old house;
hey, I’ve sold my soul, but how?

Don’t ask me; ask the dead-
heads, stoned again out back

in dad’s shed, where he used
to strip furniture and paint

portraits of ex-girlfriends
to remember every mistake.

You know, I thought it’d be
nice to get a slice or two.

Thing is: once I have more
than one, I’m always done.

Piss King

Books,
bodies,
buildings:

It really
doesn’t
matter.

Planet Earth

Live till you die;
breathe till you sigh.

Platonic Love

If you never fuck your friends,
you never fuck your friendships.

postnasal drip trip

every few months
I get a sign I might
be about to die but
it’s just allergies or
some other trigger
being pulled inside
my chest shooting
sticky shit up pipes
until it gets caught
behind my nostrils
fully unable to be
shot back out the
front side with any
force whatsoever

and I can’t help but
think if I can’t breathe
what’s the point of
trying to live anymore

mull it over ask god
do whatever okay
just get back to me
on your lunch break

Pounded

I don’t know why I
ordered a coffee cake.

I don’t even like cake
(of any kind),
but I do love coffee.

And this one
had a different
composition.

This whole situation
made me feel
like a cat lady
being compelled to
impulsively adopt
a Golden Retriever
simply because
she woke up
in a better mood
than she did
on most mornings.

Pray to Tell

My mind is a temple
and the pressure is
just fine I’ve decided.

I don’t mind how moist
the skin that surrounds
the bone zone becomes.

Pre-Divorce

I came down
from the mountain
but I felt higher
than I have
in three years.

I laughed out loud
when I thought about
you saying
everyone hates me.

What does that
even mean?

How could I know
since you
wouldn’t tell me?

You have diarrhea
of the mouth;
that’s my diagnosis.

And my gut feels better
than it did last month;
I know I won’t vomit
if I just learn how to trust
myself when I want.

You said you wanted
things to be something
approximating civil.

Those are my words,
not yours, of course;
I’m paraphrasing
because I’m the poet.

And that’s the thing—
you never understood
how to craft a message;
you only ever learned
how to manipulate
the message, right?

Present Perfect

I have occasionally
forgotten it’s okay
to make mistakes.

I have admitted to
doing so on more
than one occasion.

Produce Lesson

Put some fresh plums
on a wooden bench
while you watch your
old peaches rot away
on a continental plane.

Psychic Drift

What’s the difference between
taking a piss when you’re out
with your boys and having a kiss
stolen from you on your first date
with your potential second wife?

Where do they land on a map
or a scale? Do you have any feel?

Anyone and/or anything can break
your heart in this broken world.

What’s the point of living if you don’t
think about what you’ll leave behind
when you die and your body gets
buried or burned and tossed into
a body of water or a plot of land?

Pulp Platter

I opened the sesame
sandwich and watched
the faces agape around
me again and again and
again until the book shut
on itself and I shouted out,
“I can read you all so well.”

Pump It Up

I’ve never really
been with a woman
who wears heels
but I would like to
know what it feels
like so maybe I will.

Q no A

Losing my meds,
losing my mind.

I need more dough,
I need more sauce.

I want to find myself
after feeling so lost.

I want to walk away
from the game of why.

Qwerty

I thought I could
probably handle
almost anything,
but typing with
bandaged fingers
is maybe one stroke
too far, I think.

Randy

His tune is ice-cold sludge
but his tone is warmer
than dough in an old oven.

He’ll sweeten you up
only to let you down easy
but soft can be hard too.

Real Talk / Seasoned Salt

My friend told me
that some women
might not be into me
because when they
look at me, they think,
"That guy looks like
he listens to Pavement."

Reincarnation

“I don’t do dumb”
is a dictum I think
I’ll live by maybe
in the next life.

Respect

Don’t forget to wash your hands
every time you enter a new land.

Just like it’s 5 o’clock somewhere,
something too is sacred there.

Don’t fist or palm anything until
you’ve been cleansed, for real.

Just like how you want to be free,
everyone else wants that, you see?

Return to Work

Muted colors
on a stripped field
can empty your soul.

Do you have one?
Do any of us?

What’s the weather like
in Tokyo this time of year?

When sending a message,
be sure to have the address.

His, hers, their, your, yours…

I’m no longer going
to sweat small mounds;
I’ll maintain my distance.

When I get to the bottom,
I’m just going to start walking.

When I get up to the top,
I’ll chill like a Russian bot.

If you want to stir some shit,
try Dairy Queen instead of me.

Revolutionary War

In the place
that invented
our language,

it’s more than okay
to say cock; it’s also
plenty fine to say cunt.

In the place
that invented
sanctimony,

you can’t say cunt,
but you can show one
in any R-rated film.

Ribald Mall Rat

I’m not joking
when I say that
after two years
of hating life
on the inside
of a doomed
hillside house
I want to fuck
half the women
walking around
this glass house
of paper horror.

Rickety

We all get old enough
to be tossed in drawers
like forgotten buttons.

Rim Shot

All owls hoot hoot,
and old men holler.

You know those tired jokes
about becoming your father?

Well, I’m about to enter the midpoint
of my life and I’m just waiting for
the punchline to wind up and hit me.

And I guess the thing about comedy
is it doesn’t actually have to be funny,
but life is easier when you can laugh.

Ring Finger

When I look at my left ring finger
and I feel it with my other fingers

it feels naked and afraid but
it also feels ready to live again.

Riot, Girl

One of the worst feelings in life
is when you meet another dude
and you two hang and have fun,

but then you realize he treats
women like subhumans and you
decide you hate all men for a bit.

RIP 2 DRIP

You can pour out
drinks for the homies,
but real friends know
that’s just wasted booze.

Ruthless

You are the ex
of a friend
of a friend
and you look
like you could
be in the mob.

Who am I to
label you like
just a guy?

Who are you
to take out
an eye?

Saint Peter’s Song

I slept with castanets
in my claws and saw
what you saw when

you were in Spain
and I was in pain

but now you are back
and now I am sacked
and better off for it.

Saloon Song

“Mama,
this is the most beautiful
place on earth,”
said the tyke traipsing
on the dusty pioneer trail
down the way from
where a self-described patriot
called me a pussy
after serving conspiracies
up on the wooden bar
from which I ate my veggies.

Sarah

I had never been around
designer clothes
or designer drugs
before I met you
when I was only eighteen.

Sardine Song

I’m in the port
of Los Angeles,
but I feel like I’m
buzzed on a boat
that’s just docked
on the Danube.

No matter where
you lose your guts,
remember: up the
punks, and don’t
forget to hold on
to all your jewels.

Sato Pit

Dog hair
can become
tumbleweed
on the floors
of solemnity
despite all
your best
efforts.

Sauced (Sweet & Sour)

How are we any different
from plastic bottles of water
tumbling among the waves
cresting upon a patriotic whip?

At what price do you set
the value of your life when
everything feels worthless?

Don’t mind me, as I sit straight
in the back of this school bus.

I’m learning to ride until I die.

Schadenfreude Swing

it could be you
getting wooed

on a honeymoon
of fucking hatred-
fueled fucking or

it could be worse
you could be the

person outside
of the joke circle
praying like prey

Schizo Scherzo

I woke up in a puddle of citrus,
only to feel bigotry strangling
souls on a plane of dead wood
flying from snow to sunshine;
this can’t be real, this can’t be.

I’m sorry to say there is no longer
any point in dreaming here, son.

Reality is kind of a nightmare,
which is why those without
marks on their necks put them
on their arms, or at least pass
out in the back of a rideshare.

I’m sorry to dramatize trauma for you
during this otherwise lovely intermission.

Sea Fret

waves smack
against rocks

and boats get
loose among
the old docks

it’s all a blur
on the outside

on the inside
slow heavy
metal music

Seeds in the Weeds

I was a friendly ghost
while you were a vampire
looking to suck my sample,
and here’s the thing about
poems: they’re focused on
one’s personal perspective;
that means, you’re hearing
my mashed-up monster
madness, or his or hers or
theirs or those other beings’
beliefs or whatever, and that
is just the tip of the nice fern;
if you give just enough, you’ll
get what you deserve in return.

Seldom

not never
just not
always
and/or
forever

Self-Checkout

I feel like a chisel is being
beaten into my ribcage
and a screwdriver has
been twisted into my
sternum, only to allow
my insides to be covered
with cheap, dying flowers
from any supermarket.

You know, I’ve always
wondered: Ralphs must
be named after a group
of Ralphs, right? I mean,
the store hasn’t taken
a possessive form, so
it can’t be named after
one man, or a surname
that I guess was named
after one man; oh boy.

Self-Realization

It’s only now
that I’m leaving
this pristine place
that I have come
to understand how
spooky it can be.

It’s so dark,
it’s so quiet,
it’s so stocked
with coyotes
roaming about
with hunger.

The mist surrounds
at night, despite
the separation
from the sea.

The police know
no boundaries,
and the sirens
shriek like the wild.

Separation Anxiety

Have you ever
eaten a piece
of wax paper
with your meal?

Have you ever
drank warm beer
on purpose?

It’s not as bad
as you
might think.

It’s not as bad
as you,
I don’t think.

Shoshana

I walked into a Montreal bistro
and I met a beautiful waitress.

She brought me extra fries
until there was no more wine.

I learned all about Quebecois life
and her family’s history in Riga.

How can anyone be so warm
in a city that is frozen all over?

I guess it’s in her Latvian blood;
latitudes over platitudes, always.

I walked out into the snow-white lights
and pondered the sarcasm of angels.

Silent Bee

Could I ever experience
something approximating
the long-legendary grace
of a Renaissance woman?

I will impossibly perch myself
wherever I must, remaining
flightless, sightless, and life-
willing, momentarily paralyzed

As the idiom goes, I’ll do what
I gotta do, in order to witness
this miracle thought to be so
unattainable, but nothing is…

Singular Vision

Cynical
Egotistical
Individualistic

Slow Drip

I chose to rinse off
all the childish shit
that’s accumulated
since I decided I’d
start a new life, and
upon stepping out
of the antique tub,
I heard water bounce
[over and over and over]
off the slippery surface
that has felt and seen
far worse than me.

Snug Bug in a Drug Rug

I beat the shit
out of each of
my toes while
wearing shoes

one size smaller
than I should have,
and whose fault
could I make that?

I hit the pipe of my
ex-wife in theory,
and I thought about
how nice it would

have been if she
ever would have
smoked just once
in our relationship.

Social Security

I walk circles at airports,
building up body odor
and my tolerance to my
own bad inclinations.

I wish I didn’t say some
of the things that I do,
but if I chose to withhold
my thoughts, would I be
the person that I am?

You can have snapshots
of my life, but you cannot
steal any parts of me
or my true identity, okay?

You can put an oval
in a rectangle and call
that math if you’d like,
but what I’d love would
be if you just came to me.

Sorry, Not Sorry

The exuberance of my youth
was excessive to/for some, and
I’d like to go back and retrack
and retract. But I have learned
from the ways I have burned
myself and the many bridges
I crossed, that there is always
another path, there is always
another graph. You can walk
again, you can write again;
you can apologize, you can
theorize. I’m sorry. I’m moving
on. I’m not sorry I’m moving on.

So So Cal

I had never been
happier than when
we held our skinny
hands in fluorescence

we’d walk in the beige
hallways draped in our
own brown gradients
not noticing brighter eyes

I thought we might settle
down by the water or
in the desert or at least
maybe like Mid-City

and then suddenly one
night as I was writing
my silent phone led me
to miss a few of her calls

and then she was gone
like a prestige television
series that just started
and made you feel hope

I sent her flowers and texts
but she had already ridden
off like a bird on a board
without grip tape or grease

Spätzle & Seltzer

Too much pasta,
not enough family
in the kitchen today.

I can’t have a drink
for at least one week,
and that’s fine by me.

I’m so tired, so tired
of being alive; I wish I
could just take a nap.

If I could, I would sleep
in nothing but shorts
on dry West Texas soil.

Step by Step

It’s taken me
nearly forty years
to realize I don’t need
an opinion about
everything.

Still Birthing Badness

Those who tend to project
pompous maturity often
push out premature ideas
like a sad one-minute man
cumming inside his own hand.

Subway

Banjo on my knee—
I know how to play it
about as well as I knew
how to play you, which
is to say, not at all; not
like how you plucked
away at each of my
strings until I fell flat.

I am not cut out for
the country life; then
again, am I really
made for the city?

I’m never going back
to the suburbs; every
part of the city I live
in now feels like one
(more or less) alive
or dead—some have
stores, some have
boarded-up doors,
but one leads to
the next, and I guess
there is no dom in
this relationship, huh?

It’s just sub after sub
after sub after sub…

Sucking at Life

If you neglect something—
anything—for long enough,
it will die. That’s just a fact;
but once you accept that,
do you attempt to perform
some sort of resuscitative
act, or do you gasp as it
does in the darkness and
humidity of a lonely corner?

Sunken City

If I could
play a sax
on the corner,
I think I would.

Maybe I might
be able to show
my new town
how I really feel.

But I don’t know
how to blow
on the brass.

I guess all I know
is how to sink
in the sad.

Survey

These days
every day
feels like
at least
a year.

Today
I couldn’t
leave bed.

It really felt like
it might be
the end.

But it’s just
one foot and
then the other
and you’re half-
way to more fear.

Tales from the Cryptic

Light up a cigarette,
and another and
another and another.

Smoke enough until
your voice sounds
like a geriatric jazzman.

Once the nicotine gets
you feeling floppy,
speak your shit aloud.

Pour a drink, take a seat,
and spin your stories
like clothes in the wash.

You’re always going to
need something fresh
to wear, well, everywhere.

Taste Buds

Have you ever sat at
a buffet of any kind
and watched people
eat as if eating were
a competitive sport?

Sure, some folks soak
their wieners in water,
but nothing beautiful
comes from rote rules
of packing throats full.

Others often say things
like, “Variety is the spice
of life,” but what do you
add to life, when it tastes
like Tabasco on trash?

Every decade, New York
convinces itself of a new
dynasty; every year, you
and I dream of memories
made across the Hudson.

Text Edit

slow down
select right

move to the left
pick up the pace

not too fast now
don’t lose track

wrong words
can ruin you

The Cycle

Something I’ve noticed
is that people stop
paying attention
to the news
or anything really
once it’s no longer
as awful as it once was.

The film over ink

fades within days
and days become
weeks which then
become months
and when credits
roll you wake up
and death is but
a mermaid in sand.

The Lasting Liturgy

if you worship nature
you will always find
something to believe in

The Pilot

I am happy to
report there is
no more heat
in the flooded-
out adjacency.

I told the wench:
“Go back to Fargo;
there is no darkness
for you to fry all your
lake trout down here!”

I wonder if she’ll ever be
something close to happy.

Every month, there are
new mergers reported;
and each moment is
an opportunity to
go get acquired.

If I were to write
a fairy tale, it
might go like:
“Take off
and die.”

The premiere of a punk

that sprouted up from
suburban subjectivity
can offer momentary
delight, but when the
act goes on tour, will
it, will he, will she be
received like key lime
pie on a sun-tanned
face, or will this dream
of Dean’s be received
like Cheez Whiz under
an Earl Warren bridge?

The Reality & The Reflection

I.

Today
I mistook
a lemon cake
for cornbread.

Of course
I would have
preferred
cornbread
instead.

It’s easy to make
mistakes when
you are distracted;
it’s harder to stay
focused when
you’re hungry.

II.

There’s that
line people use:
“No regrets.”

I think it’s healthy
to have regrets.

I regret marriage.

Then & Now

I destroyed my mind
with pretentious thoughts
when I was wearing
scarlet in the park with
two ladies driving me
crazy and a big bag
full of everything bagels.

I was unconscious;
it was subconscious.

Hangnails and alcohol
were enough to make
me numb enough to
make me want to
do, well, just about
anything other than
what you wanted.

This Frank Ocean

I’m drinking saltwater
in the concrete fodder.

A miller,
a manor.

A cobbler,
a canton.

I’m in the Old World,
living in the new fold.

Thumper

I am Job.

Life is a job.

I want to retire.

What is desire?

Tick Talk

I loves blue
He love red

Tome

The Oxford English Dictionary
is a Bible for those who care
about the passive-aggressive
intricacies of a slow-burning
dominant language that emits
some of the most beautiful
passages one can imagine.

Too Raw

I thought
it was just
some extra
skin—thin
layers of
protection
against
the paths
I must walk
until I can’t
stand any
longer, and
the longer
I do, I can’t
see myself
with you.

Topiary

What’s the maximum number
of jerk-offs allowed to live
on any given cul-de-sac?

I’d rather cut people out
of my life at this point than
treat trees like they’re just props.

Topic of Capricorn

a cactus lady
flirted with me

in front of my boy
in front of a store

after I ordered juice
and a horchata latte

she told me she was
a worker-bee barista

and a realist painter
from Basque Country

I told her I was a survivor
like Beyoncé and Gloria

except I am a white man
and I’ll never be famous

To Save a Succulent

Ain’t no thangs
but things to wing
on this life stage,
and within the pot
in which you can
take a piss, why
not just pour some
water to the bottom?

And one question
I have for you all:

Why not take your
own advice, huh?

Nobody knows you
better than you do.

Death is imminent;
live while you can.

Tote Bag Crisis

At what point
in your life
did your hope
sand aspirations
wither away
like an oxidized
apple in canvas?

Tracking

I stapled a mask to my face;
I put myself in its place.

I’m breathing heavily at home;
the grass is all overgrown.

I’m waiting for a return
of all the bridges I burned.

I’m studying architecture
on the Internet, for sure.

Transmigration

I’ve been to Texas
I’ve been to Vegas

I’ve died at least
Once or twice in
My semi-aging life

I’ve been to Texas
I’ve been to Vegas

I’ve been born again
Only to learn that
Jesus wants me dead

Trash Panda Way

I’d climb any tree
Or dive any dumpster
Just to feel alive again

My eyes have rings
Smoking around them
And it’s time to butt out

I won’t talk about myself
Or ask you about you
If you don’t want me to

Instead I’ll scurry along
And worry until I belong
With someone I love

Trickle Down

It’s a MAAD,
GLAAD world.

Trivia Night

Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday

Tropical Cancer

This morning
all I ate was
a semi-firm
banana, and

this evening
all I drank was
a semi-cold
Japanese gin;

some days it’s
difficult to tell
when to finish
or to begin.

Tropical Gothic

I, the parrot, ordered
a Caipirinha, while you
the raven, went with
a whiskey in the corner.

Trust

I feel like I need
to make a bad
decision every
few months to
remind myself
to trust myself.

Typical Slant

You can milk
the moon
with real magic
in Milan.

Then squeeze
all stars
with full force
in Sicily.

“What’s your angle?”

That’s what
a philistine
always asks.

“Can I get a drink?”

Whereas that’s
how a hedonist
can circumvent.

Union Eyes

Once you see
your rights,
shall you not
move left?

Upstream Connect Error

I tried to slide by
the defined lines
of your emotional
cartography, but
you were still able
to map me out and
trap me, down to
the final failure.

Valentine’s Day

I took my last gasp—
my last gulp—
and decided to stop
looking at life through
the warped vision
of curved glass,
or at least maybe
I thought I might
try to harness my sight
to aim better in life.

Veterans Park

A sparrow in Milwaukee
once sang these words to me:
“Don’t trust anyone after midnight.”

Wanton Core, Virgin Hands

I think I’d like to maybe
wear a trench coat
in the rain sometime.

I feel like there are laws
against who can, but
I think I’ll be just fine.

I think I’d like to maybe
write a one-note solo
for a distorted guitar.

I feel like that’s who
I once was, but also
I might be who we are.

Watch me

walk away, and
leave behind
notable regrets.

I take heaps of notes
every goddamn day.

I am the hardest-
working flaneur
since Oscar Wilde.

Weathering Steel

Some things
are just made
to rust and I
might just be
one of them.

Weed & Beans

Sun in her gun,
she shot me dead;
it’s far too dark
where she rests—

her head has shrunk;
here. we have no fun.

Over there is where
I kick up my feet.

It ain’t no feat, either
(sleeping on a sofa);
I ain’t got no grip reefer,
I got that drip roaster.

Weeping Willow

It’s okay
more than

okay to pause
and rewind

back to the time
when you were

the best version
of yourself

according to
what to when

it’s all relative
that’s what we

tell ourselves
when we want

to believe in
something else

never mind
fast forward

to the part
where you

are standing
on pebbles

near a flame
in the Valley

wait am I
in the past

again oh my
god give me

the remote
already

Westside Pavilion

I used to roam
the desolate rows
of suburban commerce
in the early evenings
with perhaps
the coolest communist
I’ve ever known.

I miss her always
and even more
now that I’m alone
half the week.

And I regret
the ways
the two of us
used to speak.

And as I push
this stroller down
to the local marina
and listen to podcasts
she used to mock
I hate technology
more than ever before.

What’s So Fine About Visual Arts?

How much shit have you eaten
in your adult life to be willing to
upchuck whatever else newly
comes your way these days?

Wheezing to Death

I always wanted
to have love be
given to me softly—

like a song, a poem,
a kiss, a hand job,
whatever it might be;

love is love and want
is want, and what I
want is to be loved.

When Walking Don’t Stick

I respect you less than
A Gila monster at a rave

That sounds like a thing
I might want for a dream

Mystical narratives are so in
Like a neutered man before ten

I’m on a vision quest to see
If I can find something similar

(When) You Are A Problem

I was told
I was not
authorized.

I was told
I was not
a participant.

Wild Life

I love all animals;
why does hurting
them have to be
so impractical
for the world?

Winter Breakfast

The coffee is
extra strong today;
the berries are
especially fresh.

Ancient grains
brush up against
the indoor air.

Like Nelly once
said, “It’s gettin’
hot in herre.”

But I’m going to
keep my clothes on,
because I can just
turn off the heater.

Wither

It’s so easy
to pacify my
love for more.

Loosen lips,
drop your pop
in the tank.

Ride like a fool,
like a dirty John
in the Dallas sun.

I don’t want much;
I don’t need any
more than nobility.

World B. Free

When I’m hooping,
I don’t feel the weight
of everyday living.

Worms in Brain

Here you stand;
you cannot do
otherwise. God
help me. Amen.

Xenial Fix

You be nice to me
I be nice to her
She be nice to him
We be nice to them

Yo, Mama

We both know
some people
love to play
their violins.

We both know
some people
love to play
with violence.

Please come
back to LA.

Please call me
back today.

Your Thing

I don’t care about your thing.

Please stop e-mailing me
about your fucking thing.

For real; I really don’t care.