A Harbinger of Spring (2 Haikus)

Yank of the rip cord
Lawnmower sirens greeting
Smells of gas, cut grass

OR

Lawnmower sirens
Sweet mix of gas and cut grass
Suburban summer

Oh, Prufrock...

There must be a still point

amongst these turning thoughts,

a time for quiet hands,

and coffee spoons

that defy measurement.

There must be a way to push through

the yellow fog and curling smoke 

that rubs against us

and sleeps within us

like soft animals.

And yes, there will be time

To rip away from that wall,

Remove the pins from your hands,

March through the eyes and voices,

And fully disturb the universe.

Start murdering and creating already.

Bite off matters indefinitely.

After 100 indecisions and revisions

There must surely be a vision

While you eat your toast and tea.

Do moments really need to be forced to crisis?

Is it always this pendulum of presuming and beginning?

Can you not just eat the goddamn peach?

Feel its soft skin against your palm and lips?

Let the sweet juices run sinfully down your chin?

Here, the women do not come and go

Talking of Michelangelo.

The white, braceleted, bare arms

Are not privy to porcelain and cushions and charms,

But the idle chatter still buzzes about, still swarms.

So, the evening is spread out against the sky

Streets are sprinkled with terraces and doors
Slender arms and smooth fingers trail by 

Let us peacefully stretch out on the floors

Watch greatness flicker and want nothing more.

The Need to Mother

You & I will drink coffee later

And I will listen to you

Lament your sad, sad life

And with every sorry word

A thin wavering wall

Slowly rises between us

And you can hear it rustling

And feel its presence

But the need to mother

Your ugly overgrown pain

Is stronger than any of us.

Prepare for Death

Prepare for death.

Live fully.

Be connected and separate.

Find security and adventure.

Smile for duty and play.

Prepare to die.

Don’t organize desire:

Let it tumble out of your imagination

and shun responsibility and judgement 

and all the other politically correct 

shit you worry about.

Leave yourself vulnerable to wanting and eroticism and failure.

Prepare to face the day 

even though 

there's no dynamo 

in the dark starless morning.

On Melancholy

The gentleness of it sags like thick tires loosely around the neck to make expiration easy.

The weight of it makes laughter erupt in delightful and insane bursts cracking open walls.

The fullness of it makes edges sharper, and music warmer because everyone’s touch is so far away.

The voices of it are soft, subtle, insidious songs that suffuse singularity.

The spirit of it is a dark distillation of breath and breadth, weighing softly on rage and courage.

Lengths of Memory

Bad liars

Rarely travel

Lengths of memory

Truth-tellers

Need not succumb

To death and other things

Big evils

Recall everything,

Smile doubt, and make us need them.

Winter Haiku #2

Tips of winter trees

Softly touch the cloudless sky

Like fanning fingers.