*

*
Poetry is just the evidence of life. If your life is burning well, poetry is just the ash. Leonard Cohen

Tuesday, October 18, 2016

Jazz Moon

Jazz moon shines softly
in the ebony sky
The stars
notes on a staff
of telephone wires
Waiting to be played
by anyone looking up
My love and I walk
measure by measure
beat by beat
down discordant streets
The melody lies
beneath the surface
And we groove
to our own harmonies.

Thursday, January 28, 2016

Every Scrap

Life is fragile
You, my friend, are not so
Such a small creature
You have such a
presence
Such a strong grip
on this life-
Claws scratching
Teeth bared
You will not surrender
your gift
until you've scraped every scrap
off the bone.

Friday, September 11, 2015

Le Sang d'un Poète

The blood of a poet
is no more precious than
the blood of a child
the blood of a gangbanger
the blood of a survivor

The blood of a poet
is no more profound than
the blood of a mother
the blood of AIDS
the blood of transfusions

The blood of a poet
is not special
It is not art
It is only human
And that is enough.

submitted for Imaginary Garden With Real Toads, Words Count With Mama Zen

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

Which Princess Are You?

Photo by Christopher Jobson for Colossal
The princesses of Dismaland
are dismayed
by their company's poor marketing strategies
and lackluster consumer demand

Tinderella
is desperately seeking a hook-up
She checks her phone constantly
disappointed by the dearth of hot guys

Snow White Lives Matter Too
thinks she's socially conscious
and not at all racist
but just doesn't get it

Mariel
escaped her country on a crappy little boat
filled with convicts and the mentally ill
and nearly drowned in toxic waste-filled water

Jazzmine
is a brilliant artist
She is addicted to heroin
and will eventually be found dead in the Castle

Belle Jarre
is quite melancholy
and wanders the park 
with her head in an oven

Chip and Dale
two washed-up ex-strippers
try to enliven the girls by offering lap dances
There are no takers

Even Pluto
the princesses' favorite pet
can't help cheer them up 
Corporate deemed him no longer a character

He now sits outside the gates
howling at passers-by
and begging for scraps.

submitted for Imaginary Garden With Real Toads, Tuesday Platform