several stories in one

no place
but the present
notice, I hold nothing
against me
yarns of exploits
that unfold as they
are told
I will not believe
any ill
about your person
only hold
this thermometer
gauge your honesty
throw away
every trace of evidence
when mounting fever
proves you
the crown princess
of integrity

Sheep

Sheep
Have more confidence
Than a man
Obsessed
With the idea
Of love
Of swapping
Body parts
Of courting peril
Of stopping
The world
To relinquish
Citizenship
Free in shackles,
Finally,
Straw handbasket
Of heart
Pops open
Turquoise rose
Awake in each
Buttonhole

transit ministry

Graffiti, like
Butterfly promises
Preaching release
Ministers to trainyards
And hearts of transiteers
Open, close
Argue over
The criminality and the artistry
Will to belong
And to break away
Vision to reality
Tag in big, big lights
Where famous and notorious
Are the same damn thing

always shorter than you thought

"On...
May 1st, 1990...
something changed inside me...
and I....
saw the stars align...
and I knew that it was meant to be...."
Adrian Belew, from "Here"

they always seem shorter
in person
stars and musicians
larger than life
offscreen or onstage
he was no different
at first I thought he was
the guitar technician
with silly airplane captain's hat
on balding head

then he spread his arms
in white T-shirt
Ta-Da!
it was him!
Adrian Belew
among the top-100 all-time guitarists
played for Zappa, the Talking Heads
King Crimson, and ubiquitously
on seven or eight albums

he did a Q and A
in the middle of the show
I got up my salt
and asked him
"What happened
on May 1st, 1990?"
a woman in the crowd exclaimed, "Ahhhh!"

I thought he might say
"I attained everlasting Satori,
complete enlightenment"

but no, larger
than life, he said,
"I met Martha,
my best friend, my wife,
and the loveliest woman
in the world."

Love walks in, in yet another form

God knows
it all falls
into
p l
a
c e...

concurrent video
of my life
before me

my life
in my head's
eye,
then

your life
comes crashing
the party
and I am at a loss
for how to
respond
fumble for p e n
boy reporter
can only
kiss-
-and-
-tell
but not

make

L O V E

Bagels

So many bagels
Bagels piled up
One on top of another
Enough bagels
To feed an entire preschool
Two days in a row!

And all these people
These Rocky River people
The bagels wait for them
But they stay home
And eat their eggs
With Hollandaise sauce
Or whatever it is
Rocky River people eat

And these bagels?
One for me
One for you
Two star-crossed consumers,
Strangers in this empty place
Wondering if all these bagels
Will be tossed in the dumpster
At days end