Feb Po of the Month 4.0

February 2014 – Not to worry- All this will be all over before you know it….or fully realize just what hit you.

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You on Ice

So I’m sitting out in the garage again

having another nervous breakdown

in black and white February Sunday

afternoon and it’s all pretty boring

and there is sound of dripping icicles

from the roof that having dagger like

razor teeth grinning at your emotional

illness and sweating drop after drop

of Crocodile tears that nobody is buying.

So I’m sitting out in the garage again

having the same nervous break down

using the snow banks outside the side door

as beer refrigerators. Each tall neck bottle

loaded in a snow cone slot like a 12 ounce

ordinance on ice.

So I’m stilling out in the garage again

trying to out run another nervous breakdown

by retrieving and detonating the barley grenade

while the snow clings like white wire filings

of razor teeth grinning cotton to the neck on the bottle.

That’s the good thing about

having another nervous breakdown

while sitting out in the garage on

a black and white February Sunday afternoon.

No need to buy ice to keep the beer cold.

And you too.

You on Ice.

From Sometimes Grief 2/2012

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February Evaporation Plan 2.0

In a plastic holder posted on the calendars wall is this emergency evaporation plan for February a season entrapped between the beginning and the ending suspended in between this uneasy limbo where Fall failed to move along and never really left anyone in icy persistent Winter eyes and rumors of that early Spring are sighing lies yet to arrive. So stumble in the numbness of this brown grass with me Stark naked triangle with her snow underwear melted off yawning in chilly indifferent distance. Pity a month so very short it stands up on tiptoe to merely see their empty place at the table set for it. Deluded in preview Obscured in past tense. Silence marks the short days towards the long March away from a Winter that declined to participate. So now let the interchangeable aspects of abandonment and embrace cancel each on the way out like fused lynch pins pulling the freight laden with baggage and sodden weight transported from one faceless depot to the vacant platform of another adverted set of eyes.

Uncollected 2/2012

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February Shorts 2012

Overheard outside the Pre-K Room

And Sara just barely

four screamed in

such exasperated

soap opera desperation…..

You’re ruining my life

While a little boy with

moon shaped head and

big oval eyes remarked

He’s got purple all over his face…

How does he live like that ?

Kids.

A Beer in Winter

Tonight it feels like

I’m drinking beer

with Dr. Zhivago

Laura’s not coming

but she did send

her wolves.

Blow Me

Sure.

She took a lot of wind

out of his sails

only fair

she put it there

in the first place.

My Face Won’t Book

His memory is

just this untied

website shoe lace now.

Put that one

up on your fucking wall.

If the shoe fits

Don’t get to excited

you probably have it

on the wrong foot.

Idiot.

You could count all the Carnies in Canarsie

or last Ride on the Cyclone

That Amusement Park

of broken hearts

is regrettably

closed till further notice.

Seems all the rides ?

Got old…..

Dirty Rose

And he finally

spit the bit

a dirty rose.

Uncollected 2/2012

The following piece is from a side project from a couple of years ago (Chapbook collection) I have all ready completed entitled A life Sentence- A day at a time will be published at a later date TBA. Meanwhile this is an excerpt from the of one of the many things I learned in Jail over 17 years as teacher for the incarcerated (including myself)

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V Formation

(For Wayne Carlson)

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When I walked off the elevator onto the 1^st floor towards the classroom

right next to the Woman’s section I passed him sitting

in his chair in the cramped, cluttered Sergeant’s station

office staring into the computer screen….

I hailed him.

Hey Sarge, how’s it going today ?

He barely looked up keeping his eyes on monitor.

Mumbled a per functionary acknowledgement.

I figured he was busy.

Maybe working on the CO duty rosters.

I knew how complicated that job was and how it aggravated him.

Decided to just pass by, opened up the door to the classroom

and headed down the hallway.

I heard a voice call after me.

Hey bud, you got a sec ?

Sure I turned around and walked into the office.

He still didn’t look up at me.

He said, watch this will ya ?

On the screen was an animated colorful graphic of a black finely etched

silhouette of a flock of geese flying in a V formation across a Winter sky

at Sunset with new age music in the background.

Scrolling down across the screen were the following words:

As Each goose flaps its’ wings it creates an “uplift” for the birds that follow. By following the “V” formation, the whole flock adds 71% greater flying range than if each bird flew alone

When a goose fails out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of flying alone. It quickly moves back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power

of the bird immediately in front of it.

When the lead goose tires, it rotates back in to the formation and another goose flies to that point position.

The geese flying in formation honk to encourage those up front to keep up with their speed.

When a goose gets sick, wounded or shot down, two geese drop out of formation to follow it down to help and protect it. They stay with it until it dies or is able to fly again. Then, they launch out with another formation or catch up with the flock.

I was astounded. It was a beautiful message. The very fact that this tough old Correctional officer Sergeant who had a reputation of being one no-nonsense volatile SOB, given to rages and shouting matches with those under his supervision over perceived incompetence or abuse of inmates was showing me this message. He had zero patience for fools, boot-lickers or ass kissers. We had always gotten along. For some reason he always looked out for me. He became my first friend in the Jail. He even fixed a speeding ticket for me once I had got heading to work without me asking. Just snatched it out of my hand and said I’ll take care of that. He confided in me from time to time. He told about his wife who was slowing dying over the past 15 years of Multiple Sclerosis. He wouldn’t let anyone else take care of her. He proudly showed me pictures of his daughter in the military. He loved beagles.

He still didn’t look at me as he growled indignantly….

Isn’t that something? Around here I can’t get any of them to play ball. Work as a team.

They squabble, whine about every GD little thing and back- stab-each all day. Complaining about their shift assignments, crying about their problems with co-workers and inmates up on the floor. The stupid bastards locked up in here have the real problems. But you’d think those who have a good job just sitting around supervising the adult day care would have a little perspective on things. I swea
r to god sometimes I think they expect me to follow them into the Can and wipe their GD asses for them.

I’ve got a staff of men under me that a flock of Geese put to shame….

And he clicked the mouse to restart the animation.