October 2019-  New Work- Further content updates pending –

October Nocturne

(for the Phil & my son)

Even Damnation is poisoned with rainbows

-Leonard Cohen

October evening in the railroad earth

Were Wolfe and Jack once rode

Split this month in half

Between Summer and Winter

And allow the days to Fall

As they May.

 

Earlier in the afternoon when you showed up

On the sidewalk in front of his apartment

Looking so lost and beat

The brother from another planet

Grinning at you with amusement said

 

So what do you think you’re doing cursing for Sailors?

 

Tonight I sleep in the arms of St.Mark

This place where you cut your

Beatnik teeth over on E 7^th forty years ago.

Back then you knew how to get to only

Two places in the City-

Hess’s apartment

And Veryonna across the street.

 

So with the Ancient Mainer and my son now a full grown man

We kibitz, mug and joke around on the stoop in front of Phil’s place

Thinking the three of us are like Matt Dillon Mickey Rourke and Dennis Hopper In Rumble Fish as we head for the bar around the corner to

Over beers try and figure out just who is who tonight.

 

  October 2018

*

Osculating with the Ocelots

When we filter our words

We strain out thoughts

Away from the desired intent

And then attempt to hit the

Dartboard of coherency

With these dull verbal flechetts  (Fa-chets)

And even worse aim

Depth perception.

*

Meeting Geo the Wheel

I remember years ago

Running across him at the bar

After some poetry reading

And the lapdog barfly writers

Were crawling all over him

Circling him like the sharks

Had hung a pork chop around his neck.

 

*

The Art of the Wink

Can I ask you a question ?

When was the last time somebody winked at you ?

Better yet- when was the last time

You winked at someone ?

Now consider this

Has the wink become a lost art ?

When was the last time you lost something

Fragile, dear and precious

In the wink of the eye ?

Do you remember your last favorite wink ?

(and what it meant)

And how about the most disturbing wink ever ?

Clearly much like a good laugh-a pregnant pause- a fleeting deep glance

What has become of the Wink ?

But I will tell you this much-

I never want to have to think either before or after a wink.

*

Academic Smirk Alert

Coming out of the Film Analysis class he had just taught

That early winter morning as the hallway flooded with

Shafts of sunshine the hallway abruptly faded as this little dark

Cloud in a mini-skirt, knee high white go-go boots sashayed

Towards him moving in the opposite direction

Spotting him glowered lowering her brow

To avoid eye contact

And sending the clear message-

So this is the asshole I keep hearing about from Professor McPricker’s school of disdain.

He shrugged, sighed and sadly shook his head

Thinking why in holy hell did he still manage to attract this kind of sophomoric horse shit.

He let out a rather conversational  assessment  of the encounter in exasperation saying

Whatever  

And immediately she echoed

Whatever

Well now he thought-

I guess we’re in agreement about that.

*

 Narcissus Echo

(For M A O’Hara)

They were home in bed after an evening out for dinner and drinks that had progressively degenerated in the sullen silence now between them. He didn’t know it yet but this affair was having its walking papers being processed-

After he had some observation about how lousy the restaurant she had picked for them. She sat up and shook her head saying- You are some Narcissus-He had heard all this before- a kind of default negative character assignment when his relationships were going south. Usually he just let it go- but not tonight.

They had the following exchange

So if I’m Narcissus do you know what that makes you who ?

Who ?

Narcissus/ girlfriend Echo

Echo ?

Yup. Not only that but everybody seems to have him pegged, but very few seem

To know anything who she was

Who She was ?

Echo was a very good looking Wood Nymph. She had one annoying characteristic

However she was bather mouth- would talk the ear off anyone she met.

So one day Zeus has come down from Olympus to frolic and knock off a few

Stray Nymph’s in the woods. His wife Hera (also known as June) was very aware

Of her husband’s salacious hobbies on earth and followed him to catch the old lech

In the act of his indiscretions and she might caught him too….but she happened to

Run into Echo. As you can imagine Echo wanted to talk to the Goodness about everything.

She ran a blue streak babble detaining Hera’s pursuit of her wayward husband, Zeus seeing

What was going on escaped clean away back to Olympus.

Later on Hera figured out that Echo had purposely distracted her. She was pissed.

So Hera took away Echo’s voice and pronounced from now Echo could only repeat

The last words spoken to her. So in one respect Echo would have the last word forever.

A rather ignominious gift to round out the punishment.

 

So Echo is wandering the woods on day and sees young Narcissus rather spoiled very

Good looking teenager out hunting with the boys. Now all the other Wood Nymphs thought

Our boy was to die for- But he wanted none it.

Now Echo sees Narcissus and goes nuts. She wants this beefcake in the worse way.

But she can’t speak to him first. She starts stalking him. He gradually becomes aware

Of this and is kind of cheeped out- a yells out go away beat it and of the course hears back

Go away beat it. This goes on for awhile till Echo can’t stand it anymore. She sneaks up

Behind Narcissus and knocks him flat and straddles him. He intentions are very clear.

No Dice. Old Narcissus isn’t into this sort of thing. Yells at her I would rather die than

You have me. Echo humiliated in tears replies Have me.

 

Echo continues to follow him till he comes to that pool of water. (which was created by the

Gods to punish this rather vain teenager). Truth was Narcissus wasn’t very bright to begin with

Anyway. His birth and been as questionable as Echoes- (but that’s another story) A Seer named

Teiresias had told his mom (Blue Nymph) that her stunning son would ok only if he never Knew himself, Get it ?

The stupid bastard probably never knew it was his reflection in the pool. Ok so you should know the rest by now- Narcissus withered away and died because of a lost love and Echo did as well a few feet away pinning away for him.

Back in the bedroom she was getting dressed getting to leave and said

Well that stupid story proves my perfectly- Our relationship has some very serious issues and rather discussing that you tell me that stupid story where you actually defend and try to justify that guy – no wonder you spend most of your day when you aren’t working watching Porn and drinking beer.

Know what ? You are Narcissus and  you can forget that bullshit about Echo

He shrugged as she walked out the door and called after her Goodbye Baby

To which she spat over her shoulder-

Goodbye Baby.

*

Humoresque

And John Garfield just told Joan Crawford-

You know full well you have a blank check with my emotions.

*

Central Casting has been notified

You know what you’re like ?

A two dollar plastic frame.

Cheap and easy to find.

*

Drinking in every second

Five senses walk into a bar

And start buying rounds for each other.

Bartender doesn’t know what to think about this bunch

Except perhaps he needs to speak into their good ear.

Mostly much of what you see is still wet anyways

And runs into your eyes upside down and backwards.

While touch and smell debate

Till taste tells them all

To just shut up.

*

Please don’t play that again Sam

And of course

You had better remember this

A kiss is still a kiss or a swing and a miss

While a sigh as become an alibi

It would seem the fundamental things have gone array

As time goes by.

June 19