Category Archives: poems & short jabs

the essence of zen

The Essence of Zen

The mirth
& enthusiasm
of astrophysicists
as the
more they
discover the
more they
realize there
is to
discover
is Zen
with its
feet on
the ground
& its
head in
the stars.

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one of many

One of Many

It’s when
you finally
realize that
you’re not
much different
from everyone
else that
you realize
how bizarre
everyone else
really is.

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paying the price

Paying the Price

Time &
again the
dream comes
true &
the alarm
goes off.


The wine
goes sour
& the
party ends,
the sum
total gets
divided
by two.


No one
owns up
to anything,
the other
guy always
gets crucified.


Wedding vows
wrapped in
cheesecloth,
brains dissected
in divorce,
a rich
harvest of
scapegoats.


Fly me
to the
moon scrape
the scabs
away.


Lay it
out in
plain language
& I’ll
bow my
head.


It’s a
small price
to pay
to be
ordinary.

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how it will always be

 

find_your_soul_mate

How It Will Always Be

Suddenly the
isolation
closes in.

 

Still, he
can’t bear
to hear
people talk.

 

Although maybe
that’s what
he needs,
maybe that
would be
all it
would take
to push
him back
into himself,
to be
in a
room full
of people.

 

What he’s
longing for
is the
touch of
a woman’s hand,
fingers stroking
his cheek,
something
wordless &
brief that
would last
a lifetime.

 

Somewhere out
there unreachable
is his
counterpart,
& knowing
this is
what brings
on the
loneliness.

 

Each time
this happens
he feels
he can’t
go on,
but he
always does.

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bad dog

Bad Dog

He kept
throwing the
stick into
the icy
lake water
for his
dog to
fetch until
finally the
dog couldn’t
make it
back to
shore &
drowned.


Bad dog
he said,
drove home &
blew his
brains out.

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applause for the hermit

Hieronymus Bosch - Hermit Saints Triptych - click the image to enlarge...

Hieronymus Bosch – Hermit Saints Triptych – click the image to enlarge…

Applause for the Hermit

Now &
then the
hermit
steps out
on his
porch &
shouts into
the night.


People passing
by on
the street
stop &
applaude.

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