Category Archives: poems & short jabs

there must be some way out of here

There Must Be Some Way Out of Here

This doesn’t
sound good
that does
& if it
sounds good
is it,
is there
an acid
test to
find out
a failsafe
in case
things go
wrong an
indisputable truth
to hang
on to
& if it’s
true is it
good are
the two
interchangeable?


Is this
too heavy
for the
average Joe
to untangle,
does it
take a Socrates
or Sam Spade
to lay it
out on
the table,
& anyway
is it
worth going
on about
with the
cards you’ve
been dealt?


The good
Samaritan the
good citizen
the good
lay &—
hey, baby!
Let the
good
times roll!


Whatever
that means.


But who
cares roll
’em on
out there
& gorge
yourself on
the spoils
then hit
the road
you can
always send
postcards or
text messages
offering apologies
begging a
reprieve from
your wife
from your
children from
the blind
paraplegic you
used to
wheel thru
the park.


Of course
you’ll need
a passport
you’ll need
plane tickets &
train fare &
a clean
change of
underwear
you’ll need
a knapsack
of excuses
you’ll need
to be
willing to
live another
day once
you’ve made
the mark
of Zorro
all over
everyone’s face.


On an
island somewhere
maybe Hydra
off the
coast of
Greece you
can write
songs about
it &
learn to
play the
guitar.

Leave a Comment

Filed under poems & short jabs

close scrutiny

Close Scrutiny

Being well
balanced doesn’t
stand up
under
close scrutiny.

Leave a Comment

Filed under poems & short jabs

things to try

Things to Try

Best to
avoid the
crowd.


Best to
avoid the
accidental tourist.


Best to
disconnect
the phone
better still
not to
have one.


Stay off
line &
trash your
computer.


Now we’re
getting somewhere.


Now’s when
the voices
start &
you notice
the scuff
marks on
your shoes.


Now’s when
you don’t
need a
dance partner.


Now’s when
you see
the moon
for the
first time
in ages.


Now’s when
you take
a deep
breath that
when you
let it
out again
fills the
world with
wonder.

Leave a Comment

Filed under poems & short jabs

writing shards in german

The Karlstor in Munich 1967

Writing Shards in German

If I
hadn’t left
Munich back
in ’67
I’d be
writing Shards
in German now.

Leave a Comment

Filed under poems & short jabs

nothing to be gained

img_1085-trim-2a

Nothing to Be Gained

There’s nothing
to be
gained from
memories.

 

Nothing to
be gained
from
making plans.

 

Nothing to
be gained
from
slicking your
hair back
getting the
knot in
your tie
right or
replacing
the worn
heels on
your shoes.

 

Nothing to
be gained
from saving
old love
letters &
photographs.

 

Nothing to
be gained
from accepting
that it
all passed
you by
or pretending
that the
best still
lies ahead.

 

Life’s a
slow trek
thru attrition.

 

But still,
there are
moments like
hawks on
the wind
that don’t
tarnish.

 

We make
too much
out of
everything.

Leave a Comment

Filed under poems & short jabs

insider information

Insider Information

He had enough insider information to turn the whole thing inside out. Secrets became commonplace and common knowledge became secret. Hit lists became obsolete and prisoners were pardoned and set free. High-ranking officials made for the hills.

Deeply-buried memories rushed to the surface causing people to burst into tears in public places and fall into each other’s arms. Old vacuum-tube radios were dragged up from the basement and plugged into wall sockets, but there was nothing but static when the dial was turned. Fathers dragged their young sons into the backyard to play catch, the boys reluctant, alarmed. “Fire it on in there!” the fathers called out in choked emotional voices. “Put it over the plate!” But it was too late.

Children began holding secret meetings in chat rooms and networking on Twitter. The old ones had a death wish, they were out to destroy reality. Something had to be done.

From deep in cyberspace the children created a virtual world and moved in lock stock and barrel. The old ones were left behind in retrograde confusion, watching Amos and Andy reruns on grainy black-and-white TV and trying to piece things back together.

Leave a Comment

Filed under poems & short jabs