“Don’t Slap My Face,” “Dusk to Dark to Dawn,” and “The Turkey Vultures”
Don't Slap My Face It was in late summer, the last time I would ever see her. I came to the city for a few days--- the city where I grew up, the city…
“Blood Red Roses,” “The Ghosts,” and “Scapulary”
Blood Red Roses Blood red roses Booming bloom explosions Spurting fountain dark in deep red arcs Thick spreading like syrup pooling at our feet…
“Cockroaches,” “The Corner,” and “My Hatred”
Cockroaches Cockroaches come out to cavort in the dark descending the walls ascending from sewers coming from the cracks the cobbles, the corners…
“The Angels Come Unasked,” “Imperious Vultures,” and “What Would the Neighbors Say”
The Angels Come Unasked The angels come unasked And they lay their magic upon you Just when you think you can’t hold on Much longer And then the…
“After it Rains Here,” “The Coming Spring,” and “In My Cups”
After it Rains Here After it rains here: The parking lots, the streets, They smell even worse than before. As if all the refuse and rot has been…
“Dark Nipples,” “I Command the Dead,” and “I Embrace My Darkness”
Dark Nipples “Must everyone know my nipples are dark,” she implored once in a Facebook message After finding that I shared a poem that documented my…
“In Exile,” “Play Solitaire,” and “The Side of the Road”
In Exile Here, in exile. A place less wanted But there is a kind of wan peace--- A sameness of days and nights That become the next And the next As I…
“Silver Bone,” “That Fool with Docile Wings,” and “There is No Poetry”
Silver Bone The floor no longer feathered in love letters, The bed no longer containing even a single fallen hair From your head. Time has passed……
“3PM and Now,” “Small Purple Hands,” and “Your Invective of a Thousand Failings”
3PM and Now I finally got out of bed At around 3PM. I checked the phone. No one called. One junk mail text. I hadn’t eaten in almost a day And my…
“Closing Time” and “I Want This Book to Hurt You”
Closing Time It took over twenty years But I took you home After you eyed me from across the bar For decades. I knew about you but I had other things…
