Shimmer

Run through those
long dark alleyways
from street gangs
in Barcelona,
play the blues until
your fingers bleed,
never search the bottom
of a bottle or bag
for the answer,
fall in love
with a beautiful girl—
kiss her under
the flickering retro future
pink and blue shades
of neon bar lights,
let her have full dominion
of your thoughts
like some parasite that’s
slithered into your mind
via her tongue,
let her break your heart,
then learn to let her go—
ride into the sun,
don’t let any bitter fucks
get in your way
and leave behind
some poems
to decay on this earth,
for when you’re gone.

Bristol Zoo, a Childhood Memory

A polar bear slowly went mad
pacing its plastic enclosure,
a friendly elephant
was marched
around the grounds
by her grumpy keeper,
two gorillas angrily had sex
in a tree
and cold blooded killers
lurked in the reptile house—
but what really
caught my attention that day,
was the robin that I saw
fly over the zoo wall,
as he followed
behind my crazy uncle
and myself
from one enclosure to another
and still able to see
the magic in the world—
I’d considered that the robin
was paying his respects to
those animas behind bars,
but now being older
and wiser to this planet,
I know that’s ridiculous
and now I’d have to agree
with my uncle,
when he’d said that—
that fucking robin’s gotta be
gloating at ‘em all!

Jaws of Death, a Love Poem

When I spoke
to you
the other day—
I found myself
drawn to your
light again,
from the darkest
of depths
and I could have
so easily
become
lost in your
beautiful glow,
had I not known
that behind
that
luminous
lure,
were the jaws
of an anglerfish
ready
to eat me alive
and shit me out
all over
again.