©2018
Too much
Too little
Too late
Nothing is prescribed
Can’t decide
Too much
Too little
Too late
Nothing is expected
Detected
Infected
Nothing has changed
Rearranged
Estranged from reality
Individuality
Commonality

In truth,
I can’t rap
I can’t make good beats
I can’t make good enough words
I can sometimes barely live and breathe
Enough to satisfy
My expectations of my own power

But that has never stopped me
From trying
From reaching out beyond myself just one more time
Putting one foot in front of the other
If not in my mouth
Putting one more morsel of food in my gut
Putting one more crazy idea in my head
Thinking someone will love me
Thinking someone will remember me

©2018
Not every new age practitioner is a hustler
Not every magician is a mystic
Not every girlfriend is a life partner
Not every moment is the last one
You and I are standing here on the bridge
Looking out over the dark and dank river
That flows alongside the verdant path we walked
And toss stones and stories into the tepid water
A plane crashes in the woods, snuffing out a life
Children play alongside the tracks
Where freight travels from one endless day to the next
The lessons we learned in our lifetime
Don’t measure up to to
The stones and the tracks and the freight and the broken metal
And the memories we hustle

©2018
People fought wars to get into this dining establishment
But on this glittering evening
In full view of the celebrities
And the lottery winners of the coveted tables
She took off all her clothes and ran through the room
Shouting with glee and wild abandon

Alfred was stuck to his seat because
His mother wouldn’t let him have dessert
Until he finished his vegetables
And now he triumphantly lifts up his fork and shows his empty plate
And mouth
Like a garland of war

So her companions tried to calm her down
And cover up her imperfections
And their sensibilities
While Alfred absorbed the sorbet

Years later, I am reminded of this as I pay my final respects
That night at the restaurant
I only saw your shining eyes
I don’t even remember the menu
I don’t even remember the place closing down for the night around us
I don’t remember you