wants and wants

I bash her on the head

and sink her

into my deepest, darkest dungeon

but she rises

oh
she rises
again, and again
her times of slumber
shorten,
her strength grows

again she rises,

awakening again
and again
I swallow her
with all my will
I push her down—
not yet, not
yet again

could I but promise her

soon
soon, my darling, soon

oh my darling

will soon ever come?

will she ever

fly free?

or must I

deny her an existence

again and again

and again

and oh—

again

once more

Sing the golden song

Sing the light that gleams along

that gleams along the curves

the curves

the curves

Sing the kind warmth

the gracious warmth

the mellow, mellow warmth

Sing the sinking orb of sun

Sing the blue, blue, blue of sky

Sing the golden song

Sing the loving song

Sing, and sing, and sing

band

open a bottle of wine,

listen to Over the Rhine
we’re going to pull through,

Karen tells me

we’re going to pull through

let the melancholy meld to beautiful

let the song sink down in

let the possible stay possible,

unburdened by the probable

juxtapose your ordinary self

with your extraordinary soul

feel the tension humming on the wire

feel the piano play

we’re all late bloomers

when it comes to love

upon others

hindsight
should be used
with great care
with great mercy
and
as sparingly
as possible

instead
stick with
rocket pops
on especially hot days
and
still-warm cookies
otherwise

four fours make sixteen

you are not
precious
to me
behold

my great
smallness
my small
amazingness

general pathfinder
rock-skipper
poet of the next
tomorrow

pierce my
pounding heart
one-handed
the other tied to

the right words

pick up a
pen
     pour
out my heart
and then and
     then
it will all
make
     sense
all make
and
     once
it's all out
the pieces surely
     will
fall
together
     together
and this
ache will be
     done
done in
by
the right
     words

just now

this muffling quiet of softly
falling snow
all around lazy white
flakes, plump and solemn, steady
and unhurried, untroubled
by wind
untrammeled by unthinking
boots, cars, snowmobiles...
anything
except, perhaps, the tiny, delicate
steps of birds
saucy cardinal or little tufted titmouse
or bright-eyed chickadee

gone the robin, gone
the red-winged blackbird, gone
the noisy squawk of summer
winter comes soft
and quiet
and chill