30 october

think i drank a cup of pepper
after all that time
standing in an aisle
then another
weighing the wait, the weight
carrying that -- a long time --
vegetables or vitamins
protein powder or heart of the living
lead us not into the labels, the internet
let us be better, feel better, do better
detoxification nation
naturally we will come to our senses
census takers tell us all we count
amounts notwithstanding
nobody waits for our weights
stand tall and still and keep moving

29 october

moth in the hallway
guitar behind
the door of a
neighbor i have never met
hanging on the wall are cue cards
words to learn, repeat, imagine
at least the laundry is done
at least the sun came up
all the apologies pile
take out the trash talk
turn over the leaves
explode the sky, the mind, the light

28 october

and when we look behind
what is left and who will know
what pieces have we puzzled
as the board shifts quake earths splits go bananas
if there is only forward
there is nothing to be sure of
if there is only now
no more questions matter less

27 october

finding the valve
an outlet to let out
flowthrough
nothing to hold to
no reason to squeeze in
fade out to focus in

i am on a different schedule
a path without rails
my hand can only give

26 october

along the way
so many bridges
i started to imagine
this route was mostly metaphors
i might not be getting anywhere after all
in the end -- if there might be an end
with the wind blowing
and the water underneath --
beams, suspension, and wonder
stretching through the sky

25 october

then suddenly
after so much dark
there appeared bright neon lights
announcing a hydroelectric plant
and i was on it
driving across a hidden river of black
white birds drifted on the left
a swirling cloud, unsettled
to the right i could see nothing
the drop made me refocus
road ahead
another car
distant shore
a structure somehow out of time
sound and solid -- 1940s or 50s brick --
but a noir impression
the facade only
as if holding back
something more than water
chill of fall fog -- felt, if unseen
pressing on
to reach the other side
turn up the blues
stretch into the space of stars
suddenly more clear
forming thoughts of function, light, hope

24 october

a thing with feathers
according to emily
although tar is a risk
even as rain rolls off
and the wind lifts up
shifts shapes to shade the sky
there is no measuring in teaspoons
only pouring buckets out
seeing no end to the horizon
no star keeping track of time

23 october

dreams made out of garlic
bread or nachos or an unexpecte
commercial endorsing salvation
for a problem unseen will
play and rewind and remix
and refresh to address the
lessons of the day and the
prices still pending balanced
on the sheet with the hopes
still worth defending -- a spillover
fourleafclovering into the
exchange to rearrange the
digits from zeros and ones
to maybes and fun's a
possibility even though dreams
we see can come true if
it is up to you nobody
else will do

22 october

know what to let go of
how to hold on to
pieces that matter most
finetuning the forgetting
forgiving the foregone
somewhere in the foreground
someone singing some song
words you ought to know better
join in at the chorus

21 october

but if i walk into the other room
you will still be fine, tucked in
dark will be as safe
the door will be as secure
nobody can get to you
you are safe and can exhale
i am here, just out of sight
nothing gets to you but you

20 october

afterward i realized i had forgotten
to pack everything i needed and
still i managed to get by
probably the same again
let me learn and let me also
be more patient when others
miss the mark repeatedly
or miss the measure
hanging the strings
unhinging and also winding up
giving away every drop in the cup
thirsty and still forgetting how to follow

19 october

ticking down the talk
taking stock:
shelve the arguments
we are our owning selves
rather than to sell, we raise rent
tent poles and other hired hands
grandstanding to higher ground
loud enough for yellow jackets
busier than common sense
dictate as the clock gets struck
count the hatches as they chicken out
nothing debatable at this stage
catch the coin and toss it back
head out and turn tails

18 october

red lights and cigaretes
suddenly there is no other time
take a breath and turn
easy enough to step back
repeat repeat repeat
take out trash instead of delay
empty the shelves, fill the stove
backward order but only apologies
here is no room here for more
wonder why i wondered otherwise
stepping back into the traffic

17 october

echo of a different time
ticking down to a blank space
there is something to look forward to
there are goals worth reaching

empty as a catalog
wild as an albatross
let the turn the turkey loose
sing the rocky rhythm sweet

carry angels over coleslaw
wish the leaves their own sweet wind
clocks and beans and power forwards
shake the pieces -- try again

16 october

Here you are in A
someone said to me recently
Would you rather live in B or C?
And what if D did not exist?
This to me has always seemed
a problem type best left to physics
although even there I find it
best left alone.
When you are in a vacuum,
frankly that is it
there is no way for me to be,
let alone C or D
and D, I might add, is still in the picture,
hypothetical though the frame may be.
To which, I imagine, the reply might be,
You never answered my question

15 october

what it takes sometimes is
more than there is to give

ready to step back
to close eyes and open dark

turn off
lean out

14 october

feel it setting in
the shadow of an ache in the bone
a dark cast across the sky
heavier than to have: have not
heave forward, feeling slower
knowing winter comes to call
catches breath and shortens hope

13 october

counting up there is nothing down
chips are stacked dice weighted
a date which will live in black and red
getting lucky to stay up all night
how will we spend our time
when we jack the pot

12 october

because there was no need
to stop i kept going past
the time i should have known
better which meant finishing
all the cauliflower and also
continuing down the page through
edits i might have saved
for a tomorrow that i hope will
offer ample opportunities

11 october

and it i had all the money
i still don't know which tickets
i would buy
and also if i'd use them
or give them away maybe
which is a way of saying
choice is sometimes
more choice than we can handle
although sure sometimes
i wouldn't mind a little extra

10 october

still i am thinking of the next piece
how broad i can spin it
even as this starbright spark
too close to touch
burning bright in any angle
sure there is nothing else to see
nothing else to sort, to tend to
mend socks another day
dark the elbows, sweep the floor
there is a glow to trend toward
leaning in to warmth

9 october

and beyond all of those pieces
the bringing all together
is still to be seen
divide is only to conquer
as if there is no other side of the page to turn
puzzling as the glass stains - too dark to see through
brainteased and the fibers glossed
look out - lighthouse or looking glass

8 october

and if you want to talk to
please press one other button
while there are too many tones to touch
it's enough to be fed up with
overstuffed and underwhelmed
interest unearned
ferns unfurled and flags unrolled
books unbound and pillows unstuffed
when the middle falls out -- where to go?
leaning into wonderwhere
heading into else

7 october

like a transition missing legs with pegs instead of stilts or daggers instead of hilts where there are no ways to handle the attention though the dimensions are forthcoming here are likely also other thoughts -- deeper days and echoes caught up while angels fail to tread -- we spread our peanut butter wings and wonder if we are stick...

6 october

hours ago i am going to sleep early and the ache in my legs in my head is already gone so far past ago -- not worth mentioning the dimension to slip through -- to pass to another stage is to wage no salary -- to waste no malady but hail the hale and healthy -- to take to heart the parts before the whale falls in and the stink goes down the drain...

5 october

it is an offer no one can refuse
and yet the offer is not spoken -
the smoke is up in mirrors and
the light is too fantastic to
trip -- we've eclipsed the ranks
to give the thanks and step
out of the house that jack build
for lacking quilts we make our
forts out of short straws and
pay our way to the top with the sticks
and bricks and the huffy puffy wind
even as the night begins and the
day betray its hours we are showing
with opposite ambitious as the missions
are accomplished and the kettles are
called in from tea

4 october

wallflowers dance photofast steps
developing movement with shuttering speed
while we are waiting
no one is stating the facts
just in case: unpack
attack exposures and shake it out
on closer looks: book the sinking lines
feeling fine enough to sand
feeling rook enough to castle
i'd wrestle ingredients to expedite
overnight the packages and pack in all the rest
bet the hedges before the farm
wheel the carts and cheese the cuts
these are the days without any guts
spin it out until we see what comes up

3 october

there were ingredients, a list
the recipe somehow misplaced
always in some other book
a slip between some other pages
remind me to mark it next time
once i've gotten it right
like a map or a landmark
i hope to return to
gathering, for now
what might be the right ingredients
anyway, a start of something

2 october

after all is said i'm done
wait for the fall to water
the call will cattle the
kettle will fish
we will have our eaten cake
too many crumbs to apple
too many blues to berry

1 october

by the time i realized
it was with me
the man's conversation
had continued on past
something like
HOW TO CHOOSE, RIGHT?
on to naming a
specific place in vienna
the one in virginia, not europe
where the guy makes his own
bread and so good it is
he doesn't slice it although
he has his prosciutto sliced
right in italy because
the perfect slicing machine
costs thousands and you
can taste the difference
by now i said i wouldn't
know i'm a vegetarian
and tried to redirect to
the english muffins i
had been trying to
choose between well
i said it sounds like
special occasion bread
but i'll keep it in
mind and when he
did walk away i saw
he had a loaf of rye
and a pink rose and
i knew he had more
that he could tell