a library in process holding collection of my writing projects including expository essays, articles for counter-culture magazine, sudden fiction and freeverse poetry – organized by form or collection
Dark too early
stubbed my toe
in my own yard
##
from Hotsprings and Stubbed Toe, Occasional haiku… 1992-2004
Download Hot Springs and Stubbed Toe (.pdf)
Wisps of reeds
clinging to swamp edge
one more month
##
from Hotsprings and Stubbed Toe, Occasional haiku… 1992-2004
Download Hot Springs and Stubbed Toe (.pdf)
On a hardwood slab I witnessed
My very own autopsy
Carved by Portuguese explorers
In the 16th century
Chipped out my draft obituary
On a petroglyph red canyon wall
Will be covered up soon enough
By flooding rivers and reservoirs
Guilt, grief, cold and sorrow
Ride in the seats beside me
Loss settles in, ticket punched
Ready for the full night ride
In which sunrise last forever
Evidence of absence of time
Roll past all the caskets
Rotting for eternity
There is “really nothing inside“
But exhume just to see
Vasco’s bones are dug up
And carried to his home
I’ll leave yours in the ground
And sit beside alone
I’ll read you endless poems
By Whitman, Baudelaire and Keats
Bring flowers black like coffee
Open like the Chinese fishing nets
I won’t wait till after an incident
Instead, i’ll miss you now
And now and then and often
Always remember you well
Morning mists parting
even the harbour mills
turn beautiful
##
from Hotsprings and Stubbed Toe, Occasional haiku… 1992-2004
Download Hot Springs and Stubbed Toe (.pdf)
C
Right on
That’s cool
A good Canadian kid
Hey yeah
Not too bad
Proud of what he did
V
They named his Ray
born in Thunder bay
back when still called
something else
Tired hard in school
Not that he was a fool
He just didn’t
care that much
But he won 2nd place
In science class
His volcano
was almost best
Played Junior A
But couldn’t go all the way
Just glad he
saved his teeth
He hitchhiked east
half-way at least
almost made it
to Labrador
Though he dug the times
left the Celts behind
and took the
rails far west
With a coffee mug
and pawned guitar
he rarely
missed a fest
Crossed the prairies fast
hit rockies at last
and kept on
rolling to the coast
Grew some grass for friends
and than had to make amends
when the poe-leece
shook him down
3 months forced rest
in suburban house
he was ready
to make a stand
He sat in front of trucks
and sat some more in courts
all for bearing witness
to old trees fallin to ground
Now in these older days
almost twice as wise
and he learned the tools
to change the world
B
Hes got to build a life
to prove it can be done
sharp enough to know
to hang out with the flow
and think how he’s gotta
turn to make life fun
he doesn’t forget
that to make it great
you can’t leave
your clan behind
ya gotta be nice to others
help them from time to time
Bongo drums and rucksack
LSD walk all night
Turning corners arbitrarily
To bump into strangers apparently
They’re lost too
but refuse to admit
Because they want to act
tough and smart
Name dropping pretences
and shit
“I hitchhiked here”
you explain
Came from west of the Rockies
But Ohio, Utah, Idaho
To them, it’s all the same
Can you name all the bridges
Which allow you to escape?
Up the Hudson Valley, the Hamptons
Or forgotten uncle
Somewhere on a cape
Evidently, a fisherman
you haven’t seen in years
You say to the drag queen
at a loft party over beers
Turned a corner, bump into a dialogue
With David Letterman waiting for a cab
He likes the Dodgers chances this year
You think he invites you along
But turns out he’s talking to a monkey
Talking back to no one
except for a chimpanzee
Waiting for an audition
To play you on TV
Pastrami sandwiches
And streetcart knish
Meatpacking sounds funny
3 AM falafel’s are delicious
Simple things are easier
To make truth and wishes