161/365 - Etymon

 

Sweet like summer

dripping down

sticky saccharine trails

through tiny hairs

on apple red cheeks

BUT WATCH OUT

something HARD

something SHARP

something DEADLY

lies beneath

this sunset skin

Buried deep

beneath the ground

we'll spring forth

a tangle of branches

a thick fence

no longer yours

to consume

your guilt

our impetus

to create

your tomb

160/365 - Arrow

 

But which way

you may say

which way 

will we go?

And will we

have a say

or will it all

go away?

I don't know.

But perhaps

from the ashes

something better

will grow.

159/365 - The Ancients Lost Their Luggage on a Field Trip

 

Feeling good today

hooray, hooray

The world's completely fucked

but I feel okay

Ya' know

considering

Listen

We didn't ask for this

but here we are

carrying around the baggage

that should have been checked

long ago

Seriously

It would be a lot easier

to navigate

to the gate

without all this extra weight

If we could just drop it 

and go

but no

And I think someone keeps adding rocks

when I'm looking away

I didn't even sign up to play

and this game wont end

and the rules have changed again

It's scary to think about

the final score

I wish I could just not think about it anymore

158/365 - Mercury

 

Can you feel it?

Because its coming

for you

The heat's turned on

the water's boiling

the panacea is just

beginning to brew

The coals are hot

The fire's raging

I can feel it

and we'll make sure

you do

too

157/365 - Maids

 

Pretty maids

all in a row

Not to answer

to your whims

but to answer

to our own

Not to serve

anyone

but each other

and ourselves

Though you may think

you have won

and finally put us

in our place

We'll rise up

even more strong

We're prepared

for this marathon

We will win

this race

156/365 - Rage Against the Machine

 

I'm tired

there have been

so many fights

over

so many years

with

constantly compounding

importance

it would be nice

to take a break

to turn it off

to hide

but perhaps

that's life

the reason changes

but you cannot escape

the fight

unless your old

and male

and rich

and white

155/365 - Concrete

 

It's crumbling

tumbling

drop to the ground

The pillars

once touted

as so mighty

so eminent

now threaten

to topple

and we'll

all

fall

down

the incessant storm water

has seeped

into the cracks

but those

sworn

to protect

have produced

the most devastating

attacks

still there's hope

in the blooms

that find their way

to the light

their bright yellow buds

ready to fight

we've emerged from the darkness

we'll never go back

154/365 - Tartlet

 

I'm not really angry

just a little acidic

because there are only

TWO 

in an order now

AND 

they've closed the parklet

PLUS

they're out of root beer

so I have a cup

of 

lukewarm water

and little things

KEEP

going wrong

adding to the fodder

153/365 - The Ouija Pen Got Loose

 

You're going to get me

in trouble

All those things

you say

Someone is going to

read them

and have the wrong

takeaway

Or perhaps worse still

they'll see it for

it's truth

And I'll no longer

be able to hid

because they'll have

the proof

152/365 - Ordnance

 

Chasing the onyx sky

across the Pantone color change

the schedule says 5:45

but the East Bay hills

keep the sun languishing in bed

I reach the point

as the pink shifts to gold

by degrees

until it explodes

over the horizon

the dawning

of a day

that will linger longer

until the end

when the sun's tucked in

again

with thoughts

of tomorrow's

sleep-in

151/365 - The Upside Down is Inside Out

 

Oh well

is all

I can say

when things change

in such 

a way

It happened

so gradually

that I didn't notice

until

topsy turvy

was flipped 

on it's head

a different truth

in it's stead

A different existence

then I expected

to have

led

But then again

if that's not life

then it must be

weaved

from the same

skein

150/365 - Mason

 

You were not a builder

or at least you never

mentioned

if you were

Nor did you spend

your free time

evenings

or weekends

tinkering on projects

But you did build

all that time

a foundation of solid brick

in me

something strong

that I could stand on

that has helped me

remain upright

that has kept me

form tumbling

crumbling

into a million pieces

despite the persistence

of life

and it's never ending blows

and the highs

and the lows

because what you gave

to me

is more powerful

then even I know

149/365 - Amylase

 

They built a perfect pleasant patio

in a parking lot

What once was 

the purvey of vehicles

baking in the sun

Is now tables

and chars

and umbrellas

and bud vases

and people waiting

for their food to come

and amongst them all

we lounge

on a lazy afternoon

hiding anticipation

with small talk

because the sushi's coming soon

148/365 - Mop

 

Its like a horse's tail

I said

he's my substitute pony

I know

that's why

you keep it that way

he replied

you can't fool me

but the real issue

is how

it resembles a broom

that great mop

of fur

picks up all manner

of detritus

and spreads it

across the room

147/365 - Ducks. And How To Make Them Pay

 

They're too cute

that's the problem

They fuck up

our bad rap

with their waggly tails

and their adorable quacks

And now

when we strut through

the park

the people aren't scared

the children chase us

like they're unaware

that we hiss

and we bite

and we don't want them there

because not all things

from Canada

are inherently nice

so the ducks

you may think

will make great friends

but with us geese

be aware

your very existence offends

146/365 - Post-traumatic

 

I can hear it coming

down the block

jingle

It's growing louder

there's no time to think

only bark

jingle jingle

the sound keeps growing louder

jingle jingle jingle

I launch from my chair

and I run

they must be at the fence now

but when I get there

I find only sun

so I'll try to relax

before they resume their attacks

jingle

145/365 - Marble

 

I've lost it

not my marbles

but the ball

that I need

to play this game

But then I found

upon the ground

a marble belonging

to someone else

And though it's not

exactly the same

it will work

anyway

I'm ready to play

And thanks to whoever

went slightly insane

I hope you're okay

144/365 - The Final Braid of Roving

 

I weave my way

down dusky dark corridors

too light to sleep

too dark to know 

where to go

but still I go

over and under

above and below

twisting my way

around and around

feeling the path

along the walls

down the halls

crisscrossing my tracks

so many times

I don't know anymore

searching forever

for that door

where sleep resides

and my dreams are stored

143/365 - Lungs

 

One thousand, two hundred, and twenty eight feet

I don't know how many stairs

and rocks, and tree roots, and creek crossings

My heart beats, my blood pumps

I can hear it rushing in my ears

and the chirp of birds

and the surf, obscured by fog

as we rise higher above the sea

My lungs fill with air

and the smell of sweet fret

spicy chaparral, savory bay laurel

and a delightfully damp redwood decay

I paused between

the open field

and the forest stream

and breathe deep again

catching my breath

a catch in my breath

I am here

142/365 - Matriculate

 

The School of Bees

buzzing lazily

and resting in the grass

on a summer's day

The School of Children

screaming laughter

as they run about and play

The School of a Tinny Tune

caught in the breeze

as the ice cream truck

comes our way

Because when the school year

was finally over

the park was the only place

we'd want to matriculate

141/365 - White Pants and Sock Gaiters

 

The long lazy rays

of the summer sun

dance across the horizon

drawing me out

With a hastily yelled goodbye

and a "be home before

the street lights come on"

reply

But never mind the 

slamming of the door

there are trails

winding through the foothills

that I need to explore

Golden grasses

and sweet chaparral 

flank the mosey poesy path

up sandstone cliffs

and through moss carpet creeks

over hill and dale

And never mind the ticks

clinging to my legs

never mind the poison oak

that will plague me

for days and days

never mind my mom

armed with tweezers

and calamine

and threats of groundings

unless I don proper attire

But the lure

of adventure

will call again tomorrow

The path leads

over the horizon

and I have no choice

but to follow

140/365 - Signal

 

You can wait for a sign

of what you should do

Do the shapes in the clouds

mean something to you?

Has the wind changed?

Does it carry a scent?

How about the leaves

in the tea that is spent?

But as for me

I am tired of waiting

I'll take the initiative

and demand the world's changing

And I'll wash my hands

after I do

because ableists kick 

these with their shoes

139/365 - Bantam

 

The room is quiet

but the questions are loud

the answers so obvious

they don't make a sound

Still I feel the need

to fill the void

words spoken aloud

to plug the holes

the consequences of

being alone

But there is one query

who's reply is unfound

If I've named my tattoo

am I really talking to no one?

138/365 - The First Emperor of Arizona

 

Hold my maté 

she said

as she bunched up

her thrift store skirt

and tucked it into

it's own waistband

before turning

her reality

up on it's head

or her head

rather

She balanced

upside down

on a yellow rubber raft

on a ribbon of river

carved between carmine canyon walls

in the August Arizona sun

She rode Ruby Rapid

while standing on

her head

a guileless guide

ruler of the river

137/365 - Powerless

 

For just one moment

I was free

I didn't know

until it was over

but for 0.001 seconds

no one could reach me

A blip in the grid

just long enough

for all the clocks

to read zero

Then the whole house beeped

as if to say

what could have been

a pause in the day

will instead

only be

a microwave

that will show

the wrong time

for a week

136/365 - Dejected

 

The grocery store

was empty

probably because

it was raining outside

It doesn't rain

in June

At least not

in California

At least not

in the Bay Area

But as I made

my way

carefree

with glee

down the empty isle

I saw something else

was empty

The shelf

where the root beer

should be

And I thought

perhaps that was the real reason

why the grocery store

was empty

135/365 - Aggressive Tan

 

Who turned off

the heat

and turned on 

the A/C?

I was not meant

for the cold

I was not meant

to freeze

I deserve to chase

the sun's gentle rays

through the fields

and past the trees

where every day

is 83 degrees

and when I tire

I'll take a nap

in a pool of light

and my pathetic

pale pink skin

will darken

to the shade of night

because I am 

a sun dog

your too hot

is my

just right 

134/365 - Malarkey

 

Be careful what

you say

around the corn

They've got quite

big ears

you know

And though they're not

much for gossip

the busy bees 

will chatter

What they say

about you 

may

not be true

but to them

it doesn't

matter

133/365 - Gam

 

Now those

are some nice stems

I don't know

they look a bit

leggy 

to me

Well it wouldn't be

going out on a limb

to say

they're stretching

for

the sun

Or it could be

just

a phase of growth

But if they don't

create

a thicker base

they won't support

the flower

that's sure

to come

132/365 - Manifest Taxidermy

 

Avocados attract avocados

it's a widely known

fact

So when you get

an avocado tattoo

the avocados will

attack

and before you

know it

you'll have avocados

by the kilo

on water bottles

and key chains

I even have 

a taxidermied

avocado

shaped pillow

but its real avocados

that I lack