June's Song

How low?
To stoop, to bend, to fit into a
Mounded mold, to play a silly game,
To rend a beating hart in shards, to
Feast upon the venison and
Start to learn to
Live again?

How long?
To sit and wait and reinvent
A myriad reasons why a mountain
Went another year before deciding
Calm to blow, just smoke and
Twist a cap of
Cloud again?

How far?
To run in fear or run decided
Mile 13 hit stride, and sprint for
Finish line as I did. Fast delay the
Pain with medication, Bask
In massages and go to
Sleep again?

I know
I've been a sinner's side as you
She screamed, she wept, I flaunted
You, you kept her, held her, told her
I was just a flaw, imagined, rare
Embarrassing to note
And lied again.

Landing Dock

Cloud crosses, heavy,
Blackened underneath:
Too-long seared meat,
Mid trails of steaming sky
A ricochet of light cracks,
Bleeding out the bath,
And I've fallen to my side
At strike on Thor's behalf.
Watching man's face drawn,
Eyes wide - he gapes,
Ghost seen, perhaps?
Or just a tragically mishapped,
Un-finished bolt of
Would have,
Could have,
Should have been.
That missed its beating mark,
And left a flesh-shell whole,
Though smitten to the ground,
And rolled past.

Dawn Breaks in Moscow

And if I dream,
A life in other lives than this,
A glaring wit, a rage, a passing
Whistling by in leaves of ash and rot,
Or if I walk alone, or try, or cry,
or anything beyond the words
I dare to say in this, my time is
Otherwise well spent unless,
Like mist's cold fingers, Sandman's fry
Creep out of dreams into my life.
I shake my head, I doubt, I groan,
Resolve in betterment of duty go.
But dear, I've never til this moment known
The joyful peace of being home.

Awaken

Rusted rock, frames

School of thought and,

One who mocked once

Standing shocked as plunging down

To gore and grim, I'd fallen, 

Down to demon, Down and in. 

And on him, on those hands of harm lay

Spatters of regret and shame, and

To this day he stands a 

Little not the same.

But peering over settled dust,

I saw. I once had fallen

Up! He spoke. he held those

Spattered palms up, held them

Out as if they'd sun-bake dry

And stop, and stop me as I met my rusted

Rock and earth in downward flight, 

But time bore well her crown

And did not bow. I walked with her then.

Walked and saw where I had fallen

Long before.

Gateway

Scant few rebels met
A night of plunderous plans
Laid, drunk, and lay aside,
Inside another rebel's cave.
Revolting sect of enemy: an angered
Long-lost friend; memory denied, or
Faded more in some than most.
Led more by lust of unmet war or
New-discovered thrill of
Dishing garnished secrets out,
Perhaps a fancy, heart throb scorned,
Than of injustice, real or heard.

But we shall conquer, claim these
Ragged few, in shallow company
This night. Reason neither mind.
We shall stand or lie entwined,
Preserve the children, hide from
Truth or hint of change, but
Fight? Ah no, we hide curtains behind,
And sip our Absinthe. By and by,
We'll whisper ideals in the night,
While plotting next a fresh conquest
Of plotting body next to mine.

Grendel's Nursery Rhyme

Ate, that Kraken, many sailors.

Stole away from chasm, flashed a

Tale of wrath and scale and,

Drew them deep in lore and love

So loth to leave young valor.

Hail strength, Cthulhu! 

Hail and flee, then wrap this

Tail, as rub of harpoon's bitter barb

Small thanks for glory, hero's death, 

Rest in Valhalla or Elysium, in exchange

For just a moment facing demon's

Fang and rotten breath.

I said

But not aloud.
Made so much sense,
These phrases, wound about
A beanstalk's clever tongue
Of josh and jester, song of songs.
O wise man, heal my lack of
Wit's retort, or crushing doubt;
Flay all apart an argument
To make me hide, to
Bind me idle; keep me
Wild.

Parade

Merrily we roll
A tot's song, long ago
It seems we sang it all
Probably out of tune, but
Loved it all the same
And seventy-six trombones
Heralded our awe of
What we'd done and
Where we'd been
In song, long time
Forgot until a
Little new bird
Came along.

Class

Lifetime spent to earn this trust,
A workman's pretty pence or tup.
And here is handed fistfuls of
The golden oar, the endless love.
And here, the photo blurs,
Did she steal mine, or I took hers?
A timeline fails unraveling
And we shall go a wandering.

Slip

Scrape, ah, minor thing

A nuisance, really. 

Shake, downplay,

Escape...

But, oh, insidious,

A mark builds swiftly

Bulk amasses

Bursts!

Pain follows pain and riot,

Rage spins - I should have known,

Damned paper slice, 

What foolishness!

Dervish den of whisper drags

Down

And in

And all is still, save

listless, shallow gasps,

diminish

Quarrel

Be there gods, then
They must fly with him, and
Gilded wings sweep sorrow's
Own full grief 'neath mat of sky

If they be just gods, he is safe,
Though hell should wail and demons cry,
And naught I did or do, or might entice
Deny him place in Paradise.

Or be there no gods, this life all,
Then he is gone and been and done
And no more sentient, ashes flown,
Beyond a myth, love truly died.

But be there fool's gods, shabby, sly,
All hope is false, and naught I did or do
Might bring a peace to matter dark
And matters not to try.

Trust

Hear my words, new friend, 

But lightly, twist to sound like yours.

Your song, so eloquent and smooth,

Must be the way that I should croon.

No, lover, sing out strong your own!

I do not know you otherwise.

Show me you, or not at all,

A cracked door leaves no room.

Arrowroot

Cupid's toy, a silly herb,
A binding potion, skin to skin,
Morph she and he to them and then,
A combination meant to be, but
Cherub asked not he nor she.
Baked and cooled, on rack
Await, each cookie,
Critic's eager mouth or plate.

Hold the Broken

Had we more arms to gather,

Searchers, find, had we more

Room to shelter, care to fodder,

Palliative expression's hide: 

Oh, touch-starved lovelies,

I would hold you. I would

Bring you gently into night.

That good, good night of

Solace, lose my senses.

Tender losses, I would

Keep you, ever after,

Safe inside.

Harness

Feel out edges, 

Toe by heel, by harnessed Friend

In sightless night,

Invent a circumstance to pull in

Wonders, drive out shaky iron beam

Plug in the forces, wind the monster.

Unleash all divine and cater

Solely to this finding, to this

Molding, to this wall and chains.

But is this terror big enough

To drag in mortals, lives and all?

To rend, replace, reduce, revoke,

Repeal and tether, guard in 

Haste a poorly thought-out

Life of tame?

Closed To

I'll ask
Don't answer.
Don't quash what little lie I've led
Each moment in this storm
"We'll be ok," I swore
I moaned. A breath of
Warmth, of snowfalls, Home.
Denial, waif's keep, broken shake
Beneath, behind aforesaid question.
Please, for pity's sake, for peace,
Don't answer as I think you would,
Don't make me right, I beg, and
So by silence,
Answer, you will.

I dare not ask again.

Blink

A time seen, conquered!
Desperation drove to dance of
Driving force - it worked!
And thrall continued, all abuzz
Abounded, sounded vast and
Lifted high a warrior cry,
Fly on!
And onward flew, to
Place anew, and somewhat
Safe, and quieter, less
Rancid, raucous memory.
And in crept demon:
Doubt, and brought her cohorts,
Grief and Why? - her colors fly!
Reason meets no choice, but madness.
So it is and take the pill alone,
Sugar spoon be damned!
A Valkyrie grows tired.

Sound

Ah, the void enfolds,
Enrobes what I'd been told were lies
Ascribed to singers long forgot,
And all respect, reflect, and bow
Below what, sought, we'd find,
But now this warming fog, it pulls
Enticing, inviting - oh so calming,
Calling chants resounding, pounding,
Far-off battles, others purge the rain
Of terror that I never heard.