Smelling Like A Rose
Gus said he can’t remember
the last time
he stepped in dog shit
he figures it’s been well
a dog’s age
whatever that is
he knows he never did step
in dog shit
and came out smelling
like rose
he distinctly remembers
coming out smelling
like dog shit with it all over
the bottom of his shoe
necessitating
a significant period of frantic
and frustrating scraping
and still no roses
just the stink of dog shit
wafting in the air
Pop Pop Pop
Gus said some days
he feels like putting
a bullet in his head
drag the dead fish of
his soul down the street
leave it in the sun to rot
throw it in a dumpster
donate it to science
let the white coats poke
around open it examine
its filthy contents
identify their elements
determine the cause
of such vile wretchedness
such intense accumulation
of heartless malice
and self loathing even after
its end had been achieved
Infinity Plus 1
This part of earth
is blanketed by night
I sit on the steps
of a long abandoned
row house
dreams and memories
swirl through my head
I feel the weight
of loneliness all around me
the scourge of desolation
all through me
I look up at the sky
the solitary moon
the countless stars
the endless stretch
of silent infinity plus 1
Paradise Revisited
After two years in my new environs
I'd had it
I knew who I dreamed about
I knew who I ached for
it was time for action
hopped on the bus
headed down Roosevelt Boulevard
down 9th Street
got off at 9th and Pike
walked to Delhi
turned the corner
and a miracle happened
she was sitting on the front steps
of her house
I gave her my pitch
no not a date
girlfriend. steady.
don't go out with anyone else
she was shocked but accepted
the terms and the conditions
STOP/ CUT/ PRINT/ THAT'S A WRAP
anything after that would be redundant
Fact-o-man
only seen one
pugilistic ballet
two pretty boys
appropriately
enough
in the outfield
of a little league
baseball field
they danced
around in circles
bobbed weaved
feinted in and out
for what seemed
an eternity
ended in a draw
and
not a single
punch was thrown
Life
some
assembly
required
i expectorate
my
mental
disfigurement
moral perversion
contempt for
anything civilized
organized
structured
formatted
preplanned
in the dark hours
speak my disgust
with the world
to
the children of night
then slink
across the parking lot
and howl
at the porta john
next to the dumpster
The Wind
Gus said Wind was the title
of one of his favorite
slow Doo Wop songs
the wind followed him
to the Jersey shore for
retirement the rushing wind
the howling wind persistent
wind reminiscent of the
winds of the Arctic Circle
the Steppes and Siberia
of Russia the winds of
storms the winter winds
the winds of sunny days
the persistent winds of night
the winds of changing tides
the rattling window winds
the destroyer of human
spirit winds the eroder
of real estate values winds
Uber
Gus said German is a
guttural language and
uber is a prime example
of a guttural word that
cheapens this interesting
language has the sound
of something low to do
with underground sewer
works even in its use
as slang there’s already
more than enough
ugliness in this world
Resolve
Gus said at midnight
the storm struck with
a fury of wind and rain
beating against windows
testing the resolve of
glass of construction
of street lights testing
the faith and courage
of quaking inhabitants
testing the sanity of
drivers to see if they
had the sense to pull
off the road to get their
tires stuck in mud to
become sitting ducks
for the next lunatic spin out
Go Figure
he lost weight
he was in pain
he looked drawn
he looked pale
doctors fumbled
over themselves
with
misdiagnoses
his wife started
to prepare their
son
for the loss
of his father
the son reacted
the only way
he could think
chose 40
his father’s age
as the number
on his
little league
uniform
Was It Vertigo
Gus said he don’t know
whether it was vertigo
or something else don’t
know whether it came
from his brain or his mind
had him pinned against
the inside of his skull in
a think around dream around
nightmarish spin around
motion the whole spectrum
of emotions the complete
set of facts of his history
the unedited films of his
dreams presented before
his rolling eyes and the
inevitable parade of women
who loved him and those
who thought better of it
dancing in circles laughing
at him hysterically all the while
Crossroads
Gus said it took a long time
to realize just how many
life changing crossroads
he took every day of his
goddamn life another road
taken another road not taken
another life lived another
life not lived another decision
another life turned left or
right gone straight ahead
or back from where you
came from every day another
life lived
another life missed
Mea Culpa
Mea Culpa Mea Culpa Mea Maxima Culpa
for all the shit I done during before and after
my drinking
for all the people I fucked over and hurt
for all the lies I told to myself and others
for all the damage I did to my brain and body
for all the years I frittered away to intoxication
for all the disrespect I doled out to friends
and family
for all the sexual indiscretions I committed
in my mind
for all the DUIs I got away with
for all the other crimes
I skated away from
for all the years I should have spent in prison
Gus said
there was a bare
breast
in the painting
in the movie
in the novel
in the tree
in the bushes
in the dream
there’s always
a bare breast
in there. somewhere.
by gosh / by golly !!!
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