board of trustrees
every oak an
incorporation
of light
2022-12-14
clout
is like your belly
button: you are
either in or you
are out but no
one gives a damn
except during sex
& even then it’s
a nice accessory
to have to prove
you’re human so
don’t make a fuss
unless you want
us to know you’re
nakedly insecure
2022-12-13
the snake
my father stomped &
ground the copper-
head’s head beneath
his heel & flicked his
cigarette into the creek–
I fought a bass with
knotted line & reel
until my fingers bled;
the hook embedded
deep within its throat
to where I had to reach
through trembling gills
to pluck & retrieve the
plastic bait & all the while
my father’s heel pushed
bone & flesh to oozy slush
while the snake writhed &
limped toward death
I was ten or maybe
twelve & impressed
by how casual it was
to grind a life to dust
& light another smoke
& watch a son catch his
first fish all on his own
& walk away from what
he’d done without a
glimpse back or doubt
about the rightness
of it all; the snake
was just a snaky thing
doing what it must;
my father & I broke
its trust of creeks
& frogs & easy
meals before
its head was crushed
& still I think about
the fish, the creek,
my father on that day
so young & self-assured
& unaware of years to
come, the jobs to lose,
what the bottles held
how his children fled
& wives both left–
what I remember is
the sun, his cheeks,
the cigarettes, his grin
as the snake turned
silent in the heat
2022-12-12
goose politics
wonk wonk wonk wonk wonk wonk wonk
wonk wonk wonk wonk wonk wonk wonk
wonk wonk wonk wonk wonk wonk wonk
wonk wonk wonk wonk wonk wonk wonk
wonk wonk wonk wonk wonk wonk wonk
wonk wonk wonk wonk wonk wonk wonk
wonk wonk wonk wonk wonk wonk wonk
wonk wonk wonk wonk wonk wonk wonk
wonk wonk wonk wonk wonk wonk wonk
wonk wonk wonk wonk wonk wonk wonk
wonk wonk wonk wonk wonk wonk wonk
wonk wonk wonk wonk wonk wonk wonk
wonk wonk wonk wonk wonk wonk wonk
2022-12-11
how to appreciate poetry
It helps if your heart’s been broken at least three times. Get plowed over by dumb luck. Get drunk on moonlight. Or sunlight. Or gin. Watch a child try. And fail. Teach a house to suffer. Show an owl how to tie its shoes. Invent a language only you and your dog understand. Sharpen a thousand pencils; use the shavings to make new pencils. Hold the poem’s page to your ear & listen. The words are no more silent than the lungs of the dead.
2022-12-10
drunk twenties #3
after many beers
word say they
make don’t but
hey the fuck
you mean no
gimme keys back
oh baby drive
you home me
or something
let me uber
you time long
lyft & in come
in & mind
the cat out
dammit no
shit oh shit
oh morris oh
come back cat
fuck kill love
me mate flat
will no go
better cat
chase need
again drink but
stumble yell
morris again
over and you
the cat thanks
and look corner
open pub so
pint maybe okay
home will find
the cat raining
morning naked
2022-12-09
help wanted
federated platform seeks jaded
refugees from corporate
overlord fiats; must be willing
to learn & adapt new social
customs re: inclusive practices &
posting norms–brand builders,
concern performers, & band-
wagon hoppers need not apply;
interested parties inquire by toot
& nail the landing; pays in fellow-
ship because screw the metrics
