Sometimes I look in the mirror
And see myself staring at me,
And when I clean the glass it gets clearer
And I know it’s my face that I see
And I look at myself and think “Wow!
“That’s expected, and not very shocking!”
And that, my dear lady, is what I perceive
And thus space out when you start talking.
Filed under Poems
Sophie was an average girl
With fairly average likes;
Fond of wine and dogs and soap
And mental health and hikes.
One day she was kidnapped
By a disembodied voice
Who told her she would surely die
Unless she made the choice:
Would she rather kiss someone
Who smelled liked a catcher’s mitt
That had been soaked in sour milk
And armadillo spit
While treading water in a pool
Of acid, hot as Hades
And listening to Kenny G
Play highlights of the eighties
While the Devil lit a match
And burned off all her hair…
Or, when asked where she’d like to eat
To not say “I don’t care.”
Filed under Poems
I built two homes in my mind
On a foundation of good intent.
One was perfect, charming, yellow,
But alas away it went.
The second house is red and black
And full of song and sharing,
And though it also may away
It’s worthy of my daring.
This darker home reminds me
Of the prayers I spoke when young,
Of Autumn wind and springtime rain
And hymns borne from my tongue,
A home of possibilities
Where nothing goes unsaid.
God willing, we’ll build it together;
Until then, it’s in my head.
Filed under Poems
My girlfriend likes to relax in the evening
But I like to step up a notch.
She said “Let’s watch Steel Magnolias.”
I said “Let’s steal Magnolia’s watch.”
Filed under Poems
As every day the sun has risen
Since the day all men were born
To signal coming of a new day
By the sunlight through the corn,
By the very first song of the birds
Hidden in a distant tree
So do I hope my eyes will settle
On you lying next to me,
And as the sun casts shadows over
All that lives beneath the light
I hope my mind is full of mem’ries
Of what happened through the night.
As heaven transforms from black to gold
And clouds shift from orange to cream
And your eyes flicker and welcome me
I know I’ve achieved my dream.
As you see my smile widen more
Than it would by normal grace
You see into my mind and demand
“What did you draw on my face?”
Filed under Poems
To my one and only who left me to cry
Just a month after love in the month of July:
I hope in my heart you are happy and well
Though I know I won’t see you again!
To the one whom I sang to by river and trail
Without even a thought that our kinship could fail:
I hope in my heart that you’re singing right now
With a voice I’ll hear never again!
To the one I confided in joy and in pain,
Whom I kissed on a bridge in the darkness and rain:
I hope in my heart that you’ll never be lonely
Though I’ll never caress you again!
To the heart that you broke that is healing tonight
I promise you’ll once again feel alright!
I hope you keep hoping and loving forever,
For hoping for love is a worthy endeavor,
And because you loved once you’ll be light as a feather
Even if you love never again!
Filed under Poems
Today I learned something
That I’d not before seen:
That someone can be “not nice”
Without being mean.
There was no sense of cruelty
In any way, shape, or form…
Just the absolute absence
Of everything warm.
If you took both the cuteness
And claws from a bear
You had basically
Who I met today there:
Something living and breathing
But someone had missed
Installing the place
Where a heart should exist.
Now I wonder whether
I’ve found something new
Or if I’ve just been sheltered
And hadn’t a clue…
Filed under Poems
There once was a man from St. Mary
Who’d be merry to marry Merry Mary.
Merry Mary, however,
Did forthrightly endeavor
Never ever to wed one so hairy.
Filed under Poems
There are two invisible powers
And both go by the name of “Love.”
Both share earthly symbols
Like a flower or a dove,
Both can feel spectacular
And to lose them feels rotten,
But only one is cherished
While the other is forgotten.
The first love, which we celebrate
Comes in many ways and rates,
Whether flourishing in one glance
Or through countless many dates.
It’s an all-consuming passion
That no drug can replicate,
Designed by God or nature
To ensure two people mate.
I prefer the second love,
Which many haven’t known,
Which can’t be felt by starry eyes
Or fire in the bone.
This love is not a feeling
But an action that we take
Not to gratify ourselves
But for another’s sake.
This second love is not reserved
For those with lovely faces.
Instead it’s most important for
Those found in darkened places,
And yet with equal vigor
To your wife and to your foe
You manifest the second love
And to both parties show.
You needn’t feel amorous
To help a stranger carry
A heavy bag, nor should you feel
Obliged to them to marry.
And yet the baffling part about
This second love these days
In when you show a person this
They’ll spurn it seven ways;
“Shee’s clingy,” or “He’s needy,”
Or “He’s trying way too hard,”
Or “He’s creepy,” or “She’s lying,
“So I must be on my guard.”
In most cases the rebuke
Is one of self-defense,
For many who show kindness
Are expecting recompense.
So when one shares the second love
For nothing but the good
It seems what was well-meaning
Is oft misunderstood.
I hope if you’re a giver
Of this secret second love,
The love for human brothers
Unconnected by their blood,
That you do not forget the gift
Or cease to feel or give,
For you’re an ever-scarcer breed
Who knows how best to live.
And if you may receive the gift
I formerly did mention
That you may understand it
As a love with good intention.
And if you’ve never thought of love
As something more than lust
I hope you read these verses
With an open mind, and trust
That if you try to love someone
For their sake, not your own,
That you will feel a universe
In which you’re less alone.
Filed under Poems
The Daily Travesty 