Themes
Menu Planning
cans of beans & other small things you throw in jello when you’ve lost the will to go on
Magical Thinker (aka Disappearing Act)
Can make stuff
magically disappear
especially if
it’s got a lot
of butter & sugar
in it
Make Believe
When I’m having
a really bad day,
she said, I pretend
I’m dead & you’d be
amazed how much that
perks you right up.
Making Room (Feminine)
When I first met her,
I knew in a moment
I would have to spend
the next few days
re-arranging my mind
so there’d be room
for her to stay.
Love Poems
not very good
with love poems
to the world,
so they usually
just end up saying,
How’s it going?
to everyone they meet
Magic
She tapped her finger
& nothing happened
& she thought
she had lost her magic,
but it had only changed
& it took her awhile
to figure it out.
Magic Survivors
In a recovery group for people who’ve been sawed in 2 pieces at a magic show
Magical Beast
this is a magical beast
that holds the secret of
light & shadow
in a safe place
in her heart
& when it has been
too long grey,
she starts to dance & laugh
& cry & sing
& the sunlight fills her up
& spills in wild abandon
back into the world again
Magical Beast (remix)
this is a magical beast
that holds the secret
of light & shadow
in a safe place in her heart
Lizard Brain
I have to apologize beforehand for anything that happens, he told her.
I haven’t been dating that long
& my lizard brain still acts up sometimes.
Long Neck
I have been blessed with a long neck so my chin never bumps into my shoulders when I’m making a lane change on the freeway.
Long Road
I understand it’s a long road to peace, he said,
but I’m still hoping to get a ride part way
because I’m so out of shape from the 90’s.
Losing Battle
I mainly like life to be peaceful
with a few loud noises thrown in
to remind me to be grateful
for the quiet I have, he said.
How is it going so far? I said
& he shrugged & said
he had children
& that was enough for me
to buy him a beer.
Lost In the Translation
There are some days
when no matter what I say
it feels like I’m far away in another country
& whoever is doing the translating
has had far too much to drink.
Lost at the Fair
When I was 5, he said,
my family forgot & left me at the fair.
I wandered around in the bright sounds
& smells of hot sawdust & cotton candy for hours.
It was already too late by the time my parents found me.
I haven’t been fit for decent society since.
Listening to the Wind
Is there a lot of stuff you don’t understand? she said & I said pretty much the whole thing & she nodded & said that’s what she thought, but it was nice to hear it anyway & we sat there in the porch swing, listening to the wind & growing up together.
Lists
When I was younger I used to keep all the stuff I had in my pockets. There were a lot of rocks & little shiny things. As I got older it got to be too much to carry & I couldn’t remember why I kept it anyway so I finally got rid of it. Now, I make lists
Little House
This used to be a mean monster until he got sick one winter with the flu & stayed in bed & watched too much Little House on the Prairie & now the littlest thing & he starts to cry.
Living Memory
I carry you with me into the world,
into the smell of rain
& the words that dance between people
& for me, it will always be this way,
walking in the light,
remembering being alive together
Living in the Past
I’ve always liked living in the past best, she said.
It takes less money than I make now.