ISLANDS IN THE PACIFIC

ISLANDS IN THE PACIFIC

The young shouldn't pay attention. To the beasts

who live upstairs in their parent's room. Their hearts

are black with disappointment.

To cheer up my mother I used to tell her about

the poor Irish peasants who used to be ravaged every weekend

by the Norsemen. Pillaging. Raping. Plundering. You can't imagine how they felt

about long weekends.

Sometimes I open the freezer door and laugh. Bring

on winter. Courage is something you have to

imagine. And there will be those who faint

When the war is lost or the child is born.

Islands in the Pacific. Plastic lands that Vonnegut

warned us of. Natives there live in commercials. The last

place anyone would look to survive.

December 2015 Week Four

three little...
December 2015 Week Four

Its Dougenstein!

December 2015 Week Three Part 2

Church Street #35

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Church Street Is Burning

(excerpt)

Church Street #35

................................................rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrring

licking her dreams.................. stretching her limbs................ yawning

she climbs out of her sleep..... recalling..........the night before

when her heart was taken apart...................... (some parts were lost

washes ............................................................some were relocated)

dresses

a coffee and one slice of dried toast

rushes out the front door.........into a

................................................crowd..............cliff dwellers

masses ............................................................from steel and glass

swarming into............ sub

..........................way

..........................holes.

.

On the platform a gathering crowd gnaw at the air waiting...she

................................................................................................leans

................................................................................................out

to see the next train appear loses her.............. balance

........................................................................falls

scrawled on the subway wall:

Repent now! The world’s end is down the hall.

 

December 2015 Week Three Part 1

Boxing Day Sale
December 2015 Week Three Part 1

This Mueller, he makes me crazy...

SLIPPING INTO MADNESS

SLIPPING INTO MADNESS

She stood in the door. Looking at me on the bed.

Smiled. And walked away. I never

saw her again.

The tap was dripping. I covered up all the holes

in the wall. Recovery begins with

addiction. She said.

Love was our problem. But I didn't know what love

was. A character in a Charlotte Bronte novel. Or the

angels in Dylan's voice.

I wanted to face the west wind. My hair blowing free.

My smile slipping into madness. But I only learned

in the old age home, that no one was watching.

THE WORLD HUMS

THE WORLD HUMS

The world hums like my A.C.

The music of the spheres

or the tinnitus from my brain tumour.

It hums like Planet X moving

through my head

with no particular purpose,

like Christmas music

in July.

December 2015 Week Two Part 2

and yet they continued to pile up
December 2015 Week Two Part 2

Unless you're a teacher, you have nothing to fear... maybe nurses too

December 2015 Week Two Part 1

appetizers
December 2015 Week Two Part 1

December 2015 Week One Part 2

recommended by 9 out of 10
December 2015 Week One Part 2

Church Street #12

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Church Street Is Burning

(excerpt)
Church Street #12
.
Murder on the avenue
cop car yellow screech………..lawn order
stop
across from the body rub……. shop
………………………………………..street level flat
bars on the window…………….torso
………………………………………..greek statue
stuff’d in the refrigerator………………. the door wouldn’t close
………………………………………………….. burnt out bulb.
.
Her legs were found spread apart
one across from LOBLAWS…one behind DOMINION
her arms were found hanging from the legion hall
her fingers stuff’d……………….in an empty gin bottle
her head was never found…….a bust.
.
One of the winos said he saw her head hanging on a tree limb.
It stared straight through him before
it flew off into the night.
 

December 2015 Week One Part 1

more than this
December 2015 Week One Part 1

I have many other tricks....

Decay

DECAY

Its not that I mind the existence of decay

Emperor worm will have his feast.

But the tongue that crawled through

the salty flanks, will never crawl again.

I'm going to miss the dime crushed by the passing train.

The lovely cruelty of women inhaling.

The tongue stuck to the iron gate.

The wait that ends in the early morning.

The dog that purrs. The milk gone bad. The cake

that didn't rise. Everything crushes me

with its existence. The universe is flat. Men

are free until they are not. We were young.

And we loved to argue.

November 2015 Week Five Part 3

Going back home

November 2015 Week Five Part 2

and of couirse
November 2015 Week Five Part 2

November 2015 Week Five Part 1

triplets
November 2015 Week Five Part 1

Church Street #28

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Church Street Is Burning

(excerpt)

Church Street #28

SATYR NIGHT

rain never quits

wind........................... howling

street lamps spit out............................light

everyone is hiding inside....................laughing

............................................................and busting

except for............................................ cigarettes

an old watchdog at......DOMINION

.....................................HARDWARE

.....................................shoulders........collar tight around his neck

.....................................forehead.........pulled down like a cap

............................................................over

............................................................his eyes........... glaring

....................................................................................through

....................................................................................store

............................................................storm...............windows

............................................................brakes

eyes.....................................................pools of rain

rise yellow...........................................through parting clouds

growling..............................................the moon peeks

....................................he

....................................lunges..............at the darkness

throttles.......................midnight..........by the throat

moonlight dripping from his mouth.

 

November 2015 Week Four

a one two a three
November 2015 Week Four

FAKE POETRY

FAKE POETRY

There is so

much great poetry

that is second rate,

answering questions

that no one posed.

the Premier on the hustings

BLAME

BLAME

Most folks are decent.
Most women are sweet.
Most men are honest.
Its the kids and pets
that are to blame.

November 2015 Week Three

et al
November 2015 Week Three

The Matriarch

Church Street #14

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Church Street Is Burning

(excerpt)
Church Street #14
Cheery Charon……………………the neighbourhood pimp
garnished in his pin stripe uniform
dragged a garbage bag of laundry
into………………………………….. ACHERON’S LAUNDROMAT
and fed last nights sins into the yawning mouths of washing machines.


Cheery Charon flicked out a comb
…………………………………………parted slithering hair
removed his shades……………..slowly smiling
at the audience of patrons who have watched each of his steps.
.
Life is a whore house with too many guests
pretending they want pleasure
when all they want is rest.
 

November 2015 Week Two Part 2

but wait
November 2015 Week Two Part 2

TOO MUCH ART

TOO MUCH ART

Too much art is

institutionalized in museums,

ivory towers, hallmark cards.

Written to be studied,

painted to be hung.

Squabbles in the ant hill about

meaning and texture.

Making everyone comfortable

like taking a lease out

on a slow wet fart.

November 2015 Week Two Part 1

to come
November 2015 Week Two Part 1

hard at work at the office of the Premier of Ontario

November 2015 Week One Part 2

the incredible ....
November 2015 Week One Part 2

Church Street #26

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Church Street Is Burning

(excerpt)
Church Street #26
In a hollow dry morning
ambulancesreamingout
t……………………………..passed…………. rushourefugees
o………………………………………………….garbagemen
w………………………………………………… dressed
a…………………………………………………. in
r…………………………………………………..tales
d
……an early mourning tragedy…………tears
……………………………………………………eva
her cries………………………………………. pour
jerked off………………………………………at
her heart………………………………………..ing into
………………………………………………………….smoke.
The firemen glean the ashes for some cause.
The wind scolds them for their feeble gesture.
But the trees are filled with applause.

November 2015 Week One Part 1

check this out
November 2015 Week One Part 1

October 2015 Week Five Part 2

but more than this...
October 2015 Week Five Part 2

Church Street #9

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Church Street Is Burning

(excerpt)
Church Street #9
Three birds sat…. on a wire.
One layed …..an egg
that arrived in a telephone booth
coin return………. with a splash.

someday this will all be ours...

October 2015 Week Five Part 1

alas
October 2015 Week Five Part 1

maybe I can have a word with the Premier...

Church Street #6

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Church Street Is Burning

(excerpt)
Church Street #6
He sits there at the window
of his flat
smiling
like a god
watching the street
burn.

October 2015 Week Four Part 2

and then
October 2015 Week Four Part 2

October 2015 Week Four Part 1

what comes after Mary
October 2015 Week Four Part 1

A Gentleman Caller

October 2015 Week Three

October 2015 Week Two

Welcome to the barbeque

October 2015 Week One

September 2015 Week Five Part 3

and so
September 2015 Week Five Part 3

My First Duchess

September 2015 Week Five Part 2

and now for something really special
September 2015 Week Five Part 2

THE PROMISE

Every Spring the promise was made

to my mother that I would

go out for altar boy practice and

wear the black and white robes in the Fall.

But there was baseball.

High flies, workups, and contested double plays.

And every Fall my mother would sigh

as all the new boys in their black and whites

would make their way up the centre of the Church.

And every Fall I too was disappointed

that I hadn't yet learned to hit a curve ball.

September 2015 Week Five Part 1

less is more
September 2015 Week Five Part 1

I will be obeyed!

September 2015 Week Four

September 2015 Week Three