[fingers shake near switch]

fingers shake near switch
afraid to turn on the light
a monster's dark hand

[gone from the pocket]

gone from the pocket
still gleam in my tarnished heart
rare unpolished coins

Prime Time Rivalry

for a long time i had remorse
over how often we argued

we argued a lot

sometimes about politics
but on those
we mostly agreed

sometimes about other family members
but on them
we mostly agreed

the majority of our debate
was over what to watch on the ol' boob-tube

"Everybody Loves Raymond
is trite garbage," i'd say
trying to sound smart

"well," she'd respond
"it's still better than that
dumb show you watch"
referring to The X-Files
or The Simpsons
or Futurama

we both liked Frasier and The Golden Girls
but beyond
we just could not find any common ground

so
after dinner we would go
to our separate rooms
and during commercial breaks
bother each other with details
from our rival episodes

both to reply with the same witty retort
"sounds stupid"

that was our thing

it wasn't that long ago
i stopped regretting it

and tonight
as i tried to watch a rerun of "Raymond"
i wished like hell she was still alive
so i could call her and tell her
what a dumb fuckin' show that is

The Pen Is Mightier Than the Tear

a writer
without changing the story
or its dismal outcome
can turn the tables
on a memory
with just
tone

A Poem for the Working Artist

every artist is likely to fancy themself
above a hard day's work

but
if somehow they actually manage
to avoid true labor

if they never really get their hands
and their boots
dirty

then their work will surely offer
a good night's sleep

My First Day of Kindergarten

never has a door been so heavy as
the west wing door of Duncombe Elementary was
that day

it was an early indicator
how fear would always overwhelm me
and finding strength would be no easy task

i could not open that goddamned
door

i ran down the sidewalk
after my mom
bawling
"i can't open it! it won't open!"

the look in her eyes was one of  sheer pity

she knew i wasn't gonna make it
they were gonna eat me alive

the teachers
the other students
were all going to tear me apart
limb from limb

there was no avoiding it

so
mom walked me back to the door
opened it for me
and said
"it's gonna be okay"

i knew she was lying
but i went inside anyway
thinking
"let's get this bloodbath over with"



©https://allpoetry.com/poem/12841175-My-First-Day-of-Kindergarten--by-Danny-Price

[funk between her toes]

funk between her toes
a sandal flaps to James Brown
sole naked for soul

Subjectivity

tonight at the shelter
Denny's got a couple new die
and him, and a few others are shooting craps
for pennies over in the corner


the t.v. up on the wall is playing Wheel of Fortune
and Susan
as usual
has her eyes glued to the screen


they are serving fried chicken
corn, mashed potatoes, a slice of bread
and a couple of those little butters wrapped in foil
and Doug, who grew up on a farm in Wisconsin will say
"if a man needs more than bread and butter to be happy
well, that's his problem"


Bobby has a new dirty joke he tells us
and, holy christ, is it a good one


tonight at the shelter we eat


tonight at the shelter we laugh


and tonight at the shelter we don't think about
the people in the mansions, or the people in the fancy cars
at all

[blender warm with tears]

blender warm with tears
cradle bits between her teeth
dead baby smoothie

[her gravel road heart]

her gravel road heart
leads to the most beautiful
but desolate place

[kings of saturday]

kings of saturday
sunday's dethronement awaits
fleeting majesties

[crossword puzzle girl]

crossword puzzle girl
ACROSS from sudoku boy
both keep looking DOWN

[treated well with sleep]

treated well with sleep
a rested sun shines steady
balanced with sparse clouds

Dust Lasts Forever

once upon a cosmos
two stars fell disastrously
in love

as their romance began to supernova
what they thought was infinite
came to an explosive end

leaving them both
with the debris of heartbreak
and the dust of memory

Orphan

she remembered leaving the orphanage
her gramma came to get her
and her older brother

she told me how it felt
when the car pulled up
the rush of relief
leaving that place

she was so excited that she was going to
have her own room
and dolls
and eat breakfast
at a kitchen table

what she really meant
was she was excited that somebody loved her
enough not to leave her there
and forget her

she got to be part of a family

somebody cared about her

my gramma's life certainly wasn't
smooth sailing
after that

as with any life
there were as many hardships
as there were fortunes

but
i am always glad
to imagine the day her gramma
came to get her and her brother
out of the orphanage

Without the Minors, There Are No Majors

as tears trickle over piano keys
a sad song escapes from its cocoon
and like the determined moth
seeks the light

[library books due]

library books due
pills kicking in, he wonders
who will return them?

[gasoline lipstick]

gasoline lipstick
her tongue tasted like matches
Hell, could that girl kiss

[lament of feedback]

lament of feedback
whether from critics, or amps
guitarists hate it

Cigarette

a ring of white skin
where there used to be gold
pressed up against a butt
stained purple with cheap lipstick

she remembers when she was young
and everyone would tell her how pretty she was

she never believed them

trust was a fool's game
and you could call her anything but that

when he asked her to marry him
she asked him why

when he asked her for a divorce
she asked what took so long

when he was finally gone
she felt strong

strong enough to be alone

to doubt any good deed
offered

to walk through the alleys
and stand in soup lines

to let a cigarette burn between her fingers
as she slept in a doorway
out of the rain

That Funeral Wasn't All It Was Cracked up to Be

i heard more about a man who has been dead

for two thousand years

than i did about the man who had been dead

for just over two thousand minutes

as the churchman sang hymns

i quietly recited Guns N' Roses lyrics

knowing full well which was

most appropriate

and you can't help but think
about you're own death

in those moments

when my time comes

even though i won't be there

i sure hope they play some better fuckin' music

[adored by the birds]

adored by the birds
a playground of flight held high
flattered skies blushed blue

[we eat the shadows]

we eat the shadows
misfit bastards of sunshine
teeth stained in darkness

The Match

the one that did not light
sits next to the one that did
in the ashtray

feeling like it blew its chance

[each tear like a star]

each tear like a star
galaxies escape her eyes
black holes of mourning

The Picky Dick

baby
i am a detective
and i've been lookin'
all over for you

but
baby
i'm selective
and not any "you"
will do

[life kept playing games]

life kept playing games
as death wept in a corner
not wanting his turn