there is no magic
that protects us from monsters
even voting booths

The Rain

i was over
the rain
before
it ever thought to fall

my eyes were wet
sincere
with rage
angry at my own tears

loathsome forecasts
self-doubt
flooded
the splintered boat of me

smashed into mud
my feet
stood still
forever under storm

And I Almost Never Met You

breath that almost never brushed
over my cheeks
breezy kisses

i saw something strange in you
but familiar

chilling
but i like that

you mothered me with darkness
feeding me shadows from your tit
and that is all i wanted

i expected no love in return for my love
but i was grateful when you gave it

i knew you could have as easily killed me
as you cradled me

right there
where the lights bounced off the river
back into a sky full of stars
you could have murdered me

and all i would have thought was
what a wonderful place to die

writer stalks his prey
blank page down a dark alley
both become victims

There Is No Place

brief landings never fool me
my thoughts are made of tornadoes
and i know the mind will never sit still

"where the heart is"
is the name of a bullshit map
pointing in directions that do not exist
and the only truth is
lost

when i think i know where i am
it turns out to just be a dream

i wake up without bearings
no course forward
backward
or otherwise

perpetually passing through
every bastard moment
came from nothing
going nowhere

she kisses secrets
he wants to know where she's been
her lips sealed to him

BOO!

she always turns a light on
when she thinks of me

checks under the bed
to see if i left behind
a kiss
or a rose
or a dead body

she can't shake the feeling
that i'm still there
haunting her from inside the walls

her recollections
both dear and eerie
fond and frightening

wistfully terrified
the hairs stand up on her arms
and she shakes it out like an exorcism

memories turn into ghost stories
and she always turns a light on
when she thinks of me

The First Painting

the study of art enriched her mind
inspired her
mused her
screamed at her

but as she stood before a blank canvas
it occurred to her that it did not make her
an artist

she imagined the first painting
before there were any other paintings to study
and what well of inspiration
did that first painting's creator draw from?

it must have been
she realised
something purely from the guts

the soul
if you wanna call it that

not taught by a teacher
not studied by a student
but simply
painted
created
brought into existence
by an artist

and it was with that image in her thoughts
she put her own brush
against the canvas

The Driver

a needle on empty
nothing left in the tank
not even fumes

a thousand miles down a dead end
on a flat tire

and that was the spare

you don't want to
you didn't plan to
but you know it's time

you take the key out of the ignition
use the roof to help pull yourself out of the car
and close the door behind you

knowing when you've lost
is about as much of a win
as you could hope for

Groceries

there are 11 bags of frozen broccoli
in my freezer
but
it won't be enough

i kneel before a food processor
every morning
praying to my smoothies
the same shitty prayers i used to give
to god

somewhere between breakfast and dinner
i will realise
i cannot be saved

there are 6 cans of black beans
on my counter top
but
it won't be enough

there is no meal that can nourish a soul
disgusted with itself

there are 2 cans of diet soda
in my fridge
but
that just might be enough

to fool myself into thinking
i'm not thirsty

to keep me from chewing my arm off

to trick my tongue into believing
i am good for me

Huff and Puff

i have learned something very important
by watching these
fucking pigs
murder citizens

by watching these
fucking pigs
choke a man to death

by watching these
fucking pigs
gun down a twelve year old boy

by watching these
fucking pigs
kill a dude cause he was feelin' his jam
and had on headphones

watching all these videos of these
fucking pigs
murder citizens
I have learned...

maybe the wolf was a good guy