chameleon shift

green in a world of leaves

darkness, yes darkness is good


brown, try to remember

slither and segue from safety to safety


for a moment, on a leaf

long, slow, staring

legless as a cucumber


restless with recklessness

rage, standout and return

holes

so she lightened up, smiled

unbridled laughter for such a dark horse


sticky note on the monitor

unmoving, moonlight on the water


the earth poured in where the sea opened

birds fly because there is land

so he dreamed poetry but couldn’t write it down

mystery

voices in the dark

back door, front door, next door

paint chips off in your hand

random as an idea

naked echo

tired dervish

exhaled breath of water


contemporary rhythms

falling aluminum cans

worn out gears winding down

brain trust rainy days

side to side shuffle


standing still

that holding pattern for possible

The Real or the Reel?

Above me the steamy jungle pounds in nighttime frenzy,
Roasted warriors turn on spits while
Naked bodies lurch with frightening motion
To frantic drums in the bright and shadow
Cast by firelight. But its noontime, really
And downstairs baboolya’s cruelty and cunning
Squeezes shouts out of Natalya
To make sure she’s paid the price
To the last drip. Throttle that pound of flesh
But find no justice, I think to myself,
Which makes me hear my students
At the university saying there is
No such thing as a happy person
There are just people in happy moments;
Everything is grey in life
Until we color it with our love.
So I kiss your lips,
Know what the color of grey feels like,
Put on my headphones,
And watch Groundhog Day again.

The joke

If you are Andrew you will cry.
If the world gets kinder
Celebration is red hot kids
In real foolishness
As the dizzy hem of the dress
Spins our humanness is known
And we are lit up like cities
Where it is a mystery that the night
Is not the day when we do the dervish
So as to be still, so our sins are forgiven,
So that is good, so what?
We are human and that is what must be!
The one who would be the master
Of this world is cruel but not humorless.