Poor

And suddenly they were poor, their money
Evaporated. It was horrible and it was beautiful,
The sudden freedom of having nothing, setting
Aside all cravings, ignoring their credit cars
As if they were old lovers showing up drunk at their
Glittering engagement party.

They stayed home instead of giving in to the malls,
Settling for homemade coffee and tea, for reading books
Long neglected while listening to old records while
Nestled beneath old blankets. They were so poor
In this new economy they forgot how to be
Dissatisfied with last year's model.

So poor.
So poor.
So poor,
They almost forgot to be unhappy.

Ah

You were brought up in the forest

Of the forest and for the forest

And god you were beautiful

You had hair like fire

Your eyes clear fucking streams

And when you sang

When you sang

When you sang

My skull vibrated my head nodded

And yes, I wanted to dance.

There is nothing 

Wrong 

With that.

The Screaming Frog

The frog would not stop screaming

Even after we brought it home,

Even after we gave it whiskey.

Its brow was smoothed, its cage

Enlarged.

Still, it screamed throughout the night

Like some poor tortured thing so

We let it go, released it into the wild

Where it screamed even louder

Until some prowling preditor

Put an end to that.

I Dream of Wookie

Gangly howling beast,

Warrior of the Rebellion,

You are filled with the barely controlled rage

Of the mistreated, of the marginalized,

Of the forsaken.

You know your power, buried deep

In your hunter’s heart,

And you do not hesitate to harvest your enemies

With your crossbow of fire,

Their gleaming white armor useless,

Palpatine’s paper dolls.

 

You laugh,

Warm in your anger,

Your fur,

You are the mighty Chewbacca.

How To Go To Work

Slam that alarm clock until your fist bleeds and
Jump the fuck out of bed, ready
To conquer and don't think don't think
DON'T THINK!
Just get thy ass into the shower and
Drill hot water into your skull
And smell the soap and pretend the whole day
Will be this good, this hot and watery.

Get out of the shower. Remember:
DON'T THINK!
Get dressed. Get dressed for success, bitch!
Eat your corn flakes, make the darkest, most heartless
Pot of coffee imaginable and drink it drink it
DRINK IT DOWN!!!
And put things in your wallet purse briefcase and look around
Your house/apartment/domicile suddenly Paradise Lost
And walk out that door, hallelujah, walk out that fucking door
Don't look back DON'T EVEN THINK OF THINKING GODDAMN IT
Just keep walking
And riding and driving and then you'll be there.
You'll be at work and, sweet Jesus, may god have
Mercy on your soul.

Pack Your Goddamn Suitcase

Night is falling fast and yeah,
They're after us fuck
They've caught our scent and
If they find us,
IF THEY FIND US,
It won't be pretty.
It won't be like springtime in Paris;
It'll be more like where we grew up
All that mud,
All that blood,
And the cold rain, drilling through the ceiling.

The Burning Hand Festival

Have you ever heard the sound
Of your own flesh being scalded?
It doesn't sound that different
From wok chicken, or Sunday morning bacon
Hitting the pan.

You reach for something,
Feel that pain,
And pull your hand back.

After that,
All the cold water in the world,
Can't change the past.

After that,
You remember.

Drunken Rave #4

Honky tonk angel
Why don't you knead
My shoulders

Why don't you knead
Me?

Is it because I tripped
On my way to the bar?

Is it because I mistook
My wallet for a rat
And when I screamed and stomped
Dollar bills flooded out,
Looking for cheese?

Cheese!
Bring me some cheese!