unto the darkness

in moments not unlike this

allowing the absence of light

to envelop us

in a blanket of cold comfort

as we attune ourselves to our surroundings.

we shrink not from the emptiness

but rather we fill it

with the fires we carry

within.

On alternate days

In months that rhyme with “estuary”

While the moon is waning.

All other days I awake

Blissfully unaware

Of the previous day’s problems,

Full of false faith

That the sun will keep rising,

Secure in the notion

Of righteous forward motion,

Kissed by the breeze

While pissing on the ground.

the misunderstood musings of
the once upon a time self
are often enunciated as reasons for
that particular season, that particular picture
or all of these films about ghosts.

descending into paisley, purloining minutes or
moments undercover, under inspection, under
the absent watchful eye, here are the hidden
heartbeats, the nostalgic glances at grace
and beauty and bittersweet yesterdays.

here is the rippled reflection of a man
leaning over the edge of the pond to
look at himself in the cool water and,
seeing his eyes,
reaching down to touch them to see if they are
real or just tricks of the light.

imagine the way he must feel on the other side,
peering into the stars, and the moon, and the
face of the old man that he recognizes but knows not.

mirrored murmurings whispered on the breath of the wind.

the snow still lingers in the shady spaces
like a lover might tarry in the spot of a long ago affair.

granted the picture i’m painting
is unclear at the moment but we will
attempt to leave an impression
that will last, so step back from the
canvas and look at the whole-
stop focusing on the minutiae
don’t lose yourself in details
don’t sweat the small stuff and suddenly
i find myself wanting to quote
diamond dave or squints palledorous
you see we could drop names all day
but the moral of the story is that we
don’t always need transition words or phrases
or clauses (Santa or otherwise), conjunctions
will lead us to where we need to be but
first you have to know the right path to
take, the yellow brick road so to speak
that will lead you to your own oz and
the realization that what you thought
you needed you already possess.

cause oz never did give nothing to the tin man
that he didn’t, didn’t already have and
cause never was the reason for the evening
or the tropic of sir galahad
or the tropic of cancer or capricorn
or henry miller whoring it up under
the roofs of paris, trying to make love
trying to make art, trying to make a living,
but living, living, living
always endeavoring to persevere,
and doing my, your, our best
to see, no to worship beauty-
to hunt it out, to seek it, to notice it
in its sublime occurrences
even when somedays it doesn’t
appear to come at all.

but if you listen closely
in quiet times
you just may be able to detect it
in the inhale and the exhale
and the love for the moments between.

To be the crazy poet angel means no thought
beyond the moment and this age of healthy
obsessivness, zero tolerance and glorified
dullness cannot digest that kind of blood.

Thank God no rehabilitation saved him,
no government imposed pennance on his time’
nor could the hands of hipness unwrap
the blue, white and red blazing flag from his heart.

- David Childers

* By kind permission of David Childers, whom I hope you all have had the good fortune of seeing live or at least hearing.     http://www.davidchilders.com/

Represents reality

That is to say

Everywhere and always

24/7 or whatever

Local standards may be.

In effect, I can visit you

Now in the future.

Keep that in mind.

Don’t be surprised.

take a breath

take a knee

let it all out

repeat as needed

every angle a mirror
every reflection a distant view of some changing season
a soft parade of hide and seek

in real time we become the elfin race
and watch the roots cling to sod as we scrape away the tears
that fall as we walk into the shadows

dance on home you quickened faun
creep unto the lazy dawn that lies beyond your sleepy eyes
and beckons with a barking dog, a fading light, a breath inhaled within a moist night

stars paint the darkness with their silent screams
we watch the one hold onto dreams
slightly disremembered in the woodland promise made

he is us and we are he
and such is how it’s meant to be
as one and one and one make three

we learn more about ourselves
(particularly our knees) when
we run in the cold of this
december afternoon chasing
demons, singing songs, attempting
to wage war against time
and, of course, the bottle
in that never ending dance
where we are desirous of
it all but too comfortable
to really get out there
and do something about it.

so we figure what the hell? and
hope it doesn’t kill us, this pursuit
of the things we feel inside, these
delusions of grandeur, what hath
God wraught when he made us?

and what have we done to ourselves
in the meantime?