Interview

so do you base a friendship
on
the trouble you get each other into then out of
or
the trouble you keep each other away from?

Die Standing

"That which we are, we are."
look over there
some old fart's trying to rally his troops
see them roll their wheel chairs to the shoreline
topple off the pier onto a boat
making a moaning corps
of broken hipped warriors

go gettem fellas

topplegangers

The artist balanced stones
one atop the other
along the shore for six hours in Sausalito
while tourists gathered and dropped money.
Triplets, beyond sight of their bickering obese parents
ran through a gap in the specatators
kicked all the rocks down
pointed
laughed
spilled the tip jar
and ran away
before the artist could turn
around and bludgeon them.

earth

bent permanently
the corners have curved down so many times.
furrowed so many times
puckered so many times
even sleep carries a scowl
and the most peaceful moment?
after wood closes
and the first shovel full
of her new home
lands
on the lid.

Ruining the Joke

"gimme five"

swat

"up high"

swat

(I knew what was coming
so I swatted again
quickly)

"down low.. hey, you're not sposed to do that!"

"too slow?"

Why the taxi driver says you should get a dog

I figure
if you get one
instead of having a kid
and end up ignoring it
like you're gonna
it is not going to grow up
to unload
a gun on a schoolroom.
See what I'm sayin?

While they were kneeling

6 years old
it was dangerous work
crawling underneath the pews at church
on Sunday
tying shoelaces together

Dog

one summer service a great dane wandered in
during the middle of the Gospel reading
and started smelling the butts of the standing congregation
The sniffing continued up the isles
until one of the ushers collared him
dog nose on bishop's ass
at the last line
which became
"Thanks be to dog"

Cross traffic

His grocery cart stuffed with tattered
stained clothing in ripped trashbags
halfway on the double yellow
lost a wheel.
everyone went around
some honked
some slowed
all angry
no one stopped
to help.