A Trapdoor into the Abyss

Blue and indisposed, The hours, the days and the weeks Become mountain ranges Scalded and bareIn the useless shade On a windless plain All who pulse and breathe Lie still in their griefWhile the red earth turns Delirious with rage And punishing all Standing tall on her turf The blue shade hides none From its tyrant star Filling each hidden haven, Breathing life into violence

Blue and indisposed,

The hours, the days and the weeks

Become mountain ranges

Scalded and bare

In the useless shade

On a windless plain

All who pulse and breathe

Lie still in their grief

While the red earth turns

Delirious with rage

And punishing all

Standing tall on her turf

The blue shade hides none  

From its tyrant star

Filling each hidden haven,

Sinking Chest deep In the morning’s blue reflection Running coldSwept southward At perfect leisure An anchor’s pulled From its grave, Of a dark riverbed And the thrills of lost year’sUnreel in my headOverrun And afloat Sailing past high noon To its misty brine Indisposed Featherlight The jealous cry of the shore Falls hollow, Out of reach In the cold blue mirror Leaving sunlight to preach

Sinking

Chest deep

In the morning’s blue reflection

Running cold

Swept southward

At perfect leisure  

An anchor’s pulled

From its grave,

Of a dark riverbed

And the thrills of lost year’s

Unreel in my head

Overrun

And afloat

Sailing past high noon

To its misty brine

Indisposed

Featherlight

The jealous cry of the shore

Falls hollow,

Out of reach

In the cold blue mirror

On to a brighter plain Where old bridges still burn Coughing envious plumesInto the pale blue sky On to a sunbaked road Through a desolate dreamFamiliar violence erupts Flooding memories with sparks June’s blistering charm Conjures columns of ghosts And what I’ve earned today Feeds the fires of their wrath I’m wound tight and wrung silent By the endless blue daysI’ll fall for their facade…

On to a brighter plain

Where old bridges still burn

Coughing envious plumes

Into the pale blue sky  

On to a sunbaked road

Through a desolate dream

Familiar violence erupts  

Flooding memories with sparks

June’s blistering charm

Conjures columns of ghosts

And what I’ve earned today

Feeds the fires of their wrath

I’m wound tight and wrung silent

By the endless blue days,

I’ll fall for their facade

Fireflies return to my chest When I am no longer crowdedAnd cluttered to my scalp With the ear-splitting day A clear pelting rain Washes out the year’s ashes, Pushing ruin downriverThrough a delta of scars A quake rattles my spine, Letting pale orchids climbAs human snarls subside A few paces from silence Spring’s green and goldIs restored in my marrow In the fragile hours Before a chorus of…

Fireflies return to my chest

When I am no longer crowded

And cluttered to my scalp

With the ear-splitting day

A clear pelting rain

Washes out the year’s ashes,

Pushing ruin downriver

Through a delta of scars

A quake rattles my spine,

Letting pale orchids climb

As human snarls subside 

 A few paces from silence

Spring’s green and gold

Is restored in my marrow

In the fragile hours

The earth’s become a jagged stone In the pit of my stomach “Any day now”Rings out across the street Each night Sunrise frees worry From the alleys of my mind And its panicked shrieks Shoot bolts of lightning Through my limbs Nights are diamond mines I fill my pockets with its sonnets With slogans of revolt With bread crumbs Before the fall Deep breaths For any day now, The waterline will riseIn…

The earth’s become a jagged stone

In the pit of my stomach

“Any day now”

Rings out across the street

Each night

Sunrise frees worry

From the alleys of my mind

And its panicked shrieks

Shoot bolts of lightning

Through my limbs

Nights are diamond mines

I fill my pockets with its sonnets

With slogans of revolt

With bread crumbs

Before the fall

Deep breaths

For any day now,

The waterline will rise

In the brackish rain

Civilization to meMeans shortness of breath A sharp pain in my chest Long and restless nights An onslaught of tomorrows It is my nagging cough The large lump in my throat When I have fallen short In a rich man’s plan It is the envious breeze That lives in the marrow And pollutes my thoughts With fever dreams of betrayal Civilization to me Means a sweltering death, On an anthill pyre Beneath a…

Civilization to me

Means shortness of breath

A sharp pain in my chest

Long and restless nights

An onslaught of tomorrows

It is my nagging cough

The large lump in my throat

When I have fallen short

In a rich man’s plan

It is the envious breeze

That lives in the marrow

And pollutes my thoughts

With fever dreams of betrayal

Civilization to me

Means a sweltering death,

On an anthill pyre  

Stillness cannot expand In this crowded place, Still choked with the cries Of a lash wielding past Free and colorful illusions Seldom settle in this state, In this lonely gulch Among the tree stumps and craters On this turf of cyclones Only violence can thrive, Its hideous forms Claim this fiefdom of bones Passing reveries are fought for In the blistering storms Of disquieted bodiesLiving…

Stillness cannot expand

In this crowded place,

Still choked with the cries  

Of a lash wielding past

Free and colorful illusions

Seldom settle in this state,

In this lonely gulch

Among the tree stumps and craters

On this turf of cyclones

Only violence can thrive,

Its hideous forms

Claim this fiefdom of bones 

Passing reveries are fought for

In the blistering storms    

Of disquieted bodies

Too much of my time has been bled In search of shelter, My nomadic pulse Drums softer and softerToo much of the worldFalls out of my sight, Below a cluster of stars My coveted mirageToo many doors are sealed To keep an illness at bay, How it teems in my voice, Within the fables I breathe Too full with rich words Days rot on the vine,Oversweet and unrealized Torn away from my mind

Too much of my time has been bled

In search of shelter,

My nomadic pulse

Drums softer and softer

Too much of the world

Falls out of my sight,

Below a cluster of stars 

My coveted mirage

Too many doors are sealed

To keep an illness at bay,

How it teems in my voice,

Within the fables I breathe

Too full with rich words

Days rot on the vine,

Oversweet and unrealized

The pattern of a distant drumGathers all from the dark, The many coursing with fireFull and restless to march It is low and modest Building speed overnight Among the honest light Of heroes far and wide The drum pattern swells Into encircling thunder, With the tearful screams Of torn and tarnished mothers The guilt lies with one The chief, the merchant, the liar Trembling at the door Soon to burst…