Month: October 2021

my brain buzzes like a mosquito;

bladder’s full of water

at 5 am—

just give me the weight of the heavens,

seeing the curvature of the Earth 

as my eyes close again—

the stars continue to wink

without provocation,

(but I don’t see them)

& light outside 

is a heavy aquamarine—

I try to reach for you

on the other side of the bed,

but you are already

under the ocean—

please let me sleep again.

radical thoughts of expiration 

are buzzing—quiet them all!

let’s inhale—exhale; 

swat them away

until everything shuts off

in the almost-waking world—

snoring deep again

sun peeks through 

the apartment buildings, 

I miss it 

until noon

a drone helicopter 

darts by the window—

or, was it a dream?

Before the leaves turn orange & gold,  

the full moon glowed silver. 

The night breezes blow cooler. 

I think about Death—  

The full moon glowed silver. 

I feel invincible!

I think about Death 

as I wear my disguise—

I feel invincible

when the black cats howl. 

As I wear my disguise,

all the flowers have disappeared! 

When the black cats howl, 

the night breezes blow cooler.  

All the flowers have disappeared 

before the leaves turn orange & gold. 

Even though I grew up

from 2 white collar working-class parents

and earned my Masters,

The dirt under my fingernails 

always stayed put,

even under the thickest Aqua lather—

The bars are now open

but they are empty,

even on a Friday afternoon.

The wasps are starting to wean

away from our summer-burned heads

hidden under the patio roof umbrella.

Fall is here, without its vibrant colors.

Subways are full of schoolchildren again. 

Favorite hoodies are worn in.

Gin and tonics never fail to work their magic;

the work refrigerator is now clean.

Welcome to another long weekend! 

Blooming onions never cease to amaze me,

even when there’s only crab cakes 

warming up the table.

“We’re at LIC!” the dude 

with a Guinness talks to his friend

on the phone at the bar.

George Michael sings 

“Freedom” on the radio. 

Soon, my dears,

we will all 

be free, to do 

what we want.