Estranged - by Rand

That touch
Those words
Their look
I recall when
they were all
so familiar to
the both of us

Genius - by Rand

There were a pair

of geniuses who

apparently didn't

know that the

plural of genius

is genii

Drawers - by Rand

If I said I
possessed
the best
drawers in
the world
would you
imagine
glorious
furniture
impressive
trousers
or enslaved
artists?

Message - by Rand

We've lost the metaphor
Can't read in semaphore
This is how I felt before
Way back when I was four
Glowing like phosphor
Stuck to me like camphor
What is all this for?

Tumble - by Rand

Places you won't find the word tumble:

• The title of a doctoral dissertation
• The Gospel of Thomas
• Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules, Second Edition, 1998 Revision
• New York State Driver's License (exception: your first or last name is Tumble)
• A wadded up piece of paper in the front vest pocket of a 46-year old Peruvian dwarf
• A spoonful of Alpha-Bits (this morning, at least)
• Spelled out in recently trimmed facial hair in my bathroom sink
• Cat entrails
  

Brave - by Rand

I learned too late
that being brave
is more about
accepting fear
than about not
having it

Brush - by Rand

I my teeth
her her hair
our elbows
gently touching

Sheets - by Rand

When making
the list of what
separates us from
the other animals
I ask that you add
800-thread count
bedsheets

Bark - by Rand

You can't tell
if their bark
is worse than
their bite
until you've been
bitten

Grapes - by Rand

Oranges are orange
Peaches are peach
Lemons are lemon
Plums are plum
but grapes are
green or
red

Line - by Rand

In the now it feels like
endless wandering in
every possible direction
but from outside time
you can be mapped
as a single straight line

Chill - by Rand

I remain cool

about the heat

but I'm not so hot

about this chill

Gaze - by Rand

Eye object

I object

Vibrant - by Rand

I suppose most
might imagine
a bright light
or a vivid color
but the primary
image it pulls
from me is
an oscillating
vocal cord

Wipe - by Rand

Why should we cut
or simply dissolve
when we can wipe?

Wipe - by Debbie

I've been in this line
for over an hour.

No one talks...
what's the point?

Paper rustles
as we each reread
the notices received
a month before,
with a date and time
and a warning
to not eat or drink
the morning of the Procedure.

It'll be quick, they say.
Just a tweak
of synapses,
won't hurt a bit.

And then voilà:
no more grief
no more stress
no more angsting
no more

Can't wait
but look:
it's my turn now.
Step up now,
hand over my docs.

Wet on my cheek...
where did that come from?
My hand goes up to my face
but then falls
because now I'm thinking
just maybe
it will help me remember
help me
remember

Monday - by Rand

Black coffee and dusty books
make for poor companions
following such a weekend

------------------------------

sorry for the lack of poems over the weekend. as the above indicates, i spent the long weekend engulfed in good friends and good food.

Melodrama - by Rand

This isn't

going to be

one of those

"meet cute

only to find

out that my

stepdad was

your older

sister's lover

and you were

raised by your

parents as if

you were theirs

until they both

died in a

glazing accident

leaving you to

run the shelter

for cute but

dying animals

while struggling

to overcome

dyslexia

and lupus"

stories

is it?

Cheers - by Rand

A haughty nasal
British accent
clipped
the beginning
and flattened
the vowel
resulting in
years of my
younger brother
clinking my
juice cup
and uttering
"Jaws."

Worm - by Rand

squirm
dirty
worm

firm
purty
germ

stern
birdy
turn

burn
sturdy
urn

learn
wordy
churn

spurn
nerdy
sperm

squirm
dirty
worm

"um..." - by Rand

I spent my afternoon
interviewing a series
of inarticulate Buddhas
chanting their mantra
between every phrase

Jai
Guru
Dei
Va

um...

Seethe - by Rand

Seethe

matchstick

Seethe

flashlight

Seethe

firefly

Seethe

lightswitch

Rain - by Rand

The rain falls

like Anime tears

as I turn from

the window and

try to recall

what I was

so sad about