Off The Vine (+2)

Boredom,

the greatest vintner of pain

Aged in confusion

served with disdain

Moments gone fallow

dreams unfulfilled

Fatal perfusion

—doldrums distilled

(The New Room: May, 2022)

Strike One

In a bullpen of violence

—throw the first pitch

(Dreamsleep: May, 2022)

Today

I wonder what

you’re doing tonight

Whose poking and prodding

my blue-eyed delight

Are you lonely and scared

of what nature has bidden

Are you angry and tired

of feeling downtrodden

Are you chasing the ghosts

of dreams thought forgotten

While praying for sleep

with the music forgiving

Are you looking inside

for answers forthcoming

Knowing only that you

hear the differences drumming

I wonder who

you are forever becoming

That boy in the woods

whose motor’s still running

The one at the shore

whose Sea Doo is flying

That man on the bike

where the mountains are calling

I think you will find

they’re protected inside

Sleeping together

awaiting your cry

And when you reach out

to embrace them again

Your world will be whole

—today to befriend

(The New Room: May, 2022)