the dance

i am sorry that
whenever we sway to songs
i'm always crying

mystery

peering
over the shoulder

of the man with 
no skin

wondering what's happening
within his heart

even though he's
transparent
to everyone's eyes

what's buried
inside
is a mystery

to him and me

(look)

the empty chair

when you get
three or four songs
droning on

it becomes an
endless calliope
set free

and when the sun
warms your shoulder
words become bolder
in an instant

and the hot keys
of the keyboard
don't go anywhere
special

but ramble on
in a cluster
of rhymes
that fluster you
with their
awkwardness

the empty chair 
waits for you

even if i don't know
enough about the you
i recognize as my own

and less about the self
that trails behind

(mind)

antidote

with every
rotation
you make
while you clean

and every
damnation
you utter
as you move

i can feel
the frustration
you're trying to
get rid of

and i search
a dozen times over
for a way to help you
let go

and i scan
up and down me
to make sure i'm not
the trouble

and i long
for a time when you
finally collapse
close by

so i can hold you
as close as you'll let me
as long as you'll take me

as needed
only as directed
by your sighs

and the release
of your soul

(let go)

serendipity

a place called

serendipity

is where you will

find me

beyond the painted

scenery

and the dancing

of the sea

but don't order the

stromboli

because it's as big

as a fucking house!

bones

it's hard for me
to write about
bones
and skeletons

so early in the morning

the only skeleton
i sort of knew
was skeletor

and i often wondered
about his diet
and what happened
to his skin

and his hair situation

as for the other subject...

there was this one time
i was watching star trek

when i was much younger

and all of a sudden kirk
appeared
in the transporter room

looking disheveled and
slightly out of it

and all he said
in his big fat close-up

was
"bones!"

then he fell over
and everyone dogpiled him
with care

leaving me quite 
confused

were the bones
trying to jump out
of his body?

had he been attacked
by a ravenous pile of
drumstick pieces
that fell off of
some zombie chicken

or was he just hungry 
for marrow
that day?

it took me forever to figure out
he was calling for the wise
cute older man doctor
dude

who never was anything else
but a doctor, dammit

(space was weirdly specific
back then... )

(bones)

distracted

it's ok
i forgot you were at
the car dealer

(how can i do business
when she's tiptoe like
an ostrich)

we can wrap up
this business
in an instant

(watch out for
the endtable!)

i'll send them
an email

(make that limping
like an ostrich)

cc you
and bcc everyone

(oh God, not the lotion)

and let them know
we've done all
we can do

(when she slathers it on,
it sounds like two kindergartners
breaking in galoshes 
on the way to school
in the rain)

let stone and
betty know

(i can smell her 
conditioner 
from here)

and it'll
work itself out

(it smells like 
passion fruit flowers 
in the rainforest)

just sit tight
and fix your car

(which is ironic 
because she's never left
the midwest)

i know that can
be horrendous

(because of the
protective order)

thanks for listening
sorry if i'm a bit

distracted

yeah
vacation
but.... work goes on....

(does she have to floss
and yodel at the same time?)

all right
see ya soon

(bye)