Not Far From Here

A boy scout caught in the tornado's path
under his cot in a musty canvas tent
repeats his motto like a mantra
and it helps to steady him,
but has no effect at all on the wind.

There are these times when anything you can say,
any explanation you can offer,
is just weak and falls flat.

God's Will
someone will say and
should probably be slapped.

Blow Out

Mr. Hyde is no
longer hiding
apparently.

Laughing Hyenas - Desolate Son

Song Of The Slain

I was remembering
something horrible,
a moose engaged in its final
battle with wolves
bleeding, tiring, dying
and not only that
but there were ravens
hectoring it -
going after its eyes.

We often romanticize nature,
what we call its harmony,
but when someone needs to eat
someone else is going to get
their heart
broken.

Reflected

Sadly, we watch a greying man
under great and unconscious beauty
and he is thinking about the time wasted
imagining it is so long
hungry, longing, waiting
realizing now the ship has sailed
he can still see it on the horizon
wondering how he missed its docking
the beauty is still visible
even if he has to squint
but he cannot answer
whether it could ever
really be touched let alone
held.

Neruda - Tonight I Can Write

Campaign

I noticed something recently
one of those trite bits of advice
I saw posted somewhere
telling me to stop bashing what I hate
and start promoting what I love
so let me tell you how good it is
to have ringing in your ears twenty-four hours
after receiving a dose of raw live rock and roll
flinging your body around
remembering your age and then ditching it
let me talk to you for a second about looking into the eyes of a friend
after a long absence and what it's like to realize
you're getting another chance to do so
then there's buying a Coke for an awkward DJ
you believe knows something you also know
based on the last song he played and his shy salute
and finally let me put in a plug for taking the hand of
a little boy who thinks you're pretty cool and 
way stronger than his mean old gym teacher.