He Drinks Cider and Brandy

I carry your photo in my wallet
Just so as not to mix you up
With someone you should have been.

Federal forms ask for your information
And for the answers to questions
You wouldn't even understand.

And that's OK.

I've stopped responding to inquires
And concerned looks from "adults"
With tears and sobs and heartache.

From now on, I'll just shrug my shoulders,
Ignore dates on the calender,
And say, "My dad's not dead, he's just an ass"

She Drinks Rum and Cokes

I've got the sun and the sea in my closet,
But I still can't shut my eyes at night,
Or relax the curvature of my spine
For fear of the opening door.

Maybe we were born this way:
Worry eyed and twitchy fingered.
As natural as this may be,
I've never seen a girl cry in the wild.

I'm Sorry, Roommate/Friend.

I had already handed my ticket to the man by the ramp,
Shuffled the hallway until I found my room,
And stored my bags and heartfelt trinkets below deck.
But I still found myself standing on the dock,
Staring at the ship as the other passengers yelled,
"Hurry up and come on board! We'll be leaving soon!".
I said, "I know. Just take care of my things and make sure someone gets them.
If you wish to find me if or when you return,
I'll be sitting in my same puddle,
Counting the flies that touch my water's surface."

They Said This Life Would Catch Up To Me

It's not as if I don't have other options,
It's just that I don't like to be yelled at,
Though I'm not really sure who would do the yelling.
All uncertainties aside,
I know that my back hurts
And it's hard to take deep breaths.

Geology Rocks!

When we hold hands,
The Earth trembles.
As romantic as that sounds,
It’s just the shift in the tectonic plates
That we tend to notice when we come together
Because we become more aware
Of our association with this planet.
And that heat we feel
When our bodies get to moving in the same direction
Is simply our recognition of the magma
Flowing beneath our “love”-soaked toes.
And that’s not actually
“love”
You’re feeling throughout your body-
That creepy crawly sensation
Is actually your nervous system
Remembering that water once covered this land
And we were all once dust and specks and nothing.
But that doesn’t mean that what we have isn’t worthwhile
These natural occurrences may not be from our own creation
But they’re still ours.

So I’m not going to tell you that I love you
Because those words aren’t what you want them to be
And I’m not the type to lie just to make you feel better.

I feel natural for you, baby
I feel gravity for you

Bozo Number 1

Hello gray being,
Laced with orange and black,
And webbed toes that make you shake your butt
In a way that Ricky Martin would be proud of.
Your head and neck are echoes of evolution
With those eyes so uninviting
And your neck so curved-
Ideal for both water and air,
But simply awkward here on land.
You cock your head
Not so much confused, as off guard.
Just to make sure I understand our hierarchy,
You engage your otherworldly structure-
Your neck stretches
Like a child reaching for the cookies
And your wings widen
Like the opening of an exhibitionist’s coat
And you stand on your toes
Like a teacher erasing words from a chalk board
Because you’re not tall enough to tell me
Exactly how you feel.
But I’ve been there too.
I’ve arched my neck
In attempt to stare down the sun
And I’ve thrown my arms open
While explaining that I am hugging the world
And I’ve hopped up and down just hoping
For a chance to hit my head on a cloud.
I just never did it
With such a pretentious look on my face.

The Doc Says I'm Crazy

When I dance to your music, my ankle hurts a little.
When you hold my hand, there’s a pain in my wrist.
When I bend to lay my head, my back cramps like crumpled paper
When I listen to you speak, my left ear buzzes a bit
When I go to laugh at your jokes, my lung feels as if it’s caught on a nail
When I try to cuddle on the couch, my knees swell beneath the surface
And when I stand on my toes to kiss you hello, I blackout for a second.
But baby, none of that matters, ‘cause for you
I’ll boogie all night long on a broken ankle
I’ll crack all of my fingers so that they can fit with yours
I’ll dismantle every vertebrae to put my head near your heart
I’ll put fly traps by my ears so I can listen to your monologues
I’ll laugh so hard that each one of my ribs break
I’ll bend my knees backwards just to keep in your direction
And I’ll live with my toes in the sky and my head on the ground if, somehow, it made it easier to kiss you.