from Tony:

And try just this once to be good!
To represent your family, your faith,
not just your 'hood!
To do right by your baby, & all children;
so they don't suffer the consequences of our sin!
No Child Left "allegedly" Behind.
No parent or teacher can move forward,
Not with Iraq on his mind!

So now he's blind to the ways of peace.
When there's a "Bush" in the "House", wars can never cease!
It's for oil, our soldiers toil; the reason for their non-release;
Too invested in what we protested;
Could he be, that Biblical Beast?

from OSD

Could he be, that Biblical Beast?
who sounded the war horns to the east
under the thorns beneath the soil
the seven heads raised and coiled
around her breasts, into her chest
crawled down her spine, despite the signs
burned on her fields she will not bleed
she will not yield.

From: RAX

She will not yield.

She can not find it in herself to do anything other than love.

Knowingly expressing herself no matter what others think of her,

that is what makes her strong.

She decides to show her strenght everlasting.

She is: the "Statue of Liberty".

She is:

the "Statue of Liberty"
was just the excuse she gave
for the days and weeks and months
she stood at the rail on the ferry
riding back and forth
because she could

feel the spray
enjoy the air
smell the mingled odors of

humanity and exhaust
sea and fried food
somewhere drifting vomit
and the steamy overcoat
of the man who stood beside her

because she could
uncover her head
take off her sweater
sing out loud
speak back
speak out
dance outside her bedroom
without fear

because she could.

Just because she could.

Wow chameleon you're on fire this morning. Your writing of reality is insane. I love it.
Christa

Just because she could

she made the seas rise
the land burn
and the moon shine

just because she could

she made the birds sing
the sky blue
and the mountains high


just because she could

she let men build castles
upon her bosom
only to knock them down

with a sigh

just because she could
she would

Mother Nature was good like that.

mother nature was good.
Like that, dude? it's like
the ultimate yo mama, cuz yeah,

baby, she was good when I plowed her
better when I planted her
sowed my seed deep, sugar
and waited to see what would grow.

And waited to see what would grow
did Old Bob,
because Old Bob was bored
so he planted a seed
from some left over weed
and sat there watching his knob.

Oh alright I'll touch this line then you big bunch of sooks:

And sat there watching his knob, did Old Bob
his favourite little hill which he sat on as child
overlooking the city that now overlooks him

from Tekay:

& sat there watching his knob;
but it wasn't Old Bob, it was Young Rob!
Wondering & pondering, pondering & wondering
"why doesn't anyone want to play with Young Rob
& my round knob?"

Maybe I should forget the weed &
pop open some champagne.
A couple of bottles might help ease the pain!
All that does is..., give me buzz, & then
Young Rob's staring at his knob, again!

young rob's staring at his knob again
damn, these ancient tv's!
his grandfather no longer hears anything anyway
but he wants just once
for things to go his way
the water from the tap
not to be brown
the toilet to flush the first time
his grandmother to recognize him
but last week's wishes are all used up
and this week's expire at the turning of the tide
and rob knows that there is no ocean here
no markers of time at all
just one moment after the next
and he knows why his big sis turned to meth
and his mom to booze
and he tosses the knob into the corner
filled with national geographic and piss
and reaches for the needle nose plyers
and prays to the god of disappearance
"just one channel, one channel
without any lines"

From mayo:


Without any lines
is a hard way to follow.
It's a lonely path that calls me.
I will be
fresh tracks in the snow. My skis
break the thin ice crust over powder
making a track
blazing a trail
the shush, shush, shush
of my cadence all I hear
beyond my own breath
beyond the beating of my pulse,
the strident thrum
of life moving
through my veins, my heart
beating that ancient rhythm,
my breath
hung in the air
a vapor trail streaming behind me.

from RZS:

A vapor trail streaming behind me?
Or, is it vapor, streaming from my behind?!?!
I guess I wouldn't mind, except for the smell!
Like a broken toilet seat in H*ll;
All's not well, that ends with a hot flush;
But when U've really got to go, Oh what a rush!
The feeling of relief after the last bowel push, from your tush;
If only the same could be done with Bush!

'If only the same could be done with Bush!'
He lamented to himself
but no

on their anniversary
she expected
and only accepted
flowers

she didn't care what they smelt like
what form they took
or where they were from
as long as they were flowers

a simple gesture
a symbol of their unity
that even out here,
out whoop-whoop
outback
out past the last post
the last dingo
the last footprint

their love had blossomed
beautifully in the dust

"Pity the bloody flowers couldn't do the same"
he cursed.

CONSOLATION: LONELY TRAIN TO THE BOWERY


"Pity the bloody flowers couldn't do the same,"
he cursed.

Late night lonely train.

Crossed-Legged.

Perfect Posture.

Life In Motion,
honed by years of practice.

A perfect pause.

Deserted Bowery Station.

Daggers of golden light,
another subject appears.

Cast Of Weariness,
clearly in pain.
He quietly enters the room.

Closer to the psyche, the spirit.
The reflection of an individual's
suffering.

Mechanical Ventilation.

Affinity.

Among the briefest of encounters.

Among the briefest of encounters
road rage incidents ranked highest -
road rage always rose to the top;
not like cream, more like -
floating shit

Floating shit
is not restricted to the dense air
surrounding constipated politicians
unable to pass compassion

it's also likely to be found floating
next to little Johnny at your local beach

along with the last year's promises.

(from Tekay)

Along with the last year's promises
and yesterday's unread news,
today's offerings from the junk-mail deity
tumble into the bin
where they flutter to rest as the thinnest of veneers
over the old boots, the hat that he left behind
with the unmended shirts,
a broken fishing reel, and the book
about saving a marriage
with not one crack on its spine.

with not one crack on its spine
the untouched bible muttered:
nobody wants to read this crap

nobody wants to read this crap
it offends your porcelain sensibilities.
like chipped china
in your precious collection,
this cup full of losing divinity
leaves you with the urge
to go break something,
else.

"To go break something, else
be broken yourself"

offered wise electro confucious
from the poker-machine 'Shanghai Shuffle'
in perfect chinglish
upon swallowing
yet another of his "last 'undred bucks"

but the programmer's plant
wouldn't work
by the end of the night
he was picking up
broken smokes.

broken smokes like Tony's old beater
blowing oil and burning up
the last few feet of road before it dies.

he hobbles along on two flat tires
carries his house on yesterday's back
doesn't kneel to anyone because he knows
that if he bends his knees that far,
he'll never find his feet again. That's not wisdom
in his eyes, it's too many years of late nights
and sorry mornings coming back to haunt him every time
he tries to look ahead to what comes next.

Between sets on Sunday nights, he joins me at the bar
shares a beer and wishes it was Appalachian dew.
He tells me he named himself after every promise he's ever made
can't remember why his daughter's shadow haunts him
ceases to exist when they throw out the last drunk
and pack away the drum kit. He is Broken

holy in the moment, forever in the wind
and burning up the hours he has left
stemming smokes and nickels on the sidewalk
and promising himself that tomorrow -
if it ever comes - will be different.

If it ever comes – it will be different
cold hands will warm together
doctrines will be dismissed
helmuts hungup

If it ever comes –
worship will wizen

from above

worship will wizen
and all that, etc. etc.

And all that, etc. etc.
rhetoric and rallies
streamers, gleamers and bimbo
high beamers
candidates, affiliates and
'oh so tired' constituents.