all the applause

unrelenting
beyond timberline
beyond reason
beyond cell phone service, OMG
the chilled air of nowhere
the heat of personal ambition
driving the hard effort
to ride a bicycle to a summit
Everest base camp in a damn white-out
black out
brown clouds above the white lines
passing lanes
passing out
out of breath
out of control
but not out of road
more impossible effort required
with the unfocused eye
the goal
far ahead inside the upper branches
fatigue robbing the lower limbs
the imagination
more pleasant than the actual physical effort
but not as rewarding as conquering this pain
the heavy weight
turning an incredible resisting pedal
gravity laughing at the joke
listening to the hypnotic voices of a splendid chorus
their music drifting sweetly
above the waves of the tender ocean
each urgent whisper singing
quit quit quit the whispers quit quit quit
but at the top
triumph
full relief
with a slow bicycle
and a fast heart
finally completely
more than satisfactorily
the legs walk away with all the applause
and the beer tastes all the more rewarding.

roll on Columbia U

the God of war
isn't inside your nose

its snot and disgusting
undergraduate brain matter
witless on an early Friday afternoon

the white tiger stalks

the blue dragon pausing in attack
hears your juvenile rantings to wonder
after all that Blake has said
has it really come to this?

the Pagoda of Ravens
isn't the harbor where you dock
the ship of fools

the Lake of Scintillating Brightness
points to the near hill and mountains
visible in a forested distance
mock your childish NewYork babble

scorn?

there is no time for laughter
while the beautiful jade tree mounts
the granite steps at the entrance door
of literary study

so enjoy the sublime adolescence
sucking your wrinkled thumb

the lotus flower watches in amusement
from a ferry near Staten Island

the red-crowned turkey struts to your simple music
beyond the pulse of a Beethoven beat

the Gate of Dazzling Virtue
shades her eyes
pointing along the wide terrace

you are alone as you stroll
but you cannot pass through

the garden will not wait.

no one asked

when he walked into the bar
he hadn't traveled very far
and he didn't want to think
took his first mind-altering drink
then his second and a third
and being good to his word
people listening heard
complaints about personal poverty
and sexual highway robbery
and he wailed about the boys
jealous of his hot rod toys
girls who straightened curls
and TVs and killer bees
and the early death of Elvis
and his unappreciated pelvis
the blue suede shoes and Memphis blues
and tiny purple fishes
laughing at his southern dishes
in the seaside village of gloom
he kept looking at the room
but it kept spinning inside his head
no one heard a word he said
so he sat down on the floor
no one asked for any more
and he didn't want to sing
threw away his wedding ring
he tossed aside his wife
then he threw away his life
when he walked into the bar
he hadn't traveled very far
but he thought he knew the score
no one asked for any more

high at noon

if you think i'll go crazy when i decide to leave
don't be too quick to guess what you believe

i won't be picking up a spoon or jacking a knife
throwing it at my heart but sparing my life

if you think i'll cry,
or that i might die
when the clock strikes another high at noon
a new beginning might be coming soon

i can stand the flood of time
roaring inside this skin of mine

my world always felt strong
even when you done me wrong

and i was always guessing smart
when you said i was off the mark

i always dressed up real good
even if you didn't think i could

so what was it about love that i didn't understand
when i felt the lack of your loving hand?

what was it about time when i felt out of place?
you tied me in knots of ribbon and lace

not quite a prison and not quite a chore
what was all the wondering for?
if you think i'll go crazy when i decide to leave
don't be too quick to guess what you believe

and if you think i'll cry,
or that i just might die
when the clock strikes another high at noon
a new beginning might be coming soon

Blue Archer

blue archer
Daniel
midland Texas baby
pump me up and
hold me down
i'm mining gold with a navy friend of mine
we're gonna paint the whole town
all at the right time
in the night time drinking bottles of wine
polishing pitchers full of gin
keeping poopers out, letting dancers in
sitting on the piano in silky black
natural motion natural fact
the girl with the most beautiful brown eyes
whispering a Swedish accent
and Hell to pay but Heaven sent
i'm still paying my dues and collecting rent
flying through mist at 5 thousand feet
looking for a decent hole to the happy sea
just tripping on my airplane seat
a friendly stewardess and lucky me
a new Jane Russell or Monroe
a Hollywood Honey for all i know
and have you heard what's really funny?
a sweet tooth and the lady doctor
playing with my stethoscope
it may be chasing skirts but i'm no dope
pumping iron in a sweaty room
balanced on the edge of doom
now she's calling me and i'm out of breath
where can i find a lover
baby
where can i find a lover
underneath the cloud cover
with no escort?
an armored ship without a port
baby baby baby baby
blue archer
Daniel
midland Texas baby
there are bullets flying and i never
turned due north or headed south
me and my damn big mouth
i never dodged a fist that i could swallow
dove head first into every battle
and never heard my throat catch or rattle
the sound of ten thousand maniacs roaring past
i'm spinning the radio dial trying to make it last
tap tap tap tap on the spectrum key
while she waited ever so patiently
all these heroes keeping warm
on the far western edge of Pacific dawn
many will survive but many more gone
with eyes hooded over from the night
and the music of a rising sun
beating like a samurai until it's done
blue archer
Daniel
midland Texas baby
where can i find a lover
baby
where can i find a lover
underneath the cloud cover
with no escort?
an armored ship without a port
baby baby baby baby

to linger

the small hill
it was no match for our skill
you made it to the top
and we shared the bottom

and hemlocks
i kept on my grey socks
you kept on your smile
and we had to linger

on Thursday
you had something to say
and i had something to ask
and we were both gratified

resting feet
heading for a repeat
the sun was warming us
as we laid hot blooded

then the drums
like happy little bums
erupted in silence
and we rose together

Sweet Prudence

Sweet Prudence
so much older today
Sweet Prudence
have you found a new place to play?

with expensive grownup toys
making lots of sunny noise
and you've found a new man
a Beatles fan
and he came looking for you
when you were blue
Sweet Prudence
what was he supposed to do?

Sweet Prudence
he found your smile
Sweet Prudence
but it took him a while

he found you hiding from the sun
you wouldn't walk & wouldn't run
and you stayed inside
lonely and cried
but he came looking for you
when you were blue
Sweet Prudence
what was he supposed to do?

then the guns went bang
while your sister sang
and the gurus bled
before the party fled
you were wearing white
dancing at night
won't you let me see your face?
has it disappeared without a trace?

Sweet Prudence
so much older today
Sweet prudence
have you found a new place to play?

Operation REDWING 1956

Trinity scared me
when I went shopping for a film
and found the bomb.

In radioactive sunlight
a Pacific cloud
swirled and roared
insanely loud.

The Navajo
near Dog Island
north of Bikini Atoll
saw the white sand.

It was piercing my eye
while exploding nearby.

I wore dark glasses
and felt the sting
of this incredible thing.

My flesh burned
by super-heated air
once loved

now no longer there.

A kiloton
became a megaton

before the testing was done

and the dirty device
became clean

but what did that mean?

The dragon breath
meant an early death

in a roll of fire and scorn
crushing a rose
snapping a thorn

and a thousand or ten
or a million or five

living now

would be barely alive.

sugar bum fairy

sugar bum fairy
criticizing my long hair
but it's just another day to them
now why do they care?

sugar bum fairy
it simply grows crazy on top
and no matter how i style it
they never stop.

it's like my door is open
and the lock and the key
they use them whenever
and never ask me.

sugar bum fairy
i'm floating on a river
with yesterdays' news
not asking permission
to go wherever i choose.

sugar bum fairy
across the universe
in a cloud of circus hair
i'm floating in orbit
won't find scissors there.

sugar bum fairy
sugar bum fairy

27 to 12

twenty seven to twelve
and i'm still in bed
watching you
waiting to be fed
and we just met
on a sidewalk
and all i said
was we should talk
but i'm always lonely
and you're no stranger
you like the risk
thrive on the danger
listen to the sound of heat
escaping my open window
you grab me high
i wrap you low
as the hours slowly slip by
and the sun disappears
you tattoo me
with your tears
i'm sure it's all fun
if i knew your name
we could say hello
and do it all again
but then i hear the phone
calling in the night
a friend wanting to know
if i'm alright
and then i'm gone
and you're a pet
out on the street
getting wet
you walk up to a car
and drive away
i hear a voice
but can't hear what you say

sweet Sam

sweet Sam
from your high rise window
standing on the top most floor
can you see me in my uniform
marching off to war?

can you see my tiny fingers
with youthful polished nails
flipping silver treasure coins
calling heads or tails?

i'm not sure how to choose
as you're pointing down this road
i keep looking for the question
which no answer ever showed.

sweet Sam
what is this foreign floor?
i can see it far below.
go faster is all you said
and just enjoy the show.

can you see me tremble?
i'm in black smoke and noise
resting like a baby now
with my little childhood toys.

remember when i gave it all?
marching to triumphant songs
i still felt strangely missing
having righted all the wrongs.

so, remember when you see the sky
the sparkle is my eye
and when you're feeling proud
i'm somewhere in the crowd

and the song
which everybody knows
millions of roses and yellow bows

i sang that once before
when i was marching off to war.

the scar

my dad kept brass knuckles in a bedroom dresser drawer
underneath my mother's white panties.

he had a temper, that's for sure.

he was a fist fighter, i was told.

once, during a baseball game he was catching for his Marietta
team, a local cop arrived to arrest the second baseman.

when the cop walked onto the field to get his man, my dad flipped
his mask and ran to get the cop.  And he did, so I was told.

and later, he got me, more than once.

but i don't want to talk about my childhood.

well, there is this:

my first three speed bike was too big for me.

but i rode it to elementary school anyway.

i watched a girl friend of my mother after she took a shower at our house,
peeking in from outside while she was drying herself.  Those were the first
real breasts i ever saw, and there was nothing special about them.

i was curious about a female body, but can't remember why.

i have a long very visible scar on my right forearm.

the scar has a history, but i can't remember what it was.

i was a good high school wrestler.

today, i continue to watch my weight.

i shot at frogs along the shoreline of a large pond, using
a BB rifle.

no frogs shot at me.

under blue skies

it's not funny
when the waterfall spills
between the sharper rock
and the steeper hills

under blue skies
clothed in gray perfume
between the shouting crowd
and the silent room

finding cover
wild pleasure around
paying full attention
not hearing a sound

drifting on air
while paradise sleeps
between the sad Angel
and the God who weeps

it's cold comfort
that heated blood flows
when everyone's lonely
and everyone knows

turn down the lights
remember the sun
and do unto others
what needs to be done

it's not funny
when the waterfall spills
between the sharper rock
and the steeper hills

under blue skies
clothed in white perfume
between the shouting crowd
and the silent room

nothing much to say

these clear tears were so heavy
they were impossible to lift
but seeing you smile by my side
was a special gift

a memory of a walk through the woods
in a creek and over trees
i wanted to tell you how much
you please

the green field and yellow flowers
our time spent in lazy minutes
turned slowly into hours

while the sun warmed the soft air
watched us quietly explore
straying from the narrow trail
we had enough but wanted more:

cars and the noise they make
in exhausted life seem so fake
i called you closer to my side
there was no where to hide

so i had you in the meadow grass
i the lad and you the lass
hearts content on an April day
there's not much more to say

the fiddle head ferns and property lines
little yellow signs
nailed into thick bark
but just a momentary mark

and cutting our initials into wood
thinking we should
we tumbled like little elves
far from our serious adult shelves

story in the air

when the wall came apart
and i slipped and fell
i lost my head and my heart
but who could really tell?

no message could get through
but i heard the cry
then i couldn't find you
and i didn't know why.

there was a story in the air
everybody was afraid
they went looking for their share
but it hadn't been made.

and the radio went dead
mountains of smoke and fire
exactly like the old books said
the oceans were growing higher.

danger like an angry snake
coiled with a baby in his bed
and i ran and had nothing to take
i talked but heard nothing i said.

a creek washed over my feet
i went into water to find you
but there was no one there to meet
i wondered if you always knew

when the wall came apart
and i slipped and fell
i lost my head and my heart
but who could really tell?

nothing ventured, nothing gained

and when i saw you last night
you saw me for the first time
then you saw the door
a short walk across the floor

you were looking for a way
to avoid that awkward glance
but i always found the pain
since you never looked back again

and you always cast a shadow
but i never tried to hide
no matter how it always seemed
oh hell, i guess i always dreamed

what had i ever said, i wondered
what could i ever do
there never was an easy way of knowing
which way you planned on going

and i don't know why i needed you
when you found it hard to say
just call me back tomorrow or some other day

it wouldn't help to know i really pained
well, brush it off
nothing ventured, nothing gained

and i don't know why i needed you
when you found it hard to say
just call me back tomorrow or some other day

it wouldn't help to know i really pained
well, brush it off
nothing ventured, nothing gained

Playing in the street

It seems as though it was only a year ago
But it was so many more
And i really didn't know
Looking out my front door

I saw you playing in the street
Laughing at the simple air
Smiling at those you'd meet
Juggling life without any care

As though you were a circus clown
But nobody knew who you were
An adjective or a pronoun
A satisfactory him or a silly her

You danced with the moon and cried
As loves you knew flew away to war
Some still living but most have died
Wondering what the fight was for

Left with questions and a simple thought
In traffic where the light shines green
Looking at the happy things you've bought
Wondering what can it all mean

You're dreaming on another boulevard
Looking at the sky for another moon
Trying to take it easy but it's too hard
Waiting, wanting it to be here soon

And it seems as though you're getting old
The dancing step is hard and long
Getting boxed up and rolled and sold
Wondering if maybe it just turned out wrong

Judas Priest (has a gun)

Judas Priest
liked his liquor straight

and he partied hard
and he stayed out late

he wore his beard
on every Saturday

and peppered God
on the kitchen tray

but he never missed his time to pray

Judas Priest
worshiped his warm gun

like a man of war
he shot out the sun

he wore his hat
on every Saturday

and turned out the lights
just so he could stay

but he never missed his time to pray

Judas Priest
liked his women cold

and he treated them
like they're bought and sold

he grabbed a girl
on every Saturday

and he frightened her
so she wouldn't say

but he never missed his time to pray

Judas Priest
liked his lonely shore

and he never cried
but he wanted more

he slapped a child
on every Saturday

and he hated it
when they ran away

but he never missed his time to pray

McNamara: The fog of war

the fog of war spread on Robert's face
it wiped his smile away
he said he had a better plan
he'd try it out someday

meanwhile men were dying fast
on patrol or in their base
they often died for nothing
it spread on Robert's face

he counseled Mr. President
and showed him progress, too
with numbers and amazing charts
inside the White House zoo

meanwhile things were going wrong
men dying without a trace
just sickening little smears of blood
it spread on Robert's face

he thought he had the answers
his data showed the score
as soldiers kept on fighting
an Asian civil war

the suits he wore were useless
no victories came with a tie
he counseled Mr. President
and formed another lie

meanwhile years were passing
explosions came and went
more lights were seen in tunnels
more thousands of soldiers sent

the fog of war was vicious
it set a furious pace
and when it wanted victims
it spread on Robert's face

1973

I saw sweet Jenny
in the lobby of the famous Blue Hotel

She was dancing with another man
He was treating her real well

Her head resting on his fancy shoulder;
it didn't matter that he was older

and with a smile she took a chance
gave the other men a second glance

she'd wink and smile and pout
and I knew what that was all about

She used to do the same with me
back in 1973

and then she'd say "Baby, can't you squeeze me close
I don't ever want to be your ghost."

Well, that was simply fine with me
back in 1973

when her hair was scarlet and her dress was black,
I'd kiss her lips without turning back

She'd eat me up and never turn me down
Each day we'd drive laughing into town

And the road ahead full of fire and heat
No, I never wanted to leave that street

Hot traffic under smooth night skies,
I felt the need in her hungry eyes

Just running on empty but she wanted more,
so i'd do it again for a wild encore

Well, that was simply fine with me
back in 1973

when her hair was scarlet and her dress was black,
I'd kiss her lips without turning back

and then she'd say "Baby, can't you squeeze me close
I don't ever want to be your ghost."

And with a smile she took a chance
gave the other men a second glance

she'd wink and smile and pout
and I knew what that was all about

Well, that was simply fine with me
back in 1973

Another week, another dollar

I'm tired.

I've been teaching inside the high school
the past 4 days.  The experience is not encouraging,
since so many of the students don't seem to get it.

Almost every ear is filled with a tiny speaker, as their
music is constantly playing.

Almost every hand holds a cell phone.

The focus is largely not on the material, and
most are unwilling to discuss
the historical issues;
rather, it's on the here and now, or
on the very short-term, like what's for lunch?

I stand and talk to my class.  I sit and chat with them and there
is laughter, and there are questions, which I answer.

But the near past of American history does not interest my class.

I'll try again next week.

Broken hearts

Broken hearts

in the famous hallway
with endless private doors

the maid scrubs the wall
she cleans the floors

while overhead more bombs
continue to fall

inside the doorway of the cafe
scattering paper
upsetting a tray

then just before dawn
everyone was gone

cups of coffee spilled
mounds of tears
more people killed

and a long run begins on nervous feet
towards Broadway for an opening night seat

where "Hero is almost dead," the black swan said,
with a bullet in his brain

now, no memory can remain

The kitten sips warm milk in a nuclear haze

An old man dreaming till the end of his days

Nearby, a baby cries
from hunger
soon dies

more poison falling from the skies

All their stories pointing fingers
more time is passing and more time lingers

Broken hearts

an apple pie and cherry tarts

Bombs are falling on the firing line
innocent blood runs red

"Lips without a name," is what He finally said

on a deserted island with sandals underneath His toes,

as the warm breeze strokes His forehead, so everybody knows

Broken hearts.

Eva Bender

a no-fly zone over Libya

a Nissan electric car

the perfect porch in Gretna
i wonder who you are?

surviving heartache

a watercolor touch

if i ask you for an answer
is that asking for too much?

tiny tea cup
on a handrail

free at last

released from jail?

why'd he do it?

black and blue

did the kitchen sink
grow tired of you?

2 tulip bulbs
one red kiss smile

a Swedish heart

to paint for a little while.

a walk in the woods

could you learn to love me
if i never change?

if i stay the same when the wild winds blow

and i never hide as my hair is tossed
because this wind is strong and my hair is dry and long
and i won't seek shelter as i walk in the woods
listening to the sound when it disappears in a natural rush

could you learn to love me
if i never change?

if i stay the same when the calm air comes

and i always sigh as i touch the grass
because this air is fine and the grass is a friend of mine
and i won't run away as i walk in the woods
listening to the sound when it appears as a natural hush

could you learn to love me?

because i love my life and my work and my play
which is a part of who i am and i am content and happy

could you learn to love me
if i never change?