No Wrinkles, Not a One

Ironed blue grey shirt
and rode my bicycle down
the long wooden stairs.
William Buckley at the door
with camera. “Smile!” said he.

House on High Street

new paint, big bath, plush
mauve carpet, no chairs, Jerry
Seinfeld stays a while

The Emerald Pool

We might wait around forever
for the answer to the question
of what causes all the suffering
in the lives of human beings.

It’s a long rough ride, twists and turns,
and sharp-edged corners.
And it never seems to end,
but it will as it has to

In the peace of Emerald water,
cool and clear and deep,
and the answers lie within it,
cool and clear,
clear and deep.

Each of us is falling,
falling back into the hands
of whatever God has made us
while those of us remaining
will be comforted
in dreams.

1995

River of Dreams

Artist(Band):Billy Joel

In the middle of the night
I go walking in my sleep
From the mountains of faith
To the river so deep
I must be lookin' for something
Something sacred I lost
But the river is wide
And it's too hard to cross

Even though I know the river is wide
I walk down every evening and stand on the shore
I try to cross to the opposite side
So I can finally find what it is I've been looking for

In the middle of the night
I go walking in my sleep
Through the valley of fear
To a river so deep
I've been searching for something
Taken out of my soul
Something I'd never lose
Something somebody stole

I don't know why I go walking at night
But now I'm tired and I don't want to walk anymore
I hope it doesn't take the rest of my life
Until I finally find what it is I've been looking for

(Two beat Pause)

In the middle of the night
I go walking in my sleep
Through the jungle of doubt
To the river so deep
I know I'm searching for something
Something so undefined
That it can only be seen
By the eyes of the blind
In the middle of the night (break)

I’m not sure about a life after this
God knows I've never been a spiritual man
Baptized by the fire, I wade into the river
That is runnin' to the promised land
(Long Four beat Pause)

In the middle of the night
I go walking in my sleep
Through the desert of truth
To the river so deep
We all end in the ocean
We all start in the streams
We're all carried along
By the river of dreams
In the middle of the night

Downtown Sunday Morning Sidewalk Scene

A tall black man,
thin as a piper,
swings out proudly smiling
with a bright orange safety cone
on top of his head,
a distorted gnome,
secure in the illusion
that no one
can run him down.

O What a Tattered Night!

What a tattered night I slept,
dreaming overlapped the waking.
Wandered I from couch to bed
(Dog by feet, cat by head)
Lists of future tasks repeating,
Voices of the day narrating
Twisted in the sheets and blankets.

Glance at clock and out the window;
One more hour will make my seven.
Throat grows dry, the sky is graying;
Thoughts of sleeping lead to waking,
rising, padding barefoot, making tea,
And one lone line survives the passage:
O What a tattered night I slept!

The Fancy Restaurant

(dinner with Linda M.)

You eat so much for
one so thin. Why wait to tell
me I'd be paying?

I have finished
the beer
that was in
the icebox
and which
you were probably
saving
for Friday
Forgive me
this girl came over
so sweet
and so hot

Despite the fact that this is the cover poem from "Broetry," by Brian McGackin, I still think it is beautiful.

Hugged and Unstrung

Andy Nicastro
had yellow baby chicken
hair. I got a hug!

His husband Patrick
is in a show in S.F.
with foul-mouthed puppets.

Sky

A scud of sherbet clouds
like pasta rolled too thin
and torn

So Slight that the Wind Lifted Her to Her Toes

An antelopey
little girl, whose bones weighed more
than the flesh upon them

Led Astray in Yorkshire

Rolling hill and dale shorn
short, wind blew umbrellas
inside out and back.

Hand built farm houses
children swinging in the yards.
“This is not the place,”

said the tall lean man.
“Those are not the houses. Those
children are all wrong.”

Izumi Shikibu

Even if I now saw you
only once, 
I would long for you
through worlds,
worlds.

__

In this world,
love has no color--
yet how deeply
my body
is stained by yours.

Izumi Shikibu, 974-1034
from The Ink Dark Moon
translated by Jane Hirschfield

In the Summer, In the City

New York, New York: "Peace,"
he said. "No pieces, thank you."
A brown shirt pulled from

my sweater. Rain. sun.
My brash friend Janet. "She's loud,"
I whispered. Hotel.

The Dream that Got Away

It was big, and it
was good, comforting, but I
forgot it.

First Hotel in Vegas

Desert skies, pink walls,
endless hallways, sleeping so
low on the tile floor.

Many women friends
compete for space with wealthy
jewel collectors.

Slow dip in blue pool
will soon cool our jangled nerves,
bring on star-crisp night.

Dual Purpose Beauty Chair

Why, you're no bigger
than a Barbie, Baby Boy!
My new punk haircut

Early in Your Meteoric Rise

Marilyn so bright
so faintly gowned in glimmer
silver hair like mine

Do Not Touch Him, Do Not Wake Him, Do Not Surprise Him

Steamy Vietnam,
a bucket trip with my Grandpa,
waiting for a bus.


I raise an open
palm to a girl, then I pray.
He knows martial arts.

Why I Don't Talk to You

You can’t hit your mom.
I’ll crawl across this table
and strangle you good.

Had a Farm

Vincent and Tyla
had two more children, not twins:
a boy then a girl.

Racing to the Grey Wood House

Why is my old dog
in your black sedan while I
pedal fast and wide?

Surgery for Pain Relief

Maggie, you watch me
from the O. R. light as I
climb up table high.

And Your Secret Pal's No Secret Anymore

AND YOUR SECRET PAL’S
NO SECRET ANYMORE

Don’t apologize
for gold earrings come lately,
for changing faces.


LIKE MEETING IN HEAVEN

High ceiling, low light--
Everyone gets plastic hats,
fudge brownies, and grapes.

Elvis on My Lap

Elvis on my lap
watching rented kittens play
on carpet of grass.

He was so young then
joking and making us laugh
at casino school.

Sheila D. Landre
8/13/11

Moka Mark Davis

Moka Mark Davis
constructed a cheese souffle
in a floating town.

New York Apartment

New York apartment
Loud snow on the TV screen
Matt Damon is hot

Years of Secret Crush

Years of secret crush
He meets me in a doorway
One hug soothes and seals

Scott Has OCD

Scott has OCD.
Tiffany owns a thrift store.
Yard sale tomorrow!

Searched for a Bathroom

Searched for a bathroom
all night long, fighting a black
man once to get in

Relieved, finally
closed the door to find
the room made of glass.

My Roommate Tom Green

My roommate Tom Green
found white larvae on his head.
Eradicate them!

A dead dog and a
living one running together
off leash, it's okay.

I Could Not Catch Him

I could not catch him;
Taken by a bird of prey.
Please, not mine. Not mine.

(for Ali)

Very Busy Night: Kissing

Very busy night: kissing,
Walking backwards down a hall,
Dancing with some kids.

To Bury It Or

To bury it or
Not to bury rottweiler
or to make a rug