Catch of the Day

All our wreaths and Christmas trees
Give off their warming glow
Our icicles are made of lights
Because our sky never snows
The dog sleeps at your feet tonight
After barking at the crows
And if you can hear me, calling you
Just somehow let me know.

So now I sit on the angels' peak
Tracing back to where it had begun
And I cast my wish on a fishing rod
Into a sea of infinite suns...

Brother

Today must be his
One of the rowdiest kids
His voice knows nothing but loud
Baby laughs with baby farts
Would melt your warm heart
He makes his dear parents proud
Apple juice traces
And Velcro for laces
On the smallest pair of shoes
It's November 28th
My brother's birthday
Here come the terrible twos...

No, Thanksgiving

Dammit just give me a few more minutes
I know what's going to happen today
Like any other holiday...
I want out.
I really want out.
I'd sink into the sheets and fade away
Comatose just for the day.

Dammit why is it so hot outside?
It's hell on earth...
We had it coming.
I don't want to stand in line
With people I don't know
Or ever want to know.
Their kids with their clothes
And fancy new phones,
It all just makes me sick.

Four thousand five hundred calories tonight,
Glutton yourselves until you lose your sight.

This day would not be complete
If what's tradition was not said:
Well I'm thankful for family
And I'm thankful for friends
But I'll be more thankful for when this day finally ends.

Dear Mr. Threadholm,

The sun peeks through all of the cracks in the sky
As the dead leaves take flight with cherubim passing by
If this is our Savior, let the storm clouds roll in
The city of angels must wash off its sins

My Life as a Captain of a Maersk Sealand Freighter

Her anchors have been ripped from starboard and port
By fickle-faced freighters who promised a consort
From bow to stern, she's been ravished by cliffs
Left in the Arctic to aimlessly drift
Her radio calls are only heard by ghosts
Who haunt the ribs of broken beasts on the coast

Alert the Captain!
Sound the alarm!
They've looted our hull and stolen our arms.
Abandon ship!
Fire the flares!
The lifeboats are missing, no hope is found there.

This vessel is rusted and moaning with age,
Singing her story of desolation and rage.
And with her I'll stay as she slowly goes down,
Holding her steady as we slowly drown.

Naming Songs After Songs

Show up to the party late
But they say you've been there
Hello, Mr. Trendsetter
With your cool hipster clothes
And your trendy bed hair

But nothing can rival
the styles and the grooves
Of queer Mr. Sparkles
with his sparkling moves...
His gyrating hips
Could make a salty sea dog sick
And as land-leggers go queasy,
We felt quite uneasy.

But I could never truly tell
The excitement I felt
Meeting someone I've never bet before,
With his mic in his hand
Leading this Oregon band
We'll stand until we can't stand it anymore!

And I've never had so much fun
On a late Monday night
But now we've got homework
And inexorable sleep to fight...

Play Street Lights: Becoming What I Tried to Avoid

The jingle of your keys
Signals the end of the night.
Be sure to hold her tight
Pressing her heart against your chest.
I'll keep my hands in the pockets of my vest...
Look away,
Look away,
I've got nothing to say.
I have nothing to do
But let life take its course.
I just miss someone else's warmth.

Say!

Claude, start it off...
Soft keys stroke a chord
Soft light fills the room
Shining on the soft pillow
Soft words spoke the willow
Weeping for her dear son
Not dead in war
But dead in heart
Signing away his soul
To go somewhere far
No matter where, it isn't home
And so she weeps,
As her son awakes from sleep.

A day early in my Sunday's best
But I make it for the curtain's rest
Deja vu, table for two!

I'm your modern day Gatsby
Living the dream
Living in the dream
Living the dream in the dream
Do you know what I mean?

Spill your heart out on a plate
And serve it up with delight
While the living dead wander
In the fog of the night.
They're coming for me, dear!
They'll be here real soon
And I'll be living (in) the dream
Falling asleep to Clair de Lune.
Why do you take me so soon?
Say!
...Good night.
Yes, it has been a good night.
Good bye, it's all over now.

21st Century Vagabond

Like trying to settle on hot coals
Like trying to root impregnable rock
I rush with a wind to cause a chill,
Unable to be that city upon a hill.
The pillars are built up
To be swiftly disassembled,
An organized theory that chaos resembles...

But if there is one thing never faulting
I must say it's the view
The breaking of legs
The colors show true.
So when the curtains close
Just keep on the light
Because were going to Roscoe's
And it's opening night!

Though paradise was never lost.

I'm really sorry you lost your wings!
Golden halo and silken things...
And you fell from higher than the tallest tree
Down to this earth to help poor old me!

Can you read me a story?
You'd really be the best!
And maybe hold the wheel
While I try to rest?

If you stay by my side
And you never recoil
You'll be packing my lunch
In brown bags and foil...
But as strange as it sounds
You are a mother at times
With a soft, caring voice
And an aura that shines!
For years it does seem
There's a recurring theme
You are truly heaven-sent
And what a friend really means...

Sorry, ladies...

Ladies, please!
You're in such distress!
This calendar lapse is just a big mess...
You've waited and waited,
For this perfect time
When God would hear prayers
And stars would align
And I, in my luster, as suave as can be
Would tell you that you were worthy of me.
You'd swoon and you'd faint
Into my burly arms
Conquered by lust
And my unmatched charm

Oh boys, silly boys
You're nothing but pawns
I am Enrico
And you are my lawn
Challenge me and I'll cut you
And put you into a bag
And I'll take your girl
So you can go stag.
And how can I say
Such an aggressive attack?
Because once they go black
They'll never go back.

But I guess for this once
You'll barely slip by
But without looks like mine
They'll accept with a sigh
So just keep them warm
But don't touch my girls
While I'm in New Orleans,
Just saving the world...

Mrs. James, you are a devil!

At last,
The sight from my rear view mirror
Shakes and fades away
Blending in with the break of day.

I hold my breath
Until my eyes roll back,
Trying hard to look onto the past:
The VHS cassette
The 93' Corvette
The snow angels on towers
The golden Youngstown flowers
Yes, these were a few of my favorite things...

But they call misfortune
The great magician
And life: A game of craps
You shake, you blow,
And seven's your call,
But you've got no dice,
No dice at all...

So now my head rings from the siren's scream,
As my childhood drips from the L.E.D. screen.

Literal Schizophrenia: Ignorance is Bliss

He wakes in the familiar bed
To the world he has never known
He picks his greens himself
From the plants he has never grown
He stamps all the envelopes
For letters he would never send
He blows to cool his tea
Though she says it's just pretend
He tells the girl he loves her
But she doesn't know his name
He ruffles all her hair
Without a sense of shame
He reminds old friends of pastimes
Retelling stories they've never heard
But then I stop mid-sentence--

I've been living in my words,
Always talking in the third.

Despair & Happiness

Oh, the sky has turned to gold!
The fires have burned our wealth into the sky
So now the clouds are worth more than the cars that drive by
Sit with me and we'll think of what could
As the sweet smoke stings our eyes
And our nostrils fill with the smell of wet wood
Will you share this daylong sunset with me?
And if we die, right here, right now
I think I might just hold your hand
So you won't get lost,
In the fields of Elysium.

Here the rain falls, but the sun doth shine!
And I am forever yours,
As long as you're forever mine.
Spectrum in the sky!
Spectrum in the sky!
Put your raincoat on
And wear those rubber boots high!
Because you'd never ever think
We'd be the stars shining above
To guide ships to safe harbor
To remind the ones you love
That you're still well looked over
Though you are no longer alive
Because here, in the absence of time
You lay your hand,
Forever in mine...

Six to the left!

I had said yes, and didn't know why!
But now god couldn't take it back,
No matter how hard he tried.

I practice my 15 step as I parallel park,
The violent motion has my eyes going dark...
Neon signs
Waiting lines
And a pleasant surprise!
I take a deep breath
And close my eyes...
Be it divine intervention
or intelligent design
Fate has never woven
Such a fabric so fine.

But set that aside
And watch the stars collide
As we sip on our coffee
Just to pass the time
On benches, on curbs
Whatever you find absurd.
You can call us eccentric,
But we're called artsy nerds.

So the flashes will fly
And catch strangers' eyes
Who envy what we'll never lose:
The laughs, the grooves,
The big city blues,
Your options are there,
You just have to choose.
Besides, I'm just a boy
Boy,
Crazy boy...
Stay cool, boy.

So I'll hang from the street lights
So I can click my heels
And wish to the stars
For how it all really feels.

Our Prayers at Evening

Bow to the wall,
Sing to the door,
Take off your shoes
And rise from the floor...
Only to hit the ceiling,
And fall down again.

Any more words
Would mean my uncertain death,
So when the stones start to speak,
I'll mutter under my breath.

"Hats off, take a knee."

Goodbye...
It was a good ride!
Our teeth have been worn down,
Tearing for victory.
We've only the embers left
From the fire once burning
In our hearts
In our eyes
Four years it never died.
But now,
The scent of wet ash is all around us.
Silence,
The fire dies quietly...

Though the callus has been built
Out of pride and out of guilt,
Even real men cry
When every day we live or die,
Fight or go home.

...So now our chapter is finished,
Our sorrowful song has been sung.
Our men are sick.
Our captain is down.
Now I wait
For Stockholm Syndrome to come around.

Yet at this paradoxical pivot point,
With our broken bones and creaky joints,
The sunset salutes us!
Nature's beauty galore
To say goodbye to a pastime,
There is football no more...

Good game,
Good game,
Good game.

What are you doing with your life?

O, the pains of maturity
And the imminent insecurity
In each gasp of cold air
In each strand of white hair
One less beat my heart will make
One less day I'll ever wake.
The body becomes a ticking clock
The organs wait for the relieving shock
And so the work whistle blows,
And your body lets go.

This is the time
When dreams and reality collide
And after the gray matter and dust subside
The product is truth
The absence of innocence
The slow decay of youth
And self-image tries its best
To crawl out of the carnage.

Well I've met my match:
Mundane mediocrity
A statistic in society...
I'm aspiring to be average.
I'm striving to be standard.

I am but a flaw in the system,
This is existentialism.

Blink and a day goes by...

You open your eyes,
Today might be the day.
You go through the routine
Making yourself look pretty and clean
With nothing to say
And no one to say it to, anyways.
You feel a little sick, so you let out a cough
Vitamins, orange juice, and then you're off.

You come back with a weight on your chin
Your limbs seem heavier
You've lost that grin
You feel a little off, so you let out a sneeze
Irritated, hushing the rustling leaves
You slave at your desk
And then let out a sigh...
Today wasn't the day,
You close your eyes.

Scenarios

No matter how this all plays out
The sky is getting darker...
The air is getting colder...
My muscles are getting tired and sore
I don't think my head can take anymore.
It's been a good long fight
But we've reached the nets
And it's a safe bet
That our time comes to lay our arms down.

But we won't go out with a whimper
We'll go out with a bang
More ferocious than the great creation itself
Tearing ticks off of clocks
Leaving nothing but the shock
Oh, we aren't done yet!
We've got a little fight left
And we're going to take what we can get.

So keep those damn soccer nets out of our way.
Because we're not finished yet,
And we're still going to play.

Sunsets are forgotten to see the sunrise again.

We all say our goodbyes,
Hoping we can say hello again.
The sun sets in the sea,
To rise again on the tops of trees.
It's all circular, can you see it?

We hate the bitter endings,
To love the new beginnings...
But if we never let go
And dwell on the dead,
Our own wounds will never heal
And we can never move ahead.

So I've realized if you dream it
It almost never comes true...
But if you forget it all
It might just come to you
So I'll forget all my loves,
All my hopes,
All my dreams,
And I'll redefine what life really means.

Is Tamara Home?

There's a knock at the door.
Single strokes
Drowning notes
Of the phonograph in the den.
For every horrific pulse
Counting out this death waltz
Your heart beats five,
Pumping to provide blood,
Struggling to keep you alive.

Wakey, wakey, rise and shine!
You're going to die!
Admire the blade's tip so fine...
Are they sinners?
Yes, sometimes.

So save your breath
You did what you could,
You locked the doors
Like you knew you should.
Begging's no good...
They aren't there anymore,
Just let the blood pool on the floor.

This morning seems colder,
And now you're alone.
But why did they do it?
Because you were home.

Well that's a step up!

So you've found your way in again...
Although I covered my ears,
And kept my mouth shut,
With screws and bolts and nuts,
You've found your way in.
Blurring my vision
Damming transmission
Irrational remainders
In this long division.

I raise you up
You do the same
We share the focus
Still frame.
Freckled faces.
This smile is contagious!
Let's give it another try
You had a bit of sky in your eye
The sun needs time to shine too,
You know?

24

I am the one that at times you may see
Carefully pealing the rings off of trees
Trying to spin the earth west
Three hundred and sixty degrees
Putting back the carbon
Into fossilized bees
Holding restless hands
From hitting half past three...

I pass it,
I kill it,
I keep it,
But most of all
I need it,
Time.

Controlled R.E.M.

It is the smell of late December
Sweet ginger, scarves, and sweaters
Drawing a circle in my right hand
Trying hard understand

It is the Siren song that fills the skies
Which God himself placed in your eyes
Bringing seasoned sailors to their end
Taking his ships and all of his men

It is 5a.m. with no direction
It is failure in recollection
It is losing all perception
It is the art of self-deception.

Yes. We. Can.

The entire world is awake!
Look at what we've done
The liberty bells have rung
We've made history here today...

O, speak our great hero,
Our citizen of the world!
Let your voice sing
And shake the dust from this nation
Tell her,
"It's time to move forward!
It's time to progress!
Stretch those weary legs
Bearing such heavy burdens
For I will lift you myself!"
We cry tears of joy
You've always had our faith
We trust in your hands
Our nation so great

To our dear runner-up
Sporting coats of red
We respect you so much
Though your campaign is dead
You concede with great honor
You concede with your dignity
Try to sleep well tonight!
Although this nation rumbles with excitement
Shaking its borders with the roars of proud lions
Jostling the Pacific and the Atlantic
Challenging their waves with our own,
The nation is in safe hands,
So do not worry,
Our nation's seasoned servant.

But tonight we won't sleep
But celebrate with dear friends
As we sit back in awe
In this nation born again...

...And their pumping fists pushed the heavens back to make way for change!

Nothing can hush this roaring crowd
Radio waves rupture the skies
TV screens shine with pride
All shouting one name:
Obama

Loyal flags trample front lawns
Showing a brighter dawn
A dawn of new hope
A dawn of due change
All shouting one name:
Obama

You say Obama
I say hope
You say McCain
I say nope

Barack the boat
Barack the house
You make the vote
He'll take the House

Obama says to knock you out.
Change is what I'm all about.

Go ahead,
Pump your fists in the sky
Letting out our cry in unison:
Freedom!
Oh let it ring...
Our stars, our stripes,
The pride they bring
Our nation's been waiting for a moment like this
So don't you dare wait until November 5th!
Let the world know what you've got to say
Because he who rejects change
Is the architect of decay.

A Father Watches His Own Son Die

Hector, my hero, I mourn for you dearly
The dark mist will never let your eyes see clearly
Oh son, how I raised you, so proud and so valiant
But soon you'll be tied to the frame of a chariot
Covered in blood of your brothers in arms
Driven by the monster who caused us such harm

How how I wish that my tears could protect us
And give back the wife of wicked Menelaus
But they just fall to the ground and fade away
As will the sun, shielding its eyes from the fray
When all of Troy is pillaged and burned down to the ground
And your mother and I are killed in our silken nightgowns
Son, do you pity our deaths in our sleep?
Or what damage your death will inflict on me?
A father cannot bury another one of his sons
As I have already buried Polydorus and Lycaon
How can I wash as you are eaten by birds?
Achilles will laugh and ignore every single word
Or cry, for that fact, as your mother beats her breast
Or scream from my voice as I pull from my crest

So now you run for your life around our great city's walls
As Apollo cowers from your side by great Zeus' call
But now you stop, foolish son, it's not your brother, it's a god
It seems you don't care, charging death against all odds
I pray you got to know Sleep, because his cousin Death awaits
The scales have been tipped and there's no turning your fate
Your soul will escape and your limbs will go slack
And once in the House of Death, you can't ever come back.

11:11 and nothing to wish for...

Today the sun did not rise
The sleep and saline crusted over my eyes
I could still taste the courageous words on my tongue
That took the fatal breath right out of my lungs
That shattered glass towers
And brought November showers
My is body still tired and weak
As if that sleep meant nothing to me
Good morning cold ketchup and eggs
Good morning filtered tap
God damn it I fought it off for five years,
But my friends, my hopes, your ghost, have disappeared
And now it's the only thing left to keep me company at night
It's the only thing I can ever really hold tight
But you're not to blame, my dear.
It is long past my due time.
This is truly my fall.
This is my
Decline.

Closure.

I made a vow to myself
To write and clutter my shelves
But my thoughts have been lost in the deep
And are slowly conquered by sleep

My eyes are too heavy to see
My brain is too burdened to think
My throat is too weathered to speak
My heart is too broken to be

They say ask and you shall receive
But I just don't want to believe
That this chapter has come to an end
There's no sunlight around the bend

But although you were on and off
Just know that I never stopped
And time has shown and will show
My stubborn heart just won't let go