warmth

i love you

through and through

i'd like to hold your hand for an hour

kiss you for two

followed by lovemaking of deliberately indeterminate length

so to force us to clear our calendars for one another.

#14

forever fighting oddities

against pulsing pastel backgrounds

where young men win

old men love

and the middle man gets cut up

and shot down

slide a bullet in and 

shoot the messenger

#13

how can it be

my love is fading

as it follows my hair

to shades of grey

i have friends

who know how to make their way

but when does the sun

break through for me

there must be some

waves that crash on

shores where lovers

are never found

too wild and rough to tread

life has split me

between faith and fear

i can't even bear

to face the choice

should i believe

in a valorous decree

to love humanity

despite the stains

#12

slumping in the tub

filling up your head

lines off the page

feel more comfortable

when you're less comfortable

the thing is to keep your head down

keep your eyes tired

keep your waist trim

live long and lean as a loser

and do all your reading by candlelight

#11

frank cauley stands at the back

of a line that stretches alllllll

             the way round

the supermarket 

that crisp and cool morning in boston, ma

he is up earlier than normal

he feels tired and

disjointed from the images and men and women

moving all around them

he entreats you to sleep

the way he wishes he was right now