CENTRAL VALLEY
in near orbit the pale desert
fades out of view
giving way to the ocean
night of the sky
settles
with light pollution
valley fever headlights
casting halos over
the broken white line
of trucks
passing trucks
on the five
HYMNAL
the bellows of sadness
commute my sentence
i am put to rest
with the others
to sing a praise
with the others
to bide my time
with the others
in the marshes
where no other
song may find you
crafting air for
next time
LAST GASP
thousands of words
all day
nothing
but whispers
at night
finally
ROLLING THUNDER
on a tree in a hill
over the island’s crested edges
the tremor of light
precedes the moment
washing out
the stars
MOAN OF THE BRUTES
you heard them
during the nights
when sleep
didn’t find you
peacefully
instead you listen to
their drunken chants
that fill the streets
on sundays
WHIRR OF THE BLADES
sorrow
makes a mess
of your voice
from baritone
to tremolo
BOMBAST IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC
the glittering lament
of endless waterfalls
pour out
of smoke-grey cliffs
overlooking
the bushy green hallows
and the harbor fish come alive
with the light
of a thousand suns
youth sets quick
like the vanishing sun
remove yourself
lest you be forgotten
in the stale air
of the night
SOUDAINEMENT
une couronne d’argile
déposée par la brume
malmenée par le feu
ruinée par les enclumes noires
des brutes sourdes
pièce unique
sans valeurs ni passions
que celles de la page
mouillée par le désir
malmené par le feu