The Cloud, The Bird And The Sky
The cloud watched the bird and the cloud wished
It could soar through the sky like the bird.

The bird watched the cloud and the bird wished
That, like the cloud, it could lazily float along the sky.

The sky, holding the cloud and the bird, wished
It could soar and float within itself.

All this I witnessed in my place just above the chains
Of the clasping and covetous earth.

Find The Center
Find the center.

You pout in the corner of the room, red as a beet.
Come sit miraculously astride the four corners.

You crawl along the edges of the page
And the ancient voice implores you
To hobble to the center.

You march in the parade
Of far left or far right
And the eternal teacher
Gently points toward the middle where all is seen.

The poet who drank too much
Looked on in a crimson envy
At the man who did all things
Without swaying,
In moderation.

When you breathe deeply,
Hold it in, make it conscious a moment –
Where does your body swell?
Your core.
Your core.
Your core.

There Is No Love
There is no love. Not really.
There are pitched pennies
that are rusting in the rain.
There are bricks askew,
pyres that won’t ignite;
‘most everything so poorly constructed.
There are black men clubbing black men
and white men clubbing white men
and white club black club white.
There are women knifing men
through phone screens
and there are men raping women
under flashing neon signs.

There is no love.
There’s black smoke.
There’s cigarette air
and there are automobiles breaking down
in the inclement weather.
There are knives in the backs,
needles in the arms,
eyes sewn shut for when the truth shows up,
subliminal, in a flash,
when you least want or expect it.
Love is too tough to construct.
It’s not built to maintain in this weather.
It’s not dressed to last the night.

There is no love.
There are flags to salute,
jobs to go to, to die along
the rutted routes.
There is no love
but you can watch birds ascend;
you can watch snakes slither into tall grass.
You have indoor plumbing,
your refrigerator’s full,
you have Ibuprofen for when your body aches.
That’s not love but that’s something.
That’s nice,
it’s nice enough.