#807 a chore for Father

the boy mows
fearful of rocks and sticks and demons
of the ka-cha-chunk of unwanted debris
fear affects his heartrate
fear of these things and fear of Him

#806 stations

like most men whose parents outlive them, i was a little boy when i was condemned
despite popular belief, i was cross, and received wood to match my emotion
i fell on dirty dirt, but mum was there and i found the strength of simon
my sweat and filth were wiped by compassion
thanks V
i fell a second time, but by then i was beyond their ridicule, i found a new strength
hidden all my earthly life
met the daughters my knees hit earth for the third time
blood and clay, together again
stripped, nailed
dead
deposition, or lamentation, whichever you prefer
both a step to my tomb

#805 the big leagues

remember getting a run-on,
like a cfl kicker
closer and faster
as you approach it
then kick it
it goes flying, end over end
and lands seven feet away
a defeated dandelion

#804 sorry

stairs thump and sandwiches fly
suitcases fill and dishes rotate
never everything done
but who cares when you get away for the weekend

#803 rain rein

rain and wet fill the town
forcing me inside my house,
inside myself
grey outside
grey inside

#802 "it's bigger than you"

piercing strings
followed by skull-thumping bass
build up to lyrics that question man's contribution
to this blue gumball
forcing envy toward any one grain of sand
on a beach or in a playground sandbox

#801 greener on the other side

walking with my grandson, i see a leaf
resting on a rock by the fence
on the rock is a fossil
this green leaf leaf will one day fossilize

which is more beautiful, more impressive?
the green leaf or its ancient imprint?
i pick up the leaf, hand it to my grandson
but he seems more amazed by the fossil

#800 ALEX WAS HERE

i pour words like concrete
changeable for a finite time
setting in place from the moment they hit paper
and like the ingenious teen vandal
if i time the change just right
my words live until the sidewalk is re-done

#799 ferris wheel churning

time is a conspiracy
clock tic corruption
time zones and twilight zones
hands spin against, forcing motivation
each moves at its rate
climbing left, falling right
ferris wheel stomachs for those who watch too close
and the digital hides its progress in 60 second bits
arbitrary units invented by the clock's own existence

#798 CG Y Hate, the red plate

I LOVE Fernie.This place.

Smalltown pace, knowing the clerk’s face, night-time drum-n-bass, mountain-sheltered …           space     

godly things, NEW chocolate shops, OLD stumpy, up 3 sisters, down 3 kings,

familiar eyes and lawn trimmed perfect by, old Italian guy

But tonight my slam is for all       CAPITAL-A CAPITAL-B     HATERS

who, like me, ever said “BEEP BEEPIN, red-platers”

Birthday brats, we brag, unwilling to share            

But these mountains are not ours or theirs

Though wrapped in green ribbon and white bow,

by the, Higher Powers.    The Powers-That-Be,

Powers that be wishin’ we seein’ their vision.     

of Kindness, Understanding, Respct-       

But heck

I play the game in my mind, SUV pulls in from my blind

Cuts me off without pity like 2^nd ave is his Cow-Town city

RED-plate, but I don’t  hate

I used to seethe, now I breathe

you see, SUV slaves to collect enough…  paper quadrilaterals

 to enjoy the mountain, saddle-bowls

And when I city-drive, I need to draw on rage, release my

Mario-Andretti, psycho-speedin  horn-honkin, finger-flippin   INNER BEAST

okay, I’m not that bad, but here’s my pledge

I WILL NOT JUDGE CALGARY BY ITS WORST EXAMPLES

plenty of BLEEP BLEEPS in this town, my hikers and campers

Weekdays SUV chooses to, make Big Money; weekdays I choose to, ride Big Money

Mr SUV is 5-lane insane Mcleod Trail-men-tality

Not because he, wants to be,       not because he tries to see?

but because that’s 5 days of his 7, workin’ to afford …      condo in heaven

I’ll close         by stealin', words aristotelian     “We ARE what we repeatedly do”

So I      ask you,     see G        Y hate, the red-plate          Why CG Y

#797 cheeseburger philosophy

life is a burger
we're all a little different
choose your side
choose your size
patty between buns

life is a burger
dress it how you want
add some colour
add some condiments
cow between bread

life is a burger
eat it up
enjoy every morsel
savour every bite
meat in the middle

#796 the beach

in every person's life
blows a teenage night
a nocturnal gust
snapping the kite in a new direction
the flyer feels the snap as a tug on the hands

#795 weight

my soul is weighed down with anchors
social commitments, to-do lists, meetings
when do i cut the chains and leave the anchor to rust on the ocean floor?
trust the winds to take me

#794

when did i buy all this stuff
why
things on top of gadgets underneath trinkets
electronics and furniture and clothes
more clothes than any one person will ever need
at this rate, wall space will be non-existent in 2014
when did i buy all this stuff
why

#792 the horror

my face is the wrong size
my skin blisters and peels
glows an unnatural red
i risk early death
all because...
i forgot the sunscreen

#791 first year

dismantled pens
hold bits of paper, wet
as does the ceiling
a pile of undone to-do lists lies a large desk
covered by uncorrected assignments

#790 order

i stare at the open drawer, full of tupperware
begin to close it
slide it open again
stare another couple of moments
then i answer the battle call
empty the contents onto a free space on the counter
spray and wipe the drawer, inside and out
dry it
sort and order containers and lids
pitching the singles, the un-mated, the useless
slide it closed
open it
wallow in achievement
slide it closed again

#789 sharing

i put my soul on their table for supper
and instead
they ordered out, kfc
so i scrape my soul from their plates onto one plate
then to the stainless steel can beneath the kitchen sink
and later, curbside

#788 poetry matters

poetry is everywhere
the kitchen table, a desk, your own hand
everywhere

poetry is not a specific state of mind
but it requires a specific state of mind to be observed
an awareness, that facilitates a connection
between observer-mind and observer-environment

poetry is not matter
poetry is the reason matter matters

#787 may 5th

the mountains look like a half-eaten dessert
beside the kitchen sink
the morning after
but still
winter hangs on like the smell of fish on hands

#786 lies we tell our children

cheaters never prosper
you might get arrested for that
be careful, or your eyes will stay crossed
what goes around comes around
if you don't start trying harder, you'll never make it in (insert grade or post-secondary year here)
you'll understand when you get older

#785 nhlfomo

why do i need to see the game tonight
why not the score in the morning
and the highlights if i want
fomo
how do they use it against me so well

#784 boring

my friends call me crazy
and i call them the same
insane zany and quirky
are all compliments three
because the antonym of crazy is

#783 our kitchen table

our kitchen table provides 3 meals a day
turns people into friends
supports meetings that improve community
wears scratches and a red wine ring
our kitchen table
is the nucleus of our house