The Blue God

The blue god of war

    is so strong

he can twist trees

with the tip of his tongue.


You better not defy him

              scream at him

              lie to him.

He’ll explode and beat

      the hell out of you.

 

He lives on nothing

   will die for nothing

   makes us children

   shivering all night

   crying in empty winds

   turning our tears to ice.

 

The blue god of war

    is so strong

northern winds bow to his will.

 

He doesn’t dig

           your moaning

           and groaning.

You better shut up or he’ll

make mincemeat out of you.

 

He laughs at everything

has respect for nothing

makes us afraid to fight

when he spits in our faces

turning our tears to ice.

 

So we watch in silence

waiting for the coming light

when he will hold us

in his burning hands

and we will be born twice

    once by fire

    once by ice.

 

Gulf War

1991, 1992, 1993…ad nauseam

That fall I wanted to

turn around, scotch tape

all the months back on the

calendar.  Buy pails of green

paint to color the leaves.

 

But there was this problem

of the sky.  How can you

camouflage such a huge

canvas for even a second

to look like spring?

 

Listening to radio reports,

watching people die on television.

There was nothing we could do

but trip over this dance of death

this war…this desolation.

 

Fire sparks converge into

red hot cinders.  So many

stars shooting across galaxies

So many falling as we practice

for the end of the world.

As we practice for the end of the world.

As we practice for the end of the world.

 

 

Eleventh Hour

Wrapped in darkness we can

no longer deceive ourselves. 

Our smiling masks float away.

We snake here, there

from one side to another. 

How many times do we rip off 

blankets only to claw more on?

 

Listening to zzzzzz of traffic,

mumble of freight trains, fog horns.

Listening to wheezing,

feeling muscles throb.

How can we find comfort?

 

Say same word over and over

again again falling falling to sleep.

I will stop measuring what was lost.

I will become brave.

 

Let slumber come covering me.

Let my mouth droop, fingers tingle.

Wishing something cool…soft…sweet.

Now I will curl like a fetus

gathering into myself

hoping to awake new born.