Angry, that is to say somewhat disappointed, in Victoria.
So we leave in a holy-baptism shower,
Up and down hills through Tacoma...
for two hours.
40 miles pedaled. Its dark. We're tired.
Scanning every roadside ditch and lane for a place
to cook the food
and lay out the bivy-sack
stretch the tarp
dry our feet
eat
eat
sleep.
Come the morning I ride beneath the watchful eye of my father
I ride beside my mother
Oh, paternal mountains!
Oh, maternal sea!
One night in a true campsite,
one bottle of ginger-cider,
one park ranger telling us, "don't burn the twigs"
one greasy bacon.egg.flapjack meal
two sleeping cyclists...
under one blue tarp
one true-blue tarp.
The next day finds a trail.
A true trail, a you and me and anybody trail.
Port Angeles! (we only want you for your ferry)
such a long ferry ride...from home to strange
but less strange than it is a little different.
Oh Canada!
(you're pretty much the U.S...
but you have lots of pretty girls)
Nov 5, 2012
An appeal for my soul, an appeal in winter.
Well, it has been more long than a long time should be. It has been an over-long time. And yet for all the time that has passed I have only this to offer:
Somehow you know better,
than ever I will know,
that words are more than letters,
and Winter more than snow.
Oh, don't leave-go your labor,
I learn so stubborn-slow,
if salt should lose its flavor,
will lamplight lose its glow?
Please let me be a sailor,
in a field let me sow,
but don't withhold your favor,
or ever let me go.
Somehow you know better,
than ever I will know,
that words are more than letters,
and Winter more than snow.
Oh, don't leave-go your labor,
I learn so stubborn-slow,
if salt should lose its flavor,
will lamplight lose its glow?
Please let me be a sailor,
in a field let me sow,
but don't withhold your favor,
or ever let me go.
Oct 19, 2011
Oh! Fall!
You're crisp like an apple,
you sunrise bathed day!
You'll ever elude and embrace me,
You'll ever pursue and erase me.
You're sharp like the contrast,
in the scene, distant.
You'll ever elude and embrace me,
You'll ever amuse and escape me.
Oh Fall!
I fall in love with you
just
before
You fall away from me.
you sunrise bathed day!
You'll ever elude and embrace me,
You'll ever pursue and erase me.
You're sharp like the contrast,
in the scene, distant.
You'll ever elude and embrace me,
You'll ever amuse and escape me.
Oh Fall!
I fall in love with you
just
before
You fall away from me.
Sep 8, 2011
Mee
There once was a man named Mee.
One day Mee purchased a jar of poison at WorldMart, his local grocery store.
Mee went home and put the poison in his pantry right next to his supply of wholesome, delicious jars of food.
The next morning, when Mee made breakfast, he grabbed the jar of poison and spread it on his toast.
Mee felt terribly ill.
His stomach was on fire.
His throat burned.
His vision blurred and eventually everything went black.
Mee awoke later in the day.
The sickness had passed.
That is to say, he’d managed to vomit before passing out.
His face was caked with his own puke.
Mee got up and washed himself off.
He felt hungry.
Mee decided to make some soup.
One carrot.
One potato.
One can of chicken broth.
One scoop of poison.
It smelled so good.
Mee sat down with a massive bowl of soup.
He emptied his bowl.
Mee felt terribly ill.
His head ached.
It felt like a thousand thumbtacks had been stuck into his digestive system.
Mee threw up all down the front of himself.
Mee took a shower and went to bed.
The next day Mee decided that it must be the poison that had made him so sick.
He decided to not use the poison in his cooking any more.
But, the next morning, instead of grabbing peanut butter to spread on his toast, he grabbed the poison.
He spread it on thick.
He threw-up.
He threw-up blood.
He couldn’t stand because he felt so weak.
He missed work.
He forgot to send his brother a birthday card.
He was unable to feed his dog.
Mee slept on the kitchen floor that night.
When Mee woke up he reached over and grabbed the poison.
“Open it and eat your fill,” said Mee.
“I won’t, it’s killing me,” said Mee.
“Maybe it is, but just a little won’t hurt,” said Mee.
“No, no, no,” said Mee
“Just open the lid a twist,” said Mee
“Okay, just opening the lid a little won’t do any harm,” said Mee
Mee opened the lid a little.
Mee opened the lid a lot.
Mee filled his mouth with poison.
Mee swallowed.
Mee died.
(Before Mee died he had this realization:
“If I truly want to keep from eating this poison, if I want to live, if I cannot resist the draw of opening the jar and partaking of its contents, then I have to get rid of it. I have to throw it out of my kitchen window. I have to do it right now, later will be too late.”
Mee waited until later.
Mee was too late.)
Sep 7, 2011
You are like
You are like a tree, mayhap,
Your love it flows like life.blood.sap.
They climb your trunk,
Your branches snap,
Yes,
You are like a tree, mayhap.
You are like the sea, maybe,
Your love it flows from there to me,
They ride your waves,
You sink them free,
Yes,
You are like the sea, maybe.
You are like the sky, I guess,
From dawn to dusk you shine the best,
They soar so high,
You make them rest,
Yes,
You are like the sky, I guess.
Your love it flows like life.blood.sap.
They climb your trunk,
Your branches snap,
Yes,
You are like a tree, mayhap.
You are like the sea, maybe,
Your love it flows from there to me,
They ride your waves,
You sink them free,
Yes,
You are like the sea, maybe.
You are like the sky, I guess,
From dawn to dusk you shine the best,
They soar so high,
You make them rest,
Yes,
You are like the sky, I guess.
Jun 16, 2011
Green Soul
What is the essence of summer?
I suppose it’s the presence of now.
The Sun’s your returned college brother,
He’s also your home-come cow.
Green grass, brown!
Green soul grow,
In the field that the hermits know.
Come distill the essence of summer,
Free-time, Frisbee, Popsicle, warmth,
Find your one love and no other,
Run barefoot, calluses coarse.
Green thumb, brown!
Green soul grow,
In the field that the faeries know.
Let me be the essence of summer,
Sun-bleached blond, eyes blue.
Campfire smoke be my mother,
Yes make each adulthood un-true.
Green soul, grow!
Green soul grow,
In the field that the children know.
Jun 14, 2011
T. Cirrus Mann
There once was a terribly serious man named T. Cirrus Mann. He was a very mature adult and he worked in a very adult building on the very most adult floor. His office was very stiff and professional. T. Cirrus always wore practical and colorless clothes, except for the red tie that stood out from his black.white.gray ensemble like the last chocolate-chip cookie stands out on the crumb-covered plate.
One day T.C. Mann came into work and discovered that someone had placed a note upon his desk. It read as follows:
"Dear Treble Cirrus Mann,
This is your official invitation to the most glorious and fantastic HereandnowHeavenland. Please arrive at the specified location this evening at 6 PM
Love,
Czar Rex"
T. Cirrus felt a strange and compelling urge to obey the note even though he would normally write it off as a scam of some sort and have his assistant recycle it. Instead he walked out of his office and said:
"Esterynne, I will be leaving the office early this evening, please cancel my five o'clock meeting with the board of directors"
Esterynne was shocked and confused and also slightly allergic to peanuts, but she kept her cool and did as she was told.
At 6 PM T. Cirrus was standing in front of a gate (at the specified location). Over the gate there was hung a sign which read, in reality it was read...signs don't read, HEREANDNOWHEAVENLAND. It seemed to be some kind of carnival. T. Cirrus hated carnivals and considered them to be a waste of time and money. Nevertheless he had canceled his five o'clock meeting with the board of directors and he was very drawn to see how this would turn out.
"Hello?" he called.
No-one answered, "Hey, hey! You must be Treble!"
"Yes, I am T. Cirrus, who are you?" ask T. Cirrus.
"I'm No-one," said No-one.
"Well that seems like a strange name," commented T. Cirrus.
"Only strange to a wise-guy, for He must increase and I must decrease."
No-one held out his hand and offered T. Cirrus a ticket. On it was the word, Pride.
"Eat it," instructed No-one
"That's alright, I'll just put it in my pocket," said Treble Cirrus Mann.
"But if you don't eat it you can't go on any of the rides."
"I didn't come here for the rides, I came here to meet Czar Rex," T. Cirrus said in a terribly serious tone.
"You won’t find Czar Rex anywhere but the rides."
T. Cirrus decided that enough was enough; he had canceled a meeting for the first time in 23 years so that he could meet Czar Rex and he was not going to be made a fool. T.C. Mann shoved No-one out of the way and ran into the heart of the carnival. But there was nothing there. It was the most run down nothing that T.C. had ever seen. If boredom were made into a place then surely this was it. Suddenly he heard a sound that didn't fit this bleak carnival ground. Someone was laughing. He followed the sound until he came to the Ferris wheel. There, sitting in one of the seats was a little girl. She was wearing adult-sized business clothes and she was laughing fantastically.
“Why are you laughing?” Cirrus asked.
“I think it’s funny that you don’t like this place,” said the little girl, “eat your ticket and sit down next to me, the ride is about to start.”
“I’m here to see Czar Rex,” said T. Cirrus in his most grown-up adult voice.
“So am I,” the girl replied, “And He looks beautiful today.”
“I can’t see him.”
“You haven’t eaten your ticket,” said No-one as he walked up beside T. Cirrus.
“What is the big deal about this ticket? It was free for God’s sake!”
“No. Free for your sake.”
It dawned upon Treble Cirrus Mann that perhaps he was in the midst of a terrible nervous break-down. Maybe all of this was in his head. Maybe he needed to find a doctor. Maybe if he was this far gone eating a paper ticket wouldn’t do him very much harm. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his ticket. It tasted like paper. I felt like paper as it slid down his throat…and then something began to happen.
T. Cirrus felt his suit start to loosen around him. His five o’clock shadow disappeared and his vision became blurry so that he had to remove his glasses. He didn’t need his glasses anymore. He reached into his other pocket and pulled out his cell phone. He didn’t need it either. He threw it over the fence. Meetings no longer mattered and Cirrus didn’t feel any urge to check his e-mail. All he wanted to do was join the little girl on the Ferris wheel and enjoy the ride. The carnival which had seemed so run down was now a place of wonder.mystery.adventure. T. Cirrus sat down next to the little girl.
“You’re a little boy now,” she giggled.
“You’re my little boy,” said the most rich.deep.loving voice that has every spoken.
And indeed he was.
One day T.C. Mann came into work and discovered that someone had placed a note upon his desk. It read as follows:
"Dear Treble Cirrus Mann,
This is your official invitation to the most glorious and fantastic HereandnowHeavenland. Please arrive at the specified location this evening at 6 PM
Love,
Czar Rex"
T. Cirrus felt a strange and compelling urge to obey the note even though he would normally write it off as a scam of some sort and have his assistant recycle it. Instead he walked out of his office and said:
"Esterynne, I will be leaving the office early this evening, please cancel my five o'clock meeting with the board of directors"
Esterynne was shocked and confused and also slightly allergic to peanuts, but she kept her cool and did as she was told.
At 6 PM T. Cirrus was standing in front of a gate (at the specified location). Over the gate there was hung a sign which read, in reality it was read...signs don't read, HEREANDNOWHEAVENLAND. It seemed to be some kind of carnival. T. Cirrus hated carnivals and considered them to be a waste of time and money. Nevertheless he had canceled his five o'clock meeting with the board of directors and he was very drawn to see how this would turn out.
"Hello?" he called.
No-one answered, "Hey, hey! You must be Treble!"
"Yes, I am T. Cirrus, who are you?" ask T. Cirrus.
"I'm No-one," said No-one.
"Well that seems like a strange name," commented T. Cirrus.
"Only strange to a wise-guy, for He must increase and I must decrease."
No-one held out his hand and offered T. Cirrus a ticket. On it was the word, Pride.
"Eat it," instructed No-one
"That's alright, I'll just put it in my pocket," said Treble Cirrus Mann.
"But if you don't eat it you can't go on any of the rides."
"I didn't come here for the rides, I came here to meet Czar Rex," T. Cirrus said in a terribly serious tone.
"You won’t find Czar Rex anywhere but the rides."
T. Cirrus decided that enough was enough; he had canceled a meeting for the first time in 23 years so that he could meet Czar Rex and he was not going to be made a fool. T.C. Mann shoved No-one out of the way and ran into the heart of the carnival. But there was nothing there. It was the most run down nothing that T.C. had ever seen. If boredom were made into a place then surely this was it. Suddenly he heard a sound that didn't fit this bleak carnival ground. Someone was laughing. He followed the sound until he came to the Ferris wheel. There, sitting in one of the seats was a little girl. She was wearing adult-sized business clothes and she was laughing fantastically.
“Why are you laughing?” Cirrus asked.
“I think it’s funny that you don’t like this place,” said the little girl, “eat your ticket and sit down next to me, the ride is about to start.”
“I’m here to see Czar Rex,” said T. Cirrus in his most grown-up adult voice.
“So am I,” the girl replied, “And He looks beautiful today.”
“I can’t see him.”
“You haven’t eaten your ticket,” said No-one as he walked up beside T. Cirrus.
“What is the big deal about this ticket? It was free for God’s sake!”
“No. Free for your sake.”
It dawned upon Treble Cirrus Mann that perhaps he was in the midst of a terrible nervous break-down. Maybe all of this was in his head. Maybe he needed to find a doctor. Maybe if he was this far gone eating a paper ticket wouldn’t do him very much harm. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his ticket. It tasted like paper. I felt like paper as it slid down his throat…and then something began to happen.
T. Cirrus felt his suit start to loosen around him. His five o’clock shadow disappeared and his vision became blurry so that he had to remove his glasses. He didn’t need his glasses anymore. He reached into his other pocket and pulled out his cell phone. He didn’t need it either. He threw it over the fence. Meetings no longer mattered and Cirrus didn’t feel any urge to check his e-mail. All he wanted to do was join the little girl on the Ferris wheel and enjoy the ride. The carnival which had seemed so run down was now a place of wonder.mystery.adventure. T. Cirrus sat down next to the little girl.
“You’re a little boy now,” she giggled.
“You’re my little boy,” said the most rich.deep.loving voice that has every spoken.
And indeed he was.
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