After our date at Melt Bar and Grilled
cheese grease macaroni and butter saliva
dripped from our lips onto crumb plates
back when Marina & the Diamonds were hip
(if they were ever) in style I wired it from aux
cord to speakers to let you know I am not
a robot in an operatic tone indicating
romantic desperation my circuits buzzing
& I thought during the open-heart chorus
you’d say much more than cool
(originally published in Ygdrasil, Winter 2021)
blue house
with a blue
tall weed
sunflower heart blue
snake on the window
board half in half out half
void no sun no blue
the sky fence
hill inside blue
not blue no
blue is the fire
smoke and eggplant eyes
blue death in drawings
a deep blue wind and water
dirt on my face and hands
cobweb and dust blue dream on blue
is purple is blazing eyes in your skull
is my skull same face different
blue flat and bright light
blue silk on blue bed
(originally published in Ginosko Literary Journal, 2021)
my job? refill your addiction
slam it out
of storage into the office
refrigerator
the mountain stream
having peaked at an earlier age
you say it gives no kick
anymore this lack of sugar
necessary
these
tendencies materialized
into a lifestyle of cool
mixed with limited
not good enough
& such & such
aluminum this life
we recycle daily
in this waterfall
of unlimited pleasure
there must be an end
to any of this. at a certain
point there’s no more
zest there’s no
more
(originally published in Maudlin House, Winter 2019)
The sand is sung
until a throat bleeds
and camels walk
the blank space
of a desert song:
animals streaking
the whole long day
to share an oasis
with you.
(originally published in Picaroon Poetry, Summer 2017)
