And he wished
just once too often …
always failing
in refrain
That the times
would now absolve him
for a past
he hid in shame
And he wished
one final pleading …
an attempt
to bend the reed
To a future
unforgiving
where his hopes and dreams
— still bleed
(Sausalito: June, 1984)
WHY
Three letters
commanding attention
Three letters
the bone of contention
One syllable
bigger than Everest
One syllable
birthing our interest
Questioning forward
questioning back
Answering tightly
answering slack
Words that fall silent
words that delight
Trapdoor to darkness
— gateway to light
WHY
(The New Room: March, 2026)
The devil walked
behind me
to that crossroads
in the dark
He said …
“Give me that
old gitar son
I’ll reignite
its spark
“But once I do
the die is cast
those licks
in Hades rhymed
“Now go and set
the world on fire
your soul
— forever mine”
(Listening To Robert Johnson: March, 2026)
John Lee, Wolf,
and Muddy knew
the rails could
set you free
Direction
but an afterthought
when tracks
forever lead
To where the music
calls your name
in box cars
down the line
With darkened Angels
heading home
deliverance
— there to find
(Kingston Mines Chicago: January, 1996)
Excellent lies
terrible truths
Moment’s sublime
— joined at the root
(Dreamsleeep: March, 2026)
Confronting Tomorrow
Persuading
my curiosity
to counter my fear
I looked beyond the fray
Never being sure
I was dead or alive
the crossroads of tomorrow
— to enter or stay
(Dreamsleep: March, 2026)
Before Fate
How many times
must you lip sync
your schtick
to finally get it right
How many lies
must forever
be told
to block the brightest light
How many lovers
must swim
in your wake
eventually to drown
How many times
must you rebait
the trap
— before its fate impounds
(Dreamsleep: March, 2026)
Surrendering All
Escaping deep
into my art
without an exit
shown
Surrendering
what’s yet to come
for this one moment
shown
Escaping in
to venture forth
the one-way signs
abound
Surrendering all
to win at last
what prescience
— will impound
(Dreamsleep: March, 2026)
Sentience
The journey
is the destination
Each step
tomorrow gleaned
All glory
for dishonor’s sake
As sentience
takes the lead
(Dreamsleep: March, 2026)
Distant Thunder
If Morrison
returned
would the desert
repair
Would lizards
still hide
in forbidden
night lairs
Their King
they await
like groupies
in heat
To re-shed
their skins
then gather
to greet
The one
who had freed them
then left them
forlorn
Who slithers
inside them
the eye
— of the storm
(Joshua Tree National Monument: March, 1981)
Square Root Of The Present
Time is now
whose moment refrains
The instant upon us
— as reference abstains
(Dreamsleep: March, 2026)
The trap of
self-surveillance
Our phones
and I-pads hide
They watch our
every movement
And hear
what we most prize
They pander
with their programs
Seducing
with their apps
Recording
undermining
Our futures
— to remap
(Dreamsleep: March, 2026)
At the far end of the casket
his girlfriend hugged his wife
And told her she was sorry
that she tried to steal her life
Their tears then ran in unison
for a man who loved them both
The years they shared now testament
to a choice he left unspoke
They never met before this day
and would never meet again
But each knew well the other
and they almost felt like friends
The mistress left, the children wept
the grandkids played outside
His wife’s last words: “Your hell has passed
sleep well my love — goodbye”
(Villanova Pennsylvania: September, 2016)
‘Quote / Unquote’
Living within
quotation marks
my questions there
protected
My ownership
connected
and feelings
— most defined
(Dreamsleep: March, 2026)
The Keys
Shackles
on the future
Handcuffs
on the past
Keys
inside the moment
Freedom
— first and last
(Dreamsleep: March, 2026)
To Die
The enemy
of all that’s good
Perfection
lays the trap
Footprints
circling in the snow
To die
— inside their tracks
(Dreamsleep: March, 2026)
The present
eternal
though time
would belie
The moment
what’s precious
enduring
all lies
Before
and then after
the future
and past
The instant
upon us
the first
— and the last
(Dreamsleep: March, 2026)
An Anthology Of Perception 