Je Suis Le Fool

High upon the cliff

where the air is crisp and thin

Je Suis Le Fool

oblivious to all but

his own inner jest

about to take just one more step

into eternity

not a care in the world

he always lands on his feet

although many a time it looked perilous

Je Suis Le Fool

invited into palaces where

Angels fear to tread

Dancing upon the head of a pin

Laughing in the face of adversity

Je Suis Le Fool

In love with love he hears the

throbbing heart of paradise

with a million different drummers

beating out a new way to live

Je Suis Le Fool

to be is to be

although that first step

is a doozie, and

you may feel a bit woozie

but smile and laugh

do not hesitate

 

who are you looking at, punk?

who are you looking at, punk?

think you got enough shaving cream?

maybe you should save some for later

spread some on your pecan pie

who do you think I’m talking to, punk?

do you see anybody else in this filthy hole of a

bathroom in a dingy dump of an apartment?

so you carefully shave all around your nose and mouth

so as to impress all the ladies

who do you think you’re kidding, punk?

if you had any sense you would grow a mustache and beard

because your face is a wreck, it’s just plain hopeless

you should just stay inside and sign up for Meals on Wheels

because there ain’t nothing happening for you

You hear me, punk? Stop walking away.

No more mirror, no more taunting

from the bully inside my head

I just might make it through another stupid day

and if somebody notices I’ll say

What ‘cha looking at punk?

Je Suis Charlie

somebody oughta bust that guy up

did ya see what he wrote on his frickin wall

for all his relatives to see

Je Suis Charlie Hebdo

somebody’s got it in for me

somebody I haven’t even seen

’cause I made fun of his mother

whom I have never met

Je Suis Idiot, Je Suis Creep

Je Suis a no good ton of lard

I don’t give no moment of lucid hesitation

I just do it, and let the cow pies fly where they may

Je Suis cow pie, I drop right down when that moment comes

and then I stick up the whole darn stockyard

with my dirty filthy observations

about your stupid ideas

your stupid friends

your stupid everything about your stupid

fat face

Je Suis Nazi

Je Suis Jew

I am the ugly mug looking back at you

each morning and knowing

this day will suck as much as the last one

I punch, you punch

we all get punch drunk

till we see je suis

and so are you

all black and blue

 

 

 

and yet it all works out

there are no grace periods in this life

and yet it all works out

somehow there is that last minute phone call

that reprieve from the Governor

and I carry on

like a simple little miracle

making my way through this odd little life

there is no such thing as magic

I tell myself

and yet there is magic every day

in how it all works out

as if I had some sort of lookout

maybe there are periods of grace

which I foolishly dismiss as luck

and yet it all works out

there are no grace periods

there are no grace periods in this life

one day leads to another awkwardly

or sometimes they race into one another

with such force that

that I am left flat on my back knowing

I can never go back to the safety of the past

for there are no grace periods in this life

when responsibility is left suspended

and the laws of gravity are on holiday

there can be no preparation only a naked presence

courage and perseverance

poverty lies prone in the noonday sun

there are no grace periods in this life

2 Doors Down

2 doors down lies heartache

2 doors down lies you

2 doors down lies the memory

2 doors down lies you

2 doors down the hallway

past pastel shades of huckleberry

and antique wall sconces

lies a person who needed someone

other than me

2 doors down and one flight up

is another story

another morning glory

lying back with her teddies

one of them stuffed and one of which

she’s wearing

2 blocks south lies acres of flats

each with someone yearning for facts

someone longing for something

2 doors down

from where they’re at

Hey! Hey You!

Hey! Hey you!

stop for a minute and let me

No! Don’t walk away, this will

this will, I swear this will only

take a minute

You look like you’ve been around the block

a few times

and I like the cut of your gib

Do you remember like I do

when all the cars had shining crome?

The cars these days look like shoes

Yeah! Don’t walk away mister

I’m not looking for money, I just

need to find someone who remembers

when swear words held weight

and dirty conversations took place behind the woodshed

instead of being posted on the internet

That’s all right mister, I’m not going to take up

any more of your time, I know you gotta go

have your cafe latte

and I know my hair is all crazy

and the buttons on my coat don’t line up

Hey! Hey You! Don’t leave me here with myself

I want to be able to remember

Help me remember!

Inside the carpal tunnel

Yesterday my watch stopped

Inside the carpal tunnel

I can only move slowly and

in pain

until it feels as though time will

never begin again

I would like to point out

but my right pointing finger

hurts too much

I can hardly bend it any more

It’s stuck inside

the carpal wars

If I were a robot I’d just

replace my batteries

and time would begin

But as it is

I am slowly stiffening

into some kind of rigor

some kind of carpal tunnel

snow bound pile up

upon an aging interstate

I like crows, I like what they say

I like crows

I like what they say

I like the stories they tell

I tucked them away in the folds

between the pages of a scrapbook

somewhere

Remember the time I tore off my head?

I said

and replaced with a gourd?

That’s nothing, the sinister bird cackled

I recall one night when the stars shone so bright

I just had to gather some for my nest

I flew all night long but could never get near

and I have been screeching about it ever since

I like crows

I like what they do

I like the way they hang about

I like the stories they tell

Like those nights when the Moon said Hello

and all the spiders played tag with my toe

and the crows took pictures of the creepy event

and posted them on the fence

nothin’ don’t mean nothin’

There’s a friendly fire burning all across this nation

a friendly fire spreading all over this world

are these memories of killing driving you crazy?

well, let’s head on out to the firing range

and relax with a few rounds

but nothin’ don’t mean nothin’

when the bullet meets the brain

just a stupid mistake

a hot stinking mess

a friendly fire burning all over the place

well excuse me for breathin’

it’s my bad I guess

I just love messing up your face

let’s have another beer and check out my guns

nothin’ don’t mean nothin’

when you find yourself still livin’

after dying on the battlefield

I have no way of ending this poem

except with a bullet fired in desperation

wiping out this dismal rotten world