The sky made yellow orange and white

Purple washed with blue so high

Saying hello just to say goodbye

Living just to die

Before the night

Before the sky

We gather here to die today

We line up then we run away

No wind to make the trees sway

The roots pulling legs away

Today is a great day

To have a day

You hear everything before you die

The voices grow and push and pry

You hear them all that godly cry

A creeping white forms in your eye

And then the bullets fly

And then you die

Dying isn’t all that bad

It hurts of course but it’s not that sad

And when it’s over you aren’t mad

It’s nothing now that which you had

Your soul it’s ready to expand

And it really ain’t that bad

You’re a runner now a moving dot

That walker’s dead he’s all forgot

You’re only here that’s the plot

Racing towards that final spot

After the shot

That's all you’ve got

Being born, now that’s the worst

What a truly awful curse

Death’s an awesome speeding hearse

And then you’re where you were at first

You’re born from this verse

And it’s the worst

The race is over go on get home

Here’s some ice now stop that moan

Of course it hurts!

We bled you to the bone

And they all laugh that awful croan 

And then you head home

And then you’re alone

There’s pain yes, but death is so good

A sailing soaring seith and hood

You want more now 

But your legs are wood

Creak and snap and crack they could

An empty shell where you once stood

Before the sky

They see you now

They know your name

Your family

You pass them as they shout with glee

This feels like your destiny

A truly epic way to be

I’ll run just for you

Before the sky

Our mouths know not 

the shapes 

these words would take

Nor have we 

the cunning grandeur required

For creating language 

rather than being 

a victim to it

To make words 

that sound like words 

instead of sins

Man grows

Of the silky trees

Bending in the summer breeze

Of forever’s warning

Mornings in mourning

Who was he

But a boy

A simple ocean toy

That flapped and flailed

As summer sailed

Along

They didn’t notice as he cried

They only cared when he died

And how his corpse

Danced it’s way

To shore

This simple kid

With adventure in his soul

That reached to his soles

And carried him across the isle

He had climbed every tree

Just to watch the clouds

He knew of all the streams

And had seen every house

This shipwreck

That was his home

Was mapped out inside his head

But as man grows

So does his dread

For what if there was

Some part of this isle

That the boy had not set foot on

At the beach he saw the final piece

Of a puzzle he had spent his life on

A cluster of mangroves

Out at sea

The water was cold

But it didn’t stop me

With every paddle closer

The trees seemed to get farther

The worst part is 

The boy died a martyr

Last eve

I watched a bird

Perch upon those trees

And hoped to god

That bird

Also saw me

Your older brother stole Gramp’s dentures

And left them in your room

It would have been a harmless prank

If they hadn’t started talking to you

The teeth clacked on their own

But the voice wasn’t Grandpa’s 

Instead, like echoes from a waterfall

Or an old house’s guffaw

Bring me that chocolate

Or I will bite your ear

Perhaps if you are nice to me

My story you will hear

You watch as the unhinged jaw

Digests your dessert without a gullet

And then continues to speak

Each word a rubber bullet

I have chomped and chewed

For a very long time

Since before man ever knew

Two words could rhyme

I have sat behind the lips

Of kings and queens

But those people don’t understand

What food really means

Your grandfather savors every taste

And makes sure no food goes to waste

So please,

Return me to my proper place!

Tip of the toe through the dark

Return the dentures to his bedside table

Try to fall asleep

But you are not able

The next day Gramp’s dentures are gone

And he is left unable to chew

As a voice inside your jaw admits

I decided I’d look better on you

I saw her there

Pink dress pig tailed hair

A flower in the sand box

With her dolls

Playing pretend

Playing mommy

Are you really going to wear that?

She asks the doll

You look like a whore

Don’t call her that

The other doll says to her

The first doll

The whore

Remains silent

This is the kind of example you wanna set for your sister?

The girl asks

The whore rotates her body

Left then right

Shaking her head

Answer your mother when she speaks to you!

I just wanted to look nice

The whore whispers

You’re a disgrace!

The girl yells

Get out of my house

NO MAMA PLEASE!

I’m sorry Grace

The whore says to the other doll

Don’t go, don’t leave me with her

I’m sorry

The whore pivots

And trots away

The other doll weeps

Of course you’re crying

The girl says

Aren’t I just the worst mother in the world?

The girl grabs the other doll by it’s head and shakes it

You UNGRATEFUL little bitch!

Rosie!

A voice calls from across the park

It is gentle and sweet

Time to go home

Ok mom! the girl answers

She smiles

And again

She is just a girl 

Who likes to play pretend

She heard it in a dream

The whisper 

Of the Bigglyboo 

A five-legged

Twenty-eyed

Four-hundred-and-fifty-five 

Year old 

Creature

With unthinkable faculties

To the human mind

Like the Bigglyboo’s 

Bret

A hole in the center of it’s 

Skull

That only saw color

Or the Bigglyboo’s 

Rowel

A fin like flab

That hung like a scab

Off it’s skin

Detecting sadness 

Drawing it

In

Like a worm on a hook

On a reel

On a rod

In the hands of a fisher

Who don’t catch or release

Who only waits in hope

Of the day

When he can eat

From his own hands

Not starving

But hungry

For a certain type of food

That’s 

The Bigglyboo

And she heard it whisper

Listen to me

If the Bigglyboo

Ever calls out to you

In the middle of the night

With a sound that sounds like

Your name

Here’s what

You ought to do:

Take a shower

Unlock every cabinet

And wipe it down

Let the water run hot

Steam rising around 

Your

Head

To the grocery store

Buy a cake meant

For someone else’s birthday

And eat it all 

In just one day

Watch daytime

TV

And sleep until your 43

Don’t let the voices come back

To you

Don’t force your friends

To turn their backs on you

Turn your back

On them 

Suffer

In the corner of your room

With as many screens as you 

Can find

Pass the time

Testing out new SSRI’s

Buy a gun

Keep it in the closet

And let the very thought of it

Consume

Your mind

Do whatever it takes

To stay alive

And 

Don’t you dare 

Listen

To that damn Bigglyboo

Who knows what it will do

“The Bigglyboo,”

She said 

To the nurse

“Have you seen it?”

“Have you seen it come through?”

“Yes doll,”

The nurse replied

And the woman smiled

Closed her eyes

And died

And the Bigglyboo

Sauntered

Into the room

And took the lady’s 

Old sagging body

In it’s great jaws and snapped 

Her right in half 

What fell

Wasn’t ooze

Or blood

Or soul

It was glitter

And smoke

And all the books

She never

Got to read

It was

Half memory

Half regret

And it tasted like

What you’d expect:

Coming home

Jump off that ledge

Run through traffic

Go back on what you said

Or

Keep to your word

And tell the truth

Tell them exactly how you feel

From the soft green pines

To the cold rusted steel

Sometimes the curse is lifted

And sometimes the good guys lose

Every step beckons chance

So what are you gonna do?

How much will you care?

About the dreams that wake you up

And the ones who are no longer there

Are you willing to lay yourself on the line?

To brace yourself for harm even if you put in the time

Or even just

To go outside

Risk getting hit by a bus

Or meeting the love of your life

You could stay in your room

Crumpled up

Beneath the covers

With your eyes shut

But everyday

For as long as you live

You’ll think back to that moment

When you froze

Take a risk

Or keep your eyes closed

The early worm

Gets to live another day

He gets to worm 

A little longer

The crows circling above me

Are a little early

But they won’t have to 

Wait much longer

I am a husk 

Of the man I was before

Or is it the husk

That I lost?

Am I what’s underneath

Six feet

Of freshly poured concrete?

The silt that’s never seen the sun

Where the worms live

Where the worms worm

All day long

That’s where I live 

At the bottom of the hole

Staring up 

At you

You’re so pretty

You’re pretty far away 

There is deja vu 

In every word you say

Do we know each other?

Well have we met before?

Am I secretly 

In love with you

Or am I just 

Bored?

I like to think about 

The bird who was late

What did he do 

With the rest of his day?

What did his mom say

When he came home

Without a worm

Of his own

Still hasn’t the left the nest

He’s two years old

But in bird years 

He’s 24 or 25

And his mom asks

“How are you still alive?”

And he doesn’t know

He doesn’t know

What’s it like to be a bird these days?

I couldn’t tell ya

What’s it like to be a bird these days?

I wouldn’t know

I spend my days

Wormin’ about

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