BY THE NUMBERS

Short Order Poem

they came in
famished
this place either highly recommended
five start positive reviews
or the first thing they saw at 2 a.m.
open
with bright flashing neon lights seen from off the main road

the aroma was quite pleasant
settling into the red vinyl cushion seats
met with a smile by the waitress
discretely checking her watch
shift ending in another thirty minutes
and then
she would exchange the warmth of room
pleasant aromas inhaled for the past seven hours
for the chill of the early November evening

menus placed before them 
paper placemats
freshly cleaned utensils 

famished, they were
could have ordered the entirety of 
all the appetizers on page one
half the entrees on page two
washing them down with something cold
carbonated
still saving room for the deserts on the back page

House Money

if I were a betting man
and I ain't

desperate in my addictions
gambling hotline number on speed dial
counselors know me on a first name basis
we’re all mutual friends on Facebook
TikTok
or whatever

if I were a betting man
and I ain't

midnight forays into my daughter's bedroom
breaking and entering
unarmed robbery
forcible abduction and rape of her precious piggy bank
defenseless on the nightstand
appendectomy by sledgehammer
its contents strewn across the garage floor

if I were a betting man
and I ain't

my phone storage struggles to manage
all of the betting apps installed on my android
direct deposit
equally distributed
equally funneled
the rent
the car note
Christmas toys and birthdays
food on the table can wait

if I were a betting man
and I...

Touche

I was not really unfaithful
or having a cheating moment
a relapse of the days
or more like
uneven
gloriously blissful
intoxicating and
unapologetic nights
when I approached her shores
to sow my wild oats

and you were up and about
doing this and
doing that
no telling expression on your face 
as I sat here
ashamedly unapologetic about my 
unintentional moments of unfaithfulness

and I am not sure what lit the fuse
something I saw on TV
Something out of the blue 
made me think of her and that moment 
or
moments we had so long ago
rising early
to make the donuts with 
extra oats in the ingredients

her smell
her touch
the aroma of the aftermaths 
it came over me
I wasn’t looking both ways 
before I crossed the street
...

Love Poem I

you are 
so close to my heart
as each beat pounds metronomic rhythms of love
coinciding with my motions and movements

you are
the center of my every thought
the author of my passions
my pains
the inspiration for words of poetry
beautiful
and complex in its messages

you are
silent
as morning silence seduces darkness into light
soft
as April rain showers
fall lightly upon my front steps
beautiful
light-skinned beauty
dark-skinned majestic

at times
stubborn
in your attitudes
ugly
in your indifference and ignorance
sickening
in your selfishness
but I do love you
because you created me
and I
am of you

ain’t it a wonderful thing
to be you
to be me
to be
a people?

Arrival

poems for her wedding
three-tiered
decorated with sweet words and flowers
sliced into small pieces for the tuxedoed and gowned masses

poems for his funeral
emotional
sprinkle in a little 
‘Jesus’
a little
‘when we all get to heaven
we all gonna stomp all over the devil’s ass…’

poems for her birthday
Valentine’s Day
her anniversary
poems for contests
words written to appease ticklish ears
to entertain
careful not to stir up emotions
causing cerebral traffic jams
and multi-thought pile-ups

poems

a writer of poems
I am
but did not become a poet
until someone read my poem
understood its words
shedding tears
because 
the poem traveled through gates of indifference
and insignificance
finding the heart
unatten...

As Commander-In-Chief

as 
Commander-In-Chief
my troops were all green
but seasoned veterans 
raked leaves
swept the front sidewalk
washed dinner dishes
sometimes
a birthday request
or
found neatly wrapped under the tree at Christmas
gallant troops under my command
all green
yet
seasoned veterans
twenty-five to fifty
still
silent
arriving in plastic bags
carefully opened
placed in strategic positions in the back yard
or 
the back porch
I could comfortably put them in harms way
they would topple over
as I would utter into the summer afternoon breeze
bang
boom
and they would fall into the dirt
brave soldiers
green
yet 
seasoned veterans
all of them
gallant
efficient and brave
following orders from their 
Commander-In-Chief

Redirection

to languidly float on the surface of turquoise oceans
a willowy stroll upon pristine sandy shores 
to bask 
to tan
under the rays and warmth of the summer sun
but
this is a political poem

gleefully frolicking in chocolate water falls
adorn myself in white whipped cream
cherries on top
forgetting all about cholesterol levels
but
this is a political poem

to dine with you in cavernous banquet halls 
limitless trays of well done filet mignon 
peppercorn sauce on the side
mashed potatoes made from scratch
but  
this is a political poem

to wake up in the briskness of the morning
I slowly react to the softness of your touch upon me
the sound of your voice
entices me to love you once more
but
this is a political poem

to look out the back window
watching the children f...

Empty Chair By The Window

you noticed
today
the flares I set in the middle of the dark road 
many nights 
I set them there
purposely
to direct you safely
to me

you noticed
today
the fireworks I purchased from the guy around the corner
he didn't have a license for them
but
I bought them anyway with my meager allowance
saved up for weeks
piggy bank on the dresser in my bedroom
screaming for me to 
get all this stuff out of it

you noticed 
today
a road map left on your kitchen table
the many hours I sat there
staring at you
the many hints I whispered into the wind
intercepted by the aroma of chicken and rice on the stove
she loved to cook
and always noticed me
watching and waiting on the front porch
as I parked my bicycle on the side of the house

she always watched you
not notici...

Be Queen (Re-Post Request For Queen Bee)

what I wish for you is too much to pen
and if words could touch you in your corner of the universe
I want them to plant kisses all over you
to smother you long enough to take your breath away
to have you dance in the Caribbean windstorms
and sway like drunken palm trees
 
when thoughts of love for you
are not butterflies
but mammoth pterodactyl
fierce
in attack mode from prehistoric times
may poetic rhymes caress you
until you climax all over this poetic page
 
may the bee that you are
spit everlasting poetic pollination
germinating into a thousand love poems for all of us to see
to feel
to touch
to be
 
the art of love
the call of love
beckoning you to its holy throne
once unpleasant
now a natural high that has no fix
no group counseling healing session needed
 

What Do You Say (When You Know It's Over..)

what do you say
when you know it's over?
does love just float away
like a leaf in the breeze?
do you pour out your heart
to the nearest stranger
and every night
find yourself on your knees?

does the thought of her
keep you occupied
though you try hard
not to let it show?
does her face appear
on every street sign you see
and does the sound of her voice
follow you everywhere you go?

how can you tell everyone
that it's now over?
no one thought
they would ever see the day
how could you
just let it end like this
and watch her
walk away?

what do you say
when you know it’s over
and the final nail
is hammered into the wood?
you say that you
want to try again
you would make it better
if you could

how can you
recapture moments
pla...