Zen Walking

Zen Walking.

Oh brother in law!

You teach me

To meditate

On each step I take

Never to look too far ahead

To concentrate

Because oh brother in law

Your dog shits everywhere

Especially out side my door

Turds clustered

Like land mines

Oh brother in law

I guess I’m soon to be

A Zen master

With no shit between my toes

Or under the soles of my feet

Oh brother in law

I thank you!

shit and clover

x ray

A TRANSPARENT EXPLANATION

The X-rays are proof

Conclusive evidence

Exposing my nature

Confirming my small heart

And poor circulation

“you’re so cold” you say

but that’s the way I was made

my love is detached

lobotomized

severed from the sentimentality of my mind

I got the X-rays today

So you could see for yourself.

DOG EYE BONE

The city

That butcher

Hacks

Through meat and bone

And I snap at the pieces

My muzzle gnaws

Drops

And

Gnaws

Drops

And

Snaps

At another

And another

Another

Another

My dog eye bone

Tense

At the presence of other muzzles

Snapping at choice cuts of meat

I growl with savage hunger

Never satisfied

Because

There’s always another

And yet no one

I can swallow

To nourish my soul

chicken coop

in-this-chicken-coop

IN THIS CHICKEN COOP

In this chicken coop
We are
Economic transactions
Paying prices
Set and stamped
Pecking at bar codes
Like chickens
QQQQQQQ QQQQQQQ
Quantity
QQQQQQQ QQQQQQQ
Quantity
Willingly we enter
Massive barns
Like warehouses
And we con con constantly
Consume
The lowest price
Which dictates law
The selection has been made
A fat little finger with a gold diamond ring
Pointing either to the right or the left
On the shelf the result
Products strong enough to be made use of
All standing at attention
Ready for our inspection
Well placed at eye level
Yes the lucky ones
With bar codes tattooed upon their backs.
Outside the sky is blackened
By the chimneys
Busy recycling
The feeble independents
And the cremated labeled outlaws
Are repackaged, and sold as compost
Gardening
Aisle 4
We continue
Con con consuming
Fattening ourselves
While breeders record statistics
And the grease of maximum efficiency
Keeps the d-boning machine
Well lubricated.

The Chicken Grinder

Fertilizer

Survivors For Now

Radio

STATIC

The radio was playing

Broadcasting

And we were communicating

But I thought I could do better

So I tried to say more

From the frequency stationed in my mind

With an adjustment

I thought I could

get my voice

and message clearer

And so I moved the dial

Raised the antenna

And my tongue fumbled

Now there’s static

And garbled words

A multitude of voices

Struggling to say something

Nothing makes sense

And I’m sorry to have touched the dial

But I had to try

To tune in with you.

Flower

To the Candy Princess
From This Field
From this poppy field
I confess
I’m comfortable
From here I contemplate
Listening to echo’s
With my minds memory playing out
The Symphonie Fantastique
Re-remembering the dance I danced
At La BAL
From this field
I can see and hear them
Busy busy bees
Busy body bees
Buzzing around your flower
And some of them old pricks
Peckers ready to penetrate and pollinate
And even the wasps and horny hornets seem to smell your candy
Annoying, persistent buggers
Wanting to suck
Your sugary sweet secretions in the sun
Always at the ready with their sting-hers’
From here I can see
It’s best not to get too close
Pick no flowers
Roll in the weed
And stare at the stars in silence

School Assembly

A SOUTH KOREAN SCHOOL ASSEMBLY

I stand in the empty

Teachers room

By the window

Behind the flag

Watching

Pubescent boys

Ordered into formation

Looking up

To the structurally elevated authority

The principals harsh face

Stares down from the podium

His mouth contorts

Spitting

Shouting into the microphone

That amplifies

And distorts his words

On either side

Teachers form

A barrier

Like generals

Reviewing parades

From up top of mausoleums

But from here

I can see the fidgeting

Restless shifting from foot to foot

And the Ethics teacher

Discreetly

Relieving

The persistent

Irritating

itch

hemorrhoids.

Squid Drying

THE SQUID

I ate dried squid
Feasted on it’s tentacles
Burnt them over my gas range stove
Then dipped them in mayonnaise
And I thought
As I chewed and chewed
How stupid the squid is
To jump into traps
Light being the only bait
Just like moths that burn themselves in the flame
The squid are caught and eaten
Must be retribution
For past life crimes
I thought
As I chewed and chewed
The stupid squid
Until the next morning
When I awoke
With sore gum’s
And teeth
Unable to move my mouth
Ahhhh
Then I realized
And bowed to the squid
My teacher!

Turtle at Heart

Run young heart run

I’m wiser

Older

Though I may feel my pulse race

I run not

Anymore

Run young heart

Run

From where I stand

It’s a chess game

Strategic, calculated moves

So let the rabbit run the race

Run young heart run

There’s lots to chase

But only one to catch