Coyote Poker
The hand well-played is not always obvious
from the hand dealt.
It’s a constant troubleshoot
not a constant win.
The stakes are everything—
laid out, played out, piercing.
The deal is random
the cards are often marked
invisibly
making some hands brutal
in subtle hidden ways
even to, or especially to, those
who see and know everything.
Omniscient ones.
Reincarnate only within
the limits of face and suit.
Even then it’s luck or fate
or the turn of the trickster.
dive into the snow–
to remember in later years,
to feel it tangibly
in your bones,
to know the difference,
and to choose
in this very moment.
(working on the title)
Submarine
Beneath the surface flows
an envious stream
conscious not of
impending implosion’s effects
on the circulatory system
or the costs associated with
the transfer of bodily fluids
not to mention
the security risks.
Critique
Words peel away the fascia of creation
like a scalpel removing flesh-eating bacteria
to get to the bone which is clean and pure–
the marrow carrying the load of intent.
Fluttering in the belly
the novice and the master,
their souls under glass pumped
and crushed by the words of others.
But sometimes it is all form and technique
the intensity of a life neglected
by the narcisism of culture
and the smithing of self.
The seeing is a mirror, a feedback loop
of percpetion–I think therefore I am.
The own knowing is what is known
and seen and said, not done.
The critic is a cat, unconcerned
with the effects of the game on the prey.
The words are believed because we cannot trust
that what we see is true, limited
as we are by our own reflections.
Knowing
heat and churning seas
mind without the breathing wants
with grim disorder
heat, order, knowing
The bird that mocks is widowed–
some organic extract weakened her system,
or perhaps all her eggs were laid out
like a pauper counting pennies
without hope even for a side of fries,
or maybe she just couldn’t stomach
last year’s cuckolding mate courting
blindly with other’s songs.
Darwin doubted
a standard of truth
by noting the differences.
In my yard all I hear is
beautiful music.
(first draft)
the cactus is growing
motionless
it’s off the chart
perceiving
tendencies to overwater
neglect
mindfully monitoring
change.
(cactus, chart, motionless)
What action
does not grate
on someone?
a parental kiss
a lover’s touch
a friend’s assurance
Even these can be
pulled away from.
There is a system to the abject sublime in art religion culture colliding sustenance suffering rebirth. the wrapper defines us and whether we can eat or see at all is determined by the punch we have drunk.
She was unforgiving
being parched for love herself
now she will not suffer
in the jar upon our shelf.
wind rain stimulates
dependent on systems
and we thought it wild
the park
is spicy
and cheerful
at home
there is no difference
between a scream and a laugh
ice and flame.