paranoia….

 

there are spirits in the night
they masquerade as
shadows of passing cars
by your window
they move through your room
without your knowledge
whispering thoughts
that keep you awake all night
    what is my life about
    why am i here
    when will i die
their words take the ember of fear
in your soul
fan it
so that it glows red-hot
until you feel its heat
in every fiber of your body
so you toss
and turn
sweating
until dawn comes
and with the morning light
they linger just in sight
as a shadow
beneath your feet
or just behind you
following you throughout the day
so as to remind you
of what the night
shall bring

after careful consideration…

 

i have thrown
the dreams of yesterday
into the bin
cleared out most of today
which seemed moldy when it arrived
so as to make room
for tomorrow
why such vapors require
so much room
is difficult for me to understand
however
as part of my new agenda
to reduce
the stuff
in my life
stuff
filled with
painful images
career path halted
loving children
somewhere
numerous friends
whose names
i can’t recall
along with
fancy cars
that i
never owned
but
were
madison avenue inspired
and so on
well
anyway
it
really doesn’t
matter now
now
that
the
only
stuff
to
be
concerned
about
is
a
burial
plot

son of the desert…

shoes off
he runs
through the sahara sands
a desert fox
free from the city’s cage
no longer dashing
between motor scooters
and cars
that wind their way through the medina
in this haven
he moves among the tall grass
ears tuned to the sounds of
wind
jackals
and calves
each one moving toward
a common goal
a desert pool
hidden within these dunes
the giver of life
this is his playground
where he belongs
gently caressed by the sand
like his mother’s touch
when he is ill
warm
as when she presses him to her breast
soothing away all fears
and when he returns to the city
the desert’s arms
with fingers of sand
reach for him
as if afraid
to let him go

weekend…

a faceless crowd of people
moving here and there
without voice in slow motion
as if lost or confused about their destination
and i stare through my window at passing cars
wondering when i will see
the one face that gives voice to my day