millwright…

they tossed
the loose end
of the rope
onto the tree
his skin
blackened
by
african sun
the sun
that
fostered
all
of
creation’s life
speaking
in tones
sown in his voice
by god
he said
you are the blood
of my blood
so i
have slept
with your mother
giving birth
to you
i have slept
with your wife
giving birth
to your
sons and daughters
and
even in death
i will sleep
with your daughters
giving
birth
to the ages
you
cannot separate
my blood
from yours
you
lie
in the shallow grave
of
denial and deception
breathing in the hate
of madmen
and
with those words
he closed
his eyes
and
died
of
natural causes

​ya dead…

let me
‘splain something
to you
the folks
sitting at your table
eating
your fruit
don’t know
your name
and
ain’t got a clue
why
you’d be upset
’bout
their feet
on
your furniture
all
they care about
is
them
but
don’t fret
i understand
heaven’s made
special arrangements
for you
to say
to
them
ya dead

rumble in the jungle…

aunt bea
asked
that i agree
to be her
estate executor
she said
honey
there’s gonna be
a fist fight
when i die
all my long-lost
relatives
sparring
for a piece
of the pie
i
remember
when
mom died
hell
you would’ve
thought
she was
the queen
of england
how
they
bickered
over
every little
thing
she owned
most of it
purchased
at
garage sales
anyway
honey
sometime
during
the blood-letting
before it gets
too messy
you’ll
step in
as
my executor
pointing out
there’s a will
a non revocable trust
leaving
all
of them
out
and
doctor’s without borders
in

crow’s nest…

after reading
an advert for
pre-arranged funerals
aunt bea
said
when
i die
i’ve decided
to delay
my ascension
that’s
an assumption
on my part
but
i want
to hang around
and watch
those
suddenly concerned
distant relatives
cry at my funeral
with tears
dredged
from their
deepest fears
of having been
left out
of my will
then
casually
watching them
fight over
a few
meaningless
and
quite worthless
possessions
not listed
to anyone
in particular
as an inheritance
something
which i did
on purpose
thinking
it would
prove to be
quite
entertaining
from
a
celestial view

not even cold yet…

copyright cwmartin 2012

vultures in the sky
circling what is left to claim
family reunion

annulment…

digital decoupage cwmartin

as we sat
on the front porch
aunt bea said
i have given
this a lot
of thought
and
i have decided
not to die
oh
i know
most folks
don’t believe
that’s possible
but i have taken
the initial steps
of having my birth
annulled
as such
i will not have
existed
and
therefore
could not have
died
leaving
those little family leeches
who haven’t
visited me
in the past
twenty some years
but
have been
patiently waiting
for my death
without
a pot
to pee in

hawk chronicles #7…

copyright cwmartin 2011

who built
these walls
of expectation
that confine us
to
a reasonable
approach
to life
are they crafted
by our own beliefs
or
ancient structures
left behind
as an inheritance
from some
relative
we hardly
knew
and
never
liked