need-to-know basis…

aunt bea
was
sitting
on her back porch
when
i heard
her say
lord
lord
lord
these folks
sure
got their nerve
when
i asked
what was wrong
she
said
these funeral parlors
keep
sending me notices
about
how
i can save family members
the inconvenience
of
disposing
of
my corpse
by
prepaying them
for
services
to be rendered
at
some date in the future
she said
now
i’m not opposed
to
helping family out
but
the frequency
and
urgency
of
these mailings
is
starting
to make me wonder
if
they know
something
i
don’t

 

bedtime story…

shards of metal
vaporized
olive oil
mixed
with
powdered concrete
all
in a burst
of
light
salty red taste
in
the mouth
the weight
of
a hundred men
on
the spine
gasping
for
air
prayers
to
that
merciful
god

 

overrated…

dying alone
ain’t
as bad
as
some folks
might
have you believe
ain’t nobody
crying
while
you’re lying there
and
no one
offering up
useless prayers
to
relieve their guilt
by
requesting
from
some divine being
time
more time
than
the time
they offered
to
you
before
this well-timed departure
from
life
hell
with all these pills
they’ve been giving
me
can’t
concentrate
on
what they’re saying
anyway
they’re
just
part
of death’s
final dream
that
dream
where
the borders
of
life
and
death
meet

 

death and remembrance…

pages as they began
life’s unread moments are now
blank pages again

 

an invitation…

won’t you come along
i’m going dancing tonight
on midnight moonbeams

 

vision…

i know for some
the gift
of
sight
is
a good things
and
for many
a downright miracle
but
having my eyes
open
for so long
has
blinded me
i
no longer
can see
the shoreline
of
hope
and
the doves
of
peace
that once soared
above my head
are
lost
in the blurred vision
of
the world’s self-interest
i’ve
also noticed
i can barely hear
the dove’s
gentle song
the waves
of
war and hatred
roar
day and night
and
without sight
it is
all
that is known

 

not that anyone asked…

ain’t gonna be
famous
nobody’s gonna
remember
my name
past my funeral
but that’s
not gonna stop me
from
being
me
now i know
some will say
i’m an old fool
for
doing things for free
when
i could charge
but
i
don’t particularly
prescribe
to
all the new
american tenets
of
behavior
i still believe
in
being a good neighbor
and
friendly towards
most folks
you were right
to
pick up on the
most folks
part
see
some people
are
just plain evil
i don’t blame
the devil
bad parents
or
hard times
they’re just
plain
evil
and even
they
can’t stop me
from
being me
what about you
can you
be
you