Dear Miles

you slip, slide, tumble
forwards and backwards, a treasure to find
metal in hand and me in mind
I could dance all night but I've got to go

you descend, transcend, pretend
that nothing stands before you
life will never bore you
i could dance all night but I've got to go

you shine, incline, your mine
get out your music maker
take on the world and shake her
I could dance all night but I've got to go

A Life Without Spoons

Here's a little tidbit from the soon to be award winning non fiction/fiction book I'm writing about spoons and their various uses.

Chapter Seven: Murder 

If one was to spend countless hours microscopically delving into history, losing sleep and severing (no pun intended) all human connections, I am almost positive they would discover a case of murder involving a cheater and a spoon. The spoon in question not being an object of the cheater’s desire, but the object that was found, bloody and abandoned, near the body of the saucy individual--caught spooning with another lover in the light of the moon.    
    Spoons have a way of working themselves, if necessary, into every violent aspect of life. They can impale, cause blunt force trauma, choke, and if tied to the leg of an unsuspecting field mouse--drown. They can also injure heavily, but injuries tend to be on the low end of the totem pole when juxtaposed to full blown murder.
    I will take a minute to revisit my childhood, dim and cloudy, with the exception of Moriah, the younger sister of my very good friend, Nick. Through the haziness she shines through, spoon in hand, clasping tighter then Poseidon to his Triton. With a mighty blow, she would bring her arm down upon innocent guests, visitors, and family members, and with a loud “THWAP”, cause a one handed headache that lasted for hours. Occasionally there were multiple blows until she was apprehended, the spoon quickly removed from her grip, and carried into the other room for questioning. This obsession went on for years, until she was either slowly weaned from the spoon or one day just realized that she had devoted years of spoon use to her left hand.

The Ocean and the Stone

sailors climb upon my back and never stay for long
but you are always up against me, whispering your songs
it's a wonder that a jagged, hard and glacial thing can be
forever on your mind, as the pillow of the sea

sailors had admired me but always left my sight
to drift upon your arms again and leave for home tonight
but when the mellow, laughing birds had longed for sunny rains,
you scattered them across the clouds to love what had remained

  we are both together, the ocean and the stone
the universal voice of peace, the scepter and the throne
I can never be destroyed, and you will never dry
we are both together, and we will never die.

those sailors changed my face and eyes but never changed my mind
deep inside my calloused skull, your fingers intertwined
You healed all steps that ever left a mark to stay on me,
with salty words and calming songs, you helped us fall asleep

  we are both together, the ocean and the stone
the universal voice of peace, the scepter and the throne
I can never be destroyed, and you will never dry
we are both together, and we will never die.

Penny Pincher Of The Greenlands

When I get older and grow wings I want to go to England
Sit on the shore of the whitest beaches in my head
I want to think of where I am and focus on that moment
I want to think of what you look like on my tree top bed

When I get older and grow strength I want to sail the ocean
Just ride the waves that turn my stomach in and out with calm
So I can know all of the things that keep me on my journey
the seas, the birds, the names, the sights, all written on my palm

When I get older and grow cold I'll dream of Arizona
Where all I see is summer sun colliding with the hills
Saguaros silhouette my dreams and paint my way to fortune
I left you where I used to be, stalking dollar bills

Tension Stepping

It's cloudy on a monday and I'm walking on a wire
The more I think about it, the faster it gets higher
I wonder where your going while you're holding the other side
When I said I wasn't scared I hope you knew I lied

It's everything thats up here with me tearing down my walls
You said that it's alright because you know everyone falls
The other day I saw a face that caught me by surprise
It smiled and rattled up my fears, it smiled and caught your eyes

Theres a man I meet sometimes, he tells me that it's funny
Says the places that I'm dreaming of aren't really all that sunny
"Go to where you want to be," he says, "Go to where you know
that everyone you live for is ready for your show."

So here I am and waiting for my audience of one
Who left this place so long ago, my show's so close to done
Keeping track of losing time and when it will find me
Standing high above because I went where I longed to be.

Bronchitis

It must be some disease I have,
But maybe everyone else has it too.
I’m not really sure, I’ve never asked.
Maybe I’ll shoot this question by you.

I don’t know how I’ll do this,
But maybe I will someday,
This disease is driving me crazy,
Because my mind doesn’t know what to say.

I scratch at indefinite answers,
And I cough when I need make a choice,
Maybe you’ll know what’s diseasing me,
One symptom is I’ve lost my voice.

Neverland

I say...

we fly away to a place

where flowers bloom and never wilt,

the water flows uphill as much as down,

and the smell of summer rain or autumn air

fills every inch of sparkly land!

I'll tread the caves...

collect light filled crystals

and wear them around my neck

while you dive the neon reefs

and find treasure with the map we drew.

We'll act out plays and play with sticks

and even if our hair is graying

our minds will stay as sharp and shiny as the

swords we imagine!

I Could Scream

I could scream at the birds,
make them scatter
across the skies like
strangers fleeing from one another.

I could scream at the sun
and the way it falls behind the hills
before the darkness
turns everything invisible.

I could scream at you,
but I'm afraid that like the
birds or the sun,
you'll flee like a stranger
and turn everything invisible.

No, Thank You

Winter tried to kiss me yesterday,

And of course I ran away,

But winter’s a wanton season,

And it doesn’t care if you aren’t ready.

I turned around and looked at fall,

And realized that its leaves were all

I wanted in a season,

But winter still was smiling.

There’s a day this time of year

That always leaves me planted here

Lusting towards the day before

When everything was fine.

I get kissed upon this day,

With snow and cold and winds that say,

“Hello, we’re back to freeze you,

It’s winter, and we’re here to tease you.”

Dabunnies

Who are you to say that I’m odd?

The spot I occupy is different than yours, that’s all.
And I’m sure that I’ve gathered more skin cells than you anyway.
My dust ball is mine,
so you can keep yours on the other side of the underside of this couch.
And though I may roll from time to time, I may bump into your side,
The truth is, we’re all going to get sucked up eventually.

Impossible

One, two, one million.
Impossible to count them.
Impossible to count how many
things that could make us smile.
It’s impossible to think that maybe
we’re not the only ones who are laughing.
I won’t think about it if you don’t.
We can count them as they fall,
Like bright flaming arrows,
So impossible to catch,
So easy to remember.

Reverse Compass

I grabbed my coat this morning,
and I grabbed my sail, my crew, and my ship
ready to set sail until the end.
I wasn’t going to tell you,
I wasn’t even planning on telling myself,
for the direction of the wind was a mystery today.
I grabbed my coat this morning,
and I grabbed my hat, my things, and your picture.
I walked out the door and the wind stung my face
and my sail turned my ship around.
It seems the direction of the wind today
was pointing right back to the door.

Change Of Tongue

I wish we could go back to the days
when everything was warm.
I was speaking differently,
when we sat under the storm
watching the stars as they fell at our feet
in the spot that you picked out.

These days its like a hurricane
the winds aren't dying down.
I look up to the sky to see
the stars aren't falling to the ground.
Forever is a word just as silence is a threat
In the spot that you picked out.

These days, well I don't talk so loud
my mind is like a train,
I'm just speaking differently
and it puts my soul to shame.
I cant remember when I last sat warm
in the spot that you picked out.

Hopefully

I don't know if I'll come back into town
to see what times done to your face
to see what you did with the dreams that you spoke
Or see the woman that's sitting in my place
She'll knit, and she'll sew
She'll do all the things that you've come to know
She'll bake, and she'll draw
She'll be your summer, with her strawberry jam

Oh, well I don't know where I'll be
But hopefully you think of me
Hopefully, hopefully
I get sad when the rain begins to pour
Memories come rushing through the door

I don't know if I'll come back to town
To follow the past that I shed
Or follow the the path that leads to your door
Or even follow the thoughts in my head

I'm wrong, and you're right
I've seen such sadness and I've taken a bite
from the world, but all I want is you...
I love what I know and I know your heart is true
Oh, well i don't know where I'll be
But hopefully you think of me
Hopefully, hopefully
I get sad when the rain begins to pour
Memories come rushing through the door
But hopefully you think of me
Hopefully, hopefully

Holes In The Sky

You say let the wind

take you over,

let it make you like a bird

you say let the years,

make you older

so you cherish every word

It's not the end, oh no,

you say

Just the beginning, and hey

maybe our destiny will magnetize our souls

and then we'll be under the stars again,

counting microscopic holes in the sky, oh

just you and i.

just you and i.

I'm sick of dark nights

and bright days

They don't seem like they should be

because with you walking

the city

I know you're not thinking of me

It's not the end, oh no,

you say

Just the beginning, and hey

maybe our destiny will magnetize our souls

and then we'll be under the stars again,

counting microscopic holes in the sky,

just you and i.

just you and i.

Places To Go

In the dark streets of Italy,
We can walk past the merchants that call our silhouettes
The dirty charming reptiles with eyes like cigarettes
We can drink from the fountain in the middle of the square
And stay this way forever, sipping on the streetlight air

In the calm of the ocean tide,
We can swim out to the light house that perches on the stone
Claim it as our castle, and you can have your throne
You can be my king, and I can be your queen
We can live this way forever in our castle on the sea

In the quiet of the countryside,
We can build a home inside the earth, and nest like we are birds
Coo and sing like warblers and absorb each others words
Our wings will take us anywhere when our hearts yearn to roam
We can fly the world forever, we can always fly back home.

Until Then

I want to travel the world until my bones are as fragile as the ice in the arctic,

my hands are as twisted as the roads of Italy,

and my voice is coarse as the sands of the Pacific.

I'll place myself with hungry eyes in front of thousands of plates,

taste the flavors of the world,

and the nectar of the soil.

Never find a house, but always have a home, like a falcon shaken from the nest.

Fallen, I'll sit under a weeping tree with hair as bright as the sun,

and as the wind picks up be swept along.

I'll waste away as time steals my breath--

but when my time comes,

I'll be as free to once again cross the oceans I crossed years ago.

The Word Perfect Part One

There you go again,

spending breath like its currency

"perfect" echoes endlessly.

my eyes water,

my mouth is mean,

my hands sit sedentary

"perfect" has no evidence

because you pulled the word from your throat,

shallow and dripping,

just so I'd feel like I was worth something to you.

Breadwinner

The dough expands effortlessly across the carpet.

The cat is consumed. The dog is half way there.

My throw pillows don't even feel this good.

Take it or leave it, the dough is here to stay.

In a few days it will turn to crust.

In a few years, possibly mold.

The house will never recuperate.

The dough wraps around my recliner,

my husbands toupee, and his bowling shoes.

Thank god those are gone. They smelled like cheese.

The faucets running. How does dough turn on a faucet.

Soon the windows will be gone and the neighbors will dial their phones.

The police will arrive and I'll say

"Just a little too much yeast!" and smile.

They'll think and I'll know.

Was I baking bread

or was I baking a new home in the Bahamas?

Flannel And Sweaters

Flannel and sweaters
Go very well togethers.
Like peas in a pod,
or like grass roots and sod.
The stars at night are like diamonds in silk,
and seeing them with you is like cookies with milk.
The weather is colder and time is slowing down
but the clock is ticking quickly and the hand's spinning around.
I wonder how that can be when the thought comes to my mind
and then I let it go and leave for someone else to find.
Anytime you need me you can just look to the sky
and even if they sting, still love the raindrops in your eyes.
And that's the story of the fall, and all else there could be,
of warm flannel and big sweaters,

of you and of me.

Water and Sand

"I just don't love it anymore," you said,

snatching up a shell from the damp sand.

You threw it into the water and it sank

into the darkness.

"I just don't think it's beautiful."

What about the stories of childish dreams?

The feel of it's mist on your forehead 

when demons lit a fire in your mind?

the way you ran your fingers along it's edge

and the way you sank into it's arms 

and floated far away?

"I just don't love it anymore," you said,

as I stood in front of you on the edge of the ocean,
salt on my cheeks and sea glass in my chest.

Superglue

Something's missing from here.
A laugh from the passenger's seat,
a rock on the moonlit window.
Secrets, sunshine, starlight.
Something's missing from here.
A picture on the wall or
your outline in the leaves.
Holding, heaven, hell.
Somethings missing from here
and I've got a proposition.
If you give it back,
I promise to glue it back in place.