Lysistrata Dreaming

Not one of your death wish missions
into another war torn land. This is mine:

a summer night dream, sweaty
without covers. The things we used to do

together—drink, run, get naked
in waterfalls, have sex, smoke years later—I don’t do

anymore. A Greek island, Southern Portugal, somewhere
in the middle

of Connecticut. The unconscious doesn’t bother
with these details. Do you want me

to break my vows? You have some of your own.
You were never really free. I might break

down inside this scene if
I could see the right water

fall after dark—no Mississippi River icon,
Niagara Falls, Icelandic wonder, rain playing blues

harp on a Cape Cod cottage roof. No.
Would need to be off

a back road near no one
and nothing left at all before I wake.

East Chop

He didn’t learn
his long division
in time. She began to walk

to school when she was three. Photos
of lighthouses do not

sink. She missed
her chance to belong
to one island

when she cheated. Fell
in love

with another. Manhattan.
Strangely, it still comes as a surprise—
it is one too.

Been Half a Year

without jumping through smoke
rings to find a trap
door you hint may lead
to solace. I imagine dropping

into a room filled with easy
breathing naked apes. I like my air
not so conditioned, like
to check those back

burners to ensure the pilot
light hasn’t died
with a summer breeze
that got too big

to ignore. Dizzy with oxygen,
I remember that boy who smashed
his fist through a glass pane

in our French door—so desperate
to escape 1969 bedroom
community ennui. One bloody wrist, a siren,

and that blue
cold stillness in his eyes. Now I could
just laugh

at these green candles
someone might ignite
if they want to.

Scent of Carriage Horse Relief

A virtual affair they won’t
acknowledge face to face. Toe

to toe helpless
in July heat. Computer aided
breezes don’t count

especially when the sound
of shoed hooves against pavement
is on mute.

Excerpted

If I leave out day one,
I might forget

to laugh, might fade out
too young. If I skip
my namesake, the end

might never come. Couldn’t sacrifice
anything in the middle. Inside there,
I howl—humor or horror—
I howl again.

Not a Stub

Tiny red letters
on the back of my ticket

to see you spell out
what’s a legal

baseball game; where I consent
to have my image, likeness, actions,

statements used; who’s at risk

before, during, after the event
in case of injury. Me. What about you?

I see you sling your guitar way beyond

sport—this is passion. I’m prepared
to risk what’s between those bar code spaces

to witness this. No assigned
seat necessary to enjoy the show in all caps.

Roots System Hardiness

Minneapolis, zone 4 more so
than 5. New York City, 7. Only odd ones
get full excavation
treatment for this reassembled

world. Don’t forget tonight’s hard
working crooner, guitar
string shredder. Buy the music
for now and for another

night, for this and another
man who would put himself
back together in new time—
more so than zone.

July One

If she plants the seeds
blended into the pulp
of that message I sent
ground, what

sprouts will be fewer syllables,
less energy spent
on transit. A garden poem
for those who prefer theirs

not so defined—simply Sweet

William Pinks, Rocket
Larkspur, Wallflower, Catchfly,
Five Spot,

English Daisy, Sweet
Alyssum, Lemon Mist, Spurned
Snapdragon, Blue
Flax, Black-
Eyed Susan.