Nothing to Do But Plant A Smile

She
Was a packet of seeds
That someone was kind enough to put to soil
Water and watch her grow
Her little tree made it over to my garden
Her roots! Oh her roots!
They make me cry
Her little tree is a dashing child
I choked on words, I choked on water
Trying to be her leaves.

Life At Home Is Pretty Simple

Darling, I drank a little too much last night
I spilled some wine on your favourite jacket
That I borrowed without asking

She saves her receipts
When she dry cleans
My baby supports the little shop
'Round the corner
Even though it costs more

Oh dear, she's a bit steamed
Pick her a daisy and cook her a treat
It doesn't change a thing
But maybe she'll forgive me
For the millionth time.

Questione

What would you do if I forgot to write?
Would your heart burst into roses?
Would the blood shine crimson and accuse me?
Of things I never did?
I'm sorry
Don't regret our friendship, love
Don't regret any kiss planted
You shouldn't ever marry
Wait for me
And we'll try again
You say it's different, that you've changed
Never fear baby, I've changed too
Maybe I like you
Maybe you like me too
I really hope you do.

Be Careful

You call my phone but I'm not there
I capture your voice in an electric net
Your words are thick and it's holes are small
A moment, a minute, not much at all
But it weights a ton
At least to me
I put your message on the stove
Let it heat and boil
Pour it in a cup and let it cool
I sip it delicately not to burn my tongue
Drink it slow, drink it down
You may not be here but at least you'll always be inside.

Question For A Gentleman

My postman mailed me a letter
Suggesting I stay asleep
When I asked him why
He replied:
"RE: sleep
I have no good news for you today
And tomorrow is Sunday
Monday is a holiday
And Tuesday... well Tuesday."
I don't want to know what that means
So I bought some glue
Applied it to my eyes
Then I died in a silent slumber.

She

She makes the lights turn red
So I can stop
Lean in
And our kisses make the lights go green.

Wave Big

The clouds
Want to swallow me this afternoon
Their gums feel like cotton
But then, I have no imagination
Beyond the point of taking your hand
And dancing to the sun
Ooh, gal
I feel love.

{in Montana; 08.27.06}

Dirty Water

Eyes to glass
Staring at the blue lights
Men make love to their cell phones
Women make love to their romance novels
Nobody cums
Only birds with paper wings
Get off.

Hey, Oh Yeah Everything's Great

I've found the days cause me to waste away
Skin falls to the floor and blood leaks from my eyelids
Essence has left me
It's cuddling with another
Today I bought a tiny gift to bring it back
With pity under my fingernails
I handed it over
It was small, lovely and left it in awe
But it's just saying "No, I love it but that means I do not want it"
Logic? I guess I'm left in the dust
To figure out what the fuck that means.

{this one is very old, about summer 2005-era, I just found it today}

There Is A Woman Sitting Next to Me With A Flower In A Jar and I Love Her

I heard you dream of clouds
Sitting next to the most beautiful woman in the sky
In her lap is a jar with a flower in it
Full of water
And as she sips from it
I see that I love her.

One Day, I Will Grow to A Giant (You'll See)

Sir could you please sell me a seed?
I want to swallow it whole
Let it burst in my stomach
And together we will grow
I will float over the ocean
Straight to the sun
I haven't got the wings
But I've certainly got the will
A brown whale may swallow me whole
Let it enjoy my body's flavor
I will plant myself firmly inside
Roots and all
Grow out
And try again.

A Man In A Tree Singing From A Park In the Belly of the Brown Whale

I climb a tree with plans
To carve your name
But I'm so afraid to hurt and penetrate
So I just try to get comfortable
On the sharpest branch
It's very cold and my clothes
Try to eat me alive
I picture an old friend
Carefully trying to keep their features over yours
The whale never swallows the ones you hope for
So it's me in a forest
In the belly of a beast
Swimming away from comfort
But away from all that would make me collapse.

Never New

I saw my old best friend
Just the other day
We walked through a garden
He picked me a radish
I dug up a potato
We did this when we were young
Remember bodies of water?
Frogs dancing on lily pads?
Hearts mended?
Arms broken?
He laughed in a way that felt warm
Our new memories
Are smoking pot
Or talking music
His gestures are crying
My pockets are empty
Could we hug?
Back to the garden
Oh please my former pal
Can we die here?

Medicine.

It tastes like it smells
It never heals like the packaging promises
I spent my last 4 bucks to make it
Go away
I sipped it down, swallowed hard
Got a kiss for good luck
But it's aftertaste
Is fucking poison
What do I do?
Do I fall?
Do you know?
I'm scared.
I'm dry
Plant me
Water me
Take care of me
This medicine
This woman
She fails
Fails to heal me
I am my end
I am my end
I am my end
I am my end
I am my end.

It Ended, It's Over.

I have died
I have died without knowing, right in front of her
My body lies at her feet
Why won't she feed herself?
She's picking his bones dry
Soaking it up in blood
I lie rotting, cold, alone
On a cellar floor
The lights bend and take shape
Of all my hopes and dreams
She kissed me! She fucked me!
Marry me at once I ask
She continues to consume him
My prose, my harmonies, my cursive
Simply do not impress
I want to howl
"Why did you kill me? Why won't you eat me? Oh queen, how does he taste?"
But she never would respond
I have died
My soul can only run away.

Belly Up

Papa let the dogs in
They slept in the basement sometimes
I watched from the grass
Then one day the whale
Ate my tiny house
I was left with a city
I was left in the ocean
A duckling sat on my shoulder
Sang me the lullaby:
"Your eyes blur without help
Let your eyeballs make love
Behind the eyelid curtains
And your lashes will dance
Until the sea is hit with sun".

The Prime Time Is the Right Time

It plugged right in
And it sparked silently
"Gather round the glow"
Shhh, shhh, I don't know what's going to happen
Be careful children
I fear I haven't taken care of you
Like I should
"Mother, please
It's nothing new"
Just then she dropped glass
From the '96 car crash
Bled to death
By the used television set
Dead by the news at five
And no time to morn.

Bookends Are Alright

He told me about the lake
He told me about her voice mail
I told him I was afraid of the water
I told him not to call her back
Last summer she left me to die
This summer she loves Jeff
He sure is a nice guy
This summer I feel alive
Last summer I packed my things
I like Lahela the most
The day was sticky and sad
The night I dreamt of making love.

Quiet, Quiet

I lost my love inside a whale
I grew her an apple tree
And threw one inside
I hope it made her glad
The whale has teeth like
Sharp limbs
They scare me real bad
I wrote her a note
"I miss you,
Even though I have you".

I Heard the Talk Radio Hum From Ryan's Room

It's just like fingers dancing on a piano
Or birds in flight
I'm driving to no where in particular
My friend's no where in sight

I got lost in the woods
Just the other day
Owls stared while I choked on pills
The trees suspended their death
Their leering corpses
Their rugged skin

O' dragonfly
Little creature
Begin! Start! First!
Forever
Hush falls upon smooth ears
And phone books continue to pressure.

Who's Fault?

I felt the wind
I felt the moon
I felt her whisper
She felt it too
Tonight it seemed fitting
So I swam in a lake
Picked up rocks and thoughts
I thought I saw her glare
But the mud rose up
And clouded the water
I felt the cold
Yeah, I've felt it all
Swim for dear life
Drown in the morning.

Tre[sh]e

I was 21 and adored a tree
It's leaves green as you could hope
I wish it'd grow
Open the window
And hug me
It soothes, it cools
It loves
It's mother
Nature! Nature!
Mature! Mature?
I'm still 21
And what a fucking tree.

I Thought It Was Something New, and I Was Right

She was born through a photograph
Classy and shy; stuck in time
Her features were glossy and shined
In the night
A moment (a beauty) captured in print
Subtle in tint
Warm and utterly dashing
I wish to place my fingertips on her lips
Feel them sink slightly through
A burst of red
But they just slide
Artificial and fake
She's confused on common sense
I have no time to wait
(I have all the time in the world)
Fade
Fade in reverse
Someday I'll know what it's REALLY like
To never see her again.

Bend In the Eve

It was a day in the flowers
A day of allergies and butterfly kisses
Spinning through the tallest grass
I got planted and I grew
To be older than I felt ready for
My leaves rot at jobs
And my roots are tested by awful women
But then she watered me
Felt a false sense of strength
But mama didn't raise no tomato
So I fuck it up
Smile real big
Take my bloom
To another garden
This one will fuck me just right.

Hush or Easy Living or Anything But Untitled

Once I saw it bloom
Sprout a personality
It shifted and swayed
Gave into the wind's pushy hands
I wanted to wear a suit to fit in
Follow the sidewalk's current
I combed my hair and
Looked to practice my handshake
I bend and tighten
Place impressive fingerprints
On unimpressive memories
Eyes can be so cruel
Men and women pushing 50
Looking at me like I'm stoned
Forgive, forget, smile, wave, fun
I'm scared to stay
There goes a life I never knew
And probably never wanted.

Romantic

Water your plants
Comb your hair
Tonight is a fine night to impress
Tie your shoes
Tuck in your sheets
Maybe tonight I will find the sun
And it will shine down on me
Warm, willing and waiting
I swim through liquid oxygen
Over to a promise
She makes me think of something french
I extend a hand; an invitation
Smile, nod
Decline
Water your plants
Comb your hair
Tomorrow you should try again
Tie your shoes
Tuck in your sheets
Don't you dare drown
Sun, the moon has kidnapped you
I want to feel warmth
I want to lust for her skin
Sun, when will I see you again?

Horses

Her beauty inspires; she is my muse
She creates text, sight and sound
She is my sun who I curl up under
Take in the glow
Warm up from the coldest night that the Pacific Northwest
Could invent
I’d cut off winter hair
Because I’m thinking about the summer, yeah
Going to move to the Midwest
Start a new book and unfold a lawn chair
Cook us a stew and invite your family
Project my love in something filling
And darling if they don’t approve
I’ll gently grab your hand, excuse myself from the table
We’ll create a hallucination
We’ll ride horses through the tall grass
Towards something perfect, something stellar.

That Sinking, Silly Feeling That All Is Lost (Even Though It's Not)

It's the only way to pass the time
Place my ear to the wet ground
Feel the weight of guilt fall on my head
Exploding liquid oxygen sink deep
Through open pours, open lips
And I will sing
The very prettiest harmony my voice will allow
I want to know it all
All he knows, all she knows, all they know
Because when I have a drink with friends
I stare into eyeballs
Pools of knowledge and experience
They stare into mine
And my blue's reply with the blankest fucking look
I never knew I could give
So let me twist open my skull
Remove my brain
Bury it deep under the leaves
Under the dirt
Throw pages of novels and little green seeds on top
Let it grow!
Grow to the clouds!
And then I'll finally be sociable.