pervasive 

 mal contents 

                                 stewarding the hubris 

   sweet boredom 

    laugh at the song 

                                     tap your foot 

                     

exstopulate
     curmartyrly
                       stidgeon feaders
                                     stoly-brook institoot
slim leary
and his babbling brook
      post rappers
for the security
              tree-erudition
bark is worse than its bark
   sleeves of grass
  Ward Cleaver Whitman
                              I sing the body phone electric cancer causing
                         ouch
          please stop
               can't you?
                            no i can't !
 

War Machines ©2006 D. Norris

slow boat

mirror water

slipping on the cement
      
 no nothing
somehow
             the sun
is burning my skin
 

some prison 

sleuth 

barred and pegasus

the rolling elf dream

it makes sense , right?

 captain ate too much peanut butter

now he's dead 

the patched cadillac

 sweet ride 

forty years old 

 there was a time though 

 kill or be killed

we didn't ask to be here

this was not on my program on channel five

we are the enemy 

bomb hanoi

the sinking tower of underground tunnels               

au contraire 

mon ami 

     bogey 

                                           is still on celluloid

        the sky doesn't bend 

                          earth is a cypher 

                the muniverse

 is a transit 

     black hole 

                 there's enough time 

    for Tuesday 

   see, the gathering of acorns 

   and closets 

             beckoning 

                         there's a river of scenic wonder 

             Switzerland

just Switzerland 

    why? 

 I don't know 

              why are you asking? 

                      you could make money 

picking up race tabs 

I read about it in the New Yorker

   

I have nothing to say 

or do I?

that's the problem 

I'm not sure

 but that's not interesting

 no one cares about nothing 

or about being unsure

it's weak

and uninteresting

 everyone has something to say 

 I know because I hear them

saying stuff

 like the guy with Boston Bruins jacket

to his credit he didn't talk about hockey

 what did he talk about

I don't remember

so it couldn't have been that interesting 

I stole the rankled myths
 from a thousand dollar bill
           carried an acreage of land
 to the hospital
   slept in a wheelbarrow
              now the sky is blue
                and I have to go home
         

From the series: California

From the series: California

From the series: California

From the series: California

From the series: California

From the series: California

From the series: California

some farce 

abreast 

the   

  romance 

lost in the event 

you casually 

unsink

 whilst reminding an 

                   elusive 

                              causality 

-your swim trunks 

 are torn 

                             and you just bought them 

                  still drinks are on the house  

 that's irrelevant 

 like time & space 

 we're whirling through the galaxy at 

   650,000 mph 

               and you're complaining I can't sit still?

             

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&




blips
             on the side
                                                     of a digital mountain

We
The
     People
   see
 the waves
        that Einstein
    predicted
          like sounds
   from a fifties space movie
                 there is no way
                   \/
\/

\/


see whole mountains
crumble
    explosions rock
 the ground

     Bombs Kill
                                                           whats that it didn't happen here
fragmented moral
       quandary
               ethical tributaries
                   long
                         dried up
                      actually
                          the blood
      is singing
  when we die
the wind is our enemy
how it hates us
       the sky too
    shuns our company
  actually the sky likes us
        ssssssshhhhhh
     so banana boats
                  and Laika
a dead dog in space

 what
the
 hell
 
************************************************************************************

preemo
kind
    bud
                  smokin'
                                 you out
sweet

laugh tracks
      and
      running
          in the sunshine
    what
 the
     heck
        it's so
    gorgeous out


##########################



the circumference of fear
  pi r squared

    you know
   do the math
            well
it's dark in space
                                light a candle
and curse the darkness
             it's ignorance-
no it's just plain old hate
              it isn't rocket science -
     can't fix people can you?
                              there's fixin to be done
    by everyone-
                 meditate on that a while
          - lost fountain of youth
                           did you steal my protractor?
          don't poke your eye out
                     Mr McGuiness


%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

alluvial
tarmac
           foreign bodies
                 sands of whispers
            the draft eyed blues
                   someone passed the baton
                                 and the door was open
                the dogs are barking
                      it was just a grin
                             don't mistake it
                     "WE CAN MAKE THE TRAIN"
                       some are left
lying in the shade
   trying to stay cool
                      meanwhile snow banks pile up
    so you can't even find your car
  "yeah I love shovelling snow"
said by no one ever



((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((


the pistol pete
   shoot from the hip
                    who did he play for ?
 I'm sleeeeeepy
             


            

From the series: Photos taken from SF galleries

smooth 

moove

                    cake fish head

jumpin the tracks 

                at Bass Lake

             the needle skipped

          but you're a wasted 

                    one eyed jew

   singing Mr Bojangles

               I'm a Sherman tank 

          or the back seat 

on a one way ride to 7-11

   slap that money down boys

         we got time

                 something seems like a road 

                       there's a story here

 but too late to tell

      well 

guess

 I guess

 you can guess

 open the window

   you can see the dark sky tonight 

   the sun will be shining tomorrow

 

 

From the series: California

Elaine killed her lover
   he was a Spaniard
            worked in an olive oil plant
                           drank sweet white wine
                                 and drove an old Avanti

                                        she stabbed him with a kitchen knife

they said she went crazy
     her husband
               had her put in a sanitorium
                              and medicated
                        after 6 months she broke out
 and fled to the Azores
   and later Uruguay
                  someone said she married a German
 who had a large ranch
          in the mountains
                            but I think she was a whore
   


                     

I had
no brokerage
 with
 knotty pine
                        Elm was my lover
                                     deep firs
                                                 across the chapparal
                                                           barren
 meerkats
      
                  ground squirrels
                                   and barn owls

epistle 

to the

                        underside

     deep rivers 

                         hey that's my line!

  there's no remington typewriters 

 on 34th st

 anymore 

                                     you're 

            gonna 

have to 

  swim for it

from the series: California

the benny's 

      are misgiven 

   you got two valium 

              but only took one 

                                                           "keep out of my goodies"

so that's a beautiful view 

                      you can see the power plant at Moss Landing 

          the shudders were white 

                              with little pine trees cut out in the middle

                                                             stacked against the wall 

                                         we walked to the redwood grove 

                        soft ground and a great harmonious feeling 

   they really are alive 

                                 sentient beings  

a family all growing from the same root system 

                but the kids don't take drugs and wreck the car

                      (big pants people)

                

sloppy the sun
pleased to meet you
I have forgotten
the rhyme
it was synonomous
    or something
 drak

        the echo
      crak
the
  Straits of Gibraltar
            on to Tangier

I am a robusto coffee bean
     grind me
                            and pour hot water through me
    I left the all caps world
   in my spaceship
called poppyseed muffin
     you have forgotten
or have you?
    oh the needless worrying
         stop it
just stop it
          I am a glacier
slowly dying
    sloppy the sun
         is sad
              but cannot help me
and the wind is high
    blowing my mind
 like a grapefruit
    the state of Texas
 
           
       

           

under the purview 

of the state 

                 the sign

            the carry all

   the walk on 

                         under the mattress

                 below the sight of many 

                          

there are no innocent people 

                 except most 

                     sleeping in a pile of leaves 

                          the smell of burning leaves

                   for covers

                              you wished for a simple guess 

                and then you woke up

          and you were still sleepy

                            thats right 

                        walk the line

                               carry a river bed 

                to the rain

                        run for your life 

                                   or walk 

   slowly-

bring me a pizza 

or a new car

                    okay

 

                       

I didn't bet the farm

Donald Trump
Donald Trump
Donald Trump

but they took it anyway

                                You didn't wash the car

but it rained money

                             death in Afghanistan
         summarily chosen
by economics
               and random
 " I am the epitome of white
 what do you call it oh yeah privilege "
   should I arm myself to the teeth
        but I need
the money

it makes no sense
           this barrage
                    of dusty
door frames
                  and micro cephalic endo-derms
                                   in a roach clip
     but I can still believe
                                  there is a god
                                             and he is lost somewhere
                                                                    trying to find a bathroom
            or a donut shop
he isn't sad
   he isn't happy
 he just needs to take a shit
   and get a donut

you 

and 

the slip  the slide 

     the sun 

   the bolt in 

         the lightning

                       

 you in the boat 

oh sinking boat! 

                 can't dredge fast enough

 sinking bed boat 

                 fueled on ambient dream waves 

                        gaia-based self regulating 

  open/closed system 

                      sinking deeper into two comforters

                           coffee based energy systems 

                                where's my phone?

             

 ah nature 

 where is that?

        seems to be a football league 

                          or a hockey puck

                             

                           there's no hope for the wicked 

                                but please dress nicely 

              I'll wear sweatpants

 and hope no one punches me 

                       

                  (that's not likely)

                political discussions 

   who needs that?

        Coffee I need 

                                                              and it's such a beautiful word

 a coffee boat 

       

 

 

 

stepping around
stepping down
stepping again
clean reason
clean stepping
reason the dream
the step
reason the step
again
             dream dream dream dream
again
don't step on reason
don't step goose step
again and again
    step around
and my head spins

     no more thinking
the clean steps
        no more dreaming
 no
more
dreaming
     sleep

      no
more
again

   see
the
 reason
                                is
                                   this
reason
 enough
          too much!
             
                now now now
step!

   step one:
remove the reason
  Step two:
dream

step three:

    get the fuck out

there are no angels
are there
    biscuit head?

please look again
   the yardstick is
still here

stupid haiku
    the car
won't start

a ford edsel
parked in front
you shower

black haiku
      for the spider
         in it's web 

steep pitch
the sight
             slay the
   
 mortal
       stymied
 in elusiveness
  deep prison
   clothes
      you should wander
you should seek
  you should shoulder
the burden
                       
          clothes washed
and folded
         
            ?
no not that
                  where does the car go when it leaves
       
              desolation wilderness
       
   maybe
                It's cold out there
  you would die

             he broke the window breaking into the cabin

my adventures were far more tepid
                 I never got lost on the side
of a snow covered mountain

             where does the time go

             you can't worry about that
          did you clean the kitchen
                      did the children eat
                                          so much war
      and suffering
               
        for some reason
who plays the blame game

   everybody it seems knows
   even Kathleen
           
                   living in London


            

I wandered the back forest 

paddled aimlessly down

the nowwegotyou river

sat in an elf circle 

found a felt hat 

(this part is true)

smoked leaves 

and stems 

 saw the white bull break down the fence 

got lost in a back alley 

somewhere in Spain

watched her black eyes 

watch me 

asking questions 

until I laughed and bought 

a red shirt 

I slipped on the wet street 

and landed in a puddle 

she laughed at me 

and said you're a disaster always 

this cheered me up

and I ran to the nearest bar 

 

keep to the left 

                                                   mean streets 

keep borrowing 

          take the highway 

or an airplane 

                take a hot bath

                         stir a martini 

               and listen 

   "There's GOLD in the seams by 

         GOD!"

               ignore that shit 

                           get some paints and 

go to another 

         wayside 

                    beach bar 

                                       send emails 

                             to dear abby 

                                   yours truly,

stubbed toe

dear stubbed toe...