Don't

ECHO

Zin

Mmm

inanities

     stay away from Gallo

         Jugs

Of purple wine

Steer clear of the Captains

Patched up Caddy

   By the Oakland library

bookstore

Near the jail

   "Why were those men waving at me?"

"They're prisoners"

 E

M

B

R

A

C

E

a Lucy character 

bitter ignorant loud and sure of herself

The stuff of Karen's on yer phone

Where have they been all these years?

Oh they were always here

Raising Persian cats 

listening to country western

On the small radio on the refrigerator

Married to a laughing pot bellied welder

The house smelled of cat pee and was covered in fur

and you had a thing for a gal named Pam Putt

Who lived in the country 

And raised horses

She rode the bus to school

 

 

 Slaughtered 

        Let it bleed

Beehive

    Student of no one 

     Worker bee

         In the skull of a marmot

            Covered in pollen

                And buzzing 

Around 

Going flower to flower

     Dreaming of the Queen

        Gotta get back to "work"

 

 

 

 I stormed

the castle gates

With torn overcoat

and sketchy sneakers

Lances and bulwarks

Played from the jukebox 

A knight in black armor

Approached 

"What'll ya have?"

"Gin and tonic double"

He wielded a battle axe dripping with blood

"Four bucks" 

I dropped a five and said keep it.

Some knights respond well to money.

 

 I stop  

And embrace my

Lonely souls parched thirst

BEER!

Lots and lots of beer

And TEQUILA

HERES TO MEXICO

So it's too hot

People are nice

Iguanas and hyacinths

Gardens and patios

With checkerboard

Tiled floor

And leather Mexican chairs

Surrounded by sawdust

Eaten through by termites

And dust

Tortas 

by a man with a 

Skin affliction

Don Pedro

No sign outside

He'd have to pay 

Rebar sticking out everywhere

BEER

and Bolillos

At the little store

La tiendita

The bodega

That

Smells like bread

And chlorine

And peppers

and plastic

 I can't stop

painting these things

on the back of torn open

grocery bags 

It's like an addiction 

Who knows what the next

one will look like

For a while they got shitty

Who knows

Maybe they're all shitty

But what does it matter?

Who knows

 A thousand storied

Epistle

In your seersucker suit

and sneakers

Cryin like a baby

For no reason

Just why the fuck not

So simple

So clear

So wrong

Or forget it

Get out of bed

Go breathe

 Alarmed 

that was his proof

alarmed again

but he thought 

this always happens 

It's the same as two

Or three times before

You don't know why 

It happens

good luck trying to

Figure that out

But it does

So just settle down

Motherfucker

You're doing it again

So yeah fuck it

 

 Steady

   the wringing 

don't forget your pants

Mmm

   the shoes are on the wrong feet

And two different shoes

no matter

No bother

In the land of Nod

praise the sorrowful angel

For he manages

Arcadian battles

And ravages pizza

Like nobody's business

 

 

 Sterile

    fragilistic

mirage

  Of simpatico 

and seance

Hold hands in the dark

Onibaba

The pit

In the reeds

If you leave early

You don't get paid

What does it mean

Ask the spirits 

They'll answer in barley and rice wine

 Oops

     Tribulations 

and turgid

   Smiles

  In lost package 

   Apologies

What's it mean?

No one knows

  Expectations 

I guess 

  Let's forget it

And have a good time