1. Thanx
 thank you for not
 trying to do this all by yourself 
 hold the fort for a few minutes
 you got it 
 I never claimed to be good at it
 but that’s the way I would have it
2. All We Did
 all we did was tear down
 a sick structure
 rupturing a twisted treatise of creation
 shunned somethin’
 and that’s all we did
3. Just Talkin
 we’re not actually doing this, yeah?
 we’re just talking
 yeah, just talking
 put it in the rearview mirror and
 poof
4. The Only Thing Better Than Getting What You Want
 if I choose to believe in faith
 then I am lost
 the only thing better than getting what you want
 is being right where you ought 
 to be 
5. How To Open Doors With A Smile
 sometimes I truly consider that I am where I am on smiles alone
 and then immediately afterwards
 upon knowing myself
 I realize this might not be such a bad thing
6.  North Georgia Canpony Tours
 5 star review for the place
 I got to zip thru the trees
 oh the smells
 5 star review for my date
 different kind of zipping
 different kind of smells
 same similar sort of moment 
 when you realize the fleeting & forever beauty 
 of Georgia girls & Georgia trees 
7.  Sneakers Around
 around when I was 22ish, I used to laugh with my roommates about how we knew we were going on a lot of dates based on how many different girls’ shoes there’d be on the front door foyer at any given moment. it stands out as actually pretty funny in my memory although I’m not certain why. my girlfriend around the time when I was 22ish slept with a bunch of other guys while we were dating. So I didn’t laugh at sneakers around as much anymore since then.
8. The Children We Were
 its hard to remember
 you became such an asshole
 say greatbye to the past
 never look back
 pop a rubber band on my future
 I’m free at last
 with only ambition &
 time left 
 to prove me 
 right
9. Moneymoon
 some folks meet the love of their life
 nurture that path the right
 way and all that 
 some folks; only to walk hand & hand in passion
 with purpose; a fistful of dollars
 or both 
10. Going Solo
 letters home from
 summer cramps 
 hello? Mayday!
 hello, payday!
 strike a match to 
 light some lamps 
 if you try to tag trends 
 you’ll never be it 
 but you best get set 
 for playing 
 alone 
11. Biographies Entertain Nobody
 I am the cause of several near accidents
 and the reason for a definite few
 I am the jaws of what you find blasphemous 
 yet I always manage to come through
 Bronx cheer me, if you want
 I’ll be backing traffic up
 for milessssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss
12. No More Than An Anxious Distraction
 I keep coming back 
 to the same acid reflux; coffee breath
 coffee black, half cooked oatmeal
 steel cut routine 
 it just doesn’t set the same
 when yesterday, a groove was formed
 but you’re in a whole different place 
 today
 if you are a creator, create
 if you are a person, pursue
 it takes a million bland routines
 to find what works for you
 and then all of a sudden;
 it doesn’t 
 and reflection becomes 
 no more 
 than an anxious 
 distraction 
13.  Spring in ATL
 Kendrick thru the KRKs
 bumpin’
 all sorts of pink, all sorts of greens
 all sorts of greens
 Spring in the A
 the city too bumpin’ to hate
 dogwood smell salivating through the sweat in the air
 natural light beams from the sky and flows thru our blood
 creativity sugary sweet like a glass bottle of classic
 peanuts optional
 nothing can stop someone who has already been stopped
 just doesn’t make any sense 
 so
 to any amount of anguish 
 to being beaten when we deserve it & when we don’t 
 we will answer with Kendrick thru the KRKs
 we will answer with spring
 in the 
 a
 t
 l 
14. Be Still, Be Steel
 be still, be steel
 stay true, stay real
 take a spark into a taste you look forward to
 every day
 stay solid-focused
 firm-willed
 expanding expanding
 expanding expansive
 solid-state balance
 come from somewhere, go anywhere, grow everywhere
 stay solid
 be still, be steel
 stay true
 deal? 
15. I Am Full of Sheet 
 I am emotionally as deep as 
 a cookie sheet 
 baked, once
 chocolatey with bits of tin foil
 peeling off in a plethora 
 of perfect pieces
 I am with purpose
 an above-ground pool in the late haze of denouement summer
 strawberritas on ice
 floating from fear and sinking in strength 
 this world was made by better men than me
 this world was made for worse folks than I could ever be 
 so, I, somewhere
 in between
 at 375 degrees
 remain emotionally as deep
 as a cookie sheet 
16. Orange You Glad You Aren’t a Banana 
 it’s that something like
 pouring the perfect portion of milk
 on cereal to where it’s just too damn right
 for vegans; its something else
 everybody feels that something
 from time to time
 I’m trying to stay put there
17.  Controversial Poops
 the domino effect of human rebounding;
 its unfair to everybody
 everywhere
 and it can spoil the smell & texture of gorgeous 
 fading memory
 feeding turtles in the arboretum
 “should’ve done this”
 “why can’t anybody be somebody else”
 “let’s go eat Indian food”
 I’m always sorry for who I’ve been and some days I carry it with me more than others
 its all a bunch of controversial feelings
 and I’m hoping it all cleans up one day neatly
 yet
 it seems that I remember less & less of you
 and more & more the lingering smell of poop
18. Edgar Allan Coe
 they told me this was the perfect music of madness
 I sent to them a parchment saying
 it was not
 because they hadn’t spoke a word about unrequited love
 nor ravens, nor disease, no malice,
 nor gettin’ drunk 
 nor trains
19. Pineapple Pizza Kind Of Love
 its that sometimes the things that are screwed up about us 
 bring us together 
 I don’t know how to answer if I know what love is
 but I have tasted pineapple on pizza many times
20.  All That Shit is Fine Until One Day When It’s Not
 wake up to get down
 coffee, whiskey, books (sometimes)
 ESPN first take (usually)
 Lebron James Lebron James
 oatmeal and eggs
 vegetarian college dropout
 who slays the bass and not much else
 mindless exercise (5k every day)
 hate my band (thieves and they know)
 3 consecutive girlfriends (all hated me)
 friends telling me I’ll never make it (I believed them)
 like a hamster on a wheel but ya know
 I’m a fucking human person
 2012 splattered my soul like a glock 
 and all that shit is fine
 until one day when it’s not 
21. What Would You Do If You Weren’t Scared?
 I’d believe in myself
 and just stay there
22. To Let Yourself Loose Within The Wilds of Wikipedia
 take it all day by day
 keystroke by keystone
 the acquisition of knowledge
 can be so empowering
 it can be so relaxing so chill
 to let yourself loose within the wilds of wikipedia;
 just scratches there surface of what it
 means to run stride for stride
 with a thought
23.  Leaping
 leaping seraphically over satellites 
 i read your words and it builds a world
 none of this has ever happened before
 in so many ways
 in so many words
 in so few places, i’ve been insofar inspired
 typically, usually, most-of-the-time 
 there is nothing i’ve desired 
 as to read your words 
 and build our world
 leaping elysian over satellites 
 towards only
 paradise 
24. Escape
 I will escape from you
 from that which is deemed truth
 from the nuances of jargon
 to the spontaneity of youth 
 I will escape from it
 from that which you commit 
 from the current collapsing dogma
 I scoff and I quit
 I will escape from me 
 from that which you’ve caused to believe
 from having no way in who I am
 towards becoming much more of that whom I cam
 eventually
 I will escape to wherever I 
 decide 
 to go 
25. Apartment Numbers
 all of these places are exactly the same 
 hit the phone button, dial someone’s number
 driving lanes are far too narrow on the inside 
 cars far too nice for such a cheap pad 
 I guess its what is on the inside that counts?
 all these numbers blur together after the years
 135, 1818, 1954, 2720, 903, 252
 all these years blur together after the beers 
 1989, 2010, 1776, 1845, 252
 all these beers blur together after my fears 
 of which there is only one:
 reading number after number after number after number
 until there are no numbers left 
 all of these places are exactly the same
 but you know what?
 (even if more often than not, I don’t care to see it)
 different people live inside
26. Does Anyone Still Wait
 does anyone still wait
 for anything?
 I can distinctly remember waiting for phone calls 
 life stopped for whatever I wanted it to
 I just simply had to be simple
 and that simply had to wait 
 I remember waiting for inspiration to come
 and then she did
 and then I remember waiting for her to return
 for years and years and years 
 eventually I stopped waiting 
 and I was sure that she would never visit again
27. Wherever You Are
 wherever you are my dear
 I will be there
 wherever you are is dear to me 
 your symphony of touch is a mechanism towards belief 
 the generosities of your smile eradicate grief
 wherever you are
 I won’t be far
 no matter how bizarre our future or past
 I’ll be around to help pull us through 
 like a most startling reflection in the deepest pool
 you would hardly recognize
 and then immediately come to see 
 together
 what we can achieve will make us complete 
 together
 wherever you are my dear
 I will be there
28.  Snowpacalypse Etude 1 in Frexinet major 
 if it snows again in Georgia
 I’ll be the first one towards your door
 I won’t mind the 7.4 mile walk
 up peachtree street 
 no fruit in any place is close to as sweet
 and nobody
 nothing 
 is juicier 
 ice falls
 as lovers do
 it isolates travelers; eschews them to confront brutal frozen truths 
 the last 100 snow angels I made hardly resembled you at all
 but I didn’t expect it to snow twice this year either
 so if it snows again in Georgia 
 worse or better or the same as before
 I’ll brave the barbarians for champagne from the store
 I can correct the mistakes that I used to ignore
 there’s just something when our lips mix that keeps us coming for more
 and more
 if it snows again in Georgia
 I’ll be the first one towards your door 
29. I Can Do Anything Better Than Anyone
 fears; I’ll feel
 and steps; I’ll take ‘em 
 one
 after
 the other
 mountains; I shall climb
 with miles of smiles
 one
 after
 the other 
30. Ants
 we are all together much more like ants
 than whatever we think human beings are
 for with our persistent intrepidity we can lift ten times the load
 but unless we all work together
 we’ll never ruin the celestial picnic 
 though we are getting pretty damn close
31. Destiny’s Stepchild
 I am Destiny’s stepchild and I’ve been to Texas
 more than a couple times 
 I only say no twice (should’ve been three, always)
 which leads to yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
 I’m no survivor 
 but lord, I’m still alive
32. In Order to Fly
 ever notice how busted airplane wings always look in the sky?
 like they don’t belong? at all
 well if this plane goes down, noticing that won’t change a thing
 its like Stevie sings 
 don’t you worry bout a wing 
 pretty mama, sometimes you have to let go of what belongs 
 in order to fly 
33. Our Love Is For The Birds
 birds become bird flu
 I miss you
 caterpillars that never can quite leave their cocoons 
 I miss you
 words in the soil; plucked for fishing hooks; keep that bob above water, patient 
 patient
 I miss you
 the best birds in our time only sort of flew
 and while I truly do miss you
 I still wake up
 every morning
 to sing 
34. Whatever Works, Even When It Doesn’t 
 we wouldn’t have Charlie Parker as we know it
 without that unfortunate lapse 
 into sticky, sweet, seductive, SMACK
 and I listen to Charlie Parker with Strings
 every time I need what it means to fall in love 
 so what I’m trying to mean
 is stop being so damn judgmental about which route anyone takes 
 we drive our own damn cars and sometimes
 not everyone is born with Garmin GPS
 not everyone is born with anything
 not anyone is born with everything
 getting lost is, in fact, the best way for some of us to truly read a map
 for the very first time 
 so blow your horn till your cheeks burst 
 and count whatever subdivision that you feel might work 
 even if you splat and last week’s garbage calls you trash
 the hi-hat doesn’t give a shit
 tat-a-tat tat 
 we all have a different this
 to arrive stylishly at that
 but most of all, always remember 
 to really lay into that crash!
35. I’m An Animal Anyway, Let Me Lose My Soul
 nothing good is rewarded 
 trying to find meaning is a pit that leaves all ten of my toes 
 stubbed
 calloused is my drive to get out of bed each & every 
 miserable
 morning 
 random chance would even be better
 than the opposition’s success
 spirituality seems like a way
 to sell wolf tickets 
 and musicians are more concerned with their standing
 than standing for their music 
 in moments of strength, I see my place to be an example
 of the things and values I hold dear 
 in other moments 
 of stronger strength
 I say fuck em
 I’m an animal anyway
 let me lose my soul 
36. The Things That Go Wrong Often Make The Best Memories
 its a small comfort;
 not like a comfort food;
 its a lot more stomach severe; sorta serious
 surreptitiously, I
 can have perspective
 yet it evaporates into the air as soon as I am aware
 and, with transient trepidation,
 I recall
 how much I hate having any memories at all
 this interlocking chain of mentally malicious hypotheticals
 leaves me strangled; only
 there is wisdom in truly knowing the past
 but the future is a gift
 a present I will never get 
37. I Pray For Mercy, Not Justice
 boy oh boy have I screwed up!
 time and time again
 I can recall all of my mistakes
 like my mom & her rolodex trying to schedule a dermatology appointment 
 these regrets saddle me like a weight vest pounding miles on the asphalt
 sometimes
 its very hard to get to sleep
 mistakes show that we are trying
 striving towards more 
 & flying 
 towards something different
 this novelty is met with
 OUTRAGE
 how dare anyone make any mistakes?!
 how dare anyone be me?!
 and when all of it comes back to haunt us
 I’ll pray for mercy, not justice 
38. A Type
 two distinct true crime tv shows on
 two separate tvs in two separate rooms
 roja red decanting, but not for long enough to do anything
 king cake wreath on her apartment door
 the only one to stand proud in the oppressive Atlanta summer heat grub hub delivery forever en route
 directions I only understand after months of hearing them yet the food always
 comes
 she’s a type; it’s not gonna work
 but I love to watch her smile 
39. Je Suis Qui Tee
 this is the gas pump where
 you pulled me by my shirt and
 kissed me like that was it
 talula gorge trespass
 meteor shower & the soundtrack to Midnight in Paris
 coyotes howlin’ mad or cheering us on
 Buford highway, pump 7, QT
 Atlanta, GA
 you & me 
40.  Self Care
 not unlike a chandelier on a drop ceiling 
 a glade plug-in scenting a slaughter house
 I’m so bad and so good 
 and mostly bad
 the things others get away with 
 I’d never dare dream
 and yet everyone is happy
 except for me 
 I’m not free unless I am lonely 
41. Index Sketch #3
Sin-for-me
Symphony 
Number three 
Riots by the “righteous” in the streets 
A sense of alien-nation
Is very important 
42. Index Sketch #4
There’s no fun there
Everyone loses in transactional theatre
No matter how eager to rep loyalty in perpetuity 
True partnership is tantamount to
Eggs-aisle 
43. Index Sketch #5
So much of the wonders of romance is
Catalogued 
Solemnly 
And with genuine sterility
On a 
Legal 
Pad 
We can take all the notes we want
And still not have a fucking clue 
44. Index Sketch #6
You are en-light-end; be-a-you-ta
full 
And yet
You glow in the dark
Pranking about with all the empathy of graph paper
While I swing wildly and with feeling
We don’t belong; separate or together 
45. Index Sketch #7
One hundred & sixteen seasons old, I 
Hear the Rocky theme music every time in a 
Diff-a-rent genre 
Sly & the family Stallone 
Time to be over the top
if you die with unfinished business 
you get to live forever as a ghost
46. Index Sketch #10
I’m different, baby
I can’t help that
I’ll never say I love you
Even if I truly do 
I don’t though
47. Index Sketch #11
49 beers on the river
And 1 bottle of 2013 white wine 
With the cork pushed in it 
Pissin in front of a kind fisherman
Wakin up at 9am the next morning for solo ballroom dancing 
Every1’s waiting to die 
I’m not 
48. Index Sketch #13
great poetry is finding meaning 
great poetry is looking at something 
personal
stating the detail that speaks to satisfy your soul
then,
Examine the subtext of its role in your life 
great poetry is finding meaning
great poetry is pointless 
49. 
Index Sketch #12
not all of us
have the financial/mental well-being 
to be Siddartha 
i’m beginning to accept that I’ll never feel safe
but like everything else 
It gets easier 
Every day 
50. This Is It
 if I didn’t get into this
 I wouldn’t be into that
 and damnit I can’t stand any of it
 sometimes mostly
 I just want someone else to blow me away
 It might happen! 
 but it hasn’t yet
 my life is alright; I am who I am
 and this is it
 bet.
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