Prometheus Chained to a Bird Feeder
Stealing Cigarettes
from the Gods

Hubris
is a crime
if you have something
to lose
Standing at the top
of the mountain
looking down on general
aspirations
Prometheus chained to a bird feeder
stealing cigarettes
from the gods
While cops
of the keystone variety
chase Chaplin
in black
and white.

Picking a Poison
like Socrates Over Hemlock
at the Centres for Disease Control
and Prevention

The punk crowd is too loud
and messy
and the disco crowd, too soft
and clean
and the hard rockers are too concerned
with their hair
and hot pants groupies
as the big banders travel in packs
and the jazz clique never left
the speak easies
and pop tarts belong nowhere
but in your toaster Easy listeners are in a perpetual coma
and the blues crowd is
just depressing
and that just leaves the classical freaks,
but they’re the worst
of all…

Tchaikovsky
digging through the kitchen drawer
in search of a nutcracker
while little Amadeus heads out
for more wine
and Ludwig is in the bathroom
flushing away his number
two
as Vivaldi changes all the cds
in my cd changer
after I told him
not to.

For the Sake of Ease

The Chichen Itza
has 91 steps on each side,
for a total of 364,
to mark each day
of the year
I have
a calendar
It’s just easier.

Life Goes On

Overheard conversation
in the oncology waiting room

“How bad is it?’ she asked.

“Stage IV,” I heard the reply.

The lady with the gray hair
tilted her head
nodded and sighed
lips pressed together…
Perhaps not sure what to say.

“Why don’t you come over Friday night,” said the one with Stage IV “We just bought a new hot tub.”

The Pier

One block away
from Hotel Carmel
Hotdogs and crowds
Bubba Gump’s and movie trivia
Amusement park rides and four tickets a piece
The sound of the Pacific Ocean
crashing into wood pylons
Pigeons flying overhead
Bird shit in my hair