Discounted Poetry

The shadows of the cars Creep long against the cracks and gravel. The air is putting on the slightest chill. The moon's aloof, Abandoning me For a higher perch between The thin and lonely clouds. I'm the one who stitched your sails. I'm the reckless one who flew. The sky's in need of silver haze, Although I haven't got a cigarette these days. There's not a star to grace the night. They left me for another man A year or two ago. I never craved another hand before. I loved the solid empty night With poems and a prayer To stand for fickle lovers. Now, I only smoke regret. I'm the one who lit you bright. I'm the one you never knew. I'm the one who couldn't land. - 10/3/25

The airplanes from the runway Miles down the highway Sound a hurricane inside the battered room. The candles crinkle The crisply ironed darkness. Your laughter muffles soft against my chest Until the roar subsides  From out the night. Massaging hair and head, I listen, Greedily consume your secret history Until another flight, The mystery of you. - 10/2/25

My visiting friend On stroll throughout my back yard Stumbled on your grave And knocked your spirit Loose, He's no idea who you were Or where you lie. I'm also not certain All the time. The sturdy midnight breezes Saturated with Whistles, windchimes, And my name Now haunt me free. I don't glance over my shoulder often. You head in the direction you're staring down. Your ghost is dead enough to float transparent, But not to quiet. Life continues. It ferries me from work to home To bed And steady toward a patch of earth My own. I used to tamp the dirt As compactly as a prison wall, But now I simply let the shovel fall. The grass is brown, the soil scanty, Leaving me Occasionally hearing Secret music warmly Taunt my hungry ear. - 10/1/25

I never told you Of the second time I saw you. I slowly stretched my neck Around the rocks To spy you dancing A pas seul, Blurs of motion High to blue Then falling On the sands Alone, Alone With me. That night You curved your hands Around my shoulders, Singing Springsteen in my ear, "Baby, if you want to be wild, You've got a lot to learn." I held you tightly As we burned the dance floor In that bar To the ground. I don't believe You see me here Beside your bed. Your breath Was weak but steady Over night. I hummed a lullaby. I kiss your hand, Your forehead. It is okay. I will also learn a solo. You can leap Into the sky Alone, My ocean dancer. - 9/30/25

We've pinned Reality Beneath the needle Point of sharpest Senses, Fixing wild Everything With vision, Skin impressions Of subtle Variety, An echo, Smell. Saturday Before the sun Fell behind The hills, My eyes Unfocused And every inch Of me Like roses Opened. The alternative Skyscape Was scurrying With blurry spirits Dancing just Beyond My sudden Flimsy Foggy breath And body, Another realm Of other being Flowing above, The blossom Past the bloom Below And on and through. - 9/29/25

You envy How my steps Are helium. I once Was jealous How my friend was carelessly carefree, And after several years, I saw the greenest strings, How tight her parents' thousands Held her up So high from off the ground. I've hardly pennies, And I know you wonder, Squinting for threads Around my shoulders and my waist. It's not the same. Instead I've watched it all take flame And crumble down To ash So many times. I always find a narrow road That leads through blood and shit, Through loneliness, To a painful, slow Rebirth. It isn't cash or credit Or inheritance. I've stood and walked from rubble Quite enough To specialize in traveling With little in my threadbare pockets, Lightly, Barely touching earth. - 9/25/25