no energy 12/31/2007

halibut pre-cased
directions unclear
boil it? can that be?
in the package or out?
water in pot, halibut in pot
stove on
boredom
hey I need to take a shower
return to find decimated halibut
no match for the ebullient scalding cauldron
what a mess
this stove sucks
I am hungry
yum decimated halibut, venisen sausage, pepper jack cheese, crackers.

ebullient \ih-BUL-yuhnt\, adjective:
1. Overflowing with enthusiasm or excitement; high-spirited.
2. Boiling up or over.

Tony's 35th B-day 12/30/2007

expecting a chill
or a breeze of brisk air
not sure if I need a scarf
or some warmer clothes to wear

I show up at 6 (am)
3 cars in the corner of the lot
head lamp switched on
wondering into, what I have got

the run starts off steep
up, up and up some more
the footing uncertian
making it much more of a chore

in the corner of my eyes
the sweat starts to stay
hardening from the gelid wind
which won't go away

back at the cars at 7:05
finished with a run before most awake
driving home with a sense of self
7 miles done, the rest of the day to take


gelid \JEL-id\, adjective:
Extremely cold; icy.

derailed train of thought 12/29/2007

Twas the night before new years
and all through the house
not a person was stirring
unless you count my bibulous uncle bob who is a bastard and cheated on my aunt with a stewartess (sorry flight attendant) from clevlend with a mustache and a mullet in the chemical toilet bathroom of a midwest airline flight from chicago to minneapolis and got caught by my nieghbor larry when he broke down the door because he was violently ill with food poisoning from the saliburry steak he bought for $8 on a flight he already paid $400 for.
blah blah blah

happy new year.


bibulous \BIB-yuh-luhs\, adjective:
1. Of, pertaining to, marked by, or given to the consumption of alcoholic drink.
2. Readily absorbing fluids or moisture.

Ice breaker 12/28/2007

my persona,
a multifarious collection
collection of parts of people
parts of people I have come in contact with
noticing the good in others
the "hey I wish i was like that"
the jealous envy,
energy possibly wasted on defeating thought
transferred into clever theft

I am my surroundings
I am becoming my best friends
my parents, my collegues,
my teachers, my pets

noticable change is slowed
a numbers game
but still noticable none the less
tomorrow I hope to be different than today
to not judge my difference
to allow myself to be wrong
and go from there.



multifarious \muhl-tuh-FAIR-ee-uhs\, adjective:
Having great diversity or variety; of various kinds; diversified.

Mirror of Denial 12/27/2007

gnomic lake
reflection of yourself
rippled tides
skipping limestone
ice crystals
obstacles in your self image
the lake will never make you more
change you, add to you.
conditions change
the view can be distorted
but on a calm day
that is you.


gnomic \NOH-mik\, adjective:
Uttering, containing, or characterized by maxims; wise and pithy.

The Trail 12/26/2007

At times simply gravel
or covered in snow
ruts from rainfall
or lit from moons glow

an hour at a time
a hermatige of sorts
my thoughts can roam freely
without rebutals or retorts

I go there to shape
my body and mind
fast forward to the future
or maybe stop, and rewind

I sometimes go myself
sometimes with a friend
no matter how it starts
I feel better at the end


hermitage \HUHR-muh-tij\, noun:
1. The habitation of a hermit or group of hermits.
2. A monastery or abbey.
3. A secluded residence; a retreat; a hideaway.
4. (Capitalized) A palace in St. Petersburg, now an art museum.

Lazy haiku 12/25/2007

My benifaction
transpired with reaction
my satisfaction


benefaction \BEN-uh-fak-shuhn; ben-uh-FAK-shuhn\, noun:
1. The act of conferring a benefit.
2. A benefit conferred; especially, a charitable donation.

No Quarry for old men 12/24/2007

what once was glorious amity
fell apart with such rare calamity
due to my misuse of profanity

friends we were once so good
never thinking that either ever could
say something that would be misunderstood

walking away at the end of the night
coming oh so close to an all out fist fight
we both felt that we had done nothing but right

so that ends this confusing story
where no one wins, and there is no glory
but the other guy found himself dead in a quarry

amity \AM-uh-tee\, noun:
Friendship; friendly relations, especially between nations.

vocabulary revisited 12/23/2007

In an attempt to camouflage
my laborious persiflage
I used words like abhore, and abscond

though neither that big of a word
I chirped them out like a stuttering bird
to impress the lingering blonde

she laughed and giggled
and her buttom briefly jiggled
in a way that made me feel fond

a witty joke and an unnoticed pun
painfully close to a sienfeld rerun
her jewelery shiny like polished debond

a mental big fish I was growing to be
hoping the puddle was deep enough for me
telling myself that we had some sort of bond

parting ways at the end of the night
both wondering why it didn't go right
walking home under the hat that I donned

If only she had taken the time
to learn something past grade nine
we could have had a reason to correspond



persiflage \PUR-suh-flahzh\, noun:
Frivolous or bantering talk; a frivolous manner of treating any subject, whether serious or otherwise; light raillery.

The Shag 12/22/2007

Local watering hole
the foundry
not much created or made there
unless you count bad decisions

sitting with pat and patty
one of them my date, the other my best friend
my hair a topic of discussion
unrelenting calumny from Patrick
every one knows the difference between a shag and a mullet
but she believed I rocked the mullet....

we all know it was the shag....
equal length on all sides...
patty is gone, married I think
the shag still here
along with Patrick
his calumny still his best trait.

calumny \KAL-uhm-nee\, noun:
1. False accusation of a crime or offense, intended to injure another's reputation.
2. Malicious misrepresentation; slander.

Standing by Socks 12/21/2007

Dad with his finical demands
always followed by silly repremands
of what was not but should have been done
like shaking icy trees, or scraping of soap scum
or maybe shoveling the back yard or putting dirt in a barrel
by me, my brother, my sisters christy and carol
never making complete sense to my cerreberal mind
but knowing refusal would not only be dumb but unkind
his enginuity was something to admire
like a parenting consultant for hire
always creating new ways to teach or punish
I am now well versed and prepared to admonish


finical \FIN-ih-kuhl\, adjective:
Extremely or unduly particular in standards or taste; fastidious; finicky.

Jungle Walk 12/20/2007

uneasy feeling
tightening of normally relaxed shoulders
internal tocsin
noticed but unheeded
one more step forward
then another
breaching and then breaching again
into a space you don't belong
or don't feel you belong
waiting for the ground to fall out below
or the sky to turn red
for the band of monkeys trained in karate
or the 3 legged snakes of death
but nothing comes
trusting your gut
but moveing forward anyway
one of you is wrong

tocsin \TOCK-sin\, noun:
1. An alarm bell, or the ringing of a bell for the purpose of alarm.
2. A warning.

Al Gores Nightmare 12/19/2007

The internet
a discursive look into most anything
friendships, business interminglings,
personal affairs,

the medium is developed
is developing

better ways to track your friends,
your business contacts, your "hottness"


Raindrops of impersonal contact
will never make up for a waterfall of personal attention
keeping 100 balls in the air is cool
makes you feel needed, connected,

but to what

log in hourly to see if you have 37 friends,
the widely accepted number needed to fit in.

the trees of the forest wonder
the animals on your floor wait
the path through the park hopes

for your return.


discursive \dis-KUR-siv\, adjective:
1. Passing from one topic to another; ranging over a wide field; digressive; rambling.
2. Utilizing, marked by, or based on analytical reasoning -- contrasted with intuitive.

Amazon Departure 12/18/2007

Mosquitos on the river
golden film in shallows
proper tension
landing zone

My canoe
slithers through murky water
like an anacanda...
slithers through the.....
murky....
water....

damn I hate that when I do that
great metaphor
good one

My canoe
slithers like an anaconda
through the murky waters
paddle strokes
pierce the surface pari passu
mind and gaze straight ahead

the drips off the paddles
and the splitting of the liquid
are the only sounds I can hear
above the approaching mosquitos
and the vanishing past.


pari passu \PAIR-ee-PASS-oo; PAIR-ih-PASS-oo\, adverb:
At an equal pace or rate.

Westward Daydream 12/17/2007

demanding what one is unprepared for
opening libations not ready to imbibe

East of Colorado and west of Ohio the landscape flattens
the dance of life gets focused to 2 genres
square and line dancing
both great enterprises
but do not encompass the realm of possibilities
some people know they want to dance
but their bodies move to different music
in different ways

unfledged, but only for current surroundings
mental or geographical, I am not sure

with a gentle up breeze of warm air
from the woods of Yellowstone
ones first flight can be joyful

With a cold down draft of frigid air
from the rooftop of Woodbury
the feeling can be quite different

in Yellowstone no one cares if you fly
only that you do what feels right for you

in Woodbury, the streets are filled
crossed arms and expectations
the roof slippery from frost
the glares hide nothing
it is time to fly...
now


Flights to San Fransisco $650


unfledged \uhn-FLEJD\, adjective:
1. Lacking the feathers necessary for flight.
2. Not fully developed; immature.

4.5H Mercury 12/16/2007

So many lack
many with knowledge of that void
many without

waiting for that complement
for that plug that retains,
the plug that threads into the corse tapped hole
at the bottom of the boat
the tapped hole
filled with algae, pine needles, and mud
mud that was dirt on a wisconsin driveway
and now 437 miles away
through gas stations
car rides and short walks
wieghted down by luggage
it arrived here in this boat
just add water

the drain plug is not magic,
it is usually aluminum
it is cast
and it is easy to get anywhere
in life others can go to the store and get you one
in reality only you have that ability
and like magic
without a trip to ace.

complement \KOM-pluh-muhnt\, noun:
1. Something that fills up or completes.
2. The quantity or number required to make up a whole or to make something complete.
3. One of two parts that complete a whole or mutually complete each other; a counterpart.

What would Bill Clinton do? 12/15/2007

Shaving in the mirror
electric razor buzzing under a rainfall of Neil Young
mind blurring between the image of myself
red underwear from Germany, world cup
wife beater, and wet mop of curls
and the thought that Neil just used the word "drag"
and the following thought about Miles Davis
and his album "the rebirth of cool"

The word drag, such a lame word
goody goody boys used it instead of "sucks"
or "sucks ass" or "blows"
But not Neil, he can make it so cool
damn that was deep
i think to myself

Then I think I could make a miracle out of a dog eating a turkey sandwhich

like my mind can meld anything to be whatever I want it to be
I guess who can't....

returning to the present, I take another look in the mirror
a draconian assesment of my physique, my hair, and the wrinkles around my nose
I take a similar stance on what I will be able to write using the word draconian
but at this point I don't know this is the word.
All I know is I need put pants on,
and mention Neil Young and Miles davis

I sit here, pants on
mission accomplished.



draconian \dray-KOHN-ee-uhn; druh-\, adjective:
1. Pertaining to Draco, a lawgiver of Athens, 621 B.C.
2. Excessively harsh; severe.

Oxyginated 12/14/2007

My heart once a fortress
used only for pumping blood
and maintaining life
my life
my goals
my desires
trained and strengthened
to beat fast or slow
to maintain oxygen
maintain all the stupid parts of my body

My heart with 3 chambers,
highways both inwards and out
arteries and veins
two types of pressure
niether do I understand
electrical currents that stimulate action
millions of times a year

My heart the source of my life
the engine.
something I never had to think about
a steady beating in my chest,
felt in my neck or wrist
doctors infer things from my pulse
wheather I am ok, or "healthy"

All it took was one woman
to come and then to go
like a single heart beat

My heart, the other one
the one that is frangible
the one that beats for someone else
that maintains something other than
my carcus, my framework
that won't help my eyes focus
but may help me see more clearly
that won't strengthen my grasp
but may put meaning in a hug
that won't be found by a doctor
but may be seen clearly by a friend or a child

My heart, the prime example
of the dichotomy between
what is real, and what is real.


frangible \FRAN-juh-buhl\, adjective:
Capable of being broken; brittle; fragile; easily broken.

43 and counting 12/13/2007

the cacophony inside my head
pressurizes the cavity
ear wax, tears, breath
exiting unexpectedly
not without searing anxiety
looking out to the beauty of nature
looking in to the ugliness
winding tension bleeds
organs squeezed and rinsed
toxins wander lost in the body
waiting for an exit
or re-absorption
in the brain

cacophony \kuh-KAH-fuh-nee\, noun:
1. Harsh or discordant sound; dissonance.
2. The use of harsh or discordant sounds in literary composition.

Pedestrian vs. Automobile 12/12/2007

yoke broken
sliding down both sides of the pan
white bubbles, one you might still eat
regaining conciseness
finding yourself in the elevator
with 5 buttons pushed
realizing you pushed them all
the businessmen in the elevator
express their concern with your dishabille
but only through their expressions
little do they know that the extent
goes much deeper than the jelly sandles
wife beater and zubas

assuming you have something planned,
or that you are late for,
on the 7th floor,
you exit.
nothing registers, so you sit in the waiting room
Milvitz, Gallo, Milvitz, and Milvitz


after reading some of the literature,
and listening to the screams of the people sitting next to you
you realize that you are profusely bleeding
and have a broken arm....
maybe the elevator looks weren't about the zubas
makes a bit more sense now.


dishabille \dis-uh-BEEL\, noun:
1. The state of being carelessly or partially dressed.
2. Casual or lounging attire.
3. An intentionally careless or casual manner.

California Dreaming 12/11/2007

I drank her down,
one motion, green as if diseased
but none the less I drank her down
she was my father before she was not
she became my mother,
the one I see in pictures but don't recall

the cloud became us all
an artifice I still deny
with wind and water we are stretched
leaving my sight, becoming my sight
the gulp technically still running through this body I claim as my own
but long gone am I
with my family
we pick up speed, cross north dakota
and head west, to where our kind are accepted
even renowned.

eventually this body will micterate out the green,
somehow now yellow liquid
after stripping away anything useful
that same body will return to this computer, and work on things
so mundane that it will become insanely jealous of the successful
escape that happened 4 minutes ago.
the cloud becomes cloud cover,
and the possibilities
become infinite.


artifice \AR-tuh-fis\, noun:
1. Cleverness or skill; ingenuity; inventiveness.
2. An ingenious or artful device or expedient.
3. An artful trick or stratagem.
4. Trickery; craftiness; insincere or deceptive behavior.

Thanks for Life by JFK 2005 (written by my dad)

Thank you to all the people who have entered into my life
all who have crossed my path
played with me and laughed
and made my life so beutiful

thanks to anni who I love too much
I am who I am, because I have someone like her I can count on to always love me
one friend to make me whole and worth while
one lover, one lover again and again

thanks for my projects that I helped with and did
there is great joy in living in and around your accomplishments
the appreciation of being able to help somone and be thanked for your gift
the reward that you are successful with your talents when you couldn't quite measure up to others in theirs

Thanks for all of the stuff I purchased over the years
many things we could have done without
but stuff is what I play with and use
thank you for allowing me all of this happiness

thanks for allowing me to teach and coach
the memories are priceless and the rewards just keep coming
the pictures of that time in life bring me happiness
I never believed I could ive up to others until I finished my career

Thanks for letting me be an adult equal to those I looked up too.
Everyone always seemed to be smarter or better in some way
I just kept working hard each day trying not to fail
now I look back on some of my accomplishments and smile
thank you for a special gift and letting me find myself

thank you for all the people I have forgotten who gave me a chance to have a good life
the people who defended me and protected me, who taught me and shared thier values
the people who managed thier lives poorly and sang sad songs and made movies because I learned alot from watching and listening
thanks for everyting I use but did not create
I have enjoyed the roads, parks, cars, and the list goes on

thank you for god, faith, and church
for anni, her family and our religious friends
thanks for nature and all of gods creations
I love life and all its gifts

Thanks for my children and grandchildren whom I love totally
there is a joy each one brings me
I hope I told them "I love you" enough and proved it to them daily
I love each one. they make me feel like thier best friend

thanks for my parents and my family
they have given me more than I realilze
once I became a parent I realized how much my parents must have loved me.
Each child is so unique and so loved
thanks for my relatives on both sides of our marriage, they are all important to who we are as family

thanks for my health and energy
there is so little time and so much to do
Retirement was a suprise and so much appreciated
Its like being in college with money and no classes
Thanks for my life, I did not do it alone.

Poem I found cleaning my room tonight, written in 1998 I think

Winding down wisdoms gravel road
not much is apparent
focus is easily lost
how did I pick this car?
this road?
this day?
Do I actually get somewhere?
Or just wake up again, late for work
Shit, that was close, what was that deer thinking?
The course dusty gravel makes dodging animals difficult
I should have taken that left on experience
I think it was paved.

I dangle my thoughts on a line
and cast them into the wake
the undertow will carry me back
until I am no longer gone.

knowledge 12/10/2007

My soul the bark
growing through cracks and weather
protecting the space and grain
known to me as me
growth up and out
reaching for new air
grasping, fighting parts of yourself for sun
not wanting rain, knowing it is enevitable
dew is ok, mist fine, but rain is truth
drops pound down piercing leaves with cutting loss
denial gives way to perspicacity
She is gone


perspicacity \pur-spuh-KAS-uh-tee\, noun:
Clearness of understanding or insight; penetration, discernment.

Great America 12/09/2007

rollercoaster, the wooden type
square feeling turns,
smooth rise and falls
engineered without computers

which is the proper exhilaration mode
knowing death is a possible outcome
or just worrying about the thrill of the ride
I would rather not have to worry at all about the structure
the foundation

is rapprochement possible after so much is known
known about the rusting bolts,
the rotting, aging wood
painting it white fools no one,
or at least not me

Trust and forgiveness
two keys to a fun ride
an experince you want over and over again
if it was set up for the week by a guy named Rolf
skip it, eat some wings, and move on.


rapprochement \rap-rosh-MAWN\, noun:
The establishment or state of cordial relations.

JR 12/08/2007

The John Kennedy of Minneapolis
what characteristics would that person have?
snappy dresser, thick hair, smooth but not dull
over assesment of his piloting skills, standing on a pedestal
above the masses, huddled and of the female majority
if that were me, who would be the me of Minneapolis
who would pay my mortgage, and check my mail?
who would write these poems?
who wold read them?

I may try out johns life for a while,
see if it fits.

Neils assistance 12/08/07

Get out of town
I think I will get out of town

looking at myself in the mirror
local watering hole
two tone guiness cascades both directions
mendicant women and boastful lads
both tan beyond the suns rays
both in need of something from me
all of these people think they have it made
but I would not buy, sell, borrow, or trade
anything I have
to be like one of them
I think I will just start all over again

get out of town
I think I will get out of town

a shelf breaks off from the glacier
droping into the ocean
hiding 90% of its body and its thoughts
slowly floating away, slowly melting
soon to join the other side of conformity
trying to leave one cast,
only to find the inevitability of another
trying to be original, free
impossible I say, everything is a comparison
nothing exists without a label and an oppsite
in a vacuum, who would I be?

get out of town
I think I will get out of town

Packing and unpacking
fighting between surrender and a spartans fate
there really is no battle, there is nothing to win
nothing to attain

get out of town
I think I will get out of town



mendicant \MEN-dih-kunt\, noun:
1. A beggar; especially, one who makes a business of begging.
2. A member of an order of friars forbidden to acquire landed property and required to be supported by alms.

adjective:
1. Practicing beggary; begging; living on alms; as, mendicant friars.

Green Tea 12/07/2007

audible landing in ones mind
silently floating down
through amber spiral
from above, surly, almost meanicing
mood changes with deepening color
clay peter pans heat
the room, the poor
the water, the rich
turbulance ceases, flakes lie still on sea bed
smoke stack in autumn, not yet winter
waves of white
healing warmth
I can't define "properly steeped"
but I know now
it is ready.


surly \SUR-lee\, adjective:
1. Ill-humored; churlish in manner or mood; sullen and gruff.
2. Menacing or threatening in appearance, as of weather conditions; ominous.

Heads or Tails 12/06/2007

Green and red, metalic dandruff purpusfully placed
uncles telling stories of how george bush cost them thier jobs
an unknown relative sitting uncomfortably close
asking you questions about school, your views,
on socialized medicine

uneasy from the attention, the false sense of interest
grandstanding questions at the table from the new in law,
like a rookie sports reporter droping names to show knowledge
adding nothing to the clarification of the question
I am not sure if there is a question in there

Deracinate my thoughts from thier comfortable landing zone
under the glowing pine tree that underwent a similar experience
re-plant them in the unstable slope of the closing darkness
the windowless room, cold, damp, shrinking
the taste of rust and the forshadow of regret

Evil will be done tonight, no one in the room will know or suspect a thing
geleton seeps from mouths corners, ediquite has been forgotten
or possibly never learned
Chew with your mouth closed, be patient, listen
saliva slapping against banana and cheek

Maybe uncle joe can tell what I am planning
he always seemed to know what I was about to do,
like he could forsee it
As if he could read my mind through my eyes,
he is looking at me.

think about turkey, think about turkey, think about turkey.


deracinate \dee-RAS-uh-nayt\, transitive verb:
1. To pluck up by the roots; to uproot.
2. To displace from one's native or accustomed environment.

December Precipitation 12/04/2007

"I have eight inches"
a common tarradiddle
A winter snow storm


tarradiddle \tair-uh-DID-uhl\, noun:
1. A petty falsehood; a fib.
2. Pretentious nonsense.

Used Car salesman 12/04/2007

profuse compliments and slick hair
watch your wallet and your heart, stay aware
scenery pleasant, aroma as well
he will take you to heaven, but leave you in hell
hinging on your weakness your need to hear praise
giving you the attention and that puppy dog gaze
asking many questions seemingly concerned
not realizing your a victim about to be burned
remind yourself, that all actions are self motivated
realizing this, your self confidence rejuvenated
slowly smile, turn, and walk away
save your money, and your heart, for another day


profuse \pruh-FYOOS; proh-\, adjective:
1. Pouring forth with fullness or exuberance; giving or given liberally and abundantly; extravagant.
2. Exhibiting great abundance; plentiful; copious; bountiful.

75 minutes in burma 12/3/2007

sweating and trembling
slippery mat, blue like toilet bowl cleaner
towel absorbs clean fuel streams
soporific legs responding badly
gaze towards disjointed mirror
form poor
balance worse
crescent lunge


soporific \sop-uh-RIF-ik; soh-puh-\, adjective:
1. Causing sleep; tending to cause sleep.
2. Of, relating to, or characterized by sleepiness or lethargy.

Fribby Revisited 12/02/2007

Im down in LA,
keeping a tortoise alive
while up in st. cloud
its half past five

my vicissitude mirrors my goal
always keep one step ahead
but the turtle has other concerns
will I end up alive or will I end up dead

I look up from the sand
how do I save him from this beach
everything I have ever wanted
always just inches out of reach

I have never met another
who could endanger so many lives
I have an uncanny talent
to close every set of eyes

I just want to help
but can never stop the pain
all the karma I collect
seems to slip down the drain

To all you critiques
on the other side of the lens
spouting your mouth
while your life upends

I ask that you slowly
turn your judging gaze away
and let me and my tortoise
find peace as we leave this day


vicissitude \vih-SIS-ih-tood; -tyood\, noun:
1. Regular change or succession from one thing to another; alternation; mutual succession; interchange.
2. Irregular change; revolution; mutation.
3. A change in condition or fortune; an instance of mutability in life or nature (especially successive alternation from one condition to another).

Ewin MacGregor 12/01/2007

GS cavalcade
Steel horses ride as one
thunder approaching

cavalcade \kav-uhl-KAYD; KAV-uhl-kayd\, noun:
1. A procession of riders or horse-drawn carriages.
2. Any procession.
3. A sequence; a series.