Grow Tomato

Grow tomato,
grow.
Ripen red in the
sun.
Swell with summer's
heat
and become.

Gulping sunlight
sucking the
dirt dry
limbs hang thick like
loaded guns
tucked into your shoulder to
steady, you
ready,
seeds in the flesh
on a mission.

Grow tomato- you know
your time has come.
Grow until you reach
the place that
each of us
is from.

having trouble coming to

God, the mornings are the hardest part.
Those gasping, grasping, groggy mornings
(and I'm talking 11am when I say that still and it is too much)

I've never understood "morning people"
Those people that get up extra early

to go jogging or even just sit there.
I'm told it's quiet.

But I can tell you, so are those wee hours

that they miss when they are sleeping.
Yeah, I've disowned the night life too
so I guess I'm like a vampire now.
The one who doesn't sleep.

Except then I wake to near-full sun
and cough up a frog and run
out of the house to get coffee.

Those people ahead of me in line are
already on their 2nd or 3rd cup
and they are wondering
where I've been.

Love, I wanted to say to you
for sure this time
it broke my heart
that imaginary line between us
that feels everything
split up was gushing
the room flooded
the muck stayed, love
I spent weeks on my knees
scrubbing it out

Practice compassion

I want a government that practices something like the "Take a penny, leave a penny" system.
And there will come a day, but either way I'm for that "rain or shine" kind of activism.
The committed, who don't shed tears but collect them, weaving them into meaningful tales,
We tell each other stories of bravery and compassion to keep ourselves warm.
To keep our hearts burning.

Lazarus

Lazarus come back
to the city.
Tori and I have been
spending our time remembering.

I died again and came to
Red headed.
I have dyed more times
than a cat has lives
and yet it

doesn't compare
(or come close) to the shade
from the West facing window
or those songs that we played
and we played...

Lazarus, I'm convinced
it just isn't the same.

The Cable News Network as equivalent to Attention Deficit Disorder >OR< CNN = ADD

Never lived in a one horse town.
But I figure we’ve got the suburbs now
(it’s all about how you get around)
It’s the poor out there in the middle of nowhere that get the real shit deal
They face prejudice everyday with no resources, no choices, no chances to heal
So, I finally made it to the city, feel the grime on my face
People packed closer together-
Same shit, less space.
 
I wanna burn down every million-dollar
deal I see and
break every television teaching
that only want is free
But there are rules in place
to keep us moving single file
the education of our children not to
touch that dial or
“Whiten that smile!” the Happy Meals brought to your door
are worth killing for (it’s worth drilling for)
The daily grind a reminder that time is money spent and the debt
of cavities, lazy worker bees and
rent are accepted conditions, casual addictions
not to be mentioned except in passing cause some day we all are ganna die
and you know it’s not just time that’s
passing you by, right?
 
So now the WAR to end them all
is already begun
design a new Nintendo version, teach them “kill for fun”
They’re screaming censorship in Jesus name his children that he loves, but we’ll
pump them full of Ritalin for all this acting up, and I’ve had enough
throw back the crutch and they fed you lies and pesticides and pretend to
try to clean it up?
(come on, let’s try to clean it up)
 
Of Injustice, Imperialist False Security
how about just vulgarity? It offends me that you think you understand, man
you’ve been at it for centuries like this was always the plan
(and I too caught up in the mystery to lend a hand)
New plan: everybody use what you know,
do what you can.
everybody in it for all
cause we’re all in this together and
this ship’s not going down without a fight, that’s right, I said
I’m here to get some work done
I’m in it for the education so that I can use these tools, my two hands
to change the world and then
change the world again
 
I’m SO SICK of everyone acting like some coming revolution’s the only
time and place to take a stand.
If something’s not right right now you can, but then
nevermind, I find I am up against the American attention span
so what else is on? And what have you done? And what are we
ganna leave to the generations to come, because all I came here today with was this question
-begging revolution

Art Wall 2010

So, I put my shit up at work. Makes me feel like swearing. As you can imagine, I have strong, well articulated opinions about censorship, but I do respect the idea of a work environment. I considered putting CNN=ADD up with the curse words blotted out, but I didn't. I stretched my luck enough I think with "nippleless" and all the anti-religious stuff around Easter (Actually, the only reason I put up the Christmas tree one is because it's nowhere near Christmas).

And now my poetry is up there for two weeks to be scrutinized by my co-workers. I worry that I've missed spelled something. I should be taking a much more optimistic approach but with the grant, and the continuing mellow drama of poetry slams, I'm feeling a little like all my chips are in (or all my cards are down or something). I feel like I am made of paper, and if anyone says anything too abrasively (good or bad) it might tear right through me (there, does that imagery work?). I worry that i will have to answer questions.

But there it is. A wall full of words and I really do hope someone enjoys them. The first time I did this (which was a lot more nerve racking) I thought it was important to include poetry in people's definition of art wall art. Lots of people have put up paintings and photographs, sculpture, crafts. I wanted to broaden the scope, so to speak. And also, I really wanted to share. I'm always writing when I'm at a register, and I never show or tell. Except once a year like this, and then I'm easily aggitated and defensive about it. Hahaha. I do it to myself.