5.

And for the rest of the day, they couldn't

speak to each other. A fat mound of hurt

and fear wriggled between them, a dying

demon.

Let the winds blow it away, let time

take it from us. It is unnatural here. This

land of love.

He still made her a sandwich. Knock twice

on the bedroom door.

She still put water for two in the kettle. The

soft whistle pulls him near.

And yet they both turned their heads

upwards when rain started licking the roof.

Cleanse us.

So when lightning struck, she went to the couch

and climbed on top of him.

The hurt was all alone, in the corner.

4.

and nevermind whale chatter, love splatter on
jeans. and nevermind forest green signs erupting
like bamboo from the grey.
but keep in mind ticket times, now we
can't be late, or you'll be sorry.
and put it in at 4 o'clock and let it steep
till someone sounds the bell--ding! till someone
knocks the door--drop!
so i'll get you a pet pidgeon for Christmas. and
i'll kiss the squish of your nose. and i'll
rise with you and close my eyes for
you and do my hair how you like it.
i'm trying to tell you i'll take it.
it being whatever it is that you can give me.
and so just keep in mind i'm always clutching
the touchings, the clippings of your dark. they're
in my breast pocket, and nevermind, but its
keeping me warm.

Vitamin C Salad

Dice up red pepper, tomato, orange, avocado. Add flax meal and flax oil and stir it up. It tastes like a rainbow of not getting sick when your housemates are sick.

delicious pasta shells

totally satisfires the vegan craving for macaroni and cheese.

pasta shells

+flax oil

+tahini

+nutritional yeast

+salt

+soy milk
+soy sauce

(avocado or lentils would be delicious...)

oh yes.

3.

the faucet sneezes spit
city lights echo the stars, but we overdid
it
trees float since gravity turned
sideways
pillows hum with complacency
leaves sing loud with decency
secrecy
all of the above
got swallowed up
by a dove,
a particularly feisty one, I'll tell
you that.

2.

There was a tragedy in the family
that winter, and I swear, the
clouds were mourning with us.

Good morning was a true thing
that was too hard to say.

So often I kept my mouth shut
that winter, so as not to ripple
when stillness is due.
Reflection became inflection, a tone of
voice, not audible, inside, like a prayer.
For although I kept my mouth shut
there was too much to say and my
head was a loud, congested place to
be.

So when you said good morning,
oh yes, I heard you, and it set
off all the voices asking, telling,
is it really a good morning?
To which one has to conclude its
decidedly not. And by the time
this decision was made, you had
walked on. Walked by. Walked
through me. And inside my head,
I was crying.

1.

Oh, but don't get me wrong, the words aren't always
there. They get lost and forget themselves and trade
places.
And the birds, they sing in the mountaintops, its
worth everything, they call.
And for everyone sleeping on couches the
mountaintops call out to fresh oceanwind to
deep desert hymns to
innertube Jim
to local gyms to
out there words are lost and forgetting
themselves and trading places.
And in here we do the same thing in
closed spaces.
Good night