"I am Troubled Immeasurably..."

I am troubled
Immeasurably
By your eyes
I am struck
By the feather
of your soft
Reply
The sound of glass
Speaks quick
Disdain
And conceals
What your eyes fight
To explain



"I am a guide to the labyrinth..."

I am a guide to the labyrinth
Come & see me
in the green hotel
Rm. 32
I will be there after 9:30 P.M.
I will show you the girl of the ghetto
I will show you the burning well
I will show you strange people
haunted, beast-like, on the
verge of evolution
-Fear The Lords who are
secret among us



"And I came to you for peace..."

And I came to you
for peace
And I came to you
for gold
And I came to you
for lies
And you gave me fever
& wisdom
& cries
of sorrow
& we'll be here
the next day
the next day
&
Tomorrow



Do you know the warm progress under the stars?
Do you know we exist?
Have you forgotten the keys to the Kingdom?
Have you been borne yet & are you alive?



Oh great creator of being
grant us one more hour to perform our art & perfect our lives



We have assembled inside this ancient & insane theatre
to propagate our lust for life
& flee the swarming wisdom of the streets

When the true King's murderers are allowed to roam free
a thousand magicians arise in the land



Where are the feasts we were promised?
Where is the wine, the new wine
(dying on the vine)




We used to believe
in the good old days
We still receive
In little ways

The things of kindness
& unsporting brow
Forget & allow



We're perched headlong on the edge of boredom
We're reaching for death on the end of a candle
We're trying for something that's already found us



They are waiting to take us into the severed garden
Do you know how pale & wanton thrillful comes death on strange hour
unannounced, unplanned for
like a scaring over-friendly guest you've brought to bed
Death makes angels of us all
& gives us wings where we had shoulders smooth as raven's claws



"The movie will begin in 5 moments"
The mindless voice announced
"All those unseated, will await the next show"

We filed slowly, languidly into the hall
The auditorium was vast & silent
As we seated & were darkened the voice continued:

"The program for this evening is not new
You have seen this entertainment thru & thru.
You've seen your birth, your life & death;
you might recall all of the rest
Did you have a good world when you died?
enough to base a movie on?"

Graveyard Poem

It was the greatest night of my life
although I still had not found a wife
I had my friends right there beside me
We were close together
We tripped the wall and scaled the graveyard
Ancient shapes were all around us
The wet dew felt fresh beside the fog
Two made love in an ancient spot
One chased a rabbit into the dark
A girl got drunk and balled the dead
And I gave empty sermons to my head
Cemetery, cool and quiet
Hate to leave your secret lay
Dread the milky coming of the day

Silver stream, silvery scream,
impossible concentration



LAMERICA

Clothed in sunlight
restless in wanting
dying of fever

Changed shapes of an empire
Starling invaders
Vast promissory notes of joy

Wanton, willful & passive
Married to doubt Clothed in great warring monuments
of glory

How it has changed
How slowly estranged you
Solely arranged you

Beg you for mercy



Sirens

Midnight
criminal metabolism of guilt forest
Rattlesnakes whistles castanets

Remove me from this hall of mirrors
This filthy glass

Are you her
Do you look like that
How you could you be when
no one ever could

I am troubled
Immeasurably
By your eyes

I am struck
By the feather
of your soft
Reply

The sound of glass
Speaks quick
Disdain

And conceals
What your eyes fight
To explain

An angel runs
Thru the sudden light
Thru the room
A ghost precedes us
A shadow follows us
And each time we stop
We fall




Whisky, Mystics and Men

Well I'll tell you a story of whisky
& mystics & men
And about the believers, & how the
whole thing began

First there were women & children obeying
the moon
Then daylight brought wisdom & fever & sickness
too soon

You can try to remind me
instead of the other
you can

You can help to insure
That we all insecure our command

If you don't give a listen
I won't try to tell your
new hand

This is it can't you see
That we all have our end in
the band

And if all of the teacher & preachers
of wealth were arraigned
We could see quite a future
for me in the literal sands

And if all of the people
could claim to inspect
such regret

Well we'd have no forgiveness
forgetfulness faithful remorse

So I tell you
I tell you
I tell you
We must send away
We must try to find a new
answer instead of
a way



Orange County Suite

Well I used to know someone fair
She had orange ribbons in her hair
She was such a trip
She was hardly there
But I loved her just the same.

There was rain in our window,
The FM set was ragged
But she could talk, yeah,
We learned to speak

And one year
has gone by

Such a long long road to seek it
All we did was break and freak it
We had all
That lovers ever had
We just blew it
And I'm not sad

Well I'm mad

And I'm bad

And two years
have gone by

Now her world was bright orange
And the fire glowed
And her friend had a baby
And she lived with us
Yeah, we broke through the window
Yeah, we knocked on the door
Her phone would not answer,
Yeah, but she's still home

Now her father has passed over
& her sister is a star
& her mother smokes diamonds
& she sleeps out in the car

Yeah, but she remembers Chicago
& grass by the lake
& people who laugh'd
& made her poor heart ache

Now we live down in the valley
We work out on the farm
We climb up to the mountains
& everything's fine

& I'm still here
& you're still there
& we're still around



Ode New York Maidens

everyone has Their own magic

There is no death

so nothing matters

High Style

Flash & forgive me

high button shoes

clean arrangement

love's triumph

everlasting hope & fulfillment


"Wild"

In that year
We had in intense visitation
of energy
Signals

When radio dark night existed
& assumed control
& we rocked in its web
consumed by static,

& stroked w/fear
we were drawn down long
from a deep sleep,

awaken'd at dayfall
by worried gardners

& made to be led thru dew wet jungle

to the swift summit,
o'er looking
The sea.




Back Home