Home Alterations
You hear anything
in the woods
right beyond that fence?
No, but the dog is barking
in the direction of the field.
That dominant bark,
sounding like a million coffee grinders going on at once.
There are purple lights slicing through blue clouds in our blue sky.
It is autumn and everyone gathers outside for the light show.
Alive as everything is dying
This afternoon I buried myself in the woods
and black snakes slid through
developing spider webs between
my fingers.
I heard the crushing bruise of silence
sting underground and then make way
for a million jazz horns; a racket of freight trains
disturbing my own private lot of dirt.
and Mom’s dog is digging another hole
- Adam Chesler
(featured in the poetry forum 03.30.09)
Piano Man
on stage
two doctors stand on dizzy stairs
their eyes red and lips purple
as i take a seat at the bar, ordering a bourbon and sherry on the side
they stand close
and each pulls a dead frog out of the other's lab coat pocket
i watch and sip my drink
and wonder if they'd brush the lint off if it was there
they dissect the things
and keep a few bits to munch on
the doctor with the hitler moustache eats a little earth colored organ
and retires to the steps, sipping some formaldehyde
as to be a part of the festive spirit, i take a mammoth gulp of my sherry
finishing the little lady off
the other doctor runs down the steps, hits the floor and strides over
to the left wall
here, he cuts a square into the steel and slowly peels it out
inside the hole are two snakes mating, vibrating in a laborious grind
a silent moan echoes within the room
my skin has gone ashy and is turning into flesh dust
observing the snakes, i inquire to myself whether or not there would be something special
about snake's semen, could it heal my skin
as a lotion, could i rub it here and there and perhaps
share it with a lady?
could i rub it up and down her back,
could we apply it to our faces in the morning after showers together?
such puzzling pieces of the masterpiece are these questions
i knew i couldn't yet depart, besides
there was an old frail man at the piano
playing keys with his elbows and chin
how wonderful he looked
dressed in a gold thong and leather boots
even the docs were creamin' at the sight of him
those dirty docs with their reptiles and saws
of course, i had to order another bourbon
and sit at the bar with myself
glaring at that unusual lump rising in my pants
secretly hoping the oozy piano man would notice me
- Adam Chesler
(added 03.30.09)
Money Dry Holes
about the same time I called out to
the voices and the thundering
you were on your way home. to scarlet dens in plastic capsules
outside this city
to fill your money dry holes
bullet wounds in my head
went home to flowered curtains hanging on dusty back doors
porches with fresh screens, prison barred
to lock our concerns in
side of the building
I can only notice, take a mindful gander at
bloody suits, muddy puddles
from an overdue rain (why is earth drying? who bathes in desert sand?)
you are discovering a mound of used dirt
to fill your money dry holes
bullet wounds in my head
and tomorrow the pale lights will flicker about in a child’s bedroom
shedding scales to relinquish a fixed diamond gape
to fill your money dry holes
bullet wounds in my head
- Adam Chesler
(added 03.30.09) |
