Wednesday, November 30, 2011

The Girl Next Door

The Girl Next Door:





Okay, I admit it, I still live with my mom and dad, but what’s wrong with that? They pay for everything: my food, my clothes, even my entertainment, though I must say, I’m pretty easy to please. Heck, I even let them tuck me in at night, but that’s more to give them a sense of worth than anything else. But mostly, I stick around because of the girl next door.



She really is something else. I think you'd agree if you ever met her.



It was love at first sight. When she walked in the front door I fell for her worse than a startled old crow trying to dance on an electric fence, literally! Suddenly, I got all weak in the knees and had to lower to the floor. And yes, it was humiliating, sitting there on the tile like a dang toad in a fairytale waiting to be kissed, but she acted like it was nothing and gave me the sweetest smile I thought I’d die.



Then she bent over and whispered, “Hi there big boy, my name’s Candy,” in a syrupy voice so sweet I ached to lean in and lick the words right off her tongue. I didn’t want to wait for them to reach my ears; I needed to taste them the second they came out of her mouth. I mean, what would go through your head if someone said that to you? Believe me, I almost choked on my spit.



As if that wasn’t enough to send me over the edge – now picture this if you can – there I was splayed out on my butt, staring straight into the top of her blouse at the perkiest little melon breasts a man could imagine. They were absolute perfection! Her nipples were barely hidden under the lace of her bra, but I could see the faint darkened halos of her aureoles pressed against the sheer pink fabric. It took my breath away.



I know you’d call me a pig if I told you what happened next, but I couldn’t help myself. Without thinking, I brought my hands up and cupped her breasts. It seemed like the natural thing to do. Now keep in mind that she hadn’t walked in the door more than a minute earlier and here I was, already showing my appreciation for her feminine attributes. She should’ve slapped my face, kicked me in the groin, and called the cops.



But she didn’t.



And she didn’t move away.



Instead, she gave me a little smooch on the cheek, helped me to my feet then led me to the couch.



It was almost embarrassing because my mom and dad were standing right there watching every move. I couldn’t wait for them to get the hell out of the house so I’d have Candy all to myself, but they must’ve dithered in the doorway for five minutes or so before they finally took off.



Less than ten seconds after their car pulled out of the driveway, Candy turned to me. “You want to play some games?” she asked.



Stunned by the rapid evolution of our relationship, I was speechless. All I could do was nod.



Well, I won’t go into all the details of our antics. Suffice it to say that at the end of the evening, I came out totally exhausted.



It was a dream come true.



That night I slept like a baby.



So, that's why I stick around these parts. It's because of the girl next door. And honestly, I'd really like to just crawl on over and move in with her right now, but it might be better if I wait until I’m potty-trained and learn to talk.

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

When the rat ate the cheese

When the rat ate the cheese and the spring sprang the trap
and the snap of it splattered me out of my nap
and I climbed to the attic to peer past the dust
and saw the thing grin with a congressman's lust
to empty my wallet and tell me I'm fine
while he dines on my dollars and slurps up my wine
then lowers the taxes of those who don't pay
because with their billions they don't know which way
this country is going and this makes them sore
because it's the fault of the young and the poor,

I gazed at the rodent so surly and smug
then took out my hammer and clobbered the thug!

Monday, November 21, 2011

To the Shadow in the Corner

Why did you vanish
and where did you go?
I waited all evening
but you didn't show.
I drank all my wine
and then ordered more;
at two in the morning
I crawled to the door,
yet saw only shadows
and slurred all my thoughts.
With frazzled emotions
all tied up in knots,
I howled at the moon
and puked in the street
then rose to my knees
and searched for my feet,
but I couldn't stand
to utter your name
although in the mirror
we both look the same.

I search for myself
and test my reflection
then wander the world
in every direction.

Tomorrow I'll try
to find you again,
so hide if you want
but you'll never win.
Running away
won't hide what I see
I'll always be there
and you'll always be me.

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Jiu Jitsu

We are driving home from a typical lunch
during which I choked on my foot
half a dozen times and shot it several more.

The car is quiet with my remorse.
I need redemption.

I notice a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu school
hidden like a ninja in a low-slung strip mall
and mutter that maybe I should have indulged
in martial arts as a kid.
It would have taught me humility
and, probably, I'd be a tenth degree
lethal weapon by now.

She drives while I begin an extended soliloquy
on strikes, kicks, throws, joint-locks,
chokeholds, and pressure points, all of which
I know nothing about.

After a mile, she turns up the stereo,
but I'm delivering a kick and throw
my voice into a screech that can toss
even the deafest opponent
to the ground in a fit of agony.

But she's tough, merely grinding her teeth,
her eyes hardening to the road
while my monologue drains into her ears.

Yes, if only I'd spent my youth
studying the martial arts I'd be
a killing machine, a lethal weapon!

A tiny smile twists her lips
as she swivels on her seat, gives me that look
(you know the one), and says,
"But you are a lethal weapon, my dear."

"Whatever do you mean?" I parry,
wondering if she's finally cracked.

"Words. . . you kill them with words,"
she replies.

And I'm still not quite sure what she means
but decide not to parse her words
because maybe she's just found the chokehold
that throws me to the mat in submission.

Saturday, November 5, 2011

An Old Man Looks Out

An old man looks out
across a dry plain,
searching the fallow fields
for sprouting rows of fresh faces
who hear the taunts of his time
and tell themselves
this is not their song,
who smell the putrid stench
of rotting ideals and turn away
to sniff sweeter perfume
than the rank odor
of yesterday's politics,
who taste the bitter bile
belched up from the depths of war
and shake their heads,
saddened by their fathers' stupidity,
who feel for their fellow man
and aren't afraid to say so,
whose eyes are not blurred
like his were.

Friday, November 4, 2011

Illusionist

You can pull me out of a hat,
hide me up your sleeve,
saw me in half as the audience gasps,
or turn me into a bouquet of flowers
clamped between the teeth of the Bengal tiger
you've just created with a tap of your wand.

You can levitate me into the darkness
of the rafters and make me vanish
in a cone of smoke before their astonished eyes
and then bring me back with a shake of your cloak
and sink knives into the spinning cork board
you've lashed me to while parents look on
in horror and cover their children's innocent eyes.

But after the show, remember,
I will grab your hand in mine,
and we'll disappear into the night
like one of your magic tricks
and that this will be no illusion.

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

The Old Men

As the old men gather
in groups against the wall,
a gaggle of thin men honking
hoarse horns,
bleating yesterday's escapades
into a mash of mendacity,
the room rattles with words
stitched into a cacophonous
haze of lies that cannot hide
their weary, jealous eyes
twitching toward the young men
who stand aside, waiting
for their turn in the circle.