Nobody Knows The Troubles I've Seen

I have a question,
does love thy neighbor as thyself
apply to neighbors who are in the midst of ethnic cleansing?

Raping our sisters
our daughters and mothers
butchering every male they can find?

I'm a purist, so I say
Yes, love they neighbor
does apply even in such dire circumstances.

Therefore, I pray send us tons of ammo and high powered rifles,
that we may exorcise these demons who have taken possession
of our poor and otherwise lovable neighbors.

Nobody knows the trouble
I've seen,
but Jesus.

Coal Miners' Sundays

Smoke climbs the rafters
through the industrial skeletons
and out leaky, homestead roofs.
Fog hugs the ridges
where memory buries contrition,
and bells peel hollow truths.

A whistle's blow ends the night shift.
Friday lapses into Saturday.
Another Sunday happens.
Preacher Man clears his throat.
We all join in on cue.

The croaky ones,
and little ones,
the chronic coughing ones
and those flat tonal deaf.
Amazing Grace
Appalachian style

Don't Fall for The Big Lie

Be not deceived,
you are the center of the universe,
at least the center of your own.
Everything you know or will ever know
connects through you-know-who.
You, of course. Who else!

You are the center,
triangular and imponderable,
the peg hole in your square.
You are,
you r,
u really arrr.

---But what about love?
What about love?
Before you knew the term existed
you perceived its charge and discharge
---Ain't that a bit cynical?
Let me tell you something:

I'm an atheist,
We atheists are scientific minded.
You can't prove,
we just don't buy.
Especially, we don't believe
in you-know-who.

The Earl of Weehawken

Learn from the lioness
who does not chase will nilly
gazelles all over Africa,
but waits instead the wobbly cow
to down and fillet it pretty

I know a cat in Weehawken
with a knack for timing Wall Street.
I ses to him; How do you do it?
He replies; I've incurred many a screw-up.

And with that, he does not say another word
After three minutes of vacuum between us,
I break the ice; So what are you saying, Earl?
He whispers as if betraying secrets of state:
"It takes a lot of soul searching to get it right."

Her Father's Seventh Daughter

Esteem the cool shade and place of quiet study
the privacy of our secret dwelling
where intruders do not enter
the hidden sanctuary of introspection
the high ground of our gossip

Learn from the spider
Learn from focused labor
Learn from the monitoring of movement

Learn from the cat of when she crouches,
seems to me from granite fashioned.

Hair to Match The Wardrobe

With a sub zero blast out of Minneapolis,
the new Ice Age commences,
which is why Channel 5 hired me
to keep you stitched to your sofas
while you await the prime time sit com

I am the forecaster of mercurial weather
the kiss of which is presently icing
the whole of Honduras

We're coming at you, live with Super Dobbler radar.
Better put on your wet suit.
There's a hurricane blowing in from Missouri.

Train Poem

My train arrives on time during the month of January
In February, however, it's five cars short ---
wouldn't you know it.
In March, the same. Grin and uck it.
Five cars short in the height of July,
will make for sweaty claustrophobia, then.

In April, the train leaves homeward bound, 5 cars short,
a fat momma sitting snugly by my window,
A whopper and ten pounds of french fries on her lap,
Twelve more years of this before I retire at 69.
And that's a mighty "if"--- if I don't push till I'm 87.

Five cars short repeats in May
Cottonwoods late in blooming
It's getting hotter by the mile
Two more stops and it'll be 2012
Yep, you got that right, I am tripping!

Eleven more years to go,
and back to Tennessee,
mint juleps and hanging out with the boys
You're right ---
I ought to quit right now
while there's still time