international invasion

today I let the Celts take over my stereo
they sang songs while I played djembe
you hear about us creative people all the time
how we don't care what others think
as we groove on time and then
time
learns to leave us alone

drums, they are a mystery to everyone,
how does it become a euryhthmic disorder?
for me, by the seat of my chair and the listening
with my entire self as the Celts begin to pound
like a bodrhan

quietly rhythm takes me into her heart
all of me begins to dance
how do I know this?
there is a bird singing
outside my window

then the Afro Latinos took charge via compact disc
I borrowed from the library, one card, no bill
can you groove on that?
yes I can! pandeiro, for the masses, no, I'm not
so samba wise, but the timing tempts me
into playing with every kind of tempo

practice makes something
a wise man said
practice makes something
time well spent.

where my heart belongs

tell me why I'm surprised he asked me
"are you available?" it was about the cd
and finding what the Celts have to say
because he's been learning their language
from the guru of Celt-dom for a year now

he says she's a pain
but would I be interested
in being with him? he's as close
as any man I've known
and he might just be my soul family

too bad I'm not attracted,
that's so hard for men to understand
but Jules, she intrigues me
and tomorrow, I'm going to go see her
just to see how it feels.

sculpting the lawn

I think she is Huck Finn, or is it
Tom Sawyer? yesterday she told me
she's been sculpting the yard and then
begins to paint in the afternoon.

yesterday before I talked with her on the phone
I bought some whackers, from the dollar store for 7.20
and when I woke up I knew it was the day
to do my own lawn sculpting.

my dad who doesn't live in this world anymore
he is always my consultant on these matters,
he knew how to do things with his hands
no motor, no noise, we began to nip at the
hedge row on the front of my house.

snip and snip, she needed a big haircut and once
in a while the bees or a wasp came to object
but most of the job is done
and I think it was her that bribed my curiosity
I think my pecs are bigger because
I whacked all day
and I didn't pay to go to a gym.

I left for a time this evening- to the library
and grocery store and when I pulled
in the drive, I saw how perfectly pruned my
hedgerow had become
I owe it all to Huck Finn and
his partner, my Dad.

flattery

it's the gamey parts I don't like
the ones where you say something false
to get what you want
and then I'm believing admiration
comes from a lack of self-love
because giving praise always seems false
especially from someone who doesn't love themselves

when I hear compliments over and over
it becomes unbelievable
and when you want something from me
I become suspicious

I don't want my friends to want anything from me
other than a good time
anything else they need
they know it will be given.

tails of a drummer

I've played nearly everything
from concert band to symphony
I even had a hack conductor who
asked me to back up Bach on
drum kit. I told him, "It swings anyway."

So imagine my surprise today when
I coasted along with some veterans
who know the business and verily appreciate
how I can make their band sing
like a hum they've not heard.

Picture the drummer as a nucleus
and all hands grab the rope and hold on.
I married the bass player in a short
civil ceremony and the rest of it
fell into songs.

from the heart

she doesn't understand the veils she hides behind
mystery is murdered; she has
reasoned away love from her fears

it's so human to hide behind arguments
and never see that someone is waiting
for you to arrive in this moment

love is like jazz.
if you don't listen
you don't have a chance
and it speaks from the soul
like a full blown
tenor saxophone solo

I have whispered sweet somethings
but she only wants to hear
how wonderful she is
and verily, I've gotten over that
ego enshrined task
I think she is real
but is too insecure
to admit it.

the conversation

if it's like a diary
I won't be calling today
I have no one to answer to
and I love it that way

I love to dodge the hackles
you've reaped upon your soul
I did not put them there
I merely noticed they were ripe

but no, I won't be part of the harvest
that is for you alone to do
signed, my dear, goodbye
with an impish grin!!

the absurdity of complication

it's nothing but the ego going off
even these fonts to choose from
not a bit of artistic grace among them
hard and flat lines
no swirls or anything round that
resembles a woman
could it be separation of desire
and state?

complication, ah yes, the ego going off
if you can think it past me
and fail to explain,
you know and
I don't, so there,
doesn't your ego
feel better?

have you ever watched two men in competition?
the absurdity of complication
I rest, I rest
my case.