behind every nude body
hid a dream of such life
such brilliance illuminated by
the quick click of a shutter
such lust portrayed for eternity
and every hidden desire
brought out into the open
in shapes of white and black

only if the moment could
have lasted a little longer
only if such inspiration could
work its way into the pain
but it’s not about that
no
it’s about life
the beauty that we beckon
with open arms
it’s about friends
and the will to love
it’s about following a path
destined to you from birth
a path that brings you closer
to yourself and further away
from what you sometimes think
you may need
it’s about the joy of creating
something new
and it’s about sharing these creations
with someone who understands

(on the end of my bed
bathed in candle light and
a soft voice
lay a copy of a photograph
of a couple who knew this
truth all too well
i dedicate this to them
for what has been
and what has yet to come)

Rose delivered desire
Like a daring dove opened
To the endless skies
But I couldn’t shake
Penelope off of my sleeve
She followed me around
Like an incurable disease
No matter how hard I tried
To keep the two apart
They always seemed to cross paths
At the most inopportune times
I had to dive into the depths
Of my shadow to avoid the misery
Which was sure to befall them
Perhaps they could have been
Lovers in a past life
And I the disgruntled voyeur injecting
My longing into their affair from afar

Dear Patti,

In my poems

We are both 22

And living in the Chelsea Hotel

We share a bed on the 2nd floor

And watch Armageddon materialize on 23rd st.

As the mystery of the muse

Murders us perfectly someplace beyond the real

An emaciated kid approached me on the street today. I shunned him away after telling him that he needed to spend his time worrying about the religious views of politicians and not about food. Who can think about eating during times like these?

How come the Presidential election is starting to feel like an episode of Keeping Up With The Kardashians? Do we not have the technology now to design a computer to run the country? We wouldn’t have to dwell on the fact that the computer pays a lower tax rate than we do, nor would we have to worry about it being a closet Muslim. And it wouldn’t cheat on its wife, throwing us all into a collective delirium. Maybe then we could focus on helping our neighbors, feeding the hungry, giving shelter to those who sleep out in the cold on long December evenings, etc. Oh, wait. I’m beginning to sound like a socialist. Where did my democratic pride go?