2.630 : 1/23/07 : Recycle

Recycle the drama the
lessons wait, comma
watch it falling always
watch it falling always
Cul de sacs and strange days
bottlenecks
and Highways
Nothing new comes in
but energy
information, dust
and entropy
So it’s all about
recycling
Mostly carbon, nitrogen
oxygen and hydrogen
runners up are calcium,
phosphorus, potassium
go ahead, do nothing
cycle will turn all the same
try to surf its crest a while
if that’s your kind of game

what

2.629 : 1/22/07 : Inside

I am inside this problem now
just like that
cut down that sacred cow
And this machete
Feels so damn good in my hand
I think I’ll stay inside a while
longer than I planned
Sixteen years seem
like a dream to me
the last time that I
felt compelled to scream I’m free
but I don’t feel that way
now anymore on this ride
now that I’ve managed it
now that I’m inside

what

2.628 : 1/21/07 : No Return

2,819 : 9 ?



You’ll think that I’m crazy
you’ll think I’m a dope
I jumped for joy to see the sign
that said abandon all hope
Every bridge that I crossed
was a bridge I had to burn
Searching so hard for the
point of no return
Who on earth wants to go
home again, ever
What kind of person sees the
ties that bind and doesn’t want to sever
cut that cord, those apron strings
hack through that knot
Who wants to go and get
the things they already got
No not me oh no
I’ve got new tricks to learn
On my way down the path
to the point of no return


what

2.627 : 1/20/07 : Mess Around

All day long and
all night too
all I want to do
is mess around with you
all up the hall
and down the stairs
I’d mess around with you
about anywhere
but lately I fear
looking around this room
it feels like all I do
is push this mess
around with my broom
don’t let me fly away
don’t let me go to ground
oh baby won’t you
help me one more
time to mess around

what

2.626 : 1/19/07 : Pain is Transparent

Pain is transparent
don’t let it block out all the light
ubiquitous inevitable
though natural not meant to feel right
isn’t about justifying
isn’t about reasons
just cycles and harmony
endless primal as the seasons
who are you to talk of things
who’s only scratched the surface
believe me sir I know my depths
and limitations of my service
nonetheless a line or two
reminding that pain is transparent
don’t let it block out all the light
or ignore the messages it sent

what

2.625 : 1/18/07 : Mirror

Mirror mirror
tell me something useful
I know I’m not fairest
mirror please be truthful
is there anything to theories
that you show a different world
do you hide some sweet
reflection
of all the invective
that I hurled
mirror mirror
I guess I’ve got to go
you fascinate me
but I’ve obligations
don’t you know

what

2.624 : 1/17/07 : Waiting For

Waiting to wake up
from this dream
waiting for the axe to fall
waiting for the mail the news
the signal
waiting for the call
wishing for
a teacher to appear
still not ready
to get out of here
I watch a spider slowly
climb the wall
waiting for the call
The phone’s got no bell
and it’s disconnected
there’s a sameness to
all the truth
to which I have been subjected
I can see it clearly
in the stains across the wall
visions of us all just dying
waiting for the call

what

phun with surchiz

As I've mentioned before, sometimes I read the stats and the referrer lists, seeing what's penetrating the veil of fairly secret these days.  Mostly people come through plus, I have my couple subscribers (what up fanbase) but I do enjoy those who land here, presumably bewildered, as the result of search results gone awry. Today a hit from someone searching "which is greater 2.234 or 2.2340" popped up, which hilariously points at one of the daddy songs, "Trucks Are Fun".  Hope that helped with your math homework (I guess it depends on how you're looking at your numbers, if I were to venture a guess: as abstract absolute numbers I'd say they're equal, looked at as real-world numbers (I'm sure I'm not using the right terminology here if it even exactly exists) - the output of a scientific measuring instrument, for example, 2.234 could be larger than, equal to or smaller than 2.2340 since anything from 2.2335 to 2.3344 could be represented as 2.234 for a number with 4 significant digits.  Right?)

what

2.623 : 1/16/07 : Narrative

Why do these myths persist?
If narrative’s the only way
to deal with this:
persistence of experience
resistance to plain common sense
who knows whether the
future tense
is anything but straight nonsense
I’ll tell you a story
six two six
if that’s too much
self reference
feel free to pick up your
own sticks
and go
I give I give what I have got
I try my best
I take my shot
don’t tell me it’s not much
I know
I know
I know
 
what

2.622 : 1/15/07 : Parse and Sort

2,813 : 3 ?



Parse and sort categorize
What’s on my mind
or behind my eyes
what’s in my hand
what’s on the wing
I don’t know how to add it up
I don’t know anything
dissect dissolve
and diagram
create the perfect map
to show just where I am
define the exact locus
of my discontent
and how it all resides
under the same big tent
but don’t be
surprised to see
me end up with all pieces
and still far from free

what

2.621 : 1/14/07 : Hot Iron

Strike while he says the
iron’s hot
It could mean something
then again it could not
I’ve seen a lot of balls
Some dropped by them
Some dropped by me
no time ever
to get it all done
always saying wait and see
the thing about
that hot iron
is striking it is not enough
failing skill
the proper gear
just end up with some
twisted stuff
but then again there’s
not much angle
sitting looking at it sizzle
vacant drooling
dull complacent
pulling at my pizzle

what

2.620 : 1/13/07 : The Unfuckingbelievable

The unfuckingbelievable persistence
of resistance to the far side of
the leaf I bought into
I think I’d like to chuck it all
just fuck it all this sopping
mess I brought to you
When not much becomes nothing
when distraction is the one thing
that opposes despair
I guess I better believe it’s true
You didn’t perceive, did you
me pulling out my hair
The dirty impulse to
make it your fault
take it all with a grain of salt
it’s just disappointment
And no choice but just
to wrap it up
apply the strap or cut
The strings on this appointment

what

2.619 : 1/12/07 : Pop

Pretty soon pretty soon
pretty soon my head is gonna pop
I know I know I know
I just don’t know how to stop
And if you think if you think if
you think it all come easily
Well that just proves that just proves
That just proves you really don’t know me
I done my time done my time
done my time and now I get to howl
just goes to show goes to show goes
to show I’m just no wise old owl
so mark my place mark my place
mark my place and pick another book
I’m gonna take gonna take
gonna gonna gonna take a look
and when it’s all when it’s all when
it’s all truly said and done
pray you’ll still think, you’ll still think
you’ll still think
That I’m still the one


what

2.618 : 1/11/07 : Dream of Dreams

I dream of dreams that fade
at first light unremembered
flashing shattered fragments
and the astral body all dismembered
I said they’re not trying to tell me anything
no such thing as omens no magic rings
I wake I walk in waking sleep
daylight unrevealing
unable to ignore that what
feels most important’s what I’m feeling
I never said that I was rational
I feel my eyes slide open what new hell
is this?
I dreamed of a box
I dreamed of a gun
I dreamed of a girl
maybe more than one
maybe all we live for
are dreams and lying
maybe I’ll dream my life away
until the day I’m dying

what

2.617 : 1/10/07 : In Nature

in nature there is no waste
in nature there is no excess
it all just goes around come around
no politics no influence no duress
in man there is no good thing
free of the stink of corruption
hold it down hold it down
like old faithful count on the eruption
If man is in nature
what the hell went wrong
if God is in charge
he shoulda rung that gong
A long time
a long time ago - ah
Shoulda never bothered
with that business with Noah
Picked one hill
gathered the beasts all together
Sacrifice man alone
to the weather
or hell covered all the earth
reset the machine
what’s a couple billion years
to an immortal being

what

2.616 : 1/9/07 : Wineskins

Parallax absurdity
perception’s just a
word to me
I care and care and care about
There’s no way to control
how it all comes out
I dream about the city of the future
joined to the present the real
by some suture
a rough and ugly painting
of the old and new
when those old wineskins burst
then what you gonna do

what

2.615 : 1/8/07 : Rocking

Rocking the cradle, rocking the boat
rock over the ocean over the moat
rock over the castle wall and into
the keep
to rock all you sleeping beauties
right outta your sleep
You know I’m rock steady on a rocky road
I’m gonna quarry this stone
right down to the mother lode
Rolling from Blarney right down
to the rock of Gibraltar
I am leaving no stone unturned
seeking out the perfect altar
to worship the sensation
the word that’s set in stone
The great rock of salvation
Fully known to God alone

what

2.614 : 1/7/07 : The Worm Turns

2,806 : 21 ?



Nothing’s different nothing’s changed
even the deck chairs are left
unrearranged
despite so little justification
my pronouncement burns
today today today
the worm turns
pick up my flossing give up vice
drop the sugar soda
I won’t say it twice
stay off the cigarettes
give up smoke
Become that happy healthy shit
this is not a joke
self improvement is
a sucker’s game
Some favor self-destruction
but in truth it’s just the same
A man lives so long on symbols
but someday he learns
we’re all just making
up excuses
until the worm turns


what

2.613 : 1/6/07 : Be That Way

Why you got to be that way
always the same
never up for the game
when it comes to the new day
Where do you go in the push
when it’s down to the line
without signal or sign
not even a bird in the bush
Didn’t I treat you right
always down on one knee
and my favors were free
but you wouldn’t be kept for a night
And I guess I’ll have to wait
there’s no one else I can go to
You’ve got all the inspiration
it’s a bad bad situation
and I don’t even really know you

what

2.612 : 1/5/07 : The Technique

The technique: the secret style
the master’s coup de grace
the bear the crane the crocodile
the method of what lies beneath
when dragging once again behind
and every line’s like pulling teeth
plunging reckless in the deep
trying to learn the lesson
of distraction sloth and lack of sleep
Fully fed up with it all
the same old using day to day
the Rally and the fall
leaves only the technique
forge ahead and hope
absurd unreal I’m such a freak

what

2.611 : 1/4/07 : Thread

Taking the lesson
reluctant and grim
nothing left to learn now
from you, from him
hardly convinced
it beats the alternative
don’t know what’s next
don’t know another way to live
up too many nights
pursuing God knows what
a thread so unraveled
a wind that still blows but
The Change seems all random
divested of meaning
devoid of direction
no truth to be gleaning
No truth and what is that
just doing and doing
make something for nothing
some hellbroth I’m brewing

what

2.610 : 1/3/07 : Habit

We’ve made a habit of using too much
letting things go, dreaming and such
If we don’t break it we’ll be feeling it soon
Or so we’ve said a million times while
gazing at the moon
smoking drinking getting high
driving shopping getting by
Made of bad habits and dodgy bets
Someday soon I fear we’ll be made of regrets
Making good habits is dull as dirt
dull maybe better than losing your shirt
If I could just find a way
to make it thrilling
They’d be plowing a path up to
my door I’d make a killing

what

2.609 : 1/2/07 : Dull Refrain

The final obstacles are
boredom, inertia, and loss of faith
The tissue of justification
is tattered and battered and thin as a wraith
And fearing a dissolve
revolving devolving to the dull refrain
bite down on another salty grain
There’s no earthly reason why
I couldn’t make this train wreck a lullaby
and put all the doubt and fear to rest
shrug and smile and say I did my best
And it would be okay to quit
to bow my head and stop
but my heart tells me it isn’t so
and so I let another drop
Hoping I can wiggle past
the dull refrain
And the plodding
And the nodding
and this God thing in my brain
And casting for a future
with a broader scope
And failing that, enough rope

what

2.608 : 1/1/07 : Not Another Bridge

Not another bridge
I do declare
I insist henceforth
on the straight and low road
from here to there
I know I’m gonna lose
and despite myself be disappointed
and curse the spite
that’s got me up all night
trying to set to right
the way the whole damn joint
got so disjointed
I’ll try hard
I know
to stick to it no matter
how
that old wind blow
And failing’s not the real rub
as I’ll learn again
leaning against the wind
on some other bridge
way out along this wheel’s hub

what

2.607 : 12/31/06 : The Resolute

2,798 : 13 ?



The resolute
determined to have fun
tear it up proper
get the job done
give up forever
from this point forth
give up forever
ever after
keep the moment
hope
and laughter
I, resolute
fit for battle
on my feet
back in the saddle
now to the deep
the then to now
riding into the future
on my sacred cow

what

2.606 : 12/30/06 : Spark

Flash a moment
an inkling
a spark
two points of
separation
a gap
the arc

what

2.605 : 12/29/06 : The Near Thing

Nearly there so
nearly there
right back where I started
nowhere
anywhere
I’ve got no more credulity
no more hope
I know that I’m deluded
I know that I’m a dope
Yet I strive
still I strive
for the near thing
try to make the
ends meet
try to snatch
that bright ring
and I’ll make some
pronouncement
I’ll set some mark
that will rest in silence
in stillness
in dark

what

2.604 : 12/28/06 : Magic

When the magic is gone
do you say so long
or just keep hitting that pig
hammer and tongs
hammer and tongs
If I believed no more
would it close some door
would it put me on a vessel
to some distant shore
to some distant shore
will the magic return
if I rave and burn
how can I feel so old
and have so much to learn
and have so much to learn

what

2.603 : 12/27/06 : Factions

Free the radical
the redox reaction
free the numbered members
of the hated faction
hang the bloody dictator
in 2 days time
I’m telling of the future
that’s no capital crime
I hate the bloody factions
and the paradox
the more you fight the sides
the more they put you in a box
people love their categories
indexes and files
the factions take advantage
playing stupid all the while

what

2.602 : 12/26/06 : The View

The view out of the window
the unknown passing by
a vision of a greatness
for a little guy
stuck rutted in a rhythm
Stuck rooted in a beat
Stuck staring lost and fixed
at all the space between my feet
hardly as if anyone will care
I tell myself
no matter how I try
I’m browsing the same shelf
Daydreaming about breaking out
getting a different view
but guessing it will mean a change
that’s through and through


what

2.601 : 12/25/06 : Intermezzo

Slip in some blessed verses
on the intermezzo
asked if I think I’d make it
yeah you know I’d bet so
worry if these in betweens
produce the richest cream
but days when it’s just where it is
but days and passes like a dream
Sometimes I think all life
is just an intermezzo
and asked if I’m a cynic
well you know I guess so
no matter what I say though
I do keep on trying
in this space between the nothing
and the someday dying

what

2.600 : 12/24/06 : Condition

The condition’s flaring up
an outcome of the bitter cup
forgotten what symptom was
so now I drink it just because
forget about the long goodbye
or any tender lullaby
the fear is what I fear today
its object what I fear to say
the cup won’t keep the fearing down
So I must seem a real clown
to be tipping it back again
to be taking a pad and pen
to act like a man on a mission
seeking to cure the condition
with some voodoo herb or spark
that solves nothing but leaves a mark

what

2.599 : 12/23/06 : Another Flaming Hand

Another flaming hand
another king another wall
as if we needed more
reminders of the fall
What will you remember
in the morning when it comes
the writing of the fiery finger
or the ghostly drums
and the assembly line
of time it never ceases
and the new year’s resolutions
in a million little pieces
do you really think I’ll heed
the latest reprimand
you think you’d think
of better uses
for that flaming hand

what

2.598 : 12/22/06 : Casting

Casting casting about for a topic
try to steer clear of the mirror
try to magic out a hot pick
casting into turbid waters
casting where it’s clear
casting into kill and river
lake and stream and mere
I’m a lousy fisherman
I’m the first to admit it
but if I get a nibble
then by damn I’m gonna hit it
It’s hardly news that I don’t
know why anymore
lost looking for a window
lost looking for a door
I cast about and
I’ll cast off the traces
I’ll forecast heavy weather
till we have faces
this is a shadoworld
I cast for a light
and some clever pronouncement
to set things right

what

2.597 : 12/21/06 : Determined

Determined again to end the
failing
Rushing upstairs with scissors
not holding the railing
catching up’s the easy part
Changing is the bitch
I’ve caught up nine by nine
by nine
but still procrastinate
that one stitch
I know the feeling
I know what I have to do
I’ve figured out the pieces
but I don’t know
what’s the glue
I toss it all up in the air
hoping it stacks up neat
baffled as to why it is I
still will not admit defeat

what

2.596 : 12/20/06 : Lap

Another straining breathless
painful step
makes a lap
It’s such a shame I need
the carrot and the strap
I’ve just a week to
figure out some way
to turn
Some way to reconcile
and make this
fire burn

what

2.595 : 12/19/06 : Egregious

Egregious abuse of
the rules of engagement
I try to surmise where my
anger and rage went
bemused by the turns
and the twists of the path
around some bend which
I must have dropped my wrath

what

2.594 : 12/18/06 : Anxious Return

Anxious return to the relatively normal
Didn’t have time to engrave nothing formal
If this anxiousness is normal I’d rather be strange
I’m sick of feeling like this and I’m sick of trying to change
I’m sick of counting syllables
I’m sick of hunting rhymes
I’m sick of thinking up excuses
why I’m not up with the times
I’m sick of trying to come up
with some money making scam
I’m sick of my potential
and I’m sick of what I am
return to the old order
in anxiety and funk
And dismal recollection
of a lot of cast off junk
No fantasies of transformation
Daydreams of escape
illusions of some rescue
by some joker in a cape


what

2.593 : 12/17/06 : The Home that is Not Home

2,784 : 111 ?



I’m not nostalgic about
my old home
the streets I used to drive
the dirt roads I
used to roam
the place I once called home
is long past and gone
a composition in a picture
the topic of a song
the home that is not home
is just fine for a visit
but it’s not quite the same
as being back there is it
I hardly think about it
all about the now
I’ve built my own home
by the sweat of my own brow
built it just to be prepared
for him to come along
it is his first home now
at least until
it too is gone

what

2.592 : 12/16/06 : Break the Vow

Break the vow and shout out
storm the cloister bang the drum
Yell and holler sing and stomp
Raise hell bring down kingdom come
When I vowed to keep my silence
how could I have known
the extent and painful excess
of the firm advantage you’d have blown
I never would have guessed it
Dreamed of such a thing
you screwed it so hard in the ground
witness the pain I’m gonna hafta bring
look down at your shiny toe caps
feel your faces flush
I bet you never saw it coming
when you pushed that power rush
but anyway I’m back in play now
no more silenced shall my voice be
better figure out your next play
better figure what will your choice be
 
what

2.591 : 12/15/06 : Silence

Oh
I
mixed that up
again
didn’t
I say I
wouldn’t
then
no
matter
how
I
protest
I
always
fail
that
test
swear to be better hence
no more
no more
silence

what

2.590 : 12/14/06 : Peace

Peace is an abstraction
that we talk about
we talk and talk and talk
until our tongues fall out
we finally figure life out
just in time to die
the next bunch does it all the same
don’t ask me why
don’t ask me where the mojo went
‘cause I don’t know
don’t ask me to roll up my sleeves
So I don’t have to tell you no
I’m really starting to think
you’d be great seen but not heard
and I will try my best
not to say another word

what

Adventures in Enigmatic Diarism

Coup d’État is one of those songs I read, and than drag out the original because obviously I must have transcribed it wrong because there are just obviously word missing, at the very least.

And then I see that what is on the screen appears to be as faithful of a transcription as I could manage and I think well, okay, what was going on there?  Six years ago.  Was I drunk?  Or just extremely tired, or was I watching television at the time?  The world may never know, I certainly don't.  Which is sort of a shame, because I like the first four lines.

Sometimes I think, ah, I'll rewrite these promising fragments some day, give the little enigmatic gems a more fitting setting than the highly variable diary of enforced personal productivity in the context of life in all its disabling vicissitudes.  But this is probably not true: barring some unforeseen and dramatic shift in fortunes I give this thing as much time as I can, really.  Perhaps more than it deserves, I have trouble deciding, lately.

what

2.589 : 12/13/06 : Coup d’État

Secret first announcement
of the coup d’état
strike of state
don’t hesitate
to disassociate the flaw
that we all see
We’ll blame it on
the right people when
Shatters and dumps
half them in the sea
I’ll show you
Where to stand brother
Either you’re
Coup d’état
Or you’re the other
There’ll be no
subsequent announcement
of the coup d’état
You want to know that
you’re on board
you’ll have to
look straight down
into the maw

what

2.588 : 12/12/06 : Like A

Are you gonna fix my metaphor
like a superheroine
and make me eloquent enough to
Rock you like a simile
Some apogee to climb
ascend this paradigm too rough to
Fix it
Mix it
Like a fish with a submarine
break it
snake it
down the pipe just like a fast machine
Are you gonna wreck my allegory
A story like a parable
this cloak is just unwearable
and this dagger is dull
for what I’m bout to
try to pull

what

New continuity record myseriously smaller than the previous one...

I'm pretty sure I'm really the only one who bothers about Continuity, making this confession doubly unnecessary (in that it's not really a confession, just something I never got around to writing about, plus nobody cares anyway) but heigh ho, whatever.

Quite some time ago now, anyway, I proudly announced that I had crossed into triple digits of continuity (being the number of songs in the current project I have written in an unbroken succession, without missing a day) - I think that count peaked somewhere around 115.

Well, as I've noted before I have dealt with some enumeration challenges in the whole tracking arena.  Suffice to say that previous count was bogus - it broke I think somewhere in the 70s or 80s; my continuity tracking is not an exact science, it's a benchmark rather than a "significant figure" and I haven't kept precise records though I have moved somewhat more in that direction as of late.  That unknown (and given the facts above, probably unknowable) number was my real continuity record to date.

Well no more!  I've checked the records and I'm fully confident that the recently posted 105 is the real deal.  Honestly I try not to make continuity a key issue of this project, the central theme of which I deem to be (for now) persistence - a quality that I think comes into its own precisely when your consistency and good habits momentarily fail you.  Do a little searching for songs of the day (or daily anything for that matter) on ye olde internette and you'll find that intention is in ready supply, and generally comes with at least some degree of initial continuity.  But I remain the unsung world champion (as far as I can tell) in this small and modest arena by praying at the altar of persistence and not getting too hung up on the lapses in continuity.

But I can't deny I get a little attached to it when the numbers get up there.  So while - not often any more, but still occasionally - I'll just give it a miss and intentionally skip a day because I don't feel like it, now that I'm attached to my freshly minted, "honest" high score, experience suggests that when I break it it will be a genuine lapse - I'll simply, honestly forget to do it.  That this still happens after all these years is sort of an amazement to me in itself.  And I'll be sorely disappointed when I figure it out the next day.

what

2.587 : 12/11/06 : Dust Off

2,778 : 105 ?




Never thought I’d see your face again
but I’m pretty sure
you’ve got no twin
Mercy me I guess you’re
beggin’ for the
dust off
off my sandals
off my feet
off my shoulder
on the street
Not for nothing
did I toil
to get the rust off
And the moral
is quite plain
Gain or loss
there’s always pain
So don’t remain
I’d hate to stain
you with this nut
I’m bout to bust off

what

2.586 : 12/10/06 : I Suck so Bad I Should Quit

Said the poorly sucking vacuum
I suck so bad I should quit
Rotten gaskets leaking joints
Who knows where I’m losing it
To create what nature abhors
You must lay an unbreached path
Failing that the center must drift
leaving product in the bath

what

2.585 : 12/9/06 : Cilantro

Cilantro fennel ginger spice
if God doesn’t exist
then why is life so nice
If pain’s the toughest riddle
Why’d we seek it so
I think I’m going to have to
hit my peak to know
Arugula sage and nutmeg
just another job for a super square peg
just another hole so don’t applaud
The work is necessary
but it is not close to God
And so to package it all
for the hoi polloi
It’s all a little ditty ‘bout
how girl meets boy
And makes it in the kitchen
among the herbs
a cautionary parable
for those of you kicking the curbs

what

2.584 : 12/8/06 : Damn Again

Damn again, damn again
Guess I’m gonna hafta wing it then
You can’t expect the unexpected
you can’t direct the undirected
And if that ship’s coming I’d like to know when
Maybe it all comes to nothing but a scrawl
by a palsied hand on a crumbling wall
the signs never told me a blessed thing
I never got my hands on the damn brass ring
A decade, two, slowed down to a crawl
While entropy has a fine old time
I’m stuck in traffic on my own dime
try to get caught up today
damn it all again anyway
just keep shooting for that new
paradigm

what

2.583 : 12/7/06 : Disciple

I’m a bad disciple I’ve got no discipline
So many times I thought that I
was ready to begin
Did I really only ever want
to wear the fancy robes
To pin my unearned progress
to display them on my globes
It seems late in the game
to still be questioning intent
wondering about just where
all the inspiration went
Or if it really was at all
or was it just a show
I’ll probably wonder all my life
I’ll probably never know
what makes a disciple
what divides him from the rest
is it discipline
something within
Something you’ll never know
until you pass or fail some
test

what

2.582 : 12/6/06 : Determination

Determination is a misnomer
state of mind determines
little if anything
Determinism versus determination:
no contest
irresistible force
versus
aimless whistling
inspiration is truly named
but which spirit
and where does it
get in?
you’ll see me dancing
to its silent beat
quiet as a drop
on a head of a pin

what

2.581 : 12/5/06 : The Old Leaf

And the old leaf turns and withered
flies at last unlike the
winged seed to die and lie
forevermore
Turning as the seasons do
a living green to crimson hue
no more to breathe or
catch the sun now
merely a messenger that
winter has begun
the old leaf will bathe
in rain and snow
be warmed by sunlight
now with nowhere else to go
it will be food
for worm and germ and seed
and disappear
be seen no more
another leaf to feed

what

2.580 : 12/4/06 : Closer

Come closer for a minute now
let me see every eyelash
let me taste your breath up close
I want to whisper something rash
Let’s run away today we three
Let’s run off to some island
Forget all about responsibility
Is this a credit card I see in my hand
I’ve been a good soldier true
in the ranks of the consumers
I’m getting closer to a tipping point
But despite the message of the doom and gloomers
I’ll retain an optimistic cheer
Blindly sure something will come up
And that whatever it is it’s close now
I just need to see what I can drum up

what

2.579 : 12/3/06 : Failure at Depth

2,770 : 97 ?



The failure occurs at the
depth of longing
consumerism
demystified
belonging
is a good enough
answer for
the way of everything
and boredom makes
it cool and
fall apart as much as
anything
Failure at depth
at psi
failure at the center
at the crisis
at the eye
but for my part
I’ve bought it
and deserve a break
Up until I get up
to this plow I’m gonna make

what

2.578 : 12/2/06 : Giant Hands

Between the right
and left of your giant hands
I’m in no position here
to make demands
One hand or two hand
Clap You say
my preference is obvious
but it’s not zen
that makes me
act this way
it’s just survival
big versus small
I look to find
I’ve got no other
hand at all

what

2.577 : 12/1/06 : Pay

Rush it slack it cause it doesn’t pay
not enough to register anyway
did it make me a pound
or a penny
was it worth a nickel
did it net me any
how far off the track
did I get
was it close to an
even bet
try to figure
the odds the vig
on every throw
try to quantify
I still don’t know
reflected in the back
of a
silver spoon
still hoping
it gets better soon


what

2.576 : 11/30/06 : Not One More

Not one more
marathon
not one more
graceless end run
I do not
accept the status quo
when it includes
the kind of shit I know
just happens
every day that passes
no choice
but to exploit
the masses
I got another way
but my voice is so tiny
I get flustered my voice
gets high
tight and whiney
the prose gets shrill
sound like a shill
feel like I better
stop
So I think I will

what

2.575 : 11/29/06 : Codebreaker

35 college non-drop-out
underachiever
underemployed
Up to now
See how dull it all spells out
another project
another probe deployed
had to take a minute there
to change a diaper
never used to think I’d take
that plunge but I’m a lifer
I only brought it up
to answer the inevitable
questioning after the code
Now you know
hey in the afterglow
do you feel lucky
hip deep in my motherlode

what

2.574 : 11/28/06 : No More Bridges Road

No more bridges
So simple
henceforth since this day:
No more worries about
burning them
or if the ropes and rotten boards
begin to sway
All straight line
all over land
magnetic navigation
and
an anchor in
my hand
So I need not to fly away
cause I feel so high
from giving up
bridges today
henceforth next
abyss I come up
I either pitch headfirst
in or
turn tail bum up

what

2.573 : 11/27/06 : Trinity

Elucidate the math of a mystery
try to make it into an equation
try to turn a story into history
try to use the mess to rule a nation
Ask me if I believe in the trinity
ask me if I believe in one birth
I haven’t got all day to explain what it means to me
And I really can’t see what it would be worth
I stand with the rest and profess trinity
Father son and ghost of a glimmer
of apprehension forced into a book you see
behind my eyes the truth will always shimmer
dancing and elusive just beyond my reach
popping up in long forgotten dreams
Pulling me to the forest or my perfect beach
then dropping me bewildered so it seems

what

2.572 : 11/26/06 : Lady Superhero

2,763 : 90 ?



Lady Superhero
fill me up with hope
make me tell the truth
tie me up with your magic rope
Fall in love with my hero
like Firestar or Trinity
It might take just a second
to remember what
you do to me
When that evil rock and roller
cast his spell you know I felt
A funny new sensation
tickle me below my belt
make me feel that way again
Like a lady superhero
Fill me with that power
bring me up all ways from zero

what

2.571 : 11/25/06 : Pair of Twos

Tossed off lines
about days and dues
nothing in my hand
but a pair of twos
if I’ve talked bold
and acted sure
just an act of hope
while I searched for a cure
no will to push it
just wrap it up
if I spot a vague notion
I’ll snap it up

what

2.570 : 11/24/06 : Leftover Blues

Got a plate of unfinished bizness
Lord I got them leftover blues
Whole lotta trouble in my fridge
Lord I got bad leftover blues
I promised so so much
yeah how I gotta pay those dues
I’m running out of tinfoil
and tupperware to boot
oh my goodness soon
I’m gonna need my funeral suit
I got a heap of mashed up worries
Yeah I got those leftover blues
If you’d faced the meal I did
man you’d sure be
standing in my shoes

what

2.569 : 11/23/06 : Thanks

I give thanks for what I have
and I know I’ve got a lot
I give thanks and try hard not to
dwell on what I haven’t got
what good is thanks anyway
Sure I seem a jerk to ask
So rake me over coals
take me hard to task
I just do what comes naturally
Though without thought to why
It seems a very human thing
to send our thank yous to the sky
if I just could make a habit of it
being thankful always
I’d be a better better man
and make much more of all days

what

2.568 : 11/22/06 : Advice

The easiest advice to give
is live to love to love to live
say seek your heart
forget necessity
don’t worry about anything
just leave the rest
all up to me
I mean but I wonder
just how well I’ll hold my end up
Wonder just how well
you listen to the prayers I send up
Please don’t ask the questions
just believe in my advice
I’m praying one more time
that I won’t have to give it twice
I’ll bet as many gold coins
as I can hold in my hand
that if I squint and turn my head
I’ll make just what’s to be
a promised land

what

2.567 : 11/21/06 : After Thought

The action or expression
that comes after thought
The shadowy impression
the climax fraught
with mystery and intrigue
with a furious sound
knew I was out of my league
So I went to ground
I always want to give
every little thing
each conflict that I live
more and more thought before I bring
myself to taking action
but it’s a mistake
while others find their faction
I’m stuck in a double take

what

2.566 : 11/20/06 : The Wheel

2,757 : 84 ?



The wheel may turn turn turn
explicating the jewel in the lotus
I want to be like that wheel
endless revolution my standard modus
I’m sick of aspiration
I’m tired of pushing the stone
I’m tired of looking for the savvy angle
And always ending up going it alone
Can’t I just stick to my turning
Can’t I just keep spinning my wheel
I know it isn’t exactly prime time
but you can’t deny a certain appeal
that’s enough I’ve said it a thousand
times before but damn I mean it
I’m sick of turning this particular wheel
this slate’s full and it’s time to clean it

what

2.565 : 11/19/06 : Circumstances

I went up to the church
but the church was closed
a circumstance not a sign
or so I supposed
I don’t blame it on the devil
or the media
or the societal attrition
that keeps bleeding ya
it’s just the circumstances
always coming up
like a bad card in a crooked deck
death between the crown and cup
I understand it’s a symbol of change
some earthly transition
I try hard to believe that
it foretells the transfer of my mission
but deep inside it feels
like just more disorganization
a failure to plan well ahead
a failure of information

what

2.564 : 11/18/06 : Junk

Junk is junk I’m not enough of a punk
anymore to try to score
so I better spelunk
dive into the depth
pull out gold
some epic poem
some magic tale I told
sometimes it seems
you gotta wait for it
and make your way
sometimes you ain’t for shit
so it goes and
qué sera
I’m deep ambiguous
like Desiderata
it ain’t nothing
fine aspirations
nothing can replace
that 99 percent perspiration
because not all work
bears fruits
And you gotta chew
through a lot of
new recruits

what

2.563 : 11/17/06 : The Nature of Information

The replication of information
bears no relation to an act of theft
It is the nature of information
to shatter artificial boundaries

I refuse to call this property
even if the one who wrote it down is me
I appreciate a statutory recompense of cost
but the balance versus freedom of expression has been lost
in the name of Mickey Mouse Immortal
we slammed the door on public domain’s portal
like Bob Dylan’s opinion matters
more than information and all the illusions that it shatters

The replication of information
bears no relation to an act of theft
It is the nature of information
to shatter artificial boundaries

in the end only the information truly persists
evidence that some consistent energy exists
someday they’ll laugh at our pathetic showing
as we thrash around pretending we can control its flowing
like Jack Valenti’s opinion matters
like Universal Vivendi’s
opinion matters
I’ll laugh today and watch
as this false paradigm
shatters

The replication of information
bears no relation to an act of theft
It is the nature of information
to shatter artificial boundaries

what

2.562 : 11/16/06 : Failing Another

Failing another easy distraction
forced all unwilling back into the main attraction
Never cared for freak shows not a bit of it
all the less so now that I am part of it
Livid at this dream I can no longer believe
of some gift or revelation I’m about to receive
Failing inspiration and failing strength
failing another test of depth and length
climb back on that horse
the one on rockers in the lobby
try not to feel remorse
at my suspicion that it’s just a hobby
Still none can deny I really stick to it
penance now for all I was
too quick to quit

what

2.561 : 11/15/06 : Lucre Lucre

Lucre lucre
lascivious lust
treasuring the food of moth
the fodder of rust
I can’t help that Caesar’s
into me for so much
I can’t help the world I’m born to
coveting
the midas touch
what do you do when
you know better
but still feel the same
what do you do when
no matter what you do
you find
that you’re still in the
Game
Lucre, lucre set me free
of your hold
And grasping after
everything
that I can never hold
 
what

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Please note this campaign is open through the end of 2012 - Please consider a donation to fight hunger in Minneapolis.

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What does that mean?  Most food shelves have geographical or other restrictions, require ID, paperwork, a waiting period, etc.  This is a necessary component of how they perform but it leaves a hole for families in sudden emergencies, those outside their typical region for whatever reason, homeless and highly mobile people who lack ID... A no-restrictions food shelf serves a community need for people who are often at that point among the most vulnerable and desperate in our society.

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2.560 : 11/14/06 : Willing But the Flesh

Willing but the flesh to
step up
Will to blow it all the
heck up
what is strength no
really what now
what is discipline
that sacred cow?
I know hunger
what that feels like
all I know for sure
Still it seems not
quite enough
perhaps my poor
intentions
aren’t quite pure

what

2.559 : 11/13/06 : Setbacks

Beset by setbacks
can’t believe
this return to diarism
is all I’ve got left
up my sleeve
rather read my book it’s true
rather play my game
rather surf the net
so much diversion
that’s all so the same
why do I keep coming back
why do I keep trying
why do I keep fucking up
this noose I’m always tying
to string these foolish fancies up
to free my soul for barter
I guess old habits do die hard
I guess that dreams die harder
 
 what

2.558 : 11/12/06 : Recovery

2,749 : 76 ?



Why does a word for getting back
mean to conceal again
it is something about debt
or the forgiveness of sin?
the recovery proceeds
and hope to God it is complete
because I’m very very tired
of being off my feet
and it all shall heal
and it all shall pass
and one day each particle
will be vaporized to gas
but for a day more I guess
Consent to being on my back
I swear to God when I regain my feet
I’ll try another tack

what

2.557 : 11/11/06 : Havelock

The other white bread
mainstream, orthodox
amazing the diversity
that fits into that box
Havelock Township
out there boondocks
the Outpost with its
satellite dish on concrete blocks
rarely there but
still seen in dreams
the other half of
father’s work
an aspect of the
Trinity it seems

what

2.556 : 11/10/06 : This is a Bomb

This is a bomb
on a long slow fuse
all made of words
a secret I’ll use
butterflies of poison
darts of fear
no doors no windows
no here here
total annihilation
nothing but a gate
the crush begins
all power and hate
call me powerless
watch me come on hard
slipped right in between
when you let down your guard

what

2.555 : 11/9/06 : The 100 Percent Solution

Turning the symbolic deck
Forcing fate confused as heck
trying to nail the tipping point
a spike in time
peak to anoint
refusing dogma’s absolution
seek out the complete solution
Hail the one hundred percent
solution that high heaven sent
concealed in a game of chance
a tale for one this flatland dance
tell myself it means everything
change of season wind on wing
the no wall seems reversed and spent
I click the one hundredth percent

what

2.554 : 11/8/06 : Enough

What will be enough
what could ever be enough
in this system in this mayhem
in this philosophy
money god theocracy
I tell myself a thousand
and I’m selling out
I tell myself a million
to go walkabout
will I ever really
stop thinking about
If I could marshal
my spirit
it could be a rout

what

2.553 : 11/7/06 : Poor Thanks

It seems a poor sort of thanks
a rush to catch up
shoved in sideways
shake dice in the cup
and toss anything
take whatever comes
vague promise tomorrow
will yield more than crumbs
will offer up more than
a moment aside
will offer the moon then
and offer the tide
Give thanks that are potent
give thanks that are well
and draw it all higher
well that’s what I tell

what

2.552 : 11/6/06 : Bucket

2,7423 : 70 ?



After the flood
buckets of mud
a growing galing tide
a pound of blood
before the dawn
stretch and yawn
try to shake the feeling
that I’m just a pawn
try to let go
let the wind blow
admit a thousand times
that I just don’t know
In time for the drought
a bucket of doubt
did I ever believe
I’d get it all worked out

what

2.551 : 11/5/06 : Try All

Try all possible
methods of inquiry
try all possible
attacks
the only thing between us and the void
is human industry
and there’s no way
to cover our tracks
how dull to try so little
politics and the church
how foolish when you need to chop
to only whittle
while you whistle in the dark
it all gets left in the lurch
try harder try
something different
make it new make it real
make it now
Otherwise it will all
pass with little incident
silent with a graceless
bow

what

2.550 : 11/4/06 : Or Deal

Should I try to go
the solo path
or deal with
the fury no hell hath
or deal with
the big machine
So many deals I made
sight unseen
I’m not a hermit by nature
though some might look askance
at my small assertion
that I’m trying to give
cooperation a chance
just wish I had a mentor
and a fellow on the march
to remind me of the
destination

what

2.549 : 11/3/06 : Pop

I never thought it would be
such an illusion
I never thought I’d be defined
by my confusion
I never thought it would
feel fit to pop
I never guessed it would be
So hard to stop
I can’t tell smart from dumb
any more
or come up with a decent reason
to get off the floor
I can’t decide if I should pop it
before things get worse
I can’t recall if it’s just bad luck
or a gypsy curse

what

2.548 : 11/2/06 : The Position

The position I staked
on the subject of jake:
One month nine days Free
not from today
don’t ask it’s crazy
I sacrificed all I had to art
and whatever spark
was left in my heart
gloves off teeth bared
anything not lost shared
I’ll hold my position
and spin until I’m dizzy
he isn’t such an easy
mark anymore is he?
And I assume
the position with a smile
feeling deep down
I have found
the miracle mile

what

2.547 : 11/1/06 : Efficiency

With the efficiency of
a cyanide shower
none of the evil
all of the power
I’ll slash slash through
the evidence of my disaster
stumble through the trials
like an august die-caster
It’s never really mattered
if it’s good or bad
when the yahoos figure that one out
they’ll know they been had
but when that shoe falls
I’ll be long gone
barefoot, hungry
still going strong
So don’t bother asking
what it’s for
I’ll just whip you up another
and tomorrow one more
maybe it's genius
or deficiency
but none can question
my efficiency

what

2.546 : 10/31/06 : Interstitial

Interstitial entry on the long way back
taking any opportunity to hack
elegant widgets
crazy kludges
anything to pass the time while it drudges
In between the stretch
and the break for working
pull another soft draft
off this fountain I’m jerking
they say all the magic
from here to Halloween
lives in the narrow places
that lie between
everything they call important
and the things that really hurt
between slaughtering the high hog
and losing your shirt

what

2.545 : 10/30/06 : Wrecker

I’m a wrecker
a dumb swinging ball
two one oh el bee ess
better watch where I fall
I can’t be a genius
can’t seem to get rich
so instead I am just
gonna up and
wreck this bitch
who cares if it’s good
who care’s if it’s complete
tomorrow and tomorrow
it’s all just a repeat
that dustbin of history
is hungry as hell
so I might as well
keep wrecking
till they ring that bell

what

2.544 :10/29/06 : Bone-Ache

2,735 : 62 ?



Bones ache like they’re
being powdered
if this pounding skull was
any louder it’d
Drive me senseless
I really thought it
would be simple
the briefest pause
the slightest dimple
Now look oops
ten years good bye
should I have held out
for a bigger piece
of the pie?
It’s just the bone-ache
talking
It’s just I’m so damn tired
it’s only that I hoped
it’s just the way I’m
wired
I’ll push past the ache once more
Still groping stupid for that door

what

2.543 : 10/28/06 : The Vig

This one’s the vig
excess fast
english on the dice
and how it all slips past
I’ve got this thing wrong
should slow down
the rolling
but I’m impatient
and I can’t stop
hearing that bell
tolling
A little action
just a margin
is all I ask
while I keep barging
into games
I’ve no place in
so far over my head
I can only spin
another wheel another reel
beg what I can’t borrow
the rest I’ll have to
steal

what

2.542 : 10/27/06 : In the Aftermath

In the aftermath
believe it or not
after the trial by ordeal
had beat the snot out of me
I had a notion
though I’d have rather had a plan
an inkling how I’d swing it all
finally outfox the man
the lead up had got
as bad as it’s gotten
and I know just how bad it is
I never have forgotten
and I’ll never forget this one
either while I live
it seems that in the aftermath
that’s all I’ve got to give
but really it’s quite simple
just a scribble on a scrap
and a notion to parlay it
right into a treasure map

what

2.541 : 10/26/06 : Screw Up

Another screw up
bollixed transmission
another match
don’t want
to betray our position
it seems we always gotta be
somewhere fighting
the romance
of the cluster bomb
is I admit inviting but
screw up your
courage your
indignation
screw up your
belligerence
we’re nothing if not patient
screw up; grab another form
and start the process over
while your still warm corpse
spins outraged between
pushing all that clover

what

2.540 : 10/25/06 : Horror Essence

Why does
that essence exist
why does it plague me
the horror the horror
what is says
and what it’s for
he was a
cynical cat all right
I could reel off
that sort of poetry all night
I tell myself
soon inspiration
the grace I imitated
crucial station
to station
I heard about it in a
book what irony
but it meant all the same
to me
I’m turning my back
on the horror essence
look at me
learning all my lessons

what

2.539 : 10/24/06 : Significance

I can’t tell you everything
that seems significant to me
and so it seems impossible
the information
ever shall be truly free
Sowed rot on rice
I ate its young
I found I saw
and spoke in tongue
no music could
release the wreck
or move the dial
one minute speck
and in that hole
I locate all the woe
and strife
but it balances each time
I contemplate
the knife

what

2.538 : 10/23/06 : Triptych

I pay special attention
to the latches
and the hinges
fool me twice a shame
to waste
a culling
and your cringes
I just wiped out
all of a bad week
a pause
a rush of
prostrate slack
Now I rally to my flag
and
wrench my banter back
on the left a hook
of solid gold
the right, illumed
the tale told
and right dead center
spread and pinned
the specimen
myself, I grinned

what

2.537 : 10/22/06 : Bridge

2,728 : 55 ?



I wait for the
perfected page
the sum of all
translations
soon knowing will not
matter
we’ll be left
with the cold equations
give me a bridge
a space of pause
a track across it
a set of laws
I don’t believe I
should ever need another
crazy to assert it so
but I have done
without my druthers
nothing but
what god had graced me
with, up top the ridge
I strode out on
the bridge


what

2.536 : 10/21/06 : Trilogy

I’m writing a trilogy
about
unicorns and
maidens from the sea
the stones, the rings,
the wands
the staves
I expect a
million dollars
and raves
I’ll throw in some skin
and some twist suspense
and demand not
half an hour’s
recompense
when it comes to that
the distribution gamble
I got a feeling
my big break
won’t be more than
preamble

what

2.535 : 10/20/06 : Sewn

What can I expect to reap
of what was sewn
So far I don’t
believe how much
has plain transformed
2 years, what’s grown
and honestly
what hasn’t
and what waits
and what’s in store
I probably sounded
ridiculous
up to my neck
and more more more

what