Tanner’s Demise

Thief of Kisses
He was a fiend of hearts, was Jon Tanner;
seducer of women by wine and by song.
But one day a maiden too fair did Tanner
meet and kisses steal and away into the night
stole as though no promise lied through
puckered lips might hold him to a single
heart. But Duke Marinton’s daughter
had no will [...]

Kill the Critic

Killing the Inner Critic
You can’t do that!
          I hear far back in my head.
Poetry is serious stuff!
          It is my voice, when I’m dry.
You must be deliberate!
          Best ignored.
Where’s your rhyme scheme?
          Can’t speak—only scream.
No wonder nobody’ll publish you!
          Narrow and hostile, too.
Poetry doesn’t work like that!
          Protective of something sacred.
Don’t you have [...]

James Princeton Gar Returns

In the Cavern of the Sea Nymphs
You read about this sort of thing all the time
in myths and fairytales. But I, James Princeton
Gar, stand here to tell you, son: I seen ‘em!
Twas in the Indian Ocean, when I for the Queen
captained a ship and crew of swarthy seamen
salty as the brine and wily as any [...]

Scenic Park

Walk in the Park
A lot of things can change in a century;
parks seem to be one of those things—
and museums. Take this painting for example;
when is the last time you took a walk in the park
and found a nude woman? Or the last time
you saw a nude woman? With a skull?
With a cross? With both? [...]

Temptation

Temptation
I never knew Eve. Never spent time in her
garden or orchard. Any Eden, for that matter.
But I loved her from the time of my first
erection, first hint of manhood. My heroine
not because she gave the fruit to Adam,
not because she was the Matriarch of Rebellion,
nor because she blamed the serpent—
Because she opened the true gate
to [...]

Moonman

 
She is Captive of the Moon
Who is this man in the moon? I owe him
grief for the grief he’s inflicted on me;
my precious Azure I lost to him. She,
in quicksilver beauty bathed as though
blushing moonlight herself, was taken
by him, made captive of the moon.
I gaze up each night to see her there,
bound in ropes that [...]

Dragon Sport

Sporting with Dragons
Saint George I never was, nor archangel
Michael with his awesome sword and spear;
nevertheless, in imagination I stand before
that gory-headed beast with his seven
crowns and carrion breath, spouting noxious
vomits of brimstone and death, and I stand
with pen in hand, no sword, no spear nor lance,
and write heroes to slay with guile and wit
what I’ve [...]

The Libertarian

Libidinous Liberty
Some called him rogue, others less courteous
names. Some compared him to Don Juan,
others Don Juan to him. Wine, women,
song and the never-ending beauty of roses
he thought were the sole lusts of life.
The hunt is not for the kill, but for the hunt.
He delighted in catching, but only having
fully experienced the luscious, heady
drunkenness of the [...]

For mysoul

Forever Young
Yes. I was Pan. Forever
young, a youth forever.
Until my back went out,
and white hair snuck in
to salt sandy hair and beard
and the gut-wrenching shock
of that first insurance premium
with a new driver, our second son,
increasing it near ten-fold.
 
Yes. I was of the Cult
of Youth, forever young.
Until I found direction
and learned enough to teach
and was forced [...]

Frustrated Writer

Novelist
He blames the Beatles
wants to be a paperback writer
but the stories don’t suggest
themselves, don’t flow from
some deep well of inspiration.
 
He writes silly poems
on anything that comes to mind
but he loathes rhyme
and eschews abstraction
so they all go unpublished.
 
He works, slave to a desk
forty-four hours each week
and dreams himself a novelist
though his only published work
is on post [...]