This is a series of poems I wrote in the 1990s. Some of these have been published in America and Europe; others have never been published before. These are poems that reflect two of my interests as a poet: minimalism and melody. The minimal vocabulary used in the poems forces the lines to deconstruct each other, revealing a multitude of meanings, while the melodic structure of the lines prevents them from becoming too repetitive. Use the list of contents on the left to navigate the poems more easily.

Ars Poetica Americana

Make a list of all the rules of poetry
And then break every rule

The list rules poetry
Break the list
Then make the rules

Break the list
Break all the rules of poetry
Then make the list
Make all the rules of poetry

Make a list of every rule
And then make poetry of every rule

Break the list
Break all the rules
And rule poetry

Make a list of every break of the rules
And then make poetry

A Poem With Trees

Sitting alone under trees
A poem in my hand
Sitting alone
Trees in my hand
Trees in a poem
Alone under trees
Sitting under a hand
In my trees
Sitting alone in a poem
In a trees poem
A poem sitting in my trees
My hand in a poem
My hand under trees
Alone
A poem sitting alone
Under my trees

Inconvenient Chairs

I keep trying but I can't get it right
I keep trying but I can't get it
I can't get it right
I can't keep it
But I can't keep trying
I keep trying to get it
But I can't get it right
I can't get it right

Hidden away inside your home
Put up walls to shield yourself from the world
Safe and sound inside your home
Lock the doors to protect yourself from the world

Right trying can't get it
It can't get right
I can't right
But I keep trying
Can't keep trying but I get it
I get it
I can't get it
I can't get it right

May

1
My love is her life
Her life is my love
All her love is my life
Love is life

No more Rage
No more Haste

All love is her life
Her life is all love
All my life is her love
Life is love

No more Haste
No more Rage

2
All her life
No more Rage

Her love
No more Haste

3
My life
No more Haste

In my love
No more Rage

Charity Bomb

If he's losing his anger
He's losing
If he's losing his anger
He's losing

We want to
When we clear your eyes
When we shout
We want to clear your eyes

If he's losing his anger
He's losing
If he's losing his anger
He's losing

When we shout
We want to clear your eyes
When we shout
We clear your eyes

If he's losing his anger
He's losing

When we shout
When we want to clear your eyes

Clear your eyes
We want to clear your eyes

Sunday

We could be anything
Within you
Without you
Take this life
Tear these dreams away
We could be anything
Tear these dreams
Without you
This life
We could be anything
Within me
Take these dreams away
Tear this life
We could be anything
Without you
Within me
These dreams
Tear this life away
We could be anything

Ganymede

I live my life in pleasant darkness
And close my eyes to what's not there

I put no trust in things
I see no trust in things
I put no things in trust
I put no trust in I

I put no trust in the things I see

No things see the trust
No things I see I trust
I trust no things I see
I see no trust in things

I fear the things that I can see
I lose my faith to what I see

Horoscope

Virgo
Never try
You'll never try unless you know
Unless you know you'll try
You try
You'll never know unless you try
You know you'll never try

Pisces
The same like you
The same kind of you
Of the people you like
You like the same kind of people
Kind people like
People like you

Gemini
You get two
You ever will get two
All you ever get is two
Two is all you will ever get
Two is all you get
All you ever get

Aries
You want this time
What you want this time
What for
This is the time for what you want
What you want is time
Time is what you want

Libra
Let yourself go and you will grow
Let yourself grow and you will go
Let go
You will grow
You grow and will let yourself go
You let go

Leo
The people always turn
The right people always do turn up
Always do people right
Turn people up
Turn right
The right people always do

Scorpio
If you mind he does
If he does do you
Do you mind if he does
Does he mind
If he does
Do you

Taurus
Can you think
Other people think you can
Other people think
Other people can
You think other people can
You think

Sagittarius
Everything you do turns out wrong
Do everything wrong
Everything wrong turns you
Everything you do turns
You do everything wrong
You do everything

Capricorn
A home
Your heart to a loved one
Open your heart and home to a loved one
One loved your open heart
Your heart loved one open home
One heart your open home

Aquarius
Let them in on what you know
You know what let them in
You know them
Let them on in
What you know let them in
You let them in

Cancer
Try it all
Make up your mind to try it all
Make it all
Try to make your mind
Try to make it
Make it your all

Mars & Venus

to
TOO
to give
SHE LOVES ME TOO

i give him every opportunity to express himself but he never does
I TELL HER
but every opportunity he never does
I ALWAYS TELL HER
i express to him every opportunity
SHE LOVES ME AND I LOVE HER TOO
he never does give

I ALWAYS TELL HER I LOVE HER AND I KNOW SHE LOVES ME TOO
he never does express himself
TELL ME TOO
he never does
I KNOW HER AND I LOVE HER TOO
every opportunity i give him but he never does
LOVE ME TOO

i give
AND
i give
AND
i give
AND I LOVE HER TOO

he never does express
LOVE
i never express
LOVE
every opportunity to
LOVE AND I KNOW SHE LOVES ME TOO

to never express
AND ALWAYS KNOW
to never give
AND ALWAYS LOVE
but he never does give

I ALWAYS TELL HER I LOVE HER
but never to himself
I LOVE HER
i give him every opportunity
AND I KNOW SHE LOVES ME TOO
express himself

AND I ALWAYS KNOW
but he never does
I ALWAYS LOVE
he never does

Mirror

"If I were a black man what kind of man would I be?"
He said
If I were a black man what kind of man would I be?
"If I were a black man"
He said

If I were a man
"What kind of man would I be?"
If I were a black man what kind of man would I be?

"If I were black"
Of man would I be?
He said
"If I were"
If I were

"If I were a black man what kind of man would I be?"
A black man
"If I were a black man"
He said
Would I be?

He said
"If I were a black man what kind of man would I be?"
If I were a black man what kind of man would I be?

A Habit

I can change

The shame
Will make my heart all right
All my shame

I can change

All right
My heart will make it all
Make it right

I can change

My all
Make my heart shame the will
Shame it all

I can change

My will
My heart will make the shame
Make my will

I can change

FM 1960 Infinite

There was a time you felt lonely and lost
There was a time
A lonely time you felt lost

There was a time you felt lonely and lost
Time felt you there
Time felt lonely and lost there

There was a time you felt lonely and lost
Lonely and lost
There was time you felt lost

There was a time you felt lonely and lost
Time was felt lost
Time was felt lonely and lost

There was a time you felt lonely and lost
Lost you and time
Lonely and lost you felt time

More Than An Animal--A Man

[Culled from a short story by Heather McDermott]

As the man awoke, he made a growling noise like a bear.
This made me want to hide myself more.

More than an Animal

This man made me
This man awoke me
He made me myself
He made me want a man

The only men they had encountered were evil.

He made me bear myself more
This made me want to bear more
Made me bear the man
This man to me as a bear

This was more than an Animal. It was a Man.

This man awoke like a bear
Growling like a bear
A growling man made a noise like a bear
Made me hide

(The only evil they had encountered were men)

He made a growling noise like a bear
This made me want to hide
Hide this bear
Hide this man
Hide myself

A Man

How would I react face-to-face with a creature that I did not know?
Then again, how would he react towards me?

The Light

She asks the light to reach him
To light him for her

She's too short to reach the light
So she asks him to reach it for her
She's too short to reach him
To change him
To reach for her

So she asks him
She asks him for her
To reach the light
Reach for her

To her she's too short to reach him
The reach for him
Too short for her

Change the light
For him she's too short
To him she's too light
She's to change

Her reach too short
So she asks him too
She's short too

Dismiss For Me That Life

Dismiss for me
Please
These rumors that I'm fit for life
Dismiss for me that life

Dismiss these rumors that fit me
These rumors fit that life
Dismiss please
These rumors that I'm fit for life
Dismiss for me that life

Dismiss please
Dismiss for me
Dismiss for me that life
That life
Dismiss for me that life

Dismiss for me
These rumors that I'm fit for life
Dismiss these rumors
Please
That I'm for life
Dismiss for me that life

These rumors that I'm fit
These rumors that I'm me
Dismiss for me these
Please
Dismiss for me that life

Dismiss please
Dismiss for me
Dismiss for me that life
That life
Dismiss for me that life

Please
These rumors that I'm fit
That life these rumors fit
Please
Dismiss for me that life

Slander

1
The strong are weak
The weak are strong
The big are small
The small are big
An unChristian man
Leading a very Christian life

2
You hold him back
It drags her down
You hold her down
It drags her back

You hold it
You back her down
You hold her back
It drags him back down

Hold back
You hold her back

Hold back
You hold him down

Hold back
It drags you down

Now And Again

They sin
And now they pray again
Now and again

Now
They pray again
They sin
Now and again

They sin
And now they pray

They pray again
And again

* * *

Now
Again
And again
Now and again

They pray
And now they sin again
Now and again

Echoes From A Conversation

This winter weather is much too cold for me
Jack proposed to Mary, and she said Yes
This weather is much too cold for me
Jack proposed to Mary
This winter cold for me
And Mary said Yes
Too much winter for me
Jack
Is much too cold for me
Mary
Is much too cold for me
Mary said Yes
This winter weather is too much for me
Jack proposed, and she said Yes
This is too much for me
Jack and Mary, she said Yes
This winter weather
Jack and Mary
Much too cold
Jack proposed to Mary
This weather for me
And she said Yes
This winter for me
She said Yes
This cold for me
Said Yes
This cold
Yes
Cold
Yes

Autumn

Crushing crackle leaves underfoot
Leaves underfoot crushing crackle

Father strikes a match and sets the pile on fire
Watch it burn
Father strikes a match
The match strikes the fire
A pile sets the match on fire
Father sets and strikes the pile
Father strikes a match and sets the pile on fire
The pile strikes on fire
Watch it burn

Leaves crushing crackle underfoot
Crushing leaves underfoot crackle

Father strikes a match and sets the pile on fire
Watch it burn
The pile strikes a match
Father strikes the match and sets a pile on fire
The match sets and strikes Father
The pile sets Father on fire
Fire strikes a match and sets Father on the pile
A match sets the pile and Father on fire
Watch it burn

Underfoot crushing crackle leaves
Crackle leaves crushing underfoot

The fire pile strikes Father
And sets Father on fire
Watch it burn
The Father on a fire pile
The Father on fire
Watch it burn
The pile and Father on fire
The pile and fire and Father
Watch it burn
Father strikes a match and sets the pile on fire
Watch it burn

Crackle underfoot crushing leaves
Crushing crackle leaves underfoot

Dead And Saved

The dead
The saved are dead

The dead are saved
The saved are dead

The saved
The saved are dead

The dead are saved
The saved are dead

Over There

1
We're going to run them down
Over there

We're going to run them down
Over there

We're going to run them down
Over there

We're going to run them down
Over there

We're going to run them down
Over there

2
We're going
Over there

We're going to run them down
Over there

We're going to them
Over there

We're going to down them
Over there

We're going to run them down
Over there

3
We're
Over there

We're going to run them down
Over there

We're going to down them
Over there

We're going to them
Over there

We're going to run them down
Over there

4
We're down to them
Over there

We're going down to them
Over there

We're going to run
Over there

We're going down
Over there

We're down
Over there

The Late 20th Century

The forecast calls for sunny skies

Sunny skies

Every day
A new chance every day
A new day
Every chance a new day

The skies
The rain comes down

Every new day
A chance
Every new chance
A day

The forecast calls for sunny skies

The rain still comes down

The Crowd

I can't believe that I am nobody
I am sure I must be somebody

I can't believe that I am nobody
I am sure I must be somebody

I can't believe that I am nobody
I am sure I must be somebody

I can't believe that I am nobody
I am sure I must be somebody

I can't believe that I am nobody
I am sure I must be somebody

I can't believe that I am nobody
I am sure I must be somebody

I can't believe that I am nobody
I am sure I must be somebody

I can't believe that I am nobody
I am sure I must be somebody

I can't believe that I am nobody
I am sure I must be somebody

I can't believe that I am nobody
I am sure I must be somebody

I can't believe that I am nobody
I am sure I must be somebody

I can't believe that I am nobody
I am sure I must be somebody

I can't believe that I am nobody
I am sure I must be somebody

I can't believe that I am nobody
I am sure I must be somebody

I can't believe that I am nobody
I am sure I must be somebody

I can't believe that I am nobody
I am sure I must be somebody

I can't believe that I am nobody
I am sure I must be somebody

I can't believe that I am nobody
I am sure I must be somebody

I can't believe that I am nobody
I am sure I must be somebody

I can't believe that I am nobody
I am sure I must be somebody

I can't believe that I am nobody
I am sure I must be somebody

I can't believe that I am nobody
I am sure I must be somebody

I can't believe that I am nobody
I am sure I must be somebody

I can't believe that I am nobody
I am sure I must be somebody

I can't believe that I am nobody
I am sure I must be somebody

I can't believe that I am nobody
I am sure I must be somebody

I can't believe that I am nobody
I am sure I must be somebody

I can't believe that I am nobody
I am sure I must be somebody

I can't believe that I am nobody
I am sure I must be somebody

I can't believe that I am nobody
I am sure I must be somebody

I can't believe that I am nobody
I am sure I must be somebody

I can't believe that I am nobody
I am sure I must be somebody

I can't believe that I am nobody
I am sure I must be somebody

I can't believe that I am nobody
I am sure I must be somebody

I can't believe that I am nobody
I am sure I must be somebody

I can't believe that I am nobody
I am sure I must be somebody

I can't believe that I am nobody
I am sure I must be somebody

I can't believe that I am nobody
I am sure I must be somebody

I can't believe that I am nobody
I am sure I must be somebody

I can't believe that I am nobody
I am sure I must be somebody

I can't believe that I am nobody
I am sure I must be somebody

I can't believe that I am nobody
I am sure I must be somebody

I can't believe that I am nobody
I am sure I must be somebody

I can't believe that I am nobody
I am sure I must be somebody

I can't believe that I am nobody
I am sure I must be somebody

I can't believe that I am nobody
I am sure I must be somebody

I can't believe that I am nobody
I am sure I must be somebody

I can't believe that I am nobody
I am sure I must be somebody