Candy
How soon before the pumpkins rot.
And leave behind the orange dot.
The viscous game, decomposition.
Sunrise as life’s last musician.
Aswoon, the fallow season drops.
The moons lined up like lollypops.
Nicotine Nanny
Beside the bassinet,
she’ll light her cigarette.
The babies in her care
have smoke rings in their hair.
Sometimes near diaper rashes,
you’ll even find her ashes.
And baby’s first words often
are simply, "please stop coughin’."
She’s a nicotine nanny,
a two-pack granny.
She’ll take care of your young,
but they’ll need an iron lung.
It takes her five puffs, maybe,
to sing "Rock-a-bye-baby."
And while they bathe
with rubber duckies,
she’ll smoke three
unfiltered Lucky’s.
Elementary, My Dear Grammar
Abstract addition. Subversive subtraction.
Rabid multiplication. Joy division.
Golly geometry. Southern calculus.
Recession.
Principal’s officer. Superintendent hero.
School board stiff. Busdriver ed.
Monkey bars and grills. Chalkboard outlines.
Hot lunch date. Hall Monitor and Merrimac.
Boys’ rumor. Raised hand jive.
Wood shop stewart. Penmanship of state.
Gym class distinction. Playground zero.
Report card dealer. Detention deficit.
Inkwell being. Spelling bee hives.
Pencil box turtle. Book covergirl.
Teacher’s pet peeve. Dunce cap and gown.
Immediate graduation.
Sundried
Horizon gone blank.
Soap pond, floating.
Forty billion mutilated filters.
Haiku heaven has shortened us,
pulled us with extravagant blurbs
toward ruffled outskirts
we poach and penetrate.
O, exchequer of ecstasy,
blue dot neophyte,
Elvis of the sidewalk trash,
smoothe the hood grain.
Better mediate ascension.
Along the highway,
implant signs of doubt.
Sharp edges and spoiled soil.
The green house is extinguished,
the rocks printed over.
We must have sundried eyes.
Charm School Bully
He slapped the smile off the face
of the etiquette boy.
And batted his batting eyelashes.
His "Pardon me, sir"
was more like a slur
and always resulted in clashes.
He even learned how
executing a bow
could be used as a martial attack.
And God help you, son,
and get ready to run
if he gave you a pat on the back.
Charm school bullies
rule the halls.
Tiny brains and giant balls.
Under manners, overbearing.
"Excuse me," WHACK !
"Thanks for sharing."
