(I) Emptiness

How am I to live
With a hole in my heart
The one I dug
Myself
After I told
Myself
I would never think about it again.

How am I to live
With the
Nagging
Gnawing
Sensation
In my heart and in my head
After I told
Myself
I would live anew.

(II) Refuse

I, refuse

To
Succumb to the
Pressures

Of being in love with you.

I want to feel -
Your hair, eyes, nose, lips, chin, chest, navel -
I want to smell
And taste everything
Again.

I want to write lyrically
For you, spiritually
I carve a path to you on my arm
From my pulse to your throb.

(III) Bottle

Quite suddenly I look
Up,

And then I see your face
In my mind
Next to hers.

It is always next to hers
But not always.

I remember how you taste.
The strong bitter whiff of beer
With danger written across it
But i took it anyway.

Poison you are,
You wreck my waking hours
Until i want to hurt myself.

(IV) Poison

But I still want to drink you -
Every drop
I wish I did

And I loved the way you thrust your fingers
Deep
Into
Me
And pulled me
Back
Into
You.
It makes me shiver with warmth.

And then you killed me slowly -
Everyone saw
Everyone heard
Everyone hates me.

But I lay there
I knelt
For the taking
And you took

But i couldnt take all of it in.

And then now there is no more
And i wish we died.

(V) Four Play

I sent you a message.
Did you get it?

You were asleep,
I think,
You didnt care much about it.

You'd rather not, you said,
It depends on your mood.
So flippant,
But every girl does that don't they?
Every single one
And the rest too
Who want something from you

And she said
It wouldnt be fair to HER
And you said it to her too

So what does that make me?

Nothing, apparently
Because I knelt and I took you in
And you
Don't
Even
Love
Me.

(VI) Please

I'm getting
Tired.

There is an ache

Resonating

Throughout my body.

And it has your name and smell all over it.
What I would give
For just another night
With you
In me.

It would kill me
The last
But i need that.
I dont want to die alone
Or die myself.

It would be death
But it would be real
And real death
Is better
Than dying alone.

And I just want one more,
Please sir.

(VII)

(VIII) Wrong Way

That's not the way
To treat
A lady

Even if shes immoral
Or was.

That's not the way
To end
Anything

Because

You kill me.

(I) light blue, lighter than air. gold swarth. metallic white prestige. silver, bluish. champagne white. rickety dull grey. royal black and blue. cream ochre.

(II) earnest, mr biggles. bells, pink and barcode. chocolate red strings. well preserved, almost asiatic. freckles and eyes. gaudy felt, near furry. elegant. attached.

(III) mistakes, irresistible. two in a week, even three. under the influence. or affluence. too many effluents. massive disorder. inferior quality. shut down. shut up.

(IV) corporation. home. accountability. pass void. indomitable, inconsistent. unable to locate component. superfluous. speedy stream. vanquish. nothing unpunished.

(V) circle line. we just have it fresher. slow. march. pure and simple. the good shepherd. use crossing. access to cathedral. no trespassing. bottled beers. city.

(VI) the plaza. new junction layout. great world city. raffles boulevard. danger - keep out. go further, faster! coming ur way. free access. eateries. paulaner's.

(VII) confused. self depriving. guarding from hurt. guard others from hurt. smell artificial joy. tonight, tomorrow and always. never complete. terrible perfection.

(VIII) trapped. set up. luring and hiding. comfortable position. tomorrow's battle. now a trench. seek quick remedy. take it all in. no rest. fast paced. quick, relax.

Heavily painted faces with hair let down
The office is a mating arena where fertility comes
A close second to official importance
Money and investing in the Asian Wall Street Journal -
If you were that important
You wouldnt be taking the train together with all of us.
Accusing faces step on your feet and swish away
While your shoe lies sleeping on the bridge.

They are just waiting to see you fall -
As long as you don't land on any of them.

There is a lady with a nose rounder and bigger than her spectacles
She looks male from the shoulders up
And female from the ankles down.

All this, while listening to the Armenians.

Silent and uniform, an army of self-important anvil ants
Herding toward a common destination.
To the office.

Thats right.
Black white beige and brown vested slaves
We will all become one of them one day
We will replace them
We will become them

A woman with a twisted figure reads "The Dogs of Israel"
While facing the wall

The financial centre of the country
Is there no other place?
Is there no other job
Other than that of being honeycombedinanoffice
wherenoeccentricitiesareacceptednortolerated?
Each so sure of their
i n d i v i d u a l i t y
Each so eager to prove
nonchalance
and wealth
But these are people we need.
Without them, the country
Will
Fall.

We are all made of anvil ants.

They are all better than you.
They are earning money.

I may not be of financial value today
Or ever
But financial value is the only sort that should be valued.

You cannot read books on how to be happy
You can only do it yourself
All the palmtops in the world cannot buy it.

(I) candy man. peppermint cane. coveted. open as a club. pure and absorbent. lucky coin. reward for ascetism. common blood. simple streak. clean and unfettered.

(II) for whom the light glows and the mind wakes. the far off unassuming bounty. sweet and ripe. coconut scented. colours of string. hot raffia. revered. sacrifice.

(III) dreams are made of this. big metal bird. seven lodestones calling. united colors. flapping in the indian ocean. semisonic. the feeling never dies. my precious.

(IV) confused and lonely. craving and repelling. a unique individual. so alike, we are. yet so far. i am able to forgive. yet u are not able to see. i, ur opus?

(V) gems and silver string. oriented and destined. my two confidantes. u, cyber smart. and u, vast mind. fully appreciated. beautiful. rare, incomparable.

(VI) fiercely devoted. beast amongst cyborgs. ray of fire, impenetrable black. my eyes see. urs burn. never bow. always. speak. genius, convoluted expressionism.

(VII) quiet harbour. hurt slides off. duck's back. the other half. mirrored. fated. today's destination. rich and welcoming. wide eye. skilfully sculpted. chiselled.

(VIII) solidifying hug. tug and rip of conscience. fulfilled in solitude. torn apart by homecoming. repelling force, repulsive. mourning a life. sleeping in wakefulness.

We grew up listening to our parents' songs
And calling them passe.
But now our songs are old too.
Everything will change
Everyone will reminisce the good old times
And the music that they played.
All children, one day, love the music
Of their parent's day.
Because the time will come
When our children are passe too.

(I) both heirlooms. bubbles, not shadows. running u run not. grassland, jardine. soft and exact. big earring, little pin. fluffed. elude me. both are in a row.

(II) distant and unapproved. uncertain. unconfirmed. unilateral. sway and topple. helpless. raison d'etre. pink. purpose? meaning? truth, yet folly. a corner.

(III) must behead. but preserve. smiles to be remembered. not requested. tender. tendons. fortune cookie, time capsule. invisible all my life. clear sky, cold winds.

(IV) say goodbye. turn away. close ur eyes. smile. no more sky. no more tears. jealousy evaporating. up in smoke. dried eyes. dried heart. unable. smoke rises.

(V) still exerting. effort, attempt. blinding. hurtful? no place, no space. side dish. trail off. one night. forgotten. verboten. mein Junge... ist mein nicht.

(VI) safe mode? options clear. right. prolonged. fat. strongly recommended. complete. never complete. never trusted. never needed. blinking yellow eyes. end.

(VII) cool, comforting. deep moor. like a newborn, i stretch. i desire immortality. arms open. face open. heart open. feel love. feel loved. droplets on leaf. tender.

(VIII) sing, heart strings. inhale deeply. energized and recharged. sing. little cherub. my pillars. my strength. smile and be grateful. walk barefoot. no thorns.

Enslaved in half-eclipsed light
The sole window the sole source of comprehension
Lightning from a black box
Chairs empty like teeth knocked out
A voice of satin
Blue fireflies on green cannot light up this dismal ridicule
Gibberish and the vulgar
Rapt by invitations
Saved by an odyssey

(I) fake smile. inertia. difference? cretin. imperfect. unreachable. ants, jelly, ugly. empty. holes. slap me. equivocal. engendering. deceive. snare. trap. lie.

(II) paper, metal, concrete. shameless and perfect. pay to reduce. pay to augment. pay to know. pay to forget. dont bother. hollow taels and tiles. low children.

(III) circle and patch. conceal in vain. horrific mask. mark. hunger. outrage. outrageous. silence. ugly. a mere dollar. dirty brown rock. fountain of erosion. belongs.

(IV) look at u. u are like me. ugly. plain. arts. so what. u tie ur hair. i spike. still nothing. still ciphers. black plastic betrays u. acid pits me. eye.

(V) saplings, twined together. uprooted. an interjection of destination. warm words. hot air? chop off barnacles. clean pebble. surrender. low tide. a wintering.

(VI) wandering. boxes and puddles. tall and glassy. zinc and granite. the incomplete, the inconceivable. a bell at last. wilderness, familiarity. detached purpose.

(VII) one genus, bipolar minds. essential programmes function. an alien on mars. looking gawky. feeling queer. mars is all the same. sweet concubine. deus ex machina.

(VIII) fifteen different lives. heartland chatter. shostakovich. slobbery creature. ten second showreel. scare him away. i could smell this beyond the glass. home.

Cold, hunched, numb, furious, scribbling, envious, idle?
Warming
Expectant, vigilant, confident, assuring, providing
Sweeping, chirping, freezing
Hunger, thirst, exhaustion, pain, aches, discomfort

Today we study
Tomorrow we study
This weekend we study
And the next

Next year we study, and for some,
After national slavery
After we study, no rest.
We work.

Dusty dingy cubicle
Fat flatulent boss
Bitchy boastful colleagues
Monotonous mulling transport
Minute measly pay
Unfulfilling unsatisfying job
Uninteresting unbecoming life

If we had land, we would build more -
schools homes factories reservoirs shopping centres hotels
But we don't.

We have too many things on one plate.

The bottle mocks me
"Gone", it sniggers,
With stubborn beads of water
That sing and glisten
In the soft yellow light
The paper label is awry
It faces the wall
Like a defiant child
The crystal cool clear water
Salaciously caresses the bottom of the bottle
It quivers at crevices in the plastic

Stubborn beads of water chastise me.

Getting fat and lazy
Either scorchingly languidly hot,
Or sonorously relentless in the downpour
Bad acting, very bad acting, and bad dubbing
The nearest shopping centre possible
So that you don't have to travel
Strange meal times
because you woke up too late
Hindi movies
The issues of the newspaper
That you missed out on the past week
Trying not to overuse the computer
Watching tv, once in a blue moon
Takeout
The telling sign of what ur life really is like

Oh, and bad script.

Bulbous corneas fixated on the heads of
Entranced legions of
Nazareth.
Jail cell and warden alike,
A barely euphonious synergy of
Malice and superstition.
In another time, at another place,
No one could doubt us. But
Little do we know, that
Of what we know, and by what we know
We are enslaved.

The bright surge
Desserts
Clean, white
Excelsior
Fire hot branding
An ice pack
Hiss truthfully
Swallow it, pale green
Swim in it
A fair exchange

Flawless but ugly
Darkened soft rings
Thick frigid cotton and
Tired hands

Rise to leave
Unconscious,
Royalty piled on their crowns
Almost twins
Myopic

Beige pink and brown
Pixels, matrices
Crying wretch
So small, so red
A mistake rectified

Flutter and flit
Paper protection
Dead, disinfected
A live ring.

The innocent
Altered native
I weep red, readily
Clangs of ur death
Not chosen
Selfish but a prerogative
Sweet unborn
My eyes open.

Armored
Temporal
Immaculate, not so.

Lost a rotten arm,
Found a member

Legality
Freedom's inviting shackles
Rusty
Tetanus booster
Happy murderer
Just for a name: Child.

(I) neunundsechzig. salty and rich. circles and sticks. toppings. milky. tubules, pressure. mein eltern. gay schlecht. sloth. unworthy. sycophant. sweet drug falls.

(II) never there. sieben jahre. flew away. smart, sly. and me? nearly widowed. uprooted and sown. leaking and incomplete. hidden. ur chocolcate pleasure. me alone.

(III) moon, yew, hydras. pulsating. could, can, need. no more. pulling back. for the greater good. escape. awake. unresolved, unconfirmed, undone. unnecessary. nearly.

(IV) emotionless. amoeba. self supporting, hephaestus. luxemburg. choking and joking. plagiarism. waiting and sure. sinning and unafraid. ailing captor. still awake.

(V) if it matters. at will. pre humous. veins. cold and numbed. null and void. accessory. i live in the lurch. u think im beautiful. i know im ugly. black lung.

(VI) faked concern. concern is not a condiment. lets pretend. nice skin, no blood. double negatives, u see. bump bump bump. too awake. too clear. too foolish.

(VII) delirium, fodder. 24 year old virgin. queen of hara kiri. garish but winsome. primeval beats. obligatory. im not hankering. mere courtesy. just a showing.

(VIII) tobacco. deliberate, cumulative death. wanton self destruction. well? hell. undone. i've got my magic sticks. no psychedelic high. just self directed pain.

Towering
Black velvet
Magazine man
Panes and rocks.

A story once told.

Lily, mud
Sing to the mists
Dug and shovelled
To disagree, to clamour
All received.

(I) youthful fascination. snip snip. temporary joy. liberation. a day of reckoning. tomorrow a reunion. a perfunctory meal. this morning's supper. friendship. boost.

(II) lazy willow. short winter. dull hot tongue. bullish frustration. hibernating. to soothe and placate. to coax. swallowing the vestiges. virility truncated.

(III) i am the chameleon. moulting and shielding. i am the interchange. the lighthouse, the terminus. the yielding space. the forbidden. welcoming. kaleidoscope.

(IV) the right hemisphere. to be charted. my words a time capsule. my mind a labyrinth. secrets, entrapment. a crusade. the corsage. gently peeling. brilliant.

(V) i am the night's wing. butterfly. pins, glasses. sweet shelter. i am the ladder. step up. i am the stone. solitary abrasion. talcum and oxide. falsetto. feminine.

(VI) forget and obliterate. renew. scali, stennis, dobrynin. blank. resignation. radical. zhivago ignored. orchestrated impulse. cold turkey. my ham. serendipity.

(VII) a force sweeping. strangely frightening. mild allure. black widow. speeding, racing. a life, a drain. demanding. dreams, the night. eat me alive. one word. over.

(VIII) pea nuts. regular. cheap man. it will work out. marionette candidate. likely nothingness. transparent trick. obstrusive stick. say goodbye to manhood. crash ego.

(I) my motivation, my drive. my one and only. my dream, my cloud. my mars. my journey, my lessons. my lessening, my anguish. my boundaries, my rules. this is me now.

(II) u know my secrets. u know my thoughts. but do u know me? do u know my mind? do u feel my pain? do u try? do u want to try? can u taste it?

(III) that is ur child, this is my past. that is ur future, this is my road. that is ur exorcism, this is my room. that is ur release, this is my everything.

(IV) must. stop. bottomless pit. eternal damnation. forks of purgatory. licking at salty wounds. kiss the lipidinous sinners. aus alle Welt. deathly magnetism.

(V) black stripes, white void. strong but garmented. stripped and renewed. waiting to explode. waiting for deliverance. smiles subside. evergreen apple. mädchen.

(VI) no gratitude, no love. one more glass. simmering latent expulsion. outlawed by choice. feigned nonchalance. each day a bonfire. none for the shelf. dusty, grey.

(VII) the elixir, little pill. cyanide. sweet icarus. water on stamp. my terrible dungeon. incomparable. stiff, tense, poised. are u yet alive? undeserving. bitter.

(VIII) spit on its name. searching for a silhouette. manifold and rugged. final judgment. agility on the hunt. impress, express. the prize bull. antidote. carcinogen.

Today I burn in a puff of smoke
Nothing to return, no lessons learnt
Today i weep for truth and a joke
I bent, I laughed, I broke and burnt

Screw the promises, the nights, the lies
I believe no more in the words I said
No more to keep, I compromised
Goodbye to you, this heart is dead


What I believed no longer holds
Your words have spoken, mine disposed
Sweet and bitter, my thoughts unfold
I took a risk - this end i chose.

I swallowed my pride
I gave my all
I once was broken
I now stand tall

A long dark abyss
But I survived the fall
Looking down
I hear it call.

(I) bare, smooth and textured. inferior, nurtured. arguments swing whichever way, cat-o-nine-tails. excited veteran. frog person, bullfrog. alien settlement.

(II) pacing, to and fro and to. urbanite carefully concealed. thirsty seed. brimming and blocked. to sue, to slander, to defame. safe but insecure. delinquent.

(III) angel or delinquent? an apple away. daring to deny, suffering for sin. white line on red mess. no counsel for redemption. just waiting. dried painted leaf.

(IV) directionless yet moving. a soul on a string. packed, with defensive faces. rosy and falsely shy. small, next year even smaller. caught in voluntary stasis.

Draw me a little pentagram,
Ooh yeah baby
Down the street where you used to live
Blue eyes melting into snow
The raindrops are acidic and sour
Like gastric juices
Running down middle earth.

(I) story teller. horned cherub. subject to behest. fluent liar. seedling. shrewd medium. stained and beautiful. acquired taste. not bitter but apprehensive. stallion.

(II) the eye is the ring of fire. heat, water and gel. effaced by the cold. blackened wok. streaming and bleeding. bearer of tidings. fragile, defenceless. baring.

(III) echo, dried blood. lifetime imprisonment. chilly scrutiny. stand corrected. alone and hollow. grossly deducted. i see ur city, i see ur ward. desolate. late

(VI) gone. and now the stakes are in the stratosphere. deriding rollercoaster. not fortold. seeping. alluring atrocity. swing and throw. tinkling, appearing. cloudy.

(V) comfort in depth. rock. getting bolder. holding hands. muscled walls. ludicrous. gold plated mucus. tree bark copycat. canine ring. blinking underwater tiptoe.

(VI) squared worm, my slotting in. cosmopolitan backwardness. brittle irony. i, the blind. cataract, impact, knack. handles. rice paper candelabra. pigmented.

(VII) teach me, lessen. dust is light. bake a cake, snowflake. scratch and sniff. endure death. rich wrapper. thinking is only possible with members. freed them away.

(VIII) little treasure chest. painted with soluble silver. gleaming with the knowledge of nine fairy penises. and one ready. flick over the toothed tool. time to take it in. sweet musky laces. insatiable. i draw in yet more. even to the base, the golden circle. throat dammed. reluctant release. hot, limp, glowing with attention. fag.

Water crashing
Murdering
Foam slapping
Drills dents and holes.
A new storm,
Strength reborn.
Drastic
Shells out of reach
Killing
Roaring
Peel off new sand.

Simmering
Warming
Boiling pot.
Warning rushes
A lid to fit all.
Pushing it down.
Must. Not. Show.
Brewing, patience.
Rising smog.
Scorching fire.

Taut wire
Two supple hands.
Pull, slice, bleed
Almost a strangle.
Already tight.
Pierce cleanly,
Pure bone.
Scratch, gnaw
Chalky, crumbs.
An etching.
Snap.

Everyday a war
Bullets scars and battles
Nobody sleeps
The guard is always up.

(I) bite off, no nougat. better candy elsewhere. plastic wrap clear. slightly expandable. im expendable. sick, sick to the bone. animals neutered. stopped. mating.

(II) grinding, wheels. turn crunch release. caramel cellophane tears. snaps disguises. marrow splinters. clear red oozes. subhuman roars. uninhibited, the release.

(III) cliffhanger crippled. arrogant finger. snuffed ere twas lit. riding into doom. slow. tasting it, holding it. potholes underfoot. mines, all mine. imploding.

(IV) repetitive repetitions. circles spinning, never meeting. sink to rise to fall. strange scent, familiar movement. once upon our time. swimming in broken words.

(V) longing, reaching. playful master taunts. family photo. torn in corner. swept aside. cannot cry. sweet illusions, my poultice. soft iron. peels away in laces.

(VI) blue naked baby. whimper. fed. changed. incompetent, soiled. inappropriate. unwanted. never intended. golden streams. fetid. gurgling nauseating. indispensable.

(VII) shutting, heavily laden. raw flesh. drooping, a pendulum. obscene femininity. inert, deluded acceptance. ache with deprivation. gnaw gently. soothingly. thin.

(VIII) cocky, virile. ripe and sweet. every man in his humour. me the fruit tart. leaking and flaking. four thousand trolleys. nothing to hold. guiltily, and awfully.

(I) a drug, so dangerous. so squeezed and flattened. folded up, covered. must be hidden. so many choices. how could they? why must i? hot, i am hurting again.

(II) press hair. oil skin and hair. ugly little leprechaun. everybody wants something. must give. hit me please. fed up. looked down. pushed. demanded. so ugly now.

(III) god of gifts. temptress. fly off. fat bitch. more more more. hate, a swarm. flocking to me. my magnetism. attract pain and disappointment. a pretence, please.

(IV) all better if all false. magic man. and i'm a rabbit. shiny cloth, dirty girl. happy couple, incomplete hag? twist the needle, diabetic obsession. sugar high.

(V) light blue, heavy ass. no movement, incomplete sloth. tomorrow a beginning. five without tobacco. kill the kangaroos. misled miscreants. underutility, perhaps.

(VI) me in the mass. glowing. revealing. still a stranger. already aching. u, delicious. a different claim then. a new temporary wooden stake. to ward me off.

(VII) no limits. no boundaries. just feel. not pretty enough. fist after fist. the stupid and the nice. kenapa kau layan aku? pinch, twist. another piece of meat.

(VIII) self destructive. picking a fight. life too mundane? but i am triumphant. i crossed it. first. unforgettably. today tomorrow always. my trophy. ur stupidity.

(I) secret garden. stray lamb. white loving, chaste. mischief. sweet grass now. tender rays. soft padded steps. wild jubilant leap. a hop, a bound. bite of berry.

(II) alack the horn. deafening. angry silent invisible. human feet. shepherd. white robed, tall. rightful. dignified. rightful.

(III) resolute. left with null. always heat. left right. strip away the vestiges. feminine mask. asexual. as in the Genesis. the neck of humanity. cutthroat. shocked.

(IV) involuntary twitching. cold, narrow. holding in. itch, be still. anticipate. disentangle the wire. aged flavour. i scratched. hands still down. vibrate and lift.

(V) too eager. too meagre. slip away. pseudo aristocrat. one of many. many blank. lids dropping. shake and wake. new boat, no oar. the perfect chance. almost mine.

(VI) nearly homosexual. crave a fag. sheer denial. aching delicious wait. trip and slit and roll. keep a safe distance. mein oracle growls.

(VII) absolute risk. at least half. black fur moulting. male kohl watching. throw infernal plastic. heads aflame with sun. blind me. open arms, open eyes. infringe.

(VIII) teeth clamp and mouth. gasp struggle wrench. sympathy sought. not bought. cannot conceal. loneliness is poverty. i have not even rags. clamp me shut. cut off.

(IX) so cold, the wind. so quick. passing me by. shapes colors and textures. intensities and extremes. my past and my present. glittering and unnecessary. mismatch.

(X) shadows. pale beige. an altar and a stake. large flat top. beastly roar. end of tether. shapely pillar. drip and push. my blood boiling. blood alone. hard refuge.

(XI) stairs one by one. puddle spread. falling. blue plastic chain. chained again. three planted. fallen stall. wheels, table spin. paint peeled. silent children.

(XII) nein. died again. covered illuminations. impotent pole. electric melody. steel covered. white stained snake. defiled files. soft wet river. festivities. feet.

(XIII) six, down three. white shiny door. deflowered waters. hell bright. incense, spice. descend. not discovered. this covered. flowers, beauty. locked in metal.

(I) i will be a racist. smell of bread, almond, cream. slice off fat. cars in marmalade. destroy my sleep. anger, hunger. hanging obscenely. break down. frazzled.

(II) black purple worms. red, short, horns. dark chocolate cascading. twirling burnt gold. midnight chopped. fine black strands. wisps of darkened coal. naturally.

(III) directed, aimed. pushed, lies. children, haggard. wire on skin. frowns, smoulders. poor and longing. cast off. church-like. herd instinct. satan's word of mouth.

(IV) rocking shiny chromium. no family. scratched off glitter. fury and jolting. overtaking. chase, blink. swerve. no response. lemongrass. pink tinted, burdened.

(V) yielding crescendo. iced mud. yearning. search for a hand. a waist. rolling wheels. just waiting. forged contentment. stitch. the other side. where art thou?

(VI) against the grain. against the chaos. solitary. a figure of tension. pedalling. swiping. a short long wait. grasping and scraping. parasite. stocky. undesirable.

(VII) stalling. wind blows. harsh shadows. hearse blood and white. nurtured. twins in death. reflections, in vain. justified. secreting air. kindness. air and fire.

(VIII) i miss my friends. no real time. no company. no real affection. rejected, selected. abhorred. distant. we understand. flowing along in desperation.

(I) two fourteen. spinning blades. burn. meat at the lion's teeth. trap. loose strings. empty heart. empty canvas. two wholes. furtive and clutching. too much.

(II) tap away. peace through a filter. tenuous lines. tenuous liberty. what is real? to die, tomorrow. all ways open. inviting heights. filled absence. my breath.

(III) girls, a loan. one hundred and three twenties. more than humans. just a faculty. burning away. tap again. crunching tailbone. unsent. white stripes. black void.

(IV) cold fluids. white cream. merely compounds. amber is clear. vision impaired. homing devices. nine rotations. small, insignificant. jealousy? false impressions.

(V) beautiful coitus. eat us cold. months, blank. tear and rewrite. desires unfelt. remembrances. empty promises. nothing to hold. nobody to choke. need guaranteed.

(VI) reversions. inverse rest. desiring. beheld beauty. aged nurturing. pure harbours. yet a crucifix. bottomless waters. no refunds. no rewinding. hydras, weeds.

(VII) nausea. peristaltic. rubbing tracks. intruding vines. puckered, ugly. imploding. a poor imitation. hunger. puncutred appendage. glowing words. dangerous glance.

(VIII) twelve solstices. blood embalms leather. fortune. no overtures. rungs, snap. wire all keys. heaven is prison. one egg, two cigars. long, promising, delectable.

Relentless beats.
Sorrow resonating
Through lead and carbon.
The wooden pieces melt
Tearing
Apart
The clever veneer.

Candles, fourteen and black,
Burn with necessary evil.
Greenbacks and brown coins
Sneers jeers and cheers
Plates, liquid
Seethe, supernumerary.

Path:
Attic.

Relentless and flogging
Smoothness and fragility
Sands and winds and gold.

(I) jazz and coffee. blue mellow familiarity. metal panther springs. carefree. without wind, without seam. shapeless. tango, dance in love. the romans. varicose.

(II) meanders, solid scribbles. bound and brown. deathly green on moonlit white. encaged in leathery pain. irreversible. a woman's medallion. real, human, concrete.

(III) animal, charred age. silvered hole, porcelain on blemish. pink whip, accidental. train grinds. childlike, desirable. orange sherbet on ebony piano keys. perfect.

(IV) damned, crossed. undulating soft pampered oils. pink and black fairness. shine on a gentle flap. censor sappho. blue convoluted lace. mesmerize. disappearing.

(V) silk washing screen. white hospital lights. sway, partial. tree branch crackling. bone entrenched in light prussia. bronze. ironic against this ostentatiousness.

(VI) sugar, a trail. idols flying, throbbing limbs. caramel fluidity, not much artifice. nature's cyst, nearly benign. chunky, sugarcoated. my murdering deathwish.

(VII) faking a shuffle. sprits in glass vials. the same, but better. lonely obsequious rocket. my shots all miss. melodious and mechanic. freezing, water on gel.

(VIII) tripartite, maybe more. cold warm and electrified. window pain. left out, vibrated. anticipate. black worm skin, worn. slender amber torch. two unmoving eyes.

I am a receptacle -
Useless when full
Of pale jaundiced china
Cracks borne like medallions
My cyan euphoria

A tunnel,
Accessible therefore attractive.
White feet, black hands
Warm, inviting,
Taking full and ample
Advantage of your earnest
Intrusion.

I can smell the chase
In the night
With eyes stabbed dry
By my nervous claws

And the cracks
They widen
Another chiselled blow
(However gentle
However forgiving)
Is still a strike

So the prey surrounds me
Some hang from trees, some from dark clouds,
The cracks they trap
My claws they snap
Into a crimson
Stream
Into a warm
Tunnel
A receptacle.

Vines
They lie intertwined
The thorns bruise
A delicious rugburn
And he strokes
Her hair
Drunk
On sin and darkness
The cold air and tossing figures

Vines
They are too far apart
And when they're not, they pierce
Right
Through
And he strokes
She's a shadow
Banished.
When they gave their souls
They both lost
And he could never again give her what she thought she wanted.

A stirring pang
Popped like a premature pimple.