September 2021
About Poemography
To commemorate the tenth anniversary of my Poem-A-Day Project, I am reprising my daily poetry challenge in 2021.
Every day this year—from January 1st until the 31st of December—I will create a new poem inspired by whatever moves me at the moment I sit down to compose that day's poem, publishing them here with subscription-free access for all.
Every Tuesday throughout the year, I will write and publish one bonus poem that will be available exclusively to my Patrons on Patreon.
In 2022, I will publish a book of my complete poems, spanning more than 40 years of poetry writing. The complete collection of poems will be published in a limited edition hardbound book available for purchase. As an added feature, I'm considering releasing some of the poems in this collection as spoken word recordings by a variety of special guest readers. Enjoy the year!
30SEP21
Brayon M.
January can be a cold and cruel month
Hearts hardened by the winter's frigid
Frost do slowly thaw; but what was it
That really caused you to kill a man
To lash out so violently against your
Own father who, according to all
Accounts, was generous, loving,
Kind and who provided for you
Looked after you even when it
Was clear that you were not
Well, that something was
Very, very wrong going
On inside of you; and
You killed your father
Like I killed mine in
My dreams of yore
29SEP21
One Evening at the Beach
I never expected to find myself at
The beach on that warm summer
Evening on the cusp of autumn,
But somewhere out of the blue
I was overcome with the desire
To walk along the seashore
And feel the sand beneath
My feet and the icy water
Rushing between my toes;
And never in a million years
Did I think I would see Emilia
As she sat on her blanket reading
A book with the orangey sunset in
The reflection of her sunglasses;
And for a fleeting moment, life
Suddenly seemed worth living
28SEP21
Madame Wongs
It was one of a handful of dreams
That had accompanied me to
Los Angeles; to play on the
Same stage where Sting,
Stewart and Andy had
Played only but a few years
Before; I had taken our demo tape
To Chinatown a month earlier and soon
Received a message on my answering
Machine with a date and time for
Our debut at Madame Wongs;
We were third on a bill of
Other local acts and the
Experience was unlike anything
I'd ever experienced before; a dream
Come true and then the club burned down
27SEP21
Malaise
The changing seasons always
Bring a certain malaise, an
Often disquieting meld of
Symptoms and sadness
It is mostly exhausting,
The strain on my body's
Vital systems; the sneezing
And wheezing, coughing and a
Gentle but firm tug on my overall
Emotional state of mind; and
These doldrums and brazen
Decline of my health are
Reminders of the fragile
Milieu in which I exist; where
Life and death emerge to remind
Me that they are but one and the same
26SEP21
Lancashire
I would be quite content to
Live out my years in the midst
Of your rolling hills and endless
Country roads; where blue skies are
Bluer than blue and shiny white clouds
Meander unhurriedly above dreamy
Landscapes; a place where my
Needs would be few, where
I could quietly stroll along
The sunny promenade on the
Blackpool seafront eating vanilla ice
Cream from Notarianni's and biding my
Time listening to choirs of seagulls singing
Their afternoon chorales; and one hazy
Morning I'd run into Emilia walking
Her rabbit through the meadow
25SEP21
Perpetual Decay
It's why humanity is stagnant
Why we can't progress and
Why the world seems to be
Spinning out of control; it's
The cycles of decay that are
Constantly and forever null;
Reproached and rescinded
While cleaving an endless
Chasm of devastation in its
Wake; we're nothing more
Than cookie cutter people
Following in the footsteps
Of those who came before;
Lost in a perpetual decay of
Of insolence, incompetence
And an utter lack of decency
24SEP21
Dumbbells
I used to be young, once, before
The pangs of aging began to set
In, before my breathing became
Labored and my belly grew wide
I used to be fit and trim, able to
Eat to my heart's content; able to
Walk and stand and run and sit
Without being reminded of how
Vulnerable and fragile the human
Condition actually was; and how
Very aware I have become of the
Foibles of an aging mind, when I
Can't recall the name of the group
That sang the song whose lyrics I
Can still sing word for word after
Not having heard it for thirty years
23SEP21
Your Hardened Heart
I tried to look the other way
To turn the other cheek; walk
Away and be done with all the
Drama; after all, there's no sense
Trying to convince you that what
You said—what you did—were
Despicable beyond reproach;
Not an ounce of decency or
One iota of humanity was
Lost on the abominable and
Unforgivable behavior spewed
So wantonly from your hardened
Heart; but I'll take the brunt of the
Blame, live with the contriteness
And lingering anguish that all
But annihilated my will to live
22SEP21
The Delightfulness of Purity
What if I were able to convince you
That our hearts belonged together;
That somewhere, in some distant
Fantasy, truths were discovered
And our truth was love born of
The ages and times long ago in
A moment of innocent pleasures
And all the delightfulness of purity
If only your eyes could see what I
Have seen; your heart felt what
Mine has felt; and to know the
Yearning of a life long lived
And nothing compares to the
Euphoria that overcomes me when
You are near; your presence fills the
Abyss where once there was only despair
21SEP21
The Last Day of Summer
So much upheaval
And spiritual chaos
The full moon and
Last day of summer
My emotions are a
Whirlwind, swirling
And tossing end over
End like tumbleweed
Drifting through a sad
Desert town in a bad
Spaghetti western; my
Heartstrings tugged on
By the immense power
Of the supernatural; so
Many secrets to reveal
20SEP21
The Pillow at the Foot of My Bed
I keep a pillow at the foot of my bed
So when I roll over I feel the weight
Of it as my foot gently bumps into
Its soft, weighted presence and
I imagine it's your leg that has
Met mine in the warm darkness
Of the night; and through our innocent
Encounter, I'm reminded I am not alone,
That you are there beside me as I sleep;
Comforting me, keeping me safe from
Nightmares and the insanity that
Lurks in my mind; it's the point
Of contact that lets me know
All is well and peace is upon me;
A subtle reminder that I am not alone,
That you will keep me safe until morning
19SEP21
An Unfavorable Influence
I'm fairly certain you're reliving
The most hopeless, angst-ridden
Moments of your teenage years
Recreating the saga to appease
Whatever malignancy has been
Kept fertile and lean throughout
The decades; and what is most
Disturbing is that you're surely
Aware of what is happening and
Seemingly contented by the great
Unhappiness you're inflicting on
Everyone around you; pleased by
Wreaking havoc on those who so
Need you to be their rock and not
A manipulative and sinister remnant
Of days better left buried in the past
18SEP21
Perspective
I oftentimes struggle
To put things into
Perspective,
To fully
Grasp
What seems
Clear and simply
Easy to comprehend
And when my reality
Is most skewed
I look to the
Light for
Clarity,
For a deeper
Understanding of
All I don't understand
17SEP21
Guilt
They are inescapable,
These feelings of guilt;
Undesired companions
Hangers-on complicit in
My misery; ever-present,
Lingering, thoughts that
Penetrate my thoughts
Interrupting serenity
But the most painful
Part is that the guilt will
Be my everlasting legacy;
Metamorphosing into bitter
Hatred that will remain long
After I am gone; a morbid
Souvenir, a reminder of
Everything I never was
16SEP21
Convergence
I had to wonder,
And it's not the
First time I've
Wondered it
But what if
Every moment
I have lived in my
Life has brought me
To this, here and now;
Well, the easy answer
Is, of course, it has;
That is the very
Nature of life
And destiny; but
It's an answer that
Leaves me asking more
15SEP21
A Failure of Sorts
History rarely judges the insignificant;
Failures made by mediocre men often
Go unnoticed, unrecorded and mostly
Unacknowledged; history is kindest to
Those whose lackluster existence is all
But a digression of the unremembered
And what they tried but unquestionably
Failed miserably at accomplishing; but
There is one small concession in that a
Lingering afterthought remains of their
Efforts; an opaque souvenir that sits on
The mantelpiece collecting dust that is
Occasionally gazed upon by lookers-
On whose odious and wanton cruelty
Serve to only deepen the scars left by
A lifetime of disillusionment and pain
14SEP21
Guardian Angels
There is something exquisitely
Comforting believing that my
Life, right now in this very
Moment, is the best it
Will ever be; that all
The dreaming, hoping,
Wanting and longing have
Converged on this very second
In time; that I can lie in my bed
Tonight knowing that fate was
Indeed on my side, that my
Guardian angels not only
Exist, but have been the
Catalyst of the blessed and
Wondrous life I have been so
Very privileged to have experienced
13SEP21
The Burr Under My Saddle
I seem to be a repeat offender
Making the same mistakes
Over and over again
Fingers in the fire
Patterns seldom
Discarded for lessons
Learned; and yes, it does
Appear that I'm attracted to
A certain type; emotionally
Unstable, narcissists, those
Lacking self-esteem and
Even a schizophrenic;
But there hasn't been
A single person yet who
Has been a burr under my
Saddle the way you have been
12SEP21
Intruders
The straight line
The unbroken line
Breached by intruders
Strangers and infiltrators
Those who come breaking
Down the barriers of a
Safe, serene though
Vulnerable home
Outsiders who
Inject self-serving
Venom into what was
Pure and perfectly innocent
I am complicit in my having
Chosen to shut up and
Turn a blind eye on
Virtue and verity
11SEP21
Unmoved by the Distortion
Waiting the storm out
Taking shelter beneath
A canopy of tall trees;
Other than the sound
Of softly falling rain
There is a calming
Silence that brings
A seldom-noticed
Calm and silence to
What is oftentimes
Agitated and ear-
Splitting; I won't
Be sucker-punched
By the past and I
Remain unmoved
By the distortion
10SEP21
Highfalutin
Nothing is ever as it seems;
We only get bigger or smaller,
Smarter or dumber, darker or lighter;
There is an overabundance of abundance
Too much of everything and not enough of
Anything; people talk yet say nothing
Bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla;
Distracted by the ringing in
My ears but that doesn't
Mean I can't hear what you're
Thinking; and whose life is it anyway?
There is a draft coming in from under the door
But I guess there always has been and I'm only
Noticing it now that the wind has picked
Up and the skies have turned pinkish
Grey and no one can see me
09SEP21
Number One Bullshit Guy
My eight o'clock appointment called saying
He'd be five minutes late; just then the door flew
Open and in walked this huge dopey-faced cretin
Who looked like he smelled of gasoline accompanied
By a floozy blond trophy girlfriend who set her purse on
A chair and walked out while the vile excuse for a human
Being, speaking in tongues with an accent I recognized as
Romanian, insisted I trim his beard and hair despite my telling
Him I don't take walk-ins, was fully booked and my next client
Was about to walk in the door; but this real bullshit guy refused
To leave and sat down in my chair, so I trimmed his repulsive,
Sweaty beard and buzzed him while he squirmed about like
An autistic baboon; he at once stood up, took my tools and
Finished trimming his beard and mustache himself before
Handing me some tattered bills and lurching out the door
Without as much as thanking me for my time and effort
08SEP21
Fat-Back Joyce
It's been a lifelong quirk
Anointing nicknames to total
Strangers by giving these bit
Players in my B-movie life odd
Hackneyed names
Representative of some
Idiosyncrasy or peculiar
Physical characteristic
It started in my teens
With Green Man; a loco
Who roamed our neighborhood
In a green jumpsuit shouting at nothing
And Mr. Cool, confirmed bachelor who
Lived with his old mother; walked down
Washtenaw in a suit, tie and hat with a
Long dangling-ash cigarette in his mouth
07SEP21
The Invisible String
Sometimes I wonder if we’re
Connected by an invisible string;
Two souls communicating over time,
Space and visceral electrical impulses
I so often lie awake in my bed at night
Thinking of you, certain that you're
Thinking of me but never sure if
They are thoughts of animosity
And of course this all takes me
Back to thoughts of him and how
Very alike the four of us are in our
Pain, conflict, journey and resentment;
And what if, by some extraordinary
Power, the four of us were joined
Together by this invisible string;
Oh, to dream of such things
06SEP21
Mistakes
There are certain mistakes
I've made over the course
Of my life that I simply will
Not own up to as doing so
Is too painful a reminder of
Loss and longing and of the
Self-made tragedies my soul
Has had to endure; but there
Have certainly been lessons
Learned, tears shed and a few
Regrets along the way; but I
Live each day in a perpetual
State of serenity despite some
Obvious trepidation and fervid
Desires that make the journey
Feel like trudging through mud
05SEP21
What Now
What do you do
When you've done
All you set out to do
Except for the things
You knew would be
Too difficult to do?
What comes now
What's next on
The to-do list?
Where shall I go
And if I go, what
Will I do when I get
There? These are the
Conundrums I face
On a daily basis,
Oh, woes is me
04SEP21
Ode to Stupid People
Have you ever seen what you look like
With smoke billowing out of your head
Sucking in, blowing out, sucking in and
Blowing out; record it on your phone and
Play it back and give it a good long watch
Really look at it, study it, contemplate it, see
What it is you're really doing; sucking in and
Blowing out like a complete and total imbecile;
And you, the pretty girl with a fag in one hand
Pushing the buggy with a Red Bull in the other;
Or the sporty guy on the bike waiting at the
Traffic light with the smoked-down nib you
Seem to have forgotten squeezed between
Your fingers quickly smoldering down to ash;
The Chinese guy racing for the tram with a fresh
Cigarette dangling from his lip in the pouring rain
03SEP21
Obliterated
I’m resigned to the idea that I will
Probably never see you again;
Adding to the ever-growing
List of people who, for one
Reason or another, have
Chosen to walk out of my
Life; sometimes the passage
Of time becomes an overbearing
Burden; but when I realize all of
These absences are no longer
A burden but a blessing, it
Eases the load and creates
A place of healing where
Pain is obliterated with the
Memories of those who can no
Longer cause sorrow or longing
02SEP21
Mutterings
I've been trying to remember
What your voice sounded like;
Reminiscing about conversations
We had about so many trivial things
I think the timbre was somewhat low;
Soft yet incandescently calming like
A purr or the underhumming of
Thunder out in the distance
You spoke very little, though
Your smile said everything you
Wanted me to know; your eyes told
Me stories that were better kept untold
Perhaps one day I will awaken to the
Sound of your voice bidding me a
Good morning and realizing that it
Was nothing more than a dream
01SEP21
The Illusion of Reality
I try not to ponder things
Too deeply; but the more
I try, the more the illusion
Of reality becomes evident
And I fear these illusions
May be slowly taking on
A life of their own as they
Creep up on my faculties
There are days I question
Everything and there are
Others when I am simply
Too derailed to even care
But there is always a light
That shines deep inside me
A light born of love, music
And the memories of Rose