OBSERVE

OBSERVE

watch this poem
change on you

transform
before your very eyes

splitting
     of pathways, sliding
doors

two
    complete readings
whole new universes
brought into
being

in one
it goes Schrodinger
and the poor little cat
goes completely
zombie
    uncertain whether
when box
is open
it
   lives or
dies; is dead
          or alive

in another
it goes Oppenheimer
heads out
       to New Mexico
wipes

out
half
       of Japan

saw the film; he’s the man

and here you are
in state of
                 superposition

I have
never been super anything

neither
          in faith, nor reason

watch this poem watch
us both observe

SPACE

SPACE

what is different
         about this space?

its peaks, its valleys

white
    noise, grey silence

the windows and doors
with their secret codes

(beg me, beg me
     I may well tell you)

now you have read everything
every smidgen of text
visible or in-
visible

tell me what you have come
to comprehend

so far we
      are from the grand muftis
and great principalities

together in collusion
syllable by syllable chipping away  at
    their stark foundations

sliding door moment for
those believing in change

contriving a space here
where we might

stockpile empathy
dole out kindness
              dish to whom-
soever
is in dire need

shelter is needed
shelter is necessary
              
             the song could
not be

clearer on this

come! Let me sing it for you,

     then
              (change in
tone

different key, switch in
                         pitch

and so let us
now adopt the pose
of silence

contemplate the world
(if any) beyond
this poem

this poem’s afterlife

so to speak
so to spreak

having this very moment
spoken space into existence.

SLIP

SLIP

sorry

I was writing this poem

and my pen
slipped

the text
spilled

       all over
the place

ruining our
time together

wrecking our date

feel I need
to underline, bold font,
how
   regretful it all
is

how embarrassed I feel

took out my
      pen to write these words

construct
     an apology

and the damn pen as
pens do
       went all Derrida on me

NOT THAT I AM SAYING

NOT THAT I AM SAYING

my poem
is behind this wall

covered in fog, behind
a veil,
 
written
in an impenetrable code

guarded and gatekept
against each
and every
accusation
        of inhumanity

readers who are likely to
misread, misunderstand, come
to a wrong conclusion

must take care to
check the red sniper dot
bouncing around their head

not that I am saying
or would want you to infer
that I have scoped you
out
   from pride
of place and indeed have
you diabolically targeted

SCRABBLE DABBLE

SCRABBLE DABBLE

my brain
is a scrabble set

juggle roles, identities
am after a triple word score

tire
tier
year of the tiger
hit something
good on that
abacus and so

masc and fem mars
and venussing together
dance
of conjunction
in alignment

about to go full
elastic band

slingshot projection

time gravity bending me
to their will
true trajectory
whispering your name

LISTENING

LISTENING

am listening
waiting to hear
what you

have
to say

all ears
but do not ask me
to press this numbered
button or
the other

as if a golden time
will suddenly dawn
wealth
    will be released

if largesse came my way
would not know
what
   to do with it

ditto
kindness

outside  spray of flowers
drooing from a tree
steal all
   my attention with
their cerise intensity

such that
       words get re-defined
beauty in my
linguistic ineptitude
poetic
    incompleteness

press one for
whole picture

           two for duality
if you happen to agree or
strongly, poisonously
                             would adopt
a position
   entirely contrary

as contradictory as any
reader might be