Black Tooth Blues

as the music drips

like a frothy honey

from my ancient speakers

with an Esquivel orchestrated group

of violinists and percussionists

you can find me

pulling on my black teeth

with nimble fingers

and a lions persistence

agony…

I hold you with great tenderness

and you

in return

never leave me

alone

no matter the suns direction

or the moons cheesy

coldness

you

…my sweet pain

are addicted to me

as I was once to cold beer

and cigarettes

and today

all I need is

the warmth of liquid

oral anesthetic

and a cotton ball

to shove inside my

blinded mouth

which has long ago

risen the white flag

but

so far

this music that I play

has risen like an

Jesus miracle

and looking down I notice

that I have as well

(…good tunes

can do that to a man)

so I undo what I earlier did

and I pull it on out

to find it

growing like a liars fabrication

and smiling

I bring a tear to its eye

and so

spent and finished

I spit out

one more black and rotted tooth

(nightmarish)

into a teacup

I leave next to my empty ashtray

for such purposes

and the music

rests

and puts up its feet

after bringing us all in to a gigantic climax

pain..yes

without a doubt

but it’s a livable misery

and alone

I take it

on the chin

and move on to the next

solitary record album

which will greet the needle

with a smile

as I too

am grinning

and bearing it all

again

for another day

Within The Ropes

puffy and aged

caramel running through

my veins

with sugar boat feet

tender with

every step

across this

blanketed floor

why smile

when the hatred

is strong?

 I cut across

the wrist with a

copper red razor

and the salt line

that pumps

everything brown

into my resin heart

lets loose

a yeast infection

in my dying ears

with no intention

to fight off the vices

that let the

pain just

roll  in

like sick blood waves

splattered across

the pubic brine

and who among us

will get in the ring

to stomp me

out of a 40 year old funk?

this squeezing ennui

that causes heart attacks

in most victims

   but not me

 as the sitar plays

in decadence

of the lotus position

 the smoking lust of

pure thighs

all tied up

and ready for

a bareback collapse

this evening

with milky riots

shining like

a million gold coins

in the diseased

water fountain

from which the

dogs of war

drink from

lapping up every last drop

so

find me here

open your strawberry eyes

and take a gander

at the misfortune

that surrounds me

like a bad habit

aura

like nicotine fingers

in your army green panties

feeling my way around

the Braille clitoris

rubbing for the moan

the sound of you

coming closer to

the finish line

while

the band ends its march

across your bedroom floor

and the tuba player

puts his hands up

in the stale air

as the trumpeter

pulls the trigger

and to the surprise

of everyone

it is

I

who

lands on the floor

with a bloody

thump

signaling

the end

of this once

proud family man

and the ropes are

torn off the ring

and the bell

chimes loud

echoing in the

frosted December

air