may

forgive the punctuation

i have not been well for some time

been common, been familiar

sacrificed day walks for the pretentious stare

like some prostituted transaction 

between the universe and i

then found myself alone in front of a bad screenplay

wondering why the world 

accepts crap for art

(i've seen cowpiles delivered with more panache)

where has my old friend gone?

he dared to sacrifice the aesthetics of his poetry's form

by jutting the edges with the unconventional.

i miss his bravery so dearly.

perhaps soon i will see him again

in the midst of a melody

i feel myself lingering on

forgive the crassness, the cynicism

like i said, 

i have not been well for some time

as my old friend use to say

there is more poetry in the petal of a daisy

than in all of the minds in this one horse town

i can't believe i hung up on him

in the middle of his accusation

and forgot to pray

but in the morning as i shave for church

i'll sense his presence

and i'll hear the song we wrote together

my quandary exists in its perception you see

for as i say that i am not well

it speaks of a mirror that refuses to reflect

any light but mine

and it blocks out my old friends

those who taught me how to see and feel,

they taught me how to paint,

how play the piano,

how to properly punctuate my ideas

i suppose my maturity was a symptom

that i mistook for the disease

because it wasn't maturity at all

but rather a mistaken case of misinterpretation

it was only me refusing the obvious

and intoxicating my pride

yes old friend, i remember now

the daisy became a lei

its poetry found the neck of beauty

around a filipino dancer

and i forgot

i am changing the direction of my light again

i have not been well

but i have been worse

and tomorrow morning i will open a bible

and remember why i wrote you

why i fell in love with her

and i will pray for us all

Reviews

[Sami Khalil]

You punctuate your ideas marvelously, you direct the light of friendship amazingly and you perceive the reflections ingratiatingly. Excellent...:)...................