Another Favorite Poet

A few weeks ago I mentioned Gabriel Gadfly... I'm kind of in love with his some of his poetry. He makes me want to write poems. And when I read poems like that, they inevitably end up here. Enjoy the geek out. Let them speak to you.

Hangman
At the end
of a game of Hangman
the amputated victim
sways
left to right
from his paper
noose.
Repeat after me:
sticks and stones
may break my bones
but words will
never hurt me.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Shooting Star
The first thing you must do
after the disaster passes is
check the integrity of your suit.
Count the seconds:
loss of consciousness in fifteen,
expiration in ninety-five,
but they say you can feel
the saliva on your tongue boil
and there is no burning, yet.

There is only
the quiet womb-dark of endless space,
and the bright eye of the sun
peering around Earth's breast
at you.

Listen to the faint crackle
of your ear-piece, somehow
still functioning, and the voice
of your man in Houston, saying,
Commander, can you hear me?
Say yes. Ask for your wife.
Ask for your daughter.
She's on her way, sir.
A calm voice cuts in:
Re-entry in three minutes, twenty seconds.
Listen to your breath and don't move.
Your Mother is pulling you into her arms.

Your man in Houston says,
Sir, we have your wife on the line.
Kelsey is here, too.

Listen to your wife; she says,
I love you. Say I love you,
and realize this time you mean it.
Listen to your tiny bright-eyed girl.
Don't choke. Don't choke.
I love you, Daddy, I'm scared.
Tell her not to be scared.
Tell her you're not scared.
Tell her something so
she doesn't hear the
caged screaming of your
heart in your chest.
Say Daddy loves you.
Daddy loves you.
Be a brave girl for Mommy.

Your man in Houston says,
Commander, I'm sorry about this.
Is there anything I can do you for?
Open your eyes and stare
in wonder at the bright world
beckoning you down and ask yourself
Why did I ever try to escape this?
Your man in Houston says,
Commander? Can you hear me?
Don't reply.
There are no more words.

Listen to the calm technician counting:
Re-entry in sixty seconds.
Fifty-nine. Fifty-eight.
Fifty-seven.

There isn't time enough for fear.
Close your eyes. Smile.

Somewhere near Toronto,
a small boy makes a wish
on a shooting star.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Heartbeats
I’d buy your smile
For a dollar.
And no, that’s not much,
But it’s one hundred copper
Heartbeats
That you and I will share
Between now –
The moment we meet
And then –
Your final breath or mine.
And like the coins they represent
Those heartbeat moments will
Shine or not
Will gleam or not
But lusterless or brilliant,
They are ours.
And when they are gone,
I’ll ask your two cents worth
On silly things.
Just to share another pair of heartbeats
With you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(This is just one of the funniest things I've read in a while.)
Love in the Robopocalypse
If you and I were transported
to a land where robot overlords
enslaved the human race,
I wouldn't worry;
all we'd have to do is run,
ducking in and out of
crumbled shopping malls
and parking decks full of
abandoned cars, together,
uninhibited, free.
So what if they have buzz-saws
and optical laser beams?
If we get caught, just kiss me:
your every kiss is
an electromagnetic pulse,
a white-blue crackling shockwave
and our kisses will overload
every tiny circuit in their
cold positronic hearts;
they'll fall like broken toys
under the smell of burnt ozone
and fresh love blooming.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Water
The funny thing is
What gives us life
Kills us if we
Try to breathe its essence.
Fish are the only ones
That don’t suffer
This unrequited love affair.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Birdcage
You are a little like a brass birdcage:
a cherry-red cardinal inhabits you,
but even if your door were left open,
it would not spread its wings, it would not
sing, it would only linger on its perch,
plumed head tucked, waiting for the
night's veil to cover you and bury
it within shadow's silent smother.

If only the birdcage were not there;
if only.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ah, poetry. The words on the tips of all our tongues that we just can't get out. :)

Much love.

<3

P.S. THE AVETT BROTHERS ARE COMING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'll start posting about that if I find out that I actually get to go. Cross your fingers for me!

P.S.S. Stefano went through on American Idol. Because I'm sure you were wondering.

P.S.S.S. The back pain returneth. Prayers much appreciated.