bit of me

the ant my slipper hastened
to its next life
soon enough its brother
droning on in the dewlight
will carry a bit of me
back to the queen
thousands of larva nurtured
bit of me become
one with wriggling multitudes
fueling the frenzied
white and black continuum of transformations
--soon squashed
interminable parade of slippers


salmon chanted evening

and when there were no salmon
there were still young fish trade workers
full of hormones
rich robust people who knew
they'd never be mouse people
tried fishing shark
dogfish, fish of last resort
shark and chips fish
but when there were
more frustrations than fish
some of the fishing young decided
they'd have more success
fishing for dreams
it was then they began landing
the strangest fish they'd ever seen
polka dot fish, three legged fish
fish that talked
fish talk fish talkof course
sounds like kissing and lip smacking
no one has found a translator yet
can you eat a talking fish, charming billy

can you poach a dream in a silver pan
what if you supper sang to you
let's take a tuna
down to Laguna
let's get away from it all



oranginality

every word
of every lie
you'll ever tell
sails out of the cove
of the dictionary
every word
in every plaie
in every poem
every speech
every stage direction
shakespere ever rote
between the covers
of the dictionary
every word of
every love letter
you'll never get
whistles in alphabetic order

every worm in your obituary
wriggles out from the a for apples
of the dictionary

pick write worms
putem write ordure
virtilizem nuturem weedit n weep
maybe thumbday they'll
lock you up
in the dictionary
like Shakespeare



THE BROWN SKY

it's easy to see
the brown sky is light years deep
includes many suns
the Little Dipper's in the brown sky
surely the brown sky
is big enough to cover the whole planet
but only 100 miles north
there's a whole nother sky
a blue sky
with twice as many stars


HERE:

blackberries seiners gillnetters wharf dog salmonberry kale crow cedar douglas fir alder maple blue spruce cherry plum apple peach pear quince apricot fig raspberry jerusalem artichoke potato hen raven heron bald eagle osprey borage chickweed kelp nettle oyster mussel razorback geoduck abalone starfish dentalion amonite glaucous gull harlequin duck lighthouse log strewn beach barnacle limpet cow horse deer corn juniper willow cottonwood balsam watercress mustard burdock chocolate lily tiger lily hemlock begonia rhododendron amanita muscaria morel puffball psylocibin cannabis sage echinacea ocean spray st ann's lace balm of gilead rock cod ling cod dogfish herring mackerel salmon cormorant loon forest cliff arbutus garry oak comus mink possum spagnum moss ivy crocus iris tulip rose skunk cabbage bullrushes pampas grass fiddlehead juncoe pussywillow swallow wren redwing blackbird red tailed hawk grouse towhee dragonfly ferry dock pub coop firehall dental bus medical clinic school library grassy point phipps point spray point dunlop point fossil beach galleon beach sandpiper beach shingle spit bula creek strachan valley little tribune whaling station beans brocoli leek shallot garlick onion mount geoffrey georgia strait lambert channel japanese current crown land sheep recycling depot driftwood shack campsite trailer denman island west lasqueti south texada east quadra north fisher logger painter sculptor carver carpenter gardener farmer deejay potter baker candler jeweler electrician gravedigger highways yard graveyard plumber welder mechanick backhoe rototiller fencepost style canada geese sea lion seal sand shark orca beaver artesian well cistern sulfur water shake roof sod roof stack wood walls thatch roof tin roof straw bale studio cob gallery greenhouse outhouse woodstove propane stove septic tank dogwood sea anemone grape tomato potato compost ant hill pileated woodpecker kingfisher fruit bat barn owl horned owl tree frog rhubarb millionaire counselor single mom tourist grandchildren lawyers doctors judges amazons astrologers bhai buddhist catholic est greek orthodox jew lutheran mennonite muslim orange people prespyterian rasta russian orthodox sikkh unitarian yoga downs point ford cove geodesic dome chicken coop pigpen filberts walnut stuccoer hatchet insulator first responder medical clinic acupuncturist saw mill operator firebreather clarinetist guitarist folk singer jazz singer sailor treeplanter(silvaculturist) treehouse chainsaw environmentalist bagelmaker nurse woodstove conservationist broome lupine freesia wood ears climatus pensioner preschool realtor fault line sting ray jellyfish spaghetti squash zuccini pumpkin acorn squash basil projectionist massage therapist nude beach boatramp vole muskrat fieldmice termite peppermint thyme trail bikepath postoffice turkey vulture gravel pit 4pointer cowichan toque felt bonnet piano player snooker player market player harmonica player accordion player fiddler violinist haida weaving midland weaving quilting wooden lawn chair plastic stacking chair aluminum folding chair slug prawn scallop yew poplar indian princess metis matriarch sundancer bike racer pony club rain rain rain chanterelle shaggy main salal thimbleberry christmasberry cactus holly honeysuckle green hair harmonizer organizer scrubber scrutineer termite carpenter ant spiders leatherjackets wasps honeybees japanese? beetles pine beetles scarabs salamanders newts



skiprope logic (for gino couer de Lion)

martians are beautiful , voluptuous, seductive
Marilyn Monroe was a martian
she turned on the red light at
every intersection in Saskatchewan
and every foyer on Knob Hill
could smell her coming from Vista del Mar
everyone whose name begins with the first three letters of Mars,
it's their recognition code, like Mac for Scots, Mary even,
the mother of god was a martian, every Martin you know
's a martian, all of the Maryknoll priests are martians,
Mark whatshis name who killed John Lennon
was a martian friend of George Bush,
Bob Marley , a rastamartian,
Peter Pan played by a red planet actress, Mary Martian,
Martha Stewart is not living on marzipan
the state of Maryland, next to Clinton's capitol,
is an interplanetary landing/launch platform of Mars,
a marshmallow roast is the martian sacrament,
years ago at the oscars everybody knew Marlon Brando was a martian,
marinating aids the martian digestion of Mary Tyler Moore,
a martini is a martian transfusion martinis are preshaken on Mars,
when people say marvelous simply MAHvulis
they usually are talking about MAHtians
like Marilyn Monroe who never wore underwear
and slept with other martians like Artie Miller and Groucho Marx
and like Marky Mark who wore underwear only
Marvy Marky part of the same martian family as
the Marquis de Sade and Don Marquis
the red planet's their home by yiminy
Marnie left the teethmarks of a Martian in my shoulder
'd emptied my watergun in her face
lost his marbles, claims to come from Marpole
an imposter from Marseille overdosed on marmelade,
Lee Marvin, Martin Buber, Dean Martin and Martina
Navritalova all spell their real names in the same
martian alphabet Karl Marx translated his indecipherable
marsterpieces from. Marshall Dillon and all of the married,
the marines and the marijuana smokers tied up at the marina
drinking margaritas once frequented the bars on mars
like Marcels Proust and Duchamp reading cette bicyclette in the gaslight
and all the martyrs, St Valentine, St. Thomas, Norma
Jeanne d'arc, Giordano Bruno, Albert Anastasia,
my favourite martians, crucified, burnt at the steak sauce


Strictly From Hunger

the ghost ate vomit
needed to eat your vomit
didn't want you to die
just wanted to sicken you
make you eat too much
tied a string around your food
the pink ghost
waited for your gastric juices
to begin to work
then reeled it back
up your esophagus
the well waxed string
pulling the vomit fish
into the ghost boat
the boat beneath your head
the pink boat
half submerged
in your corpus colusum
the pink what
devouring your pituitary gland
before the ghost can take nourishment
and continue your
angry creation.



tradition

icelanders
greenlanders
finlanders
danes
whaled traditionally
mexicans
australians
hawaians
japanese
samoans
new englanders
inuit
even gulf islanders whaled traditionally

i guess it must be everybody's right
to kill a whale
and i would support your right
to kill a whale
as long as you did it
with your bare hands
made it a fair fight



an unkiss?

just a kiss in reverse

sometimes
she’s getting your goat
she’s getting on your nerves
you catch her hand
in your brotherÕs zipper
you think of all those
beautiful kisses
you shared,
the height of creativity
in your lips
you want them back
they shouldn’t be wasted
on an ingrate
they were your best
and you want to give them
to the real love that’s coming

that’s when you call

THE UNKISSER

i’ll get them back for you
every last one of them




smother nature

remember the trees?
it was a criminal world the world of trees,
my crime was burning(for heat),
others merely read newspapers,
dime, clayboy, vague, peephole, mcleanto,
my other crime was writing
on ground up and dried thin sliced trees
and having the ambition that this writing
be distributed to millions of eyeballs
thus printed on forests and translated
into other far off more vulnerable forests,
some built dwellings from trees
that were heated by burning trees
to keep you warm while you wrote for the millions



Leah Stone(1960-1999)
She Shone

i wish i had stocked up
on leah. i need her.
gloomy days last winter
got brighter if there was any
chance of seeing her smile.
leah lived her life
as if she were the star
of a fred astaire movie
a thrill to partner or view
on the dance floor,
a wildcat, she WAS carmen
rustling her crinolines
in moonlit denman piazza,
had she a little silver bucket
she could have collected
twelve hearts an hour
on the dance floor
her way deep eyes radiated
it's a wonder we didn't
burst into flame
as her gaze fell upon us.
@ 10 cents a dance
she would have died
an exhausted millionaire
panache* could have been
her middle name.
she felt the misery of others
very strongly, never hesitated
when she saw she could help.
she was like a pied piper
like a good witch, all ages
responded powerfully to leah
many saw how vulnerable
leah's compassion made her
and wanted to mother her
but leah was like smoke
slipped thru everybody's grasp,
mothered them in return,
clung to her freedom,
her mobility, her right to whim,
to self ownership.
she could get really hungry.
she liked rice, she liked shrimp,
she liked spinach,
she liked mushrooms,
she liked baking, making pie crusts
w/o recipes,
she stoked the woodstove with gusto.

*(dashing elegance of manner, carefree, spirited self confidence or style, flamgirlance)


st. Ink

maria spelterini walked
blindfolded
fruit baskets on feet
wire strung across niagra falls
and would again
to meet bp in canada and yodel
for kd lang

maria spelterini walked blindfolded
barefoot in snow training
to meet bp at greasy spoons
in tacky tourist knickknack joints
on frozen arboretum trails
in aviaries and apiaries

bp and kd yodeling on cbc
st Ereo reading eeeerie poems
frostbit fort erie audio modulation
maria spelterini ermine trimmed
mini and doeskin toque
fruit baskets like wooden landing craft
her unslippers

unwavering above



dropping current
maid of mist below

o vendor saints go martian in
o vendor saints go martian in

maria spelterini steady in wind
gliding taut cable carrying bp
dead send kisses in swarms like mumblebees
wind in face
bp big as muddy poetry

mazel tov muscle tongue ululates
every noun a kiss

bps carry bp and maria kisses now
ova fibre optic niagra
st. Art knows stick drip slick of mud
brings kiss nanoseconds deeper
st. And and st. Ammers innocently
listen on tombbox

st. All and st. Ripped
deacon st. Ruction and
maria spelterini clambered peace
bridge cables wit bp piggyback
in starless dark
poem after poem learnt and burnt 43

rered dread rereed deed
demon read smelled spilled
spelled smaller big bp spread
generous spirit fundamentally

even welcomt mis-taken attempts
mr kindness knew results
nova ice & no nicer
b4 bp st. Olen in operay
tion o woe o woe
om on lips now

& zen zipn U2me
tree size of c
PLANET OF THE APES

a lovely day for a bombing//
alders budding/
maples in full bloom/
plum blossoms both sides of road//
like driving threw a cloud of cotton candy//
a lovely day for a bombing//
chilly in sunset/
tide in/
cows on way in/
baaass voiced ewe with devonshire accent/
reminds me to laaawck the ggggaayte//
snow on mountains gleaming/
silver streaks gleaming/
a lovely day for a bombing//
eagle rising beakful /last minute mackerel /
pileated hammers/ ignoring you /one metre off//
holy shit, they bombed the church's outhouse///
they bombed those toy soldiers by the model train tracks//
they meant to bomb the bridge but they bombed the train instead/
65 dead//
jet came back/
take out target not tractor /alas
your dog was yanking on the intestine of a corpse//
when the tractor fell to pieces beside it/
your xdog//
the gates were down /
the autos had to wait their turn to be bombed//
the lights were flashing/
the ambulance was on the way/
they just needed to find a spare tire//
they needed a new carburetor//
siren worked an hour before battery wore out//
don't worry plenty of time to die/ before that ambulance gets rolling//
read your email, cash out your stock, bet it all in a cybercraps game.//
the link to the cyberblood bank keeps returning 404 //
sorry cyberredhead don't menstruate hear anymore /
or she's busy try later//
they don't have your rare blood group.coma at the corner store//
even if they weren't bombed and splashed all over the piazza//
didn't you always hope to be bombed in this kind of sunset //
the only hope for humanity is more sex and less ideas///
unless feathery giant alien predators/
bless their everloving creation//
drive us back to the cave///
back to the lab/ yo!dirtyratz



stuck his neck out
(for joe and charlie)

i love this photo of ed dorn
a ghost before he died
his neck so thin
his tie seemed
just
his neck

continuing outside his shirt
as if he were neck
clear to his belly button

what i mean is thousands
should have filled the streets
the day of his funeral
if we were truly greeks
real democrats
smashing limousine windows
in his honour, banks in flames
he should have been taken by train back to idaho
by way of gloucester
and kent state and lawrence
and san francisco
and the skagit valley

ed dorn is the poet
chaplin always hoped to be
the poet john adams cried out for
the poet with the six foot ear

the last time i saw ed
over salmon and corn
in bob and mary's backyard
ed caught me assuming
all the world knew and thought highly of
Charles Olson and William Carlos Williams
"billy," he said, "who even heard of these people?'



smaller


i am smaller than you
and you've been smaller too
smaller than a mountain
smaller than a tree
smaller than you
smaller than me

smaller than a puddle
smaller than the sea
smaller than a poodle
smaller than a bumblebee
no matter how you try
you'll never be smaller than me

smaller than a mosquito
smaller than a flea
smaller than an acorn
smaller than a live oak tree
smaller than a fish
smaller than a pet

smaller than a kiss
smaller than a sweat
smaller than a whim
smaller than a fret
smaller than you
i'm the smallest one yet

smaller than a drink
smaller than a swim
smaller than you think
smaller than bright pink
i'm as small as they come
a good deal smaller than some

smaller than a cell
smaller than a peek
smaller than a drip
smaller than a leak
smaller than an oyster
in a seagull's beak

smaller than a bubble
in a spakling wine
smaller than the stubble
of a baldie valentine
i'm so small
smaller than a telephone call

smaller than the pain
in a hummingbird's brain
splashed by a drop of rain
smaller than a stain
smaller than a suitcase
on an electric train

smaller than the short
smaller than the long
smaller than the poem
smaller than the song

smaller than a beatle
smaller than a stone
smaller than The Edge
smaller than Stallone

smaller than a penny
smaller than a scent
smaller than a peso
smaller than the rent.