.. .the spell of the mountain

on the mark of everafter,
close by the side
of a long cold universe,
submerged from sight
of prying eyes
beyond the call of meaning
and into a clean and clear call of meaning;
void of thought,
where nothing is the total
and everything is the answer,
which is evident
but not desired,
which is necessary
but not understood,
which is sacred
but not feared,
there is a place,
a haven,
a refuge,
a euphoric handmade
and pleasing domicile,
a retreat into Nirvana,
a heady escape
for a heavy mind,
a shedding of a restrictive skin
which from within
may outward crawl
a new and subdued entity . . .

On meditation 1976
Little Missouiri River, Arkansas

Bruno

A rogue of the old west. 1955

Acid Meltdown 1981

Pink and purple, maple syrupal, sunsets tame the days,
Red and yella take a fella, to beautiful bouquets, 1981

Fleurs

February 1976 My version done in pastel chalk
of a painting in oil done by joniaux

The silent parade

. . .whirling mist blown cold
from the lips of night,
icy tears,
from the eyes of evening,
sobs heard moaning
at early, early morning;
who sees the silent torn parade
of lovers lost from
one another,
if all their tears
of loneliness were gathered,
they would form an ocean
far across the earth. . .

1973

Red snapper and green parrot

All in a jumble 2009

Night/night

cold blue night
beneath a fluttering moon
i never saw it coming. . .
dusky night
'neath vap'rous clouds
as pale as your farewell. . .
crumbled clouds
heaped in the sky
piled on the horizon. . .
crumbled plans
crushed so soon
no way i could foretell. . .
now musty rain
pummels patterns
on the street. . .
rainy morning
gray and cold
puddles in my mind. . .
rolling days
raging nights
everything is gone. . .
i lost my way
while looking
for a thing i'd never find

March 1981

Stripers

Cross-hatched cats 1990

Contrapuntology

The study of :
point and counterpoint

action and reaction

swinging and hitting

giving and taking

wisdom and knowledge

health and wealth

love and desire

meditation and sleep

living and being

1995

Nude in the Texas sun

Texas sun 1998

Our future

OUR
FUTURE
IS NOWHERE
. . .
OUR
FUTURE
IS NOW HERE

from COMING IN BELOW RADAR

1999

Pisceserotically linked . . .

MAUVEFISH 2003

Dragonwyx

The harmless Dragonwyx it seems,
is only seen inside your dreams. . . . 2009

The Road of Days

the road of days
on which we tread
is not the same for all

some shove their way
take all they can
and think they can not fall

they steal respect
and simple trust
by smiling open-faced

the lives they wreck
are sometimes lost
not dead but sad misplaced

they ask that we
forgive those deeds
their onus is a stain

then later on
they beg and cry
with promises profane

May 1999

A la coiffeuse

2009

Wildhood

down below the hotline
you can trace your trouble down
down below charisma
on the other side of town

to the depth of understanding
it takes a twist of time
into a passive purpose
or maybe widespread crime

people staring as you pass
with their undiluted eyes
wishing they were somewhere
under unabusive skies

it never will be simple
to find sweet reverie
candor is a burden
when you are a refugee

1995

That reminded me of Texas . . .

i saw a woman yesterday
who stared but did not speak
just the way that you were
that day at Barton Creek

and that reminded me of Texas
and that reminded me of you

there's a place out in the country
with a lone star on the wall
when the waitress brings my chili
she says "and how y'all"

and that reminded of Texas
and that reminded me of you

just north of here there is a ranch
where Texas longhorns browse
white and mottled black and brown
with calves and mother cows

and that reminded me of Texas
and that reminded me of you

i saw three vatos walking
like they do, in single file
trudging to the workplace
plodding mile by mile

and that reminded me of Texas
and that reminded me of you

last night i heard the whistle
of lonely westbound train
that sounded like the hoot owl
that we would hear before a rain

and that reminded me of Texas
and that reminded me of you

2004

Nightmare dogs

All
we
see
or
seem,
is but
a
dream
within
a
dream.

Edgar
Allan
Poe

The moon casts pale and eerie beams,
and dogs howl at them in their dreams. 2009

Moving on

i saw her on the street today
walking her pet rat
i wondered who she thought she was
in her Chinese hat
she didn't see me standing there
waiting for a ride
i guess she thought she'd never lose
her beauty and her pride. . .

she knew she had to get away
she couldn't settle down
she feared she'd lost the last train out
she never liked this town
always in a mental fugue
and never looking back
she liked to be the first in line
never giving any slack. . .

i rode the roller coaster
to the bottom of the sea
and all the other denizens
smiled and grinned at me
i waited for the last bus out
then headed for the hills
but sometimes when i think of her
i get those old cold chills. . .

1994

Alien

I am
from
far
away
and
know
much. . .

2009

Kevin Blue

It
finally'
got to
where
all
Kevin
would
do is sit
and
drink
and
stare
at the
bottles
and
glasses.

2009