Thursday, January 17, 2019
Le Regard Du Roi
i sit beside a river contemplating the eastern region
a young girl approaches and offers a bowl of saffron rice
i eat the rice then hurl the empty bowl into the river
it floats upstream . the sign my triumph is at hand
i stand and begin to walk towards the far horizon
at dusk the ten thousand worlds are illuminated with
garlands celestial harmonies and shouts of acclaim
for i am on my way to the great tree of knowledge
the bodhi
Friday, January 02, 2015
TWICE COOKED CAT
i parked between a yellow ford mustang and a powder blue vw
my familys apartment was directly across from the high school
i was a senior . i walked to the front door and was about to
put in the key when my neighbor opened her door . i turned
she was wearing a kind of red frilly thing . the sort of costume
playboy bunnies wore . shiny red with black around the edges
and her boobies were half out . she was thirty nine and i was
only seventeen
she smiled and said " hey i need your help . my teevee needs
to be moved . come on inside " i remember standing there
staring at her boobies . " what are you looking at ? " she said
" come on in they wont bite you ! "
i walked in . the drapes were closed and it smelled like bacon
had been fried . she closed the door and said " so what were
you looking at ? i know a big boy like you has seen a tit or two "
i wanted to say something but felt too shy . " whats wrong the
cats got the big boys tongue ? poor baby ! come on now
the teevee is back here "
we went down the hallway to a bedroom . her bedroom
" theres the teevee . i want it in the boys room . theirs is broken
willy and petey got into a fight and a glass of soda was knocked
over it . burned the damn thing right out and without a teevee
those boys are going to drive me right crazy "
i looked around the room . she had a huge bed . a pile of clothes
was on top of it and more were on the floor . on the wall
opposite the teevee was a painting of a black panther . a man
and woman are riding it . the painting is in red and black velvet
above a dresser crowded with nail polish perfume and stuff is a
poster of huey newton sitting in a wicked chair . she told me to
have a seat on the bed then walks to a door in the bedroom and
opens it . its a bathroom . " relax a moment i ' ll be right out "
she went in and closed the door . i heard water begin to run
on a bed pillow theres a magazine about cooking . i picked
it up and flicked through the pages . in the center theres a
picture of her . she is standing beside a kitchen table thats
overrun with cats . theres a title " cat . the other white meat "
on the next page theres a recipe
cat soup
2/3 cup olive oil 4 medium onions
6 large tomatoes 3 pounds lean cat meat
and another
cats with rice
4-1/2 quarts cat broth 8 cat legs and thighs
2 cups rinsed white rice
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
and one more
twice cooked cat
5 quarts water 2 pounds of cat meat
3 white onions 4 split heads of garlic
i turned back to the page with her and the table full of cats
and said to myself " so many cats and so few recipes "
just then the bathroom door opened . she came out wearing
only a towel around her waist and a smile
Tuesday, March 04, 2014
THE SATANIC VERSES
he manifested himself as man and called out to woman
" eve . i am adam . take my hand . i was made for you "
unafraid and unashamed she reached out and they walked
through the garden while silently enjoying its beauty
arriving at a place of enchantment they sat on a carpet of leaves and grass
adam said " eve come with me to my kingdom and we live together . forever "
he then described the smell of sulfur . the sight of brimstone
and the eternal heat of the burning hell fire
eve gasped and looked deeply into adam`s eyes
searching for guidance . for direction . for an answer
adam smiled . pulled eve close . then slowly ran his fingers through her hair
eve closed her eyes and whispered " heavenly father . please do not forsake me
for i am about to sin "
Sunday, March 02, 2014
THE DIAMOND SUTRA
i was born on third base and was fed from a golden bowl with a silver spoon
as a young schoolboy i was quite fond of reading
one day i opened a history book and there was a picture of the budha
the caption said " the light of asia "
immediately i knew my goal in life was to become the world redeemer
but despite years and decades of preparation
mankind failed to recognize me as the one . the true . the only
humiliated i swore to become a cruel and evil tyrant
a dictator whose demonic shadow darkens the earth
dear reader there is a saying . an old sadly neglected saying
" be very careful of what you wish for . because you just might get it "
Friday, February 28, 2014
JESUS SAVES
after wasted days and and wasted nights i forced myself out
the house
and onto the 710 rapid bus . crenshaw blvd . northbound to hollywood
sometime after passing vernon avenue i fell asleep . when
the bus
turned left at wilshire i
woke up . a woman was seated next to me
an open bible was on her lap . noticing I was awake she
cheerfully said
“ good morning sir ! do you know jesus christ is our lord
and savior ? “
I sighed . looked at her for a moment and said “ my father
died recently
though there were tremendous difficulties he stayed with my
mother until
the end . over fifty years . he was like atlas with the
world on his back and
never shrugging . not even once . I did not appreciate him
when he was here
and now it is too late “ . a tear rolled down my right cheek
. I looked out the window
the bus turned at rossmore and stopped for passengers at
melrose avenue
when the driver announced santa monica blvd the woman said “
this is my stop “
i turned towards her and smiled . she handed me a pamphlet
and gently said
“ have a nice day “ then exited the bus . i glanced at the
pamphlet . “ JESUS SAVES “
was printed in large letters on the cover . i was going to
drop it onto the floor
but before doing so I opened it . on the right page written
in red ink diagonally across
the story about jesus christ was her name . her number . and
the words “ call me “
Sunday, February 16, 2014
A HAPPY SMILEY ASIAN COUNTRY
i woke up
this morning with dawns early light
still
suffering from jet lag after one month in
a happy smiley asian country
i decided to
go for a walk and find something to eat
just the
thing I love to do when I am in
a happy smiley asian country
but there
were no sellers of congee or soto ayam or pho
not at all
like the early morning hours in
a happy smiley asian country
the few
people I past look stern and eye me suspiciously
no cheerful
sabai di or chao ong or pagi pagi like in
a happy smiley asian country
a police car
pulls up and I am asked where I am going
i explain I
am just enjoying the dawn like I would in
a happy smiley asian country
the officer
looks me up and down then says
sir you are
free to go but remember this you are not in
a happy smiley asian country
often I
wonder with all our material comfort
why cannot we
be a bit more like
a happy smiley asian country
Friday, January 31, 2014
A FAR AWAY COUNTRY
the uzbeki hotel owner recommended the club on samarakhan prospect
he insisted the girls were younger and blonder and were from moldovia
but the cab driver from Azerbaijan suggested a place in the old quarter
my satisfaction he guaranteed . when I paid my fare he gave me a business card
and said give it to the madam . she will call him when i am prepared to leave
i thanked him exited the cab and crossed cracked cobble stone pavement before
entering a narrow green doorway which led to a small yellow and green room
a bird in large wicker cage squawked . a plump middle aged woman came into
the room from behind a beaded curtain . unsmilingly she looked me over and
said “ what is your country ? “ . I replied “ america . california “ . surprised she said
“ california ? a big country ! a far away country ! welcome ! please you must come ! “
i followed her through a dark hallway and into a brightly carpeted and furnished room
gesturing to a lavender sofa she said “ sit “ then clapped her hands twice . a young girl
walked in carrying a silver tray and sat it on a gleaming wooden table in front of the sofa
quietly she filled two small glasses with a golden liquid and lit several candles placed
around the room . looking satisfied the madam left the room closely followed by the girl
moments later a woman appeared . an orange embroidered veil hid her face
a record began to play . the lyrics languorous . the melody hypnotic
“ what ever lola wants . lola gets . and little man little lola wants you “
i sat astonished and transfixed . from the womans waist to her ankles were translucent
layers of brightly colored cloth . she danced around the room with a gentle rhythmic gyration
and effortlessly undulated her exposed midrift . a jewel in her navel flashed in the candle light
the woman seductively entwined and unentwined her arms as the singing continued
“ these arms were meant to hold you . my charms were meant to enfold you “
then moving about the room in a counter clockwise direction she blew out each
and every candle and silently sat beside me as the music softly came to an end
“ you are no exception to the rule . I am irresistible you fool . give in . give in . give in “
Sunday, December 15, 2013
THE GIRL WHO WAS
once there was the boy . and the girl who lived down the
street . the boy liked the girl . the boy thought of her
often . sometimes the boy saw the girl walking home from
school . the boy always wanted to speak but was too shy
a couple months later . on a saturday . the boy walks his
bike from the garage to the sidewalk . as he readies to go
riding he notices a very large yellow truck in front of the
girls house . two men dressed in grey overalls carry a sofa
from the house to the truck . next the girls father pushes
to the truck a dolly loaded with three big card board boxes
the boy looks for a few minutes then returns the bike to
his home and comes back with a bag of fritos and a can
of orange soda . he sits on the lawn and watches the men
and the girls father take furniture and boxes to the truck
after a period of time the truck is filled . the men in
grey overalls get in it and drive up the street . as the
truck rumbles by the boy reads the hand written sign on its
door " john holmes and son " a telephone number is below
the boy stands and stretches . he sees the girls father
cross the street to his car . a blue oldsmobile station
wagon . next comes the girl and her mother who is carrying
a red cage with two small green parrots inside
the mother puts the bird cage in the back of the wagon
she and the girl get in the olds . the father starts it
pulls away from the curb . goes to the corner . makes a
u turn and slowly drives up the street . he stops in
front of their old house for a moment then continues on
as the station wagon passes the boy shyly waves
Saturday, December 14, 2013
THE BOY WHO WAS NOT
after gassing up and grabbing a pack of smokes the father gets
on the expressway . settling in the fast lane he fiddles with
the radio . hearing tennessee ernie ford sing " sixteen tons "
the father turns up the volume pushes in the cigarette lighter
shakes a chesterfield from its carton taps it on the steering
wheel twice and before lighting up sings along with ernie
" you mine sixteen tons and what do you get ?
another day older and deeper in debt "
the mother is reading a glamour magazine . an article sponsored
by ponds beauty cream . the girl is in the rear seat . a comics
called veronica and betty is on her lap . she says " daddy tell
me a story " the father looks in the rear view mirror
" whats that pumpkin ? " the girl leans against the front seat
and says " tell me the story about you and sparky and the nips "
the mother looks at the girl and rolls her eyes as if to say
" havent we heard that story forty seven times or more " ?
the father smiles and sets the cigarette in the ash tray
" well shucks princess i reckon i can . let me think two
seconds . yeah . i remember now . the nips napped sparky
and me in burma . yep ! marched us right through the jungle "
the mother puts her hand on the fathers right shoulder
" honey before you get started " she turns to the girl
" dear do you know the boy up the street ? his family lives
in the yellow house . the one with white trim and the small
rose garden on the right side . you know the one
" the boy waved when we went by . did you see him ? "
Thursday, December 12, 2013
THE WOMAN WHO WAS
i was at a party . it was late . i was ready to leave
the food was bland and the wine though initially appealing
left an annoying after taste . conversation had wound
down and the music changed from macy gray to bocelli
as i looked across the room for my coat i froze
because next to a sofa stood a woman . she had
blond hair and wore a brilliantly colored dress
i was mesmerized . riveted . for a brief moment our
eyes met . it felt as if an electrical circuit had connected
suddenly and to my left i felt a hand on my shoulder
a woman said " dont i know you ?" i turned to face her
rather than answer immediately i leaned back and slowly
looked her up and down . i smiled and said " no . no you
dont " then turned toward the sofa and the beautiful
blond in the brilliant dress
she was gone
