Published: 21 July 2025

Perfection

perfection reaches out to me
although it is always out of reach
perhaps a dream, but more
nightmare masquerading as dream
that’s the nature of perfection
it’s unnatural, a belief system
designed to systematically torture
those who invest in its belief
like religion or superstition,
both of which approach perfection
in their own imperfect way

something that might exist somewhere
other than here, an existence
in another place, but not this place
where everything is normal, or to say,
imperfectly normal, one way or another,
just another fact you have to accept
because not to accept it, the fact
there cannot be perfection anywhere,
might be as close to perfection
as we can get, it’s hard to say

but then I awake this morning
from a dream of hugging my son,
who hugs me back and says,
“daddy, my daddy,”
my son who has been dead
for over twenty years

More Poetry:

The Wall

Walk with me.
Meet the wall.
The wall is the end.
Deep, dense,
charcoal melt into
rusted metal door black,

Step in the soil

Roots are steps in soil. Steps to rise
upon. Steps attended by dark life, earth being
what roots must dig into. To bury these seeds
knowing they will rise again. To bury hands
in rich dirt knowing things will grow well here.
To bury one’s face in a bouquet of lilac without
allowing one blossom to touch your skin.

snow

every flake falls so easily
so many and each one an individual

everything it covers becomes beautiful
it’s impossible to describe these crystals
no more than fear, elegance, truth
bare as you can see
not white — blank

upon the event of my suicide

I hope it isn’t a surprise
I practiced every day, another
unsuccessful attempt, the next morning
recognition of failure, and resolve
to try to do a better job today

I’ve been robbed (of my heart)

Distracted by the irresistible,
misleading is how you stole my heart.
Not just sleight of hand, no, plenty of it.
Grand larceny I’ll never report. Nor admit.
I prefer to believe I’m worth stealing.

Related

The Wall

The Wall

Walk with me.
Meet the wall.
The wall is the end.
Deep, dense,
charcoal melt into
rusted metal door black,

read more
Step in the soil

Step in the soil

Roots are steps in soil. Steps to rise
upon. Steps attended by dark life, earth being
what roots must dig into. To bury these seeds
knowing they will rise again. To bury hands
in rich dirt knowing things will grow well here.
To bury one’s face in a bouquet of lilac without
allowing one blossom to touch your skin.

read more
ducks cannibals skunks porcupines

ducks cannibals skunks porcupines

a fable
There once was a village of well fed cannibals. The area they lived in had lots of food for everyone, from fruit to fish in the streams, good roots, seeds and nuts, and people to hunt. Originally, there had been a lot of people in the area.
As I said, this village of cannibals was well fed. A time came when there weren’t many people left to hunt. If people did move in, they lived in forts, had weapons and acted very fierce whenever the cannibals visited.
Some of the cannibals were hurt by that attitude.
“You try to be friends and see what happens!”
“It’s as if they don’t want to be eaten! And I have this new recipe I can’t wait to try out!”
Now that there were no people left to eat, the cannibals started to feel hungry. That’s when it began.

read more

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