Long Creosote Poems

A diverse array of flora and fauna reign majestic 
in vivid tawny imagery of shifting sand dunes 
and barren rocks-- sixteen miles
from the golden rays of western tomorrow.

Time is played out in crucial moments of...

Read More

It was a long walk, with time heeling at my shadow. 
(and somewhere miles away the garage door closed, and the exhaust flowed,
and a small dog died in her limp arms)
I was friendly with God....

Read More

In the back of my head, in the garden shed,
I see him as clearly as fresh white paint:
A little boy sat on the creosote floor, 
Dragged grazed knees hugged up to his chin, 
So familiar,...

Read More

Harsh sunlight beats upon the thirsty land
And glares upon the limestone cliffs and sand,
   While waves of heat rise shimmering, above
The parched loam where the great saguaros stand.

And perched up high among the...

Read More

the angel on the mantel 
comes from an old wagon road 
that cuts from desert brush
into the burnished hills
where creosote breaks up and scatters 
at the base of the Chiricahuas
where Fort Bowie Calvary slaughtered 
Apache...

Read More

let us say the summer that year
was a cliché to its lovers.
And its once open windows stood 
firm
against Prying Eyes.
Perhaps the silver 
smoke of automobiles rose toward the waiting sun that
climbed so eagerly. we didn’t...

Read More

Talk to me

Creosote poisons 
Rattlesnakes bite
And the white bird sings
In the night
There’s a hollow in the night
Following the footsteps
Your eyes are cryptic

You got a shadow over you
I can see your soul
I can see your face

There’s...

Read More

Gentle Earth, I beg of you –
Whisper to us the first sign of spring. 
Annul this wintry despair
And a season of life anew, bring. 
From the depths of Baja
Carry the warmth in upon a draft....

Read More

The Last Spike

Helios orb peers cautiously
 with guarded optimism
 through cracker-slatted clouds
as Thor's divine implement
 shatters the morning stillness with the clap of a sonic boom

Mere mortals assigned Herculean tasks
 trill a gospel cadence,
 their...

Read More

You were sharp|ning grass
With your eyes | sit & fixed
Again | a substitute for mow|n
Machine chug|ging along lug
Nuts, molar friction | u - r - n .
Lawn stretches of up|beat
Beach | was there even wind?
Filet...

Read More

Desert Morning

A stiff little north breeze, still cold from the night, shoves warm condensate into my fists and face from my coffee.
It was good to assemble that coffee.
Then a little weed.
A beautiful new morning sun...

Read More

april starts   clocks forward spring
practice in full swing
nets untangled from their poles
players to contact & enroll
gang mowers greased&oiled
kit-bag dis-embroiled
grass-stained pads   whitened bright
fixture list to expedite

fix sight-screen broken panels
coax another season from...

Read More

The reflections of early summer sun,
Glistens again on my windows this year,
They blend invisibly ready for fun,
Laughter of children is all that I hear. 

The heat is drying my old wooden walls
As for the first...

Read More

April and the clocks forward spring,
our cricket practice gets in full swing.
Nets to untangle from their poles,
players to call and enrol.

Gang mowers to grease and oil,
the team kit-bag to disembroil.
Green stained pads to whiten bright,
fixture...

Read More

The gravel grinds 
Beneath the tires of my car. 
Bumpity bumpity bump, 
Air rushes under the car 
For a split second 
Until the old rubber 
Hits the pavement once more. 
All the houses are behind...

Read More

April and the clocks forward spring,our cricket practice gets in full swing.Nets to 
untangle from their poles,players to call and enrol.Gang mowers to grease and 
oil,the team kit-bag to disembroil.Green stained pads to whiten bright,fixture...

Read More

Boxed in
and filled with sand
like a dry ocean
the towering
creosote soaked pillions
take the form 
of an old shipwreck
with riggings, planks
and a captain's wheel.
Paid by the commons
for the children to enjoy.
"Aye scalawags all aboard,"
shouts a portly 
pint...

Read More

A creosote frown mars
the stony landscape.
Time’s sundial remnant
a tilting chimney shadow
circling a homestead memory.

The foundation survives
the dream remains
tangled in ivied struggle
longing for the sound of footsteps
the creak of long silenced boards.

Uprooted stones, thrown together
solidly different
yet...

Read More

Winding lines of cars
Stop and go on black paved roads
Driving down the shore

Bright umbrellas pose
Sitting on a sandy beach
Lolling in the sun

The smell of hot dogs 
salty air and creosote
Float in mid-day air

Little children play
building...

Read More

Back Creek Smells 
My nose senses the unseen, 
Like a final Act’s scene, 
When I arrive near the Bay, 
I sense my sinuses are gray, 
From inhaling  the city. 
Fish scents replace the gritty,...

Read More