all roads lead to Rome, more or less

a partial sun sparkle through bright clouds
is fine for a drive out of the city
until time to return becomes a curious
many hilled meander, for all roads
lead to Rome, or so it appears
according to all road signs

believing the signs can get you lost,
run you in circles, nick your patience,
rob you of hope, reroute you once
or twice through the nearby states of
confusion and despair before you
finally bumble-roam home into Rome

got gas, the cook-with kind

went to the bombola man
he sells gas, the cook-with kind
from his store on the corner,
an old, old man and his wife
that’s their life, serving this community

how much do I need?
I begin to put my hand to indicate the level of the tank
he says thirty euro and I tell him yes
does the doorbell work? cause the guys rings it
then I’ll run down to let him in
no problem, i know I’ll hear the motorino
and be at the door before he is,

gas me up baby, we want it now
got to make coffee,
need some hot chow
gas me up baby, do it now, do it now

1502 and now

the document for this building where we live
shows that in 1502 the first two floors were erected,
three floors above were added later


early morning can be silent
here in the center of Rome
whose blocks and alleyways have known the ages

robust characters that laughed and cried,
lived and died here are forgotten,
covered in the dust to which they have returned

of them i feel not a trace
though i stand in their stead,
walk in their space,
have taken as mine their place
of joys and sorrows,
yesterday's tomorrows

there are no echoes of lingering bygone voices
in these halls of musty deeds, worn life pages
that have long passed along these walls
rubbed thoroughly into the mists of gone ages,

into that silence of the night
I will follow

good blue

absoblulutely skyness
all over the place
depths in waves
on my arms, my face,
blue and beyond I’d say

that sort of day we had
not so cold, not so bad
you’d like it, I know you’d do
and I mean it, really,
very blue

Daws Butler

Daws was a friend of mine
one fun, wacky, hard working, intelligent guy
loving creativity and exuding it
in every way, at all times, for everyone
truly one of the best

recently i was lacking in something,
feeling cast distant from my desire to play music,
write poetry, write other things, do art,
unable to burst forth with things
then i thought of Daws, my mentor, my friend
That’s what it is, i miss the guy

the good spark, absolutely, one of the best,
talented and giving, loving life,
never one to criticize, always quick to encourage,
he issued all the license to have fun,

he was an inspiration for creativity and humor,
humor, go ahead, say it again, be redundant,
Daws would, then make a face or do a funny voice

it was wonderful having spent time with him,
Daws knew what side his toast was buttered on
and if he’d put an elbow in it, he’d look sad
say, “oh, yuck!” in such an exaggerated way
just to get you to laugh

sorted photos

been a while since I’ve seen the
old times, the different places,
if everyone has taken a thousand pix,
let’s call them that, pix,

and we are going on seven billion people,
that comes to . . . uh, let me see, let me see
exactly more images than we have to save
rev ‘em up

open the flood gates of our drawers
and cardboard boxes on closet floors and free them,
let that stack of birthday faces and holiday places tumble
build houses out of them

course now they’re on digital files, a load of
air ball pie, pre-evaporated and doesn’t exist anyway,
so why did I spend Saturday night sorting
when i could have been cavorting?