Gabriella

Gabriella succumbed to the night and fell to pieces
let the stars inside her head because Death
(that old dread)
had been defeated
in her pleated skirt and transparent shirt her rosette nipples
begged like orphans to be needed
I conceded
for who wouldn't??
challenged her to combat until one of us was left bleeding
until only one heart was left beating
until the crescent moon packed up its silver light for the night
and retreated.

TA

Layla

     Layla, travel weary princess
and tireless fence runner
hunter in the heather in leather and clean linens
spent dreaming
spent spinning
red devil in your red ears ever listening
found you drowning in the heat of your own clutch
where it feels no pain
where it
hurts
in the center of your heart where the dark fire burns
     Layla, spend your summer nights
(if you must)
in pursuit of that holy truth
in the dirty bed in the center of my room
trumpets playing midnight tunes to crows and thieves
and fools
Jesus in the warm heart of a whore
     Layla, with pockets full of gum and copper change
nothing is
as it was before
nothing changes
a dangling moon hangs as low as it always has
gravity as heavy as invisible gas
silver serpents cold to the core
lower us into the burning flame
I cried
she sang
everything seemed rearranged
every
thing.

TA

The Cavalcade Prayer

I guess he's ready to eat,
to serve himself in that hot summer heat,

Seems this old dog's ready to dine,
fresh chunks of horse flesh hang heavy in clumps o'er a red fire,

Long days through the cold grey of winter,
from cub to cultured adulthood
     it has yet to be different,

All hunter's hunt for their dinner,
there are none who are righteous
     and all whom are born
          are sinners.

TA

Streaks of Street Light

The warm dark air picked up the octopus tentacles
of her red hair and threw them willy-nilly
against her face
so that in the soft glow of the gauges
I watched from the corner of my eye as she wrestled
her own head into submission,
sugar cane fields in the passing night fading
into the distance,
crickets singing endless love songs to one another
tossing up wishes each time a shooting star left
a gash in the sky like
burning interstellar bridges,
the gun empty between us,
the miles endless ahead...

they said:

go over and meet her,
you'll feel cheated
if you never get her name.

TA