Reboot

an airplane to the moon
things won’t go back to the way they were
caught in an impossible position
the world I was born in, is gone
you suffer, while angels cry
sailing around the world on the Gulf Stream
names that are normal no more
pulled out of the wreckage of your life
in the bleached, frozen wastes, we found god

constantly talking, but saying nothing
I feel like all my dreams are broken
useless angels look down from the sky
like something from a Disney movie
I feel like I’m wasting my time
all they have are platitudes
empty words that mean nothing
empty words that achieve nothing
empty words that commit to nothing

a fake friend
here no one knows your name
dolts upstairs making a ruckus
Life is not like a diamond
crying on the airplane
purposelessness
a saint from Elsewhere
smurfs and serfs
we’re just colonies in the periphery

the big step
flying under Friendly Skies
a nobody from nowhere
passed over by Greatness
if there’s a cake, it’s going to be smashed
you always think of yourself as a young person
saying goodbye to the guilt you had
the Sad Team
landlocked in the past

a frog on another planet
the existential weekend
the one who mourns
your whole life in an email inbox

Please do not repost without my permission, but you can support my poetry here! Originally written 3/16/21. Copyright, All Rights Reserved. All art, not from the author, belongs to the original artists. This particular piece of art is by Durer.

It’s Understood

learning to juggle, in gym class
circle X, figure 8
the year of dinosaurs, the year of space shuttles
they always come back
something abstract and minimalist
bring the average up
it’s like putting an acid and a base together
gays of a certain age
quinoa, quiche, ceviche

the second brain
tri-fold display boards and acrostic poems
what you do in this moment
a finger of whiskey
genius, genie, the spirit of a place
fake recognizes fake
strength, utility, and beauty
the year of yo-yos, the year of wrestling
a folding bike and an iPod Nano

obligatory Titanic reference
saying things, without saying anything
an index of memories and perceptions
half-siblings who diverged
when you look at your life
an inside-out shirt
a map of my playlists
I’m not in love, I’m angry
bright as the day

the oldest kid feels it the most
I’m not in love; my heart is broken
no more love songs; staying home
it’s like watching a sad movie on an airplane
the older generation of gays
“staying with the trouble”
I’m no longer under 30 anymore
all the little slights, all the little cuts
unspoken, understated, unstated

ellipses, blank spaces
all the things you didn’t say
learning is the first act of creation
scrolled over the same name twice

Please do not repost without my permission, but you can support my poetry here! Originally written 3/8/21. Copyright, All Rights Reserved. All art, not from the author, belongs to the original artists. This particular photo is of the standing stones in Callanish, Hebrides, in the UK.