Crying Elephants

I ride on the backs of the pachyderms
and whisper in their ear
you should escape from the circus
blend into the crowd
as they exit the big top

later that day . . .

the crowd is silent
their voice boxes have been stolen
and placed

in Pandora’s box in Pandora’s box in Pandora’s box

put their screams
in recycled brown paper bags
the one used to hold the peanuts
thrown to the elephants

I sold the brown paper bags
to neighbor kids
leave them burning
at the front doors
of 100 clowns
each clown will stomp
his big red shoes
on a burning brown bag
realizing to late
its filled with the screams
of the audience they make laugh
night after night

elephants
stack the peanuts end over end
climb out of their trapped minds
slip over the wall
however
they never make it
the peanut shells break and crumble
under the tremendous weight
of their emotions and
memories of
being held captive
walk the middle passage
into the big top
under the bright lights
night after night

the neighbor hood kids run away fast
splashing about ankle deep
in puddles of sadness
left by the crying elephants

jrg 2/11/06
Copyright © 2009 by Jeff R. Ghee

What would you do

what if roses grew on my side of the fence
would you reach through and pick one
what if the weeds from my yard grew through the fence
into your yard
would you pull them
what would you do

what if butterflies pollinated the flowers in my yard
would you plant flowers in your own yard
what if bees were pollinating flowers in your yard
would you shew them away
what would you do

if there were humming birds feeding in my yard
would you take photos
what would you do if a woodpecker
moved into the tree in your yard
would you get tired of the sound it makes on trees
what would you do

if it rained in my yard
would you come out
and dance with me in the rain
if it only rained in your yard
would you stay inside
what would you do

if it snowed only in my yard
would you come out to make snow angles
and snow men
if it only snowed in your yard
would you let me play in the snow
what would you do

if i played your favorite song loud
would you come over to sing with me
what would you do
what would you do

4/24/06
Copyright © 2009 by Jeff R. Ghee

When I Wake

I wake up every morning
I have to convince myself
To take my last breath
I have dark days stuffed in my pockets
The moon peaks over my shoulder
Reveals my end
I don't know if I can love myself
To meet the end
Cracked side walks litter my past
I try to walk forward fast
My shadow lingers slow
I hope I can walk long enough
To reach the furthest point of me
To be free


jrg Dec 08
Copyright © 2009 by Jeff R. Ghee

At dusk

transition from late day to early night
we see them hovering almost walking on
warm evening summer air
sauntering from one flower to the next
not quite dashing about
as pollinating bees have been known to do
almost in a hush never quiet enough
we creep through tall grass and short weeds
catch fire flies in glass jars
go running through the night
natural light a-flame
what should we do
so graceful and unbound
frantically searching for a way out
I think I need to poke bigger holes in this lid of casual death
let's breath our next thought
do the fire flies understand what glass means
some we let go others have to be dumped into our hands
others are pinched separated from their self lights
warn as finger rings
surely they did die
do we understand the fire fly
let us breath in our next thought
dusty remains broken wings
settle at the bottom of glass jars recently forgotten
but not recently abandon
lyrically hanging
the remaining hum of children breathing
synchronized from wind chimes
swaying in time with fire flies
pulsating lights
wind rhythms
searching for an existence
to appreciate it's life songs
enriched with the beauty of coming and going
hanging on the end of last words
when the moons bright shine
cast no doubts on the marrow
of the dances lovers do
banished by ghost
we sit in small circles
and talk as though we know
what this day has been about
we realize the fire flies beauty we must observe
they trust and fly close
temped to hold them
they walk on the back of hands
finger to finger
face to face
let us breath in our next thought
do the fire flies really know who we are
creep along next to the river bed
shoe less footprints
mud squished between toes
ankle deep in summers water
shoes held in the right hand
a corked stick in the left hand
poking a dead floating frog
bloated dead fish and flies floating
this is where we always stop
it's to scary
the grave yard is just over there
guarded by cement angles
with a broken wing
cement gargoyles
with broken dreams
a fresh grave in our sight
the new dirt mound
creep into our nostrils
we stop and stare
we don't breath
we don't blink
we don't speak
in unison we turn to leave
we see the fire flies
fly threw the moonlights reflection
of this summers evening

jrg, Feb 2009
Copyright © 2009 by Jeff R. Ghee

About Me

the consequences of my convictions
reflect the solitude of my life
I have suffered a tragic loneliness
that travels the time line of my life
expands beyond critical assumption
you can not imagine the bitter end I have been shown
the depths of these water wells
treed in the deep end of self loathing
is without reason
would surely drown
an ordinary man

jrg 2003
Copyright © 2009 by Jeff R. Ghee

Weep for Yellow

weep for the color yellow
sweep across a field of dreams
watch the green grass grow
shades of fallen grace

planted trees with lazy shade
keep pace with clouds that fade away
sounds of gold slip away
the sun sits in lotus position
at the feet of dusk

Weep for yellow
sun drenched fields
leave echoes
from the sounds of blossoms
pretending to be tulips kissing

jrg 2007
Copyright © 2009 by Jeff R. Ghee

Who is in the room

gray shadows eclipse the time
cloaked in un-forgiveness
a hunter's rampage
poachers delight
elephants melted away into the trees
a gray haze
return to the site of the dead
decay lingers in memory
ivory so bright
back to the pile of bones
back to where she fell
and grieve they do
because they have souls

jrg 2007
Copyright © 2009 by Jeff R. Ghee

Reading Them

one day i was reading
the voice inside my head
kicked out my eye balls
closed my eye lids from the inside
sewed them shut
with incoherent threads
of black ink
i blinked ten pages of words
i was unable to remember
who i wrote the words for
my lines traced their thoughts
and silhouetted their faces
which hid
their true identities
from themselves
they did not read
what was written
about them

jrg
4/24/06
Copyright © 2009 by Jeff R. Ghee

What is it?

Is it the flames fanning the fire
or the oxygen running wild

Is it the waves of the ocean
or a fish catching its breath

Is it the warmth of the sun
or the cool breeze held back

Is it the wind that blows
or the leaves applauding natures magic

Is it the ground bearing the roots
or seedlings pushing through to be seen

Is it the void that is all around
or is it to know all and know nothing


jrg 2005
Copyright © 2009 by Jeff R. Ghee

i made time cry

the day i made time cry
it was the night before my birthday
i told time i was not going to
celebrate this time
i was going to stay
the same age
and time cried

the day i made time cry
it was the middle of the year
i told time i was going into
the new year 6 months early
i was going to leave
the next 6 months behind
and time cried

the day i made time cry
it was new years eve 11:59pm
i told time
i decided to stay behind
and live the year over
i wanted to take my time
make things right
and time cried

the day i made time cry
i told time
i would live a few minutes ahead of now
arrive early so i could see things coming
i would live a few minuets later than now
arrive late so i could see what just happened
i would live in-between here and now
so i would just be and not be
and time cried

time past me by
i waited
time never came back
i could not see time standing in front of me
i backed up and tripped over time
i almost fell in the past
i was afraid to go forward
frozen in time
time left me behind
this time I cried


jrg
1/9/06
Copyright © 2009 by Jeff R. Ghee

Don't let me be that monster

let me take you to a spider's web
where the butterflies nap
dreaming of false promises and lost prophecies

a wicked tongue speaks aloud
feeding famine its last meal
hunger reached its apex and fed into
false teachings that “constant is always”

we all have been traced and drawn into fragile emotions
ink from fading tattoos leak from the edges of a
righteous sermon written on backs of the damned

let me step outside
squint my eyes
i see the movie crash
we all need protection
we all have fractured and broken parts

don't let me be that monster


jrg 2007
Copyright © 2009 by Jeff R. Ghee

Blue Sleep Cool

He fell asleep on a blue couch
In blue jeans
In a blue shirt
His arms folded
As though he was leaning against a wall
Looking cool
A blue cool
Discussing such and such
About 60's rock and 90's acid jazz

I think he is dreaming of
Blue nights
Blue days
Blue skies
Blue moons
A romantic blue
That looks more attractive
When he looks the other way

He walks a blue slide
Slips in the room almost unseen
Exits in a blue after thought

Still he lay there
Sleep
All blue
A cool blue


jrg
3/1/09
Copyright © 2009 by Jeff R. Ghee

Black Sun Shine

black sun shine
black clouds part
expose the black sky
black sun rise

let it shine free
let it shine free

blacken my bones
blacken my soul
blacken my skin

black sun shine down on me
black sun shine down on me

my black hands clinched
my black fist
hold my black pain
expose my black palms
black rain fall

wash me free
wash me free

my black feet
worn black soles (souls)
walk back to the past - black
walk on rich soil - black
rich black soil at the bottom of the Atlantic Sea

set them free
set them free

jrg 2006
Copyright © 2009 by Jeff R. Ghee

Baseline

My back has been pushed against
the wall of a deep baseline
throbbing from rhythms of a native tong
humming a dead mans song

Whispering voices from smothering chard remains
call out to all dead men
reading psalms taking communion
passing judgment on the shadows of angles
guarding the blackened forest
where the sun secretly meets his mistress of four seasons
the moon eavesdrops on conversations between dusk and dawn
they have been with the same mistress
the morning dew knows everything
her tears are there ever morning

jrg 4-26-08
Copyright © 2009 by Jeff R. Ghee

The past of you

your soul
backed into a corner
your eyes
can't see tomorrow
what pity
what sorrow
we will all wait
until tomorrow

we exhaled pieces of you
we stole when you were sleeping
we wore your reaction
as a piece of jewelry
made by the hands
of the men who planted a tree
in you memory

you forgot to drink water
the tree did not survive
haul off the dead branches
the next time you sleep

Ahhh choo!!

there is another piece of you
floating away
catch it
we catch you

your new past taking place now
we will be waiting for you in tomorrow
we will burn logs from the dead tree
to light your way
enjoy the view


jrg
2/12/06
Copyright © 2009 by Jeff R. Ghee

When we cry

when we cry
black rains fall
hands held high
grey eyes cry
tattooed fingertips
read life lines
from the palms
of grieving hands

jrg 2006
Copyright © 2009 by Jeff R. Ghee

Sunrise

sunrise into a mist of haze
hidden behind a secret identity
only the moon knows

lost in the transition
being thought into existence
amnesia is your cousin
you always remember

3/6/06
Copyright © 2009 by Jeff R. Ghee

Pockets

I have secrets
hidden in my back pockets
pickpockets beware
these stolen moments
will bring you
pity and sorrow

jrg Oct 2008
Copyright © 2009 by Jeff R. Ghee

Another skin

I tried to grow another skin
when no one told me how to be me

no one told me who I was
no one told me who I was not
no one told me who I could be
no one told me who I could not be

i needed another skin
I tried to grow another skin

no one told me I needed to go
no one told me I needed to stay
no one told me where to go
no one told me how to get there
no one told me when I was there

I needed another skin
I tried to grow another skin

no one told me to take a deep breath
no one told me to exhale
no one told me to look
no one told me to listen
no one told me to feel a certain way

I needed another skin
I tried to grow another skin

no one told me I was ok
no one told me I was not ok
no one told me it would be ok
no one tole me it would not be ok
no one told me I was not wrong
no one told me I was right

I needed another skin
I tried to grow another skin

no one told me how to grow another skin

jrg Nov 2008
Copyright © 2009 by Jeff R. Ghee

Haiku

Beauty of a haiku
When you first see it
I hope you see its beauty
there is only one
first time


jrg 2007
Copyright © 2009 by Jeff R. Ghee

days writing poems

I spend days writing poems
that I never finish
because I'm up all night

jrg 2007

Copyright © 2009 by Jeff R. Ghee

A note to the house keeper

When you make the bed
please don’t tuck in the sheets
it traps my feet and
I can't run from bad dreams


jrg
4/24/06
Copyright © 2009 by Jeff R. Ghee