mariothepoet

[mariothepoet]

Bar Mates

on wobbly barstoolsin dark tavernsthe hurried world is a full stop the cantankerous,the crestfallen,and the abandoned meet, greet, and mingle we are a fellowshipof cracked Matryoshka dollsshowing off our hamstrung hidden inside and the beer is cold enough to freeze the momentand the lies get painted whiskey and tequilaand every so often one of us diesso we make merry and wait our turn there…

[mariothepoet]

the wrong one to play with.

was conceived in frenzy of fist fightingpushed into the world the wrong waya veil over my open eyes been a seer all my life know the devil rides his dressage horseto the church houseand often gives the sermon on Sundaywith the faint miasma of a child’s chastitysnickering below his robes this world can be a deep freezerfull of rapacious predatorswho grin before the cameras flashingbut demon…

[mariothepoet]

tsk,tsk...

if you hold your breath correctlyand blow the air from inside you lungsthe vortex creates a toroidal bubblea temporary ring of waterthat floats to the surfaceand dissolves against the face of the water the depth of the water mattersbut no matter how deep you swimand lie and make promises and vowsthese rings are only ephemeraland should not be trusted to last. pity the divers who play gameswith…

[mariothepoet]

breaking

she treats me like a pet monkeygives enough of her palm to devour the Mazuri & the back of her hand when I won’t be obedientthere is nothing like alone crumbled flakes of miserable aches the grinding of teeth into rumbledouble dutch with livewireshurting me is a carnival gamemy feelings are mine to protect but she knows how to play me like a celloopening my heart like a shoe box taking everything…

[mariothepoet]

finding the path

along a slim road the signsare hard to decipher from a distancethere is a path to something betterbut the steering wheel plays like a slide pianoyou swerve, veer toward the shoulder,in a consistent course correction how to do the right thingat the right time to remain safe there are detours and construction zonesstop signs and the railroad crossinglooms heavy with dangerif you are ever stopped…

[mariothepoet]

An April's FoOl

the day is a bouquet of disappointment the chatterbox whines incessantly about disasters unfixable foreign tragedy & the coroner’s report the world is on fire constantly someone somewhere is inconsolable and Jesus though RIsen has decided to leave us to our own devices The Preachers need more tithes, the bills pile up, and Trump plans trips around the country looking for fools who will…

[mariothepoet]

meteoric incantations

the green projectiles passing by my lawn, firefly into blackness, make me wonder if wishes come true. the 5 my courageous eye fist could decipher streaked, giggled, then dissolved into second guesses. I’m sure she isn’t watching them she is sure I am a lunatic standing staring up at the soup spoon hoping that God blinks at me a few hundred times before the hour ends. my life is a…

[mariothepoet]

for fools waiting for Angels

the coordinates are littered with strands of vascular remnants. pockmarked, potholed, and crumbling. the impasse that was my most fevered wish is completely inaccessible. wish it were a Widow’s mourning that has ruined my journey  but this unexamined pathway’s tragedy is my failure. So I weep without warning, drink without quench, and presume, like all fools lost without shepard, that my own…

[mariothepoet]

and so it begins...

and so it begins…

the clouds bring frost with shivering pecan, sangria, and butterscotch.the horizon full of spectacle.having over done & out performedmy expectationsthe Hunter’s finds me thankfulbut eager for the Beaver to arrive.we were alonelast Harvestspent most of the Cold Moonindoors and clinched togethernow that St. Helena has adornedour goodbyes with prayersthe inevitable conclusion to our ruptured…

[mariothepoet]

#Resolutions2022

All the peppermint canes have gone sour. The fat man rests.The elder year waits in labor & delivery for the new calendar.my memories are a gumbo cooked full flametill the rue is black & burned bitter  the planned celebrations feel withering and decayedburied deep inside my flap pocket I stow away my resolutions More naps.Less whining about things I can not changeBrunch when it is…

[mariothepoet]

#BucksIn6 for Giannis

In the heart of an immigrant are better daysleaving everything you know for everything you dreamIn the soul of a champion there is some defeat & practice& perseverance in spite of detractors and criticsin this way immigrants are championsthey know that brighter days & greener grassbear fruit but it takes work to build dreamsfaith isn’t magic it takes work for true believersthat dream of lofted…

[mariothepoet]

crapulence

Gave up on changing the pastbefore it was proven to me that I’m going to die.Memories taste,dreams disintegrate,concentration obsesses over inspiration.  Waiting around to waste more time.Drunk, High, Drunk, over sexed and sleep.Alone. Lonesome. Present in the moment of exodus.The Zombies in my area steal: detergent, Newports, and cases of Hennesy.Lurking in the same clothes, pacing the…

[mariothepoet]

#ThisIsMyCrew

there are few things worse than Cubs fansyesterday they threw behind Brandonand when the crowd grew restless  Our heroes unavailablethe Cubs fans sat there in their stupid hatsmaking faces.the Sox fans are to be tolerated in short dosesthey had their time in the limelightswept the Astros out the seriesthough it took them forever to do it.before their recent glorythe Cubs cursed and buffooned…

[mariothepoet]

the hidden epilogue

huddled close to the speaker she is musicand waiting and listeningher eyes lowerednearly in prayer she is consumedby the orators cadencethe quiet scribbles she keepshiddenher secret artisan paintsmosaics of her hurried lifetime is running outon her present surroundingsshe is leavingnot fleeingjust leaving the herefor the here after because what she is here afteris far too fragile for the…

[mariothepoet]

Better than

the crippling God of guilt that knows my faults and hates my liesher kisses as sutures and antisepticslike driving directionsunhinge my exit planspanicked she might uncover my masquerademy defeat is already preordainedtogether like Lego pieces we lay inside each otherfluids like filthundue myself into a puddleI am fist fisticuffs she is negotiations her relaxed ambassadorI look she listenspromise…

[mariothepoet]

Grey Hairs

they say, “trust no one over 30”for they have learned to lovethe sweetness of the bridles rust.Old dudesin old clotheshand me down languages and prison numbers.When my roar was showroom newwhen divorce seemed a nuclear disasterthought of  mennow a decade my juniorlike dinosaurs and dry cleaning.Now that I have been bestowed the inheritanceof an overflow of sunrisestill my chin is grey as rain…

[mariothepoet]

It is what it is...

It is what it is…

If love were simple like punching bags & coloring books If love were easy  like calling on facetime & answering text messages If love had cosigns & parentheticals like mathematical equations I wouldn’t long for her so distracted wouldn’t be vexed and embarrassed in yesterday’s clothes calling God by his first name They talk about love like journalism like the facts matter. Like you can…