O’Flagon and the Serpent

There once was a man named O’Flagon

Who aspired to slay the town dragon

But the serpent was wiley

Could fool and beguile thee

So our man landed in the coroner’s wagon

Little Purple Worm

Little purple worm, why do you glisten in the sun?

Little purple worm, where did you get your colors from?

Little purple worm, you have some orange and pink and blue

Little purple worm, why would somebody color you?

Little purple worm, you spend your whole life in the dirt

Little purple worm, you don’t know what your color’s worth

Little purple worm, you don’t have eyes, you just can’t see

Little purple worm, you must be pretty just for me

Sky Baby

There once was a baby so incredibly cute that nobody knew what to do

Everybody’d seen pretty babies before, but this sort of cute was quite new

Her cheeks were so fat that everyone pinched them until they were pinker than pink

If she laughed or she cried, their hearts would all melt and she made it very difficult to think

They stood around wondering what she would do next, and would it be just as cute as before

Then she’d do something they never expected and the crowds would all cheer in uproar

Gifts from the townspeople piled up endlessly, stuffed animals rained from the sky

Parades dedicated to the cuteness of her were always meandering by

Every night they stayed awake as long as they could, writing poetry and singing her songs

They held her and played with her every moment they had, for she wouldn’t be a baby for long

Then one morning they were all so astounded to see, standing where the little baby had been

In a pair of new shoes, diaper and t-shirt, was the prettiest toddler they’d seen

Good Morning, Sun!

Once upon a Monday morning, waking on the porch

I smiled and said, “Gut Morgen!” as the Sun rose o’er the park

I said, “It’s nice to see you, Sun! You woke me just in time

I have to work at 10:30, it must be close to nine”

“Ten-thirty has come and gone,” the Sun said playfully

“But since you’re late already, you may as well stay the day with me

We’ll have great fun, you’ll run, I’ll sun, and introduce you to some friends

And show you a quaint little picnic spot down where the river bends . . .”

Transgressions

I don’t think that it’s possible

To live a single day

That my old transgressions

Don’t come back awhile to play

I listen and I learn

And I teach it when I can

That all the riches in the world

Aren’t worth a single man

Spin Kicks

A girl once

badly bonked

her head

“GET SOME REST!”

the doctor

said

She could have

cried and stayed

in bed

But chose to

do spin kicks

instead

I’ve Screamed at the Ocean

I’ve screamed at the Ocean and it swallowed my voice

I’ve bowed to the Moon and have no other choice

But to live in obeisance to the Sun

I fed a small fire till its hunger grew huge

Licking my face with its orange-yellow-rouge

Still it was feeding when I laid down and slept

Potatoes were softening and a red onion wept

On a grill that was perfect for the scene

I’ve sat in a sweat lodge with thunder outside

Mother Nature flashing her lightning with pride

Then laid steaming in the rain to rinse off these toxins of mine

I’ve listened to the Earth as she whispered my name

Rocking me gently and easing my shame

She said when I’m ready, she’ll welcome me home

Soft like an afghan, cozy and warm

The Moon wiggled round on a lake in Nebraska

Answering all of the questions I asked her

And telling me secrets I never had thought to inquire

I’ve looked at the mountains and watched them look back

I’ve seen an old coal train chuggin’ down the track

In front of a sky that was the smile of God

I’ve walked through the Redwoods with mouth gaping wide

A timeless and ultimate peace deep inside

As these quiet giants told me their tale

I stopped at a stump and looked at a snail

Noticed his spiraling little slime trail

And took a few photos in case memory should fail

I’ve buried my toes in the sands of time

Who told me everything was gonna be just fine

Then let the Ocean wash through me as I sat on the beach and cried

I slept on a cliff with the tide crashing in

Watching the Milky Way’s shimmering grin

And thanking the Heavens for letting me be who I am

I’ve driven down the coast, Pacific Highway One

Every evening watching the Ocean and the Sun

Kissing, merging, making love, they lit the sky

Up and down the hills of San Fransisco

I played frisbee in the sand at San Luis Obispo

Then headed back East with the Sun in the rearview mirror

I stood staring into the Grand Canyon’s belly

As my mind flew away and my knees turned to jelly

Buzzards soared overhead, embodying my longing to fly

Blew through the Flagstaff on a bright afternoon

Saw snowy mountains and left them too soon

But made a little time for the comfort of an iced cafe mocha

Reached Albuquerque on a hot summer night

The billion city lights were a beautiful sight

Big breakfast at Denny’s, then back on the road once again

I came back from my journey to a burnt up home

I had to sort through the ashes of the things that I’d owned

I got drunk off my ass, and wept for the things that were gone

I decided I’d be like the Redwood Tree

I’d be damned if that fire would defeat me

Instead, it’s a tool that would nourish and make me grow strong

I sat round another fire with my friends, playing drums

Faintly in the background a guitar softly strums

The past and the future combine and we have harmony

The Ride

I like to ride

My bike and see things I have never seen before

I like to go

I like to leave and come back to my own front door

I am a questor

I’ve journeyed through the end of time and come around again

I have seen

Past and future connected unbroken chain

I will be

Around as long as you will ever think to ask

My crazy smile

Will linger in the outerspacial gas

So don’t despair

Time will heal all wounds leaving scars with a story to tell

The Grand Canyon and the Moon

What would they be without their scars?

So who are we

To think we don’t deserve a fair share of ours?

Face

I cloned my face so I wouldn’t be lonely

Didn’t give it a body so it couldn’t leave me

I think my clone is really very unhappy

It’s facial expressions are what give it away

I’m thinking about maybe giving it a body

Then the two of us can go outside and play

Mudball Monkeys

The Sun and the Moon

Full of sadness and gloom

Walk round this mudball of Earth

The stars are all sad

And the planets are mad

Cuz the monkeys are polluting the dirt

The grass and the trees

And the sweet ocean breeze

Aren’t quite as tough as you’d think

The grass has turned brown

And the trees are burnt down

And the breeze is beginning to stink

The monkeys should know

That if they should go on

Polluting this place where they stay

The planet will die

And the cosmos will cry

And the monkeys will wither away

An Elephant’s Epiphany

An elephant sat

With the wind at his back

On the stump of a tree in the grass

His thoughts were of sadness

And ongoing madness

He’d recently seen in the past

Oh, what could he do?

This young elephant knew

That he had no control of the world

He had to just sit

Collecting his wits

As the clouds continued to swirl

While watching the sky

A tear filled his eye

Not because of the problems at hand

The beauty clear blue

Had washed everything new

Like ocean waves cleansing the sand

Mushroom Stew

A cow says, “Moo”

Her cud she does chew

And then does her doo

At AM 2

In the morning dew

A mushroom grew

Not one, but two

No, wait, a few!

What did I do?

I gladly threw

These mushrooms few

Directly into

A scrumptious stew

For me and you

Who knew

These mushrooms few

Would taint our view

Of red and blue

And yellow, too?

We had no clue!

Rainbows grew

And round us flew

They stuck like glue

To old and new

What we must do

Is take our cue . . .

We must ensue

The clear and true

Velvet Embrace

The sun goes down

The sun goes down on a beautiful day

Blowin’ kisses goodbye as it’s slippin’ away

Night has come

Night has come with the purple horizon

Stars gatherin’ all around a full moon risin’

My pulse is risin’

The fireflies in

The summertime skies

Can’t believe my eyes

I feel the cry

Of night

The anxious, itchin’ wanna-get-up and go

Tuggin’ upon my soul

The road

Will lead me home

No thoughts of turnin’ back

With dirty feet I roam

Into the velvet embrace of midnight

Dumbass

There once was a dumbass

Who couldn’t read the signs

He talked out of turn

And crossed borderlines

Everybody told him

Everybody said

“If you don’t wear your helmet, boy

You’re gonna bust your head”

He just didn’t listen

‘Cause he was in the zone

Wearing blinders and earmuffs

And accident prone

Everybody knew this story

Couldn’t end well

They finally found him by following

The godawful smell