For the Guilty

I write this for the guilty

For those whose pockets

Are too rocky with dirt

Whose hands are weathered

Whose hearts are calloused 

I wish I could sing to you

Slip into the tender side

Of your nature

Like the Man in Black

I wish there were more songs

For you

I can not pretend to understand

You-- the how & why of you

And sometimes

I hate you

But more & more

I realize

That what makes

Somebody one of you

Changes

And how much

You deserve

Depends

On 

Cruel, stupid things

And if I were to measure myself

Honestly

When I measure myself honestly

I am guilty, too

December 8, 1980

Kindergarten 

My parents' record collection

Already beloved

His face

Seen daily

It seemed.

So when his face appeared

On television--

The smart Beatle

Who loved Yoko

Without apology--

When I saw his face

I knew he was gone.

Laundry List

Trespassing

Vandalism

Drag racing

Underage drinking

Underage sex

Rape:

Date & Gang

Child molestation

Theft: 

Of money

Of jewelry

Of tapes/CDs

Of Identity.

Drug use

Drug dealing

Drugging food & drinks

Fighting:

One on one

Ten on one

Skater Punks vs Stoners.

Carrying &

Using weapons

Stalking: 

In cars

On foot

Online.

Bullying

Harassment

Torturing animals

Killing animals

Illegal:

Gun ownership

Pornography

Prescriptions

Downloads.

Fraud:

Tax

Insurance

Academic.

Bad checks

Perjury

Black market:

Buying & Selling

Stolen, 

Smuggled, or

Counterfeited 

Goods.

Resisting arrest

Evading authorities

Domestic violence

Manslaughter

...

... I

Witnessed it

Knew about it

Was a victim of it

Or did it.

...

...We 

Were rarely arrested.

Never killed.

The World

I am tempted to ignore all I see.
I am tempted to ignore all I hear.
No, do not tell me. No, do not tell me.
Do not show me Pain. Do not show me Fear.
It is not my wish to cover my eyes
To pretend all is well when it's Madness
Or wish the wish true with comforting lies
No such trick has ever fooled my Sadness
But you, finite, yet full & filling still,
Have more than I, infinite, yet brimming,
Can stand. The stem will break. My heart will spill
Into the deep end where I am swimming.
Raining, yet the ocean is blue-- but why?
It's like the water has hope for the sky.

Meanwhile, people

So the final creep

Of Tyranny

Has unlocked 

The prison door

In Egypt

And 

A dozen

Or so

Women

Have been raped

And have been 

Saying so

For awhile

But it takes

A man telling jokes

For people to

Notice

Meanwhile

A man

Just admitted

He was raped

And people

Noticed right away

If only to roll their eyes

Blame him

Shame him

And likely 

Not believe it

Meanwhile

Ex-boyfriends

Still shoot

Their ex-girlfriends

Dead

And people

Still punch each other

In the face

For TVs & purses

And people

Are saying the things

"America" said

When sheriffs

Also wore sheets

And people use 

The word "Freedom"

When they mean

"Force"

Meanwhile

I will still have to 

Walk the long way

Home

When somebody 

Blocks the path

It will be my fault-

Long pants & three layers-

For being out

And people still

Don't understand

How stupid it is

How dangerous it is

To insist the oppressed

Keep oppressing themselves

Because it is safer to

Just comply

It is unfair but

You'll be safe

Until somebody

Decides to 

Block the path

If my favorite

Sports team was playing

I'd set a car on fire

Lost Omni

Does anybody remember that show Voyagers! ...?

Or Quantum Leap?

Both shows portrayed Time

As finite

A modern rendering

Of the Fates' tapestry

Only sometimes

A thread would

Be out of line

Pulled loose

Or broken

And the voyagers--

Phineas Bogg &

Jeffrey Jones--

Would need to 

Weave it back into place

Or Dr. Sam Beckett

Would repair the tapestry

And leap to the next

Tangle 

They put things back

To the Way They Should Be

And I feel like

That there is supposed to be

A Jeffrey Jones

Or Sam Beckett

Or somebody with

A mysteriously impressive

Pocket watch

(or screwdriver)

Fixing things

Somebody with nimble fingers

And a handlink 

Leaping to those spots

Where our leaders failed

Or died

To those places

Where everybody is heartsick

Blind

Battle worn

I am sure

That some of these knots

Are not supposed to be here

Maybe Phineas

Stopped listening to Jeffrey

Because he fell in love

Hard enough 

To let the threads tangle

And break

Maybe Sam really

Did leap home 

Finally.

Maybe he needed Al

In order to see the 

Tapestry

Maybe we need

Our time travelers

To be heartsick

Themselves

Never resolving their pasts

Never correcting mistakes

Maybe we need them

Tangled & broken

With threads pulled loose

Maybe the Fates

Do what they can

Gnarled fingers poking through

Taut, twisted yarn

Maybe dreaming

Of time travelers 

Has ruined us.

We are Time travelers already

Going one way

Going forward

Forgetting the picture

Woven behind us

And no Ziggy

(or doctor)

To put us right.

Tell Me "Merry Christmas"

Let me say,
As we usher in
The holiday season,
That I am totally OK
With the phrase
"Merry Christmas"
And if you want to
Tell me
"Merry Christmas"
As a tiding of goodwill
Then yes, of course
Tell me
"Merry Christmas"
I will likely say
The same exact thing
Back to you
But please, if I slip
And say
"Happy Holidays!"
Or if I greet you first
And I am in a
Groove
And I say to you,
Dear Christmas adherent,
"Happy Holidays!"
Please do not be angry
Please don't assume I'm
Missing the point
When I was young
"Happy Holidays"
Meant "Happy Thanksgiving
After which, I hope
You have a
Merry Christmas,
Followed by a festive
New Year's!"
Truth be told,
It means more
To me now.
It also means
"I don't know exactly what you celebrate
But I hope it is joyful & lovely"
And yes
It also means
"Happy Hanukkah"
And "Happy Solstice"
And other holy observances
That sometimes coincide
With the Christmas season
It applies to atheists
Because they actually
Love their families
And getting a day off
And I want them to
Have a good time
So yeah
"Happy Holidays"
Is a sort of loaded phrase.
I can not speak for everyone
But I know for myself
And the people in my life--
The ones who like
"Happy Holidays"--
This phrase is not loaded
With animosity or contempt
We do not say it
To spite you
And any request
For schools or businesses
Or public figures
To consider
"Happy Holidays"
Or "Season's Greetings"
Is rooted in our love
For each other.
I still have a hard time
Remembering
The holiest days
Of some of my friends
Because, growing up,
My school
My calendar
My neighborhood
Didn't care
Well, I care now
There is nothing wrong
With kindness mixed
With brevity
And what's wrong with being
A little generic--
"Hello, stranger.
I am extending kindness
To you, no matter
Who you are or
How you worship."
What is wrong with that?
I believe you
When you say
That "Merry Christmas"
Means that also
I believe you
When you say
That Christ is
The Reason for the Season
You are celebrating the birth
Of the Savior of the World
So I WANT you
To say, "Merry Christmas!"
I want to hear your joy
Thank you for sharing
Your joy with me
You like saying, "Merry Christmas"
Then say it to me!
Say "Merry Christmas"
Because you love Jesus
Say "Merry Christmas"
Because you grew up saying it
Say "Merry Christmas"
Because "Chriss-Muss"
Is sing-songy and
Fun to say
Merry Christmas!
I trust you.
I trust your goodwill.
This time of year
We are encouraged to
Be kind
So, when I
Or somebody
Shares their joy
And says
"Happy Holidays!"
I hope you trust me.
I hope you trust them.
At the very least
I hope you are kind.
Merry Christmas.