willing

the room of my mind
round
without windows
edgeless
stark and empty
illuminated
by unknown source

one occupant
proudly undulating
at the room's
center
an embodiment cast
silver
pointed with readiness
toward every question

yes

and all its fair consequences

man in black

an absence of color
brings vibrancy where color
abundantly thrives
like a light
in the thickest of darkness
a paradox
of visual aesthetic
a vacuum
in a galaxy unbound

absorbing man

it occurs to me
one late November day
that the air could be sweeter
if my hands would touch stone
and siphon all life from the earth

dressed to kill

they come from every angle
ghouls and beasts and zombies
floating, sliding, shuffling
chasing away hoarded demons
while wearing demons' vests and dresses
cultivating a mild celebration of expression
a potent need for the grimmest macabre
illuminated by the dirty dusty trails
of brightly fantastic but fallen stars
they are the bringers and hardcore acolytes
of the one and only final horror
there is an end
that comes to all of us
the path, the path is crucial

blacksmith

calloused hands
slam down the hammer
to cast the iron
and forge the steel
as tremendous battles rage
in distant fields littered
with mountains of burning
souls that wail and cry out
for home and country
until the night becomes silent
and cold as an unforgiving grave

recipe for resurrection

i'm finding these days
i still feel warmth
for things unexpected and
gracefully out of reach

the distance peppered with
bitter/hopeful longing

add a little sugar to taste

zombie apokalypse

rolling full throttle
past ravenous hordes
of flesh-eaters and soul-suckers
blunt pipe in one hand
sharp blade in the other
quick bash to the forefront
wide slash to the rear
wave upon wave
of merciless entropy
hungry for life
finds death after death

objectified

lightning from the inside
draped in the colors of
fiery Autumn
oppressed by
enamored with
countless peering desires
willing and able to give
if only for a little while

Morning

With dark early morning
I brush aside the mist and dew
Push the pistons forward then back
Sparking the flame
Crawling upright
Toward an unfathomable end

Anniversary

One year removed from the day of my "death"
Three hours past the dark breath of midnight

I walk drunk and alone on a storm cresting beach
Leaving nearer souls to rest miles behind me

I carry you heavy still within my heart
As the moon grows full and bears silent witness

To a passionate love that will live on and on forever

Love as I Know It

A heart, just a heart
No mind, no body
Tumbling over a waterfall
Crashing into the water below
Bobbing and twisting
Surfacing
A heart, just a heart
No mind, no body
Adrift in an endless river
Toward the distant sunset

Alice

I dreamt of my ex-girlfriend last night
She was a lovely lady
With an abundance of grace and class
I was lucky she never chucked me
For the apparent lack of either I possessed

In the dream she had taken a turn for the worst
Riddled her porcelain skin with trashy tattoos
Of barbed wire and beer cans and Confederate colors
She smoked cheap cigars with little plastic tips
This was not the Alice I knew and loved

But neither is the real one anymore.

Katya & Accents Publishing @ Lexington Book Fair 5/10

Evil Empire

Downtown Lexington

Iron Man 2 Live Art

The Father, the Sun

Cumulus congestus outstretches and slices
at the neck of young cumulus mediocris,
severing med's head at its base

The cloud splits in two and floats leaving
an unflawed circle of impenetrable light
in the wake of celestial infanticide

New daylight uplifting shines downward and warms
the world entire with life-giving luminosity
and I bloom

In the breaking dawn

the old Indian sadhu gave warning:
eating one eye of the painted blackbird
causes the conscious mind to heave and surge,
expanding beyond the far-reaching walls
of the great, collective Imagination

So I ate both eyes

The Stink of Revolution

On the space behind the toilet

A large and meticulously drawn mushroom cloud

Exploding beneath an arc of ominous portent:

"THE SOUTH WILL RISE AGAIN!"

Looks like there's been an accident

Someone left shit on the wall

Patriarchy

After some years with few worthwhile exchanges
I pick up the phone to call my unknown origin

A small and half-ass attempt at resuscitating
The lifeless body of a fragile past

Little surprise, no one answers
Giving me pause and admitted slight relief since

My words are strenuously precious to me so
I don't want to waste any more of them

As further bricks and mortar on
The foundation of an already broken home

Search Party

Setting out for parts unknown with
old gray pack upon my sinking spine,
new gray hair bristling on my weathered face

I'll slice the wind with a hopeful blade,
keep a gust to cool my temperament
and laugh at barking masses hurling ill-formed insults

I'll build a ladder from bones of fallen
since the Mind's perspective is much clearer
after climbing to enlightened peaks

Please send your kiss on burning flares
high into distant skyline and always stoke
deep desire that keeps you warm inside and waiting

I found you once in hollow, wounded shells
of something lesser so I vow steadfastness
'til I hear your cherished heartbeat once again

The Path of Chao Ping

A pond
Stones poking up
From beneath the water
In geometric patterns
At the center a large boulder
Atop which sits a panda
Whose head is aflame
He raises his eyes to me
Bares his teeth and says
"Nanamagari"

Katya

I caught a snowflake as it fell
Gave it a name before it melted away forever
It lived uniquely then, if just for a moment
The envy of all the other snow

3

The universal Trinity gives you these options
Obviously...
Mind, body, or spirit
Three individual and distinct aspects
Each and everyone is filed away
Categorized on the planes of a triangle
Broken with an introduction of soul

In a Vacuum

The comfort of my nice warm bed holds
A mind and body grumbling from late night hunger

Questions about the need for unobtained treasure
Thoughts of my nightly rest with/without you

If I should die here before I see morning
These are final moments of my currently burdened experience

I'll leave them all behind to dance through the void
Cultivated in the sweetened grace of your absence

Some Guy

This guy I know
He works in a bookstore
Gets passed over for a promotion he so badly wants
This insults him
He grows frustrated and quits in anger
Walks out in disgust
With no new job or future prospects
Just the bitterness of self-sown defeat
He goes back to collect his final paycheck
Dressed to the nines in a fancy, brand new business suit
Just to show those bitches he doesn't need them
But they all know better
He can't hide the sad truth behind his wounded bravado
He's there out of necessity
That suit isn't going to pay for itself

The Fallen

I tripped and fell down a hole
I kept falling and falling
I think I fell forever
When I finally reached the bottom
I was so happy to not be falling
I didn't feel the pain of impact
I stood up and dusted myself off
The hole was deep and the sky just a pinhole
I looked down at that ground with remembrance
I picked up the shovel that was left for me
I started to dig

The Puzzle

It's the state of completeness
A steady flow of cohesive thoughts and bright ideas
An emotional Pangean garden
Where perfect days are long and bountiful
Giving way to deepest soothing nights
The air is love
The water, forgiveness
The earth crawling and shifting with wisdom
Bright passion burns hotter than a white supernova
Pulling all the disconnected pieces into one
Making everything complete
Making me whole

Wherlwind

I hear her heavy sigh in the wind
She carries in her heart the dream of solace
A rolling wave of cool breeze and elevation
She passes 'round me like seductive smoke
Through me like a subtle but thorough vibration
She's the world's most powerfully elusive song
I stand tall to absorb and embrace her
But all I can do is listen

I'm a Piler

I'm a piler
I make piles of things
Books, socks, Christmas cards
Like an ant
Building shelter out of everyday things
Just as my ancestors did long before me

My Regret

When I roll out of bed and open the day
They pass in front of me like dressed-up windows in downtown shops
All the times I've said "I love you" and meant it
If I could take them all back I'd be tempted
Giving up precious years spent with friends and lovers
Just to clear the space without them from my heart overflowing
That is the power and madness of my regret