Advo-Cat

She shows us the way to the bathroom
In the night when we cannot see,
She guides us to the couch
Making us mindful of our laps,
She answers our queries
Like the Oracle,
Telling us not to take the trip to Lodi,
She is mute about questions
Concerning the stock market
Or the lottery,
When asked when the starships are coming
She looks toward Andromeda.

After Eating A Morel Mushroom Sandwich

The air got quiet in the room,
The walls began to shimmer and glow,
Then in came the Great Bliss Queen
To show her stuff which was pretty amazing,
Why don’t you awaken in the dream?
Why don’t you grasp the fact that you are dreaming?
So that others that also awaken
May avoid illusory suffering and confusion?
There’s no use in calling your shot
Unless you’re the Babe,
You’re not on any bus or in anybody’s book,
All you are is a body of light,
Just like everyone else,
So what’s the point?
Mere conjecture, my friend, mere conjecture.

The Importance Of Having An Advocate

We set off down along the creek to look for morels,
The Advocate and I,
Not speaking, just hiking briskly through the brush,
Far off
We heard a quail whistle
But there was no return,
We came upon a cemetery in the clearing,
A good place for mushrooms,
But there were none to be found
Among the moss-covered stones,
Only names and dates and the hush of wind
In the old red cedars,
We sat awhile, the Advocate and I,
With our backs to the trees
Not speaking, just sitting quietly,
A breath of wind brought us ancient voices
That sang as a single mushroom grew at our feet,
So we got up and set off down along the creek,
The Advocate and I,
To look for more.

The Importance Of Having A Pope

The Pope represents the epitome of succession plans,
He knows all of the secrets,
Where all of the relics are hid,
All of the secret passageways
To Germany and beyond,
Under his red, wide-brimmed hat
Is the key given to St. Peter,
The one that unlocks every door
In the minds of mitered Cardinals,
Diocesan edicts come from his mouth in silken banners,
He dines with Saints at the tables of the Holy,
Long brass trumpets blast his presence,
Actors and actresses are granted audience
After close scrutiny of their true purpose,
He chooses only the best of Church histories
And ignores the rest,
White smoke announces his selection
Just as black smoke will announce his death,
He can walk in the valley and fear no evil,
His staff of many comforts him,
He sees and hears Cherubim and Seraphim
And his room is filled with smoke,
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow him
In the car behind the Popemobile
Because after all, a man is just a man.

After Hearing "Quartet For The End Of Time" Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992)

I. Liturgy of Crystal

The splash of red wine in the glass sets it to ringing
In tune with the cardinal in the cherry tree,
A dream of a crystalline bed in which you cannot be seen
Peeking over the sideboard to hear the Cellist play
The droning, palindromic sigh.

II. Vocalise, for the Angel who announces the end of time

The cat walks up and down the staircase,
Each step a piano key,
Then delicately balances on the rail
As the tap of the computer keyboard
Meshes with the percussion of heat ducts cooling off,
The Earth travelling its orbit
Pauses in silence,
The Angel appears at the front door.

III. The Abyss of Birds

Waking every morning with no alarm
Only the sound of cooing pigeons in the pines,
Or the nightbird making its last call
After being joined with irreverent howlings
From coyote pups
Who upset the neighbors’ Percheron
That kicks in the loafing shed wall,
The clarinetist's perfect tone and circular breath
Capture the deep sound of birds and trees.

IV. Interlude

The double light switch
Doesn’t turn on any lights,
Switches flipped simultaneously
Send electrons charging through the wires
Apparently to nothing.

V. Elegy to the eternity of Jesus

Isaiah 40;1-2 (KJV)

“Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God,
Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem
And say to her
That her warfare is accomplished.”

VI. Dance of fury, for the seven trumpets

In unison the quartet brings in the Grotesqueries,
Flirting with the End Time,
Carrying histrionic baggage into the present,
Becoming increasingly translucent
As the musical score transcends the surroundings
The Angel appears in a rainbow
With no purse,
No sandals,
Speaking to no one
He shakes off the dust from his feet,
Sits down and pours a glass of wine.

VII. Mingling of rainbows for the Angel who announces the end of time

Black musical notes fall off of the plaid pillow
Spilling onto the wood floor
Where ants gather and eat them,
Light illuminates the Buddhas of Good Fortune,
The Day of the Dead figurines,
The serpentine trunks of Sandzen’s Haunted Trees,
Upstairs the computer keyboard glows pink,
The setting sun
Brings out the darkest hues
Of trees and flowers,
Four dogs fall over each other
Chasing a red squirrel.

VIII. Elegy to the immortality of Jesus

The high F harmonic resonates forever
With the vision of the violinist’s little finger
Losing flesh,
Becoming bone
As the bow slowly comes to a stop.

(Headings by O. Messiaen)

I'm Not The Future, I'm The Past

The dentist told me that I was done
All I had to do now was coast,
Thanks a lot I thought,
I suppose this is all the dental floss I need,
Nobody really owns dental floss he said,
I didn’t even rate a free toothbrush,
So I’m probably a liability
With good teeth,
What about that old amalgam I ask,
Nope, good as gold he tells me,
What if I get in a fight and get one knocked out?
You’re too old for that he says,
His hand on my shoulder guides me
Past the trickling waterfall and out the door,
Nothing about see you later?
No six month checkup scheduled?
I kept looking over my shoulder
While I walked down the hall
To see if he was still there,
All I saw was a flash of light
Coming off one of those little mirrors
He always had in his pocket,
He was using it as a periscope
Watching me get on the elevator
Making sure I was gone,
Later at the shoe store,
The clerk says there you are, old fella,
All fixed up,
Probably the last pair of shoes you’ll ever need.

This Is Why

Sun squares Jupiter
Sextile Neptune
Mercury T Square Mars,
Square Jupiter
April 13th.
As the Planets align
Things begin to change.
Passion and practicality
Rule the Universe,
As fleet-footed Mercury
Chases the Sun.

Suffer not the sorcerer to live.
Exodus 22:17

Contemplating Recent History While Listening To Early Acid Rock

The old rockers are still rocking,
‘Though some of them in chairs
Look through Haight-Ashbury
Rose colored glasses,
Counting flowers on the wall
Doesn’t seem to bother them,
Where did that music come from?
Where did it go?
How old are all the young dudes?
Experimental early Johnny Rotten?
Where were you when Lynard Skynard went down?
Just picked up a pound of Gold
Turned around and you were gone,
Waving at the engineer on the
Last Train to Clarksville,
Terrified of the witch on the bicycle,
Living in Kansas
Where twister is much more than a game.

The Evolution of Purple Haze

Ca 1970's "'Scuse me while I kiss the sky."
Ca 1990's "'Scuse me while I kiss this guy."
Ca 2000's "'Scuse me while I kill this guy."