Roof Dog

Roof dog,
bigger’n
all the others.
A tarantula
on fours,
those legs,
those paws.
More powerful’n
anything
I got.
His bark
grows
like a fastball
and pops
the mitt
of my
twice-licked
ear.

Clark Griswold

I'm like that man

who goes to visit his relatives
and is upon arrival,
immediately shunned by
the extended family present...
mostly in-laws. I guess
I am married. My wife's
kid has died,
but I'm not upset,
so I don't think I'm the father.

The Secretary of Dreams

I was recording

Kofi Annan's remittances:
forgive, pardon,
put back into position, pay back?

It was 2 a.m.
and the Nations was closed.

I was starting to track
states of awareness
before
bedtime.

Kofi asked me,
Does it matter
how you are
before you sleep?

I mean Which state
is best? he said.
Which do I favor?
Soberstan,
Alcohol's Kingdom,
United Drugs,
or a Combo Federation?

Let's find out, I said.

LET'S FIND OUT!

Trick Candles

          Everything was shifting,
          like an octagon on wheels…


The butt is where
my head is at,
rummaging for sleep
in that soft
caramel foam,
that sticky cantina
of brown tar
and pale-ale haze.

Sleep, sleep,
poor head, (I say,)
The cigarette
burned out long ago, No—

The nicotine still
waves its orange baton,
the smoke still rises,
its rings yet round,
resting like haloes
on the hurt of night.

Booze and Pills

No pills to speak of.  Aspirin.  Over the counter allergy medicine.  Been drinkin some Jim Beam Black though.  Good stuff.  On the rocks.  Saturday night and Sunday night.  Nothing special but good sippin.

Scotch Tasting Notes

In a blind taste test of six scotches, these were my reactions to each scotch, my guess as to what the scotch was, and the actual identity of each scotch.

1.
Soft, prolly a blend, drinkable, warm, chewy. I think Johnny Walker Black. Wrong: It was Glenfiddich 12.

2.
More distinct smell, more fire, prolly a single, prolly one of the twelves, more peat, apple cider?, i like the first better, this one lingers more. I think Glenfiddich 12. Wrong: Glenlivet 12.

3.
Rank, caramel, based on just smell I say J&B, I still think J&B based on taste, there is some fruit, going to my head. I think J&B. Wrong: Johnny Walker Red.

4.
A mouthful!, some heat on after taste, a single, maybe the 15, at the end not distinctive, maybe all running together, at least a twelve, my second favorite next to #1. I think Glenfiddich 15. Wrong: J&B.

5.
On smell, it's the second Johnny. It's Johnny Red. Could be J&B. I think Johnny Red. Wrong: Glenfiddich 15.

6.

Probably a 12. Glenlivet 12. Wrong: Johnny Black.

There you go. J&B pulls a suprise second-best showing while Glenfiddich 12 proved to be my blind favorite. To do this tasting, I and two friends bought small, 50 mL bottles of scotch and had someone administer to us a blind taste test. It's a great way to find out which scotches (drinks) you like absence the presence of price tags.

VITAMIN C CHAUFFEUR

'I'm tempted
      to contact
the driver.

'Those are the facts
     but that's alright.
I'm not really thinking about it.'

I must drop the sword
     to create the end
of this.

'I'll submit to these
     truths.' Head shake;
shutter. 'Bad vitamin.

'At this point
     I'm done in pretty much
every way.'