for me to watch and to listen
to any of it tonight
would’ve been to
abandon myself
completely

I can no longer afford
to beg for love
from thieves

White fan flowing air
a grey cat meows in my ear 
you giggle and laugh 

soft lamp light over me
a quilt pulled up to my chest 
tomorrow comes soon 

we sit with our phones 
weaving our wonder and love
audible with taps 

grey cat makes biscuits 
and you ask is it her love 
the black cat now joins 

all four of us here 
meows, purrs, taps, giggles and laughs 
it is all our love

they both end the night
back arched, head angled to stretched
hands, craving our love

after the fireworks 
are spent 
in the middle of summer 
it always feels like 
it is over 
and the weight t
of winter can 
be already felt
all across the chest 

Vesuvius
Was sure nice
When they gave us that
Snapshot of
of 79 CE

The tables, the mosaic
amphoras full of garum
Like vintage poster ads
of a wine mixer

Wine and garum
Tuna intestine mixed with moray eel
Flying penis windchimes
We rounded the day of keys
painted walls, bronze figurines
of Mercury, Jupiter, Athena
A gorgeous statue of Aphrodite
carved of the finest marble
A centerpiece for an indoor waterfall
Which supplied water to the house
Escher had seen such a thing,
Plaster casts of people 
Their, arms, feet
Positions

with a 12 Mile bikeride along the Little Miami
some homeade german dive bar food
A Fever sausage,
a goat cheese + spinach beet
asparagi, reuben,
Yellow squash, green beans,
mephitis mephitis
A leisurely Cemetery arboretum romp
Old knotty Catalpas
Sunset in dear old Covington

Sitting in a restaurant by the window
I see us, in another life
Dining together. A game of hangman
Between us.

Zach Bryan’s new album on the stereo

Good friends on a patio

Cheap drinks and games that make us laugh

A round of pool

And strangers all around

The great American bar scene

Feels like home,

Wraps me in a cozy blanket

And whispers sweet nothings

for my dear friend danielle

locks of tangerine summershine gleam
parted like a lively street
a row of power lines in between trees

sun splashed countryside
a rose colored daydream

you are a cherry-flavored drink
sickly sweet
wild as the daffodils that
line the streets
freckled like little strawberry seeds

i wish you knew
velvet roses in midsummer bloom for you
and tulips come springtime do, too

Through held hands around the
ring of smiles and laughs,

down to our feet as we circle left,
then right, swing, do-si-do, and promenade.

As we switch partners and
tap our feet between moves,

find ourselves skipping to the beat
as we circle, a hop in our promenade,

a sashay here, a rip and snort there,
we move faster,

exchange glances and grins, then
come together for a holler and holler again,

come forward with clapping and
shout our thanks to the band.

Taking stock of the blood vessels in my eyes,
I blink twice for every second of sleep lost
conceiving tomorrow’s fixation.
This is a calculated undoing.
Now comes the part where I do it again