TODAY IS December 2, 2024 (from Eros & Thanatos) just begun

December 2, 2024

BETTER WAIT

Electric radiators have come on to my waking
Still in my night clothes Gus admires my matching
Tolerates some belly snuggles but he is all claws
Defining his boundaries and looking
down at his empty breakfast dish
that I leave empty this is a dead loss
for a poem no matter
How much I hurt these words
are empty Unless I lie,
make coffee, have a cigarette
But more importantly I need
even my my

my leg to write
So I’ll open the blinds and decide
Whether to wash before wearing
my leg or put my leg on right this
minute to make me feel whole again. 
Though the twitch in my dick meant
Happy Good morning day dreams
can start unassisted before breakfast 
Let go my leg go let go my leg go.
I don’t smoke anymore how long
how long does anymore last
as far as the professional look,
I’m clean. But I remember lovers
who brought their smokes, all of us
putting them aside for the children
we brought into our lives our desire
with a different light. 

From Pieces of My Mind/My Body in Parts

November 29, 2024

My good foot.

TOES

The big toe is called a toe
not a fancy name like thumb
which, I suppose is also a finger
of which I have the requisite number
ten of course, with a ring
on my ring finger calling out
my marital status in a fine
textured tungsten my wife
has two in different sizes
but she has the requisite
number of toes, ten also
matchy matchy which I love
anointing with lotions
making up for my loss
of five toes that never returned
from the market or let’s
be specific the Winnipeg
General Hospital. My toes
remaining are now five,
noting again the big toe
recognized for its size
but alas the remaining
four are sad examples
once again hammertoes
bleeding into my shoes
after bleeding through
my compression socks
my doctors complain
about the degree of difficulty
in straightening my bones
those in my remaining
five toes the easiest
one might think, unless
grabbing for tarmac
they remember my
left foot, amputated
on my says so
April 5, 2018
the ankle fusion
a failure and all five
toes lost in the
operating theatre
well-lit for their
final bow.

STARTLE

November 17, 2024

STARTLE

Sideways, damn
My eyes open
Ceiling not overhead
but under my bed
My flight flips frightens
No soul no soul no soul
Danger danger danger
We taught our children
Not to come near the stovetop.
Elements cook porridge
Hot hot hot!
Our cat reaches for my arm
“Please please may I have
More books to chew?
My breakfast disappears
In a few minutes,” I turn away
Looking for vomit which starts
With V and that’s rhymes with pee
There’s trouble in River City
Get the trombones!!!!!!!!!
I jump out of my chair
How did I get there
Too much here
That’s what!