she is insubstantial as starlight brightening the sky but the light diffuses right before lightening my spirit a wisp that floats dark against the night smoke that lingers with a heady scent of lavender loss on the breeze this constant ache replaced with sorrowful reminiscences does she see me as i see her a shadow […]
thistlescars made of heartsbane spun of glass in the empty castle of the soul at the bottom of an aquarium on an end table adjacent to the edge of the world
resilliant resistant persisting through disillusionment a tin can telephone sending missed calls to inattentive ears an important message carved into young flesh to fester forgive me mother for i have sinned in truth forgive me father for i have lived on after you forgive me daughter for i have not always been a man forgive […]
lost in translation the emancipation of flagrant anticipation left to boil in the fervent need of another day in nowhere another night spent chasing wishes casting lines casting nets casting spells casting calls the call of the wild wonder of whimsy cashed in like chips at the table chip off the old block old denim […]
stream of consciousness dream of unconsciousness ream of paper beam of light reflected off a skyscraper scamper to the hamper to answer the questions hawk circles thermals drift slowly rabbit hops in the thick underbrush beneath the mesquite thorns corded muscles the vein pulses in his forehead another lost soul drifting in the middle of […]
the master link was removed and the chain went flying into the bowels of the machine the master link was removed and the chain went flying into the bowels of the machine a simple thing the master link a locking clip then it falls apart to change the chain requires more than two hands the […]
he jettisoned the artificial atmosphere out into the vacuum of space in a sudden flash of insanity he had grown tired of the endless nothing hidden behind thick shielding that protected from solar radiation gave in to the soft call of oblivion whispering in the loneliness of the capsule halted gasps as his eyes pooled […]
i drove between orange cones like a maniac clamtongue with sea salt blood and anger boiling in gouts of briney spew like the liquefied remains of earnest hopes scalded by abusive mothers filled with the special indignation only the narcissistic self loathing can muster i told myself if she raised that hanger again to hell […]
she dances in front of the window a lone candle flickers behind her the light sends shadows across the lot to my apartment draws my eyes she dances unaware of my eyes upon her the way she sways as sinuous as the flickering light itself an intense eroticism i strain to hear the music that […]
in my life i have played a lot of games card video board made up pen and paper you name it but i never figured out the games people play with emotions i am a lot of things most bad but i never entered into a conversation with the express aim to toy with someone […]
the evening rode him as fiercely as any lover ever had caressing his naked body blanketing him in it’s intangible grasp he sits rock hard in the sheer darkness his mind only on her
she pulled a shard of glass from beneath her left breast with a wince of pain masked by a smile i watched heartblood drip in fat crimson drops onto the barren soil beneath her bare feet her smile held a tinge of sadness as she looked deeply into my eyes clutching the soulglass meant for […]
she lays silently the plastic wrap clings to her still form her blue lips locked in a rictus of fear her staring eyes still scream accusations the shiny gray duct tape bracelets dulled in the muted light of another migraine sitting in the darkened room a faint smile erased by another grimace of pain flashes […]
i have seen the swarming blades like flies on the bloated carcass ripe with gases in the hot summer afternoon of yet another installment of hell on earth danced in the hurricane of murderous intent with nary a glance nor assumption as to which hand holds the end of this wasted life of lies
the lone lightbulb hangs from the wire sways on the errant wind of ghosts dancing in the murkiness of the basement with cracked concrete floor and the pervading scent of mold of mildew of coppery hints at hidden nefarious deeds done in the faint light of the incandescent bulb the shadows stretch angrily as the […]
take the void and all the goddamned lies of duplicitous doorknobs dangling participles undifferentiated nightshivers creeping up your spineless quivering jellyfish disassociation regress backwards with your drooling misanthropic nature hidden behind compassionate facades your eyesluts honeyed words dripping from a serpents tongue to sizzle acidicly take the void and all the goddamned lies the duplicity […]
she has the eyes of an angel the lips of the devil the curves of a seaside road at dusk and the hands of a serial killer she has the voice of salvation the scent of damnation the heart of devotion spoken between beats and the mind of a poetic scholar in her is equal […]
Dear readers Hello, my name is Mike and I am addicted to music and writing and Her. It could be worse, it could be drugs. So I have slipped back into the spell of Idles since they did an NPR Tiny Desk concert Thursday. I’d gone cold turkey for months and suddenly the spiders danced […]
i am prone to musical obsessions falling into a band no other satisfying for weeks on end once kicked i avoid them for a bit afraid of relapsing into the catalogue of brilliance again so excuse me while i play joy as an act of resistance on repeat for the next couple days or weeks
in his mind she was a buffet of extravagance a feast for hungry eyes for tasting tongue for savage desire a cornucopia of earthly pleasures wrapped in the most delightful package he was hungry as well he realized mixing metaphors combining hungers knowing neither would be satisfied with empty turns of phrase empty ability to […]
the common misconception is the wax melted causing the fall another angel to plummet down ever down into the soil of an unmarked grave lost to the annals of time it was the cold that made the wax brittle that wilted the feathers it was poor design based on apprehension forged in fear laid out […]
feels as if a rat has taken up residence in my head gnawing at the wires short circuiting the connections between real and dream feels as if a rat has curled up in my chest slowly devouring my heart until all that remains is the wispy memory of a fully functional being this body of […]
there is a fortune of misfortune in a plethora of ideas but an inability to settle upon one so i write a thousand words in each as an exercise to stretch my brain on the assumption one will stick my faith in my abilities has been greatly tested not in my words but the chance […]
i listen to her breathing just grateful to share time with her sending my love to her as she sleeps does she understand the simple joy i receive simply knowing she exists that everyday is brighter because of it the contentment of a life with her after so long searching giving up in the face […]
passengers, this is your captain speaking, i am not a religious man, nor am i good father or husband i cheat, drink, curse, speed, ogle, manipulate, aggravate, intimidate, perpetrate, instigate, and when i was thirteen stole an entire series of books suffice it to say when my time of reclining comes, the fires of hell […]
walking on eggshells on broken glass barefoot each sliver covered in salt salty from another missed opportunity another missing seance for the lost soul of happiness given a viking funeral off the shores of this valhalla made of matchsticks and driftwood a lone tear trails down through the cracked foundation painting pretty cheeks a pale […]
she read me poetry as i drove down the crowded highway the words were mine but the meaning shifted as i heard them from another mouth they became disassociated with my tangled self perception became something different i could finally see in a new light
pulverized by pedantically worrysome thoughtspeak cinnamon and lilacs float across inflamed sinal dismay if silence can be deafening the converse must be true joy is silent ignored by fleeting signals of emotional decay freshly shaven skull filled with fire ants marching scurrying little bastards with naught but insolence
i sold my dreams for a moment’s peace my soul for a bit of comfort my mind was denied left to collect dust while my heart was not mine to give away this husk was soured by radon gas by additives in genetically modified corn codified as it was well preserved for use as a […]
it was a huge mistake of epic proportions it was a disaster wrapped in shiny red paper with a bow stuck to the side hell made real but it was necessary even if it didn’t seem so at the time
fight or flight wrong or right the negative sun shines throughout the perpetual night of misery living life on the edge of an eclipse duality through finality walking the edge of oblivion without a care in the world
So I buckled down and selected 250 pages of poetry for a collection. It is ready sent to my agent who is currently shopping it out. So be prepared for the Fool’s forthcoming second collection, Unpoetry. This is the working cover right now by the talented Becky Narron. No idea when or if it will […]
Hello dear friends and readers I hope this letter finds you in good spirits. Me? I’m taking a working vacation from the Manic Word Depot for a few days. It’s been brought to my attention that I need to stop complaining and sort through the 2400(?!?!) poems I have scribbled and make a collection of […]
spin the threads of hearttuft into the webs of deceit then marvel at the prey caught in predatory shimmering nothings these savage revelries of debased shrugged off emotion litter the ground at your hastily stepping feet cupid’s bow notched with gorgon’s arrows lead not to love but the simmering cookpots of time shaven into a […]
my soul has been stamped with next day air postage quickly vacating this shambling body like the coward it is i screamed i would see it in hell at the top of my lungs as it fled like a comet into the horizon i feel gray now the absence of anything i think i like […]
the rudderless boat swept along into the open mouth of the tentacled beast that swallows all lonely seafarers eventually ground to paste in the crushing throat of barbs and hooks made for only destruction never knowing anything but hunger
her every exhale is timed to my inhalation she grinds against me with burning need that can only be reciprocated with every nerve in my body my arm fits perfectly across her ribs her breast fills the palm of my hand as if sculpted specifically for it we are a jigsaw puzzle of ravenous hunger […]
small towns make me feel a sense of comfort deep in my city boy bones even as they weird me out after so long removed smiles and nods from every person even as they give an odd look at earrings and tattoos of blue flames and hades but accepting nonetheless
a tumor on the base of the spine golf ball sized growing rapidly into a mass of cancerous dissent to rally the white blood cells of desperate disgust an insular godlike growth girth and heft a microcosm of sinful slices along the spinal column hollow bird bones marred marrow as misshapen clots travel vascular byways […]
feels as if the ridicule reticule is aimed a little too close to home the subsonic lasers trained on the third eye let pulses fly into another shipwrecked fantasy singing along with the pigeons begging for yet another scrap of bread lost in the ever winding spiralling arm of the milky way searching for my […]
sitting on a parking garage roof watching the world spin itself into a stupor was in a hurry to wait now i am in a hurry to find something to do but for all the gears screaming there seems to be no traction to be gained in the viscosity of perilous nothing so i am […]
some people have grand plans saving up to make them real i have a burnt out light in the bathroom brushing my teeth in the dark thinking three more weeks and i will buy a new bulb stories race through my mind the next poem needs to be written one hundred and some odd days […]
i’ve got a hot glue gun a pile of feathers and so many dreams yet to fulfill with your help maybe i can reach them
cornerstone king at the corner store buying lottery tickets to scratch like the scabs that form across his flea bitten limbs in hopes of replenishing the coffers of another fallen kingdom destitute like the disease laden whores that litter the alleyways of avalon fallen
her touch erased the scars of years of abuse leaving fresh pink skin her smile erased the words driven like spikes into lagging muscle reborn in the flames of raw emotion as the past vanishes slowly, burnt line by line from the histories of a broken fool
i’ve become so spooled around her heart that when she exerts herself my breathing becomes labored as i am compressed tighter and tighter still every beat of her pulse sends shivers of rapturous bliss coursing through the rigid spines of my coiled spring existence
within the apex of heartthorne lies the municipality of inward facing space filled to overflowing with retributive angst long winded diatribes unsubstansive the respites reverse polarity forming a rhombus filled with spite
we dance on the edge of a razor with the effortless grace of a drunken fool intoxicated with chemicals that flush through limbic systems wreaking havoc eschewed of ambiance the congress of ravens watch with beady eyed disdain
i take umbrage in the burnt umber of the dying light for every day banished into night another star falls as i lay dreaming of pastel pastures encroaching darkness screams hollow hallowed or holy the vestibule of sin sets with dismay
burrow into the decayed heartshit like a maggot with probing tongue sharp of fang incessant in need memory veins like ore from which to feast upon with talon and beak carving ownership onto the collapsed walls of cardiac infraction like tagging the bricks of another dirty underpass pre-conscious promiscuity while laying eggs to fester in […]
in the lidless gaze of eternity nothing exists but fleeting motes of dust the oceans evaporate as soon as they form we live and die in the space between breaths existence is the daydream of a toddler in need of a nap
unto which the unsheathed thoughtscythe shears silence into a cacophonous canopy of eerie earthly delights from whence the sparkled onyx blade doth penetrate the aeons of untempered refrain embers fall on tinder flames erupt across the dappled day like tremoring ripples of heavenly disaster brought forth by skeletal dreamspires ashen hopes dashed among the rocky […]
the sun seems lonely today as the lazy day ticks by it is too warm for chilly memories they melt like ice in whiskey even the birds seem to wallow in the shade unwilling to take to the sky alas sorrow for the sun she seems lonely beaming down
apart we were paper maché animals left out in the rain, newspaper with faded ink that dissolved into mushy gray to float down the gutter together we are a masterpiece painted by hands that know no errant stroke framed and hanging in the louvre to be admired by passerbys of all walks of life
a poultice for the soul sticks the staring perennial glare of the burning orb of ocular anger hail the pagans dancing on the longest day around faerie mounds as the earth settles into vibrancy summer summer a fire burns deep blanketing the green with the heat of fresh love spring spring the reawakening passes onto […]
i taught myself to fly because i grew tired of waiting for natural selection to finally enact itself upon my long dormant genealogy i stood at the edge of the abyss and stared unflichingly into it with a fearful smirk drawn in permanent marker across scars with a kiss to the breeze i let myself […]
i never perfected the act of pulling the tablecloth and leaving the table undisturbed so when i leave a room looking like a tornado struck understand i did my best attempt the scattered memories of gale force winds crashing down upon serenity was unintentional for my next trick i shall vanish into the nothing like […]
i dreamt in slanted lines that ran perpendicular to reality anxious things like tentative fireflies skimming across the glassmind of slumber hawkmoths pirouette through gossamer webs as fat little spiders sit silently in anticipation the dreamcatcher drips black tar down the headboard as demons dally in delight the slanted lines of sleepsmoke wafting lazily with […]
je t’aime aujourd’hui plus qu’hier je t’aimerai plus demain qu’aujourd’hui si le soleil s’éteint ce soir ne jamais se relever ton visage éclairera mes ténèbres
black hounds bay with foam flecked maws at the silvery orb in the mist filled onyx canopy iridescent amethyst pulsates across a spectrum of indecent mirage to irradiate the sullen sorrow of contentious wonder hark hark the lark doth trill a song of hopeless heartache the stars blink in mad horror as the darkness becomes […]
the first weekend of divorced life was one of the worst weekends to ever wreak ends as the week ended in a dull ache instead of a restful celebration of weak endings the silence was deafening it’s funny how it is not the things around but the things no longer around that make the biggest […]
she rains in compulsory torrents that thunder down upon my frantic need sending shockwaves of pleasure across molten wastelands of frozen desire i burn as she freezes swirling in opposite directions by equatorial dysfunction while the sun sets over another texas rolling landscape
tattered soulwisps flutter on tangential worries across the aether of summer’s sultry kisses floating gloating corroding down the corridors of coriander promises spent brass spirals bending moonbeams into geometric dreamspit like so many discarded anemic anthems shimmering beetle wings catch the starlight decay cascaded over eons only to be ignored
pedestrian crossing in front of angry drivers staring at their screens unaware or uncaring of the revving engines sounding certain death danger is less dangerous when oblivious to oblivion lost in transition translated into nothing it is too damn early to be so active written on caffeine deprived scowls
she said my words carry a crooked sense of brilliance that may have been the nicest thing i have ever heard my mind goes back and forth and i tend to lose track of the comings and goings but she keeps me centered and that seems like a pretty good deal to me a heart […]
scorched earth left salted as we tip another glass to the burning bridges of yesterday’s smiles the clouds mushroom to kiss heaven rammakins of diuretics left in lucid daydreams of fishing on the shores of toxic spills off the coast of her fevered breaths and moans we writhe on the burning sands lost in one […]
subdermal hemotoma left in the act of calling it making love by inviting violence inciting emotional responders like a nine one one call to the cosmos but only getting a busy signal no cellular service in this dead stretch of ocean no current to sweep another corpse away left to float listlessly until the ravens […]
if i sit here alone pining over her much longer the lignification will take place my tissue will grow fibrous as bark extends over flesh my toes will extend into the carpet burrowing down for nutrients as bitter fruit dangles from phalanges no longer lithe her voice like sharp seeds take root within my ear […]
some days i feel like the broken urinal in an abandoned asylum it doesn’t matter if i were functional or not it isn’t as if ghosts need to take a piss
i trained to be a master of illusion but delusion gave in to intrusion instead so when i pulled a dove from my jacket pocket it was no surprise to anyone when a raven swooped down to claw out my eye before snatching the dove from my shaking hand the rabbit in the hat died […]
one of my favorite sights in the city is right before the forest lane exit heading north on 75 there is a little strip mall with bright red awning that always attracts my eyes the center median that seperates northbound and southbound had lovely red flowers i find myself staring at the blooms as traffic […]
high heels noses jutting into the air tight skirts showing off what pilates and keto and bottles of red wine work to produce dark glasses on faces that barely recognize another person passing thin red lips pursed into an odd smirk cum frown causing lines in the foundation so carefully plastered in the rear view […]
the words of my heart fall from your lovely fingers to pile on the floor like so many discarded valentines written in crayon with dollops of glue and glitter lies you step across them with callous disregard for the meaningless odes to forever with an arched eyebrow and the kind of casual disinterest reserved for […]
swimming through bleached coral as the choral orchestra stands on red algae that feels of rotten meat in the corpulent heat of another episode of the damned souls seeking salvation while living beyond the meanings soar beneath the surface of polluted unfulfilled wishes, eyes burning from toxins, man-made filaments of electro-mechanical angular screams into the […]
the chitinous sun shines hazy mist upon the rabbit warriors draped in vermillion silks as they stride with purpose onto the battlefields craven hyenas in slick business attire, imperial inquisitors of fraudulent taxes in pin striped remnants lope across the dew covered grass the candle burns itself into a hiroshima shadow etched into the cinder […]
her stare is like the big bang resonating across the blank canvas of darkness of my soul she is the only constellation in the sky the brightest star cluster in the aching center of my mind
my neighbor has a parakeet that sits in a cage by the window he looks at me i look at him both of us feeling that intense need to fly somewhere far from the cages we find ourselves trapped in
i was knight on a quest for the holy grail but i got sidetracked watching her as she told me about her life it was then i realized maybe i had found exactly what i had been searching for after all that maybe holy like beauty is in the eye of the beholder it only […]
i long to be your cello placed between your legs played with talented hands your fingers gripping the rigid bow as sweet seduction sounds into the quiet room
sleep deprivation mental distress love songs too loud singing on the couch with broken voice tear streaked cheeks lost in the pit of despair heat seeking missile in desperate desolation need for a bosom to fall head first into i love you even if i am ugly if i am ruined if i am a […]
nuclear fusion in spinal inversion therapy, twisted into knots by the invisible hands of stressful discombobulation, lost in terror, dreaming of fire, all alone in misery unable to bend reality the devil is in the details, the details seem pervasive as the life of the search party with a fine tooth bone comb through every […]
less than two hours been in bed for five but less than two spent sleeping anxiety bubbles acidic stomach head pounding shoulder aching mind racing something is terribly wrong the world is off as thunder screams lightning stabs rain falls angrily
avocados kombucha bananas and three pints of chocolate ice cream possibly the recipe for immortality in smoothie form passed down verbally from monk to monk at a monastary in southeast asia unfortunately for me it is a death sentence as i don’t particularly care for chocolate i wonder if they allow substitutions when granting eternal […]
two packs of cigarettes a lighter two energy drinks and a bottle pineapple juice seems as if someone has plans this evening i pity the woman that kisses this frenetic ball of ash and caffeine but it feels as if his mouth is not the intended recipient of said kisses good for them
there is a pattern to the way blood hits the porcelain tile tear drops, spray, or a flood when the blade pierces your flesh before the white hot pain has a chance to reach your brain you watch the crimson rain down across the floor in disbelief the drops have a delicate ruby quality the […]
the willow bends but never breaks the rock reduced to gravel by the sea the lighthouse stands silently watching learning neither lesson left alone to guard the ships that crest upon the waves a beacon of steadfast solitude a lone man keeps the light burning battered by elements in an oiled canvas jacket deep lines […]
alone by the picture window in the darkest part of the night the moon calls with sing song vibrations across the vastness of space pulses of silent need dance along the vaccuum as she sits watching the pale silver orb flare in silent dream she hears the call longing to answer it with her own […]
she painted the ocean with salty regret, a brush made of fingerbone and eyelashes, framed with the gilded cage in which her heart always slept as she sat alone on the couch the waters poured down her cheeks, a torrent of emotional discharge sweeping across the dark wood of the floor to pull her under […]
the laundromat is quiet, just me and two ladies watching the dirt of another week slowly tumble loose in metallic dissonance another sign from up high as the television shows australia above me, a hint of things to come, a new life washed clean of stains the mexican bakery is busy, the air smells of […]
the whys and wheres blend into hows and whens the bell tolls hollow across the vacant seas of indecencies rampant fires roll across the lush lands of memories the forgotten sights of forbidden beauties fall asunder all that remains is the ashes of another broken vista
en el nicho entre tu barbilla y tu garganta, deseo presionar mis labios, sentir tu pulso correr debajo de la boca hambrienta, lamer el sudor de tu piel, el calor de mi aliento, tu sabor, esta mezcla embriagadora. de amor lujuria y necesidad (in the niche between your chin and your throat, i long to […]
empty your mind, let your heart fill it with find remembrances of home the smell of walking in after a long day, herbs and spices wafting as dinner simmers, the television on low casting shadows upon the well worn carpet, dust mites floating through the air, near frozen in place as bars of light shine […]
the subway car rattles along the track as the bulbs flicker with every subtle motion he sits alone on the worn seat the entire car empty a glance down the line shows no one else in the ascending and descending cars he feels nothing empty outside the dingy windows things coalesce in the darkness eyes […]
it’s father’s day weekend to all the fathers out there trying their best telling lame puns cooking out for the family here is to you mother’s day is about jewelry and flowers father’s day is about the middle of june my dad is dead my kids won’t be here another celebration spent uncelebrated watching the […]
another day another dollar of which seventy five percent is mine of which fifty percent comes home of which forty five percent goes to living another day another nickel to cling desperately to another day another twenty four hours in which sixty six percent is not spent trying to sleep in which thirty three percent […]
i was reading hank and pablo this evening, class for three straight days made my mind exhausted, the constant pain keeps my body lethargic, all in all it has me feeling sub par in every way between the two of them there isn’t a goddamned thing worth writing, no expression to be expressed, no dream […]
i had every intention of writing a poem for you to expound upon your exquisite beauty then i ended up reading and realized all the good stuff had most likely already been written how could this compete with all of that when i cannot hope to write half as well as the other poets so […]
her pupils were elongated slits watching unblinking from the car parked just outside the window her eyelids blinked vertically as her clawed fingers smoldered on the faux leather steering wheel a flash of movement caught her reptilian gaze as a cold smile tugged the corners of dry lips what does she want or hope to […]
spatial awareness lacking, general unfairness stacking, banal existence venal persistence, creeping across vascular thoughts avoiding the mirror like it is a tiger trap, bamboo stakes through the heart of the matterless horizons of skeptical spectacles reasoning logical fallacies like seasoning logistical failings, when you are too tired to sleep yet too awake to properly function […]
i hop out of bed with the force of a star collapsing in upon itself, my twenty three and me traces back to the aliens that molested the apes in the trees, my eyes burn like pepper spray when you accidentally make contact they will leave an afterimage on your retinas for weeks my smile […]
Mike's Manic Word Depot 