emotional winds
cold gusts turning warm then hot
changing directions

wading in my mind's stream
panning for inspiration
bright bits...eureka

laying side by side
in a crescent moon hammock
our love lights the skies

weary of roses
pseudo blossoms leave the bush
to imitate rocks

wish I could see you
from the observation deck
lightyears between us

across a black sky
where childish daydreams once flew
scream angry missiles

my abduction
part of a scavenger hunt
Martian frat houses

morning housework
red dust on the furniture
smelling of mars

under damp street lights
rusty smirks on chrome face plates
hollow-eyed hookers

life's clock keeps ticking
here within my time machine
I'm not immortal

factory reset
after the first incident
dark dreams still persist

too soon my skin sheds
this is who I really am
will you still love me

after years of war
weary heroes fly homeward
no earth to greet them

she walked out on him
it was her usual stunt
except for the airlock

millions of people
listening to SETI static
bored with their own kind

god once seemed larger
now our spaceships pass his house
a quaint museum

distant relatives
pour through the keyhole
every Thanksgiving

in the head cupboard
he reaches for the Cad jar
then changes his mind
literally

time travel is cool
Jesus let me kiss his cheek
where do we go next

four children - three swings
the brat, the youngest, their friend
and someone to push

you miss her don't you
he asks a similar face
all the time, they say
so then you knew my mother
no, but I still miss my wife

living underground
certain those fools dropped the bomb
seasons elude us

a scratch at my door
a face from another world
seen through the peephole

the neighbor lady
off to join old friends each night
flies across the moon

papa laughs all the time
the madness frees his senses
how I envy him

space punks flew me home
we drank ammonia and played
mercury bluegrass

zero-g spit balls
show a clear trajectory
back to the class clown

my package arrived
life-form-of-the-month-club
a terran six-pack

alien pride week
marked by parades and banners
Green is Beautiful

same face - same questions
are you my clone - am I yours
are we both copies

solar-powered ships
travel at the speed of light
more or less

robot bartender
processes my sob story
pours me a free round

my handsome escort
reveals his dark intentions
be still my heart

tasteless young women
bland in life - bland in death
need more seasoning

rolling through the park
some of the old spark still left
robots in love

grandpa's holograph
tells my kids bedtime stories
just like he used to

journey
across the stars
finding nothing but happiness
nothing

I held my firstborn
he didn't seem real to me
not until he laughed

shadows of morning
shadows of night - I awake
uncertain of which
deepened dust lay undisturbed
for centuries have I slept

hush
hush
dearest
little one
mamma’s lullaby
summons soothing sleepy angels
their wee wings flit and flutter upon your cheeks and brow

laugh
sing
offspring
lost in play
let them keep today
for youth renders them deaf and blind
to talk of war and the army descending the dunes

time
tick
ticking
tick-tock-tick
never standing still
with no regard for history
not even here and now and promises no future

test driving space coupes
through the upper atmosphere
last year's markdowns

cursed singles' dances
rude werewolves or cold vampires
why do I bother

galaxy....family circle full of frictions and favorites

sax blows black hole blues
swallowing souls passing by
coins clink in tip jars

clouds pass overhead
wind and imagination
shape then reshape them
a white bunny then a swan
then a lady in a hat . . .

perforated dust
footprints left by dreamland sprites
across the headboard

hung in the great hall
the skulls of our enemies
be you friend or foe
we drink to their bravery
one day we may drink to yours

burial chamber
one plaque, two empty coffins
wall shadows dancing
full moon, fresh scent of roses
distant laughter, endless love

an old warrior
will always know when to fight
and when to retreat
wise oracles prophesize
just enough to stay employed

an ugly bard sings
of love’s sweet joys or loves lost
as if he would know

happy is the king
perchance both bland and blind
or simply content
knowing his queen is loyal
and his jester is no fool

kisses from the queen
bragging rights for all their days
with scars to prove it
the tournament champions
no real battles left to fight

beneath the castle
shrill screams and morose groaning
dungeon symphony

clung beneath a rock
a single strand of her eggs
their species' last hope

too many footprints
the killer's victory dance
by a shallow grave

floating above me
I see family and friends
my casket is blue