Moo Grass Is Green (Draft 1)

Moo Grass Is Green (Draft 1)

The meadow is green with esteem,
the shepherds sheepish to laugh although
the grazing sheep, the cows, and
the stampede of children in the fields
is a deep moo guffaw in the giggle grass
where lovers’ ruminations are wise but wild
and they take their hugs indoors where embraces
make warm days fruitful enough for an after prayer

Oh yes indeed, all is well when
the cows come to walk beyond the pews
to stand tall in the chorus under the stained glass
singing, “Praise the giggle grass and the long chew.
hallelujah we have churned the corner to
times of butter, cream, and honey

The landscape of the shepherd is gentle;
amen and pass the ice cream:
cherry please

— Douglas Gilbert

Wrecking Waves (draft 1)

Wrecking Waves

Melancholy waves I
endure for the current state, but

a past can not sigh on static shores
because the wrecking throb is
pumping sorrow blood
that feeds lachrymal eyes

Sorrow ocean is too vast to carry my breath upon your cheek
across the breadth and depth of shipwrecking currents

In the current state I do not know
where you are floating
if your ship is patched with love
that seals every leak

I imagine if you cry for me
it will not sink your ship
because you will drip those drops
overboard with a prayer the seagulls will hear
and they will tell me where you are

Truly I speak to them
and we are coming

— Douglas Gilbert

Half Full (Draft 1)

Half Full (Draft 1)

When the glass is half full
and not half empty
that is a pretty bad thing
when I knock it over

Unless I’m a conceptual artist
who can sell my photos of the spill
it’s not really that pretty, unless, of course
it was poison

— Douglas Gilbert

Cleaning (Draft 1)

Cleaning (Draft 1)

So you’ve nagged about cleaning
as if there’d be an honorable response

As I read through past papers
rejections slips, collection notices
more emptiness opens
between the torn shreds, and
I realize there is no honor in tidiness

Yes, you are happy I’ve
thrown out more bags
and put boxes in the closet

You praise and celebrate neatness
cocky that nagging has paid off
and I suppose that after I’m gone
the room will be beautiful

Yes, I am slow to unpack, read
and throw out unneeded papers

But I don’t suppose you realize
that when every bit of worthlessness,
every document of failure, every
silly piece of rejected script is
torn and thrown away after re-reading,
that the room will be neat and beautiful
as you would have it be for
the appearance of success, but that
the former occupant would be dead.

Yes, sure, tell me to unpack
throw away hope
put more things in the closet
let you be tidy and proud

Your house will be beautiful
when an accidental suicide is tidy
and neatly done, if the number
attending the funeral is sufficient;
you will be happy for the prestige

Maybe if the death is notorious enough
I can get more press to attend, and
boost the numbers

But really I will be so sorry
if a secret love comes because
I could never really be anywhere for her,
and maybe if she could cry at my funeral
she could have been my dearest stranger friend

— Douglas Gilbert

Fish Watching the Paint Dry (Draft 3)

Fish Watching the Paint Dry (Draft 3)

Far off and oddly near,
deformity inheres a storm, where
the sanguine slosh of war reigns

a bellicose rain with thunder claps
applause in one-sided prayer cheers,
a dear victory one day at least apt

Power on
power off
power who

Some fishy things are left standing
a shard of a city, a hope façade

Too long the fish have watched
the decrepit peeling walls
from their tank barely maintained, but

the turret tanks have left in retreat
and the rebels have won a day
with a song, a prayer, and a slog

Time to paint the walls for now cheery
those celebration colors on the cheeky walls
where the fishys don’t mind if I move them
now that the power is back on for a slosh

Though soaked in fish water and paint
I can brush victory colors on the wall, and
now finally take my long hot shower, soapy
in soothing melodrama upon the
skin of fantasy and the caress of peace, but

fish can not go back to the tropics
anymore than I could go to the North Pole
to mourn the memories frozen in agony

— Douglas Gilbert

Fish Watching the Paint Dry (Draft 2)

Fish Watching the Paint Dry (Draft 2)

Far off and oddly near
the sanguine slosh of war storms

a bellicose rain with thunder claps
applause in one-sided prayer cheers
victory one day at least

Power on
power off
power who

Some fishy things are left standing
a shard of a city, a hope façade

Too long the fish have watched
the decrepit peeling walls
from their tank barely maintained, but

the turret tanks have left in retreat
and the rebels have won
with a song, a prayer, and a slog

Time to paint the walls to
celebrate color in the cheeky walls
where the fishys don’t mind if I move them
now that the power is back on for a slosh

Though soaked in fish water and paint
I can brush victory colors on the wall, and
now finally take my long hot shower, soapy
in soothing melodrama upon the
skin of fantasy and the caress of peace, but

fish can not go back to the tropics
anymore than I could go to the North Pole
to mourn the memories frozen in agony

— Douglas Gilbert

Fish Watching the Paint Dry (Draft 1)

Fish Watching the Paint Dry (Draft 1)

Too long the fish have watched
the decrepit peeling walls
from their tank barely maintained, but

the turret tanks have left in retreat
and the rebels have won

Time to paint the walls to
celebrate color in the cheeky walls
where the fishys don’t mind if I move them
now that the power is back on

Though soaked in fish water and paint
I can brush victory colors on the wall, and
now finally take my long hot shower, soapy
in soothing melodrama upon the
skin of fantasy and the caress of peace, but

they can not go back to the tropics
anymore than I could go to the North Pole
to mourn the memories frozen in agony

— Douglas Gilbert

Planting (Draft 0)

Planting (Draft 0)

I’m not very adept at growing things, but
there is a secret that I like colors
and sometimes the flowers that I
would give away I would
have preferred to keep for myself

But still, I can watch you appreciate
things that blossom even though
I could never figure out how
to plant a seed because
I am mostly horn and not petal
mostly a rhinoceros

— Douglas Gilbert

On Being Done (Draft -2)

On Being Done (Draft -2)

I’m pretty much done
though still rare or raw

Too old
too poor
too ugly

not much to grill, and
it doesn’t seem like
I’m cooking at all

there isn’t anyone
who would listen to my
je ne sais quoi

yeah I know
I keep repeating myself —
I only know a few
silly phrases
and I suppose,
make-believe charm, but

really I think maybe
if I were given a magic wand
I’d use it responsibly
to seem human just for you

— Douglas Gilbert

I Want My Thousand Words

I Want My Thousand Words

Maybe I should have met her
on every cherished thought I had

but nocturnal words are fickle
and u don’t know how much i tried

oh don’t scold me if I tell u others
of the old words that defy

Look up,
look it up:
those lucubrations

where I studied romance,
but feared to speak out loud
lest a candle be blown out
on a cherished doubtful notion

Maybe I could have known her
with every cherished thought I had

Devotions in motion maybe
are not a type face. I’m
looking it up.

Sometimes she’s in a digital box,
but now I imagine:

Looking up to the sky
she’s running wild style
climbing adventurous trees

Those wild trees uproot themselves
just to make a statement
even if they fall short of running
but, of course, it’s not recommended

Yes, trees can branch
that’s their slow motion adventure
when they must wait for seed carriers
that bear their fruit

Maybe she’ll come down
for our favorite wine
and a dithyramb
about ecstasy
and leafy love

I have seen her dither,
climb a tree in bloom
speak with flirty birds
and have a word with me
that is a subtle twitter bark
surrounding like a hug wood
a play with banter-word chirps

But wilder is better because
even in flighty tedium whims
she knows the prolix eagles
who extend their wings
and cry for hours when
she speaks their language

With a waiting twiddle I wanted much
to touch her since then, and
there is a flourish in melody
that accompanies the twaddle
of the giddy blooming of me
I hear when I think
of her as branching music
reaching for the sky

I know she’s reading
between tweets
sneaking a look at
longer things like me
world famous innuendo

Hello, I can see you dear and
I have words to sing.
Step away from the box screen
and meet me in the forest;
there’s a long body
of conversation
of pleasure

I want my thousand words,
don’t want to abbreviate you
or shorten the picture

I don’t see you
as a u or pic, and
I’m so sorry u
were picked on

I will file a brief
in the highest court for
je ne sais quoi appeals, and
run rampant on ramparts of verbosity
because at least prolixity has a tongue
a lingua frank and a lingua true
not politically corrected scrub
but where I could be a tree
and you could be a bush
in the metaphor field
away from the digital box
and on to lots

short enough for ya’
u,… Oh, I would ask
your real name, but
I forgot mine

Maybe if I’ve lost my mind,
all these palpitations I have known
will be smoothed by mellifluous U when
your dear ear is on my flighty heart, and
frenzied eagles clap their wings

— Douglas Gilbert