This side of paradise                                                       ­                           
                      located just across the threshold
                      of those delicate clothes              
                      underneath that soft pink skin  
                        stretched over those lovely bones
                      Rosalind, how those eyes hold    
                     the constellations of my love    
                       hold me close, dear
                      and let go our fears
 of class
    of money
                       let us not go hungry
                                                eat the plate that feeds                     
The other side is looking greener                                                        ­    
                                               like the color of money,
                                                      a serpent hissed in your ear
                                             what a fitting surname
                                            Ryder, on the coattails
                                               it's not love, its security
                                for your family
Thank God for prohibition                                                    ­                    
paradise was starting to look hazy

The midnight air is filled with
fetid sewage
the city block houses
yards of gravel and broken bricks
decorated streets of graffiti and *****
roaches skitter across sidewalks

A homeless woman sleeps on the sidewalk
a hundred yards away from the lofts
where I am safe

And I think where did it go wrong?

You lie here every night
with a casted foot and crutches
covered with the remains of a blanket
wondering where the next meal hides

Do you beg or play the raccoon?

This city never slows
sirens howl to the light polluted sky
constantly
like a coyotes staccato bark

Cranes reach toward the heavens
with a question to ask God

Can we build to your home and charge a fee to view the gates?

The nightclub below full of drunks
or to be drunks,
bellowing for attention
before riding home with a stranger
and waking up to another mistake
of empty emotions

With a hunger for acceptance
one will venture out
with one of questionable honesty
if the drugs are cheap

And here I am
walking the ***** streets
at one in the morning
in this menagerie of a city
because I can’t

Sleep

absorbing the sights and the smell
of sick and disgust
but in the morning all will be

Different

The sun will hide the dark
the sky will add color
the homeless will be camouflaged
with the busy crowd
buildings will look alive
bustling with people
the crane will be building
looking for an answer

And I still will not be able to

Sleep.

**** this filthy city.

And yet, I wouldn’t call any other place home.

When she dreams
She’s always running
There’s a malevolent monster chasing
That’s always ravenous  

When I dream
I’m always running
After my pulchritudinous Daphne
I’m always ravenous

When she dreams
She’s always falling
From the cloud penetrating building
Screaming all the way down

When I dream
I’m always pushing
People over their boundaries
Laughing as they fall down

My                                
scarlet                                
      flags capture                                   
the  light  of  the                              
moon                              
⭐                              
e                      
v              
e        
r      
⭐          
s                
o                  
⭐        
s  
o    
f            
t                  
l                
y          
  ⭐  

                             They
                            flap with
                             immense pride
                              I can't help but
                            watch
                          ⭐
  ­                  w
                h
                      i
                             t
                                     e
                                      ⭐
                              s
                     t
               a
                r
                        ⭐
                   ­            g
                                     a
                                      z
                       ­           e
                             r
                       s
                ⭐
             o
                   n
                             ⭐
                                   a
                                    ⭐
                         ­         r
                             e
                       d
                ⭐  
       f
   i
           e
               l
                  d
            ⭐


                           ­                                                             I'm ­ 
                                                                ­                         sitting  
                                                                ­                           on the sill    
                                                                ­                      My quill dipped in
                                                              ­                        ink
                                     ­                                                   ⭐
            ­                                                                 ­                    a
                                                               ­                                       n
                        ­                                                                 ­              d
                                                               ­                                   ⭐
                            ­                                                                 r
                                                                ­                        e  
                                                                ­                   a  
                                                                ­                 d
                                                               ­                          y
                                                               ­                                  ⭐
                                                               ­                                         f
                      ­                                                                 ­                         o
                                      ­                                                                 ­         r
                                                      ­                                                    ⭐
           ­                                                                 ­                       t
                                                               ­                              h
                                                               ­                                   e
                            ­                                                                 ­               ⭐
                                                ­                                                                v­
                                                                ­                                                  i
             ­                                                                 ­                                     r
                                                               ­                                                 g
              ­                                                                 ­                             i
                                  ­                                                                 ­     n
                                                          ­                                      ⭐
                         ­                                                             p
  ­                                                                 ­        a
                                                               ­             g
                                                  ­                                   e
                                                               ­                                   ⭐

                           ­                 The
                                            ­  stars     are
                                               S P A R K L I N G
                                            and    it    brings­    me
                                              joy
        ­                                  ⭐
                             ­       m
                                      y
                ­                              ⭐
                                 ­                        h
                                                               e
                                                               a
                                                            r
 ­                                                     t
          ­                                    ⭐
                           ­           i
                                 s
                                  ⭐
                           ­                a
                                                   f
                                                         l
                                                       a
                                                   m
                                              e
               ­                                     ⭐

These                    ­              
Lanterns                                
will soon rise                                
and   carry   my                                
hopes                                
⭐                                
f                          
o                    
r                        
⭐                                
t   ­                                     
h                                            
e                                          
y                   ­             
⭐                      
w            
i            
l                
l                          
⭐                                  
b                                      
e                       ­           
⭐                        
r                  
       e              
a      
l            
       i                        
s                    
e              
d­      
  ⭐

                                      So
                  ­                     many
                                          storms brewed
                                        and  grew  in   my
                                        mind
                 ­                      ⭐
                                                s
             ­                                         o
                      ­                                  ⭐
                             ­                      m
                                             a
                                       n
                                            y
                 ­                                    ⭐
                                                             d
                                                               ­    o
                                                               u
                                                        b
     ­                                            t
                                                     s
                                                             ⭐

But                           
now I'm                         
hoping that                          
my fingers speak                          
true                        
⭐                      
b            
e      
c      
a              
u                      
s                  
e          
⭐  
            i      
                       t              
                      ⭐                  
i    
s          
⭐        
   f    
          o
              r
           ⭐
       y
   o
        u
                    ⭐

                              ­                                             From
                                                                ­            the far
                                                                ­             reaches of
                                                              ­               my Kingdom is
                                                              ­                snow
                                            ­                                  ⭐
                             ­                                                       c
        ­                                                                 ­                      o      
                                                         ­                                      v
                                                               ­                               e
                                ­                                                            r
   ­                                                                 ­                  e
                                                                ­               d
                                                                ­        ⭐
                                                       ­                  r
                                                               ­                     u
                                                                ­                           i
                                                               ­                                       n
                        ­                                                                 ­                  s
                                                               ­                                          ⭐

                                        It
                                           may be
                                            night but my
                                           chamber has rich
                                         hues
                                       ⭐
                                  t
                           ­            h
                                                a
             ­                                            t
                                                             ⭐
                                                           e
                                                      n
       ­                                          r
                                            i
                 ­                                 c
                              ­                              h
                                 ­                                     ⭐
                          ­                                                     m
                                                               ­                      y
                                                               ­                   ⭐
                                            ­                                s
                               ­                                      o
                                                               ­   u
                                                            ­            l
                                                   ­                              ⭐

My                                                
F E L L O W                                              
Kings and Queens                                              
of      near­    and      far                                                
I                                                    
⭐         ­                                         
h                                          
o                                    
p                         ­           
e                                              
⭐                                                        
y     ­                                                     
o          ­                                        
u                                        
⭐                                
r                             ­ 
e                                        
c                    ­                            
i                                   ­                 
e                                            
 ­  v                                    
e                          
⭐                                    
m                                          
y                   ­                   
⭐                              
l                        
e     ­             
t                
  t                      
  e                            
  r                                    
⭐                       ­     

                  This
                  Queen is
                      S O  A N X I O U S
                     but excited
                  for
                   ⭐
                           t
                                   h
                                     e
                                ⭐
                         f
                      u  
              t
          u
                r
                             e
                                   ⭐
                                         a
                                             h
                                           e
                                           a    
                                     d    
                                ⭐