My father:
He died when I was in fourth grade,
And all I remember is his tattoo;
Actually, just the fact that he had one.

And the pie he baked-
He forgot the sugar, so the pumpkin was bitter.

And the treehouse he built,
How we would camp there, cramped and cold.

And the roast he cooked,
He used black pepper like a vegetable.

He wasn't perfect, but he was my father,
And his memory weighs on me like ink,
But I can't remember what his ink was-
Just that he had some.

With a straw and a blade,
And a pill and a day,
And a night, why'd we fight,
And I'm wrong,
And you're right,

But I'm high as I cry,
And my eye; why'd you lie,
Cause you said- said it's real,
Why won't our bruise-
Ever heal?

I loved you, in that bed,
And you're stuck in my head,
Every day, what you said,
And I laid there and bled,

You were my first,
But your fist-
Was the last thing-
That I kissed.

Life-
     Is death,

In Motion.

Death-
     Is Life,
At
     An
          End.

Penguins scour beaches,
To pick rocks for their partners,
Prepared to retire together,

If I scour a beach,
To find a rock,
It'll be to beat a *****'s beak in.

See, on the weekend,
My relationship came to a meek end,
I was weak, she was on a bend,

So I bent knee,
Beaten like the beaches,
That penguins seek rocks on,
For their partners.

And maybe it's a reach,
We each leech these ends,
We seek to eat our friends,

But if she wants eaten,
By another guy with a weak pen,
I'm heading to the beach for the weekend.

The ship rocked-
Back and forth,
The village ablaze,
It would burn for days,

Bandits and yokai-
Stood in my path,
Katanas and claws,
No love, nor laws,

The shrine-
Kodama singing,
An otherworldly light,
Only for some's sight,

Fallen souls littered my path-
Their power aglow,
I'll leave it at the shrine,
What's theirs is now mine,

I'll board that ship-
Kusurigama in hand,
And inside the hold,
Release the demon's  soul.

Dodging aside-
The yokai furious,
I remain undefeated,
And claim my amrita.

Darkened alleys,
Cloaked in mist,
Tendrils of smoke-
Cradled in fist,

A cigarette,
Burning out,
A neon sign-
Flickers with doubt,

A fiery drink,
A purchased kiss,
Maybe more...
Is that your wish?

And as the day
     Turns to night,
As the lovers  start to fight,
Your empty bed
     Isn't so alone,
We all want to be known.