Another time
in another city
when I was
someone else
And she
she asked me
“what do you want?”
And I
I had no answer
Now here
in this town
I being me
and all things equal
She asks me
“what do you want?”
And I
I answer
“everything”
To which she
she has no reply
And I
I am left
wondering
why this question
keeps coming up
(D. James)
Filed under: art, d. james, literature, poem, poetry, writing , words, searching, questions, frustration, truth, life, answers
exhausted
by talk
empty words
without action
said again
and again
until there is
nothing
but sound
like shadows
in fog
smoke and mirrors
leaving us
nowhere
with nothing
(D. James)
Filed under: art, d. james, literature, poem, poetry, writing , frustration, questions, riddle, searching, sound, talking, truth, words
piece of wood
in hand
broken chair
broken heart
throat
raw
screaming
glass
everywhere
must have been
some fucking point
I was trying
to make
(D. James)
Filed under: art, d. james, literature, poem, poetry, writing , broken, chair, fight, raw, screaming
And I will
rip up the night
raise hell
for the hell of it
ride until the
road rolls up
behind me
until my tires
burn off the rims
and the sun
comes up to
stop me
dead
in my tracks
(D. James)
Filed under: art, d. james, literature, overweight champions, poem, poetry, writing , dead, hell, night, road, sun
why
is the word
try
in poetry
is it because
it is
at times
a trying task
or because
we try
and try again
to write
a good one
perhaps
you should try
and let me know
what you find
(D. James)
Filed under: art, d. james, literature, overweight champions, poem, poetry, writing , task, try, word
crushing waves
of sadness
crash over me
and I am afraid
of being sucked in
by the undertow
and though
I know
this is temporary
I wonder
if this time
I won’t survive
(D. James)
Filed under: art, d. james, literature, poem, poetry, writing , sadness, survival, waves
moments of
overwhelming
sadness
unwilling
to go forward
unable
to go back
I sit here
in this pain
of my own
making
wondering
how to fix
what I’ve broken
(D. James)
Filed under: art, d. james, literature, poem, poetry, writing , broken, fix, pain, sadness
we retreat
to opposing
corners
lick our
wounds
meet again
somewhere
in the middle
fight it out
all over again
both of us
defensive
trying to be
right
both of us
losing
looking
for a way
out
(D. James)
Filed under: art, d. james, literature, overweight champions, poem, poetry, writing , defensive, fight, retreat, wounds
this night passes
through me
like a black
knife
no way
around it
I must
stay up
’til dawn
breaks me
only then
will I fall
to sleep
(D. James)
Filed under: art, d. james, literature, overweight champions, poem, poetry, writing , black, dawn, frustration, night, sleep
I hold tight
the reigns
and like Atlas
with the world
on his shoulders
I struggle
and raise hell
above my head
to find my
flat blackened soul
laid bare
would if I could
pick it up
but I’ve not
a hand to spare
(D. James)
Filed under: art, d. james, literature, overweight champions, poem, poetry, writing , hell, soul, struggle
when we were young
we talked, naively
about being older
because that’s
all we wanted
when we were older
we talked, longingly
about being young
because that’s
all we wanted
when we’re
dead
will we talk, knowingly
about being alive?
or will we finally
be content
with where we are?
(D. James)
Filed under: art, d. james, literature, overweight champions, poem, poetry, writing , death, desire, life, riddle, youth
to write something
of import
just once
a line
truer
than the truth
that makes
someone
think twice
pierces
their heart
it may be
in me yet
have to keep
searching
keep writing
to find that phrase
that stops the world
from spinning
if only for a moment
(D. James)
Filed under: art, d. james, literature, overweight champions, poem, poetry, writing , heart, life, piercing, searching, spinning, think, truth, world
a mess here
a mess there
little piles
of my life
laid out
on the floor
and I wonder
sometimes
what is it
all for?
(D. James)
Filed under: art, d. james, literature, overweight champions, poem, poetry, writing , mess, nonsense, piles, questions, searching, self-referential
spent the night
on the surface
of sleep
worrying about
my own
self interest
come the morning
hungry, ornery
horny, and angry
there was
nothing to do
but fight
maybe I’m not
cut out
for this
relationship thing
(D. James)
Filed under: art, bad sex and bad breath, d. james, literature, overweight champions, poem, poetry, writing , angry, fight, horny, hungry, morning, night, relationship, sleep, worry
come to me now
in the dead
of night
so that I might
hold you tight
come to me now
let me whisper
in your ear
and feel you near
knowing no fear
come to me now
so I can touch
your skin
let me drink
you in like raw gin
make me believe
in a god
and heaven
and all the angels
who sing
crush me
with your look
silence me
in a kiss
hold me
until the sun rises
and tomorrow comes
like sweet pain
(D. James)
Filed under: art, d. james, literature, overweight champions, poem, poetry, writing , angels, defense, fear, god, heaven, knowing, love, pain, sun
I told lies
hiding
in your shadows
crept along
your fetid blacktop
lost my soul
and almost
my mind
but come
the morning
I found myself
on the other side
(D. James)
Filed under: art, d. james, literature, poem, poetry, writing , alley, deceit, mind, morning, self-referential, shadows, soul
you want
to say
something
but like a dog
with limited language
all you do is bark
of all the words
of all the sounds
of all the languages
in the world
you bark
because you realize
if every word
of every language
were known to you
they would all amount
to the nothing more
than barking
so go on
you dogs
make your statement
sing your song
bark your fucking
ass off
it’s all the same
in the end
(D. James)
Filed under: art, d. james, literature, overweight champions, poem, poetry, writing , barking, language, nothing, words
sat up
half the night
with unhappy thoughts
come morning
they were still there
in a chair
by the bed
pulled them on
with my jeans
wore them
all damn day
till they
wore me out
sat up
half the night
with unhappy thought
determined that
in the morning
they’d be gone
moved the chair
into the kitchen
just in case
(D. James)
Filed under: art, d. james, literature, overweight champions, poem, poetry, writing , life, morning, questions, searching, self-referential, thoughts, unhappy, weary, worn
Stayed online
all night long
Wrote down a few
words
But can’t tell me
a damn thing
Cause I
know it all
and nothing
nothing
nothing
at the same
time
(D. James)
Filed under: art, bad sex and bad breath, d. james, literature, overweight champions, poem, poetry, writing , night, nonsense, questions, riddle, self-referential, words
lonely
I am not
lost
I am not
broke
I am not
though I have been
all of those and more
what about you?
(D. James)
Filed under: art, d. james, literature, poem, poetry, writing , broke, lonely, lost, questions, talk
what if
what is
isn’t
what if
what’s there
isn’t
what if
what you see
isn’t there
what if
you weren’t
reading this
would it still
exist
(D. James)
Filed under: art, d. james, literature, overweight champions, poem, poetry, writing , life, questions, riddle, searching, words
There is the road
and then there is
the trip we take
on it
There is the sky
and the bird
that flies
There is the water
and the whale
There is fire
and smoke
Those who live
and them
that die
Questions
and even
some answers
(D. James)
Filed under: art, d. james, literature, poem, poetry, writing , answers, death, life, mind, nonsense, questions, riddle, self-referential
can’t write my way
out of this
tomorrow
brings more
of the same
like a rat
on a wheel
being aware
doesn’t seem
to make it
any easier
though I keep
hope alive
(D. James)
Filed under: art, d. james, literature, poem, poetry, writing , hell, life, meaning, questions, riddle, searching, self-referential
In a struggle
of the mind
wanting to make
it out to be more
than it is
just a bunch
of thought
none of it
true
or all that
powerful
except when
I make it so
and so often
I do
more thought
doesn’t solve
anything
only action
gets me
out of my head
and into
the world
(D. James)
Filed under: art, d. james, literature, overweight champions, poem, poetry, writing , meaning, mind, nonsense, self-referential, thought
having thoughts
about thoughts
that I thought up
last night
thoughts I’ve thought
a long time
new thoughts think
the old ones should
make room
but the old thoughts
think they know best
then there’s the thought
that all this thinking
isn’t getting us anywhere
I don’t even know
what to think
about that
(D. James)
Filed under: art, d. james, literature, overweight champions, poem, poetry, writing , answers, life, meaning, mind, nonsense, questions, riddle, searching, self-referential, words
I don’t say
what’s on
my mind
When
it’s all
shit
So keep
my mouth
shut
Because
always
everyone
wants to help
And sometimes
I just need to be
where I’m at
Got it?
(D, James)
Filed under: art, bad sex and bad breath, d. james, literature, overweight champions, poem, poetry, writing , answers, life, meaning, mind, nonsense, questions, riddle, self-referential, truth
Nothing is permanent
not even that statement
Nothing lasts
all is temporal
We are nothing today
that we were yesterday
It only seems that way
because it’s all we have
to look forward from
(D. James)
Filed under: art, d. james, literature, overweight champions, poem, poetry, writing , nothing, past, permanent, temporal
high heeled shoes
short black skirt
smooth legs
drive the herky-jerky
old men crazy
scratching and blinking
shaking their balding heads
remembering a time they had
wishing they weren’t
who they are
for one more day
before she walks
away
leaving them with
the faintest scent
of perfume
a memory
of a memory
lingers
(D. James)
Filed under: art, bad sex and bad breath, d. james, literature, overweight champions, poem, poetry, writing , beauty, life, nonsense, questions, time, words
how many things
don’t I know?
of all the things
in the wide world
which I know
a fraction of a fraction
of a percent
how many things
do you know?
all thoughts
all languages
from the beginning
how we think
we know
anything at all
is beyond me
(D. James)
Filed under: art, d. james, literature, overweight champions, poem, poetry, writing , life, meaning, questions, riddle, searching, self-referential
what comes between us
when we’re apart?
how can I let you in
from an arm’s length away?
averted glances
thwarted hopes
life’s just too risky
when I take every little thing
to mean something about me
(D. James)
Filed under: art, bad sex and bad breath, d. james, literature, overweight champions, poem, poetry, writing , searching, self-referential
21 February 2009 • 2:47 am
If the rain falls up
from the street
does it mean
the world is
upside down?
If things work out
in my favor today
does it mean
tomorrow they won’t?
Is it really
how I look at it
or simply how it is?
would I even know
the difference?
(D. James)
Filed under: art, d. james, literature, overweight champions, poem, poetry, writing , cynical, idealistic, rain