the subway rises
from the mouth
of darkness
pulling cars across
metal track
to the top
of the mountain
the skyline
like a picture
postcard
at sunset
a symphony
at full tilt
a mass of steel
and glass
thousands
of lighted squares
and twinkling
red lights
reminds you
that this city
in its ebb and flow
was here before you arrived
and will remain long
after you are gone
(D James)
my pen falls
from the table
into a dark shadow
kicking
to catch it
with the side
of my shoe
spinning
it skitters
into the light
much like my thoughts
on this deathly cold day
(D. James)
it could break,
a mind,
from the pressure
all those thoughts
of what I should
be doing
what I did
wrong
asking why
the grace and ease
so longed for
seeming far off
impossible
hoping
for change
and then
don’t want
the kind that arrives
realizing
finally
it is not an answer
I seek
but a way to live
to think thoughts
and take action
generate some
confidence
take some
responsibility
for my life
because if I don’t
who the hell will
(D. James)
out the kitchen window
the late afternoon light
plays like a sax solo
against the building
across the way
cloud wisps
catch pink
as the sun hits
the horizon
the azure sky
goes darker
by degrees
evening comes
stealth and still
like a beautiful lover
passionate, intense
another night
lies ahead
awaiting the dawn
(D. James)
waiting
the night out
feeling
my way
in the dark
hoping
the morning
won’t come
this one time
keeping
the fantasy
of being with you
longer than just tonight
alive for one more hour
as light
lines
the horizon
I take
one last look
and like Eurydice
you vanish before my eyes
(D. James)
evening comes
in darker
and darker
hues of blue
end of day
pink clouds
bloom red
then fade
into darkness
as night falls
upon LA
black cloth
with pinholes
of light
the city,
a brighter
reflection
of above
(D. James)
there are
all these words
and feelings
and messy things
spilled out
on the floor
like blood
seems there’s
no place
to put them all
can’t swallow them
try stuffing them
back into your gut
but they
no longer fit
feels like
you’ll die without
them
seems like
you’ll die with
them
where will you …
how will you …
what will you …
why would you …
go on?
(D. James)
alone
in a room
darkness
of your soul
moment
of madness
you rage
and cry out
“what does
it all mean?”
like a wave
it crashes
over you
washes
everything
away
then subsides
you are left
standing
with nothing
and now
you can begin
(D. James)
there is
a side
of me
I do not
like
a part
that feels
unheard
it rages
and I am
in its grip
lost to
madness
there is
a side
of me
I do not
like
and
I have
to live
with the
consequences
of my actions
cannot erase
what I’ve done
there is
a side
of me
I hate
and wish
never to see
again
(D. James)
Bourbon and cigarettes
late-night hookers
down dark alleys
What doesn’t kill me
costs more than
just money
Turning fantasy into reality
shaking with adrenaline
getting kicks from anticipation
feeling more powerful
than any man should
Someday
I’ll get off
this merry-go-round
but I can’t seem to find
“someday” on the calendar
Maybe it falls on
February 30th
two-thousand-and-never
(D. James)
darkness chill
and the forgetting
bring back
something sweet
or innocent
it doesn’t matter
as long as it comes
before the fall
to sleep
(D. James)
I saw you standing
on the edge of a shadow
in the space where
sunlight and darkness meet
in the endless battle
of night and day
waiting
for something
in yourself
to appear
but the struggle
was too great
and you remain
undecided
(D. James)
Some nights
are darker
than others
not in moonlight
but in mood
The narrow stares
of strangers
too many loud
angry sounds
The usual
evening birds
are absent
My blood
goes up
as I wait
for a fight
that never comes
A lone cricket
chirps into the darkness
breaking the tension
reminding me
that life
is good
Even if
my mood
isn’t
(D. James)
The world
disappears
Everything goes
black
and silent
This lasts
six or seven
hours
Then my eyes
open and the world
is remade
in an instant
(D. James)
How far down
do you go
before you find
the bottom of your soul?
How deep is it,
how wide?
And why is there no light down here?
(D. James)
