in the cold

the sheets cracked full of air
covering metal bed frames better
than i
more intent on framing you in the
minus four degree heat
my reaction to you was quite
the same as it could have ever been

in the cold

mornings after grains of
salt between my teeth and
the soles of my shoes teeth and
my veins staggering exquisite
break

at that time of morning joints cry as i sing!
and stretch ligament greeting
the coils sub skin
relax
and that's beautiful

as it could have ever been

in even a degree inferior
to the handle becomes an inside
which becomes a tree
which meets the ground
and ice which meets the hallways
to your door
and maybe an afternoon
with you

eyes are frantic when the generational groan is covered
an anul sob is the extent of my relief
ingesting the rotten eggs and
"put it in your eye you fuckin dyke" but
straight mama he's ignorant and you don't have an in
you're daughter is one of them
today i get to be curtain twitcher
but yesterday i munched on carpet, but i also read a book at the library
and my roommate flicks beans, but she also teaches truth in a classroom
and my love is a dyke, but she's also a mentor to a little girl with braids who calls herself "T"

and the cubicle walls are thin and nothing cuts like the tongue of a
a bored farmer's wife
who takes it up the labonza herself
just housewives in drag

but why but why she asks
when it's in my walk
and it's in my hair and its in my tattoos
but why why she asks
when it's in my voice
and my tattoos and the marks on my arms
and the marks on my legs and in my hair
and the rotten eggs in my hair
and there is vomit on my shoes so shitting doesnt work anymore
chipped my tooth on the porcelain in a rage of thirst
cause i'm not better than a dog's tongue lapping in a spinal thrust
buy why why she asks
when he doesn't even know you
but it's in my walk and my hair and my tattoos and my scars

for as much as it is in me, it is in you
haunting you in daymares
where i'm waiting

another response to her

i have made a habit
twirling my greasy strands
and now I’ve cinctured this bloody finger callous

the claw (the nail)
the blood bubble

outline your navel
in navigating the tendons
my rings get in the way

the snags
the divots are sweat bowls

belt sounds clinking resound
signal sex like the church at midnight
parishioners consecrate the holy fuck

hump the knob till the click, the sigh
your beauty peaks
in a concentrated stare on the needle, on the match-flame

the lesbian crack binge
the first sweet breath

where skin was bare
hair has grown thick and black
to the mouth to the nose to the eyes-mark it at the pock scar

you’ve caught me again

the claw (the nail)
the blood bubble

Emmet Williams did this thing called "The Ultimate Poem." The rules of the game are as follows. 1) Choose 26 words by chance operations-or however you please. 2)Substitute these 26 words for the 26 letters of the alphabet, to form an alphabet of words ie a=dog, b=table etc. 3) Choose a word or phrase (a word or phrase not included in the alphabet of words) to serve as the title of the poem. 4) For the letters in the title word or phrase, substitute the corresponding words from the alphabet of words. This operation generates the poem. 5) Repeat the process described in step 4 with the results of step 4. 6) Repeat the process with the results of 5. 7) Keep going.

This is what I came up with.

"dorm room blues"

vienna escape check promise
check
escape escape
promise
blues guns fray
gone

apple magnets fray woman
woman fuss
fray
gone
switch fuss
rider fuss
switch humble
fray switch duchess
shotgun check escape
promise magnets gone
fuss

fuss
shotgun shotgun
guns
fray
promise fuss tidings woman fray groove gone
wait check
fuss killer
suddenly escape promise
fuss woman

wait waterfall
guns
guns

suddenly fuss magnets groove
suddenly fuss groove fray check
wait fuss
guns guns

gone waterfall vienna vienna fray
woman guns killer
wait waterfall gone gone
promise fuss tidings
woman fray groove
gone
tidings check escape escape
apple
fray

tidings escape woman fray
suddenly fuss groove fray check
wait fuss
guns guns
apple magnets fray woman woman
fuss