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Cabe Lindsay
Westward Setting Sun
posted 10/21/07 by Cabe Lindsay
above the ocean in a heated-air balloon
his shape was silhouetted clear across the moon
his burner blew out in the wind of a typhoon
the ocean caught him in its crest
with seven broken bones most people could not cope
he was alive and that affirmed that there was hope
he rode the gondola and cut the envelope
his heart was bigger than his chest
Godspeed ahead, he hammered on with no delay
to meet his lover with a daughter on the way
and even though he could not be with them that day
he knew his life was truly blessed
his lady waited for her hero to arrive
the two-week ocean crossing shattered into five
the gal suspected that her man did not survive
he was in heaven now, she guessed
the captain scrambled to secure his makeshift boat
it was a violent struggle just to keep afloat
and all the water could not quench his burning throat
he put his spirit to the test
he would not make it home to make the gal his bride
his thoughts were with her as he slipped into the tide
he would not see his daughter’s face before he died
yet he continued on his quest
the pilot’s lover, she was seeded with a pearl
but complications overtook the baby girl
just as the child was due to enter in the world
she and her mother fell to rest
despite the turning and the falling of the leaves
the tidal waves that turn to nothing in the seas
the joy and peace and the impermanence of these
love is a persevering westward setting sun
In The Now
posted 10/21/07 by Cabe Lindsay
I’ve been waiting for the moonlight
to flicker out of sight
and a new moon to come
I’ve been hoping for a new sun
to replace the old one
I’ve been listening for a new song
so I can sing along
I’ve been living for the future
but I’m in the now, now
this music that I hear is coming from me
and I’m singing because I’m satisfied with the now, now
I’m in the now, now
there was a time when I used to wonder
who I will become
Now that I am him, I’m still wondering
I used to wonder if it was too late
to start over again
I was living in the past then
I’m in the now, now
this music that I hear is coming from me
I’m singing because I’m satisfied with the now, now
I’m in the now, now
now I’m not going far or near
I’m staying right here
I’m not going back or forward
I’m going up
now I’m living for the moment
in the present
I’m in the now, now
I’m in the now, now
this music that I hear is coming from me
I’m singing because I’m satisfied with the now, now
I’m in the now, now
Dead Body Falls Naked Off Cliff
posted 10/21/07 by Cabe Lindsay
in a feature story about a running stiff
the papers read, Dead Body Falls Naked off Cliff
a man visiting Switzerland was hiking in the woods alone
in the heart of a mission to know the great unknown
he discovered a pathway that charmed him to the crazy bone
climbed by the cliffside on a path carved in the stone
the trail was all his own that day
overlooking the village of Champery
reminiscent of the paintings of Monet
he took pleasure in the view along the way
(the signs said beware but he did not obey)
something terrible happened when he reached the peak
he might have been stupefied by the mountain and its mystique
or maybe it was the altitude that made his willpower weak
for whatever reason this man was compelled to streak
he threw his clothes and fears aside
running the length of the mountainside
barefooted and naked at full stride
the townspeople watched him, horrified
rounding the corner did not go quite as he planned
his momentum guided him at a speed that he could not stand
he continued to haul ass right through the railing and
the trip took him down down down to the Promised Land
in a feature story about a running stiff
the papers read, Dead Body Falls Naked off Cliff
Dangerous Guilt Trip #34
posted 10/20/07 by Cabe Lindsay
An old New Mexican
walking in snakeskin boots
followed a tumbleweed
into the hills
a rattlesnake, crawling
hissed when he recognized
the skin of the snake on the man's snakeskin shoes
the old man jumped back
fearing a snake attack
knowing his boots might be mighty offensive
On the defensive
the cowboy extended
the heel of his foot
like a spear to the snake
or a dagger
he staggered
then punched his boot forward
crushing the snake
killing it instantly
A western Indian
walking in moccasins
followed coyote tracks into the hills
a buffalo, roaming
grunted when it registered
the leather on the moccasins belonged to his friend
the Indian grabbed his gun
afraid of the bison
pulled a trigger
fired a bullet into his own shoe
He stared down the bull
through the hole in the sole
of his foot
remembering the cow
that he blasted
two seasons ago
with a teardrop of guilt
sliding down his dry throat
he questioned his intentions
and threw down his pistol
The Native American
glared at a set of two
hideous eyeballs
who wanted to murder him
in an instant
the Indian ran in a line in the opposite direction on a path that was straighter than the arrow in his fist, pointing ahead of him
as he ran
ran
Ran with his
eyes burning
unable to blink
At the top of the hills
the brave man ran
straight
into
the Mexican
surprising each other
and there was a sudden
and utterly devilish sound
of an arrowhead piercing a body
simultaneously
with the signature slice of a bottle of liquor broken at its neck
The buffalo
sniffed out the site of the massacre
where three bodies baked
in the sagebrush and sun
The buffalo arrived
in a state of dismay
conveying compassion
understanding that the soul of a person
and that of an animal
lives on
beyond its skin
holding no grudges, no judgment
the buffalo roamed to the nearest plateau
delighting in the thought of three freed spirits
breathing buffalo breaths
heart beating bison beats
Be Well, Bee
posted 9/15/07 by Cabe Lindsay
he was the fuzziest bumblebee
a pollinating king
wild orchids opened up like smiles
whenever he was thirsting
word spread of this phenomenally hairy bee
everything with wings was buzzing
he caught the attention even of the queen
who requested his return to the colony
he floated in coated in yellow
with pollen from antenna to toe
the queen instantly delayed her egg laying
never having seen a bee as shaggy as he
the queen told him of a dangerous journey
suited only for a wildly bushy bee
asking him to deliver pollen
to a flower on a perilous mountain
she explained, a lily blooms at the base of the snowline
this would likely be the last of its kind
unless, of course, the flower could be fertilized
it was the sworn responsibility of the swarm
it would require a miracle and one brave bee
with a freakish pollen-carrying capacity
it would require a death-defying flight to a height
unfathomable for a critter as little as he
the bee sang,
I’m open
to every possibility
I’m hoping
things will work out favorably
even if I fail
I believe
I will be
be well
zoomed out without hesitation
without concern for the destination
heart knowing what it had to do
brain accepting it could not refuse to comply
his flight blasted long past the sunset
continued in the light of the moon
unthreatened by the challenge that he would not be
turning homeward anytime soon
storm clouds began looming
thunder started blooming
his wings kept pounding
his will astounding
he sang,
I’m open
to every possibility
I’m hoping
things will work out favorably
even if I fail
I believe
I will be
be well
he flew, illuminated by lightning
wind blew him faster than he’d ever flown
pollen grains clinging to his mane
holding firmly even as the rains came
rain bomb turned to hail torpedo
firing fast as bullets, so was he, though
when snow fell, he made the mistake of
swerving directly into a flake
wet wings cursed the bumblebee
left him stumbling, sent him tumbling
and on his way to hit the ground, crumbling
his attitude was surprisingly humble
he sang,
I’m open
to every possibility
I’m hoping
things will work out favorably
even if I fail
I believe
I will be
be well
he barely survived the breakdown
he broke down crying, joyfully
happy just to be alive
but no, his exoskeleton was pulverized
still, he sensed the presence of angels
wrapping like warm blankets around him
unaware that his flower had found him
reached her stem out and grabbed him
clouds opened to a hot sun morning
with layers of petals unfolding
revealing the inside of an avalanche lily
holding a bee with a heart still beating
be open
to every possibility
be hoping
things will work out favorably
believe
believe
you will be
be well
be well, bee
reply posted 10/19/07 by Joan Sheski
Oh my wowza I LOVE this. just finished a little painting of just this very lily held in a spider's web on my site. believing in beeness and within the colossal dark silence, cooking new sweet honey, rests now one fine essence.
Joan
Larry's Birthday Present
posted 8/20/07 by Cabe Lindsay
Both of them belonged, at first
to worlds of loneliness or worse
on separate mountains
on different islands
on distant oceans
without notions
of their other half's existence
Larry was one-of-a-kind
his mother was a platypus
his dad a hippopotamus
her labor was laborious
the birth, of course, victorious
Similarly squirrelly,
Lori was the hairy daughter
of a lion and an otter
nature hadn't ever seen
a comparably keen
and fiery
queenly being
These two future mates
shared two common traits:
their unprecedented strangeness
yes, foreign derangeness
as well as peculiar palpitation
of offbeat cardiovascular tempo
as a result of a unique heart condition
their primary organs of affection
were bursting with treasures
so immeasurable
so pleasurable
the overflow spilled onto others
unknowingly blessing these people
in their presences
with lovely loving lovejuice
Larry was hilarious
Lori was hilarious
Their paths were misaligned
until the day they intertwined
Larry was hilarious
Lori was hilorious
together they were merrious
the days they shared were glorious
Many planets wined and dined them
when their two fine minds combined, then
suns shined divinely
from their kiss-induced sparks
comets crossed asteroid belts
moons collided with moons
one colossal black hole swallowed them up
with an emotionally
explosionally
stellar gulp
the after taste of which
refreshed the universe
Space licked its lips and smiled.
Closed Eyes and An Open Mind
posted 3/11/07 by Cabe Lindsay
closed eyes and an open mind
sharpens the brain to a nice point
like a brown colored pencil tip
no, purple.
closed eyes and an open mind
can be dangerous behind the wheel
and even more so on a bicycle
on the interstate
unless that bicycle is bigger
than all the cars on the road
in either magnitude, color, or awesomeness.
closed eyes and an open mind
is funny during lovemaking
because the strangest things can pop up:
a woodpecker pounding a hole in an attic
the meaning of the word logjam
how many licks it takes to get to the center...
closed eyes and an open mind
is bad practice for a one-armed carpenter
with unsteady hand
unless that woodworker's approach is stylistic
or “poetic,” as one points out
in which case curving lines on a table saw
might indeed be appropriate;
everybody knows that a one-armed carpenter
is a magnet for splinters
and the one thumb is always black
from hammerings
paralleling precisely
the ingredients listed in the recipe
for an exquisite catastrophe.
closed eyes an an open mind
is a good approach for a first kiss
with the one exception being
that the receiver has
a mouth full of tacks
or rattlesnake venom;
there are several exceptions
to this rule of etiquette
closed eyes and an open mind
is a good game plan for a bowler
er, bowl smoker, rather.
closed eyes and an open mind
is good for liquor shots too
unless the taker has a holy tongue
from a piercing or bullet wound, perhaps.
closed eyes and an open mind
helps the singer to sew on key
and the vegetable harvester to sing too
too much, at times, for the bees to ignore;
nobody wants to distract the bees
from spreading the pollen.
NOBODY.
closed eyes and an open mind
is a good way to meditate
especially for those who have passed away
bless them all.
closed eyes and an open mind
is said to be
particularly beneficial
to those who do not wish to know any friends
although many believe
in the existence of closed-eye contact.
yeah right!
closed eyes and an open mind
is a good way to get a sunburn
for those suffering from narcolepsy
or redheadedness.
closed eyes and an open mind
is an adventurous way
to listen to music
while driving in a car with bicyclists around
bicyclists riding with their eyes closed
minds open
appetizing to the hungry ravens
lurking on roadside fence posts
watching
waiting
spreading the word amongst themselves
about the phenomenon of closed eyes and an open mind
licking their beak lips
with drooling
holy tongues.
closed eyes and an open mind
makes the swimming fast
when the leeches are blood deprived
and the swimmer is a pig with a bleeding heart;
fast in terms of duration of the swim, that is
unless one considers the possibility
that his or her soul might rest at the bottom of the river
for all of eternity.
closed eyes and an open mind
makes the hot days cooler
in terms of wickedness
due to the infrequency of eyelash flutterings
not to mention the frequency of fly ass butterings.
closed eyes and an open mind
makes cracks in bells seem important.
closed eyes and an open mind
may seem futile to some
but it is generally agreed
that the perceived pointlessness
manifests the actual nonexistence of a point
which is why believing in a purpose
is an essential requirement
of purposeful open-minded eyes closed sessions.
