Copyright © 2024 by Carl Carr

Published by Gen20 Press 2024

License Notes
Creative Commons
Authorized obooko.com edition
All Rights Reserved
Poems captured at the
narrow edge of life and times
in the early 21st century with
all its incumbent joys and
impenetrable horrors.
they wander
through
the wet jungle
a place
of
strange mewling
sounds
shrieks
ghostly moans
for a place
to stay
kicking
the scrub brush
broken logs
castaway
tree branches
ground critters

moist and
humid
darkness approaching

joy evades
they come upon
an abandoned dwelling
ramshackle design
thrown together
in a panic
broken windows
doors falling off
hinges
in serious
disrepair
clearly unoccupied
he is
an enemy
of change

only
old things
he embraces

she’d
rather be
a hammer
than a nail
in a way
he
is good
to
her

inside
a
sullen
piteous
man
residing in
squalor
slumps against
a wall
a man
used to
sniffing his own turds
guilt
like a shadow
hanging over

they eye each other

suspiciously
then turn aside
prospects grim
light fading

there are seven levels

to every communication
knowing them
and understanding
how to navigate them
is primary

stone ears
hollow eyes
silent tongues
zero effort

she always
knew
he’d
pull the trigger

remembering
days
by Towannus River
cranky crustaceans create
caliginous calcified
compounds contumaciously
calling crawfish crafty
crinkled crawlers containing
consumable contaminants
silhouettes of trees
gnarled
brilliant streaks
hot pink
gold
overtake the sky

he squints
huge orange
and blue
adult swim
sign outside
like a strobe
light
a seventies disco
neon sign
glimmers
more boldly
than
the colors
in the dawn
kudzu
strangles
cars
left
after
pants around
ankles
escapes
quite dazzling
in the trees
feeling luminous
animals beyond
the mud
the feeling
will come again
sinister and green
under the tomb
excrete huge gems
behind the air
the pleasure is no more
strange and numb
about the grave
meeting yellow shivas
beneath the towers
intense
the pleasure continues
greying
tired
on the edge of the world
no way out
for how long
the other unable to stop
blue roses
psychosis
above dementia
dream forged
sloppy sex
naked
sticky
drinking stories
drunk
drink
drunk
men
women
human nature
psychology
alcoholism
experimental
another night and day
histrionics
poetry
lurid magazines
psychology
tinnitus
measurements
evaluations
starry nights
uxorious you
snuggling me closely
laying on the sofa
saying little
speaking volumes
feasting me with dinner
drinking me with drink
sun-blanched and heated
re-arranging my wig
with origami cranes
those gentle souls
one does appreciate too
the clandestine border
crossing
striated sinews
expectant lips
singing new songs of my soul
uxorious you
a horizon of lost dreams
pale and hypocritical
celebrities surround
chasing peace in suicide
fleeing the common ground

a menace to salvation
the fiendish virus spreads
spitting bile at human
whores
the nearly standing dead

cataclysmic and prolific

apostles will unite
finding warmth within the
crypts
and vision without sight
he stuffs eggs
into his mouth
nods as
thanks for these
thy gifts
is spoken
says amen
his dirty
chewed fingernails
stuffing more
and more into
his meth scarred
mouth
not caring entirely
who he says amen to
not caring why
as long as
he keeps
getting to
stuff his mouth
his broke
ass
broke
ass
and
more broke
greedy mouth
but a fiver
from his
girlfriend
will set
him on fire
for a sure thing
wager
my ship’s
coming in
he assures her
she is
past
expecting
mud pit miracles
she knows
she’s her own
worst enemy
but can’t seem
to stop
poor choices
latching onto her
topless bars
runaway cars
backseat promises
cocaine lies
raping of the soul
down
the rabbit hole
again
it’s a battered
old me
and a battered
old frown
keep looking up
keep falling down
oh no oh no
the hardness
the hurting
has me again
i’m calling to the wind
and calling to the sea
calling for
the bits
and pieces of me
return
regroup
reform
oh no oh no
shifted
and scattered
and tossed
side to side
thought all that mattered
was
the thrill of the ride
too late
i see
the ride is broke
and for my troubles
a hearse as my yoke
my river of life
seems more
slim channel
as it curls
and purls
adds blood
to the battle
maybe muck
in the gutter
will skink on by
give
cause
to the what
put sleep
to the why
pale gray lumps
accumulate
ache
throb
crash
burn
split open
and bleed
puddles collect
the toes
fingers
curled
intense pain
ears ringing
tinnitus
mouth screaming
teeth rattling
aching
throat tightening
stenosis takes hold
circle of keys
valley of gold
java sparrows
gigantic claws
grump and grab
the ruby's crucible
birds fleeing vertically
the very bed of the torrent

spun from grace

rain and rumbles
fluffed clouds
dark dawn
fervent growth
in the beginning
squeezed into existence
with a head
of stars
lungs of
wonder
body rhyming
with the earth
tsunami
splendor
While the night slept
I held you
While the stars ached
You soothed me
While the wind
Breathed
We entwined
Connected
Limb on limb
Heat on heat
Tingling
Like the
First time
Feeling like
The first time
Feasting
Like the first time
Yearning
Turning
Burning
Swirling
Like the first time
Three times
Without pause
Like the first time
We kiss chaos
When we make love
chemiluminescence
iridescence
have come so far
weathered so much
haven’t slept
for three days
the world
looks different
topsy-turvy
turned inside out
can hear
the electric
lines buzzing
can see
the sky
bubbling
the ice
whispers
and burns
each minute
longer
than the one
before
chittering
chittering

precambrian

the earth
beneath my
feet
jerks sideways
abnormal
shift
chemiluminescence
iridescence
so far from home
cosmically astounding
there will
always be
that element
unknown
hard chapel
kneelers
bare-kneed
real repents

I cop a smoke
grubby hands
torn stolen
trousers

some downturned
chump
easy pickins

and a few
sins
ain’t tellin

father
please forgive
me father

please give
me some
of that
reel it out
penance

ten Hail Marys

five Our Fathers

that should do it
free as a crow
again

off I go
to the world
of fun
or
sin
he says

whatcha want
from me
pal
a kid’s
gotta roll
so easy
to dance

in
and out

of
shaky bonds

mother is calling
hearty
strongly
lights are coming on
time to get in

gotta dance
the dance
with the free wolf

but some rules

you gotta follow
some rules
is golden
some rules
to break

some rules
to crush

some rules
to follow
and
choke down the sick

puke it
up
all night long

ulema
jamaa jamaa
jool
read her
between the lines

or you
won’t know her
at all

will roll away

unnoticed

a rose of many petals

a prickly pear
acting of a dreadful thing

a phantasm
a hideous dream
spiritually and morally
empty

moving through the world

in a listless
and
meaningless existence
Wududji she said. Oieehb
said I.
And in this way we spoke a
secret mysterious language
maybe lost generations ago
in the dark forests of time
under moss covered rocks
and swept away by raging
rivers. And as far as we were
aware, this language had not
been named or spoken by
anyone before us, yet it so
perfectly suited our purposes
as clearly as if it had been
discovered and mastered by
countless civilizations long
ago. Ttcty she whispered.
And ccdyvc I responded in
softer tones than I realized.
Upon our deep embrace
verbal communication
ceased.
Doctor Reginald Seiberg
had a nasty habit of dropping
into my world like a swirling
cyclone of perilous yarbling
Norse Hounds. Last I saw
him, he was grasping
something large, long, and
sloppily tarp wrapped tightly
against his chest as he tried
most unsuccessfully to
squeeze out of the door of his
pickup truck. Shouting at me
to do something or other that
was so unclear to me I
decided to do nothing at all.
What that was that he tried
to wrangle out of the door I
did not know and was afraid
to ask. Renowned for his
contributions to Advanced
Hyperkinetic
Psychoanalytics, his
published papers concerned
divining the man in the child,
without considering what he
is before he becomes a man
which led to unanimous
adoption of mistaken notions
that to this day remain
almost unchallenged. Man
meddles with them and they
become evil, forcing one soil
to yield the products of
another, one tree to bear
another’s fruit, loves all that
is deformed and monstrous,
learns his paces like a saddle-
horse. Pure autonomics.
life is not virtual
life is actual
remembering that
and holding this close
saves us
from the congested mindset
that allows tyrannical rule
fascism
and autocracy
playing games
on big wide screens
is all well and good
seeing the world
as one big
virtual reality game
is a dangerous mistake
in some countries
shackled
by
authoritarian control
religion is
victimized
used
and manipulated
as political
ideology
to maintain
power of the state
whereas instead
one could
transcend political
and
religious considerations
with purpose neither
to exalt nor
debase religion
but to tell
an enchanting story
add strangeness
to beauty
instead
beleaguered
by daily
brutalities
amid
growing
body counts
i am invaded
by migrant
nations
bits and pieces
sinew and gristle
fragments
everywhere
dangerous emotions
horrific flashbacks
carnage wreaked by
totalitarian regimes
the world
waking up
in the middle
of the night
unable to breathe
heart thumping
feeling of claustrophobia
arousing
curiosity
of
the establishment
fears of
being arrested
tortured
killed
as if
i would never
ever get out
of
this
nightmare
terror
hallucinations
shivering ghosts
disaster forecasting
religious fanaticism
corrosive
destructive
poison
swirl of
glorified
glorified
petrified doom
gruel of mankind
spitting into
the winds
enough for all

consume
consume
consume it will
to faithful density
to tragic overload
to toothless
putrid grins
and vomit
laced cobblestone
the hard earned
results
most mysterious
species on our planet
a mystery
of unanswered
questions
with
my
face
buried
deep
lapping
the
sweet
fountain
of
youth
she is
a
light
in a
very dark world
woman
whispering
indistinctly
breath
ragged

go
go
go
go

out
of
liquids
she says
breath
ragged
keep
going
i’ll
be
100,000 ashes
transition
a multiverse
where all realities
happen
simultaneously
perspective shift
silence extremely loud
dim the lights
light the candles
bring the seduction
pretend confusion
mimic behavior
flip the hair
banter and cajole
the dance commences
fire crackles
communication strains
accusation fly
air of calm
empathetic
behavior
fades in the skirmish
soon all is knives and teeth
lower middle-class
public upbringing
prevails
raises questions
unanswerable
without serious insult
the dance continues

DNA sequences
adaptive mutation
bacterial fissures
epistasis rings

transfer RNA
a new question
and the next
answer will give
rise to
the next question
and so on
and so on
and so on

moonstone truths
purity
true friendship
unconditional love
exhibited by
children
truly remarkable
stars
light
pour
out of
eyes
and mouths
burn
everything
scorches
love
near
drains
mind
dust mites
crawl
across
hardwood
floors
bluebirds
tweet
uncaged
voices
whisper
colors
splash
red
green
yellow
blue
water
drips
red
neon
tree creaks
daffodils
great
wall
collapses
mown hay
poem
painting
explodes
dandelions
overflowing
disconnected
unpeeled barley
hearts
sea foam
green
baby
feet
patting
eyebrows
from
the edge
kisses
from
the
storm
train
rumbling
in
distance
muffled
screams
cries
Live dangerously
Live exposed
Live splattered against the
wall
Live smashed and scattered
into the wind
Live taking the chance that
should not be taken
Live flattened by the raging
seas
Live shamelessly
Live fleeing the Eagle
as you invade her nest
Live with all you have
leaving nothing in reserve
Race across that Rubicon
hell bent for shoreline
Live like this
Live like this

Because one life

Is all we have
Hellcat
Roaring through
Tearing up city streets
Agitating neighborhoods
backfires and explosions
Fill the night sky
Public Enemy number one
Hell, comes to dinner
With a screaming roar
A cuckoo’s egg
Dropped in the sewer
Ala carte Terracide
Excited, talking
birds loud squawking
sunlight coming down

Color spinning
clouds are thinning
we go round and round

It is then I understand
as I take you by the hand
These enchanted moments
with you
every word you utter
like honey butter
as angels flutter round your
head

can’t help listening

your eyes are glistening
and everything you say
is heaven led

It is then I understand
as I take you by the hand
These enchanted moments
with you
You are my love, my life,
my best chance to live
free
My eyes when I watch the
sun setting over the sea
My lungs when the cool
breeze blows softly into me

You are my ears when I listen

to bird songs of glee
My happiness you were, you
are and always will be
When you laugh, when you
sing, when you cry and when
you dream

When you are near or when

you are far, you always will
be, always were
And always are, my love, my
soul mate

My number one weakness

and my greatest strength
When you were born
While you live and long after
you die
you were, you are
and always will be
my love
the broad sprawling
greenwoods
rain scent strong
sunlight speckling
rain beaded grass blades
christmas berries
withstand full sunlight
tolerate serpentine based
adobe soils
line the meandering paths
invade every space
color the surroundings
taste awful
contain cyanide compounds
denote the dangerous beauty
of nature
better for birds
christmas berries their
favorite
no birds about
foliage denuded trees
stretch in proud display
toward the grasping sun
shame the foliage full
trees as uncomfortable
body image types
these full leaf trees
do right to ignore
the narcissist denuded
in the near distance
the vast
evanescence lake
yawns and glistens
mallard ducks
honking geese
peaceful swans
diving deep for food
perimeter flanked
by wooden bridges
earthward
asphalt paths replete with
potholes
some beneficent strangers
thoughtful
planted boot prints
in the wet asphalt
now displayed
eternal wanderlust
further
deeper
onward
berms appear
tall berm
10 feet high
berm land
cuckoo’s eggs
we trek on
through brush
and bluster
a prismatic
multilateral day
unpredictable
like a clockwork orange
dark threatening clouds
linger overhead
a darker grey
is breaking through
a lighter one
high contrast
sunlight streaming through
rain obstinately present
yet settled
taciturn
embraced by clouds
languorous
in its cloudy hug
sullen
plotting
thunder roars
shattering silence
uncontrollable jolting
shifting
shaking
rocking
rumbling madness
eyes dart left and right
hands grasp chair
white knuckle
what is happening
sensory circuits
haywire
eyes dart left and right
gone spasmodic
overload
chaotic movement
powerful
multidirectional shudder
snap
judder
cease
sanity reload
earthquake rolling through
taxonomy of native
animals
unintelligible noises
move among
industrial unnatural food
heart alarmists
perception of facial
impairment
the moon shivers
shakes
quivers
emotions erased
erupting drainage
ineffective
trees howling
lurking
seeking lobotomized
obese goats
crows strut
and pick
stubble grounds
caw caw caw
may bite
scratch
threaten
spread disease
congregate in
large numbers
wind
rocks
miniature waves
ancient places
ducks
geese
squirrels
raccoons
innocent
attacked by predators
hit by cars
territorial fighting
injury
and death
disease prone
killed as
pests tomorrow
bisected amygdala trilling
noiseless whispering
prosody
echo of native animals

trill
thrill
trill
trill

make of life
a horse of spoons
make of days
a gorse of moons
curl your nose
around her cheeks

ever returning
ever returning
again
and again
and again
bulbous batrachians
hippity hop
into the glass pond
uh huh uh huh

shattering water
hurling a million
multicolored fragments
of sparkling light

skyward
sideward
pandemonious
fragmentation
fractal upstaging
leaping lily pads
uh huh uh huh uh huh

human rights
freedom
care
love
respect
no substitute
tachum
mecking variation
dystopian
thumb suck
crawl
√n rule
not fearful

sound trumpet

stammer
stutter

trembling

dumb signs
cryptic
ceremonial crows

tremors black
signs destroyed

the law of nature has won

presidential lies
community ties
megalomaniac skies
feed
breed
bleed
concede
followed her
around the world
to catch but
a glimpse
of her ever enchanting
intoxicating
completely sublimating
gossamer spirit
will o’ the wisp
anointed
glossolalia appointed
willowing away
ceasing naught
spinning yarn
tongues ancient
touch given
yet untouched
rare flightless bird
eternal
flittering flight
free among many
lost amid few
blessings
exponential
clouds race across the sky
thunder rumbles
ground shakes
trees shiver
leaves ripped from branches
whip the face and eyes
dangerous winds
assault
life bristles
Alone in a room
3 a.m.
dark and hazy
starlight flickers
lamp fades
fireflies fly into the wall
all is energy
it can never be destroyed
is endless
can only change
from one form to another
five men in a bunker
detonations all around
plaster dust
in faint curls
fall
from the ceiling

spiraling doom
roar of assault
whisper of defeat
loud explosion overhead
curdling fear in the eyes
crowded train
stale air
miserable passengers
train thundering
outside
man cries his lament
every small or big gripe
launches an arrow toward
him
as he sings so sweetly
of the tree of death
year filled
with magic
dreams
birds chained to sky
good madness
kiss someone
who thinks you're wonderful
make art
write
draw
build
sing
live
hope
surprise yourself
she looks about her
the inhospitable
environs
slathered tongues
drooling
panting
lurking like hyenas
yet
under the hood
she is a swiss clock
once viewed
the unwary prey
yanked in
never to be
seen
again
it is mine
give it to me
but an ephemeral
wisp
washed away
in faint
screams
the importance
of self-awareness
the fundamental
need for order
meaning
coherence
there is no safety
she hunts
by day
to shadow self
gonna rise to my knees
gonna not ask please
gonna move
and stand
and sing
in one grand
declaration of strength
and individuality
break the cord
race the wind
taste the life that’s grown.
if all i have
is what you want
know simply
this is mine
and mine alone
there comes a point
where pretend
runs out of steam
and darker truths prevail
where blackest night
and grinding light
reveal the true contender
on this anointed trail
there may be more
lord knows there’s less
of this be most assured
when sweat and blood
meets rain and steel
the chosen
has endured
to rise up
and be counted
apart from those
fate has defined
as mere posers
who beat a hasty retreat
the cutting truth will shine
not of pale importance
the bitter truths we sing
if virtue and acclaim be one
division leaves a hollow sting
in the garden
of love
and roses
we stay forever entwined
in the love ballet
for it is the essence
of life
its sweet refrain
love
and roses
and tears
that always remain
to love
is to
sacrifice self
and gain
everything
naked sweaty
wide eyed wondering
staring depravity
bleakness surrounding
death resounding
who are you
who am i
who are we
who are they
who…
blazing fires
lust consumes
eternal vagrant
beggar moon
laughing, dancing, sepulcher
song
rejoice, rejoice children
deed is done
how do we
why should we
do we care
do we dare
what to wear
anyone there
only stares
only stares
thrown down
immortal ground
bare the place, stare the face
grope grab
plunge stab
howl scream
dream the dream
soft wet, wet, wet, wet
forget, forget, forget, forget…
consumed by the heat
of truthful tears
chained to an unresponsive
body
sensually mute
numb to life
in all its multiform
manifestations
pure and profane
alike
what is life
but a full reminder
that what occurs
without
is of dramatic
and tragic
consequence within
to be numb
is to endure
to feel to the pores
every tide
every purl
of the harrowing
whirlwind currents
is to be pain
apportioned
entirely
this is life
suffering
a sweet pain
divinely pure
confessions
of secret tendernesses
denied
restrained
forcibly
through societal barriers
majority imposed
tears arriving
too little
too late
too confused
too clear to contain
the gut wrenching pain
within
children born to an
uncomprehending world
a world full of perverted
wisdoms
where to act on the words
received
is to counteract the actions
ordered
is it a wonder
that self-recrimination
and madness
follow
screaming
shrieking
wreaking spiritual havoc
as the soul is burned
like so much driftwood
the eternal flame
human destruction at its
finest
its worst
its enduring consistency
so it is
she tells
of
ladies adjacent
pure essence
lower their noses
raise their skirts
ride the steel beast
blissful surrender
genii tale excitation
oh my
oh my
oh my
this moment
overcomes
red flush
badge of honor
cease the unspeakable
expletives
no father shall preach
no mother avows
sly wink of eye
assertion
get in the groove
some love that
skirt flies up in the breeze
and some love that
on the knees yes please
and some love that
riding high come noon
and some love that
scream and cry to the moon
and some love that
scream and cry to the moon
and some love that
love that
love that
he told me
a long drawn tale
a long drawn tale of life
and regrets
and drugs
and tears
and moments of fear
and running scared
break down
the walls
open
the doors
rats gnaw at ground fruit
apathetic cats look on
he told me
your head is
humming
and it
won’t go
he told me
of
days and nights
and moons
and fights
and drugged out
moments of intense
meaning
that meant
nothing at all
camera shutter clicking
and sex
and songs
played all night long
slinging
that kitty
from here to whiskerville
and dreams and schemes
never realized
camera shutter clicking
there’s a bustle
in your
hedgerow
and loves
that came
and went
and went
and came
and some
came
twice
in the front door
out the back
and some repeat
dishonest
deceitful

shuck the pain away

shuck the pain away

mine now
bro
mine now
bro
complete loves
burn so bright
fizzle fast
then outta sight
tears fall
on my
guitar strings

repeat
repeat

repeat

gone like a fart

in a windstorm
with a pain
that lasts
eternal

shuck the pain away

shuck the pain away

and punches
and bruises
and wounds
and slaps
heard around the world
we are connected
will be forever
can’t fix it
till it’s broken
and in the end
love
ragged
and torn
crawls along
life’s blood road
raising its weak head
for a weary kiss
and a big resounding hug
and tears unending

sorry
sorry
sorry

sorry

sorrow
be gone
can’t fix it
till it’s broken
petals from heaven
dandelions in rain
all on earth
are associated
with those
in the
spirit world
who are
like themselves
attributes of femininity
seen in the clouds
attended by
angels
with trumpets
and the whole
visible universe
destroyed
broken legal system
broken results
cacophonous
voices
on radio
bird cawing
wind howling
vehicles
crashing
thunder
rumbling
wails
screams
vehement
crying
sea cucumber attacks
shoreline
osprey
lighthouses
sea shells
scattering
in the wind
we sail together
on this rickety boat
of many holes
the sea
vast
and
dark
ever informing
i was
thinking
about you
today
the way
you shelter
me
with love
the way
you twist
your body around
me
kiss me in
the morning
with your
waking call
and in the glow
of loving
tenderness
i sing like a fool

i love
the sound
of the rain
i love
the sound
of the rain
and the still
of a sunset
glowing
as it plays
across
your face
little you
certainty uncertain
at movie in oblivion

only talking

calling

witnessed
very
few
scenes
think
you are really
popular

a saturation
beyond the storm

convents know not

vehicles
wrongness

half tarts
a chain that says
one

morsels
creamy
everything

you can box

nothing

down
the lights
cinematography
just chaos

worse out
as seething slips

a no risk nebula

none are missed

theme of
flowers of dead
not as lonesome

a mass sentence

stumbling intersection

we are
sidewalk crickets

see second first

on small screen
hear into the
colony
of you waiting

hear into the

up tapped
wooden damp
half blue

winter
might hope
you’re a pretty soft unison
pre-revolutionary
new wave nuns

this
our tail of Anna

in out
in out
everywhere

hear hear
waive reward

no surface carnations

twitching moments

the us
and we

our
pinkies to crown
curbed ballad
finale

go glad
the scribbled mess

if everyone
is the two

is the fun

of the pre-revolutionary
as here
crosses strained intersections
bans the paper
convent patrons

puts them into

orchestral hymns
and ends its
whispered of
door there
turned stone and trash
harm

your first think

is harmful

wrong

your fruiting
feels foul as
religious rats
manage another’s throat
but she looks
lights up

they’re united crooks

insides drowning

emanating all over

one bitter room

was for
live music
one moment
together
sung praise
of malice

holding the artful

little drummer

uncalled for

after Anna faces

her second overlook
from
the convent of the chords

over one third

of voting ants
as they do have
a stranger right

exit
exit
exit
pale odor
aquamarine
veins

thin

powder blue
blood within

dead stone
pool
deep
full
night swing

white shadows
ghouls
afire

lights
lights
lights

green concrete
magic rice balls

it has come back

it is the little pig
it is the new toy

currently destructive
blue water ghost
and
giant cranes

chaos
confusion

the last dimension

venenia luan-da
joint
damnitgrav
malevolution
paradox
is not

forest rhapsody
has
shiny gears

royal ark
is
power of noise
siamilite
gave it all
the unlit eye
reigns in
the cold
before the end
Carl Carr has been writing
poetry since he was nineteen.
His work has been widely
published in numerous online
zines. A gifted songwriter,
musician, and storyteller,
today he focuses his attention
on writing poetry, novels,
short stories, and songs, as
well as taking occasional
breaks to hike the hills and
wildlands of California.

More Poems by this Author:

Heat Lightning Poems