Bum Bum Bum

The white dog of the farm still breeds
she’s off her leash
to tear flesh and teach
bum bum bum

You think you’ve heard it all before
well, here’s once more
we’re all at war
bum bum bum

Blood in the streets, our eternal river
I know the killer
he counts my silver
bum bum bum

They ambushed them behind the reeds
these are our seeds
white dog still breeds
bum bum bum

They say, “Buy when there’s blood in the streets
even if the blood is your own”
so they employed men far away
to turn against their home
centuries in the distant mist
but it’s not a dream

No, it aint no dream, it’s all too real
how long until
this river of blood congeals?
bum bum bum

And eulogies poured from the stage
but nothing changed
the dog was caged
bum bum bum

And white bread artists won’t even look at you
when they know it’s true
what you gonna do?
bum bum bum

Thought I heard some woman screaming
and I sat up in my bed
and I went over to the window
and I saw him in the cold street, lying dead
oh, please tell me, you academics
how do you wake up from a non-dream?

No, it aint no dream, it’s all too real
how long until
this river of blood congeals?
bum bum bum

Sent a letter to my congressman
the Ku Klux Klan
from my pierced hands
bum bum bum

They sent me back an apple phone
a fine-hair comb
and a bell tolled
bum bum bum

The phone rang once and the line went dead
all blood runs red
white pups still bred
bum bum bum

Rancid Girl

You’re a rancid girl
in a rancid world
but I don’t mind

You’re only 17
almost woman
you can almost vote
but I know you won’t

You got fucked-up hair
and fucked-up teeth
a dead look in your eye
that like to see everybody die

You’re bad
I mean you smell bad
you talk a lot
and it’s always bad

What Fresno tweeker’s ashtray you crawl from under?
You’re been to Hell and back
give old men heart attack
else they’ll blow out their brains
you drive other women insane

I’d hate you
but I want you more
you could make a lot of money
I’ll say no more
you’re rancid

You carry cortisone cream
you’re a young man’s dream
four years I’ve been clean
now I think I’ll shoot myself

You got rancid skin
and a rancid blouse
you got the disposition of
a dirty bomb mixed with Minnie Mouse

You keep your jacket on the floor
and your pipe on your self
think I’ll go to Louisiana
just hang to myself

You keep your jacket on the floor
and your pipe in your hand
the future so uncertain
when you’re in demand

You got a diet of
Mike and Ikes and fresh mongoose
you’re favorite movie-
Every Which Way But Loose

You’re a rancid girl
in a rancid world
but I don’t mind

Laughter is the Best Medicine

Sugar and spice and everything weird
a tug on Jupiter’s beard
equal parts bay, henbane and kelp
a tooth from a spotted wolf’s whelp
garlic, cayenne, turmeric and lime
a wood spoon to stir into slime
who’s laugh?

Medicine, funky medicine
nasty medicine
medicine, kinky medicine
a taste of your own medicine
Sister Moon whisper the words over the fire
homegrown medicine

Sensual purple of a deeper shade
visions flash on a new blade
Montezuma’s flesh; licorice tomb
the smile of a young girl in bloom
add whatever you want for taste
and share! Don’t let it go to waste!
who’s laugh?

Medicine, voodoo medicine
Chinese medicine
medicine, tantric medicine
a taste of your own medicine
honey, a little too much, exactly right
who’s laugh?

Medicine, goofy medicine
country medicine
medicine, freaky medicine
a taste of your own medicine

Medicine, cellular medicine
planetary medicine
medicine, outlaw medicine
laughter is the best medicine

Opposite House

The ceiling’s on the floor
floor’s in the refrigerator
what of the door?
it’s there no more

When it rains inside
there’s nowhere to hide
which is why
I’m all sunshine

Aint nobody warned you
aint nobody warned me too
if Hell is above you
you’re even lower than I knew
oh why does it rain inside?

Mine is an opposite house
rain inside when it’s sunny out
outside in
inside out

One step forward, two steps back
they say opposites attract
but they haven’t tracked
in my odd shack

The opposite of white
isn’t black but rainbow blood
this house is too narrow
and made from endangered wood
oh why does it rain inside?

How do you make a magnet?
you create a potential
just an old refrigerator magnet
repelled and pulled
tell me why…

Living in a golden age
why do these words sound so strange?
nothing’s changed
inside this cage

From the window I can see
you coming back to me
how can this be?
my window’s a tree

Pet snakes in the hall
pet snakes, wall to wall
coiling where the mice crawl
winter, spring, summer and fall
oh why does it rain inside?

Medusa’s Outhouse

Help me
help me to remember to forget
to forget what hasn’t happened yet
knock me down that mystic slide again

Tell me
tell me about Medusa’s outhouse
Medusa’s outhouse had a hornets’ nest
stone me if I didn’t pass the test

Season of the slug crawling up the vine
music like a crow in the gold sunshine
the rest is up to dreams
don’t leave me hanging upside down

Music
music to forget the little strings
forget who we are and everything
undressing in the theater our rayon wings

Calliope dancing on thin air
ambrosia cotton candy until we’re free from care
the rest is up to dreams
don’t leave me hanging upside down

If it’s so easy, you try
here, you try
here, if it’s so easy, you try

Dancing
dancing and music are sisters
sisters are good listeners
listeners are good kissers

Say nothing if you don’t want to say
slow down if you’re going my way
the rest is up to dreams
don’t leave me hanging upside down

Low Flyin Bird

Flyin over the sun, escapin with a singed ass-feather
crazy bird, plungin fast toward the concrete nether
death defyin
aint think much of tryin
just flyin

Low
low flyin bird
don’t scrape your beak
low flyin bird, don’t sink
let me ride
over the canyon wide
let me ride
low flyin bird, don’t dive

A bird called Where, searchin for her dismembered love
lighting strickin all around, travelin from the way above
boy that’s looks like fun
until the day is done
fly

Low
low flyin bird
don’t scrape your beak
low flyin bird, don’t sink
let me ride
over the canyon wide
let me ride
low flyin bird, don’t dive

All my dreams I’d burn to fly
windfallin out the clear sky
mistle and a kiss goodbye

Cry

No gold for bards
no laurel enough to bushel into a bed
you tell me one thing and do the other- that’s weird!

No more cliche songs
nothing less
than every once
of your heart
though horses could easily pull me apart
no rhetoric and no gold for bards

Digging for carrots in the moonlight like an immigrant
tearing through plastic bags like an addict
you tell me one thing and do the other- that’s weird!

Are you still listening?
I can’t do nothing for you, can’t you see I have no feet?
we’re like two peas in a pod- Netflix and die
go on and cry
go on and cry

You’re lost for the search for Agartha
you’re lost up your own ass
lost in the oil rainbow’s blue purple shine
lost in bad poetry
lost in logic
lost in a racist bourgeois town

They say the remedy for heartache
is to drink actual gypsy tears
is always adds up to the price of salt, why?
go on and cry
go on and cry

The ancients wrote it in the earth
and the good spirits all are drunk
go on and cry
go on and cry

Run Sister Run

They’re coming at you from all sides
to imprint your body and say they didn’t
the highest authority on Cheez Whiz
hiding behind a Supreme Court urinal
run, sister, run

Or do male justices piss in a squat?
our sister lives in a squat that pisses on justice
Justice is blind and a woman to boot
these boots are made for marching and that’s justice too
run, sister, run

They say silly woman can’t organize a spice rack
and when we say they we mean us part of the time
we are all one but not today
fish tomorrow, not today
run, sister, run

Run back to the park, they’ll roll you a cig, free
run to any immigrant detention facility
run you back to the jailhouse
for NOT talking shit on their ugly wives and kids
run, sister, run

Run you up a thirty foot totem pole
run, sister, tell the people
run your life if you’re not careful
tell Father Time his daughters are waiting
run, sister, run

My sister’s a Queen, she aint no concubine
don’t call my sister no concubine, she is the Mother of Creation
who are you? who are you to call her a concubine?
don’t you know you got to forgive that you may be forgiven?
run, sister, run

Men- respect your sister and respect your Queen
be good to your woman, my man, and she will free you
sister- forgive your man that he may rise from bondage
only you sister, only you my Queen can free the man
run, sister, run

Full moon in Pisces, a reflective riddle
illusory shadows upon open wounds
wars of our fathers bouncing like a pinball machines
between me and my brother stands our sister, don’t shoot!
run, sister, run

In A Chinese Alley

In a chinese alley
in February
I found a frozen girl
naked
under ice

In a chinese alley
in February
you can find all sorts of things
like a box
inside a box
inside another box

Dry cleaner window
covered in a film
of white
chemical salt
black exhaust

Brigid straddled
her space heater
on her leg
a handmade tattoo
of a straight line

She tells me not to
belabor too long
why the cold
gets me hard as a statue

She hanged by a tune
above the organ
“A tune for we have
nothing else”
singing sweet
mediteranian
while her universe
went missing

You got to make your own music
from inside a chinese box
we sipped on the fell laughter
of green tea

Nobody staying
too long
there at
the crossroads
drone taxis
pointed in the direction
of a bridge
to evil

Goodnight love
love goodnight
goodnight love
love goodnight

It

It is not wealth
to have more than others
it is not peace
when others are in pain

It perched there coiling light
though that many years ago
I remember the feeling like it was today
a strange feeling like a living memory
like a weird kind of stranja-vu or something

I want to know, I want to know
how can it stop when there’s nowhere to go?

It is not vicory
to murder thousands in battle
it is not health
to take vitamins and excercise

Then what’s even stranger is the moment it left
the memory feeling, it grew very dim
and we all were in disagreement about what we had seen
and Trevor said, “If you’ve seen it, it just dropped you off”

I want to know, I want to know
where was it from? and where did it go?

All its life, wandering
all of mine, wondering

It is neither animated nor unanimated
vegetable nor machine, real nor unreal
it exists as ‘It’, in fact we can’t even be sure of that
and there it is, a strange group memory

I want to know, I want to know
how can it stop when there’s nowhere to go?
I want to know, I want to know
where was it from? and where did it go?

Switch

You’re so black and white
polarized by the aisle light
you flicker in my ear
“Let’s put some color in this premiere”

You always have the line
you’re both coarse and you’re so fine
in a theater, blind
come closer til we’re intertwined

Turn you on, you light up the room
turn you off, it’s dark as a tomb
you’re like a switch

You belong to you
that’s why I love the things you do
come on out, it’s May Day
“Everyone’s a whore in their own way”

Even when you’re throwing shade
caught in the fold of your own blade
a piggy or a thief
I love you always through joy and grief

Turn you on, you light up my soul
turn you off, it’s black as coal
you’re like a switch

The law of love aint fair
easy for one, leaves another in despair
travelling the stars
“We live in each other’s hearts”

Loaded then you’re clean
I want to crawl up into your screen
someday you’ll fly away
“That’s the mark of magic, I’d say”

Turn you on, you light up the world
turn you off, you make my blood curdle
you’re like a switch

Turn you on, turn you off
turn you on, turn you off
you’re like a switch

I’m A Shoe

Well, goodbye God, going to Bodie am I
going to Bodie, looking for a good time
goodbye good people, you can’t help me anymore
I’m going down for sure
I’m a shoe
and so are you

Well, goodbye God, going to Bodie am I
going to Bodie, looking for a good time
I’d follow you until the end of this Earth
but Bodie comes first
I’m a shoe
and so are you

Well, goodbye God, going to Bodie am I
going to Bodie, looking for a good time
lower down than the roots of a pine tree
don’t waste your prayers on me
I’m a shoe
and so are you