Murder Suicide

[just wrote this, I'm open to suggestions.]

The police tape outside the rambler didn’t conceal much.
Everyone in the neighborhood heard the shots.
When the cameras showed up,
the overweight-middle-aged women were interviewed,
the story was obvious enough.
There were still details floating around,
but with these things details seldom get nailed down,
least not to the satisfaction of col de sac gossip.
The local news anchor was able to piece together
a fairly comprehensive synopsis of the crime.

A murder suicide.
Love had had enough of hope,
his adolescent behavior
refusal to accept reality
or notice her.

Neighbors mentioned that Hope seemed distant in conversation.
He was always occupied with half-finished home improvement projects.

Love hadn’t been happy in years.
Seduced by possibilities and fear of being alone,
she married the younger man
months after their meeting him.
The promise of a family went unfulfilled
as the couple struggled with infertility.
Love became increasingly depressed, and Hope paid little attention.
He became unconcerned with his wife’s needs and her fight with depression.

In a press conference the Sheriff’s office noted
the crime appeared to have been planned ahead of time
it was not a crime of passion.

A Gentiles Bad Day

[hope this doesn't gross out anyone, it isn't meant to]

There have been better days
like when I was four
and I zipped my foreskin into my onesy,
or the time my first girlfriend
gave me an inflatable heart
with the name Jack written on it.
The good times never last.
Sooner or later
somebody will tell somebody you love
they have cancer.
And then having a piece of your penis
on the outside of the white zipper
doesn’t seem quite so bad.

Heartbreak

I don’t have any new
insights
on heartbreak.
Most of what I know
everyone else knows,
but it’s good to review.

It’s familiar,
like the homeless man
you seem to run into
every time you leave your house.
The one you know
better than you’d like.

It teaches us the lessons
we never wanted to learn,
moving arduously through the text book.

Heartbreak is an asshole professor
testing first week minutia
on the final.
Every quiz and test is
cumulative.
I hope this is the final.

A forgone conclusion.

a crack in the sidewalk
walking the dog
a yoyo trick that’s getting old

The empty feeling after a kick to the junk, a studio apartment,
bad song lyrics, the fourth plate at a Chinese buffet,
a dog with cancer, a diamond ring, your first mustache.

It is not a
broken record,
it is a
broken stereo.

A rock stuck in your shoes
cavities with no dental insurance
ketchup stain on prom tuxedo.

Her voice
knocking the wind out of you.

Almost, near miss, better luck next time, plenty of fish in the sea
over and over and over and over again and again and again.

Heart break is a railroad tunnel
painted on the side of a cliff.

A pen out of ink
and a journal full
of crush-drunk gibberish and
sad analogies.

A porcupine fetus
we give birth to
every time they
brush up next to us or
laugh at our jokes.

Profanity
oozing out
from chest cavities
in sighs,
mumbles and
slow sips of thick beer.

Your stomach getting all lobsided
after she says
“you’re such a funny guy”
emphasizing such
like a twist of a knife.

The callous built up like a wall around us
with holes the size of quirky smiles and
casual conversation.

Seeing prophecy fulfilled, the land laid to waste,
and your heart on the long march to Babylon.

A mosquito bite.

It comes when hyperbole
becomes morphine
and all you can hope is that
this is
at last
the final.

I’m not saying anything new.
This is just review.
This will be on the test.

Walker Texas Ranger

[in case you're wondering why I wrote this, it was because I wanted to, and i do what i want.]

stepping out unnoticed
from behind concrete pillar
Walker surprises gang bangers

the street thugs
shot a ten year old
that Walker loved

the young black man
who the dialog has revealed
has a good heart
but simply lost his moral sense of direction
from a bad crowd
and abusive home
hangs his head sheepishly

the gang leader challenges Walker
who promptly kicks their ass
without even bringing out a roundhouse
walking away the gang leader yells
you can't do this

I just did
Walker's black cowboy hat
exits the frame

Meanwhile

the girl who got shot is on a respirator
with her grandmother by her side
as she flat lines
her grandmother prays to God

suddenly

the room is filled with soft light
emanating from the little girl
grandmother and nurses look around
amazed
the girls eyes begin to move
as the light fades

she pulls out the respirator
explains that an angel had spoke to her
and that everything would be all right

later Walker explains to the doctor,
who was bewildered as he took off his glasses
because science could not explain what happened,
science could not explain the power of faith

local news anchor
reports the story
ends broadcast
"the is Leslie Johnson
reporting from the hood"

this story ended
as the angel had predicted:
the gang bangers threw down their bandanas
joined the community members and Walker
who were enjoying the girls singing
and having a picnic.

Theology of Heartbreak

Psalm 34:18
The Lord is near the broken-hearted.

Psalm 73:28
But as for me, the nearness of God is my good

Romans 8:28
And we know that God causes all things to work for the good to those called according to his purpose.

Me
Dang.