you were California to me
for you I went West
for you I became a U.S. Marshall
for you I hung sixshooters on my brain
& cleaned up the town
for you I died with my boots on
for you I hitched my wagon to a star
& what did you do for me baby
-- Richard Allen
There's no other hurt
like the hurt of a fine-toothed comb
pulled over somebody's liver.
Details at 10:00.
-- Wayne Hogan
I was standing beneath this tree,
No! Wait, it wasn't a tree,
it was some sort of domestic animal
like a cat, yeeeah, it was a cat.
So I was standing beneath this cat
just talking with her kittens and...
Hell, let me think, they weren't kittens
but a pair of sunglasses, Vuarnet
I think . . . You know though
I really don't remember the sun
even being out that morning,
I must be wrong about the glasses.
My God! It wasn't a pair of glasses
I was talking to, it wasn't even
that cat's kittens. It was Carol,
I was talking to my wife Carol.
-- R. Evan Pitts
she was like deep sunshine,
as subtle as radiation.
from my wet urge
she hid her underground rainbow.
at night I counted the stars
in her perfect crown.
a flickering smile
rearranged my atoms
till I wrinkled,
defused,
and watched her leave
in timeless dark.
-- Tim Peeler