Jo Beth

Dreams picked up where the liquor left off,
but you're not embarrassing yourself.

The old frame was only big enough for great great great grandpa's one glowering eye,
the infamous rendition of the gateway to his royal southern soul,
staring rigidly right through the glass and your transparent standards,
into your room and the one laying there.
But don't be afraid,
you're not embarrassing yourself.

Excuses might have worked,
if he were still alive, and exercising the habits of then,
instead of the dead habits of now,
but they were older than you'd like to believe
and so are those benefits you continue to reap.
Those marvelous benefits reaped.

It's not your fault,
but it isn't great great great grandpa's either,
ask his wife
or his pastor.
They are the one you have to answer to,
so you're not just embarrassing yourself.

That old gramophone liked to skip, but not this morning,
not while playing the hangover melodies from the night before to kick today off right.
The last thing you need is to slip into comfort before your nap.
And no one's sure why the sun would even bother to come out
when it knows you'd rather be in bed.

Scraps of Importance: Part One

With the arrival of the new knockoffs,
the old knockoffs found themselves in a spot.
"We're people too!"
Yes, it's true.

Do you think knockoffs?
Do you think I've met you before?

High Life in the Summer

After months, hot on the trail of her latest campaign,
the lady is back for more of the old.

The trip home painted proof of something inadvertently
(is anything ever advertent?),
caught in the rain,
the neon signs and blinking traffic lights streaming on the streets
and it's both too early and too late...
depending.

Who'd think the summer binge would end,
so late and
the floor was comfortable then.

The god damn alarm
The god damn alarm
forgot the time again.

Spend the night,
I'll pay you back I promise

Spend the night,
things can only be forgotten for.

So long,

and the god damn alarm is going to come early enough.