The Pursuit

They say a man is nothing if he is
Without a quest, that it is the drive to
Fulfill some goal that brings purpose to his
Existence. Now I don't know just how true
All of that is, but I'd like to recruit
You for an experiment: to see just
How fulfilling the true reckless pursuit
Of pleasure can be. Now as is discussed,
I must throw myself into this task with
Focus and intensity if I'm to
Make this night into the personal myth
Of struggle, triumph, and struggle anew.
     The look of bliss you'll wear is my treasure.
     Tonight, I exist to bring you pleasure.

As Far As You May Roam

I've let my anchor drop. I've found a fixed
Position in this world and I'm prepared
To stay a while. So though I sit transfixed
At all the tales of adventure you've shared,
And though you see tears betraying my eyes
When you begin to sing your travelers' prayer
And though you feel my wanderlust arise
Like spirits with passions too great to bear,
Do not ask me to join you on the road,
'Cause it will break my heart when I refuse
And say I've found the place to lay my load.
But I will keep it well for you, my muse
     So that you know, as far as you may roam
     You will always be welcome in my home.

The Self-Immolation Blues

Despite my best efforts, my will crumbles
Under the rule of this enigmatic
Reaction. My mind-blank-body stumbles
Like a corpse running on automatic
Pilot to the unknown destination,
To the fate unforseen. I am compelled
By some strange secret communication
That speaks to me in words that can't be spelled.
It speaks when molecules accelerate
When energy is transformed into heat.
I have become a fuel to desecrate.
I am no longer man. I am it's meat.
     The fire burns all, and nothing can remain
     And with fire--ev'rything is new again.

For ST

I want to make a masterpiece for you.
I want to reach inside myself and grasp
Some spark of pure emotion, burning blue
and white, the intensity of an asp
About to strike, the depth of all the dreams
You can't forget. I want to take this spark
And polish mere matter until it gleams.
I want the centuries to know its mark.
Let schoolchildren in three thousand and nine
Write sleepy essays expressing their views
On the great work that will be this design
And the love you gave that would be its muse.
     I want to create legendary art
     To show the world the joy you've brought my heart.

Advice to the Heartbroken Young Woman of Austin Whose Relationship Has Just Come to an End.

I know that you feel sad, but don't succumb
To grief before you face all of your trials.
You have one week before you become chum
For all the the sharks who flash their fang-filled smiles.
These former friends will find when you're alone
At some social function, with flatteries
Like bold bludgeons they'll try to knock you prone
And have their way with you. Their batteries
Can only be recharged with energy
From broken hearts making a compromise,
New blood for incestuous synergy.
They'll strive to touch your heart between your thighs.
     They'll work the angles like you were a square.
     So know what lies before you and beware.

One Hour

I've given myself an hour to write
A proper sonnet in the English style
Of meter and rhyme. I'd like to delight
You with a cunning couplet that would dial
In to the very center of your mind
And provide the proper dénouement to
The well-laid setup that I have refined
Over the first mere dozen lines. So view
This hastily assembled string of words
And tell me if you think I got it right.
Will this only work for poetry nerds?
Or will others sympathize with my plight?
     I gave myself an hour for this rhyme,
     And now I'm done in only half that time.

Competitors

I wouldn't really say that we're lovers.
That word misrepresents the thing we share.
No, the term "competitors" best covers
What we are in the heat of our affair.
We face each other like athletes on the
Playing field, prepared to push ourselves to
The very brink of our ability
To come out on top. And so with each new
Encounter our minds flood with endorphins
As breath comes fast and hard. Our skin is flush
And sweat glows from your face as your mouth grins,
Wanting to see who'll be the first to gush.
     Remember, when you play this game with me
     Don't stop until you're screaming "Victory!"

Fat Lucifer

It's not going to work. No matter how
Much you want it, no matter how hard you
Try, you've set your sights on something that now
Lies too far outside your grasp. So see through
The absurd lies you've been told all your life
And recognize that there is no reward
For all your struggle, there is only strife
And minor victories to be ignored
By all the souls on Earth--they too must face
The failures that come every new day.
Give up your quest and abandon your chase.
Kill the ambition you choose to obey.
     You'll learn the truth when all your hopes shatter
     For when you fail, it won't even matter.

Test of Time

How will our passion stand the test of time?
Will you still want to rest your head on my
Chest and drift into a sleep so sublime
When you've woken so often to a sigh
Of contentment escaping from my lips?
Will we still roar and fuck and sway our way
Through our thousandth night just like when the tips
Of each others' fingers were an array
Of explorers, making maps of the sum
Total of the pleasure found in their quest?
I can't speak for the weeks and years to come,
Life's far too short to turn into a test.
     So take my hand and prepare to ignite.
     We are ready for the future tonight.

Glow

If there's one lesson I've learned through the years
It's this--Always say "Yes" when you get asked
To do something by the girl who appears
At the party well after midnight, masked
By the wild flash of dance-floor lights on her
Designer dress and carrying a whole
Rainbow of pills with names that are a blur
Of consonants and numerals. The sole
Reply that must come out of your mouth if
You should see this rarest of specimens
Is "Sure, I'm down for that." And though the cliff
Diving at dawn may trash your camera lens
     And Tokyo raves may be tiresome, go
     Fearlessly into the dark night and glow.