Here’s an excerpt from my poetry collection, A Thousand Bullets Gone Astray:
all the paths i could travel
All the paths I could
travel are pointing me
in 360 directions
Which path I choose
is hard for me
to imagine.
If I move in one direction
the circle collapses and
my path becomes fixed
I can’t help but wonder
what would happen if
I chose another path
Where would that one lead me
What would I be giving up
What would I become?
You can be or do anything
you want, so the words go
and that’s true.
The problem isn’t lack
of choice; it’s too much
choice that spends my head
Which path to choose I
cannot tell, so I stand still
keeping the circle in tact.
BONUS Excerpt:
jane doe
it’s cool she said,
put your hand on
my thigh
ordinarily I would
comply, but you see
i don’t know her name
she smiles, shifts in
her seat, asks: ‘how
about my toe?’
i say, ‘I don’t know
is this a game?’
you’re cute, she says
but just the same, can
you massage my back?
she moves her hair
aside to make room
for my hands
before long we’re
in the sack, i still don’t
know her name
she came just the same
called me a girl’s name
shannon i think it was
or maybe heather
i forgot when she
broke out the leather
the things she did
with a feather made
me come like a cannon
the sun chases
the moon
from the sky
she slips on
her dress, kisses my
nipple and says
good-bye
i beg for more
too late
she closes
the door
i try to call her
but i don’t know
her name
now I see her
everywhere, the
bus, the train
the crowded shops
and playing fields
she even turned up
once at a school recital
in a black bridal dress
made of leather with
strips of feathers
around her waist
now every girl i see
that looks like her i
want to run and ask:
are you the one
who left me in bed
rummaging through
every female name
in my head looking
for one that would fit
you?
they shake their heads
no and scurry away
in haste,
no wait, don’t go
are you my jane doe?