Rough Poem

- Contraband Dialogue -

He looks at her from across the way,
and thinks about what he might say.
In his mind his words are trapped,
so he describes what is happening as though a third party.

Beginning where the trail starts,
he leads his audience weaving them into summersaults.
This story he tells is complicated,
based on fact but complicated by love.

All at once everything stands still.
The answer has been staring him in the face,
laughing the entire time.
All he has to do is act like he's talking to someone else.

With that he stands,
and his heart soars.
He'll talk to her yet,
even if their discussion is contraband.

Then he realizes his mistake,
in his lapse of inner thought,
he'd let her get away.
All words are gone now,
what more is there to say?

Myaogu'irce Park: She nearly cried

"Have you heard the news?" The old man who sits at the bench every Wednesday shouted abruptly. He raised his right finger into the air as though he stood before an audience. A smile stretched out long and wide across his face so big you'd think it might kill him. This was an act I'd seen played out many a time before.

Keeping quiet as I had so many times before I watched carefully the quickness in his eyes as they darted from spectator to spectator looking for an easy target. I knew his game and it wasn't a good one. First he'll pretend to die. Then when you run over to help him in any way you could he'll revive himself and snatch you're wallet. Just like a shot out of a gun he would run off and you'd be left standing there holding the bag.

"Today is my…" right on queue the old man dropped to the ground and curled up in the fetal position. He groaned a moment as if hurt and then died. His death was a result of medication negligence. That was something most people weren't privy to. Then a girl approached with hast while breathing heavily.

She threw herself to her knees to obtain a position leaning over the old man. "Oh my gosh!" she uttered. Reaching for her phone all at once the old man leapt into the air with spry movement and like a bat out of hell disappeared beyond the sights of the bench where she knelt.

I sighed and walked past her glancing only a moment to let her see my eyes. She knew now what a fool she'd just made herself to be. But she saw in my eyes that I admired her caring attitude. It was good to see someone who cared more for others than for themselves.

So I turned, what compelled me to do this I'm not quite sure, and I approached her with a smile. She was beautiful, and she allowed me to help her up. A single tear was in her eye. I looked at her with a look most sincere. "Don't worry; I know where he'll take it." I said while retrieving a sheet of note paper from my day planner. I quickly wrote down the instructions that would lead her to recover her stolen wallet. As I gave her the paper she handed me her card and smiled. Then she turned and started off following the directions I had given her. With that I continued on my way, thinking ever more about calling her and what I might say. I finally decided though to just throw her card away.

Myaogu'irce Park: Tuesdays with Jonathan

As I sat, hunched forward in a gaze. My arms draped beside me and my eyes glazed. I watched him, carefully I watched what he did. His actions astonished me. What ever it was I saw him do. He looked tense, and was always hard at work. He looked over at me, from time to time with a scowl. I think he liked me, like I gave him something to do some how.


So I just sit on the bench and stare at him from across the park path. He kneels and grabs. Then pulls up whatever he has. He'd wave his hand around, or examine something closely. Every now and then something would require him to stand, and he'd take a deeper stab at it, with whatever tool he had in his hands. These tools he used were all in his head, my dad had said. I didn't believe that though. Tools can't be in your head, what good would tools do you there? He introduced me to his fish once, though I couldn't find it in the grass. He told me the fish's name was Chris, and that it didn't like carrots. I never talk to him though, because my dad told me not to. My dad told me he was mad, and that if I talked to him he might hurt me, and I didn't want that. So I just watched him work with things, and stared at him from the bench across the park path.


Sometimes he puts things in his bag. Though I never see these things that he has. All I see beneath him is grass, and I never see that in his hands. But still I follow his actions, and keep a watchful eye, you never know what he might find. Sometimes he jumps up and chases something fast, and it gets away. Then he returns to his work. At the end of the day he brushes off his pants and picks up his bag. Then he leaves, so I go home to eat and sleep. I know he won't be there tomorrow, he only works on Tuesdays.

Myaogu'irce Park: The dandelion

Carefully I pulled up the carrot, making sure not to remove the leaves. They're more fresh when you keep them that way. At least that's what my daddy used to say. I put the carrot into the bucket, making sure I didn't let Chris see. He doesn't like those things, or so that's what he told me. Of course I know my fish can't talk, but since he's the one that keeps me company, I thought I'd give him some personality. Not like that Jonathan kid, who just sits on the bench like a mute. Staring at me like I was crazy, poor kid says he can't see my vegetables or my fish.

Planting my shovel into the ground hard to pull up a weed I can't help but look over at him. I'd think he was blind but it does seem like he can see me. Why then he couldn't ever speak or see what I saw I figured I'd never know. Seems all he's good for is to sit and stare. Makes me wonder what he does when I'm not here. Throwing the weed into the junk bucket I suddenly have a thought.

He thinks I'm crazy because he can't see the weed. My hand reaches down and I pick up the weed, holding it firmly in my hand. I think he's crazy because he can't see what's right in front of him. But should the weed come into contact with him, and then we'd know if it were I or he who was crazy. I turned sharply and let the dandelion fly.

I watched as the weed struck him square in the head and for a moment he looked puzzled. At that point I thought I might have just knocked some sense into him, that he'd finally realized I wasn't nuts. But something in the expression on his face told me he hadn't felt a thing. I watched as he began to look around as though he'd missed what had just happened. Then I knew I was crazy.

Myaogu'irce Park: I jumped off a building for you but you don't love me.

Starring at the dark night sky that stretches out in the distance above me my mind remains blank momentarily. The flashing lights from the police below leave a pulsing glow upon my face complementing the pale icy look presented by my regret. Vivid colors blur as tears built up once again and begin tearing radical lines down my cheeks. My arms spread like an eagle in flight my only movement is a soft shift as the wind speed increases. Thoughts reflecting recent events pour into my head and my mind tries again to find a different path.

It started last week, without any warning I did something that didn't make any sense. I tried to talk to someone I couldn't, and I knew it. At first things weren't so bad, in fact they were great. It seemed nothing was wrong at all, and perhaps I wasn't going to need those pills anymore, to get me through the night. Then things got ugly fast.

First I made a mistake, assumed too much and said the wrong thing. Someone else had to take it the wrong way and wasn't happy with me being around. I didn't want to go and argued my case. She bought my story but he didn't. He saw through my disguise and knew what I was going to do. I was told I needed to leave, she said she didn't want me to go. He told her to be quite, that was his mistake.

She left him, soon we were a pair and doing things. Then I found out who he was. I tried to make sure he wasn't going to hurt her, I went to his house. He wasn't there so I went looking at his work but he hadn't shown, so now I knew what I needed to now. He wasn't happy and he was after her. I called her but she didn't answer, and went to her house but she wasn't there. I found her at work, but I was too late.

He'd been gunned down outside in his escape, she was dead. What could I do. My mind went over all options, time travel, DNA restructuring, everything wouldn't do anything to save her now.

I glanced down once and saw a detective pointing and ordering a man around. What he was doing I didn't know. They tried to blame me, said I medaled in something that I shouldn't have. They were right, at the time I didn't care. Now I suppose I should have thought about this ahead of time.

The roof door behind me started to thunder loudly. I imagine they think they can stop me, it's too bad they haven't thought about it long enough. As the door slammed open and armed men flooded the rooftop shouting orders I stepped out over the edge. Quickly the force the planet commands gripped my leg and pulled my fast towards the ground. Watching the people stop, blank stares as if in awe filled the street and while the pavement lost focus and blended with all other color and shade I pictured her face one last time. I always knew she'd be my downfall, I just never thought it'd be hers that lead to mine. Mustering one last action before I hit the ground a tear leaves my eye.

She sits down next to me, and asks me why I'm crying. I look at her, recount the vision I just had, and out of nothing but pure love for her I shout in anger, "Leave me alone!" With that she gets up and leaves with her boyfriend while I put my head in my hands and sob quietly to myself.