trip wires
corner-standers dodging glances
sneaking around like silent film villains
sidewalk-crack avoiders
watching for trip wires
dodging sewer covers in the steam
social smoking corner-huddlers
black wool coats, stylish incubators
isolates in transit, passé plastic ponchos
silent bus stop sitters staring
caught like deer in headlights
ticket-checking rent-a-cops
acoustic spare change seekers
stubborn won't sit subway-riding
rude pole-clinging suitcase draggers
everyone's a character
benches damp and elevator red
my god, I can't stop thinking
dinner table conversation planner
watch the wheels a-turning
judge not lest ye be judged
journal-jotting no one
cupping hands to drink the rain
shit, kid, give it a rest
Where we left off
neurons and axons
sending and receiving
transmissions beginning and ending
overactive pons
temporary sleep paralysis
heart races, pupils dilate
ransacking rooms
looking for nothing in particular,
pockets full of ghosts
so this is where we left off:
you were about to find me out
Drifting
fingers dancing, shadows dim
reverb in the doorway
eking muted melodies
eyelids heavy and closed
warping wood, buzzing frets
capo creeps to the floor
strings meander out of tune
stubborn little bastards
shoulder-hunched determination
gutters singing in the rain
I'm on the bed and full of smoke
too bored to know I'm there
anatomy of a storm
gentle laughter in the leaves
typewriter tapping on the glass
sterile sky now colored ill
aching and eerily still
harsh whisper, intrusive wind
train whistle dancing in your ears
pressure changes, pressure headaches
God makes no mistakes
droplets on the windowsill
children whisked away
terrible thunder, beauty in numbers
flashing, crashing down to earth
creation vs. the weather station
neighbors knocking on the door
spherical, solidified
marbles piled on the ground
road signs bend, shutters crack
shingles wander down the street
twisted, mad, and mischievous
tearing roofs off houses
cellar doors, lamplit floors
someone's got the dog by her collar
huddled, hushed, and listening
power lines stretch and snap
flashlights propped up on a shelf
comfort kisses on the cheek
leaking, creaking kitchen floor
stubborn houses standing firm
worrisome and sound asleep
family curled up on a mattress
safe and sound below the ground
God makes no mistakes
Silent Film Villains
ISBN: 978-1-62258-003-3
LCCN: 2012955389
© Tim Becker, 2012
Chapters: 2 (16-20 poems)
Poems: 36
Pages: 102
Words: 6,933