forest – other animals

All the Parts

I
as in a dream in which we must play all the parts but self-consciously the work doubles and suffers as he turns to drink and loose video games

but unlike this dark wood newly sprung up around the house the chance of coffee or anything decent for lunch recedes

when we were stranded beneath the white waves it was only those voracious years of romance novels that saved the ship and sailors

so once properly cooled and decorated the cake of my previous actions could still prove delicious

it was never meant to last as long as it has though some seeds only sprout after a fire we never knew needed so much tending

and we started off so strong but whether we like it or not we’re in a purely habitual forest now

perhaps this is what the song is really meant to be about or could be under slightly different meteorological conditions

II
a dream self-consciously suffers loose

wood around the house of coffee or anything for lunch

beneath the waves of romance novels that

decorated the cake of my previous could

as long seeds sprout a fire so

strong whether we like it or not

perhaps this is what is meant to be

III
as in a dream we play all the doubles and drink this dark coffee beneath waves only years of romance novels saved my previous actions never meant to last as long as though some started off strong we’re in a purely habitual song about slightly different conditions

IV
in a dream

this dark house

beneath waves

my previous actions

after a fire we knew

started off in

perhaps this song

I am a dog walker I am cooking beans I am the misprint in the formula I am heavy snow at night the scrape of the plow I am bored and ashamed of my boredom I am eating cashews pecans sunflower seeds I am a deer of seven tines I am the sluggish pulse I am a new sound in the deep forest just once I am an empty bag of highly flavored corn chips by the off ramp I am the mistake that leads to greatness I am a wave breaking on dark rock I am a wave breaking on sand

the waves hiding
the stain in my star
newly fallen
to burn the forest
but wait there’s more
nonsense to chew
in the shadowy
corner wearing
a hood hand on
a bottle of pills
and years later
telling the story
you make it sound cute

and woke. At the forest’s center parting branches

burnt candy. A fist in the forest crawls under a rock

in the forest where they planned that nasty surprise tiny flowers try to take over the world fish look surprised and sure he was never one to

and what could we do but invite him if we were going to the summer house as you waited with the light straight down from the clouds in planks and the ducks looking like they’ve lived through worse though

the party that night with everyone still feeling a bit raw from the afternoon staring into their drinks waiting for someone to mention going to bed so we could say oh yes what a good idea me too

too long to get the point of new luxury condos the forest in my hand sends out for ad nauseum takeout

forest at dawn when she lied like a kaleidoscope

on the edge of a forest though I tried to avoid it