Guile

Foooood rolls the purr
From behind lemon eyes
Tail batting the air
Lazy electric shrugs
Stirring the perfect cocktail
One part love two parts guile
Goes down easy
Okay fine, where’s the cat food?

-T. Weeks
(A response to “The Dalliance of the Eagles”)

Walking in Potland

Downtown by the tent city
Where the homeless people live
There are regular people too
But they just walk by
Mostly it’s the homeless kind of people
I feel guilty about having stuff
So I give them some regular people stuff
Now we’re the same
They are happy and I am happy
One of them gives back
A dollar for my kids
We both gave but we’re not the same now
He broke the deal
He’s supposed to accept my charity
And I’m supposed to feel charitable
Now I feel guilty again
He ruined it

-T. Weeks
(A response to “To Rich Givers”)

Chicken

What a time to be
To see such danger rising
To write fear parasitic
To smell the rot of paranoia
To paint the tragic blush
To gasp at lights swinging.
As the seismograph claws a panicked beat
We play chicken with our fate.
What will be said of us?
That we gilded this age
Or took it head on running?

-T. Weeks
(A response to “I Sit and Look Out”)

Orthodox

Giant stones planted deep but not growing
Immovable permanent
Sentries of the valley
Devout to their tectonic birth
Elbows in the river bend but not flowing
Canvas of life but not living

-T. Weeks
(A response to “To a President”)

Line

There is a verse in this powerful play
Persisting beyond the curtain
Recited, reused, plagiarized
A line to launch a thousand shows
Lights and faces peer on stage
Panning for the precious nugget
There’s my cue… Line?!

-T. Weeks
(A response to “O Me! O Life!)