Disturbed
They say I am mildly disturbed
I stay awake at night, have paranoid visions
Have no girlfriend, nothing
I scratch my head for no apparent reason
I talk to myself and laugh in mid-sentence
They say I am mildly disturbed
Like blue detergent flushing
Down a toilet bowl
I am not mildly disturbed
But I feel like a prisoner in concrete walls
I wish I had a friend I could talk to
I think that would make a difference
I wish I lived in a community
That was concerned about my welfare
A farm or something, and we could work together
And I don’t like carrying guns anymore
And I don’t even like rock n’ roll anymore
I have permanently turned off my television
Because I’m convinced it’s giving me cancer
I don’t really like machines that run on
Electricity, gasoline or other resources
Except my coffeemaker, I am a coffee addict
It’s getting out of control
If I was having sex every night
I would stop drinking coffee
Attention ladies, I like most of you
I would like to have a relationship with you
You can be the dictator every once in awhile
Let’s reproduce in the name of the anti-corporate regime
Let’s never make love in public places
Let’s burn all the porno houses down
And blow up every satellite dish
Together, we can put an end to sodomy
I Love You
My grandmother said, “I love you” on the phone
Every time we talked
After she was diagnosed with dementia
More times than I can count
More than any lover
More than any friend
She wanted those words to linger
Long after memory was erased
These days my grandmother
Doesn’t know who I am
She stares at me
As though I’m a stranger
Come to ransack the place
As a child, I imagined this world
As my permanent home
I had no idea we could
Travel to other places
Even disappear
Even while alive
I just want to say, “Thank you,” Grandma
My gratitude is immeasurable
For the comforts you provided
Just by smiling
I miss you so much it hurts
