love in the afternoon

I wake up in the morning, I am cold

I go to sleep at night, I am colder.

sometimes,
I boil water for tea
and don't drink it



I go to sleep at night,

I am colder.

A Bitter Perfume

The perfume of the sea is a bitter one 
that of the salt, that of the sun 

sweet like wine 
burn like scotch 

tossed upon the sand
tossed upon the rocks 

oh but the man she loves 
wears it in his hair 
leaves when the wind is rough 
leaves when the wind is fair 

sleeps by her side, in the wildness of the night 
with that lingering smell 
comfortable and light 

she listens for his engine 
rumble home in the afternoon, 
for a woman knows her sea mans humble tune 
just as she knows

that bitter perfume 

The Inconvenience Of Selling It To The Sea

There's a full moon rising over Sagadahoc Bay

you swear to god you love him more then yesterday

the tide is going out, you're taking off your shoes

you've realized that you have everything to lose

you walk on to the flats, look up to the sky

Seguin smiles cause she catches that twinkle in your eye

whatchu gonna do?

You close your eyes cause you don't know what to say

you don't know the price you may have to pay

you sold your soul long ago

to the salty waves and the easterly wind that blows

now you want it back

you've came to retrieve it, to give it to a man

who treats you nice who wants to take your hand

the sky she blows black, the gulls they start to cry

you know how many women like you have tried?

you're a smart girl, we know you understand

time and tide will never wait on a man

The Moon & I

The Moon and I spooned once

he made me swear to jesus himself

that I would never tell

any dirt roads or chord progressions

I promised, but you see,

The Moon,

he don't believe in promises

I almost kissed The Sun

with my Moon promising lips

she told me I was in no state

to receive kisses like this

I agreed, but you see,

The Sun,

she don't sign contracts

Why My Hair Is Short

A boy once told me that a girls hair is suppose to be long and beautiful, 

                                       he told me real soft

         I smiled because I suddenly had the urge to cut mine all off. 

MY FAVORITE PHONE CALLS

As the southern sun bleaches my hair and thoughts back to strawberry blonde,
dad calls to ask what the moon is doing

harvest moon tonight! can't you feel the energy in the air, dad?

I know he can, he taught me

The corn I cared for all summer in our garden was sweet and tasty,

yet scarce he informed me. One sloppy, butter salt bite would have his mind made.

The man knows his corn. How did my watermelons and cantaloupes hold up, dad?

I know the corn was sweet and tasty, he taught me

Without a goodbye, he hangs up the phone. Click.

My father,
the man who put a piece of land in my name when I was the competent age of 3 months,

My father,
the reason why I've never given myself away freely to anyone,

or bought any item of clothing full price,

hangs up the phone without saying an I love you

he doesn't have to, he taught me

Fare Ye Wells

As the tiered diesel engines slowly omit their shakey breath

to the elderly harbors morning mist

the gulls hiss their songs of fare ye wells

August has left with all her ringing bells

cottages boarded up

with their new age security units

exhausted from their belly fulls

of sandy feet and estival romance

back to the suburbs or the cities

on winding roads that dance through

salty rivers and streams

accompanied by painted mail boxes

and a brisk ocean breeze

they leave crystal clear wine glasses

perfectly spaced to dry

while Coors Light cans litter the bushes

near Georgia's blueberry pies

the front porch of the store seats

all the weathered old men

who'll smile if they know you

and if they don't dear,

they'll pretend

the fishermen's eyes

will shortly fade to grey

and won't come back alive

until the next warm april day

so as the tiered diesel engines slowly omit their shakey breath

to the elderly harbors morning mist

the gulls hiss their songs of fare ye wells.