we're no good?

We fought about what time to wake up,
how to be in bed, and how to get out of it,
would've fought about the weather, if there'd been some.
You were the one who needed no makeup,
who needed me too, till he got you out of it,
about whom they said, "you lose some and you win some."
What if we never lost, though, if we learned
our lessons but they left no scars, if harm
left hearts intact, and no tact in our charm?
You'd be the one, who [non-restrictive RC].
If you'd be Lizzie, I'd be Mr. Darcy:
our pride reciprocated, love returned.
So if I pipe up here, or pop up in your town,
let's not put up a fight, nor the pipe down.

turn the other cheek

If asses weren't kicked, but were given more ass
And the shilling were given less billing
If we heard our fave Beatle when fetal, or Mass,
Then mass kissing would ass-kick mass killing

nauk nauk

Results could come after discussion
Publication before peer review
If science like Internet, me more like Russian
Only postdoc, but P.I. of you!

on leaving waffle house

"there's a lot more i could say. ask me questions if you want."

you covered all my questions with one answer,
except... you love the word-dance, not the dancer?
i'm sure i smothered you, sure, we could scatter,
but i can top and take you; what's the matter?
all the way in, i'm bawling at your back:
re-verse!* or cap it - let this hash brown black.

*your service can be slow, your verses shy, or sly, or slack,
'cause when i ordered you, i wasn't hungry for a snack.

astral weeks

Saint Valentine's came fast this year
And for you, this boy too
The echoes of a past affair
Turned foreshocks by the new
Hard truths that make my ego trip
Soft lips that push me kinder
Beauties that memory outstrip
Keep stripping for reminder
And I'll keep being that sweet guy
Who held on tight, who felt it
Who laid you down and kissed your eye
As February melted
Even the strongest hands let go for spring
A man is coming slow, for you, sweet thing

for grandma clara on her 80th birthday

It's now my turn to say a word
From one who's lived through just one third
As many years as your long span:
I toast the new octogenarian!

I've know the love that is a part o' ya
Since I first landed at LaGuardia.
You took me to ballgames, movies, and shows;
To the swim club snack bar, where the candy bars froze;
To Coney Island and Jones Beach,
And Little and Great Neck, many times each;
To the Queens Museum's New York Panorama:
So I'd like to toast you for being my Grandma.

You've provided every known amenity
At 28-30 Corporal Kennedy.
Whenever I would come to town,
You'd take the scary poster down.
I'd scour your bookshelves in the afternoons,
And in the mornings watch cartoons.
So because of the generous host you are,
I'd like to toast you with a Mallomar.

I remember the cup with the broken straw,
Christmas mornings, Chad Gadya,
Shuffleboard, casino, and "chocolate" makeup,
And eating the Victory layer cake up.
In Manhattan, New Haven, Bath, and Boston,
You kept up with me (which I bet was exhaustin'!)
Some say "Cheers!", some say "Prost!", "Tsu gezunt!", or "L'chaim!"
But I'd like to toast you with a Golden Graham.

Although your age is now four score,
You'll be living - - I'll be loving you - - many years more;
You've been around since President Harding,
But I hope that the fun in some ways is just starting.
So I'll know, if I call you at HA-8,
And the machine picks up, even though it's late,
That you're having a blast in the Empire State.
You're the mayor of Bayside,
A rare double A-side,
You're not just a grand ma ... you're great!

from our last (most recent? final?) fight

we don't work she said
i want to raise kids
i want to have a career
we can't do that shit together she said
we don't work