#Spirit

"Off the Hook True story...A cop pulls me over for speeding.He says, "What's the hurry?"I say, "I'm running awayfrom a bad marriage."He laughs and says, "Drive carefully."The officer lets me go.Beyond the practical lesson thatmaking a policeman laugh may get you off the hook,there's a certain poetry here in the unexpected connection ~for what is a poemif not a moment of surpriseworth retelling."

"Getting Real about the Eel It's not that eel wants to avoid commitment.From the eel's point of view, it is a matter of survival.Who the fuck wants to be with an eel anyway,when there are plenty of less slippery fish."

"Broken Heart [10W] The broken heart becomes volcanic, forever rumbling anddispersing ash."

"How to Get Girls into Bed When I take a new girl out on a dateI tell them I slipped poison into their wineand the antidote is on my penis."

"My survival was up to me. I had nothing and I had no one. What I did have, I told myself, was my mind, my imagination, my memory, my feelings, my spirit. These were important and powerful things."

"Minimum Wage [10w] Even trained bears couldn't bear working for bare minimum wage."

"My expectations were reduced to zero when I was 21. Everything since then has been a bonus."[The Science of Second-Guessing (New York Times Magazine Interview, December 12, 2004)]"

"Mind's Eye What vain man is not a hero in his mind's eye;What egoist not the protagonist upon which the world revolves?"

"Mingling Defined [10w] Superficial people engaging with superficial people on a superficial level."

"Darkness Darkness is a decision the light cannot dissuade."

"Live to learn to love. Learn to love to live. Love to live to learn so that you may live the life that you yearn."

"The Poet's Job [10w] + {Couplet} Trigger memory, explode an emotion;the poet must create commotion....................................................­....................."

"Hope for the Heartbroken A broken heartremains in piecesbut learns to love againwith every fragment."

"Gifts Never look a gift horse in the assor a donkey in the mouth."

"Facebook's New Marketing Slogan "We can only be lonesome together.900,000,000 served."

"Sink or Swim [10w] Lovers master the breaststroke, the crawl and the muff dive."

"Poetry as Entertainment [10w] Poetry that's not entertaining is just a self-indulgent laundry list."

"Writer's Block [10w] Every writer's block is surrounded by a million other possibilities."

"Enigmatic Real Estate I choose to live on the edge of mysterywith its inscrutable view of complexityhedged by perplexity.Also, there's a Walmart nearby."

"Life Imprisonment with No Possibility of Parole [10w] "The needle is preferable to three hots and a cot."