The Coffee House

Hey Todd,

Here's my current list of poems for the coffee house on Nov. 9

There are some noteworthy edits to my poems.

What do you think?
Is this a good order of service?

Machine
(By Gordon Gano)

I got a machine
And I took over the world

In one weekend
I took over the world
With my machine

I did it because
I was looking for a project

And it was either
Take over the world or learn French

So I took over the world
And next weekend
I can learn French

I got a machine
And I took over the world
But nothing changed
That wouldn't be fair

un-Deliever

Close the Black Gate!
Close the Black Gate!

You are officially late.
I've been waiting
oh so long.

This is how it feels
This is how it feels

Closing with a bang
And a whimper!

With a lie
and a shudder!

With an enemy
that's a brother!

Free lines, Free lines
Broken lines
Fragmented sentences

Swing on your broken words!

Close the
Close
the
Close the Black
Black
stutter
Close
stutter
shudder
strutter
brother
sister
father
mother
lover
the
Black
Break
Gate!
fate
rate
mate

Your late–

Silent in Your Car

I wrote my name on the roof cushion of your car
with my finger,
as if to leave a piece of me behind.
I hoped that you would see it someday
but it faded,
nearly as quick as I wrote it.
A negative answer followed by a scream. Then it was gone.

The Lovers

Be my refrain
Because the lovers, they inflame me.
I think I'll sleep alone tonight.
(Ah, but I never had the choice!)

If all love belongs to you,
Put your heart upon my chest.

And the Godless sing along:
"Somebody! Somewhere! Love me!"
Amen, Christ. Come.

The Things I Will Not Do Today:

These are the things I will not do today:

I will not come home drunk.
I will not engage in Spiritual or Political debates.
I will not have sex (even though I'd like to).
I will not insult you.
I will not reprove or rebuke, or hold any absolutes.

I will do anything you tell me to.

He’s Money

The man and girl at the mall

He's money

Manhood
wrapped
into one.

He's your dinner
arm
on your
side.

He's your old man sugah
daddy, oh

daddy! You're his sugah
baby, oh

baby! You're so sexy

such a good
ride.

He's money
You're pride.

Cracks

How can I sleep
When there's work to be done?
I long to be picked up in your arms.
You hold my face upon your breast
And sing me pretty songs.

In my dreams I stood before your throne,
But I was all alone!
Or was it a nightmare?
You said, "Son, where's your family?"
My eyes cast down,
And my crown was empty.

When I awoke you were gone
And I wish you'd stay,
Oh, but I never even pray
When I'm awake,
Never mind when I'm sleeping.

I just wanna go home.
My sons, please come home!
All my fallen angels,
With thorns in your wings
Come home!
And this time,
I don't wanna be alone.

I see the army coming...

Oh, there are cracks in the wall,
Cracks in the wall of my city,
As it comes tumbling down.
There' are cracks in the wall,
And I did not warn them,
Their blood's on my hands!

I Went Over The Edge of the World
(By Kevin Max)

Oh the hymns of angels
Suffer over the stench
of the twenty-first century
Nothing is black or white
Or devoid of industry

The face of monotony
The litany of pop culture
I face the microphone and fumble in
my pockets for a change
A break from the deranged world of…
plotting out the death of art

And I went over the edge of the world
And I felt the sting of all its words
I sang the song of elves and birds
I saw you in my rearview shades
And drank from pools of night-time cafes
I stopped over just to finish up
I turned the knobs and called your bluff

I went over the edge of the world
I face the microphone and fumble in
my pockets for a change
A break from the deranged world of…
Plotting out the death of art.