I stay up after the kids are finally down And my wife is deep asleep Sit in the dark Put a record on It’s the only time I’m free Alone with bourbon and my thoughts Or joined by the ghosts of friends I’ve lost Wandering the halls of memory…

Everything is a minimal gray Here in Pelican Bay There is no escape Here in Pelican Bay This house is full of people I never get to see Been living here for years They still don’t know me Just waiting out my days Here in Pelican Bay…

(One day he just didn't pick up the guitar. Too tired after work, or uninspired. He turned on the TV. A year passed. The strings went rusty and black. He looked over at it, leaning in the stand. Did he even remember how any of the songs went?)

She said most of the stars up there Have been dead for a billion years And all that light and heat Dissipated unseen Isn’t that the most perfect thing? Dead stars... She said all those stars you see Have been dead for an eternity All…

Lost in the angles and the tangle of the streets Chasing hits and stealing bits and paying for our dreams Spent our nights going deaf and going too far Burning up days in a California noir We were just Broke kids Trying to get fixed Broke…

(Another day. Another week. Could barely remember what day it was. What month it was. It didn’t matter. It was all the same. The morning coffee. The food. The internet. The evening booze. The bright, flickering screens. The dreamless sleep…

Pounds on the scale climbing Macros and calories Cholesterol, fat, PSA, A1C Blood cells red and white serum Pressure in my veins Diopter for astigmatic eyes Ear frequencies sustain Number on number Number and number The mortgage…

Got the full package House, spouse, kids, cars Got some nice extras Fancy bourbon, old guitars Sisyphus with a laundry basket At the kitchen sink Can’t hear over this racket Can’t even think On paper it looks alright Another day in…

(The days skipped by, like a broken record. The only thing worse than going to the job was not going to the job. What was the point?)

The queue is blank The content is gone You sit in the dark Playing the same old songs They found out what you did wrong How you were a fake all along All your mistakes cataloged Your life is rearranged Your future is canceled Everything…

I used to play the guitar Sang pretty good, too Opened once for a minor star When I was 22 What’s left of my gear is in the closet by the door Used to make the people cheer But I don’t do that anymore Ex marks the spot Where I used…

*The mysterious finale.* And so the story goes And so the story goes on You only miss it by degrees You always miss it, it seems All this, and heaven too The sky beyond the Salton Sea So green One cloud imagination Those swollen pockets…

*A story about a girl.* Semolina remained connected for a while Then started to unfold in all directions She let go the wheel when the trip became too real I don't know why But it's alright Little triggers fire randomly She gets the…

Captain, if I can't catch her half the time The volume upon the girl burns away Feet of clay, set in stone The temptation won't leave me alone I can reach it We're almost home, yeah These are the blues These are the blues Needing to…

Where does all the time go? From where does all the time flow? Can we save enough time? Do we have time to ever know? Caught between the timelines We never stop But never go Living for the deadline The only certainty we know Just…

There's something about you I don't like There's something about me I don't like And I'd try to relate it to you, but I can't Could you? And I'd love to explain it to you, but I don't think you'd understand How I became overwhelmed There…

Breathe You made it home alone at last Keep it underground and inconspicuous Need is a thing you can't believe When there's no vice, there's not much left of man The exception is the rule and there's no doubt You've been taken in and…

Can those and all the laughing at the stoplight Marty is kicking poor teeth (that's the one) Tomorrow is the knife Tomorrow is the knife Today The weather's fine in Tokyo Tonight You better stay inside Operator, he's on some distant…

*The rare Buddhist pop song* This life is such a small affair, oh yeah Each day draws closer to nowhere It doesn't matter where you go, oh no The more you gain, the less you know The complication is you never get enough And your frustration…

Every Monday in a clean white shirt Greeting strangers with a smile Believing things are for the best Not stressing about the rest Searching for some kind of grace To wipe the scowl from my face Waiting for the day I'll hear them say…