Girl At The Counter

Girl At The Counter, originally uploaded by levari.

Kitai 2/07

Kitai 2/07, originally uploaded by levari.

"For while the tale of how we suffer, and how are delighted, and how we may survive, even triumph is never new, it always must be heard. There isn't any other tale to tell, it's the only light we've got in all this darkness."

-James Baldwin, "Sonny's Blues"

Percy and Max

Percy and Max, originally uploaded by levari.

Kyle

Kyle, originally uploaded by levari.

The Clock Was Red

The Clock Was Red, originally uploaded by levari.

my tribe

megan's in the bedroom
drawing and watching TV,

brian's in the garage
dreaming impossibility.

junk Man's in his bedroom
re-painting again,

jeff's banging on the backdoor
just trying to get in.

danny's on the telephone
trying to calm Jake,

adam's in the bathroom
thinking about the money he could make.

liz went to New York City
and she ain't ever coming home,

now kyrsten drives around L.A.
singing to herself alone.

judd's in his apartment
noon on Tuesday
trying not to think.

lee's lying on the couch -
he hasn't moved in five hours -
drawing humming birds
in invisible ink.

max is with Natasha
trying to make love last.

marko's with everyone
high again
floats on past.

mazzi's pouring coffee
philosophically,

mike's at the gym
rehabbing his blown out knee.

beau's busy wiping the bar down
watching the world get by,

you wonder who will be the last of us
to call the bet
and
finally say
goodbye

Los Angeles - 8/02

Autumn Pages

Autumn Pages, originally uploaded by levari.

Pipes' Ping

it's supposed to be winter and
i'm officially tired
of all their
grand gestures,
symbolic meetings of solidarity,
rallying cries,
and statement games.

right now
i want the forgotten,
the never noticed,
the pushed aside,
the beetle's wing,
the offscreen,
bob marley's toe,
the surrendered,
and useless shadows
at 4 o'clock.

it's supposed to be winter,
and
my biology's
hammering
for a long overdue hibernation
curled
behind closed doors
with you:

what we
see, feel, smell, taste
and nothing else
for a while;

and down blankets,
and snow,
and windows
translucent
from frost.

tonight i turned the heat on for us,
listened to the pipes' ping
for a while,

pretended
i was waiting for you
somewhere else.

Los Angeles - 2/15/06

Envelope After Phone Call

Envelope After Phone Call, originally uploaded by levari.