Glass

I never wanted to be Cinderella,
I am not that naive
those glass shoes could never hold me.
-Shannon Masayo



I'm sorry, I'm leaving.
I'm sorry, but you can't come with me.
You've made it clear; I'm the one you want.
But you're not the type to waste your time
pulling petals off of forget-me-nots.
You've had your fun, you're all grown up, and you need a little more.

This is my course, not yours.
One way ticket for a guilt trip.
Still, it's better to leave you on the shore,
than stranded on a sinking ship.

Nietzsche tells me I'm trained for war,
You're a warrior's recreation, and nothing more.
I'd fain disagree.
Because you bring out the best in me,
like sun-shine stained glass.
You make me brilliant, darling.
Now let me make you proud.
--Tylor Sherman


Glass


Clink, clink
Two small cubes drop into a stubby six-ounce glass
Twist, twist
His fingers turn the cap like a combination safe
Glug, glug
A liquor rope pours from a whiskey decanter
The aromatic complexities of a 1978 bourbon fill his nostrils
He cocks his head back and lets the sour mash well-up between his teeth and bottom lip
The dam of flesh and enamel breaks open, flooding his mouth with warmth
80-proof amber soup rolls around waking all the taste a tongue can possibly interpret
Swish, swish
It’s a goddamn flavor symphony
Each section of tongue delivering rich notes of oak, and grain
He smiles as he feels the satisfying warmth slide past the backside of his heart
He savors this moment
It’s that sensation right before you cum, and the cigarette afterwards rolled into one gratifying feeling
That’s how good it feels to him
Most people lack the dedication that he invests in his passion
Typically, people just rifle shots down their throats
They grimace and gag making fucked up faces
They want to get as drunk as possible as soon as possible
So they can be comfortable in their own skin
So they can sing, and dance, and fuck, and puke the night away
Rookies! Fucking Amateurs! He thinks aloud as he takes another swallow
But he, the gentlemen, has the experience required to enjoy the intricacies of a balanced liquor
He’s put in his time
He’s paid his dues
His dues have cost him everything
His six figure salary…gone
His family of four are a four- hour plane ride and forty- minute shuttle away
He is a bald, fat shell of the man he used to be
His life now measured in fifths and hangovers
Within the hour, his pressed wool slacks are strewn on the back of his filthy couch
His shirt collar popped open; his silk tie loosened several notches and drooping
He finds himself half naked staring in the bathroom mirror
Rubber arms prop the weight of his heavy torso above the vanity
He stands hovering, wobbling, watching his reflection cartwheel and distort
His mind starts reeling like a clutch refusing to grab a gear
“If only I hadn’t had that first drink”
“If only I hadn’t cheated on and beat my wife”
“If only I wasn’t me”
His final drunken thought before he crumples into a pathetic heap on the floor;
“ My glass has always been half full of something, tomorrow I will drain the glass and start again”


:)rYaN bAkEr (*)(*)

Coming Back

To anyone that gets some type of satisfaction from this blog, we are going to come back to posting words and more words. I'm (Tylor) pretty excited about it, considering how much has changed since the last time we were keeping up with the blog. Hopefully we can get something up at least once a week. It feels sort of silly saying this, but I mean it completely, thank you for reading this blog.
-Tylor

Reflection and Introspection

Curtain Call


This was written in 2006 and is one of my favorite pieces to this day.

And in enters the hero
The flood lights focus
The stage lights dim
Deliver your address
Reassure her she'll be saved
Make the audience tremble
Turn their skin to brail
Valiance always wins the crowd
Valiance always wins her heart
Captivated and subdued
The audience stares in silence
Beneath a sable shroud
Awaiting the final scene

And in enters the villain
Descending from a fiery pillar
The crowd gasps in unison
Face to face and toe to toe
Hero versus foe
Commence the final fight
Wide eyed spectators pray for the hero
But the villain is far too strong
He's down! He's down!
Oh God! they cry.
This can't be true!
Heroes never die!
The villain stands over his fallen foe
Where the hero lay waiting
For the victors final blow
But with a solitary spec of strength
He rises to his weary feet
He fights until his foe is down
He fights until his foes defeat

The crowd revels in gracious uproar
To the cliche Hollywood ending
Where good triumphs evil
Where debonair destroys the vile
And though we've seen it a hundred times
Its still our favorite drug
We'd hate to see the hero fail
And so we drink it up

Its almost time for curtain call
Where protagonists bow and curtsy
But let us not forget the love scene
For which our hero fought so proudly
The spot lights draw them close
Until they both meet center stage
Where they grapple like the links in chains
Where he softly serenades
And calmly whispers in her ear
That things will be all right
She cradles him in mantis fashion
While he holds her, corset tight
Her left leg lifts instinctively
And forms a right angle
Another scene from the silver screen
To keep the viewers tranquil
They're locked on in the perfect kiss
Perfected through recital
The heroes won, he seized the day
But he leaves us in denial
Cause as the lovers pull apart
She sees the blood rush from his heart
"Oh God! Oh No! She fiercely screams
As she sees the hole where his life is fleeing
"My love! My dear! You can't leave me!"
"You fought for me so gallantly!"
But the villains sword had found its mark
Deep within our heroes heart
"My love. My dear. I'll be with you."
"I wish these things I could undo,
but I'll wait for you on heaven's wall
until we both meet again at curtain call"

-Ryan Baker

Vultures. Liz.

Vultures.

The vultures are coming.
I can feel it.
And they will feed on what
is left of our love.
something we never made sacred.
I am on my way back to where I started,
on my knees.
But this time,
I will be praying.

-Shannon Masayo

Vultures

I am a corpse on the side of the road
A heap of baking death in the desert heat
Melting to the asphalt
Waiting for the vultures to pick me clean
To turn me into dental records and fingertips
No one will recognize me
Thank god
Cause I don’t want anyone to see what I’ve become
This place has sucked the life from me and left me for dead
God damned desert
You stole from me the life I loved
The high-noon vultures circle and start their slow descent
And I feel myself slip to the bottom of the food chain
I used to show such promise
Now all I am is well-done scavenger meat

-Ryan Baker

Vulture
I've had enough of his acidic touch.
He's a fucking vulture, picking at my scraps.
Yet you part your legs and part ways with progress...
I just have to laugh...what happened to ambition?
And what else is there to do when the killer is a victim?
No one should feel sorry for you.
We are both thieves,
One goes about it like a gentleman,
One does it for attention.
One needed you to believe
One needs you to feed.
You let this happen, you still do.
You both can go fuck yourselves.
There's always a fresher kill,
I won't look for love in a landfill.
You both can fly free and high,
because the best thing about simple beasts,
They eventually die.

-Tylor Sherman

Tender. for Vanessa.

Tender.

I used to have tender layers
unfolding.
I was a blossom
opening
and you were spring.
but it is summer now
and feeling a bit like hell.
I can sleep now.
And I feel like I am sewn to nothing.
those layers are more like
millions of white sheets,
suffocating.

-Shannon Masayo

Tender
I've been searching for the perfect way to share my city with you,
but mobile phone photos just don't do it justice,
so just fly out to the midwest,
and add a new chapter to your life.
It's a tender subject, but there's always an
open invitation for you to send your mail to my address,
and I'll clear cabinet space for your dishes.
They won't match anything I own,
but you can throw out a plate per day before I get home,
and I'll pretend I don't notice 'til my
hand-me-downs are all handed out.
We can share a bottle of wine and walk along the lake,
make our way downtown,
and get thrown out
of dive bars and dance with college kids,
I've done it once, I'll do it again.
With you, for you.
Life is simple when you're happy.
You wouldn't complicate a thing.

-Tylor Sherman

squat. for Seth.

Squat.

When I walked through your front door
all i could see were legs.
your jean covered legs.
you were under your kitchen table
I had to squat to see your face.
You were carving my name
on the underside of the table
with a butter knife.
I laid on the cold tiles next to you
elbows touching.
I told you it might take a while
you said...
"It's ok, I think it's worth the wait"

-Shannon Masayo

Squat
You're the first woman I didn't rush to say "I love you" to,
Just to see if it would stick.
I didn't have to.
With you, everything just is. Nothing complicated.
No fireworks, but every day is a steady flame.
If there was a difference between "love" and "in-love,"
Then I may hurt your feelings.
But, I think they are just silly words, and most of the time,
People blame "in-" for mistakes,
and "not in-" as an excuse to walk away.
Semantics mean squat to me.
Love is loyalty.
Love is you and me.
-Tylor Sherman

Courageous. for Mr. Olsen.

Courageous.

You are a cardboard box of hope.
Full of endless could be's.
All the potential in the world,
Finger skating your way through life.
With your head in the clouds
And your heart in all the wrong places
I see you.
Just standing there in the rain,
on purpose.
For a cardboard box,
that is pretty damn courageous.

-Shannon Masayo

Energy. StacyAnn's pick.

Viewer discretion is advised. :)


Energy.

I have no energy for you.
to love you.
to care what you say or do.

You know that week
He didn't just fuck you.
He was looking to get his dick wet,
And happened to find
Something to hold on to.
A good opportunity.

I just wish that something,
wouldn't have been you

-shannon masayo

Energy

I only see you when I sleep,
You haunt me when I dream.
But don't have the guts to stick around in the morning.
Your cruelty is cheap.
I don't have enough energy
To maintain the routine of making you my enemy.
You and I have business
That I can't cross off as finished
But the opportunity will never come.
So I'll close my eyes and see you tonight.

-Tylor Sherman

lifetime. Trish's pick...

time to get back in action.

Lifetime.

I'm going to get where i am going,
Someday.
One foot in front of the other,
Shoes laced tight.
Even though I prefer none at all.
Barefoot anywhere is always better.
I just hope these limbs can keep up
With this wild heart of mine.
I know I'll get where I'm going,
I just hope it doesn't take a lifetime.

-Shannon Masayo

slackers!

We have all been so busy, forgive us. more soon. very soon.

one that spilled out of me.

Nostalgic Drive.

Windows down.
Feels good seeing the day
Next to you.
Drove past my old life,
The apartments on Wall Avenue.
Where I took fluoride every night,
Warm milk and sugar.
Where my brother blamed me for everything,
His scissored leg,
And my coffee-cup-cut-knee.
I never got a good feeling from that place,
Even though I was only three.
The only reason I cried when we left,
Is because we had to leave my
Draw-string-elevator house
For my barbies.

-Shannon Masayo

skin. Liz's word....i think?

Skin.

When i look down,
all i can see are breasts.
My breasts.

And when i sit,
breasts.
And knees
with old skin.

I want new skin,
I need something to go
with the better version of me.

(and I wouldn't mind a smaller set of breasts either)

-Shannon Masayo

Skin
I am a stranger in my own skin.
My feet have had allergic reactions to shoes
and I ended up walking on a pair of zombies.
For 2 weeks.
Never sunburned as a child.
Now I stand out of the shade and
my shoulders scald and blister before I know what hits me.
Someday I will need knee surgery and my
fingers will barely function.
My soul won't really do any one any good by the time I die.
The only thing I can truly rely on is my mind.
-Tylor Sherman

Giving the boys a break....

Breakfast.

In nothing but my yellow high heels,
I woke up to you.
The morning looked warm and felt new,
as the sun filled up the room.
The sheets were fresh,
and so were you.
My high heels pointed to the ceiling
as you "filled" my cup.
That morning for breakfast you had me,
sunny-side-up.

-Shannon Masayo

Snail. for um.....? remind me.

Snail.

Your truth has stretch marks
and I am so tired of digging for answers
hidden in the earth of your mind.
When all i can find are snails
and handfuls of salt and lyme.
I've got my head in the sand
and dirt under my fingernails.
If I knew which way was up
I'd stop digging
and climb.

But I don't want to move forward,
I'm afraid of what I'll find.

(I really wish this didn't rhyme)

-Shannon Masayo

Snail
Can two strangers still have love for each other?
You and I couldn't have more polarizing outlooks on life.
But we're family.
We were weekend visits.
Table and chair sheet forts.
Nerf gun mercenaries, shattering snail shells
and picking on our younger brothers.
California road trips. Pre-teen action heroes.
Now I'm too busy for your calls,
And you still have no idea who you are.
Our anchor point starts on separate continents
I don't know how to find common ground.
The worst part is you probably still see me as I was when I was 12.
I wish I still saw that in you.
I really do.
-Tylor Sherman

Update Yo.

skin
cumbersome
lifetime
Energy
and courageous


Thank you guys for reading.

Also Ryan Baker had another death in the Family, he really isn't a slacker, but Tylor is. Or I am the one without a job and my poems take a lot less effort so that may be why i post daily. or i am just really awesome i can't decide. Anyway, forgive the lack of posts on their part, and I will keep shoving my stuff down your throats daily:)

Cucumber. For Charles.

Cucumber. 1 of 2

She tried to peel a cucumber with her fingers
like an orange.
I remember that is the day
I fell in love with her.
she loves animals
more than Anyone i know.
She is loyal.
And beautiful
She gets on my nerves.
She is dramatic.
And full of life.
And the sum of her parts
equals my best friend.
Without her I'd probably die.
We are so IN.
i fly.

-Shannon Masayo

Cucumber. 2 of 2.

I always wanted to be a sea horse
or sea cucumber.
an anything "sea"
How could you not know?
I belong in the water
First one in
and last one out.
You should have known
when I told you
the Little Mermaid
was my favorite movie.

-Shannon Masayo

Cucumber
At that time, I was obsessed with the Starting Line.
I'd yet to learn my calling card: the hobo's crime.
She'd rub cucumber-melon lotion on my cheeks.
We'd sweat it out on mismatched sheets.
Fuck like rabbits in the desert heat.
This was as good as life would ever get...
I wasn't even seventeen.
Didn't see beyond Clearfield's borders.
Thought I could rescue her from her white trash parents,
but I had my own pale garbage disorder.
Jesus, what if we would have wed like expected?
Who the hell would I be?
A sad statistic with shallow views,
A failure, and a thief.
-Tylor Sherman

Happiness. Russell's pick.

This is titled "Success and Happiness"






Happiness.

trying to be inspired by dirty dishes
and unmade beds
and the words
just won't come.
I wish my house could clean itself
or that i had a maid.
I wish I had a house
with more rooms to clean.
more work.
more pride.
the good kind.
not the go to hell kind.
And then I am interrupted with
laughter and screams
and "mama rock a baby, please"
and I am happy.
That have a healthy family
and a house to call my own,
unclean.

-Shannon Masayo

Happiness...
I know you.
I've seen your type for the past seven spring seasons.
The same happiness gleaming from naive teens
radiates like solar rays, so thrilled to graduate.
Most of you will die in the same city you were born in.
Many will make babies before they can legally drink.
You'll drop out of college within a year and max out credit cards.
You'll have everything and own nothing.
You'll get to my age and realize you were never a unique snowflake,
but a grain of sand.
-Tylor Sherman

FYI

I know some of you tried leaving comments but could not because you did not have a blogger/google account...i fixed it so now you can all leave us some love. -shan

Dragonfly. Shantell's Pick.

I really am not a fan of dragonflies, I think the bar hoppin tramp stamp girls ruined them for me. So Shantell you are lucky to get this!!!- Shannon M.


Dragonfly.

It was summer.
The heat was paralyzing
And all I wanted to do was swim.
We laid there under the sun
for what seemed like hours.
Not saying anything.
I just watched you from the side.
I switched winking my eyes,
focusing on your...
nose.
ear.
nose.
ear.
nose.
your profile the horizon to the setting sun.
We sat up to watch two dragonflies mate.
"I think it's cool they can fuck and fly"
We just looked at each other with a grin
and went home to try.

-Shannon Masayo


Dragonfly
Send the pigs in for the slaughter.
I'm indecent and stoned like Saudi Arabian daughters.
Don't ever question my honor.
You burned the bridge long
Before I crossed muddy waters.
If you've got something to say,
Say it or stay away.
'Cause I'm sick of the slight of hand and charades.
Bored of the parlor tricks and board games.
I dragged your snake-charmer through the streets
Drove a stake through his spine and watched him die.
You expect this serpent to sprout wings and rise.
Always the optimist, you wait to see the dragon fly.
-Tylor Sherman

Lips. Devyn's pick.

Lips.

With insecure hands outstretched,
I am begging
to see me
how you see me.
Your lips curtains to teeth
part to speak,
and I can't hear a word you are saying.
And even if I could,
I probably wouldn't believe you.

-Shannon Masayo

Lips

Show me the beast beneath the beauty and
Unleash your teeth upon me.
Pale skin like porcelain,
Send it shivers with my tongue's tip.
Hips slither to a rhythm I've never felt before.
Lips and heat form sailor's speech.
Let me do what he won't do.
Our bodies twisted like a train wreck.
You said I was the best,
But this time I think you meant it.
-Tylor Sherman

Back from Utah

Hello all. I just got back to Tucson after five days in Salt Lake for a funeral. My Grandpa passed away this last Thursday. Needless to say I got behind a little on writing, but after twelve long hours in the car I am all caught up. So please check out the following blogs titled: Home, Seek, Photograph, Bones, and Traffic. Thank you all for reading!

-Bake

Upcoming words.

upcoming words. thanks for the input guys we appreciate our readers:) all 14 of you! :)

lips.
dragonfly.
happiness.
cucumber.
snail.
and skin.

might not be in that order. :)

Pretty sure it is safe to say we all feel the same when I say, this feels so good. Us three have always been "writers" of sorts, and we wanted this site to force us to write even if the subject is something we might not care for or normally be inspired by. In hopes that it will help inspire to write more about the things we are passionate about:)

so thanks again. tell all your friends.

-shan

Bones. Liz's pick.

Bones
Eyes open to a dark room
Mouth full of gauze, unable to speak
I find myself saran wrapped tightly to an office table
The walls draped neatly in plastic sheets
All around me; a collage of macabre
Faces of people I knew without knowing
People whose blood I’d spilled to feed my appetite
A lust for blood that is all too insatiable
Now I find myself…here
Helpless
A victim
In walks a man, my captor
Dressed in a transparent poncho
He is clean, perfectly clean
Unscathed as a patron saint
He leans in close as his right hand produces a scalpel
I wince as he draws a crimson line across my cheek
He places a drop of my blood on a glass microscope slide
A sick little souvenir from the event yet to ensue
“I am going to filet your body down to the very bones”
The words calmly fall from his lips
“You are going to feel what they felt and scream like they screamed”
I was astonished by the steadiness of his voice
No inflection in his tone; calm, steady as a flat-line
His collectedness assured me that this was not his first time
He was too composed, too organized to be a novice
He was too much like me
And yet I was the one on the carving table
Murderers never worry about being murdered
And under the umbrella of that assumption I became all too comfortable
I could not slake the need to feed my disease
So killing became a constant
A mundane task in which I got sloppy, jaded, just fuckin lazy
Consequently, the classic “predator becomes prey” phrase applies
He’s capitalized on my mistakes
He knew the secrets I tried to keep, he knew the monster inside
And his job is to rid the world of monsters, even though he himself is a monster
But…
No one cares if a killer kills a killer
With him justice will not be clean or swift
No, he prefers slow and nasty
I am his frog bathed in formaldehyde; his anatomy experiment
He will savor this as much as I would have
We are truly two of a kind
With a gloved hand he removes the gauze to grant me my last words spoken
All I manage to do is ask “Who are you?”
My eyes stretch and widen in fear as he pulls the trigger of a surgical saw
He coldly replies “My friends call me Dex, but you can call me Mr. Morgan”

-Ryan Baker


The character "Dex" is based on the character "Dexter" from the Showtime Series "Dexter". This character was respectfully borrowed for this piece.

Bones
Won't slaughter without a little laughter,
Don't preach to me disaster.
Can't conquer the world if we're all captured.
We are God on earth,
Bred to bring control to chaos.
Don't confuse us with a pack of rabid beasts.
Wolves only kill what they can eat.
We raze the land and smile with our sharp teeth.
Our castles cast shadows from the hill.
We've paved the paths with broken bones.
And withered mountains to dust and stones.
Morals aren't an issue when we know we're right.
Don't like the course?
Then walk away.
The process will not change,
Until silence is what remains.
-Tylor Sherman


Bones.

I used to think I'd die at thirty two.
no kids.
no you.
Something i did changed my course.
Maybe it wasn't checking the locks three times
or filling up at pump four.
I still think I will die first
a little morbid.
but true.
And when I do,
I hope they dig up my bones
and build a bed for you.

-Shannon Masayo

Mother. Megan's pick.

Mother.

I still think about that drunken night.
often.
and it still offends me.
hopefully these words don't offend you.
somehow. somewhere.
in your rumple-mint blunder the topic went from public schools
to intoxicated slander.
There was no logic in that one sided conversation
in which you probably might not even remember.
I cried myself to sleep that night dear brother.
But who cares right?
"I'm just a mom, and you are nothing but a soldier"
You may regret the life you used to lead
and the places it may have taken you
or didn't take you for that matter.
But ironically.
All I have EVER wanted,
more than anything in this world.was to be exactly what I am.
My children's mother.

p.s.
I'm sorry your dreams have not turned out...yet.
But there is still time big brother.

-Shannon Masayo



Mother
He's got his mother's eyes.
Everyone says he looks like me,
but that can't be.
Friends and family fill the field...
Who knew we knew so many people?
Such a radiant bride.
You never saw the point,
said marriage wouldn't fit you well.
But I convinced you,
Now look at you.
With a body built for a wedding dress,
I wouldn't miss this for the world,
Even as your guest.
Tylor Sherman



Mother

Tortured and tired
You’ve seen many storms
You’ve battled through hell
And smiled at the devil’s scorn
You’ve met the darkest of days
And shaken his hand
And despite his betrayal
Unflinching you stand
Though he will not relent
And dark clouds will cover
You will weather all storms
My life’s rock; my mother

-Ryan Baker

Seek. Heidi's pick.

Seek
Keep your young blood close,
The Holy War Machine's deployed.
Recruiters hunt for students
Like them Columbine boys.
"You won't die alone if you
Can get your friends to join..."
Seek and employ,
Search and destroy.
You're a soldier first, son
That fuckin' gun is not a toy.
I'd rather be buried beside
A grave of pacifist pussies than
Arbitrarily die.
Not for oil, not for money,
Not for Christian pride.
I hold my heart for the sacred stars and
Stripes in hope of stronger civil rights.
America, I thank you.
For the life I freely lead.
Dissent is the blessed beast of free speech,
So I mean this with love when I say:
Get your shit together,
In the name of life and liberty.
-Tylor Sherman


Seek.

I haven't written in a long time
with an actual pen and paper
black pen to be exact
i hate blue pens
they make my words look cheap
like your bleach streaked hair
and your pearly whites
that show through your smiley snare
I wish you'd just say how you really feel.
I'm a bitch because, I do.
But at least I am honest.
you need to get fucking real.
but until you do,
seek friendship elsewhere.

-Shannon Masayo


Seek

Take a number, stand in line
They call this limbo; purgatory
Somewhere in the middle of heaven and hell
Somewhere and nowhere at the same-time
Stand before your judge; your maker
Your executioner or your savior
Plead your case, await your fate
As the gavel slams you start pray
Now you seek forgiveness
Now you show remorse
But inaction speaks louder than the words you never spoke
The casket lid is closed now
You can’t hurt her again
May god have mercy on your soul, for your unrequited sin
May you learn to be good again, may the fates forgive your folly
Just know my mother could have been saved with one two word apology

-Ryan Baker

Photograph. Shantell's Pick.

Photogaph.

We were meant for something great.
I think i knew you in another life.
every life.
you are a part of me somehow
and i have only seen you in photographs.
you are my soul mate.
And I am comin to you.


Indiana I can't wait.

-Shannon M

photograph
To the internet community:
Just because you own an expensive camera
does not mean you know how to take a photograph.
clicking a button and creating art are two different things.
think of that before you charge people for "professional" work.
-Tylor Sherman

Photograph

I don’t photograph well and I can’t quite figure out why
When I am in a pose off with the mirror, I often think “how did you not get a modeling contract”
Then I see myself in a photograph
My hair is flat, my beard is auburn and my arms are far too long for my body
When I stand beneath the incandescent bathroom lights I feel good about myself
It flattens my features, it makes my skin look smoother, and my teeth seem less yellow
The moles on my back don’t stand out quite as much
But outside and in a photograph, my back looks like a tortilla, my teeth are discolored and my pores are deep and noticeable
I guess I am so good looking that no matter the mega-pixels or film speed, my beauty cannot be captured
So though I look bad in digital and celluloid, at least I have a bathroom mirror
It takes my best pictures

-Ryan Baker

Home.

Home
Everyone who matters to me has lived beyond Utah state lines at one point or another. Yet here I am. Still.
I spent time with my brother today.
I listened attentively to his European adventures;
Listened to his drug-induced journeys and sexual conquests.
I listened to him live the life I have read about.
Last time I saw him, he was jaded and vacant when it came to feelings or emotions. But today, he tells me about patching things up with old friends.
About how life's disappointments have led him to where he is now.
It could've been all the cotton trees, but I swear I saw his eyes swell and spill over like two tiny levies as he described recent conversations with friend.
He's finally comprehended the consequences of all his decisions.
They weren't sad or painful tears. They were grateful. Positive. Overwhelming.
I'm just thankful he still has emotions.
I don't think I excelled as an older brother,
but I'm realizing I didn't fuck him up completely.
Although I'm stuck here a for little bit longer I'm still my family's anchor.
To my wayward loved ones, I am home.
-Tylor Sherman




Home

Home is where the heart is
But my heart is in two places at once
Does this make me homeless?

-Ryan Baker


home.
In the darkest corners of the deepest parts in you,
I built a home.
For me and you and the two breathing beings we have made to live.
A place for our beds.
A resting place for Our heavy hearts and weary heads.
A place to eat and drink and be merry.
Sometimes less of the latter.
But still our home.
A place where our dance parties don't need music.
And our dinners don't need forks and spoons.
A place where the sex has never been better.
A place that I invested my whole self into.
I sewed myself to the walls of your inner rooms.
BUT now I've locked myself out.
And I've lost my extra set of keys.
-shannon masayo

Traffic

Traffic
Out of the list of things I'm not,
At the top of the page you'd pen: caught.
I'm the peasant king.
African birds pick my teeth clean.
I designate passengers to sit in traffic for me.
I want you to want to see me...
With witnesses and everything.
I don't believe in superstition,Want to catch a full-bodied apparition.
I perfectly conditioned for this ghostly position.
-Tylor Sherman



Traffic
I will throw myself into the rush hour traffic
of his want,
his need.
raw.
No seat belt
only wind
and speed.
Our veins the road map to morning.
-Shannon Masayo



Traffic
I love the safety people feel in their cars
It’s an extension of home; a second mortgage on wheels
And because of that safety, people forget they are surrounded by walls of windows
They forget they are being watched in mile per hour glimpses
And when people know they aren’t being watched, that is when they are at their best
Or worst…
Look to your right, a young girl is putting on lipstick in her mirror
At the same time she is fumbling a Mcgriddle sandwich, while talking on her cell-phone
Judging from her spray on tan, I am sure she like totally likes the word “like”
Look to your left
A businessman drumming his fingers while maintaining the ten and two position
He is bobbing his head in 4/4 timing
Pretty sure I can hear Supertramp playing through his closed windows
They are such a safe band, hence him keeping his hands safely on the wheel
Back to your right
The spray-on tan girl is now digging deep into her nose with her pinky finger
She is up to her second knuckle and is going for broke
Glance to the left
A forty something woman is belting a operatic tune
I can’t hear her voice over the rumble of her 70’s pickup
But her facial grimaces give away her dedication to the role of a driver seat diva
She is in the moment; driving and onstage at the same time
She doesn’t want fame or fortune
All she wants is R.E.S.P.E.C.T.
Ya know, just a little bit
Stop light approaching
Glance right
A minivan full of screaming kids
A flustered mother yelling at her red faced husband
Dad reaches back and hammer fists his kids legs
Don’t worry dad, another thirteen years and you will be fat, bald, and stripped of all your dignity, but at least those little bastards will be out of the house
Driving in your car, you get a front row seat to American culture
We are a culture of multi-taskers who practically live in our cars
We eat, drink, converse, have sex, sing, dance and ponder, all in our cars
Whoever invents the toilet-car seat will make a fortune; we would never leave our rolling homes
I am filing a patent as soon as I am done with this
Anyways, the next time you’re stuck in traffic, look around and observe
And enjoy the motion picture
-Ryan Baker

Still. For Devyn Marie.

still.

I had a dream about zombie tigers
with blood and guts in their teeth.
They were coming for you and me.
We could hear them coming.
and we didn't care.
We were ready for them
and we just stood still.
right there.

-Shannon Masayo

Still
Confined to a cubicle.
Dressed for a funeral. Disconnected.
8 hours at time.
Still, it feels cozy in this coffin.
You get your own name tag and a security pass.
You're a big shot, finally paying those student loans off.
Youth prescribed potential, but you refused to fill the order or talk about politics, cause he's not the one you voted for.
You didn't vote at all.
You just want to ease into your fifties and hope your wife will still fuck you.
Fine. Enjoy your life.
Who am I to tell you you're not living it right?
-Tylor Sherman


Still
“Poor little fella” I said, peering down on a screaming bunny
It lay there with crushed legs, crying
I couldn’t believe how much it sounded like a newborn baby
I couldn’t believe what we had done
I was seven and just trying to be like the older kid
I looked up to him, but now I hated him
I hated myself for not stopping him
I hated myself for joining in
We were just being boys
Throwing rocks at a little bunny
The bunny seemed impossible to hit
But God had a lesson to teach us that day
The older kid shouldered up a rock the size of a grapefruit
He heaved it; success, target devastated
The legs of the bunny were smashed; broken
It screamed and cried, trying to figure out why it deserved this
We approached an knew what we did could not be undone
We tried to make the bunny comfortable
We brought it water and some grass
It laid there suffering, looking us in the eyes
Crying, whimpering, breaking us both apart
I felt like my insides were spilling out all around me
I felt nauseated
I have never felt such disgust in my own actions
We left the bunny for the night, hoping that just maybe it would be miraculously healed by morning
We returned at sunrise
When we got there we heard no whining
We saw no flailing; the bunny lay still
Its body was flattened; its head was caved-in
Someone had crushed it with a rock
Someone finished what we started
But that someone was trying to end its pain, not inflict it
Not like us
We were just boys being boys
But I still live with what I’d done

-Ryan Baker

Wind. For StacyAnn.

Wind.

I want to be reincarnated as a kite.
I don't want to be superman
or a bird
or a plane

I don't want wings.
I want a tail of string.

I want sky.
and the wind.

and when I crash,
I want a little boy and his dad
to pick me up
and make me fly again.
-Shannon Masayo

Wind
You're not listening, let me be.
I only meant to make you proud.
You suffocate and call it love.
I love you too, but as of now...
I'm not in love,
Not in a good place,
Not in any position to give you what you want.
I'll keep breaking your heart.
Until you wind up hating me.
But let me go. Let me show you.
I think I could really be somebody.
-Tylor Sherman

Wind

I have no use for the wind
It messes up my hair, and I love my hair
It’s always blowing dirt into my eyes
It stirs up the pollen and makes my girlfriend sneeze
Have you ever tried jogging against the wind?
It’s awful; it makes you feel like you’re running in place
Forget about golfing in the wind
Wind, you only make things harder
Get a life wind!
We hate you!
You blow!

-Ryan Baker

Cadence

Cadence
I absolutely hated this word. But i loved her.

When I first saw her, I fell in love.
She was warm.
and she has sunshine behind her teeth.
our hearts
jump jump jumped
to the same beat.
I saw her every day for a month.
and then she up and left me.
she stopped the dance.
Her name was Cadence.

-Shannon Masayo

Cadence
In the dark.
You climbed my body like a mountain.
Left grass stains on my back.
It's okay, I say. I stole this shirt.
I can steal another.
On-call cops asking us to move along.
It's after-hours.
Off balance but on beat,
Fingers laced like a corset,
stumbling through empty streets.
We march to the crickets' cadence.
We'll never be this happy again.
-Tylor Sherman


Cadence
(A tribute to Metal)

I love my metal heavy as iron and razor sharp
I love the thundering gallop of staccato triplets
The sound of the four horsemen coming to claim your life
Let them come
Cause we love that evil sound
That sound that smashes your skull, wrenching it back and forth
Your ear drums become the drummer’s kit
While he pulverizes them with frenzied double bass
Chug, chug, squeal! Chug, chug, squeal!
The guitar breaking down and building back up
Rising higher, getting faster, building to a climax
Oh man, here comes the solo!
The horsemen begin ripping us to shreds
Being torn apart never felt so good
Each of their fingers has a mind and body of its own
They effortlessly dance on rosewood floors
Those strings are gonna be smoking cigarettes after all that finger love
This is metal
It is all so blistering and raw
And all those other nasty adjectives
My ears smile as the horsemen bring on the cadence of the apocalypse

-Ryan Baker

Napkin

Napkin
When you tread on me,
Tread lightly.
I'm patient, not perfect.
Eventually I will respond.
Odds are, it'll be dirty.
A violent series of actions.
You can't clean up a catastrophe
With a couple paper napkins.
Don't seek a front row seat
And just watch it all happen.
It's called justice, darling.
Accept the consequences of your actions.
-Tylor Sherman


Napkin

I used to write love letters to strangers on napkins
I would let them know how beautiful I thought they were
And the best part was, they believed me
Now all I want to do is fuck and fight
And write hate letters to people who don't know how to drive

-Shannon Masayo


Napkin
We were just an idea jotted down on a dinner napkin
Placed in a pocket and thrown away; within that very day
We were living proof of social Darwinism; we lacked the tenacity to survive
The both of us just stepping stones to something better
Still I regret not fighting for you; you were worth more than a shrug of my shoulders
Regret is a great giver of wisdom
I learned to fight for what is worth fighting for
No matter how bloody things may get; you take what is yours
Because of you, I gave up on…giving up
Thank you
-Ryan Baker

Savior

Savior
I forgot who i was for the longest time.
I for got how to say my own name.
I lost friends,
the ones that didn't matter.
but still.
They are gone.
The sky is never blue anymore.
and words are just big streaks of black blur.
is this even my skin?
and much too long hair.
consistently stagnant.
I just keep standing here.
I want scream.
and dream.
and save the world.
teach the girls how to fly.
I want Cambodia.
and Indiana.
I want to pray more.
and when i look in the mirror,
I want to know me,
and see my Savior.
-shannon masayo



Savior
You’ve changed my life, my oldest of friends
I feel you, I understand you, I guiltlessly worship you

When you speak, when you scream, when you sing
Pinpricks trace down my back

You move inside of me
You stir and inspire me

Once upon a lifetime ago, you were all I knew
I wrote you, everyday, for two- years

You, my insatiable addiction
My only drug of choice

Then one day you left me
The spark that became a flame had fizzled out, and now what remains?

A shell of what I used to be
All inspiration had left my throat and fingertips

Now parasitically, I feed from you
Have I nothing to offer this once symbiotic love affair?

One day, you will be in my life again
I will return the love you have given me

You’ve changed my life, my oldest of friends
Music; my savior, I will make you once again
-Ryan Baker




I have removed my post for personal reasons.
-Tylor Sherman

Apple

Apple.

My computer is a piece of shit.
I am always on it
wishing I had a new one.
I even search for new computers
on my old computer
maybe that is why it hates me.

or maybe i just need an Apple.

-Shannon Masayo


Apple

I’ve had a lot of apples in my life
Some sweet, some sour, some crabby
Some rotten down to the very core
All different sizes and from different places
Most of them great, but apples were never my favorite fruit
But one day I spotted this beautiful apple
She stood out from the entire bushel
I knew I had to have her; I had to make that apple mine
So I paid for the apple and took it home
I gave it a quick shirt dusting and a rinse in the sink
Finally, I bit
And instantly I knew
This was the best apple I had ever had
I had been waiting with faded breath for an apple like this
And now she was mine; all of her
From her silky smooth skin, to her sweet inside
Even the poisonous seeds, where her darkest secrets lie
They are mine; all of them, and I could not be happier
I smiled, with little bits of apple skin still left in my teeth
Then I looked at my girl and kissed her, on the apple of her cheek
-Ryan Baker



Apple
You were my first fruit.
Was told I shouldn't have you.
But I just had to know what I was missing.
Felt your flesh between my teeth,
I tasted truth.
Of course I thought I knew it all.
Still think I do.
She stirs alone as I serve my penance.
A life of solitude, permanently sentenced.
-Tylor Sherman

Luminous.

Our word for the day?
It's Luminous.
And all I can think about
is "Lumous Maxima"
Where is my wand?
Where is my Ron?
If I had one wish,
and one wish only?
Honestly, it would be
"For Harry Potter to be real"
and for me to be a part of it all.

I wanna be magic.

-Shannon Martinez




Luminous

Hi. I was very unhappy with my “Luminous” piece; it seemed very clunky and had no sense of cohesion. So, I decided to use some old song lyrics I wrote to convey the same message, but in a more poignant manner. That message being my distaste, not for religion, but for religion in the wrong hands. It is the worst weapon in the world; a divider and seldom a unifier. I believe in standing up for what you believe in and not what you are told to believe in. Well, I better stop before I sound preachy, these are just my thoughts out loud in electronic ink. Without further ado, a song that never saw the light of day… Luminous.


They’re setting fire to our door
In the name of the father, son, and ghost
They’ve preconceived our suffering
This is what comes from questioning

The mob is started up the stairs to the bedroom where we sleep
The mob is started up the stairs to the bedroom where we dream
They scream
“Keep them meek, keep them foolish and docile, ignorance will keep them at bay.
Bound their hands, tie their eyes with blindfolds, we wish there was another way”

Awakened from our restless sleep, our searching lead to heresy
Still we’ll trade their lies for honesty til’ they find a better way
Falling face first reaching terminal speed, from the heaven that we once believed
As martyrs burn in effigy for the angels we betrayed
Truth will become our legacy
It’s the relic that we’ll seed
Until integrity succeeds

They’ve laced the pyre with gasoline
They spit and cast their stones in violent mockery
Refrain our lips from quivering
And as strike the match our defiant voice echoes to eternity

Awakened from our restless sleep, our searching lead to heresy
Still we’ll trade our lives for legacies til’ they find a better way
Falling face first reaching terminal speed, from the heaven that we once believed
As martyrs burn in effigy for the angels we betrayed
Truth will become our legacy
It’s the beacon that we’ll seed
A luminous light that supersedes

-Ryan Baker


Luminous.

A subpar performance substituted for substance
She withheld the ending, just to watch it happen
A cardboard canvas dancing to the dawn of apocalypse
Vertebrae snappin’ under high-heel tappin’
Bones break on the 2 and 4, don’t forget to use your hips
It sounds like our song—wait you forgot the words?
Did you ever really know them or did you just play along?
You never have to try when you pretend like you belong
And with a smile so luminous and a strength so hideous,
You are my tiny holocaust, my baby atom bomb.

-Tylor Sherman

Alarm

Alarm.

I'll just keep hitting the snooze button
on this alarm poem.
it's back to bed for at least another fifteen.

-Shannon M

Alarm

Five inches now from freedom
Four years scraping at the underside of roots
Three dozen smuggled dinner spoons, and I’m still yet to break through
Two lives I hadn’t taken
One Jury that took mine
Five appeals all overthrown
Four years since I’ve seen my wife
Three alarms now sounding, as I run through the courtyard span
Two guards now open fire
One bullet meets the back of this innocent man

-Ryan Baker


Alarm

"I wonder what you're like when you're sweet."
"Oh, well my smile sends feeble men three-quarters way to death.
I drain riverbeds, strip land from peasants and place it in the hands of thieves.
I'd hate to alarm you with that kind of chaos.
I'd hate to see the madness my kindness could bring.
And that's why I never show you darling.
The world itself would fall apart!
God, what a stupid thing to say to me.
I'm sorry I'm not as affectionate as you'd like me to be."
Yes... I wonder indeed.

-Tylor Sherman

Ship.

Ship

Fading away behind tired eyes
Sheets; waves that cool and calm me to sleep
Tonight, inside my mind I’ll be swimming
With a lantern light in tow, I’ll be plunging
Deep and down, into my minds darkest caverns
Melting into the depths as plastic over flame
Each abyss awaiting a visit, like the loneliest of widowers
They welcome me with cold arms and pull me close with undertow
Each visit brief and fleeting, as I leave I hear each water’s body weeping
I dive and dive
Searching for something, unaware of what it may be
I dive
Deeper, darker and heavier still
Lungs begging me to retreat to the surface
Where they can breathe and where I may wake
But I am not ready to wake, lungs be damned
The lantern light falls upon a sunken vessel
No more than a league away
Legs pulse as arms claw, pulling me down
Deeper, darker and heavier still
Finally, water wrinkled feet touch down on the wooden planks of the sunken ship
Just as my lungs give out, I grab the nautical wheel and guide the ship to the surface
Where I gasp and wake
And for a night, just one night, I was a Captain

-Ryan Baker

Ship.

He is a cruise liner ship.
Big and luxurious.
at least that is how he rides the waves.
crashing over them.
destroying them.
the antithesis of delicate.

she is a row boat.
with old wood and flaking paint.
He doesn't appreciate the stories her cracks tell
about all the places she's been.

She loves the waves
She embraces their curve
and never interrupts their watery dance.

He wasn't meant for her.
How could he really love an old row boat?

I can't wait til that ship has sailed.

-Shannon Martinez

Ship.
I've carried you far enough.
Abandon me.
The good times stay at the shorelines.
We're at war.
This ship never planned to bring you back,
I looked for a way out and found a league of fools.
When you kissed your girls goodbye,
I chartered a course for suicide.
Your wives will bed land-locked sailors,
You'll rest at the bottom of the sea.
You will know the life I have known,
Since the ocean's warmth betrayed me.

-Tylor Sherman

Hunger.

Hunger

Catatonic
Every muscle starving, thirsting, dying
Even though he is as dead as dead man can be
He still breathes faintly, dying evermore as each breath leaves
In the darkness of silhouetted trees, he spots below his victim soon to be
He crashes down upon his prey, who thrashes like an injured beast
Now in the madman’s toothy snare; a lock that won’t release
The dead man drinks until his prey lay silent, catatonic
Now alive as a dead man can be
So satisfied, so far from hungry

-Ryan Baker



hunger

We laid in your bed for hours.
You kissed me in all the right places.
You know the spot.
mmm yeah,
right there.
You told me about how your mom died.
And all your plans to change the world.
And all I could think about was how hungry I was.
For food,
not you.

-Shannon Martinez

Hunger

Everyone smelled like open guts.
It was honest, it was ugly, and it got us through the night.
We ate the earth and searched among the wreckage.
They took their share, but could not stop.
I felt their fingers reaching for my rations.
I crept to corners to keep my hunger fed.
Now the fallout dictates where we roam and where we sleep.
They say I should forsake you, but you saved me from a stoic life.
The men will move ahead, and leave us both to die.
But If I live for you, then and only then will I survive.

-Tylor Sherman