ira writes

questions for aloe vera if you rip its roots from the soil have them stand in your home is it still...

Mon, 04 Jun 2012 21:35:00 -0700

questions for aloe vera

if you rip
its roots from
the soil
have them stand
in your home
is it still a rose?

and if it’s still a rose,
do you think it
misses the sun
as it rises
reaching out to pat
its head
every morning?

do you think it
finds our water
refreshing?

do you think it misses
dancing with the
gentle hands of
the wind?

does it find our walls
comforting
and our “welcome home”
mats as signs of safety
and solitude?

do roses feel
anything at all?
does it mourn for its
lost life?

perhaps misery loves
company and if
roses feel misery
then this place
in my space
is destiny is it not?

we can mourn
together
and i’ll pretend that
its lack of dewey
dawn leaves
is a sign
of repressing.
and we can repress
together.

we can converse
and i’ll pretend its
silence is a sign
of active listening
and i’ll talk and
talk and talk and
talk and talk and
talk and talk
and talk and
rant and talk and
chit chat as
i usually do.

and i’ll find its
aloof nature inspirational
and envy the strength
of rose
as if my rambling
is inherent weakness.
i’ll ask rose to
teach me a thing
or two.
the sun will rise
again and i’ll
tell rose that it’s
okay.
i’ve been there too.
(we can ignore causes
in our moment of
shared empathy
and consider this
the beginning of a beautiful friendship).

anti-copyright ira gray

interstarlize the moon rules this domain at this hour and her minion stars glisten a blanket of...

Thu, 10 May 2012 22:34:01 -0700

interstarlize

the moon rules this domain at this hour
and her minion stars glisten
a blanket of institutions
connect dots of intersectionality
and the magnifying glass of this ozone layer
will fry the minority ants
engaging in childhood games

i wonder if i am the manifestation of the ocean herself
perhaps we all are
reflecting the night sky
with this amorphous solid
through the halls of this tomb
we will call it light and ingenuity
while we lie lost
and instead discuss the potential colors
of our fruits and vegetables
or the potential sounds of the long lost fallen trees

compassion is my lover
though they are not my leader
so i have never been quite good at following them
we are polyamorous
we tend to share ourselves collectively
and freely to our cisgender allies and enemies
sometimes to our trans* siblings and friends

perhaps it’s the tide rising
perhaps the tide itself is bigoted
inexplicable jealousy bubbles up
when trans* loved ones sing the songs of the sky
as we lie in the kingdom of the moon
neglecting to notice the institution of the stars

i find my skin burning and realize that i am the ant
equipped with rage
incessant
incessant
incessant
rage
compassion can find another lover for this night
for there is no tolerance here
tonight, i am the focus of the ozone
but do i cease to be ocean?

anti-copyright ira gray

flightless plights i am the bird migrating in the winter who loves its home dearly but if i wish to...

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 20:24:36 -0700

flightless plights

i am the bird migrating in the winter
who loves its home dearly
but if i wish to exist any longer
i must keep flying and gliding
far away

oh how i wish to hold you close
but sheer proximity
stirs my blood
and my heart overflows
our magnetic poles shall
negate each other
i must remain far away
if i wish to remain at all

anti-copyright ira gray

the emotions embodied by water droplets as they combust into steam confined by the metal of the tea...

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 01:57:46 -0700

the emotions embodied by water droplets

as they combust into steam

confined by the metal of the tea pot

the rage that incapacitates vocal cords

making voices crack while turning

powerful roars into vulnerable chokes

if only my skin would disperse

the air could consume me

facilitate my exodus

enable my constant presence

my surface area would act as prisms

and light will cut through me

i will be the catalyst of beauty

the vibrating primitive brain

is the puppeteer of my spirit

there are no borderlands

in a world of only pathos

pupils en masse i don’t want to see the stars again for they’ll never be as bright as...

Thu, 08 Mar 2012 12:46:27 -0700

pupils en masse

i don’t want to see
the stars again
for they’ll never be as bright as your eyes.

oh, gravity, pull me in.

i never thought
i’d want to explore sands
but each grain is a treasure
lost to the wind.

oh, quicksand, pull me in.
oh, gravity,
pull me in.

anti-copyright ira gray

a shame we can unfold this grey blanket and wrap it around our bodies as we make love to ideas and...

Sat, 07 Jan 2012 23:18:58 -0700

a shame

we can unfold this grey blanket
and wrap it around our bodies
as we make love to ideas
and fuck ideologies

perhaps we can hide in here
beneath the wings of our thoughts
as they caress and stimulate our skin
while providing the comfort of the night
for darkness is not immorality
but rather the shade of the doorway
to righteousness

let me whisper into your lungs
while alveoli absorb the pennies
and convert them to lovers on gondolas
who will forever sing and paddle
and create ripples in your limbs
to push them around me

we work vibrationally said the herbalist
free of the constraints of constructions
for while we lie in the palms of the devil
we create god

anti-copyright ira gray

odds of a million to one take a chance with me we can shiver in the moonlight and call it...

Thu, 29 Dec 2011 18:44:31 -0700

odds of a million to one

take a chance with me

we can shiver in the moonlight

and call it dancing

or if you’d prefer pitched up tents in the warmth

we can throw a ball for our fingers

you can have the fretted floor

and i will play the pen

and i’ll never go to space

with the menthol in these lungs

and i’ll never win a race

for who grows the tallest fastest

and i’ll never be the strongest man

but i certainly have loved

and i’ll certainly love again

my name is not casanova

i’m no chauvinist

my name is john donne

i practice good consent

my name isn’t fucking shakespeare

for while brilliant, it’s never all or nothing

while this corporate noose may look good on me

this pant suit may be the warmth i need

and dollar signs may be appealing

but unless the fed

starts printing your face

i’ll never be swept away

and i’ll never go to space

with the menthol in these lungs

and i’ll never win a race

for who grows the tallest fastest

and i’ll never be the strongest man

but i certainly have loved

and i’ll certainly love again

the next time i see your face

and i’ll certainly love again

the next time i hear your voice

and i’ll certainly love again

the next time i see you online

and i’ll certainly love again

when you marathons through my mind

and i’ll never go to space

and i’ll never win a race

and i’ll never be the strongest man

but while my heart remains flexible

i’ll too remain victorious

anti-copyright ira gray

i plan to put music to this. you’ll probably see it on youtube when i get the chance to do so.

trans man these tits are a man’s titsand...

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 11:26:16 -0700

trans man

these tits
              are a man’s tits
and this clit
              is a man’s clit
this soft skin
              my narrow shoulders
                                my tiny feet
                                          my childlike hands
                                belong to a man
a proud man
a man who has to truly
become
a man
unlike most males

the thought of having a penis
kept me awake at night
in a hot sweat
                             you know, the good kind.
a cold sweat when reminded
that real men
have dicks

the only thing that comes to mind now is
i beg to differ

when I grow up i want to be a man
that changes the definition of masculinity
that makes womyn feel safe when alone in the dark
that shows that love
compassion
kindness
towards every living being
is more manly
than the circumference of my biceps

i want to be a man who behaves as though he knows
what it’s like
to be a womyn
i want to be a man who repeatedly attempts
shattering
this glass ceiling
a man who is not defined by how
well
       hung
i am
but by how many hugs
i give

it’s
    a process
               though

a sliding scale
that on most days
the bad outweighs the good
with nothing to put on the other side but
a silver lining

like a panty lining
the last resort
the moment when you find a bit of cash in your pocket
when you thought you had none at all
at birth the nurses didn’t mix me up with another baby

instead
god
the gods
the powers at be
the universe
decidedly gave me the wrong body

not mistakenly
purposefully
so that i
could grow
into the best man
i could ever be

anti-copyright ira gray

I notice that your work Trans Man is not on here. Is there a way i can be linked to a copy of it?

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 02:08:45 -0700

Oh yeah, of course. I’ll post the video and the text here tomorrow.

intermission don’t move freeze don’tmovedon’tmove rigorous rigor mortis such vigor...

Sat, 03 Dec 2011 11:57:28 -0700

intermission

don’t move
freeze
don’tmovedon’tmove

rigorous rigor mortis
such vigor
are you eager
to get hard

anti-copyright ira gray

three thousand tears older and wiser walk on me i like the way it feels i like the pressure of your...

Tue, 15 Nov 2011 00:26:00 -0700

three thousand tears older and wiser

walk on me
i like the way it feels
i like the pressure of your heels
on my throat
can’t complain until tomorrow morn
when you’re gone

change the passage of time
convert seconds to tears shed
make this moment last forever

and if i bow to anything
i’ll bow to my own
rationalization

anti-copyright ira gray

Pages Per Content Magazine

Tue, 08 Nov 2011 16:30:16 -0700

Pages Per Content Magazine

i keep i keep i keep the elephants have migrated they no longer look upon us with shame their space...

Sat, 29 Oct 2011 17:36:00 -0700

i keep i keep i keep

the elephants have migrated
they no longer look upon us with shame
their space has been occupied
by the corpse of the horse

we celebrate rump and shoulder
what beautiful legs
they would make a great end table
we celebrate glossy eyeballs
let’s turn them into doorknobs
make these hooves into coasters for our coffees

columbia and cuba mask the smell

anti-copyright ira gray

practicing catholiecism purgatory lies on the other side lies lies this corpse is walking it drags...

Fri, 28 Oct 2011 22:00:21 -0700

practicing catholiecism

purgatory lies on the other side
lies
lies

this corpse is walking
it drags its feet between the lines
where no one reads anymore

limbs decaying, punctuating
with the weight of the universe

blood and bile, tell us we can breathe again.

teased tribulations thirst

anti-copyright ira gray

freewrite:

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 00:45:14 -0700

i miss the pain of shivering

the sun is just too comforting

there is something so validating

about the whole planet crying

with you

because your tears

are not strong enough

to accurately depict

the convulsions of the heart

hope freefalling, it is common knowledge we’ll hit the ground, but the ocean looks just like...

Sat, 22 Oct 2011 00:07:35 -0700

hope

freefalling,
it is common knowledge we’ll hit the ground,
but the ocean looks just like the sky when you’re looking down.
we could use our shirts as parachutes.
instead, we’ll pray to exist in a vacuum.
we look to the clouds for a sign
as they wave us goodbye.
smiling ushering lights on a runway
lead us to impact.

anti-copyright ira gray

cotillion claws eighthnoteeighthnoteeighthnote proves problematic for polished privileged fingers...

Thu, 20 Oct 2011 17:57:00 -0700

cotillion claws

eighthnoteeighthnoteeighthnote
proves problematic for polished
privileged fingers

perhaps president garfield
should govern your phalanges
condition ring bearers
to act
independently
teach baby pinkies
we are more than crutches

the thrill of the trill
callicked crowns
pounce the cobblestone
curating cacophony
with repetitious crisis

anti-copyright ira gray

the triangle the neon lights are off for the night and i exist in disoriented rods and cones when...

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 18:04:17 -0700

the triangle

the neon lights
are off for the night
and i exist
in disoriented
rods and cones

when you close your eyes
they’ll become crystal balls
leading way
to a new dimension that i call home

my skin is the bark
of the yellow pines
as we reach for the sky
we’ll hold hands in solidarity
against the sun

my heart grows in the garden
and hangs from the vine
it’s ripe
it’s juicy
it’s plump
and it’s ready to fall
ready to fall

my soul pollinates the land
with its turbulence
never resting
for the sake of new life

dark
coarse
curly grass
grows from the ground
surrounding the vine
with outreached palms
hungry to decompose new measures

the pines were never warriors
and tomatoes are daredevil dreamers
exhaustion sets in
as the dawn blinds us
creating diversions
as we drown in our own awareness

anti-copyright ira gray

set the pace the snap crackle and pop of the neck vibrating vertebrae whisper sweet...

Fri, 14 Oct 2011 23:43:40 -0700

set the pace

the snap
crackle and
pop
of the neck

vibrating vertebrae
whisper sweet
nothings
in your ears

anti-copyright ira gray

capricorn we shall climb these bovid horns will impale any obstacles our minds conjure up...

Fri, 14 Oct 2011 10:02:00 -0700

capricorn

we shall climb
these bovid horns
will impale any obstacles
our minds conjure up
we’ll take our time
and when we die
we’ll reach the top of the mountain

anti-copyright ira gray