I Want a Divorce (Poem) (2017)

Posted on May 5, 2017 in Fiction, Poetry

Cat Killer (2015)

Posted on Jun 20, 2015 in Fiction, Poetry

It was a confirmed killer of cats, her 1976 Nova.

Dining With the Privileged (2014)

Posted on Oct 29, 2014 in Fiction, Gender, Poetry

How is it that those who dine most lavishly manage to pay less than they ought?

Two Poems, Two Women (2013)

Posted on Nov 25, 2013 in A/V, Fiction, Gender, Poetry

I spoke these into my iTouch while on the road from New York to Georgia. The feeling just came over me, and before I knew it they had rolled off my tongue. They’re unchanged, except for one misspoken word.

If For Transsexual People (1991)

Posted on Nov 19, 2013 in AEGIS, Chrysalis Quarterly, Fiction, Gender, Magazines, Poetry

Any number of people have taken liberties with Rudyard Kipling’s poem If, which was meant as an inspiration for young boys. Is it any wonder I couldn’t resist? My most profound apologies to Mr. Kipling.

Backward Chaining (1979)

Posted on Sep 13, 2013 in Applied Behavior Analysis, Developmental Disabilities, Fiction, Poetry, Psychology

Each day I did less and less and he did more and more.

You Can’t Get There From Here (A Paranoia) (1984)

Posted on May 12, 2013 in Fiction, Paranoias, Poetry

They said the beastly machines would change / the way we think.

Should Be Any Time Now (A Paranoia) (1984)

Posted on May 12, 2013 in Fiction, Paranoias, Poetry

Some might call it / Economic warfare / I think it’s more direct than that

Representations of the Printed Page (A Paranoia) (1984)

Posted on May 12, 2013 in Fiction, Paranoias, Poetry

Instant replications / And only a nickel

They Flash All Night Long (A Paranoia) (1990)

Posted on May 11, 2013 in Fiction, Paranoias, Poetry

Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they’re not out to get you.

Waiting for Reinforcements (A Paranoia) (1984)

Posted on May 11, 2013 in Fiction, Paranoias, Poetry

It’s only biding time / Waiting for the rest of the fleet

Curious Boxes (A Paranoia) (1984)

Posted on May 11, 2013 in Fiction, Paranoias, Poetry, Speculative Fiction

Machines don’t need doors / Machines don’t have any money

Five Short Poems

Posted on Mar 24, 2013 in Fiction, Poetry

I give you five short poems, all unpublished.

Keys (1972)

Posted on Mar 23, 2013 in Fiction, Magazines, Poetry

I save keys. They unlock old memories

I Don’t Like This Mild Place (1996)

Posted on Nov 9, 2011 in Fiction, Poetry

I don’t like this mild place / Where the sun is friendly and does not burn / And the waves roll softly onto the shore

Masquerading as Public Works (A Paranoia) (1984)

Posted on Nov 9, 2011 in Fiction, Magazines, Paranoias, Poetry, Speculative Fiction

They land / Don’t you know / Shhhh! I can see one lurking on the horizon

A Late Reply to In Flanders Fields (1987)

Posted on Nov 8, 2011 in Fiction, Poetry

In college I read John McCrea’s1915 poem about World War I and a number of responses, also in rondeau form.

Neither McCrea’s work or the responses reflected my own feelings. Here are the original, a jingoistic response written soon afterward by R.W. Lilliard, and my late reply.

Trash Fish Banquet (1996)

Posted on Nov 7, 2011 in Events, Fiction, Newsletters, Poetry

And now the codfish all are gone / And still the fishermen fish on / And species once considered trash / Are looked upon as source of cash

Poison Frog (1998)

Posted on Nov 7, 2011 in Fiction, Poetry

I dreamed I saw a poison frog / I longed to touch it with my tongue / To taste its bitter deadly skin / And take its toxins deep within

Wrong Body (For Jason Cromwell) (1995)

Posted on Nov 7, 2011 in Fiction, Gender, Magazines, Poetry

It wasn’t a question of wrong body. It was a question of right body, wrong characteristics and a tune-up was required. And so I have resculpted it, made it more to my liking. Gained this, lost that. Paid technicians to make some modifications. Took pills which made me grow in important places and shrink in important places, and I have gone under the knife for the things the pills could not give me.

They Say (1996)

Posted on Nov 7, 2011 in Fiction, Gender, Magazines, Poetry

They say “You should be happy with the body you have.” They say this through capped teeth, looking at me through eyeglasses, breathing through noses resculpted, their faces lifted by plastic surgeons, their breasts shaped by bags full of silicone.

Sarah in a Suitcase (1997)

Posted on Nov 6, 2011 in Events, Fiction, Gender, Newsletters, Poetry

I wrote this poem on my way home from the transgender event Fantasia Fair, having witnessed a profound awakening during the week and an emotional crash when it was time to go home.

We Are The Transgendered (1993)

Posted on Nov 6, 2011 in Fiction, Gender, Newsletters, Poetry

We are your bosses, your employees. We work next to you in the assembly line. We drive your cabs, your buses, your taxis. We fly your planes, we sail your ships, we drive your locomotives. We deliver your paper, stock the shelves in your groceries, ring up your purchases. We cook your food in restaurants, and we bring it to your table. We build your cars in Detroit.