FLINCHES OF PERCEPTION (2010- 2015, ONGOING)

I thought a bug was buzzing, it was the cat

I thought there was a puddle, a spider web was shimmering

I thought it stopped in mid-air, it landed on a leaf

I thought a nail was wedged under the concrete step, the step was placed on top of the nail

I thought it was my black bag, it was the cat

I couldn't tell if the clouds were moving or if the stars were moving because I was also moving

I thought it was a bug, it was lint

I thought it was the bus sign, it was the leaves

I thought I was marking a calendar, I was writing a poem

I thought I was going to kiss the light, I kissed the shadow of my head

I thought he was begging for money, he shook my hand

I thought it was wires, i thought it was the rear end of a wolf, i thought it was wires, it was wires

I thought it was a dog falling down a sand dune, a black plastic bag was falling down a sand dune

I thought it was a deep shadow, it was a black dog in the sun

I thought they were leaves falling, they were birds flying

I thought it was a wall, it was a mirror

I thought it was a human falling over, it was a bag of trash falling over

I thought it was a book , it was a vision

I thought it was a plane, it was the moon

I thought it was a frog, it was a leaf

I thought it was a cat, it was a plastic bag

I thought it was there, it was gone

I thought it was a trash bag, it was a cat stuffed under a car

I thought it was a girl in a summer dress, it was a spool of bubble wrap on a trash can unraveling

I thought it was snow, it was light

I thought that it had gone, it was still there

I thought it was on fire, it was a beer can

I thought it was concrete, it was a bag of hay

I thought it was a hole, it was a reflection

I thought it was a bride, it was a workman

I thought she was waving at me, she was waving toward me

I thought he was wearing a business suit, he was shirtless

I thought it was a cop car, it was for sale on the side of the road

I thought it was Paris, France, it was Columbus, OH

I thought it was a button, it was a nail driven into the ground

I thought you were in my room, you were on the phone

I thought I stepped on a kitten, it was a sock

I thought the garbage was on fire, someone had thrown away a steaming cup of coffee

I thought they were figures shrouded in red and white, they were tulips

I thought they were cut out of the flag, they were chairs

I thought I was listening to my neighbor make coffee, my dishwater was draining

I thought she was holding a chicken, she was holding a purse

I thought it was a rabid dog escaping out the door, it was a backpack swinging on the door knob

I thought it was a camel, it was a horse

I thought it was a tea candle, it was a bottle cap

I thought it was a cop car with a radar, it was for sale on the side of the road

I thought it was water glimmering, it was a sea of junk cars

I thought it was an animal scratching, it was a newspaper falling

I thought it was a billboard, it was a broom

I thought it was coming through the shades onto me, it was my candy cane striped pajamas

I thought she was squatting on the ground all dressed up, she was sitting on a leather chair

I thought it was a pubic hair, it was an apple logo

I thought it was in my pocket, it was above my head

I thought it was a crack in the mug, it was the string on a tea bag

I thought it was a lamp light, it was a dust pan

I thought it said “mosquito,” it said “misquote”

I thought it was my father's, it was mine

I thought they were tire tracks in the snow, they were telephone wire shadows

I thought it was jam, the jar was filled with beets

I thought it was a man asleep on the side of the railroad, it was a tent wrapped up in itself

I thought I had forgotten my phone, I had forgotten about that pocket

I thought it was my pajama pants bunched on the ground, it was a plastic bag

I thought it was a mosque, it was smoke

I thought it said “Taoists,” it said “TOASTS”

I thought they were some raunchy crows, it was the sunset on a black glassed building

I thought it was a rock, it was a dried up melon

I thought it was a stone, it was a pistachio

I thought it was a firecracker thrown my way, my bike tire exploded

I thought it was a gnat, it was a nail hole

I thought it was a person squatting, it was a gas meter

I thought they were two pages stuck together, it was one page

I thought it was coming out of my pocket, it was ringing from 100 meters ahead of me

I thought it came out of my mouth as I yawned, it came from the bell tower directly behind me

I thought she was taking a video, she was taking a swig of Sprite

I thought it was a human standing on one leg, it was a jacket tossed over a post

I thought it was a spider hanging on a thread, it was a bubble rising from the sink

I thought it was spray paint, it was a berry bush

i thought it was a man with his arms outstretched, it was a vase of flowers on the alter

I thought it was a lake, it was a house in a film

I thought it was a mirrored furniture arrangement, it was a glass door reflection

I thought it was a white man going into the trunk of a car, it was a black woman carrying cans of food back into the house

I thought it was toast, it was a Brillo pad

I thought my phone was ringing, my leg was shaking

I thought they were jogging together, they were jogging past each other

I thought it was her hair in my mouth, it was my hair in my mouth

I thought it was broken, it was covered

I thought it was behind, it was on top

I thought it was a spill, it was wood grain

I thought she had entered the room, a lock of my hair dangled in my periphery

I thought it was a scar, it was a crease in the page

I thought it was stir fry, it was a towel that fell on my foot

I thought it was an iPhone, it was duct tape taped to itself

I thought they were icicles that had fallen in the snow, they were branches protruding from below

I thought she was puking, she was petting a dog behind the bench

I though they were in the air, they were on the ground

I thought it was a room, it was a sheet of white paper

I thought it was green, it was gray

I thought my phone was in my underwear, it was in my pocket

I thought it was a mirror, it was a window

I thought he was holding a sign, he was carrying a box

I thought it was a towel, it was a coat

I thought it was a crack in the mug, it wiped off

I thought they were panties, they were seed pods dangling in a tree

I thought it was graffiti, it was the shadow of curving branches

I thought it was s droplet of water, it was the tip of a spaghetti server behind a soup ladle

I thought she had a ponytail, he had a shadow

I thought a lamp was on, the curtain was open

I thought it was a piece of ice, it was a slice of plastic bag

I thought it was hair, it was the after image of a line of light

I thought they were a choir, they were a tour group

I thought it was a plastic bag rustling in the wind, it was a squirrel scampering in the leaves

I thought I was looking through it, it was glossy

I could not tell if it was hers or mine, because they were so well entwined

I thought it was a man emerging from a manhole, it was a baby crawling on the sidewalk

I thought it was hair, it was a glare

I thought it was popcorn, it was a crumpled cough drop wrapper

I thought it was a hole, it was a mirror

I thought it was a horse, it was a hand pumping gas

I thought it was upside down, it was filled to the brim with water

I thought it was a tear, it was a seam

I thought it was a towel, they were hanging pants

I thought it was a down the back pony tail, it was a street lamp bouncing off of leather

I thought it was a cross bar, it was a beam of light

I thought it was a jar of peanut butter, it was a jar of gold dust

I thought it was incense smoke, it was the ceiling fan spinning double in a pair of sunglasses

I thought it was a stain, it was packaging design

I thought they were clouds, they were striations in the mountain

I thought it was blue, it was green

I thought the fly was dead, it flew away

I thought it was a smear of cream cheese, it was a scrap of torn paper

I thought it was full of water, it was an empty, transparent tub

I thought it was a table, it was a dog

I thought it was a snake, it was a ring in a tree

I thought it was a car coming down the alley, it was a cup rolling on the gravel

I thought someone was urinating outside, the pot on the stove began to boil

I thought it was a huge rat, it was a dirty mop

I thought it was a whimpering dog, it was a squeaky wheel

I thought it was a clock, it was a fan

I thought it was a poem and started reading it as one, it was a shopping list

I thought it was a knot in the wood, it was a moth

I thought it was a hair in my soup, it was the line between the oil & water

I thought it was a lazy dog, it was shoes outside the bedroom

I thought it was a dog retired in the sun, it was a stump burned in a fire

I thought it was a shred of plastic, it was a slice of light through the curtains

I thought it was a piece of shit, it was my pants zipper pull

I thought it was a flash of smoke, it was a fly

I thought it was a flower growing through the cracks, it was a bright red thread caught on a blade of grass

I thought it was running down my leg, it brushed against my thigh

I thought it was my wife, it was a Tibetan prayer flag

I could not tell if the bed was shaking or if the earth was shaking because I was also shaking