New print! New techniques.
This is a variable edition of 20 prints, all titled “Below the Treeline.” Print is 12″ x 12″ on black linen paper. Each image contains three colors. There are six different iterations. I witnessed a moon with similar treatment by Lindsay Perrett on Facebook. I thank her for the inspiration.
I am an old man now.
My hands know the weight
of small blades,
how pressure must be patient
and come from the elbow
or the line collapses.
Once,
I was a poet
before I knew what that meant.
I loved a woman
I never touched.
Her voice reached me first,
raw as a whiskey throat,
and I believed—
because I was young—
that wanting was the same as knowing.
I paid five dollars
to sit close enough
to see sweat gather
where the lights made her human.
My heart tried to leave me.
It did not ask permission.
Later,
the girl beside me disappeared,
as girls do.
The boy I was disappeared too,
replaced by a uniform
and a bottle passed hand to hand
in a room that smelled of boots and Brasso.
When the radio said her name
and then said “dead,”
I drank until morning
and learned how grief
can make a body useless.
Other men stood in my place that day.
They did not ask why.
Now, decades later,
I carve her again.
Not the woman—
the resistance.
Linoleum pushes back
where I want it to open.
Lines fill in.
Shadows refuse instruction.
Each proof shows me
what I missed,
what I thought I understood too soon.
I return with the chisel,
Still old, still slow,
still believing in correction.
This is what love was,
even then:
not ease,
not possession,
but the long willingness
to keep cutting
after the image fights back.
The continuing attempt to get it right.
This is a parody of Subterranean Homesick Blues by Bob Dylan. I offer him my apologies and my reverence. He has always been my music hero.
Here is the text:
Trumpterranean Homesick Blues
(with no mention of Epstein, the island or the files.
Donnie’s in the basement, lyin’ ‘bout Sleepy Joe.
I’m on the pavement, munching on a Sloppy Joe.
The man in a flak jack, no badge, facemask,
Says he’s got a hip flask, wants to spray my gas mask.
Look out kid, it’s not about your skin.
God knows why but you’re bein’ brown again.
Better duck into the library, looking for a has been.
The Man-From-GOP with the gold pen
Wants eleven dollars tax, you only got ten.
[Verse 2]
Kristi cracks horse whip, face full of lip flip,
Sayin’ that she’ll rip you just for a roach clip.
Leavitt lies anyway.
Leavittt says that many say
They must bust in early May, orders from the DA.
Look out kid, don’t matter what you did.
Walk on your tip toes, real free speech blows.
Better stay away from those who master how to brown-nose.
Predispose to ignore the pedos.
You need to be a Proud Boy to know which way the blood flows
[Verse 3]
Oh, get sick, get well, try not to go to hell.
Shit smell, hard to tell if ketchup on the wall fell.
Veep Vance, couch pants, no dance, e-mail
Bound to derail, be a footnote if you fail.
Look out kid, you’re gonna get hit
By losers, cheaters, girlie users,
Hangin round the theaters.
Girl by the whirlpool’s gonna be a man tool.
Don’t follow leaders, and watch poetic meters.
[Verse 4]
Oh, get born, learn norms, stand lines, pay fines for
Concubines, get fat, shoot gats, try to wear a red hat
Donald, JD, Marco, Hegseth, big dicks
January 6, gets a pardon, and a job fix.
Look out kid, they keep it all hid.
Congress can’t complain, full of losers and the lame.
“Courts Right As Rain” means you’re totally insane.
Don’t want to be left scum? better play dumb.
The Court don’t work cuz McConnell left a bloodstain.
This is the happiest accident of this early year. I actually have 4 of these accidents. Three might be usable. This is being sent to my daughter, Maggie, as it is inspired by her son Harvey. I am saving one for me. But three other kids and only two prints…one if the ghost image is unsettling.
Anyway, this is A/P “Button Nose” 2026
M.A.G.A./Epstein’s Island (Parody of “Y.M.C.A.” by the Village People)
MAGA, there’s no need to feel riled
I said, MAGA, there are no Epstein files
I said, MAGA, don’t stop the Seig Heils
There’s no need to be unhappy
MAGA, you can hate Mexico
I said, MAGA, there’s a place you can go
You can stay there, and I’m sure you will find
Many ways to have a good time
It’s fun to stay on Epstein’s Island,
It’s fun to stay on Epstein’s Island,
They have everything that pedos enjoy,
You can hang out with all the boys.
It’s fun to stay at Epstein’s Island,
It’s fun to stay at Epstein’s Island.
You can get your pipes cleaned,
And keep your esteem,
It’s a goddamned pervert’s dream.
MAGA, keep worshipping me,
I said, MAGA, be like Epstein,
I said, MAGA, you can make real your dreams,
But you’ve got to know this one thing
No man does it all by himself,
I said, MAGA, young girls want to help,
Just go there to Epstein’s Island,
I’m sure they can help you today.
It’s fun to stay on Epstein’s Island,
It’s fun to stay on Epstein’s Island,
They have all the things that perverts enjoy,
You can hang out with all the boys.
It’s fun to stay at Epstein’s Island,
It’s fun to stay at Epstein’s Island.
You can get your pipes cleaned,
And keep your esteem,
It’s a goddamned pervert’s dream.
MAGA, you’re living the dream,
I said, MAGA, be part of the scheme,
You’ll get what you want, don’t ask why,
Just ride through Epstein’s sky
When Epstein came up to me,
And said, “Donald, take a plane ‘cross the sea,”
Island’s waiting, no need to hide,
Take a ride, leave morals aside.
It’s fun to stay on Epstein’s Island,
It’s fun to stay on Epstein’s Island,
They have everything that perverts enjoy,
You can hang out with little boys.
It’s fun to stay at Epstein’s Island,
It’s fun to stay at Epstein’s Island.
You can get your pipes cleaned,
And keep your esteem,
It’s a real damned pervert’s wet dream.
M.A.G.A.
M.A.G.A.
On the day of tRump’s birthday Parade I offer a new parody to the tune of Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody. Written by Steve Marsh with Executive Producer credits to Debora Marsh.
MAGA Rhapsody
A parody to the tune of “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen
Lyrics by Steve Marsh
Executive Producer: Debora Marsh
(Chorus)
Is this the real life?
Or just conspiracy?
Caught in a tweetstorm,
Out of touch with reality—
Open your eyes,
Look up to the skies and lie—
(Trump)
I’m just a rich guy, I get no sympathy,
Because I’m easy bought, ego stroked,
Truth is fake, logic broke—
Any way the vote goes
Doesn’t really matter
To me,
(TO ME…)
….
Interlude
(Trump)
Mama, just duped the land,
Put a big lie in their head,
Waved the flag which wraps their dead—
Mama, MAGA’s beautiful,
But now I’ve gone and stirred the Proud Boys’ pride—
Mama—OOOH,
Didn’t mean to tweet so loud,
If you don’t find me back at Mar-A-Lago,
Carry on, carry guns—
The truth doesn’t matter.
Too late, my time has come,
The walls are closing in,
Got indictments on my skin—
Goodbye, MAGA crew,
I’ve got to grift—
Gotta leave you all behind for crypto coin—
Mama—OOOH (any way the vote goes), DEB
I don’t wanna lose,
Sometimes wish I’d never agreed to run…
Interlude)
(Chorus)
I see a little silhouetto of a man—
Orange glow! Orange glow!
Can he dance a Mar-a-Lambo?
Thunderbolts and libel,
And a handsigned Bible, see—
(Guns ‘n’ tariffs!) GUNS ‘N’ TARIFFS!
(Guns ‘n’ tariffs!) GUNS ‘N’ TARIFFS!
Guns ‘n’ tariffs! Let him go!
(Trump) ?
I’m just a rich boor, nobody loves me—
(Chorus)
He’s just a rich boor from a gold family!
Spare him his place in fake history!
(Trump)
Easy win, easy grift—
Will you let me go?
(Chorus)
Q-A-non! No—we will not let him go! LET HIM GO! DEB
Q-A-non! We will not let him go! LET HIM GO
Q-A-non! We will not let him go! LET HIM GO
Will not Let him go—will not let him go!
No no no oh oh oh!
OH, MAGA MIA, MAGA MIA
(Trump)
Democracy has a jail cell just for me (for meeeee… for meeeeeeee!)
(Interlude)
(Trump)
So you think you can stone me and leave me to lie?
So you think you can fact-check and spit in my eye?!
Oh baby—
Can’t jail me like that, baby!
Just gotta get out,
Just gotta run right to Vlad’mir.
(Interlude)
Nothing really matters,
Not the law, not facts—
Nothing really matters,
MAGA… doesn’t matter…
…to me.
Interlude
(Chorus)
Any way the vote goes
This is a parody of Hotel California by the Eagles. It is called
Hotel Mar-A-Lago
In a land full of slogans, red hats in the mist,
Gaslight fills the air, can’t tell what I missed.
Up ahead in the distance, I saw a gold-plated sign.
My head grew heavy and my morals dim–
Had to stop for the crime.
There he stood in the doorway, with a spray-tanned grin,
And I was thinking to myself,
“This could be hell or he’s golfing again.”
Then he lit up a Big Mac and he waved me inside.
Voices down the Mar-A-Hallway
Said, “Enjoy the red tide.”
(Chorus)
Welcome to the Hotel Mar-A-Lago.
Such a freaky place (such a sneaky face),
Billionaire3 disgrace.
Plenty of room at the Hotel Mar-A-Lago.
Any time of year, (fake news and fear),
You can gaslight here.
His mind is mostly Twitter, his heart is full of spite.
He’s got a cabinet of sychophants
Who chant, “You’re always right.”
And Elon’s in the courtyard, unfollowed and half-banned,
Shouting “Mars,” and “DOGE,” and “Epstein.”
Still no one understands.
They built a wall of nonsense, with lies that never end,
But the truth got fact-checked at the border.
Now they just pretend.
And in the Lincoln bedroom they argue with a ghost.
Honest Abe’s been grave spinning
While Elon is fully dosed.
Welcome to the Hotel Mar-A-Lago,
Such a clownish scene (with a beauty queen),
On a fascist lean.
Livin’ it up at the Hotel Mar-A-Lago.
What a nice surprise (full of alibis)
When the facts all die.
TV on the ceiling. Big Macs stacked on gold,
And he said, “We are just kings of truth, the lies we have sold,”
And in the gilded bathroom, they gathered for the spin.
They quoted Ten Commandments but denied the deadly sins.
Last thing I remember, I was running for the gate.
I had to find the fact check crew before it got too late.
“Relax,” said the butler, “we’re designed to deceive–
You can log out any time you want…but you’ll still believe.”
Another rendition by friend, Joe Troyer. Thanks, Joe
Every year in April, I try to do the thirty poems in thirty days challenge. Sometimes it’s easy. Sometimes it’s not. This year, I started slowly, but I started. Today I invented a new kind of Haiku and I present the following 30 Haiku of Invasive Thoughts. I now consider my oath to do 30/30 fulfilled.
1. April First full moon
Casts knee-deep moonlight and laughs.
Trump’s a piece of shit.
2. Baseball field’s greening
With a prickle of North wind.
Trump’s a piece of shit.
3. Peepers and tweeters
Sing long into the darkness
Trump’s a piece of shit.
4. Can anything be
More joyful than your breast curve?
Trump’s a piece of shit.
5. Almost cut my hair
But remembered why it’s long:
Trump’s a piece of shit.
6. Remember when we
Were young and still loved living?
Trump’s a piece of shit.
7. Tartans are protests.
My tartan is plain, simple.
Trump’s a piece of shit.
8. Clarabell the Clown
Had wild, crazy orange hair.
Trump’s a piece of shit.
9. Red sun peeps over
The misty blue horizon.
Trump’s a piece of shit.
10. Sunday comics died.
So did Saturday cartoons.
Trump’s a piece of shit.
11. Cold frog sits in mud,
Frowning at all sitting near.
Trump’s a piece of shit.
12. It is now April.
So why call it March Madness?
Trump’s a piece of shit.
13. My love throws signals,
Pheromones drift to your brain.
Trump’s a piece of shit.
14. We, literally,
Use “literally” too much.
Trump’s a piece of shit.
15. At seventy-five
I’m still lusty, just slower.
Trump’s a piece of shit.
16. Send me dirty pics.
They just might help clear my mind.
Trump’s a piece of shit.
17. I’ve been dieting.
Do calories pay tariffs?
Trump’s a piece of shit.
18. Hit baseball batsman
Grunts an expletive loudly.
Trump’s a piece of shit.
19. Fires out west, floods here.
Tornadoes rake the alley.
Trump’s a piece of shit.
20. Mackinac Island,
The crown jewel of the Straits.
Trump’s a piece of shit.
21. Of all the women I’ve known,
The one I love the most…
Trump’s a piece of shit.
22. Dog sleeps more than me
But wakes with a whole-heart love.
Trump’s a piece of shit.
23. Beating out a bunt
Feels better than a stock crash.
Trump’s a piece of shit.
24. I work like I am
An Indian Elephant.
Trump’s a piece of shit.
25. Bluebirds adopted
The house I put in the yard.
Trump’s a piece of shit.
26. He walks his old dog.
They both wince on a bad hip.
Trump’s a piece of shit.
27. The best of teachers
Learn far more than they can teach.
Trump’s a piece of shit.
28. The gift of patience
Was given in my absence.
Trump’s a piece of shit.
29. Can ice cream be bad?
I mean evil, not just old.
Trump’s a piece of shit.
30. I believe in truth.
I believe in plain language.
Trump’s a piece of shit.
PS I used Clarabell’s image without permission. I really hope it is in the public domain. But if it’s not, and they arrest me, remember: Trump’s a piece of shit.
I didn’t get to the protests on April 5, 2025. I was sad about it, so I looked at all the pictures from around the nation and saw a protest sign that prompted this song. This is my offering in lieu of pounding the pavement. It is a parody and I have no singing voice, but good protest is not based on a person’s singing voice. Here are the lyrics:
StupidCallousFragileRacistSexistNaziPotus
Even though the MAGA clowns appear not to have noticed.
Blowing up the constitution really should have showed us.
StupidCallousFragileRacistSexistNaziPotus
Dumb little liar, dumb little lie.
Dumb little liar, dumb little lie.
It started back years ago when Trump was in New York.
He’d rent to white folks easily despite their line of work.
Black folks found it harder to get through Trump’s front door
Until the US Government sued his ass and more.
Dumb little liar, dumb little lie.
Dumb little liar, dumb little lie.
StupidCallousFragileRacistSexistNaziPotus
His call for tariffs in the world is really too too bogus.
To drink enough to ease my pain will only cause cirrhosis.
StupidCallousFragileRacistSexistNaziPotus
Dumb little liar, dumb little lie.
Dumb little liar, dumb little lie.
He rode an escalator and MAGA went ape shit.
They gobbled up the steaming pile of all that he did spit.
It didn’t matter if he spoke the truth or a big lie,
They ate it up and spit it back and screamed “Zeig Heil! Big Guy!”
StupidCallousFragileRacistSexistNaziPotus
Protection for plans of war is really quite atrocious.
All the stress I’m feeling’s arteriosclerosis.
StupidCallousFragileRacistSexistNaziPotus
And now he’s crashed the market and killed my pension plan.
I guess I need a cardboard sign and a great big old tin can.
But it won’t matter much because I will be dead,
Or locked up in a foreign cell…
Or locked up in a foreign cell, eating mouldy bread.
StupidCallousFragileRacistSexistNaziPotus
https://youtu.be/v9cpQiERZzw