Category: Poems

Poem 20150321

crow

head and shoulders
knees and toes (knees and toes)

is all well and good
but the parts i am interested in

the eyes
the ears
the lips
the mouth
–inside and out
the nape of the neck
the throat
the elbows
–yes elbows
the breasts, good god
the ribs
the wrist
the bellybutton
that hollow in the small of the back
the curve of the hip
the ass
the swell of the thigh
the inside of the thigh
the knees
–wait the knees are in there–
ok, the back of the knees, then
the ankles
the soles of the feet
and skin
–skin skin skin

i suppose there is a reason why
they are left out of the song
too many verses
that adults couldn’t get through
without tearing off their own clothes

Poem 20150319

crow

the lion stands on the plains
in the morning sun
his mane matted
and falling out
his bones ache
he may be losing a tooth
he doesn’t have any roars left
to rise like thunder from his chest

the other males have driven
him to the edges
and the females ignore him now
there’s little game for him when
the hunt is over
forcing him to scavenge the stripped bones
and risk the hyenas
their snarls and their laughter

his big-cat memory
reaches back to a morning
when he rose proud, as golden as the dawn
when his voice made flocks of birds wheel
black and graceful in the blue-white sky
as if by his command

this pride won’t bear him any more cubs

he pants
staring into the distance
watches the grasses wave
watches the solid shadows that are birds
peck and hop and scratch for food

maybe he can work up
one last roar

Poem 20150314

crow

is this better?
sharp focus
clear lines between the letters
the card a sharp, painful white
so clear
you can see it all

or worse?
the room fuzzes over
instant caterpillarization
of letter forms
and lamp arms
and everything at arm’s reach
recedes
like a gel lens on a doris day
movie

how about now?
and the lights go off
and there’s nothing to see
except the afterimages
popping like fireworks
and your imagination
popping like fireworks