the Earth

" It is the Earth, like a kind mother, receives us at our birth, and sustains us when born. It is this alone, of all the elements around us, that is never found an enemy to man. The body of waters deluge him with rains; oppress him with hail,and drown him with inundations; the air rushes in storms, prepares the tempest, or lights up the volcano; but the Earth, gentle and indulgent, ever subservient to the wants of man, spreads his walks with flowers and his table with plenty; returns with interest every good committed to her care; and though she produces the poison, she still supplies the antidote; though constantly teased the more to furnish the luxuries of man than his necessities, yet even to the last, she continues her kind indulgence, and when life is over, she piously hides his remains in her bosom" - Pliny, 23-79 A.D.

quoted

"missed the shuttle" oops- there's
another one leaving for the moon
someday- lets colour up that
scenario...red white and blue
is stunning though ragged 42
years on; bespeaks a gray scale
mirror touched indecently,
yet undiminished, unfailing
in excelsis dea.

Dime size blob

Mad women shave their heads,
penitent; and sick women ,
submitting to ferocious
cellular warfare; then scarves
and wigs are arranged...
in for a fight or a shaming;
the clippers and razors present
only in extremis: natural as sunrise
for the man , no questions
asked re: sanity or imminent
mortality...just a hair shirt,
flagellation with a knotted cord,
the hermit's cell exponential.

talk is silver

Banish metaphor in favour of costume,
roll up the heirlooms anaerobic.
Walk to the market and home again,
12 miles each way, dawn to dusk..
Spend the rent money on two
blue-faced whatchamacallits
made of straw; hung up facing
each other, they say nothing..
silence is gold..

shrove tuesday

At the haunted house of snow
bales bound with street grime,
bread bakes in an ice oven
for a supper of sadness.
After the festivities,
ashes are applied lest
futility be forgotten
in celebrating exorcism.
Across the way, candles
stop smoking and a
birthday song rises
up the chimney,
inviting the spirits
for dancing...

out comes the pin...

Sea level common sense
rooted in sewage silt
dredged for panamax vessels
of crud for a dollar and all you
can eat at the buffet of closed
circuit scrutiny: stalks chandlers
by day, by night leasing space
at an outpost inside the spherical
universe, longing to pierce
the diaphanous membrane that
shuts out eternity...

dig

nasdaq dollars, connected to bridge-funding
subsidies,off-set competitive earmarking,
branding and targeted spending on break-even
policy for long-term development of luxury
condos, appeal to investment-rich brokers in
appellate toryism, healing economy, one hole
in one ...

...away from the office

With scorn of debt quite worthy
of a 17ieme aristocrat's sundry
chattels and entitlements,
the indices inherent in monopoly,
belie the public purse
created at cash registers:
receive an all-inclusive
holiday to public school or
hospital : bleakened,
unenjoyable, un mal voyage
for money hungry rats in suits.