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A dragonfly drops into the yard
lands on the rock rose
asks "Did you hear about Lewis?"
Vestiges
"All rivers flow into the sea" etc, but
then what?
An exercise in planned obsolescence
falling thru the trap-door in a shopping cart
abandoned beneath the 4th Street Bridge
Summer Breeze
Foxtail grass, the songs of dead poets,
& that Chevy El Camino wrapped in caution tape
parked outside the bait shop
Monday, April 27, 2020
Wednesday, April 22, 2020
Air the Color of Wind
for Leweye
"Whether we are free enough
to say good-bye"
is what I'm hearing
a voice with a hint of Texas in it
& the soft rustling of reeds at the river's edge
just a breath away from here
Tuesday, April 21, 2020
Saturday, April 18, 2020
Tone Deaf
Rocking the phraseology of April
a type of currency
snare drums & Ave Marias
except she meant every word of it
& like crossing the bridge between
summer rain & revelation
"There's more where that came from"
where it went
The clouds over Four Mile Beach
resembling ancient Chinese poems
& why not the singing telegram
& whatever was spray-painted
on the overpass
a type of currency
snare drums & Ave Marias
except she meant every word of it
& like crossing the bridge between
summer rain & revelation
"There's more where that came from"
where it went
The clouds over Four Mile Beach
resembling ancient Chinese poems
& why not the singing telegram
& whatever was spray-painted
on the overpass
Thursday, April 9, 2020
The Square Root of Ground Zero
In the transparent & possibly forgettable confluence of myth & biology, a quick spark of light or recognition, after the long swim & the engendering, determines the color of yr eyes. The 3 sisters in their dirty white robes kneeling on a blanket throwing dice & keeping score. The numbers written in indelible ink. The construction proceeds according to preset measures along w/the selected variables. Limited options to be sure. An architecture built from the inside out. Proteins & carbons & lots of water. The wiring can be a little tricky.
Images of an ancient Hawaiian cave burial. Dead body placed in a fetal position. Many Native American tribes buried their dead in a fetal position as well, sometimes in a basket or clay urn. We'd like to believe there's a meaning to it all.
Bathed in a golden light he crouches & waits & eventually emerges on a rainy night in February 1956. The place is Saint John's Hospital in Santa Monica, California. Saint John's Hospital was founded by the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth in 1942. Saint John the Apostle was the author of the Gospel of John, the 3 Epistles of John, and the Book of Revelations. He was the only one of the 12 Apostles to die of natural causes. Santa Monica was named after Saint Monica, the mother of Saint Augustine. She is the patron of difficult marriages, disappointing children, victims of adultery, & the sacred conversion of relatives.
Images of an ancient Hawaiian cave burial. Dead body placed in a fetal position. Many Native American tribes buried their dead in a fetal position as well, sometimes in a basket or clay urn. We'd like to believe there's a meaning to it all.
Bathed in a golden light he crouches & waits & eventually emerges on a rainy night in February 1956. The place is Saint John's Hospital in Santa Monica, California. Saint John's Hospital was founded by the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth in 1942. Saint John the Apostle was the author of the Gospel of John, the 3 Epistles of John, and the Book of Revelations. He was the only one of the 12 Apostles to die of natural causes. Santa Monica was named after Saint Monica, the mother of Saint Augustine. She is the patron of difficult marriages, disappointing children, victims of adultery, & the sacred conversion of relatives.
Wednesday, April 1, 2020
The Orient Express
Stagelit streets descending
as in Tangier
or Todos Santos
or an Albuquerque by the sea
w/Jesus Christ
(or is it Keith Richards?)
riding across the beach on a crocodile
The salt spray
the stuttering neon archives
& the slow fade
bending harmonicas in the dark
concert hall of the heart
Even if the dance goes sideways
we know the spirit moves
has moved
is moving
though not perhaps as we had at first imagined
I no longer recognize the face that
stares back at me from the bathroom mirror
but that's okay
it's clear that whoever he is he
doesn't recognize me either
though we're both wearing the same Yater t-shirt
w/the blood stain on the left shoulder
as in the Palatine Anthology
Meanwhile the marine layer flattens out
as light & shadow trade places
excavating the protocols of redemption
dropping leadweight epiphanies in the green room
& I'm digging my way to China
w/a plastic spoon
as in Tangier
or Todos Santos
or an Albuquerque by the sea
w/Jesus Christ
(or is it Keith Richards?)
riding across the beach on a crocodile
The salt spray
the stuttering neon archives
& the slow fade
bending harmonicas in the dark
concert hall of the heart
Even if the dance goes sideways
we know the spirit moves
has moved
is moving
though not perhaps as we had at first imagined
I no longer recognize the face that
stares back at me from the bathroom mirror
but that's okay
it's clear that whoever he is he
doesn't recognize me either
though we're both wearing the same Yater t-shirt
w/the blood stain on the left shoulder
as in the Palatine Anthology
Meanwhile the marine layer flattens out
as light & shadow trade places
excavating the protocols of redemption
dropping leadweight epiphanies in the green room
& I'm digging my way to China
w/a plastic spoon
Wednesday, March 18, 2020
Shelter in Place
Trying to get as far away
from myself as possible
without leaving the room
Knossos, Chichén Itzá, or Zuma Beach
counter intuitive measures
& the bongo relevance
if only to put the proper
looney tunes spin on it
Polite Society:
They bare their teeth to show they're friendly
Nothing to lose & nowhere to go
but I can't be the last to leave
That doesn't explain anything I hope
The itch in yr sneakers too
Beneath the Panamanian moon
from myself as possible
without leaving the room
Knossos, Chichén Itzá, or Zuma Beach
counter intuitive measures
& the bongo relevance
if only to put the proper
looney tunes spin on it
Polite Society:
They bare their teeth to show they're friendly
Nothing to lose & nowhere to go
but I can't be the last to leave
That doesn't explain anything I hope
The itch in yr sneakers too
Beneath the Panamanian moon
Wednesday, March 4, 2020
ACE of TENTACLES by Kevin Opstedal
The original ACE of TENTACLES manuscript was/is 130+ pages, which I ruthlessly cut down to 22 pages for this chapbook. Nevertheless, it still has a kick to it. Published by Sunnylyn Thibodeaux & Micah Ballard's Auguste Press.
Sunday, March 1, 2020
Accordion Book w/a Pop-Up Heart
Any moment you could be there listening
or right here not listening
but hearing it all tumble
in one ear & out the other
An unobstructed view
Maybe it was the way the pavement laid down at her feet
the sky not quite as dark as her eyes
& the wind if there was any wind must've been cold
Wake up to find that I'm starring in this movie
a mistake down at central casting
a movie I must watch thru binoculars from the balcony section
What would I remember? The plot twisting
as the music swells, subsides,
dissipates into tinkle bells, sledge-
hammers, bird voices
That kind of carelessness
it isn't so easy to master
When I get to Mexico all her broken vows will be mine
our children will understand then & the rain will
step into the street & survey the damage
w/eyes of translucent silver
or right here not listening
but hearing it all tumble
in one ear & out the other
An unobstructed view
Maybe it was the way the pavement laid down at her feet
the sky not quite as dark as her eyes
& the wind if there was any wind must've been cold
Wake up to find that I'm starring in this movie
a mistake down at central casting
a movie I must watch thru binoculars from the balcony section
What would I remember? The plot twisting
as the music swells, subsides,
dissipates into tinkle bells, sledge-
hammers, bird voices
That kind of carelessness
it isn't so easy to master
When I get to Mexico all her broken vows will be mine
our children will understand then & the rain will
step into the street & survey the damage
w/eyes of translucent silver
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