The crushed cup (Sen no Rikyu, 1522-1591)
after a final sip
the master crushed his favorite cup
bid each honored guest farewell
retreated to the garden
to rend from flesh
undying essence
sever the shadow
of the moon...
Paradise
thrumming chit-chit sprinklers hum
mistaken for operatic crickets
trilling lazy resort air
as wrinkled splayed foot reptiles
bow iguana heads like regal buddhists
slowly roaming nirvana
crossing thached pagodas
unconscious tourists...
find me
baby left
sometimes she leaves
stays away…
I wait I
can’t stand
waiting –
cannot make her
come back
soon enough
slowly
time erases
sorrow slakes
sleepers
wake again
together
one on one
laugh away
the hours lost
the shadow’s left
slowly fading
on...
echo
sleepless night
toss and turn
remembering when
relived again
amended to no avail
up-ended
brought forth into that darkness
promising clarity
absolute darkness entreats
silence traps…
your beating heart
resurrects
over and over
refuses
end.
***
BITTER POEMS: echo
BY NEIL...
asicanine (a call to dogs)
lavender leashed dog
festooned in a yellow slicker
overly wrapped in man
little rubber booties yukked with mud
rhinestone collared
Oh! how I wish you would
bury the bones
from that...
arias
fly on a peeling sill
every surface
potential edge of the world
eyes filled with light
food wooed
pile of dog mush
bit of cheddar
asparagus spear
all the same to it
frustrated...
another cat (Franz Wright)
the heels of his poor man shoes
were each worn down
on the outside edge
and the laces were white string
knotted to where the black had broken…
he...
dilettante-ism
splattered rabbit
early a.m.
remnant scarlet
on the double yellow line
inside out
pulseless in a heartbeat
Goodyear revolution
of whitewall rubber
triple ply tread
sporting a brand new snazzy
zig zag pelt
bunny coat
back...
promise
swirling banner
wind whipped
color coded
a field of stars
a row of stripes
remembering when
freedom
found a country
to plant its perfect flag upon
made a promise
we pledge with our hearts
to...
the dream
last night, Rimbaud
as the dream dogs howled
you tripped on my creased pillow
broke in a hundred poems
across the floor
cobalt hued…
ocher, turquoise, vermillion glass
glowing under moonlight’s...
the feign king
some twenty flights up
enhanced by the light
softly pooled on the surface
of her shameless picture window’s glow
she glides like a tropical fish behind glass
slowly dancing...
red buddha
Mao attaining...
(to buddhahood)
Mao you Chairman Buddha now
fat cat china cool
Tao, your zen red book
Great leap forward
bone to throw the masses off…
seeking you in bullett...
Because the moon
Because the moon
has no place to rest
she drifts in endless circles
constantly shedding
the memory of herself
to forge through darkness
brave night’s silence
endure the stars.
epiphany
The poet who holds fire in his hand
trembles
knows the scent of his own
seared flesh
writhes as the blackened
didgets bubble and seethe
feasts his eyes
on the urgent...
