Monday, August 24, 2009

Haven

Envelop me in camphor, fresh and cold
Like ice reflecting wind, wind blowing sand,
Sand covering the desiccated land
As far as you can see, making me bold
Enough to wrest the fear of growing old
Out of my bosom and into my hand;
You may insist that you don't understand,
But you did follow, when first you were told.

Now warm my heart in blankets of dark felt,
A haven of safekeeping, where I'll find
A pure, uncomplicated peace of mind,
The fate I know, the wisdom I was dealt,
And I'll remember thinking, where I knelt,
That love is ever scarlet, smooth and kind.

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Resist the Categories

The evidence is in: I wasn't there,
Although no one believed my alibi
Until the testimony made them cry
And all the acrimony made them stare
Until their eyes bugged out. What you can bear
And what you think will surely make you die
Are frequently the same thing. What you try
And what works neatly prove life is unfair.

So who's responsible? Who did the deed
And left our maiden aunt without a pin
For her big flowered hat? No paladin
Showed up to hear her desultory screed.
The truth you wanted and the facts you need
Resist the categories. Trust your skin.

Friday, August 07, 2009

Fast and Loose

A smattering of traumas and despair
Among the innocent, the placid fools
Who graduated from the finest schools
Only to fail to understand what care
Was needed when you want to breathe the air
Pumped out for more experienced men, cools
The atmosphere. It's time to learn the rules
That govern failure and success: don't share.

What you have finds itself resisting use,
And ending up in someone else's pocket
With all the speed of Occam's famous rocket.
You thought it was a razor? Some papoose
Thought that was funny, and played fast and loose
With facts. Don't stick your finger in that socket.