Anna is not here--

Anna is not here

she is safe in a silent world

there is no one else there

no one

Anna is not here

only her shell

silently obeys

and hears

she is far away

where no one laughs

at her

no one jeers

at her

Anna is not here.

     Inspired by Anna is Still Here by Ida Vos

After Reading Jonathan Livingston Seagull

Who has not dreamed

of flight?

not with the aid of machine

and contrivance

but soaring winged man

above the clouds.

Thus did those dead

create

a heaven where the resurrected

fly

and angels clad in white

bring to eternity

our souls and give them

movement

7-19-1999

(I'm dating some of these in my own defense. Bear in mind I was born in 1982...or maybe 1983...and make allowances)

We balance our words like lances--

We balance our words like lances

metal-tipped, smooth wood.

we throw…

A miss!

They skim through the air

side by side

arrows pointing at nothing.

too bad we never aim

straight

true

clean.

Then we could feel the piercing light

of understanding speech.

Bluebeard

when he first left, I thought:

 “that’s strange”

he’s a decent person, after all

until the other hidden things came out

and piled up in a grinning heap of skulls

            adultery

            abuse

            abondonment

I won’t be surprised now if he turns out to be

  last year’s ax murderer

No more facades. Even cement can have air-pockets

I won’t feel sure until I’ve prodded every inch

and even then…

            how many blood-stained corpses could be hidden in one cellar?