(1987)
Reprinted with permission of "Hellas," Vol. 8
#QuatrainDescriptive
Give Me That Old-Time Religion As one New Yorker said, the guy w… You in New York, your wallet as h… At least has goals, unlike the oth… Who kill and maim and have no aim…
Relativity at the foundry Behold the scene at the iron works Where whirls of girls and harried… Surround the boss, a man of vision… Who, visualizing a new division,
The meter of this poem will be like ticks of a clock — no, I mean, ticks of clocks. On contemplation of my navel I see only what appears to be
The Skaters Nothing is less of the earth than couples skating: the woman in her white raiment clean, clean, and full of light,
The world sneers at our schools: our knowledge of geography just enough to locate Disneyland; mathematics puzzling esoteric; chemistry and physics the province…
Electrocutions show our love of ri… We give the favored one a kingly f… As well as pen and ink so he can w… The thoughts we all will prize whe… We see his every need is now addre…
The Pathetic Fallacy Revisited I’ve seen near shore a sycophantic… A cautious waiter at an osprey’s f… I’ve seen his cohorts find the bea… Their interest in the dumpsters mu…
Midwest Opera The local mogul, tall, horse-jawed… machine-tool king, accompanied by his grim chic wife, strolls down the aisle,
His Hobby Our Mr. Hughes, retired, was exce… At working wood, and every Yule h… A creche —cut plywood forms to rep… The cast, especially Jesus, whom…
These two of disparate genes were once Mother, Father; These linoleumed tunnels the marbled halls of my grade scho… where the children’s orchestra,
He makes a mild volley, teasingly, with a wry smile, condescending to her female fragil… but she strokes a rather sharp ret… whereupon he responds a little har…
Jesus’ Brother Perturbed by earthly crimes, God… “Your brother’s failed miserably;… Have only caused more may mayhem,… Involving ugly beanies, callouse…
. . . And after they had torn and… The earth, and passed the tons of… Through frightening fires, until i… and then unloaded it upon the shor… Of Black Detroit, where it was fi…
What discount art inspired this ta… Eleven months a year you’re quite… Too dark and gaunt, we thought, to… By breaking out in garments so biz… But just when nature tries to be a…
Polyphemus Hurt by Schtick (Apologies to Abbot and Costello) When Ulysses poked out Polyphemus… The giant ran to friends, who hear… “Nobody blinded me!” —but then he…