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T H E N O R T H C O A S T T IM E S E A G L E , F R ID A Y , 19 M A R C H 1982
LIFE &
TIMES
r.
ZÍA
xí?x xib. ¿í?x
ONCE
ILLU SIO N S
I 'v e k n o w n y o u f o r e v e r b u t o n c e
in c o m p u t e d t i m e
n o w h e re
I 'v e t o u c h e d y o u r f a c e
in a t h o u s a n d f a c e s
I 'v e s e e n y o u r s m i l e
in a h u n d r e d s m i l e s
I 'v e k n o w n y o u r m in d
in a f e w m in d s
I 'v e to u c h e d y o u r s o u l b u t o n c e
in s p i r i t a l w a y s a n d n e v e r
but once
beyond fo re v e r!
— M ARY
g lim p s e s
o f ic e
fro z e n
c le a r
c o ld
sh a rp
and m e
d r e s s e d in b l a c k
an d s ilv e r b la d e s
on th e i c e
m o v in g w ith
p a s s io n and fir e
q u ic k ly
c le a rly
s h a rp ly
s l i c i n g th e a i r
a n d th e ic e
B.
TOGETHER
— K IM
B e c a u s e w e do
A ll t h i n g s t o g e t h e r
A ll t h in g s i m p r o v e ,
E v en w e a th e r.
O u r d a ily m e a t
A nd b r e a d ta s te
T re es g re e n e r,
R a in is w e tte r .
IRISES
b e tte r,
— PA U L
EN G LE
2 FO U N D POEMS
1.
O n e m u s t b e s e e n to e x i s t ,
F o r now th e r e is no o th e r p ro o f.
T h e r e i s n o i d e n t i t y in c r a f t ,
O n ly in s e l f - p r o m o t i o n .
T h e re a r e no a c ts ,
O n ly s c e n e s .
2.
Y o u ’ 11 g o c r a z y .
Y o u 'l l b e p a r a l y z e d .
Y ou w o n ' t be a b le to h a v e b a b i e s .
It w i l l d r o p r i g h t o ff.
G od w ill p u n ish y o u .
— JO H N
S P R IN G
A fu ll s to m a c h s a y s :
A rip e g u a v a h a s w o rm s .
An e m p ty s to m a c h S a y s :
L et m e s e e .
BU CK LEY
LULL IN THE STORM
W e a w a k e to b e g r e e t e d
by a s t r i p o f p a l e s t b lu e
p a r t i n g th e c lo u d s
o f o v e r w h e l m i n g g lo o m ;
th e t i d e r e c e d e s , e x p o s in g t r e a s u r e
f o r g u lls a n d s a n d p ip e r s
s c u r r y i n g a lo n g th e s h o r e .
T he s to r m , o u r p ris o n th e s e m an y d a y s,
is d e p a rtin g a t l a s t ,
l i b e r a t i n g a v e r y o ld la d y
w ho p ic k s h e r w ay a c r o s s w e t s a n d
f o r a c l o s e u p v ie w
of th e p lu n g in g w a v e s ;
a lo n g -c o n fin e d s h e p h e r d
an d th re e s p a n ie ls
to f r o l i c o n th e b e a c h ,
o b l iv i o u s o f th e t h r e a t o f T r i d e n t
o n ly a fe w h u n d r e d m i l e s a w a y .
W e g u lp a q u i c k c u p o f c o f f e e ,
s h o w e r a n d d o n p a n ts a n d ja c k e ts
f o r a h ik e a lo n g th e s h o r e
c u l m i n a t i n g in g r o c e r y p u r c h a s e s a t S a f e w a y
w h e r e w e a r e a t t a c k e d by a n a r m y
of h u n g ry d u c k s,
w ho r e m a in b lis s fu lly u n a w a re
th a t t h e ir q u ie t r iv e r
c o u ld b e c o m e a t o r r i d s t r e a m
of r a d io a c tiv e p o iso n .
T h e f i r s t g r e e n s h o o ts of s p rin g
p u sh th e ir w ay th ro u g h d a r k s o il,
f o ll o w i n g o n c e a g a i n n a t u r e 's c y c l e
f o r w h ic h o u r c r e a t o r h a s p r o g r a m m e d th e m ;
t h e y k n o w n o th in g o f M X m i s s i l e s
n e u tro n b o m b s , o r c h e m ic a l w e a p o n s .
A s th e g lo o m o f w i n t e r a b a t e s ,
th e t h r e a t e n i n g s t o r m
of " lim ite d " n u c le a r w a r
d r a w s in e x o r a b ly c lo s e r .
— M ARY
G ELE
JA N E
BREW STER
— CREOLE
PRO V ERB
SAY GOODBYE TO THE
SAD RAGS OF W IN TE R
I w a lk e d a r o u n d a n d a ro u n d
th e b a r r e n h o r s e - c h e s t n u t t r e e
an d c o n s id e r e d a ll m y d a y s one
u n t i l I h e a r d th e w in d s h a k e
th e b r a n c h e s w ith i t s m u r m u r i n g s
I w a t c h e d th e l i g h t m o v e f r o m b r a n c h
to b r a n c h u n t i l th e t r e e b e c a m e a s t r e a m
o f f i r e in w h ic h I s a w b i r d s d a n c in g
c h a n t i n g c a n t i c l e s to th e w i n t r y s u n
a d i s t a n t b lo o d y b a l l o f f r o z e n f i r e
I lo o k e d a g a i n a n d s a w a s c h o o l
o f w in g e d d o l p h in s s p o r t i n g t h e r e
a n d a m o n g th e m r o s e L e v ia th a n
i t s c o l o s s a l b u lk p o r p o i s i n g i n to
s p a c e b lo w in g a f o u n ta i n o f f i r e
— W ALT
C U R T IS
LATE
T h e v e r y sk y b e c a m e a fie ld of f ir e
I s a w w a g ta ils w h e a te a r s th r u s h e s f in c h e s
g r o w i m m e n s e a m o n g th e r a g i n g f l a m e s
a n d t a k e w in g a r r o w i n g t o w a r d s th e s u n
I t u r n e d k n o w in g t h a t w i n t e r h a d e n d e d
— JO H N
H a r d p o in te d
g re e n s te m s
a m id v e g e ta l s w o r d s ,
buds becom e
so ft p e d a ls , f la g s ,
fe a th e ry f lu tte rs
of b lu is h p u rp le
flo w e rs , ir is e s
ra in -s o a k e d
and b a tte re d
in th e m a t t e d w e t
g re e n s p rin g g r a s s .
An e le g a n t s ig n a tu re
o f in k
s c r a w le d up a g a in s t
r »;«•
t h e b o a r d s , th e s i d e
of T he L aw n , o u r
g ree n
V ic to ria n a p a rtm e n t h o u s e .
S uch p o in tin e s s
s o fte n s to a p u r p le c a r e s s ,
i n d ig o to u c h ,
b e n e a t h t h e w in d o w
o f th e d e a d w o m a n .
H e r b o d y n o t fo u n d
ro ttin g in s id e ,
p r o p p e d up in a c h a i r
w a t c h in g t e l e v i s i o n ,
f o r tw o w e e k s .
S tin k i n s i d e on th e s t a i r w a y ,
b lu is h p u rp le b lo s s o m s
b lo o m in g b e n e a th
h e r b e d r o o m w in d o w o u t s i d e .
S p r in g a n d d e a t h
s ta r t and end
in d a m p c l a y i s h e a r t h .
I r i s e s — e y e s o f t h e p e a c o c k 's
ra in b o w , d a r k a n d s w o lle n
in u l t r a m a r i n e s o r r o w .
D IG B Y
HERE COMES
THE SUN
Sun c o m e s
s t r e a k i n g t h r o u g h th e h e m l o c k
n ak ed , w a rm .
She c o m e s
m e llo w , g o ld e n .
A w o m a n lig h t,
sh e feed s u s.
— K A T R IN KA
We a r e n o t e v e r lo s t
a n d n o t h in g d e l a y s u s .
We c a r r y th e s u n on o u r b a c k s
and c o v e r su ch g ro u n d
a s y o u w o u ld n o t b e l i e v e .
W e a r e th e c o l o n i s t s o f d a r k ,
th e c o u s i n s o f r a d i a n c e ,
w ho s h a ll b lo o m
am ong you.
L is te n ,
d o n o t m o v e in y o u r h a r d b e d s ;
we e n te r y o u r ro o m s
a n d th e c a n d l e s a r e l it
a s if by t h e m s e l v e s ,
s ta r s g a th e r,
d rea m s pour
i n to y o u r p i l l o w s ,
m e m o r i e s o f th e m o o n ,
w a r m b o u q u e ts o f a i r . . . L is te n ,
e v e n now
th e b r e a th in g b e g in s .
— M ARK
STRAN D
t