The North Coast times-eagle., September 10, 1982, Page 7, Image 7

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 , 10 S E P T E M B E R 1982
. P a ge 7
I LIFE &
I TIMES
WE ARE
GATHERED
TOGETHER
JU TU M N
NEXT TO WATER
th e b r e a d
p o p p in g o u t o f h o t o v e n s
l o b s t e r s w a l k in g on th e s a n d
d r i p p i n g w e t l if e
:a c o l l e c t i o n o f H a i k u
O n ly th e o c e a n ,
th e s k y , d r y s a n d , a n d a f i r e ,
w ill g iv e m e s o m e p e a c e .
I n la n d t h e y a r e p a v in g t h e r o a d s
w ith h u s k s o f c o r n
W a itin g i n s i d e a d a i s y
f o r th e l e a v e s to b e p l u c k e d
f o r t h e s o m e t h i n g to h a p p e n
F o r th e c o r a l o f th e s e a
to b e c o u n t e d
F o r th e c e n s u s o f l o s t m in d s
to b e t a k e n .
In th e o l d s l o w w in d
I h e a r th e q u ie t m u s ic
o f r u n n in g w a t e r .
W h e re is
N o rth a n d
or east
o r j u s t in
T h e y a r e g a th e r e d h e r e to d a y
F o r th a t r e a s o n
T o c o u n t th e c h o k e d t h r o a ts
T he ru s tlin g of s k ir ts
b lo w in g a w a y in s a l t a i r .
T hey a r e g a th e re d to g e th e r
D e a r ly b e lo v e d of b e g g a r s
S a n d w ic h e d e a r s of c o r n
T h r e s h e d by t h e i r r e a l s o u ls
I n to p i e c e s o f w h ite s a n d .
T hey bo u g h t a tic k e t
to t h e t h i r d s t a r
B eyond
th e h o r i z o n s o f c h i l d r e n
T h e i s l a n d s o f th e c y c l i c m i g r a t i o n
of t o u r i s t s .
B e y o n d th a t th e y a r e g a th e r e d
to p r a i s e n o n a m e
to s in g no s o n g s
to a s k o n e q u e s tio n .
T o th e s m o k e o f b o n f i r e s
g a t h e r e d in th e a r m s o f c h i l d r e n
W hy a r e t h e j u d g e s o f l a n d
th e e a r t h q u a k e s ?
W hy b e t w e e n d a y a n d d a y
t h e r e is no fo o d ?
B e t w e e n s o n g a n d e u lo g y
th e r e is no tru th ?
W hy a r e t h e g o v e r n o r s
w e a rin g out
th e t h i n f e e t
of o u r c h ild re n ?
W e a r e l e a v i n g th e f i e l d s
to y o u r p l a n t i n g
T he fire s
to y o u r b l a c k s t u b b l e
O u r so n g s
to th e b e g g a r s
W ho c a r r y a w a y th e w i n t e r
u n d e r th e ir c o a ts .
O u r m e m o rie s
to y o u r w h ite b e a r s
O u r s in k in g d r e a m s
h a n g in g on th e h i g h e s t b r a n c h e s .
Som ehow
w e w ill g e t on
A fte r
th e s u n r i s e
B e fo re
d a rk
We w ill e a t
n e w fo o d
S in g
new so n g s
W rite dow n
th e d r e a m s
of o u r w e d d in g s
A n d th e c a n d l e s
on F r i d a y e v e n i n g s
O ur p ra y e rs
f o r th e d e a d o n ly
A nd o u r d a n c e s
f o r th e n e w b o r n .
S o m e w h e re
in th e d a r k n e s s
X
w h e re w e s tu m b le
W e w ill f in d a t t h e e d g e o f o u r l a b o r
A ro a d m ap
a s k in g f o r t r a v e l l e r s .
We h a v e g a th e r e d to g e th e r
B e c a u s e th e l o n l i n e s s
is u n b e a r a b le
A lo n e
w e c a n d o n o t h in g
T o g e th e r
w e c a r r y d is ta n t v o ic e s
O n th e s h o u l d e r s o f c h i l d r e n
u n b o rn .
E ST E L L E
G ERSH G O REN
t h i s w in d f r o m ?
s o u th
a n d w e s t,
m y m in d 9
T he m id m o rn in g su n
t u r n s t h e c o a s t a l fo g i n to
th e c o lo r of s a n d .
T h e m i s t o f th e h i l l s
c o v e r s th e f ir a n d a ld e r
lik e a m o u rn in g c lo th .
SUMMERTIME 1982
N o te th e a n g r y s e a .
M a d d e n e d a t Y a q u in a B a y .
F r o th in g a t its m o u th .
In t h e s u m m e r o f 1 9 8 2 t h e r e a r e n o j o b s
f o r y o u n g c i t i z e n s o f P r e s i d e n t R e a g a n 's U S A —
th e s u p e r p o w e r w h o se w e a p o n s t h r e a te n o u r p la n e t
w ith n u c l e a r d e s t r u c t i o n ;
th e n a t i o n o f a f f l u e n c e w h ic h
in t h e i m p o v e r i s h e d t w o - t h i r d s o f th e w o r l d ,
c o n d o n e s th e s a d i s t i c m u r d e r
of p r ie s ts an d p o o r p e a s a n ts
in t h e n a m e o f " f i g h t i n g c o m m u n i s m , "
w h ile , a t h o m e , d a y c a r e c e n te r s a n d c o m m u n ity c lin ic s
a r e f o r c e d to c l o s e ,
a n d h u n g ry , ill- c la d c h ild re n
a r e s e n t to d e c r e p it o v e r c r o w d e d s c h o o ls
w h e r e th e y c a n n o t l e a r n
s o t h a t , w ith t h e e x c u s e
o f a n e v e r e lu s iv e e c o n o m ic r e c o v e r y ,
th e w e a lth y m a y b e c o m e e v e n w e a lth ie r .
In th e s u m m e r o f 1 9 8 2 , 46% o f a l l y o u th ,
a n d 52% o f B l a c k y o u th a r e o u t o f w o r k ;
s u c h m i n i m a l l y p a id j o b s a s a r e a v a i l a b l e
a t c a r w a s h e s a n d f a s t fo o d s ta n d s
p ro v id e no p r e p a r a tio n o r m o tiv a tio n f o r you n g A m e r ic a n s
to m a k e f u t u r e c o n s t r u c t i v e c o n t r i b u t i o n s
to t h e i r f a m i l i e s a n d t h e i r c o m m u n i t i e s ;
m a n y jo b le s s te e n s w h o s e p a r e n ts a r e lik e w is e u n e m p lo y e d ,
l a c k i n g th e n e c e s s a r y f u n d s f o r c l o t h e s a n d b o o k s ,
w i l l b e u n a b le to r e t u r n to s c h o o l t h i s f a l l .
In th e s u m m e r o f 1 9 8 2 , w ith a l l f u n d s
fo r e m p lo y m e n t an d tra in in g te r m in a lly s la s h e d ,
" s u r v iv a l" c r im e s a r e ris in g ,
w h i l e th e c o s t of m a i n t a i n i n g a y o u th
in t h e j u v e n i l e j u s t i c e s y s t e m
h a s r i s e n to m o r e th a n $ 50 a d a y .
In th e s u m m e r o f 1 9 8 2 , w ith p a r e n t s l a i d o ff,
e d u c a t i o n a p p r o p r i a t i o n s c u t,
s c h o o l b u d g e t m e a s u r e s d e fe a te d ,
d ra ft r e s i s t e r s p ro s e c u te d ,
a n d jo b s n o n e x is te n t,
w h y s h o u ld w e b e s u r p r i s e d w h e n y o u n g p e o p le
f o r w h o m th e " l a n d o f o p p o r t u n i t y "
h a s p r o v i d e d o n ly a d e a d e n d ,
tu n e o u t w ith r o c k 'n r o l l ,
g e t h ig h on m a r i j u a n a a n d c o c a i n e ,
a n d , a s a d e s p e r a te la s t r e s o r t, a r e d riv e n
to th e " u l t i m a t e s o l u t i o n "
of s u ic id e ?
M ARY
JA N E
B R EW STER
GRAVITY
S o m e th i n g i s a l w a y s f a l l i n g —
H u s k s f r o m b l o o m o n th e l in d e n ,
P e t a l s f r o m t h e a w a k e n i n g a p p le
T h a t f l u t t e r a n d s c a l l o p th e g r a s s ;
T h e n ig h t i s s a i d to f a l l
A nd r a in d o e s , an d sn o w .
E v e n s m o k e a n d fo g c o m e s d o w n ,
G r a n d a n d s lo w a n d f r o m g r e a t h e i g h t ,
T h e y m a y b e s a i d to f a l l
A n d f r o m o u r d a i l y v i r t u e w e , to o ,
F a l l, a n d , a s w e d o , w e n ig h tly fa ll a s le e p .
W h e n r h y t h m r i s e s , it f a l l s o n t h e e a r .
S o , e v e n a s it s p r i n g s , th e y e a r
B e g i n s to f a l l . A ll t h i n g s a r e
F a l l i n g ; a l l t h i n g s . A ll.
S een f r o m a fa llin g s t a r ,
O u r s t a r c o n t i n u e s in i t s f a l l .
JO H N
SCHOW
R u s tin g c a r b o d ie s
d ie a l it tl e m o r e e a c h d a y .
T he s a lty s e a b r e e z e .
S i l e n c e in th e t r e e s ,
m o o n l i g h t a n d h ig h w a t e r , s t a n d
w a i t i n g f o r th e t i d e .
Y e llo w m o o n , w h ite s t a r s
a n d w ith a n y k in d o f lu c k ,
no r a in to m o rro w .
M 1C H A E L
M ARSH
UNSEASONABLE
— fo r M a ry
S till
th e b e e c h le a v e s
c l i n g to b r a n c h e s
lik e w e t s li c e s
of s m o k e d c h e e s e —
th e f a l l d a y s h a v e b e e n
h o t & fille d
w ith d a m p , m o u l d e r i n g b r e a t h .
A s t o r m f r o m th e s o u th
n e a rin g
b rin g s h a r s h n o is e s fro m
y o u r m o u th
a s y o u r c h e s t fills
to o q u i c k l y
& l e t s to o l i t t l e
o u t.
A s if w a n tin g n e w s
o f s o m e o ld & p a i n l e s s d e a t h ,
w e w a it
to g e th e r
f o r th e n i g h t 's f r o s t
& th e b r i e f , c o l d h o le i t w ill c a r v e
in th e a i r .
By m o rn in g
th e s t o r m h a s d r i f t e d
o u t to s e a
b e lo w th e C a p e
an d you a r e b r e a th in g
e a s y a g a in ,
w a l k in g f a s t o v e r h a r d g a r d e n s .
R U SSE L L
BANKS