Page 9
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 , 31 D E C E M B E R 1982
L e s lie S h u fe r
DREAM POEM AND
THE CUP OF CATS
I t o s s e d in d r e a m s l a s t n i g h t
( t h i s m o r n i n g th e c a t s l e t m e s i p m y t e a ,
t h e y a d d m y s t e r y , I lo o k t h e m
in th e e y e a n d t a k e lo n g s w a l l o w i n g s
T h e y g u a r d t h e i r ow n d r e a m s a n d
t o l e r a t e m in e )
G o in g f r o m r o o m to r o o m
an d s c a n n in g fa c e s
I lo o k e d f o r y o u
a n d s t i l l c a n 't b e s u r e t h a t
y o u w e r e n 't t h e r e
( th e d r i p p i n g o f th e c o ld
w a te r ta p s e ld o m s to p s
I t h in k i t m u s t e n t e r
th e s e n ig h t w a n d e rin g s
o f m in e )
C o lo rs an d s c e n e s
fra g m e n te d th e m s e lv e s
it w a s th e w ro n g w ay I
h a d to o p e n m y e y e s to m o r n i n g
a s if a s u d d e n h a n d
b e c a m e im p a tie n t an d
s t i l l e d th e d r ip p in g
It to o k a l l d a y
to d r y t h e c o l o r s o u t a n d .
I n e v e r a g a i n c o u ld f in d
t h e o r d e r in w h ic h t h e y 'd f a l l e n
— If o n ly I c o u ld t a k e s o m e d r e a m s
o u t o f th e c a t s ' e y e s
a n d m a k e th e m m in e ,
a c a p tu r e d in te n s ity of in n e r ey e
th a t c o u ld n e v e r be d is p e lle d ;
c e r t a i n liv e s m u s t g u a rd in ta c t
th e ir m y s te ry .
SOCIOLOGY
A g a in , a s i r e n ’s a c i d - m e t a l s c r e a m ;
a g a i n , a d o m e w h i r l i n g th e b lu e
of s o m e o n e e l s e 's d i s a s t e r —
s o j a r r i n g in th e m o r n i n g - m i l d w e t,
in th e q u i e t o f a s t r e e t
to o n a r r o w f o r t h e r o a r i n g f o r c e
o f t a x p a id m e r c i e s —
t h e s e c l o s e r a n d m o r e f r e q u e n t w a i ls
b e lo n g in d o w n to w n g r i d s of s l u m ,
n o t in t h i s p a s s a g e w a y
f o r c h i l d r e n 's c a r t s a n d c o l l a r e d c a t s ,
w h e r e D e a th i s t r a i n e d to w a it
h is th r e e s c o r e te n a n d m o re
to e a r n s u c h h e r a l d i n g .
A. E . T R A C Y
D o n a ld O s b o r n e
E L IZ A B E T H
HOBBS
A t a v e r n w in d o w s h i n e s
w ith s l i d i n g r a i n d r o p s
th ro u g h w a r m sm o k e
one m an tu rn s
h is h e a d
eyes
a la u g h i n g w o m a n
in r e d
H A IK U
A ll a lo n e t o n ig h t
W h en I l i g h t th e s a m e c a n d le
T h a t w e m a d e lo v e b y .
H ELEN
AT B ILL’S TAVERN
PA T T I
am ber beer
d rip s
s lo w ly
over
dow n
th e p i t c h e r 's l i p s
w h ile t h e i r lip s
fa tte n
a n tic ip a tio n
A N N IE
THE COMMON MURRE
SAN D
Y o u lo v e m e
a n d I lo v e t h e e
b u t w hy a r e w e l o v in g
in th e s a n d by th e s e a
S a n d is s o n i c e
f o r m a k in g a c a s tle
f o r m a k i n g lo v e
so m ew h at a h a s s le
LYNN
M YERS
COOK
THE M O U R N IN G NEWS
T h e r e a r e t h o s e w h o w o u ld h a t e to a d m i t it
b u t a c h a n g e h a s to h a p p e n s o o n
f o r w e l e t o u r o w n p e o p le s u f f e r in p o v e r t y
w h ile j u s t i f y i n g f l i g h t s to t h e m o o n
T h e n C o n g r e s s g o e s a n d v o te s th e m s e lv e s r a i s e s
a s o il c o m p a n ie s s te a l f r o m o u r p o c k e ts
a n d th e S A L T t a l k s a r e j u s t a p o l i t i c a l g a m e
to s e e w h o c a n h i d e th e m o s t r o c k e t s
W hen w ill a ll th is m a d n e s s en d
e u S iN E S sl
A* USUAL
a n d w h at w ill th a t en d be
•USING
a c h a n g e h a s g o tta h a p p e n so o n
AtttftCATK
n o w t h a t 's q u i te c l e a r to m e
T h e e v e n in g n e w s k e e p s u s in f o r m e d
o n th e s lo w d e a t h o f o u r p l a n e t
a n d t h e w r i t i n g o n t h e w a ll i s c l e a r to a l l
i f t h e y t r y to u n d e r s t a n d it
T h e f a c t t h a t w e 'r e d i g g in g o u r o w n g r a v e
i s to o r e a l to b e i g n o r e d
b u t t h o s e w h o t r y to s t o p t h i s d e a th
g et th e ir s ' fo r a re w a rd
T h e d e v i l l a u g h s a s th e g r i m r e a p e r r i d e s
h i s h o r s e a c r o s s th e r a n g e
f o r t h e y 'l l b e th e w i n n e r s in o u r s e l f i s h w a r
if w e d o n 't s o o n m a k e a c h a n g e
I n n o c e n t p e o p le a r e s h o t in th e s t r e e t s
v ic tim s of so m e p a ra n o id
a n d p e o p l e 's f a i t h in t h e i r f e l l o w m a n
i s s l o w l y b e in g d e s t r o y e d
B u t th e w o r s t p a r t is t h e r e 's no e s c a p e
w h e r e v e r y o u t u r n t h e r e 's a m i r r o r
r e f le c tin g it b a c k a n d b u rn in g y o u r e y e s
w ith i t s u g l y , n i g h t m a r i s h h o r r o r
Y o u 'l l w a k e u p in th e m i d d l e o f th e n ig h t
s w e a t p o u rin g dow n y o u r fa c e
a n d w o n d e r h o w m u c h l o n g e r w e c a n w a it
b e f o r e a c h a n g e c o m e s to t h i s p l a c e
HOW IT HAPPENS
1.
T h e g u l ls
p e e l an d sw o o p
s k i m m i n g th e w a t e r l ik e Is r a e l i j e t s .
2.
T h e fis h
le a p
f o r w h a t t h e y th in k i s c o v e r .
3.
T h e g u l ls
g ra p p le an d d ra g ;
l e g s , b e a k , c o m p l e t e th e s t r i k e
4.
T h e fis h
s p lin te r
in to lig h t, a r e e x tin g u is h e d .
5.
T h e g u l ls
p e e l a n d c lim b
b a c k to t h e i r f a m i l i a r s t a b l e c u r r e n t s .
6.
T he w a te r
b e tra y s
n o th in g .
D E N N IS
Y ou, Me an d th e s e a *
in lo v e w ith e a c h o t h e r
happy and fre e
Y o u , M e a n d a T h r e e b y th e s e a
o u r lo v e h a s s p r o u t e d a n d g r o w n in to b e a u ty
T h e b e a u ty o f t h r e e
s h o w s th e w h o le w o r l d th e b e a u ty o f th e lo v e c a l l e d Y ou a n d M e
I
We w a lk e d to w h e r e th e o c e a n
w a s s m o o t h i n g i t s e l f . S a d ly
w e t h r e w a s t i c k th e d o g s a v e d
a g a i n a n d a g a i n f r o m th e s u r f ;
" T h e C o m m o n P e r s o n , th e w i t n e s s ,
l i v e s in th e to w n a n d m i g r a t e s
r e s t i v e l y to th e c o a s t
w h e r e h e f e e d s on a n i m a g e
o f d e a th t h a t c o u ld h a v e b e e n w o r s e —
and w h e re fo r so m e re a s o n
th e d u s k w ill c o n j e a l i t s e l f
i n to a r e d h a ll o w e d l i g h t "
W IL L IA M
C H A M B E R L A IN
THE TIGER IS
DRUNK T O N IG H T
— tw o fra g m e n ts fo r A rth u r H o n ey m an ,
p o e t, s p a s t i c , e t c .
CURRAN
YOU, ME AND A TH R EE
K IM B E R L Y
E v e n th e b o o k s t e l l i t. H ow
th e b i r d w ill d ie a p u b l ic d e a t h .
We sa w it ru n s ic k to w a rd
th e l i p s o f o c e a n a n d t r i p
on a g r a y g lid e o f w a t e r
to f a l l h e a d f i r s t . It a r o s e ,
w in g s s t i l l s o u n d to d r y t h e m s e l v e s
and b e a t out en o u g h s tre n g th
to a d v a n c e w h e r e th e n e x t w a v e
r o l l e d th e b i r d u p , e r a s e d it,
a n d t i d e f u r t h e r f lo o d in g c a u g h t
th e b i r d 's l a s t p r i n t s in th e s a n d .
O 'K E L L E Y
S p ittle a n d c a r n a g e ,
R e d d e a th in y o u r b e a r d .
T h e c o n f i n e d , c o u g h in g l a u g h t e r
a n d a lw a y s u n n a tu r a l m o v e m e n t.
T h e j a g g e d a r m , c l a w in g h a n d
p o i n ti n g a t a l l - i n r a n d o m .
N o te , in g u i l t , t h e i r e y e s s e e k
ev en m ir r o r s fo r re lie f.
T he w o rld is not s a fe
f r o m th e m o o n - b i t t e n f o o l.
M IC H A E L
M ARSH
1