Beauty

. Words Matter . I. Out of Context Cheats cherry-pick the words that suit their ploy To shame the names of those who disagree With all they say. If counter claims destroy Their idiotic ideology They’ll tangle terms. They’ll mangle mood and meaning. They’ll lift a line from here, a...

. Sanderling What saffron stylus could but trace the rusty scallop of the dancing wing, what sculptor’s chisel sharpened to the quick could cleave the charcoal pencil of the beak that stitches grievance in the frigid spume, a thousand flashing furrows every yard? In greed it snouts along the sandbar’s...

. Choices Some lovers only give the rose, __Some only choose to take, Although the florist keeps a bunch __For every partner's sake. The sun has risen for our town __And also for your city. While you say it's a scalding morn, __We say it's warm and pretty. The Lord...

. Serenade Down dash the splashlets of rain to the ground; Streams from the eaves full and fluent resound. Guests gaily chatter, and clatter their chairs, Readying notes for melodious airs. Whistling hot water for brisk blended tea Promises canticles coming to be. Porcelain cups clink and clang tuneful scales,...

. For Dorothy I have at times sat silent in this chair And furtively cast looks about the room Admiring, or to jot a mental note Of someone’s beauty—eyes or shape or hair. But you were silent also, and my stare Evoked from you no comment or a glance. There...

. His Stories Were His Legacy Ivan, The Barber, 1882-1963 . Covered in a heavy blanket, __he sat and watched the rain; it had been more than thirty years, __damp weather made him lame. He turned his old pipe upside down __against the blowing gale, for Sunday was his day...

. Monica's Consolation for Margaret Coats, who introduced me to St. Augustine of Hippo (354-430) and his mother, St. Monica (332-387) Caritas, enter! I’m so glad you’re here. It seems that sleep eludes us both this night. I see your need, dear friend. Please have no fear. We’ll talk until...

. For Paavo Nurmi who trained against his stop-watch and in medias rez we begin as the runners approach the penultimate turn. Though their torsos are heaving, the sweat isn't beading—the storm of their pace won't permit it. The coach isn't screaming, he's merely observing: the race is a bet...

. Bowing to Power Although they might Not do what’s right, The very strong Are never wrong. If you complain, You’ll feel the pain That’s coming to A town near you. . . Domestic Finances Awash in situations less than stable, We struggle on as best as we are able,...

. Samson, Tribe of Dan "Dan is a serpent in the path. He bites the horse's heel and causes the rider to fall backward." ---Jacob, Genesis 49 My father, from the tribe of Dan, Taught me, far too well, we can Force the hairpin, serpent curve, Making horse and rider...

. Story Time The father, he sits on the couch with a book, A child in each arm, and one more on his knees; The mother, the same.  All the other ones look Content on the floor; he recites like a breeze. He changes his voice for each character’s lines,...

. Sunday Morning Flock of Starlings He saw, while driving down the roadway, off 288, a flock of starlings at the electrical substation gate. It was on Sunday morning, and with serious intent, they dropped down from a murmuration, in precise descent. In҇ a dazzling swirl of undulations—unambiguous— with closing wings,...

. Original Smile Fossil remains show nothing of the first Facial flourish dimpling a human cheek. Was it some reflex as a female nursed Her young one, charmed by its whimpering squeak? (Or her initial invite to the male?) Whatever the details of the episode, The impact must have been...

. To Catch The Wind after Tennessee Williams "We Have Not Long To Love" I want to catch the wind __this windy day, as all encompassing __it comes my way. It blows beyond me to __a hill?  a tree? then up into the sky __away from me. Though there’s another...

. Insomnia, My Sometime Muse She comes to me while I’m asleep,Not with strange imaginings of dreamsBut with fragmented thoughts. It seemsShe thinks they cannot keepBut must be worked upon, upon this hour.While I from Hypnos try to wrestSome morsel of his healing power,Sleep becomes a useless questAnd this vivid...

. I Am with You You are with me, this day, and I’m with you; in spirit and in memory we meet to celebrate and joyfully to rue my span, which in the bounds of Time was fleet. Although I’m gone from places I was known, I will remain an...

. The Nymph by Luis de Góngora y Argote (1561-1627) translated by Alan Steinle As morning sunlight first began to show, a nymph went out to tread the verdant plain. Although she plucked some flowers for a chain, her feet inspired many more to grow. The air began to warm...

. Credit Does it make any sense, For me to have pride, When I just dispense, What God put inside? And is it the same, If I’m disappointed, When public acclaim Is not what’s anointed? . . Repetition If someone frequently creates annoying situations, And you respond to them continuously...

. A Walk At Night She's clothed in light when she appears; Freckles speck her argent skin. Her dazzling smile is bright tonight, A lamp to earth's unhurried spin. I gaze at her ascending form And smile at her flirtatious ways. The times she hides behind a cloud While bathing...

. The Marble Angel The marble angel stood upon a tomb Erect and at attention, wings outspread, His blank eyes watching through the growing gloom, Like some mute sentry sent to guard the dead. I saw him standing there, sublime and still, While walking through the churchyard in the eve;...

. Ogygia Ogygia was green and fair, A dreamy vision to behold, Beyond the wars for blood and gold, Far from the weight of mortal care. Afloat a luminescent sea That great Poseidon held aloft, The waves came to her bright and soft, In tides of singing pageantry. And so...

. . Shoveling Out the Blizzard Snow came so thick, the roof makes pops and creaks; downspouts froze solid as cement with ice; while working on the walk, you’ve fallen twice: The cold shines through your clothes and sears your cheeks. . The roof melt overspilled in crystal fans; Ice...

. An Idyll at the Local Diner There is this place where you can get a fill And top your tank off any time of day. Amid the ketchup jugs upon display Some big-boned girls will hug you, give a thrill… It’s all just funning. Roxanne, Stephanie— You’ll find it...

. Knee Jerks When wronged or hurt, the way life works, we all convert to knee-jerk jerks. Our brains react, but do not think. It’s just a fact, our instincts stink. We can’t forget or dare look weak. Our ways too set to turn a cheek. Soon eye-for-eye is just...

. Third Eye An Ophthalmologic Triptych . The Emergency Room I came because the website told me to, My symptoms glowing dully on the screen, Insisting that I move with much ado. So quickly then I said a prayer or two And here I sit now, halfway through the night,...

. Captain Francisco Menendez Born a Mandinga, on Africa’s west coast, Where farm and hunting toil supported most, But tribal spats and small jihads maintained For centuries a brutal trade in slaves, This youth was captured by some neighbor knaves And sold and shipped to Carolina, chained. Field labor there...

. Authenticity Some skies stark and vivid, But others milky white. Sometimes lovely azure skies, Or pale with fading light. Some skies gray and gloomy, Yet others black as night. Skies! Their authenticity--- No falsehood to conceal. O, that stormy politics A pure intent reveal, That truth and honor win...

. On Me I am a simple Eastern bard __Who moseys by the heather That grows in sweeping fields and loves __To dance in springy weather. I glamourize my hometown great, __Pen tales of grief and love, And avidly behold the train __Of downy clouds above. My town is green...

. Lachrimosa As winter pushes fall aside And birds complete their southward flight I sit and watch the water glide Beneath the old stone bridge at night. The crescent moon, with smile askew, Reflects her light upon the stream, And births a thousand stars anew Which leap and dance as...

. The Name We Leave When we first breathe and start to peer, What we will be is still unclear. A book of pages yet unturned Is what we are when we appear. Whether assigned, purloined, or earned, And when a standing time has burned, The name revealed on every...

. Ipse Dixit I say Cogito ergo sum To the animal here in the room. So how do I know I exist? Well, here’s a provisional list: I doubt, and I fear, and I bleed; I attend to a friend who’s in need. The philosophers think they’re so smart, But...

. In the Woods by Eduard Mörike (1804-1875) translated from German by Alan Steinle While lying on the grass beneath the leaves, I listen to a cuckoo's mournful song. His melody flows gently out along the valley, and I clearly hear him grieve. The worst vexation that I can conceive:...

. Poem 101 by Catullus (circa 84-54 BC) translated by Bruce Phenix Conveyed through many countries, over many seas, to these poor funerary offerings I come to give you, brother, that last present for the dead and speak, to no avail, to ashes which are dumb. Poor brother, so unfairly...

. Last Visit to the Beach a sestina The beach, untouched by Time throughout the years As millions of waves washed from the sea, As Time transformed me, now no more a boy, Where I would walk each season on that sand, Each decade by my side a different dog,...

. The Poet’s Good Pen Take up your good pen. Write only words true. Now open your heart--- Your worth will shine through. Among the spare lines A poet can't hide. Their soul thus defined--- In their words, they reside. No room for clutter; Words chosen with care. The truth...

. Contagious Joy a villanelle You always find a way to make me smile. Like sunlight tracing rainbows in the rain, Contagious joy is never out of style; The day we wed, when you walked down the aisle, You thought it funny when you snagged your train. You always find...

. Vintage Love Love is as a grape when it begins, Unblemished by the bruises and the sins That will come in time. For now it is Refreshing sweetness and delightfulness. Bewilderment accompanies the crush That violates that virgin crimson blush. Forgiving, leaning in, and letting go Allow for love...

. When? I’ll love you when the bee has lost its buzz, When wolf and bear have quit their howl and growl, When lambs don’t sport a snow-spun fleece of fuzz And hoots don’t float from barns that house an owl. I’ll love you when the spin of earth is stilled, When moons...

. I Am the Stone I am the stone The humble stone the barefoot shepherd boy Selected from the muddy river bed; The stone which fit inside the sling he made As soon as he was given leave by Saul To fight for Israel in her time of need. I...

. The Southern Cross The caravels escaped at last The roiling tides of Bojador And entered tropic seas far past What any chart described before--- __An unknown world to cross. Strange southern seas! Unending miles Of blue, both sea and sky, stretched bare. The bights and capes, the shoals and...