RECKONING©
THE SUMMONS
I owe the universe exactly what it owes me:
nothing
this, as sometimes happens
stepped out of nowhere, unasked
I can't disagree
though it implies some sort of quantification
which seems absurd
nothing and nowhere are immeasurable
as a reasonable person
I could dismiss it
but as usual, take the “I” out of it:
the universe owes the universe exactly what the universe . . .
not possible to reason with this
so the universe has spoken: debt=void
still no disagreement
perhaps this could be applied to the mortgage
an agreeable possibility
or this:
miles to go before I sleep
and promises to keep
but suppose I die first
would that be immoral, unethical or illegal?
probably Fidelity Mortgage has that covered
in the fine print
but the universe has spoken
DIGITAL TEACHER
becoming sane has to pass
through craziness
after that normal people probably
doubt your sanity
-- the gardener
dung beetle cinematography
dragging home the grainy images
morphed into animatronics
definitely sharper, if less real
than the recently invented computer animation
now available in a new flavor:
arbitrary
from Bach to Charlie Mingus
from hip hop to my attempts at singing
Van Gogh to sketches of like ancestry
an end run around sketching
today's digital camera is smaller than my Speed Graphic
used for a photography business during high school days
better in many ways, and very different
for instance, it can be set to see just one color
a rose comes out red while everything else stays black and white
the list of improvements and differences would fill a book
the question of reality
for anyone paying paying the least bit of attention
is certainly begging
if it comes to your doorstep, feed it
bring some food every day
if it's still there after two or three weeks
it can come in
let it sit quietly
but don't entertain questions
eventually it will answer itself
roses are red, violets are blue
for the time being
and things are always changing
arbitrary or not is a matter of habit
and that's not the answer
AFTERTHOUGHTS
in a world of change
why try to change the world
when we might survive ourselves anyway
looking down El Camino, it did seem likely
for a few seconds
star of Bethlehem heralded by Styrofoam wreaths
cars, people, rainshine orbits
pools of neon light sloshed in black asphalt
a sodden whiff of literati, graffiti
puke breath hamburger joints
realizing Einstein had said god
doesn't play dice
Tabitha, connoisseur of water
rain water since youngest days
puddles are best, or things that drip
mom objected, was disgusted actually
at my diet of snails and caterpillars
but it wasn't anything visible
though absolutely everywhere
best left unmentioned
SEASON'S GENIE
big bellied oriental red laughing Buddha
beside the green geranium and a special rock
on the entry hall shelf
does not wonder if he will run out of breath
in the darkened room next door
shiny ornaments and twinkling lights invite guests
to leave the workaday universe
for such splendor
as no adult dares to imagine
without a shot of Christmas cheer
how droll the stroll
past images worn so thin
as to be transparent
perhaps the light will shine through
even as plants see it
without photosynthesis
SALTED CIGARETTES
American Dream
in a white blizzard
rioting blacks ruin inner cities
as the Change proceeds
salt is scattered, snow plows move
freedom of the road
floor it!
fifty two vehicles clash together
the drivers still in a hurry
to keep their jobs
gas gets cheaper
freeing masses of money
corporate “news” pumps the shopping frenzy
after years of drought
the bread basket of the nation
looks hollow cheeked
China's air is unbreathable
Fukushima's water is radioactive
the world is not immune to Ebola
or germ warfare, or insane leaders
if stop lights are dictators
what about Artificial Intelligence?
at Montezuma School for Boys
Prof warned about cigarettes
from our mountain on Bear Creek Road
we could see glowing faintly blue
the nuclear test
hear the unspoken victory of black gold
reaping what it has sown
the psychopath system is now destroying itself
through lack of empathy
from an inner mountain
the Change so clearly seen
proceeds
a matter of neither fear nor hate
the common origin of all creatures remains
a faint hint
of inconceivable awe
