ALL OF TIME IS IN YOUR BONES

Plot—is just
the serviceable  

fossil—
sought

and scrutinized
after the fact—

of unconsidered action.

CITY OF COFFEE SHOPS

All our old granddaddies—
so impervious,
or else 

oblivious—
to this 
sort of heat

would be 
proud! at how 

even at ninety 
degrees—
there's these

seemingly hundreds of dozens of them—
swelling- 

up ev-
er-
y
second—at each 

new swerve 
of re-
cycled street;

thirsty to meet
and fain 
sell—you and me

their hot and sweet roadside 
water by the dipperful—like so much
dependable- 

but-preposterous
Scotch whiskey.
And we—

though glistening,
out-
landishly

overdressed—still dribble,
so

eager! to take them up on the whole 
crazy idea.

PAVANE POUR UNE INFANTE DÉFUNTE

Dear 
God of beatific 

majesty—can you 
not see? 

that she's—not even
asking! 

for a happy
ending anymore.

At this point—
wan

Mademoiselle 
only 

desperately—
seeks

a proper one;
so she 

can 
at least—finally

rest 
easy—in terrific-

ly rich 
red indigo 

hell—
for a while.

FANTASY—

In which—
I was

so extreme-
ly

rich
all along!—that I 

could—
appreciably

afford 
to ignore it.

LIFE SENTENCE

If you
could—
only

con-
cen-
trate—harder! on

slow-
ing 

time

down—

enough; 

then
you 
would! 

always 

be
(always 
be always
 be—
perfect-
ly)

in 
com-
plete

control—
of 
the 

total-
ly 
infini-
tes-
i-
mal-
ly 
tiny 

whole entire universe—forever 
and ever.

AIRPLANES

Feels strange—to 
hear and 

look up at glitzy
flecks—
which 

mottle the endless 
summer blue;

and admit—feeling 
so thin 

and insulated—
of course!
the more 

impossible

and pure 
science-
fiction your dream—

the more
straight 
down-

to-
earth realistic

your solution—
is invariably

required 
to be.

APOCRYPHA

No offense
intended—to old Nat
King Cole

who certainly—
works great as the maidenhair
trees out-

side the Island
House ripple and flow;
But it's definitely

Sam Cooke—
and 

Sam Cooke
alone—whose oracular
outcry
first made
those breezes blow!