a tid bit o' poetry from the summer

it's pretty simple

1+1 always equals two

and twos of two, never more than four

and in the east, the sun also rises,

before it's power nap in the west

 

it's pretty simple

that a woman and man make children

and that children are always small

that the primary colors aren't purple

and that blue, red, and yellow are the sum of it all

 

it's pretty simple

that two eyes are necessary

for depth and perception and stuff

sure, one hand does the job some nights...

...but two will build a house...

sure, it's pretty simple.

 

but then Johnny told me about quantum mechanics

and David about revolutions

and Mary all about Allah

(coincidental I've never thought)

and Joey about delusions

Rob said he only has one eye

And Albert all about genesis

Sophie said something...but I just forgot...

 

Then Michael drew me to the edge,

where the wild fountains lay

they begin from this hole

under that dead rock

and that dead rock was shaped

like a dragon

Ralph sat me on a hill and had me count the stars,

whispering with angels,

whose feet he says he feels

the clouds dispersed in quiet association,

with something majestic, and damn...it was loud...

I saw the first trumpet and that night

it rained lavender

in floods of locusts and hoppers and honeybees

and then I heard that laughter

wondering, who was watching we

 

we,

we dug a stone and built a hole

and made home awhile with the gas of mustards

pellets of rucus drew tears of sadness and death felt the greatest loss

bodies flew to temperatures of cold I've never known

I tried telling Debbie, "it doesn't fucking matter"

but her face sent shivers of black

up through my fingertipped nail

 

the spindle of the vine gathered

an unharmonic dare

graves of swallows, cadavers, and lions

lay below the nasty track

a sky said goodbye and left the night whistling

an old plantation tune...

so if it's pretty simple-

how does that excuse?

and if it's pretty simple,

nothing is then new news to you

 

you say it's pretty simple

and I said "I think I agree"

but if all is so very simple,

how then trite

is posterity.