some older poems

crime watch
------------

1.

a woman told police that
a bearded white male continues
to increase in size while
attempting to speak to her purse

police are investigating

2.

a clothes hamper complained
to campus police that it had
been knocked into a tub of
cheap beer when a woman
placed her jacket over her
ex-boyfriend and he stumbled
into the hamper causing it to
fall. the woman was later
removed from the men's
restroom.

the case remains open.

3.

in an unrelated miracle, 12 poets
were caught in tangents of random
violence which they blamed on
simple acne.

Late December an Old Man Walks to the Bar

Late December an Old Man Walks to the Bar

it is hard to believe in spring in December with snow falling

all day and collecting against building, trees, and old fences

debts of autumn are hidden: debris of unraked leaves, paper, even

the dog’s house are buried beneath the bitter beauty of snow

it is a time to be lonely, walking to the bar, bundled in layers

of flannel and down with beard, mustache, eyebrows frozen

behind, footprints disappear, ahead, no hint of the future

disturbed by these thoughts a raven shakes snow down

at home the quilt lies folded neatly at the foot of the bed

the flowers have withered and coffee cools in the cup

Friday, snowing

Payday! the weekend! snow!

Tomorrow we are having a breakfast for the Sever family. Keith is a student at Horizon and they had an attic fire a few weeks ago. Today a group of the students worked all day at the house. The JROTC is putting on the breakfast. I can only be there for a couple of hours.
Saturday is also Celebrating the Arts in Calumet and I will have to spend much of the day up in the studio at the Vertin building. I've got the laptop there so I will probably do some writing and maybe some backgrounds for calligraphic paintings.

some poems:

winter morning
old men, hot coffee
talk of snow, hunting


drumming
in the circle
there is no I


i was in that other world
until i saw you
and was brought
into yours


so cold
the sky is drained
of birds


the moon rises
out of the canadian hills
stretchs its white arms
across the bay
to me
here in america

what are borders
to the moon

(Bay Mills, Michigan)


the gulls circle and swoop
white hesitations in the
gray sky


in the waiting room
approaching life
approaching death


Sham is curled up in the chair. Lucy is laying behind the coach. CBC's Just for Laughs is on TV.
I am getting tired. Have to get up early for the breakfast. Take care.