AT THE BEACH
The waves slobbered over us –
thrusting foamy fingers into
every orifice they could. I
find it strange that no one
has spoken much about the
depravity of water. How
darkness bends to its lascivious
words. O to be like Jonah
swallowed whole by a whale,
or to sit like Hart Crane
at the bottom of the ocean
smoking a cigarette afterward.
HELLO
What a cooling canopy —
latticework of leaves.
What a panoply of perspectives
get folded into that airy confection
known as a park.
Flowers and hedges
push and pull
but mustn’t limit the way we see.
No, in this of all places, a certain
care-less-ed-ness is necessary
if we are to wander unobstructed
onto the past’s curved paths,
lean upon its literary lampposts,
and nod our wordless hello
to the tall, distinguished trees.
I remember when people
used their hands to gesture,
and would meet each other’s eyes
with curiosity or annoyance,
but now everyone looks down,
studying their palms intently.
A list of portraits done today might be:
Old Man with Phone
Professional Woman with phone
Buff Body Builder with Phone
Paint Spattered Artist with Phone
Mother and Child, Each with Phone
THE GOD MOLECULE
scientists have discovered
is like a thickening agent
added to electrical soup.
From it came all manner
of matter in infinite sizes,
shapes, and colors. In malls
across the multi-verse
our planet is known to have
the best shopping around.
God appears in myriad forms,
but does s/he really care
what story we buy into?
Poised between chaos and
intelligent design, it turns
out the molecule could
support either theory.
God’s own benevolent
way of saying, “Whatever.”
