A Goodly Meal

It was a musty discolored shack
Of smelly dark old wood
One window but no door it possessed.
Escape -- how a cricket could?

At night he sang his lonely song
By day he ate the grass
One day a youngster playing near
Threw a rock through the glass.

Now the cricket was quite anxious
Upon smelling fresh-born air
And put a design on the window,
Now broken, to escape from there.

And early one bright morning
He scaled the moldy wall, yet
Little could he know it meant
The window -- a spider's net.

An ornry, groping spider
Who knew each silken thread
An anxious eloping cricket
Quite well the spider fed.

1968


Forgive My Love

Dashed lies hope		in desolate ashes
Chastized for desire		of fires too bright
Slay not this heart		for its indiscretion
Pay how it must		        for hope held as life.

No devil lured me		there was no temptation, but
Grow as it did			as a rose to the sun
Feel not tormented, I		only would undo and
Kneel to your song		that can't be undone.

We labor in prisons 		not of our making
Seeing the promise		the sun hints of
Sorrow me not 		        for dreams made of stardust
Borrow my laughter 		to forgive my love.

1975

Will Death Visit Me Tonight?

Will death visit me tonight
And stalking silently in the shadows
Find its fatal finality and might
And lay snow upon these meadows?

Nay, death cannot embrace me now
For above my door and clover
Is blood of a victim, more red than wine,
And death must need passover.

Nor all the signs of witches' crafts --
A feline of black or bat's weather --
Shall mark my door for his visit
For my Lord and I quard together.

Will death visit me this eve
Whilst stalking silently the shadows?
Nay, the winds are harsh of the winter's night
But there always is grass in the meadows.

1967

The East Wind

I walk for lonely hours
On the sterling sands and try
To understand my condemnation
-- For love I must die
And I search the shifting sand
For an answer for so long
But if I find an inspiration
The waves drive it away.

The hungry dogs are howling
They're anxious for my bones
I can hear their ceaseless whining
Yet my heart cannot bemoan.
The city streets are vacant
The dogs search for me
All this doesn't matter much
I pray and wait expectantly.

1966

To Love You

The river flows as I sit there
As close as I dare to you --
It plays at the falls as my heart
Taken of breath when seeing you.
One day's slightest touch
And you stole my life.

Your sunset hairs dance on the waters
Broken by the laugh of the babbling
Over the falls, who have heard
My murmurings to you.
To love you,
Is it to love the river?

To love you, is it 
To love the sea in your eyes
Or the sun in your hair?
Burned into my soul,
Hearing you I tremble
For you have stolen my life.

1975

Paltry Pirates

What wailing winds these are, so harsh
Beseiging through this sturdy marsh
The reed first sways, then losing strength
Bends and breaks and falls at length
Into the muddy flats of ground
Of many a reed the winds have downed.

Yet paltry pirates in insolence
Can soak a sponge in the vinegar stench
That is mans' sweetness -- acidic and sour
And nearing upon the tertial hour
Offer it up at the reach of the reed
To quench the thirst of God's holiest breed.

1968

FOREVER

Early August
Crickets sing
Grass is green
The birds still wing
their way upon
the summer breeze
and my heart should
be at ease
in the warmth of
summer's sun
and calm cool nights
like the one
when first we met
I always knew
life would be forever
summer with you
but it has now 
been two full moons
since you left us
here in June
and my soul cries
in anguish apart
from you and echos
in my empty heart
Oh Lord, if I 
could hear your voice
once more my poor heart
would rejoice
The sea falls silent
on the shore
until I am with you
once more
Each tomorrow 
belongs to yesterday
time is still since 
you went away
I loved you then
I love you still
Love is eternal
I always will

8/6/98

(Conceived this day in '45
I lived but I was not alive
until I was loved by you
and now you're gone. 
My life is through.)


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