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Collected Poetry

    (rd king dot net)
poetry and digital art

The Big Picture  

Groups of short poems.

  Spring, Again


1:  Spring, Again

Once again harbored in the
excellent sequence of a man
wearing red shoes in the early
     moments
of spring—not yet dancing, not yet
ready to dance, but again...  poised!


2:  Anticipation

I recognize the phlebotomist from
a previous visit—a young man
with a southern accent and
a sweet disposition—but this time
he flicks, he jerks, he...  stings.


3:  At the Gym with Earphones

Six wall-mounted television screens
set to unique audio frequencies—a
child's show from Japan with elaborate
costumes, choreography & monsters;
golf, poker, playoffs, commentary;
      planes collide over Ohio.


4:  Sunday in May

And then, entering a room where
a favorite song is now beginning
the horn sequence—a daughter
reclining on the couch; launching
a champagne cork from the deck.


5:  Black Queen

Two teams of men playing hockey.
A small crowd enjoying a softball game.
A family sits down to dinner.  Arguing
over the  TV remote, a boy and a girl.
Our group of four playing hearts.


6:  After Gyozan

I've reached my 57th year
without much pain or hardship.
Some things now reveal themselves
while others still cause hard surprise
      or wonderment:
I have fathered a phlebotomist!


7:  Another Summer

My daughter has reached her 23rd year.
A windy dusk, I sit on my couch
in her new apartment, idling
in Reno, Nevada—enjoying life &
a beer, gazing at the unyet burned
      Carson Range.


8:  Time Is a Long Rope I Keep Pulling

What more was there to do
other than piss the night away
in a vast and smoky casino
in the middle of a vast desert
where all things such seem
      vastly out of place.


9:  Many People in Cars in Motion

Cars of all makes move along
the street—cars of all colors.
People of all colors in clothes
of all colors—people in motion.
Every action precise, perfunctory,
      so joyous, so reckless.


10:  It Gets Dark

She stops watering the garden
and comes inside to the kitchen
in the muted light—then takes
a bath.  I stop by again to marvel
before she slides into our aging
      bed.





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