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Collected Poetry

    (rd king dot net)
poetry and digital art

The Big Picture  

Groups of short poems.

  Flying 


1:  After Gyozan

I've reached my 59th year
without much pain or hardship.
So little has changed.  I work
in the yard with my bottle
of beer—the birds sing to me.


2:  Flying

My wife claims to have a fear
of flying.  I have a fear to fly
with my wife.  Did Li Po fly?
Did Tu Fu fly?  Did Gyozan fly?
Po Chu-i consented to fly only to
      return to his cup of wine.


3:  Test Flight

We are now in the plane.  My wife
is in the test plane.  The plane is now
no longer a plane.  Everyone seems
happy to fly.  A few are drunk—their
wings droop like fallen bra straps.


4:  The Landing

Our take-off is marred by a flock
of doves—only the co-pilot
shows concern.  The wily stewardess
foils a terrorist plot—free cocktails
ensue.  A woman wails into giving
      birth to our new life.


5:  The Landing Continues

An old man dies, so no charge is
incurred.  The landing is made special
by no landing gear—applause develops.
I'm now free to go, to drift on my way—
once I realize how nondescript my
      luggage is.


6:  Heading to an Airport Outside a Large City

Driving to an airport in the sharp,
evening light, May:  spring heading
from green to brown, from then
to now.  All these many travelers—
in vague ways—heading toward a
      dissimilar destination.


7:  The Wait

Hanging around in an airport
coffee bar—reduced to watching
the incessant landing, takeoff—the
aero-mundane—and the very odd
aero-equipment moving carefully
      about the tarmac.


8:  Flying

I am now in the plane, my wife
beside me madly working a hand
puzzle.  Time passes discretely.
Roar.  Drone.  Bump and hum.
From an aisle seat all I can see
      is the crappy movie.


9:  Puerto Vallarta

Above the beach and beyond
the pool, where a woman sunbathes
on a yellow lounge, the red palm
rises beside the tile veranda—
fanning its fronds in a mild breeze.


10:  Time Spilling Water

Time like a seashell found on an
empty beach—the waves rise and
then the waves recede.  The actions
of time and water.  The welcome and
the unwelcome events arise and recede
      less like a seashell than water.





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