Dante in Purgatory [1]

A ridiculous sort of love
that requires no possession.
What? Really? Asks, seeks,
desires no possession?

Says, 'Oh, it's okay. I'll wait for vision...'
(to dream up, no doubt, some guided tour of heaven)
Waits, perhaps nervous by the door, thinks
'I shouldn't disturb her solitude, and besides she's 
      spoken for'(or maybe rather hopes she's spoken for?) 

A practical sort of love
that desires no identity,
is satisfied with 'Ich und Du,'
quite satisfied with 'you and me,'

forces a laugh, tries to sing,
forces a laugh, a sort of offering,
waits, standing nervous by the door,
waits:   
      locked behind an open door.

[1] In interest of full disclosure: I've never read The Divine Comedy. Or I and Thou for that matter.

Fashion ethics, Film, Omar Khayyam pastiche, & the South Hills

I know this sort of breaks my rule against self promotion, but it is for a good cause, and it is kind of funny.

I am now on a t-shirt (pictured). It's for my friend Lucas's film production company. You can buy one, too, if you want, and the details are here:

http://dpressproductions.com/filme.html

I felt obliged to purchase one, but it brings up an ethical dilemma: should one wear a t-shift with one's own face on it. I also contributed a bit of verse to help promote the things. To wit:

Rubaiyat

a bottle of wine, a book of verse,
wandering the south hills (and how!)
wearing a "un filme" t-shirt:
a t-shirt is happiness for now...

Ok, so maybe I'm not destined to be an ad-man. But we do our best.

The t-shirt is based upon the film L'attante (from January 2006). You can watch it here:

http://dpressproductions.com/l'attente.html

Or, you can see it along with Lucas' new film and the musical brilliance of Mr. Jerome Wincek this coming thursday in Dormont. Details here:

http://dpressproductions.com/gravida.html

spoils

i fell in love with ornate words
and since then plain ones never do
but cowards get what they deserve
there's no one left to sing them to

On Second Thought

"And then when I took my fateful decision:

I decided to choose, to take, Fatalism."

In apology to Mr. Ginsberg on the day after his birthday

I don't want to go
to San Francisco.

The town for me
is Bethany.

Antediluvian

The Thesaurus was
his favorite dinosaur.

evolution

a thorn

becomes

a seed

Higher Education

Although we addressed him as 'Doctor,'
he possessed neither knowledge nor wealth.
He was entitled, you see,
from an honorary degree
he'd long ago given himself.

Goodbye, Cruel Month

Hello, May flowers.

To a Fabulist Considering Her Breakfast Nook

"The wallpaper looks so much nicer,"
she said, "now that it's almost spring.

And somehow these processed pastries taste better,
too, while our chairs float three inches off the floor."

Restraint has its limits

A spring afternoon (and
if I still owned a drum set

I’d
strike,

stammer
accidental syncopation,

false
start, fall out of tempo.

And if I, for a while or late into the night,
banged on the snare, the toms, the hi-hat,

the cymbals--crash!--crescendo,
just for the joy of afternoons, evenings, late nights,

what cause could my neighbors
possibly have to complain?)