our lemon tree is overflowing
it’s full on every side
if you slowly walk around
you can smell lemon, lemon
a delicious fragrant time
if you slowly walk around again
you will start to smell lemony
we just bought a lemon picker
it makes you twelve feet high
there are enough lemons
for another tree
as we pull the lemons down
the entire back yard is juicey
hey neighbors, come and get
some lemons, they’re free
squirt them on your spinach
squeeze them on your avacados
there must be at least a hundred
maybe more, maybe a million
this hour is
this minute is
this second is
the best one i have ever known
i have floated down from
i don’t know where
and now i’m being blown
from here to there
it makes me giddy
i just heard a little boy,
walking by outside, singing
‘this old man’ and it made me
become a big, wide smile
now i’m just standin’
waiting for someone to come
if someone comes carrying
a big bag of troubles
i’ll poke a hole in the sack
as he saunters by
all the troubles will
fall in the grass and become daisies
i think that most people would
rather have a daisy
than an aching back
than a scratched elbow
i don’t know how long i’ll be here
but i’m going to run ahead
and ask the little boy
if i can sing with him
maybe he’ll teach me a new song
maybe i’ll teach him a new song
maybe the little boy is a girl
late,
sometimes as late as midnight
she would listen to the sound of everybody drinking
the slur of drunken talk, sliding words
people making fun of each other
pitching sarcasm
telling each other what to do
telling each other what to eat
what not to do
her head would get tired of all the nonsence
all the bickering
she would wait until the crescendo reached a peak
and then slip out the front door
nobody noticed
nobody really listened
she walked down the street
it was only ten houses away
up the cement steps
around the side of the house
and into the kitchen
"ah, you came to visit, how nice.
want some coffee?"
they sat down at the chromium table.
grandma mixed the decaf instant coffee
she took out some cookies
"these are from Dudt's" "i know, i got them for you."
"what's happening at the top of the hill?"
"everybody's talking and nobody's listening.
so i stand at the edge of the of the room and smile.
nobody mentions my father."
my mother's gone on to a different life.
i miss my father. he suffered so much."
"maybe he's at peace now."
grandma looked at her, smiled at her,
wrapped her into her arms
she felt that she was a sorrow expert.
she mourned everyone during the second world war.
and even though the war was fading
there was sickness to endure, there was pain to rock to sleep.
(for arlene)
it ‘s difficult to enter
the disappearing bridge
it’s almost impossible to leave
the disappearing bridge
you must stand there
almost
forever
until you know that
you are moving
within
silent
night
you are being held by
holy night
you know there is peace
in the universe
you can hear angel wings
trinity church towers high
above the bare winter trees
the bulky buildings below
create foundations for
flying
we climb up the high walls
through the skinny branches
there is no fear of flying
we stand and sing
" merry christmas "
we're floating
in the tender wind
" happy new year "
all the lights below
are flashing with our song
little baby jesus has disappeared
we don’t know where to find him
maybe he dropped off the edge
of the big paper bag stuffed with
so many old, soft, wrappings
i imagine it would be fun to
roll and sumersault in there
perhaps he is crawling up
the noble pine
captivated by all the ornaments
and bright lights
he might stay in there
for several days without a sound
no one has ever heard him cry
he is jesus after all
he could create a golden crib
and outshine the north star
oh my gosh , i hear the marching
song of the three kings
what will happen if jesus
isn’t in bed and asleep
let’s go ask the shepherds if they’ve
seen jesus
oh look he’s out there in the snow
rolling around and laughing
here comes his mother, she’s so calm
here comes joseph, he doesn’t like the
snow, now they’re taking him to bed
the shining was coming
from a very small space
it was beyond bright
the intensity of a falling
meteor
it was a star
blue flames shot through
the bulk of branches
it was a tree
bursting into pink patches
it was diamonds
dripping from leaves
two people walked away
became shadows
'do you think he will like
the shining?'
' i think he will jump in
and be come it"
(for claudia and gudu)
at the southern tip of africa you will find the cape of good hope.
giant catapults have been built there.
moons are being poured into these catapults.
as soon as they are full, the catapults are fired.
so fast, at supersonic speed.
the moons streak high across the skies,
shadows against the clouds cover continents in seconds.
in a minute the earth is circled, again and again.
this is all happening in your head, inside trillions of heads.
pinpoints of light shine and float out of bodies
almost instantly everywhere becomes twinkling ornaments
silhouttes of gloom fade. joy is spinning along moon ways
hallelujah! the wicked kraken is dead
gloria! the hafuga is gone
breathe loud and long strong and clear
amen
it was dark
it was soundless
it was black
it was silence
without human sound
without spinning machines
it was emptiness
speechlessness
no word, no barking, no cat squeals
reflections disappeared from the present
not threatening, just there
blacknesscamecloser
quiet spread endlessly
echoes from somewhere
babbling crept into our ears
all of this depth
was
sinking into disappearance
we were invited to enter without fear
enter and float
enter and imagine
impossible
we are legion
we are angels
we are eternal
we shall smash the virus
drown the virus
dilute its presence
we shall be standing
join spiritual hands
spiritual hearts
the power of mankind
