William Carlos Williams' Amulet

--for the children of Gaza, amongst so many others
 

Of the innocent 

image of the grand 
child who entered 
the new world naked, 

now sleeping in 
its grandmother’s frail 
arms, the good doctor 

would have made medicine 
strong enough to ward off evil 
unseeable and still have us 

keep an eye on it. 

Poetic Movements

Congested round the edges 
Of a stagnant pond, observe 

The lyre-like fronds 
Of ferns 

Behind which croaking 
Troubadours compose 

Watery, crepuscular songs. 

A Tom Clark Poem

Like a fleeting heart 
Beat that causes me to stop 
To catch my breath 

Wherever it was 
I was going. 

 

Clouds on the Horizon

In this picture snapped 
Against a background of clouds 
In a green meadow, the common

Edible field mushroom has 
The appearance of a giant flying 
Saucer that has just touched 

Down and whose crew is justly nebulous 
About meeting the earthlings 
They've heard so little about 

And who are now more than likely 
Getting ready to welcome them 
With another species 

Of mushrooming giant. 

To a Poet Friend Drowning in Bathos

Had you but one iota left 
Of the deep lightness of a Herrick 

To keep you from going under, 
You’d have no need of a derrick.