Cracker-Barrel Philosopher

You poets in the know, you always say 
Waiting and looking is your thing, 
And presume your next poem promises 
Answers to questions you think 
No one’s up to asking but you, well 
If you think that’s true, try these two 
Simple ones—who do you think you are, 
And who asked you for your view? 

A Poem Should Be

No stranger to fear, Archibald— 
Like that line from Heraclitus, 

Ferocious and show 
It means business 

All the time, 
Like a good watch 

Dog that barks 
At passersby all 

The while be- 
Heading 

Bloody ticks. 

Poetfolio

Amongst sundry things seen, what flowers 
Most in my mind today is that solitary 

Wild fig tree leafing above 
A pied meadow. 

Evanescence Redux

Ream upon ream with you still elusive, 
Lest you slip away forever as if in a dream, 
Let me dream I captured you, dream after dream. 

Fulfilling the Requirements of the Poetic Canon

Fire away but please 
At all costs be cute, be witty 
Above all a void—empty 

Adjectives like the accursed 
Plague the rat race, the not so fleeting 
Black death crawling underneath 

The nitty-gritty.