Poetry Reading

Forget all that 
Huffing and puffing, 
Blowhard— 

When mind’s full 
Of nothing, volumes 
Of hot air 

Do not promise 
To bring the house down, 
So pretty please

Beware. 

In the Manner of Cavafy

Approaching the end of the multiplying
Line of somber burnt-out candles lengthening 
Behind him, he recalls their first light before 
Turning ahead to the diminishing 
Row of lively little lit ones waiting, 
All the while quivering himself 
And tries—how hard it must be 
To keep looking firmly ahead—to snuff out 
That still-flickering thought, the one
That will certainly engulf him 
Should he wilt and turn back. 

May Day! May Day! (Going through the Motions)

Though they may tell you otherwise, 
It’s not enough going through 
Each day as if it were your last— 

One of these days, 
You’ll have to live it. 

Artifice

Much spoken of lately by poets 
Hearing cliché-ridden voices, the muse waits 

For no man’s inspiration 
To come into view. 

As all this must come but to naught, 
Ennui seems equally ineluctable— 

The muse is a deaf-mute, savoring 
Nothing save what appears to strike her 

Like a bolt from the blue.

Chew on This, Poet

Soon you will be begging for scraps 
Of paper to stave off your hunger— 

Better you had been born a dog.