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Irises

Mockingbird


BEHIND A THIN LINE
Behind a thin line of trees
beside the freeway, the clear cut
lies a scar across the mountains
all that’s left from the newly harvested old growth.
Only its stumps are left, burned stubble piles
and overgrazed no-man’s land
from what’s left of the decimated herd of elk.
Fronds of ferns glint among the mud
and Winter rains, its evening in the mountains
fragrant with Earth and firs.
But, see, where are the men
who’ve ravaged the land searching for wealth?
They’ve never returned,
to spend a lifetime living with what they’ve done.
 
 

  BEAUTIFUL CHILDREN
Those blessed with beautiful children
are respected by fools for their vices
in this World which ugly and deformed
lead them into the next where
they rest with their sins and shame.
So says the maxim,
which I’ve found to be tragically true.
 
 
 

 HIS OPERATION
Modestly dressed in comfortable affluence
expensive but not ostentatious car parked outside.
He walked along watching he street
where his operatives, the licentious prostitutes and lewd perverts,
were carefully deployed,
in another deceitful operation of entrapment.
As he passed in front of a shop,
a small boy, one of his whores
already perverted child, ran out
with eager little steps wanting to see him.
At once he stopped and reached down
and picked the young boy up,
holding him close to his chest.
After talking with the child,
in the way adults do,
he bent over and tried to put the little boy down;
but, the child cried and refused to let go.
Looking like the epitome of a Dickens’ uncle,
he entered the store with the perverted boy,
where his mother was worried
that he might think she had contrived it.
But, he pulled the little one to him and gave him a hug,
and with a tremble in his voice sent them home,
as the man who was not tempted
walked by outside..
Meanwhile, the head of operations
remembered how nice it was,
when he first became a grandpa
and in his guilt he gave up the thought
of perverting and prostituting and torturing
the men, women and children
who were walking by outside.
 
 

 ALREADY ONE
Listen, you whose eyes are bright and beautiful
as the wind moves at night
through the garden glistening with dew,
listen, what can I say to stop your fear.
The people of this World, with their hate,
are like the fool who climbs on to a boat
without testing to see if she floats
to get to a shore where they have seen a jewel.
They’ll never get to where they want to go,
for their ways fail them, and, your man
will never leave you: because, we’re already one.
 
 

 BEAR YOUR GRIEF
“Bear your grief.” they say.
.Don’t they know?
Or, are they such super cartoon characters?
If I’m not free, I’m already dead!
My heart hurts, like the pain that’s gnawing on my back,
and like a shadow stretching Sunset
minute by minute the invading darkness devours me.
 
 

 STAR SAPPHIRE
Today we parted in anger,
but, tomorrow I’ll return.
My blue car streaking like lightening
rising from the hill top.
Its silver wheels four flashing scythes,
past flowering trees and shrubs,
like a shower of shooting stars
hurtling through the darkness.
Racing swifter than the wind,
I’ll come in the morning,
and when I embrace
your fine body, with the star sapphire ring on its finger,
I’ll be happy.
 
 

THE PICTURE
Mt. Hood watches over Portland like a mother,
it makes me realize the maternal aspect of Nature.
In the afternoon, Spring clouds
caste shadows that play like children
around her feet and on her lap.

Repulsed by its seeming indifference,
I hadn’t noticed the true features of the Earth before.
She has your shape, in the picture
when you were pregnant with our second child
and held the first one snug in your arms.

Now I remember a small church
on the mountain.  Behind, a river ran
singing through the thick forest, completely camouflaged
by the branches covered with variegated green leaves .

Now we are like the mountain resting and watching
as our children depart and make their way through life.
Our apparent apathy comes from the realization
that each child will follow its own path.
 
 

 WINGER VICTORY
I see you, in my daytime reverie
Winged Victory of Samothrace,
striding down those stairs
you step outside the Louve.

Surrounded by silence, the blue sky,
you haven’t seen for years pours fire;
then, blinded by light, irresistible flight
brings exhilaration, soaring insight.

Your Rumi-eyes laughing twin stars
blaze brilliantly, our pursuing shadows
fail to keep up and are torn apart.
Disembodied, they lay below on the ground.
 
 
 

    THE MYSTERIOUS SPHINX
 More beautiful than a dream
finely chiseled in marble;
my death giving breast
perfection where heroes wait their turn.
 
 
 

Eternal stone Hieroglyphics record
taciturn as the grave, with a Heavenly veil
that covers everything
the roofs and trees and streets and mountains.

A poet whose soul persists in certain ideals
enduring until the final Sunset;
where impaled by its beauty,
the limbs of the tree of Life

are green with Spring
void of emotion,
expressionless as a contemporary
Venus De Milo she squats.

Mysterious sphinx, swan-white
her neck poses the eternal question,
sung by the bird’s sonorous rhetoric
he detests disturbing her dreamless slumber

resides in deserts of dispair
beyond the evil forests
my hero’s hope in fervent studious delusions
to be embraced by enchantments

and transposed within their shadowy webs
where love explodes and dies
on the alter before the tranquil
reflection of my blind eyes.
 
 
 

 BONE WHITE
Bone white, color of parchment
these white washed villages still slumber dreamless
behind shutters closed vice tight.
These aren’t the neighborhoods
where behind iron grills balconies
extend discretely back
fine as an etching, or delicate lace.

Quixotic winds tilt
the thick trunked trees
whose worn columns
rocket up
exploding olive green foliage
in the dust and heat.

Pellucid dawn, crystal blue Heaven,
whose intensity grows greater and greater
among the swelling chorus of crickets
that fills the street to bursting.
Out of the red Earth
rise little white crosses
in neat orderly rows.
 
 
 

    RUMOR MILL
 It is the opinion of Rumor Mill that mutual respect constitutes the primary feature of Democratic forms of government.  The individuals that try to equate  legitimacy with longevity; or, argue that conformity constitutes legality; or, determines that discipline based on blind subordination represents conservatism which originates from within their own opinions, while others are deemed radical whose views don’t seem fundamentally sound because they diverge significantly from themselves; and, any other dogmatic opinion of this type are symptoms of faction striving for power and domination, rather than honest efforts towards equality and diversity inherent in true Democracy.
 The business of legitimate Democracy is quite the contrary.  Democracies are organized among individuals to protect the natural rights of its citizens while elevating their material prosperity.  Whoever will pretend to be a law abiding person while violating the rights of their fellow citizens is anything but a law abiding citizen them self.  If they are destitute of compassion, humility and overall good will towards all mankind, even those who disagree with them politically is anything but a supporter of Democracy.  Democracy is not an empty play full of pomp and plush rituals, it doesn’t arrogantly strive to dominate its fellow citizens, nor does it use compulsive force on others.  Who ever subscribes to Democracy goes about first and foremost striving to be good and virtuous, reasonable and free.  It is hypocritical for someone to usurp the phrase of Democratic citizen, without tolerance, good will and mutual respect.  If one violates the Civil Rights of others they will have a hard time trying to persuade me that they are overly concerned with protecting either me or mine.  For it is impossible to respect the Rights of others while compelling dissident individuals to live in ways which seem neither reasonable nor just in their heads and hearts.  No one can be for Civil Rights who doesn’t forgo force, fraud, coercion and extortion.  Rumor Mill appeals to the conscience inherent in all mankind that the people directly and indirectly involved in the radical right’s contemporary populist movement, which currently is persecuting, oppressing, torturing, destroying, and murdering others under the emotional pretense of doing so for children, whether they do so out of charity and kindness towards their victims.  And, Rumor Mill will then suspend judgment when it observes them apply the same standards of conduct to their fanatical zealotry, correcting the same way, their friends and associates to the same degree for every manifest sin and act of wickedness and immoral criminal behavior they commit against the laws of God and man.  When Rumor Mill sees them torture members of their own faction that are stained with immense vices, unrequited and deserving eternal damnation according to the Gospel.  And, when, it sees them fairly exercising God’s commands equitably while suffering torture and all the cruelties they so willingly afflict others with.  For it will then be out of respect for Laws and not the personal pleasure and private profit.  Rumor Mill  repeats, if this transpires to promote Democracy for the little ones and promotes future generations of law abiding citizens why do they so eagerly pervert, and prostitute boys and girls, engage in fraud, malice, rape slander and even worse enormities which obviously result in their corruption and moral degeneration.  These and the like certainly don’t promote the health of Democracy and protect our citizens Civil Rights.  Why then does this burning zeal pass by these instances of moral vice and criminal wickedness without a whisper of condemnation, which are universally recognized by all law abiding citizens as being diametrically opposite not only the Laws of  Democracy but the Laws of God, too?  Instead they bend all their efforts at establishing their own bigoted opinions by means of oppression utilizing fraudulent events which many contend they secretly create.  Thus eroding the Civil Rights, liberties and equality that are fundamental to any true Democracy.
 


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