birthday bard
born
or born
near this day
our lord’s year
1564
some educated
beyond
believed the local school
more so somehow
illuminated
aware of the world
where it is
where it was
who
and how
topical
which could be daring
writing about the father
of the kind
all sorts of guess
how he lived
except to know he was not
the starving artist
but
did well
poet
first
then actor
better-heeled
as poet
married
buried near the altar
for respect
and
perhaps some sort
of sponsorship
and
when dug up
to find all bones except
the head
as someone might have wondered
about Einstein
and
the brain
war
distant
near
love places and time
with something of forever
in each effort
magic
discovered
undiscovered countries
also
ethereal
tried as practical
the identity of one who could
compose
so much
and so penetrating
about us
peers
yes
and peerless
and
happy birthday
were you here
while we are here
yet
look forward to a part
with all
great dramas
in the legacy
of
the greatest play and art that
of eternity
c l couch
photo by Samuel Regan-Asante on Unsplash
“Stratford Station” (for translation)
Stratford, London, UK
Mars Not for the Taking
Who owns the moon
Who wants it
Besides Gru
Someone who thinks the mineral rights
Would be glad to take
And to provide through
Taking
And so make the other Earthers pay
Who owns Mars
But that the same agendas
Work
And again the rest on Earth to pay
And
What kinds of lessons will we learn
When we are truly
There
And other places
And the ones before us
Say
Sorry
Wrong number
Phone elsewhere
And then
In a seriousness of Spaceballs
We will decide to take their
Air
So we may have it
And the progenitors
No longer
And keep on this track of
Piracy
And war
Until the cosmos
Squish us out
By the things
Always bigger than
Ourselves
And had we read
The appendix of the guide
That said
Don’t ever do this
And now panic
For
So many things were
And are given
Without
The taking
C L Couch
for Earth Day and even Easter week
all the things trademarked or copyrighted that I cite or to which I allude I do not own and make no money from (no more than Earth or the moon, Mars, Phobos, or Deimos)
Photo by NASA Hubble Space Telescope on Unsplash
amigo ausente
well
I’m sorry
I know I should be glad
that he’s in heaven
now
but I liked him
liked his presence
even in
the way-distant way I knew it
knew him
I like
the name he chose
I like the way he tried
I don’t like the way
that we heard
and he looked ill
and now
that’s not a problem
but I liked his look
of love on Earth
and now
we won’t have
save in pictures and maybe
in the same wide way
a new one
new papa
I wish I could have visited
and heard him chat with friends
(are
popes allowed
to have
friends)
to have heard the Spanish
easy on his lips like home
heard an easy laugh
from him
at something
a friend without expectations
might have said
c l couch
photo by Fr. Daniel Ciucci on Unsplash
rest with
rest with
I think of thick
cloth
maybe with a scent of earth
and what is
the scent of resurrection
I don’t know
the face
for fear
for shame of looking
but I can’t help
but rest
against the folds
and a little ways
inside
I rest
and I don’t know the surface
of the ground
beneath
it could be firm
it could be clouds
if could
be fire
but for the company
I’ll keep resting
maybe fall
asleep
daring and remarkable
in the Earth-turning
and somehow homely presence
of the Lord
c l couch
for Easter Monday
photo by Clément Falize on Unsplash
must be an unholy day
the Romans hate us
which is easy
in so easy a hard
and harsh land
but our own
too
our people loathe us
hate us
people scorned within a people scorned
the larger group
too easy to be crying crucify
again
without even a Barabbas
to be freed in
irony of law
no trick for us of
politics
we shall simply be found
and ended
with the teaching
with
the message
and
somehow
maybe because we know the devil
is involved
we know the hatred isn’t Roman
is not
Judean
but something both
deeper and on the surface
temptation within
hatred expressed
in fear
in rage
a human thing
more than any group
even of
promises
or who seem to be the rulers
of the Earth
we many say
in darkness
now
the all of us killed the one
whom
came to save through reconciliation
all of us killed
one
who now is gone
and we wait
without waiting
for
who expects more after the finality
of death
not Roman
not Judean
all of us on either side
and from all sides
from
the wreckage of Eden
where
the devil also won before
finally a curse
and aren’t we all cursed
and now
enough philosophy
or
hoping something out of meditation
rather
now
we turn
we hide away
we wait for
not a thing
worth
the waiting
c l couch
for Holy (also ironic) Saturday
photo by Aleksei Agafonov on Unsplash
tenebrous
the devil wins
today
having turned the human forces
in the world
toward
death
humiliation of what’s good
even perfect
that traditions
say
came to save us from
ongoing
serpent
temptation
the twisting of what has been made
so good
bad
grotesque
the evil these point
toward has
won
without awareness
then
of three-day’s waiting time
the good is gone
or
must hide
surrender to new nothingness
of faith
and hope
and
love
c l couch
for Good (ironic) Friday
photo by Aleksei Agafonov on Unsplash
Hearing a New Commandment
Bread and wine
For body
Wind for spirit
Earth
For creation
These show the nature of
The Lord
In closest metaphors
Like mustard seeds
For faith
And there are other metaphors
For appreciation
And
For learning
But these are things we have
And may know
Easily
Even rather thoroughly
That any might believe in
What they represent
And so
Have faith
In the intimate way
The better things are and have
Been made
Bread
Wine
Wind
Earth
Learn
Believe
Love
Live
C L Couch
for Maundy Thursday
John 13:34-35 (and in Matthew 22)
Matthew 11:15, 13:9
Photo by Assad Tanoli on Unsplash
Kermitage
I’d like my alone place
To have
Green
I’d like to sing
And ride a bicycle
And live
Some parts of animated
Miracles
I’d like some time to contemplate
And then I’d like my green self
To find
Company with others
Maybe on a sunlit street
Or on a grander set
Or if a pond
A pond
That might be a homecoming
Anyway
Some place small or large
With people small
And large
Who look like me
Or never shall
And so be wonder to me
Maybe to
All
All the time
Green
And otherwise
My being green
At
Least in part
Forever
C L Couch
on Palm Sunday
Photo by Jack Shen on Unsplash
The Explorers
Gagarin
And then Shepard
And all those who strived
To fly
And couldn’t
Because the experiments were
Unsuccessful and
Also
Something untoward happened
Loss of life so that others
Of us could go
Up there
Frank loss
Before Gagarin
After
Shepard
The cost like that paid
By
Icarus
To soar toward the sun
More than
The waxen body’s made
And yet
Crazy
And extraordinary
We go
And keep
On going
‘Til the satellites
Than the ships
Then
Space stations
Now
Moon
Once down though now
To live there
Now Mars
Inside our time
Our
Reach
It’s danger clearly
Also
Vision and new
Industry
Even good for business
(tin foil
and the microwave from the moon
race)
Though more the skill of hands
Pushed by minds
And hope
To take
Us there
And there and there
C L Couch
International Day of Human Space Flight
Photo by Planet Volumes on Unsplash
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