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Spaceships

Spaceships

Shapes that never flew,

clean lines that don’t

exist;

eccentric shapes of fifty,

sixty years ago,

of older sci-fi movies,

too,

of Méliès and Lang;

I put my spirit-child trust in

these

far-off, far-out

conveyances

through times and places

that I ken

at night when

looking out to dream an

open sky;

Liftoff,

mind stowed above shined

shelves of

unknowing, rhythmic,

turned controls that

take me

nowhere, really;

back of the senses, though,

that day by day must

gauge

and engage—

there’s unerring flying

there,

as is said,

believe you me;

rocket to a set piece,

yes, I know; and

I’ll keep

watching,

dreaming of silver-streaming

things

that might bear

you and me

away into otherwise

impassable,

impossible flight-filled night

C L Couch

October 16, 2016 5

Homely Patterns

Homely Patterns

(touchstones)

The textures look good,

Fetching shadows made by

Leaves that brush

Morning panes;

Utensils drying in the

Countertop basket, like

Bright soldiers

At ease

Anticipating dress parade;

Things lined up above

The sink, ordinary

Items as

Remembrances:

Symbols mean the whole;

Here hopes rest

In half-light perceptions

And

First-morning moments

October 16, 2016 5

Teal Pumpkin Project (haiku)

Teal Pumpkin Project

Leave un-allergenic treats

On Hallowe’en porch

http://www.foodallergy.org/teal-pumpkin-project#.WABLLiQ5pcw

Save

October 14, 2016 2

Services with Variants

Services with Variants

(from Appalachia)

I wonder as I wander

Out under the sky

Why Jesus, my Jesus,

Did come down to die

For poor on’ry people

Like you and like I

I wonder as I wander

Out under the sky

And then the story can begin in

Earnest—the grammar’s bad:

What does that really matter,

When the bias is for long and

Almost painful, loving notes

Wrought in the words to send

Them over; all the o sounds and

The is like convict souls, once

Held then let go like winged

Enchantment, soar above the

Planet in the room, to wave

Like smoke around the beams

Above the Sunday evening

Gathering, like convicts bound

Whose chains are broken with

No expectation, words and

Notes released like birds once

Wrapped by keepers’ hands—

In flight now to know no other

Mission than the erring sky

And song of wonder-wandering

“I Wonder as I Wander” (Appalachia)

Words and Music collected by John Jacob Niles

Collected by John Jacob Niles in Murphy, [North Carolina,] in July 1933 from a young traveling evangelist Annie Morgan. According to Niles, he asked her to sing the song repeatedly until he had memorized it. It was published in his 1934 Songs of the Hill-Folk.

http://www.hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com/Hymns_and_Carols/i_wonder_as_i_wander.htm

and “on’ry” is ornery, which is a good word

October 13, 2016 2

Red Crescent

Red Crescent

(Yemen)

What’s left behind

In towns, on plains of blood

Yemen

And everywhere

In the west

Of Asia

They look for

Our families taken

Through

The rents of war

They offer drink

Give food

And in the desert night

Leave warmth

Around the victims

Soft-bright shields

Drawn with symbols

Did you not know?

Red Crescent complements

The awful need

Quranic teaching

And impulse

To save the unknown

Neighbor

October 12, 2016 4

Better

Better

I don’t know much about the world

It seems

I wish it were better

I’m offended

And I’m angry

Who really wants to care?

We have other things to do, less

Pandering to moods

Chosen when something more promising

Could be selected

Another code pressed on the emotion

Vending machine

I wonder maybe we have a number of tokens

And then the rest are gone

For deciding badly

For too-small convictions

When being noble in an un-ranked way

Would make the difference

Would light the factories

Would illuminate

Pockets and portals of prosperity

Nether (never) world

Intentions hide

Give it a chance

A two-step beneath the table

Smiling for no reason

Than

The joy in dawn-split morning

Or romantic night

The splendid times when

In spite of rusted gags and

Chains

Joy breaks free

October 11, 2016 5

Five Minutes Monday Morning

Five Minutes Monday Morning

Eleven fifty-five,

What’s left?

Coffee made, suburban meaning

More? Well, make a list,

Check—check the list

How much of it’s repeated?

Breathe in, breathe out

Better now the weather’s changed

Autumn’s here at last, I think

Cooler, clearer air

Or I can pretend

How much of the difference is inside?

But there’s anxiety in the pit

Well, it’s Monday morning

I used to read five-minute mysteries;

Five-minute words—I

Believe it could be worse

October 10, 2016 5

Aftermath

Aftermath

(Matthew)

There is a square

Upon the

Ground

That has no sides

There were

Three walls more

Like pillars, a

Doorway, and more

There was life, and

I could name each

Part: mother,

Daughter,

Neighbor child,

Love

Spry forms that

I could see

And touch; now

None

Remains

I’ve come back to

The place

I heard it had

A name;

I no longer care

October 8, 2016 5

Joypad

Joypad

What the frog enjoys

Each day nascent on the pond

When we wake stories

(haiku)

Your word for today

joypad

Pronunciation: /ˈjoipad/ Definition: an input device for a computer games console which uses buttons to control the motion of an image on the screen

October 8, 2016 3