Thursday, February 28, 2013

BENEATH THE MIRRORED SURFACE
















There is a lake just north of here with magic
Hidden deep beneath its glossy plane
So cleverly disguised is it, one might pass it by

To do so would be sad I guess, not tragic
But a chance missed all the same
To slide inside another world, who would not try

It is after all a lake just, and not at all pelagic
And once discerned the demarcation like a frame
Will pull apart allowing one to slip in and thereby

Entering an upside down town takes adjusting quick
But the enchantment is such you'll be glad you came
In fact it will be hard for you to think of saying good-bye

It's so calming beneath the surface in the town with no name
It's like Atlantis - a place to visit - a place beyond the flame

Samuel Peralta's in charge at dVerse tonight and well worth the visit just for the plethora of info on sonnets and variations on the form (only one of which I've tried to follow with the Trireme sonnet) - he also details some words on ekphrastic poetry, one of my favourite forms and gives a great example using one of his own poems from a new project he's collaborating on...hop on over to dVerse and check it out.



Saturday, February 16, 2013

LEONARD COHEN CAME HERE (after Alexandra Leaving)


Unexpectedly the prince of poetry came here
It was as if by wishing it, I had made it so
On stage a seeming apparition, the man he did appear
Replete with all his words, and his beautiful old soul

He stood in spot lit adoration and sang each song
With perfect modest tone and mild aplomb
Was glorious beyond my wildest hopes, all night long
Wrapped us all in warmth and held each one of us in his palm

It was not magic, it was not imagination, it was real
I knew I'd wake the next morning still floating on the sound
It felt as if every time he looked up, each note was just for me to feel
Each song selection picked with me in mind, how easily I was found

And even though I'm sure the rest of the audience thought
That he was singing for them and them alone
I didn't care, let them have their foolishness, if sought
I knew for whom he was there singing; for me, let it go unknown

As shocked as I was that he actually came here
I almost forgot to relax and take the wondrousness of him in
He pours his soul, his heart and all his being into every piece
It was like receiving communion without committing original sin

And spending such a sacred time within that space
Bathed completely by words and sound and spirit of a kind
When on stage, the seeming apparition, the prince of poetry
He played to all of us with inexhaustible verve and brilliance of mind

And even though I'm sure the rest of the audience thought
That he was singing for them and them alone
I didn't care, let them have their foolishness, if sought
I knew for whom he was there singing; for me, let it go unknown

As shocked as I was that he actually came here
I almost forgot to relax and take the wondrousness of him in
He pours his soul, his heart and all his being into every piece
It was like receiving communion without committing original sin

To anyone who is mystified by my adulation
There are no words of mine to justify it more than these
I am in awe and I guess I always will be
Leonard Cohen came here, if you please

Oh yeah - I am in awe and I guess I always will be
My hero Leonard Cohen came here, yes he did, if you please


 (written the day after seeing L.Cohen in concert Nov.19,2012)
                                                                      






Saturday, February 9, 2013

JUDGE NOT













In open court, the rancor
Rose like a plume
Bathing all present
With the vitriolic terms
Being tossed liked poisoned darts
Between the plaintiffs

More than once, the judge's gavel
Slammed as his face turned coral
And he demanded order
Called for some civility
Mopped his brow dry
Before scrunching his hankie
Into a ball, shaking his head

Thankfully, incidents as bad as this
Were rare, he thought
Trying to follow the thread
Of the arguments
Wishing he could duck
Below the lectern
to where his open bottle
Of single malt scotch lay
Wondered vaguely how much
Of his term on the bench
Was left ...