Poem: "Diner" by Louis Jenkins, from Sea Smoke © Holy Cow! Press, 2004. Reprinted with permission.
Diner
The time has come to say goodbye, our plates empty except
for our greasy napkins. Comrades, you on my left, balding,
middle-aged guy with a ponytail, and you, Lefty, there on my
right, though we barely spoke I feel our kinship. You were
steadfast in passing the ketchup, the salt and pepper, no man
could ask for better companions. Lunch is over, the cheese-
burger and fries, the Denver sandwich, the counter nearly
empty. Now we must go our separate ways. Not a fond embrace,
but perhaps a hearty handshake. No? Well then, farewell. It is
unlikely I'll pass this way again. Unlikely we will all meet again
on this earth, to sit together beneath the neon and fluorescent
calmly sipping our coffee, like the sages sipping their tea
underneath the willow, sitting quietly, saying nothing.
The Sun Should Rise as Usual:
by Rachel Hackenberger
or, Roosters and Car Alarms in St. Elmo.
In shady lanes not too far from home
A man walked by,
Crowbar by his thigh
And strode the path all quiet and low.
In search of a Ford or some ill-gotten treasure
in the moment of heat
he forgot on the street
-a matter of mechanics not taken into measure.
Perchance, the thought crossed through his mind
As the axe bit the lock
and the window, the rock
A much larger sound should follow behind?
Ferocious alarms confirmed in his head
his results of contriving
to escape away driving
Would send him off running instead.
(He slipped away, all quiet and sleek
and then the roosters began to speak.)
"We have seen the sun rise in all of its shiny glory
with heat as it swells:
perhaps today it rises differently--
today it arises with alarums and bells!
"We will announce to the world
its new brand of forthcoming!
Arise all ye roosters--
commence in your humming!"
The man with the axe
now retracing his tracks
all solemn and low
and full of woe
who suffered his bar
that hit the car
that did the harm
that set the alarm
that made the roosters crow.
The commotion was multiplied triple with shouts
of the owner perplexed
and neighbors all vexed
commotion all loud
and roosters all proud
,crowbarman left to his doubts.
All return to normal, at last!
So go to bed,
you sleepy rooster heads
The morn will come as it usually has.
Whence you may herald the morning
as usual then
(but not at 11:50 pm)
in the neighborhood near
where a car sheds a tear
and the people are worn
All stirred and forlorn
at the man with the axe
now retracing his tracks
all solemn and low
and full of woe
Who suffered his bar
that hit the car
that did the harm
that set the alarm
that made the roosters crow.
The end
Is anyone else finding all kinds of nasty comments on their blogs? I just had to delete about 14 comments posted by a rape website, and a playboy email address.
What's going on?
Help!