Copyright © 2009 Ernest Bloom.
brown pelicans drift past gray battleships
modern sculpture bright before the ocean glare
drinking crimson-warm chianti in little italy
a pleasant specter bobbing above an empty chair
peacocks scream like mirthless murder but
they're nice and they don't really mean it
save you a chair at the world premiere
if they ever conclude it's safe to screen it
fat senator chairs the truth committee
he stinks of green tobacco and cheese
sergeant-at-arms clears the balcony for
sleazy banners written in strange chinese
he tripped the hours and tied the loop
he kicked the habit and then the chair
beside a pile of shredded letters long used
to keep him suspended and dangling there
Electrifying, the prevailing theme of birds and chairs throughout the poem and the strong ending. Funny that the The North America and Pelican Nebulae is on the APOD thingie right at this moment, it coincided perfectly with the picture of pelicans and the funny birds in the poem.
ReplyDeletei took this picture in san diego the other day. something funny about the contrrast between the (relatively) tiny and free pelicans in front of the massive and stoic wwii aircraft carrier, the uss midway. don't get me wrong; i love the boat, too. but there's something in the contrast that i can't quite identify....
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