POETS AT PLAY IN THE FIELDS OF THE DEAN

Ontime

"Hurry up," the poet said,
"It's time," time
time in that sort of
"runic rhyme" another said,
and there isn't much left
as if it were the store
the Prophet Elijah left of
flour and wine, never
diminished each day, but
time doesn't work that way.
We do.

To finish, I remember
how much I loved
hearing my Samoan
students, my eighth
grade bandits as we
called them, shout,
"Finish" when a tedious
assignment ended.  "Finish"
and for me too, I've
always wanted, "Finish" to
see how the ending went
a surprise or a prediction,
and then I'd know, understand
and the next time I'd be
prepared except, time doesn't
work that way.  It doesn't
work at all.  We do.

As if it's some marathon
we find ourselves in
for our lifetime, and we
don't know how far or long
we'll run, and we know we won't
be winners now.  We feel our joints
our lack of energy.

But, we have to finish
our projects, I say, and then
the poetry, the music,
the photographs, who
will really care, and who will
even look at what we've
done, just another
generation in its own
marathon, running towards
a finish they will never know,
but wanting to after years,
to shout as my students
did, "Finish!" and oh,
the joy of it.



 ~~ Pat Maslowski  April 23, 2012

Time Juggling

There is a Christian tradition
of a common bond
"the communion of saints"
stretching backward and forward
through time and beyond.

Sinners like you and me
and humanity writ large
travel on the parade route
hoping god loves clowns
and jugglers.

We juggle time-temptations
hoping someone finds it amusing
(most likely children if not he who shall not be named)
and paint our faces to hide our fears
knowing parades end.



By Phil Specht on April 23, 2012



 

The Page You Are Looking For Does Not Exist.

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and the blog started by Howard Dean
disappears into the e-ther
like a Presidential campaign
activism successfully added.

not to worry

Homeland Security archives all
and e-historians may note
what magic keeps one conversation
going year after year after year

something about
"You have the power"
"What I want to know"
on a page that does not need
to exist.


By Phil Specht  April 23, 2012