Gerald Fleming: On Ascension Thursday
Young prodigy. Has a way with words. Brings someone out of a coma. Preaches peace, rages against bankers, tries his hand at carpentry, sexy woman loves him, meets his friends for dinner every week, they drink wine, talk, he says smart things, then, random as the rest of us, he’s killed. Gets to ascend to heaven.
Al Maginnes: Lydia Loveless’s X
And just over her heart,
a tattooed X, a set of crossed sticks, stitched
into the skin with a sewing needle and ink,
jailhouse style.
Naomi Shihab Nye: Bees Were Better
I studied bees, who were able
to convey messages through dancing
and could find their ways
home to their hives
Barbara Hamby: Ode to My Younger Self
You were so beautiful and stupid though you thought
you were smart, and in a way you were,
because you loved poetry and Beethoven and apples
Kim Stafford: American Crazy Quilt
John Henry’s hammer ringing
twinkle, twinkle little bombs bursting in air
Kim Stafford: How to make money
Sell munitions to nations at war. Sell relief supplies
for distribution at war. Fly diplomats around to talk
about war. Pay speech-writers to equivocate about war.
Rose Mary Boehm: Sunsets on Mars are Blue
We’ll soon be sending settlers to Mars.
They’ll be sitting on their porches contemplating
the Martian sunsets.
Richard Hoffman: Uncle and the Donkey Cart
One day Uncle came upon a donkey and cart, driverless, stopped in the road.
Barbara Hamby: Ode to the Sacred Heart of Everyone, Including You and You and You
Hey, Catholics, what is it with that red heart out there
beating on Jesus’ chest like some Frankenstein
experiment gone bad
Rusty Long: Survivalist Architecture
Whether the apocalypse du jour involves the arrival of peak oil, a Mayan prophecy predicting planetary disaster, or a run of the mill zombie apocalypse, there are some key design features that every architect can focus on to ensure their clients are better prepared for any end times scenario.
Barbara Hamby: Ode on Anger, the Dalai Lama, and Elliot’s Red Boots
aren’t we more like pack mules
than gods most days, picking our way
across the desert or up a mountain path with avalanches
and the heaviest loads are our grudges and fears
Sydney Lea: But-cept
From a half-century ago, I remember wishing my oldest son would continue saying ‘upslide down’ at least until first grade.
Joshua Michael Stewart: The Book of Love
The love my partner and I share is a book we’ve read many times.
Vox Populi 