POETRY by Mark Townsend
Qualities of
Clay and Humankind
(For Pottery
critique at Tulsa University, Dec. 19th 1975, dedicated to Bernard Leach)
"...then
the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his
nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being." (Genesis 2:7)
Over the eons,
natural law sifted the silt peacefully,
silently laying
down the secret strata.
Steamy
primordial seas pressed the colored particles,
unhurriedly
preparing for the poetry of pottery.
Gradually, the
races arose, their ascent inscrutable
to all but the
Omnipotent, Who watches...waiting.
Gnat-like, they
make their hectic way; Utopia always ahead.
And when the
time arrives, as destined,
the inquisitive
fingers form shapes,
wrestling with,
and listening to, head and heart.
The time comes
when the vessel stands. The object speaks.
It tells of all
that went before. It is a measure of all influences,
pressures,
loves, forces, intensities.
It innocently
displays what was bestowed and done.
Elements of
Earth, Air, and Water together,
brought
together in holy, subtle synthesis;
and finally,
His Fire of tests finishes expectations.
Galvanized; a
life to be lived, memories to implant.
And if by
chance, the handled thing meets its' end,
death is life
changing. It must be.
Concept to
concept, dust to dust...
How engrossing
the immense Purpose!
How timeless
and lovely these shared traits
of Clay and
Humankind!
We are vessels.
How shall we be filled before we break?
BED
From no sleep i awoke, was born,
died to the womb in a delivery room
bed...
Every night i hibernated, flew from
wrath
and fumbled, dreaming in my bed...
Everyday eternities slipped away
forever,
lost in the sloth, tumbling easy into
bed...
Somewhy we found it, in and out
of the right place, lust in bed...
Might i, rusted, withered, be born at
last,
lying somewhere dead, in bed?
DO YOU
HEAR SOMEONE?
Well, it's only me, come to see if you or he feel very free...
While on the run beneath sun , you always shun the truth for
fun...
Beneath the skies, with sullen sighs, and glaz'd eyes, and
little lies,
You are not happy; are you?
THE
FATE OF THE CREATURES
'Twas savage Cabbage , and I jest not.
'Twas he and Lettuce who viciously fought
till Carrot came to referee:
"Stop, my friends!" said Carrot, said he.
"Quit the nonsense, and dine with me."
"Splendid idea!" shouted Pepper.
"Quite, I say," said the usually rude Walnut.
"'Though we've an excellent bout going..." panted
Cabbage;
"Let's stop for some compost!" ended Lettuce insanely.
Then, in ran Melon, all sweaty, with a stench,
and began it again, so that all was invanely.
HIPPO
I do believe I see a hippo in that tree,
being very rude and staring straight at me;
as if I never (which I haven't) seen a hippo
in his perch.
The only thing I pity is
the hippo in his birch
Possibilities of a Wish (1966
This is not "gay.")
Muttering, fluttering, throughout hazy dream,
like a tiny sailboat, atop a bubbling stream.
Envisioned a wee fairy, prancing in her play!
Prancing, dancing, like the wind, on a happy
day.
I strove. I peered so very near, to see what
she might do;
I ventured closer, to see her better, but a
pebble tripped my shoe.
She turned and saw me, flitted away, left me
in a trance;
but she peeked back, and then came back, to
give me one more chance.
I wished to be a little fairy, so I could
dance also,
with flinging arm, and twirling waist, and
lightly landing toe.
And of a sudden, I was down beside her,
holding her close and tight!
Then, as all fairies come and go, we twinkled
out of sight.
Muttering, fluttering, throughout hazy dream,
like a tiny sailboat, atop a bubbling stream.
Escape and Exile
There His body lay in pain, bound in steel,
like leather;
the weight of His life, on the throne, was
nothing but a feather.
Not His body, but His mind, would leave the
dark, dank dungeon;
and then return, to suffer too, when the
jailer lunged in.
He thought, somewhat, to escape such an unjust
capture;
to be able to run, with feet re-shod, and
generate the Rapture!
He yearned to be the Sun! But no windows to
look out, no sky;
and He wondered, as He lingered, was His end
drawing nigh?
Then, He heard a clumsy sound; the others
really feared;
the jailer stopped to choose his key, and
looked at Him and leered;
unlocked His stocks and brusquely ordered Him
ahead.
"Up to the palace hall you'll sing; maybe
you'll be dead!
"Yes, you're free to go! -to go and be
the Sun!"
"That's right!" boomed Micha-EL,
"our time here is done!"
He took the Word; they freed His bonds; He
stumbled to His feet;
"Come!" the jailer commanded,
"forget the others. Be fleet!"
Then Court didn't want His song; His neck sore
from the chain;
they swore and exiled Him. O pity! pity the insane.
Back home, her lovely hands showed Him to His
bed;
and she wondered how it was that He wasn't
dead!
After a month, they left; while others
remained in slime,
oblivious and indifferent to conditions or to
time.
He did remember Lady Wisdom; who informed one
and all!
And the day would come when kings recaptured
the hall.
Awakening
In the dead but radiant silence of space,
i was draped in a robe of lightless lace.
Distance not a question, nor was time;
all that was said was said in pantomime.
No floor to stand on, naught to lean upon;
i stood on darkness, all walls were gone.
It is cold, and quiet, and very black.
When i was there, could i come back?
i could not taste, i could not smile.
My flesh was tossed; i saw the pile.
i could not hear; i could not feel.
My hands refused to hold a meal.
Unthinkingly, i watched the black;
no colors, no light. i was in The Sack.
Nothing to sense. i could not bear!
Nothing, Unknown, was very unfair.
No bacon aroma or friendly call.
Did i exist, and was that all?
But slowly, things did begin to change.
Yes! Gradually, it was not so strange.
i found my long-lost waiting soul;
Just in time! Things began to roll!
i smelled the freshness of the Breeze,
and saw a Glow, and was at ease.
My frozen tongue began to thaw;
opening my mouth, i tried to gnaw.
A sky of blue, a lawn of green!
i saw Eden as never before seen!
Steve, robed in white, came down from the
Tree,
approached and smiled, and said: "Come
with me."
i found it very easy to follow;
i felt again i was not so hollow.
"Why" i asked "did it ever
change,
from the lovely Truth, to the ungodly
strange?"
And Steve said "You never were there.
I woke you up. I cared. I cared."
In the Real Realm
If you look
closely, you will see
an ugly thing
inside of me.
What it is I
care not say;
but it is not
in there to stay.
This demon has
no place in me;
and I insist on
being free!
I must fight
and cast it out,
no matter how
long and mean the bout.
And, there is
another thing inside of me,
quite different
from the first, you see.
It will not let
me sit and rest,
but always
finds another test.
Why does it
care to bother me,
and make
imploring faces?
It jerks me on,
till I'm giddy,
with its weary
paces.
Ah! the truth
is clearer now I see;
and there is a
better way to be.
I shall seek
that way, I know;
and follow it
where e'er I go.
I'll speed away
with my true Master
and safely shun
a dark disaster.
I'll lose the
demon in the dust.
The truthful
way I'll keep. I must!
There was a
Man...
(1966)
There was a man
today, on first floor;
I had never
seen him there before.
'Twas very odd,
the way he acted;
he laughed out
loud, with face refracted.
And every now
and then,
he'd stop and
stare at other men,
remove his hat,
which was a derby,
and do strange
versions of hurdy-gurdy.
Amazed was I
when he went away;
he seemed quite
solemn, but not dismayed.
He climbed
aboard a silly car,
and flew away,
very far...
I never saw
that man again,
but I'll never
forget his funny grin.
HOW OUR Rs WERE
USURPED
(Conceived in 1994, after encountering two English TESOL
teachers named John)
There were two
men on second floor;
they'd never
seen me there before.
They said
they'd come to take the oz
from off the
end of most our wads.
They robbed us
of the little lette',
and said ow wads would be much bette'.
They thought to
lose me was not too dea'
And I didn't
have that much to fea'
'Twas vedy quee', the way I sawr it;
they'd say an
R, but wouldn't drawr it!
Inevitably, I
was sent away;
they showed such
zeal and no dismay.
I got into my
silly ca'
and drove away, vedy fa'
I neve' sawr them any mo'
They shooed me
out and shut the do'
I often wonde' how they've fai'd;
but then, I
don't see why I ca'ed.
She:
"i will be free of thee,
and
thy weepy teas, and flee
to a
teepee in the trees,
or
see the breeze upon the sea;
and
on my knees in glee,
seize
my Chí, and let it Be."
popPOP
Apocalyptic Epoch
(A poem thru
Po)
The Divine
Appointment kept: Heaven espoused Earth!
Something
Impetuous inspired the 1844 telegraph!
A portentuous
Purpose was covenanted;
but the Primal
Point was missed by most.
I sat beside
Potter's Pond, plucking my pomegranate,
with my
portfolio of posters, pondering the polywogs.
I dreamed of Poeciliid pools,
and the new body-politic.
At our posts
pioneers pollinate the potential of podunk.
From Aleppo to
Pomona, from Acropolis to Annapolis,
to Poland to
Polynesia, the holy polonaise resounds;
indeed, from
pole to pole its' tempo quickens all,
and potentates
bow politely at their symposium.
Poised for
peace, the masses wait, following imposters,
while pompous
politicians expound popular polemics,
assuring money
pours into their pockets.
They play poker
with the portionless poor.
The Polish Pope
goes on pilgrimage to portray what?
He doesn't see
the Omnipotent Lord of the Age?
Why is it so
impossible to stop gestapos from poaching?
How many more
pogroms must mar human history?
Apollo
impounded, the challenge blown, at its' poignant apogee.
People, police
yourselves, and apologize for pot and porn.
Humbly polish
your hearts, to reflect Power and Glory,
innocent as
poplars poinsettias, porpoises and polar bears.
On
Mount Nebo, hobos say by
light
that was a bloody color.
Road
before them, they intoned a
prayer
that lasts a thousand years.
Moon Poem #1
I lay in my bed, my face turned
upward toward the night sky, outside my high-set southern window, my back
turned from Polaris, my head in Western lands, my feet in Eastern soil, and
dead the day of sunlit toil. Window open, shutter wide, the midnight moonlight
flooded sadly, coolly in. It drifted shimmering, and wafted glimmering, down into
my silent room, where I lay alone in bed.
In that Libran
night I tried to sleep,
but quiet peace
I could not keep.
Nocturnal
sprites about me rose,
and tickled
eyes that would not close.
I tossed and
jerked with heavy sighs,
and with my
hands did hide those eyes.
Then, in my
ear, I heard a whisper,
and suddenly
the air felt crisper!
Looking up and
all around
I saw a silver
light abound.
The Moon, in
bright waxing gleam,
sent down a
dusty, glinting beam.
My anxious
frame was sorely fazed,
as at the milky
Moon I gazed.
With dual eyes
I looked and saw.
with hidden Eye
I sensed in awe!
Humble before
the sage I lay,
in that shining
lunar ray.
Willing ever,
stubborn never,
I wished for
Wisdom to last forever.
I looked and
listened in the night,
to that
teacher, round and bright.
I sighed and
let the wisdom in-
just for me,
and yet all men.
On that eerie
light I dined,
served by the
misty, majestic Mind.
At the peak of
my surprise,
I felt a tug
upon my eyes.
They swelled
and peered,
and stared and
neared,
and could not
leave that cratered face.
I sensed a fragment
of that grace.
In the light,
originally from Sol,
emanating, and
holding all;
My yearning was
for such a peace
that would only
spread, and never cease.
The Moon spoke:
"The Power that began all shall sustain all,
and is that to which all must return.
It is Unknowable;
but from it comes movement and stillness;
from it comes this and that;
from it comes then and now.
It is you and I, both them and us, yet
neither you nor I, nor them, nor us,
but all of us and more.
There is not anything outside of it.
There is not anything within it.
It is within and without all
It is Omnipresent.
It is Omniscient.
It is Omnipotent.
It is Omnitemporal,
and Om forever and forever.
It is the precious Mystery.
It is the one Truth."
Then the Moon
spoke no more,
but moved on
through the sky.
Moon Poem #2
How fair the
Moon, that noble globe!
I watch a
solemn and perplexing face;
does it behold
me in return?
What does it see? Why is it strange?
Is it the
pearly paling, waxing, waning
of moods
contrary, that I hold so dear?
Or is it
blindness that I suffer,
and the truth
of it I cannot see?
O, Spirit
Divine, forgive me,
for impressions
fantastic, anthropomorphic.
Let me see
clearly, what it is merely.
Then, I shall
praise it, and gaze in awe at it.
Verily, it is a
sign of your magnificence,
your loving,
shining timelessness.
Moon
Poem #3
BE LIKE
THE MOON 1969 My favorite.
Look up beyond
the heads of men,
Into the night!
Black sky above!
Into the pale,
soft face of love!
Be like the
Moon; outshine the stars,
Guiltless,
smiling face of scars.
Arise humanity,
and explore creation!
But first you
must build a lunar station!
In unstirred
silence, quietude,
Serene
composure, gentle mood,
Be like the
Moon, whose light is cool,
Sweetly glowing
distant jewel.
Behind a cloud,
or hid at day,
I thought that
Luna’d lost her way;
But ‘tis me got
lost below the clouds;
From Terra come
monthly shadow shrouds.
No, the
Moon-like Man will never stray,
…even when
we’re turned away.
Splendid orb
from silver crescent,
Darkness
mending, ever-present.
Who lifts the
lovers’ eyes from pride?
Day in, day
out, who turns the tide?
When has the
Moon e’er shouted back?
What is there
calm assurance lacks?
So, when your
little quarrel dies,
Look humbly up
nocturnal skies.
Whisper vows of
peace, and smile too;
For there is
nothing that can rile you.
Be like the
Moon and sit quite still,
Subject to the Divine Will.
When sadness comes and lights are small,
Be like the Moon, and smile on all.
a haiku
Yellow aspen leaves
wing their way
in the urgent, chill
and willful wind.
We have said it.
We have said we love each other:
You love me and I love you.
The words echo hauntingly about...
But I am frightened because
the wealth that was intended to fill
not my pockets, but my heart,,
is mostly in the sacred coffers still.
O, that I might be fine and true,
as the tug within the breasts of geese
is fine and true; love would lure me
to my southland, silently, steadily,
year after year...
We have said we love each other:
You love me and I love you.
The words sink electrically into me.
But I seem to insist on guzzling
the wonderful waters,
waters meant for everyone,
waters that only sour into poison
from sweet nectar,
when they are
held too long unused,
waters that must flow onward,
in ever-widening waves,
quenching the peoples' thirsts,
waters that have their fount beginning
and their final aim, in the Well of Love.
We have said we love each other:
You love me and I love you.
The words fly out, turn, await me...
We have fondly uttered holy words,
and nearly stumble beneath their weight.
Ii glance from side to side and see
the whole Life System throbbing
in warm anticipation
and justified expectation for me,
for you have said I love you,
and I have said I love you...
SO let us hurl ourselves
over the roaring cataract,
and gush out like streams,
thoughts calm, understanding actions,
patient words of kindness.
Our hearts will glow with proof,
the noble wealth of giving, forgiving,
for we have said we love each other...
I repeat it over to myself amazed.
Upon the Sea
When
sailing out upon the sea,
I thought deep of you
and me...
And when I looked up at
the sky,
I heaved a very heavy
sigh.
When pulling on the
tossing boil,
busily engaged in sweaty
toil,
I knew that land did
hold a heart,
that seemed to tear me,
part by part.
When sails were tugging
me around,
I put away all thought
of ground...
and let the tide drag me
away,
and let it float me
where it may.
If gentler motives'd
entered you,
I'd've swept you up and
taken you;
we'd sail away on seas
of blue,
and surely found the
sacred clue.
Somehow Sunday stayed in
the town.
Somewhere water flowed
turbid brown.
Someone sighed down in
the nest;
and I can only feel the rest.
A gentle move she cannot
see.
She seems to relish the
pain in me.
She knows no care or
kindness warm;
and seems to revel in my
storm.
Perhaps the object of
her desire
will smother her in
hotter fire.
I sigh and watch her
glitter glow;
then sadly homeward,
alone I go.
Drowned was I in
passion's pond;
for of a tigress I was
fond.
A wild thing with a
fiery heart;
no shred of gravity can
I impart.
Lovers
Like
two streams, the lovers merge;
They
do not strive, and so are firm.
Like
two swans that swim the streams,
The
lovers glide, shoulder to shoulder.
Like
trees at Dawn, that hug the banks,
The
lovers follow the light of life together.
Like
the canyon walls that cradle the streams,
The
lovers sit, and gaze, and smile at each other.
Like
two eyes in one head,
The
lovers focus on one purpose.
From
separate springs far up the mountain,
The
streams flow forth, till, as a single river,
They
journey to the sea.
Wolverine's Speech
"Out
of savage animosity, and relentless curiosity,
I
follow the spoor of a rabbit.
Creeping
thru the snow, having no friend or foe,
I
will catch up, as is my habit.
Inexorably
do I gain; and I'll inflict such pain!
I
see the little rabbit nicely trapped.
Terribly
I spring! The tender neck I bring!
Warm
is the rodent blood I've lapped.
I
have heard of gentler fold; but ever since my yolk,
I
was destined to be a killer.
You
must have me in the Plan, with bird and fish and man,
giver,
taker, reaper, and tiller.
Existence
on this plane can often be a pain;
but
thru the rolling of the worlds, a souls true worth unfurls.
Be
you wolverine or snake, your destiny will not shake;
you
must be what you must be, and face tomorrow.
Pull down the crone from
off her throne,
proclaim her reign is
over!
Throw her bones upon the
stones,
below the cliffs of
Dover.
OwlaProwl's Speech
(flutter
flutter)
"I
perch upon this branch, with these, my talons.
I
regard the squirrel-cage of human activity."
(peering
beneath every bush)
"I
search for furry mammals that scurry forth
on
their compulsive errands. They'll be my meals."
(eyes
gleaming golden)
"This
raptor is large and hungry.
I
survey the path with eyes like head-lights!"
(swoosh!
Talons expertly clutch rodenta.
Feathers
ruffle, wings fold back, down drifts away)
"With
this curv'ed beak, like a scimitar,
I
will now rip what ripe meat there is to eat."
(snik
crack, peck gulp)
Gabby and Hound
(Composed
at TFA, Portland, OR, 1995-7)
Gabby the Clown came
into town
with his hound, that
sniffed around.
Zounds! What that Clown
must've found!
They strung him up; then
cut him down.
Wound up, the hound ran
round the town,
which tired of his
mournful sound;
and when he bounded from
the pound,
they found him
floundering upon the mound
of his late master,
Gabby the Clown,
whom they had lowered
down in the ground.
Then, Gabby's hound,
with wet eyes brown,
limped out of town,
without his Clown,
...without a sound.
In the Giant, Gentle Hand
you
and others made me crabby.
By
some great and quiet Plan,
I'm
what I am, and you were Gabby.
By
some ever awesome processes,
things
evolve from start to finish;
who
am I to see what crosses,
and
what falls down to diminish?
We
think they'll make the morrow better;
we're
sure we won't be flabby!
But
my tomorrow's up to me;
and
yours? Where are you Gabby?
You
were everything; yet you were not.
You
felt the cold as well as the hot.
You
loved the Blacks and the Whites;
You
tried to give everyone their rights.
You
made me happy along the way;
You
quickly took away dismay.
You
saw all the weak and all the strong;
and
to you, each did belong.
Love at Last, to Last?
Once
was a void, deepening black
lacking
interest, empty and slack.
Then,
came a spark beginning hope,
and
we were bound, like a rope.
Marko
loved Nancy; was it certain?
together
inside, behind the curtain.
From
her he could not refrain;
and
absence was only another pain.
They
dreamed of the moment
when,
finally, they'd kiss;
and
perhaps keep living
in
continual bliss.
He
always crafted thoughts alone,
in
secret, to himself;
thinking
all alone at home,
like
dusty books upon the shelf.
He
felt outside his crusty coat,
there
might be love, perhaps.
But,
surrounded by his moat,
in
reverie he would lapse.
To
certain ones, he did try
to
let ideas flow;
but
soon, in failure, he would sigh,
and
sadly home he'd go.
Desperately,
he got surprised,
found
love online, not near.
She
became the goal of his eyes;
and
seemed to smile sincere.
She,
like him, was incomplete,
impatient
for a start;
irked
to watch her stud compete
for
love below the heart.
Urgently,
just those two,
they
began to share;
searching
for the other
in
the private chatroom lair.
They
learned quite well what was meant
and
caught the little pauses.
As
they talked, gaining hints
what
could be the causes
that
made him take on solitude
trying
lazily to share,
when
his body wanted nude,
and
touchings, hair to hair.
What
made her housekeep only
feeling
something inside dead;
often
humiliated and lonely,
and
familiar with dread.
So
they opened, so they shared,
each
others' brightness they did see;
then
they were not all alone;
he
had her; he has me!
Green
eyes fixedly beheld him.
From
the charred and blackened deadness
of
the burned forests' floor,
tiny
flowers appeared...
until
another fire came, scorching dry debris
and ravaged all again.
Lovely Lady
"No need to fear
me."
she hears him sing;
"so come roost near
me
What did you
bring?"
Let me hear your song;
no one else may listen.
And let me please, gaze
long,
as your blue eyes
glisten.
I dreamed a dream
that you were here;
and now you seem
to be drawing near.
I had to wander
drearily,
waiting for a swan;
then, you descended
wearily,
and hovered on my lawn.
I desired a still place
for thee, with tired wings;
at last, a nice and
kindly face,
unburdening previous
things.
Now, we have some shade,
preserved in Cotacachi;
how nice a nest you've
made,
near the city park, with
me.
Like two streams,
the lovers merge;
they do not strive
and so are firm.
Like two swans
that swim the streams;
the lovers glide
shoulder to shoulder.
Like trees at dawn,
that hug the banks,
the lovers follow
the Light of Life
together.
Like canyon walls
that cradle the stream;
the lovers sit, and
gaze,
and smile at each other.
Like two eyes
in one head,
the lovers focus
on one purpose.
From separate springs
the streams flow forth,
till, as a single river,
they journey to the Sea.
O you Precious! pretty
and sweet!
Petting you is such a
treat!
I'm deeply grateful to
you;
and you make me want
more too,
when you leave me with a
kiss,
imagining everything I
miss.
O my Love, silky and
soft!
Your love makes me soar
aloft!
You kept me back from
the brink;
and since then, all I do
is think.
I cherish everything
about you;
and refuse to be without
you.
O look at us, on our
way!
We grow closer every
day!
I love you lady; don't
you hear?
God has blessed us,
please don't fear.
I surrendered; and I
trust you;
so trust me when I say:
Just you!
I love your delicate
ears, hidden in your hair,
and your big tears, when
your man's not there.
I love you from your
sensitive nose
right down to your
pretty white toes!
I love you for your
vibrant laugh,
and your shapely curled
up calf.
I love your sensuous
lips and rounded hips,
your big, green eyes,
and welcome thighs!
I love to kiss each
lovely breast,
and use them for a soft
head-rest.
I love your cute butt,
and even your gut;
you make me feel it's
time to rut!
I love everything about
you, even your eggs;
though I can't have
them, between your legs.
This poem was about your
every part;
but what I loved best is
your tender heart.
Happy the Children Go
Laughing,
holding hands,
skipping
across a lush, green meadow,
the
children go, in a wonderful, timeless springtime.
Green
cloaked mountains standing all around,
rushing
streams gurgling
in
and out and about the carv'ed rocks.
The
sky is bright and blue and cloudless.
The
salamanders are not afraid of the children.
The
children inhale deeply the crisp, clean air,
full
of happiness, and the songs of many birds.
Never
will they tire of the clearness.
Now,
the little cluster runs fitfully, they leap
and
tumble and whirl dizzily in the sir,
laughing
and chattering as one.
Glistening
hair, bobbing and streaming,
brightly
printed garb, flashing varied faces,
scarves
tied and flying from young necks.
Charging
up the hill, round and green,
they
stop and pant, discussing this and that.
Lying
on the grass, chewing a blackberry, kissing.
Eagle
eyes the fellowship from far above.
On
their backs, the children dream of soaring high,
competing
with the king of birds, in flight.
Babbling
and playing, living and loving,
the
children are in the meadow.
All
is quiet for an hour. Then, a burst of laughter,
and
the children run away like phantoms.
Camp
Myrtlewood, Oregon
Tucked
into tall-timbered hills, where,
around
an open meadow,
the
children laughed and played.
The
humble cabins stood and stared.
Behind
them, in a ferny ravine,
the
silent stream flowed at a steady pace;
its
water shallow and clear;
it
tasted cool and sweet.
A
mass of dark, grey stone, cradling the stream,
which
had sculpted it over time,
into
enticing shapes and curves.
Brown
salamanders, with orange bellies,
dawdled
lazily, waiting to be caught
by
the children, who stored them
in
the bowl-shaped depressions time had made.
Reddish
crawdads lurked and scattered
from
inexpert attempts to catch them.
They
glared with their bulbous eyes.
Delicate
water spiders danced above darting fishlets,
small
and bright as dimes.
The
cloudless sky arched brilliant;
the
tall trees stood sentient and still.
The
black crow's croaking caused the children to look up;
but
with gentle insistence,
the
gleaming stream re-captured their attention.
They
continued their expedition,
stalking
the creatures in the stream.
The
resplendent sun descended,
sending
streaks of mauve and pink
through
the boughs, to color the lovely water,
running
past the barefoot boys,
who
blushed just like shy, young girls...
past
the patiently patterned stone,
lower
into the valley, to the pacific, at Coos Bay.
I
shall not soon forget the tender beauty of the stream,
and
the pleasure that we found there,
when
such secrets were revealed to me.
Flomentum
The sun shone during the late rain
and a wolf was born in the mountains.
Sitting, waiting, in the car,
it began to rain believers from the sky!
And us, still encompassed with gray!
Some droplets settled on the glass,
appearing by His power.
More believers came down, here and there,
faster and faster, closer and closer.
The more that lit, the heavier became
the earlier drops, until they surged
and trickled into one another,
forming rivulets down the glass...
Soon the weight of the believers
made a single, sinking surface.
The more instructive torrent,
the more flomentum on the glass.
The wolf, fairly named,
retreated into the wilderness.
Squabs (1971)
Squabs about to fly
from their niche beneath the roof...
Why are humans self-bound,
stubborn and aloof?
When will the humans,
riding on their mirth,
feel the truth, and soaring upwards,
be submissive as the earth?
In skies of spirit they may fly,
while walking in the lands;
but they barter precious time,
and star down at their hands.
The Water Ships (Published in
a college anthology, 1972)
The water ships bloom
shiny and bulbous white on top.
Underneath they make
a smooth and shady ceiling.
The water ships, like great, ghostly snails,
crawl, slowly, unhurriedly,
in silent fleets,
carrying drinks to thirsty roots and mouths.
the oldman
mightbeme
Thou art the
warm breeze rushing thru my trees!
Me, a raptured
fish swimming Thy seas!
I saw an oldman
in wrinkled yellow khaki
walking stiffly
past a sandstone wall, alone...
She is the
velvet one with shining eyes,
the smoothly
moving one, with soft, warm thighs...
But, I heard
thunder easily pounding sound down,
shuddering
humble homes.
She was the
sweet voiced, sweet kissing one,
the armful I'm
missing...
But I see the
jagged lightning, rushing unexpected;
startled man,
hectic wires popping,
teeth on edge,
screech, fingernails blackboard!
But Thou art
the eye-catcher, haven homeland calling.
Azimov, Sagan and Hawking,
all summoned to The King.
Sagan, Hawking and Azimov
Were Below, but now Above!
Hawking, Azimov and Sagan
no longer want to be pagan.
TWIN-BIRTHDAYS
With summer
clearly turned and gone,
and Autumn
heavily coming on,
I took a walk
one hallowed eve,
white snow so
easy to conceive.
In that early,
hazy night,
grey clouds
low, a true twilight,
I went to
adjacent lot unplowed,
sauntered
huddled, meekly bowed.
In windy gusts
and frost so sober,
I sank into
scorpion October.
On that little
field I tread,
hither,
thither, magically led.
And at the
point of bleakest mist,
like a
laughing, brown-eyed cyst,
grew one
sunflower, small and sturdy,
like a gypsy
hurdy-gurdy.
In the midst of
sternest strife,
it bobbed and
hummed its' little life.
Wee leaves
firm, with modest breath,
it clutched the
earth and awaited death.
In that
whistling, blustery eve,
I found that
good shrine hard to leave;
in that frigid,
ghoulish dusk,
I smiled,
knowing, at the sky;
I bayed and
prayed and slowly came
to new emotions,
private shame.
Despite all
pain, all hate and woe,
Spring shall
have her turn; 'tis so!
For Death is
but a Door anew,
for plant, and
hill, for me and you.
Agape el-Abhá
Crowds of
people! Please slow down!
Listen to the
sweet, new sound.
Remember
smiles, and do not frown,
before the
melody of Agape.
If your
conscience pleads and asks
why your ego
keeps those masks;
and, in its'
own light it basks,
then you've
missed Agape.
If you've
misplaced all your loves,
and when you
handle gentle doves,
your hands don
heavy, iron gloves,
you've
overlooked Agape.
There are some
who left the slot,
who cared,
aware, and dared a lot!
In the jaws of
self they were not caught;
for they found
Agape.
Few, O few,
around here care;
fewer yet would
ever dare;
and next to
none become aware
of the Glory of
el-Abhá.
Lert the nations come
and see
Carmel mountain, by
the sea,
Let the children come
and be
the harvest of el-Abhá.
It is for all who
come to pass,
every lad and every
lass;
and someday the
entire Mass
will celebrate el-Abhá!
"Touch the
people, Lord," he sighed.
"Stir them up,
where e'er they hide!
Draw them out from
every side,
with the blast call
of el-Abhá!"
FOUNDATION
OF 7V
Veracity
Vision
Virtue
Volition
Vigor
Valor
Victory
Voracity
Vanity
Vice
Violation
Violence
Venom
Vanishment
Vee
People
Vigor
Valor
Vie
Via
Vivacious Virginity
Vouchsafed
Vassalage
Vehemence
Vengeance
Visibility
Vision
Vast
Vistas
Vesture
Vibration
Volunteer
Volition
Voyage
Virtues
Value
Vivid
Vigil
Vote
Veto
Victory
Vow
Vicegerency
Vanguard
Voice
Verses
Volubility
Verification
Vindication Vivification
Venerable
Visitation
Vocation
Visibility
Victuals
Validity
Vitality
Virility
Vehicle
Vortex
Variety
Venture
Vicissitudes
achy breaky
antsy-pantsy
argy-bargy
beanie weenie
bed head
be-boppin
bitchin kitchen
bloaty floaty
boob tube
boo-boo
boo-hoo
boogie-woogie
brain drain
breasty nesty
brick-a-brack
Chilly Willy
Crazy days
criss-crossed
cow-towed
dead heads
dibble-dabbl
Dirty Thirties
dilly-dally
ding dong
dome home
drama trauma
droopy drip drop
easy-peasy
fender bender
fiddle-faddle
flim-flam
fling-a-ding
flip-flops
flotsam & jetsam
fluff muffin
fuddy-duddy
fussy-wussy
fuzzy buzzy
gal pal
gewgaw
gringo lingo
groggy doggy
handy pandy
hanky-panky
harum-skarum
heap o’ sheep
hearty starty
heaty feety
heebie-jeebies
Hell's bell's
helter-skelter
higgledy-piggledy
hill billy
hip-hoppin
hocus-pocus
hoity-toity
hokey-pokey
hootchy-kootchy
hubba hubba
hubble-bubble
huffin ‘n' puff
huggermugger
hump a rump
hunk o’ junk
hunky monkey
hurdy-gurdy
hurly-burly
itchy & scratchy
itsy-bitsy
licky sticky
lolly-gaggin’
jibber-jabber
litter clutter
knick-knackery
lay in the hay
maybe baby
meals on wheels
mish-mash
Miss Priss
muckety muck
mumbo jumbo
namby-pamby
nitty-gritty
palsy walsy
pell mell
Piggly-Wiggly
pish posh
pitter patter
pop a top
quasi nausi
rabble-babble
rag-tag
real deal
riff-raff
rolly pollies
rope a dope
run a round
shilly shally
shy guy
sing song
sizzle fizzled
slippery slop
snack pack
sneaky snake
sneak a peek
snicker snack
sniffin’ snuff
spiffy stuff
stiff
enuff
soggy-woggy
stinkin’ thinkin’
stabby grabby
stranger danger
study buddy
swervy curvy
teen scene
Tex Mex
tipsy-topsy-turvey
trolley dollies
tutti fruiti
walkie-talkie
Wavy Gravy
wheeler-dealer
whirl a girl
wild child
willy-nilly
wishy-washy
work-schmork
woozie-floozies
yabba dabba doo
yakkity-yak
Zig Zag
Zoot suit
MOST GREATS
MOST GREAT ONE
MOST GREAT THRONE
MOST GREAT SPIRIT
MOST GREAT MANIFESTATION
MOST GREAT REVELATION
MOST GREAT RESURRECTION
MOST GREAT COUNTENANCE
MOST GREAT LIGHT
MOST GREAT NAME
MOST GREAT GLORY
MOST GREAT BEAUTY
MOST GREAT VERSES
MOST GREAT OCEAN
MOST GREAT TREE
MOST GREAT INFALLIBILITY
MOST GREAT TABLET
MOST GREAT TESTIMONY
MOST GREAT HOUSE
MOST GREAT AGITATION
MOST GREAT ANNOUNCEMENT
MOST GREAT FESTIVAL
MOST GREAT MERCY
MOST GREAT CAUSE
MOST GREAT TIDINGS
MOST GREAT ORNAMENT
MOST GREAT INSTRUMENT
MOST GREAT TRUTH
MOST GREAT SIGN
MOST GREAT CORD
MOST GREAT VEIL
MOST GREAT IDOL
MOST GREAT FIRE
MOST GREAT SEPARATION
MOST GREAT PRISON
MOST GREAT GUIDANCE
MOST GREAT BOOK
MOST GREAT LAW
MOST GREAT PILGRIMAGE
MOST GREAT BRANCH
MOST GREAT FAVOR
MOST GREAT ASSISTANCE
MOST GREAT STEADFASTNESS
MOST GREAT CHARACTERISTIC
MOST GREAT CONVULSION
MOST GREAT UNITY
MOST GREAT WORLD ORDER
MOST GREAT JUSTICE
MOST GREAT PEACE
MOST GREAT CIVILIZATION
HYMN to HIM, Lord of the
Messianic Messengers
All, O Alláh, All! Allow all into Thy hallowed halls! Thou art
our Aim, the Abhá Abba (All-Glorious Father), the Able, the
Absolute, the Absolver. Thou art
the Almighty, the
All-Knowing, the All-Wise, the All-Bountiful, the All-Possessing, the
All-Sufficing, the All-Seeing, the All-Hearing, the All-Compelling, the
All-Loving, the All-Merciful, the Assister, the August. We bow the brow to the Benevolent
Beloved, the Best Bestower of boundless bounty, the Blessed Beauty, the
Benign Being, the Causer of causes, the Compassionate Companion, the
Consummate Consciousness, the Continuous Creator, the Changeless Champion, the
Convener, the Covenentor, the Divine Designer, the Decider of the deeds of
the dead, the Destination of the destitute, the Eternal Entity, the
Edifying Educator, the Eloquent, the Engenderer of all energies, the
Ever-Abiding, Ever-Giving, Ever-Bestowing, the Flawless Law-Giver, the
Forgiver Forever, Great GOD!
The
Guide to all good, the Gracious, the Generous, the Goal of All Souls, the
Holy Healer of the holism, the Humorist, the Infallible, the Ineffable, the
Inviolable, the Invaluable, the Invincible, the Invisible, the
Incomparable, the Inaccessible, the Inscrutable, the Indestructible, the
Independent, the Infinite Intelligence, the Just Judge, the Kind King of
all things, the lauded Lord and Leader, the Ever-Living, Life-Giving,
Life-Maker, Life-Taker, the Manifest, the Munificent, the Mainstay, the
Master of every fervent servant, the Luminous, Magnanimous, Numinous in
us!
The
Omnipotent, Omniscient, Omnipresent, Omnitemporal Origin of Om, the One
Oracle we will all obey, the Primordial Primary, the Pure and perfect
Power, the Potent, the Patient, the Peerless Possessor, the Provider,
Promoter, Protector, --but Procreator?
O
Thou the Quintessential Quickener and Quencher! Our Ruler to rely on, in the
Real Realm, for all Realization, Resurrection, Renewal, Revival,
Repentance, Redemption, Regeneration, Return, Revelation,
Rap-ture, Radiance, Reward Reunion, and
the Rizván Reckoning! Thou art the Sacred Source of the Force, the
Self-Subsisting! May we submit to the Sublimity of Thy Superior
Spirit, the Supreme Sinlessness, the Sanctified Savior, the trustworthy True
One, the Tender, on the Throne of Transcendent Totality!
Thou
art the Uncreated, the Unborn, the Undying, the Unbounded, the
Unseen, the Unmatched, the Unchallengeable, the Unassailable, the
Underestimated, the Undefeated, the Unsurpassed, the Unimpeded, the
Untrammeled, the Unimaginable, the Unattainable, the Unperturbed, the
Unrestricted, the Unconditioned, the Unconstrained, the Unsearchable, the
Unearthly, the Unalterable, the Unequalled, the Unrestricted, the Uncorrected,
the Undeterred, the Unhindered, the Unlimited, the Undivided, the
Unceasing, the Untutored, the Unmoved, the Unknowable Essence, the
Unifying Unicity! Thou art the Voicer of Virtuous Verses, Worthy of
Worship, the Wielder of Will over the whirling worlds, the Exalted Apex
and Axis of all Existence, O Thou Who art Háhút, YAHUAH YA HU! and Zealous
for Zion!
REAL CALM
REAL
CALM
MUST
COME
WHEN
TRUE
LOVE
DOTH
STOP
THEM
THAT
WILL
KILL
FOLK
FLAT
DEAD
LIKE
UNTO
DEER
MEAT.
At Bahji
Like a heart, at Bahji, the path goes in
And pathways are leading out;
And we came and went, at will,
By straight radiating routes.
And when you’ve found the Path
That quickly Homeward leads,
Then get on it, and stay on it,
And let it guide your deeds.
Perhaps we’ll meet beneath the Tree,
Unshod our feet beside the sea.
We’ll take long walks on shining days,
And have strange talks, and say our says.
The wind and rain do please my heart,
With the beauty of their part.
Mothers and children: Micha-EL’s calling,
And wants to stop your hearts from falling.
Hear Wisdom whisper all year long,
And sing the lyrics of her Song!
When seasons turn and touch your ears
With calls of Home and tenderness,
Answer swiftly, surely, simply;
And start the journey Home to rest.
All thought of family feuds is past.
The Blessed Peace is here at last.
Take good old dreams and begin to mend;
And follow them on, to the End.
A Prayer for Gaia Earth
How
Life flourishes abundantly! Everywhere expressed, both tenaciously and
tenuously! Praised be God, the Ever-Living, Life-Giving, Life-Maker,
Life-Taker! O God! Assist us to nurture and protect Life! Let peace and justice
and unity reign.
Please Lord, let Thy Balance and good-pleasure again be re-asserted in the
world! Please Lord, let Thy Balance and good-pleasure again be re-asserted in
the world!
Fill our beautiful planet with unending freshness again: birds singing, clouds
gathering, sun rising, ferns proliferating, streams forever rushing pure and
free, tides forever advancing and receding, trees silently growing, their
leaves tenderly spreading, old-growth groves rising like cathedral columns, in
danger of no saws or fires, fish and animals in their state of balance,
humanity humble, not haughty.
Please Lord, let Thy Balance and good-pleasure again be re-asserted in the
world! Please Lord, let Thy Balance and good-pleasure again be re-asserted in
the world!
Confine
the cities to their places, and allow them not to destroy the lovely Gaia
Earth. Raise up strong guardians of the unspoiled places. Let there be harmony
between the country and the cities. Let there be harmony between the bodies and
souls. Allow all into Thy hallowed halls. All, O Allah, all! Allow all into Thy
halls!
Please Lord, let Thy Balance and good-pleasure again be re-asserted in the
world! Please Lord, let Thy Balance and good-pleasure again be re-asserted in
the world!
Permit our children to pass through the ancient forests, in peace and honor.
Permit our children to pass through the ancient forests, in peace and honor.
Permit our children to pass through the ancient forests, in peace and honor.
Permit our children to pass through ancient forests, in peace and honor. Permit
our children to pass through the ancient forests, in peace and honor. Permit
our children to pass through the ancient forests, in peace and honor. Permit
our children to pass through the ancient forests, in peace and honor. Permit
our children to pass through the ancient forests, in peace and honor. Permit
our children to pass through the ancient forests, in peace and honor.
What secret
things did the Greatest Name hear from the Nameless One?
What
wonders He revealed to us, revolutionizing our entire world!
Imagine what the Tongue of Might utters "in His
All-Glorious Abode"!
What
private words transpired between The Manifestation and the Master?
Imagine the
Manifestation whispering inspiration in your ear, and your reply!
Did He tell
Aqa that He would have to endure His own brother, as His Father did?
Did the
Master eagerly consent, and sigh at the feet of the Lord of all Mankind?
So
majestically He paced in California, after being released from the prison city!
How
inevitably that Moon rose, reflecting
the Sun, to the people of night!
GLORY
GLARE GLOW
GLOSSY GLISTEN GLITTER
GLINT
GLAM GLEAM GLOAM GLUM
GLOOM
Why are we wired for war and weary with worry?
Our King's aching echoes in Akka!
Akka echoes our King's aching!
No contention is contentment.
Balance your parlance.
Keep calm in calamity.
Commit to community.
Center in Serenity.
Submit to Sublimity.
To suffice, sacrifice.
Don’t cuss! Discuss!
Don’t insult! Consult!
Don’t argue! Agree!
Don’t complain! Come plan!
Don't lie to God. Rely upon God.
Don’t object to God. Be subject to God.
Dismiss God to your own demise.
Dare not abhor the Abhá Order.
Adore, subordinate, without a border.
Seek no sex at all except in nuptials.
Be abstinent, not
obstinate.
Be devoted to the creatures,
but de-tached from their features.
Know humility, not humiliation!
From devotion, let there be no deviation!
Arise humanity, and explore creation!
But first, you must build a lunar station!
Stop staring at
the stars and start to steer to them. Eternal Light
and Infernal Fire are both internal.
Whither goest thy
wandering ghost,
when it leaveth its wan
and withering host?
