EAGLE ON THE MOON
When the Eagle lands on the moon
the Indian will come back
into his power
When the mother is in pain
the children who never forgot
will remind
They will have the medicine
to heal her wounds
They will sit with her while
strength returns
And the children who forgot
will remember
and bring flowers
SEEDS
(or Austin International Poetry Festival)
Birds seed lakes
flying with fish roe
between each muddy toe
Spiking
each pond with pike
and smaller fish that pike like
The poets from England were here last year
including Jay, and bearded imp John Row
carrying seeds between each muddy toe
CIRCLES
Primitive peoples see life in circles
but we’ve tried to straighten them out
taught them how to get ahead
and what life’s really all about
For we know the ways of progress
and we’re moving along just fine
But did we forget to our own regret
that there’s nothing inside a line
GRACE
All is grace that falls upon us
The opening lotus
holds more
of the holy water
THE PIETA
Michelangelo
polished the Pieta, polished the Pieta
polished the Pieta
Tired past all tired
polished the Pieta, polished the Pieta
polished the Pieta
Polishing her breast
he fell into a sleep, fell into a sleep in the
arms of the Pieta
When the polishing was done Michelangelo
stood back
The Mother was alive, the Mother had an
Aura and the Mother was alive
And yet the Son, the Son lay dead, the Son
lay dead there in her arms
In the mind of Michelangelo a thought began
to grow
Unworthy, unworthy, unworthy
yet I know
I must take the red black blood, I must take
the red black blood
From his side of cold white marble
I must take the blood within me, I must take
the blood within me, I must take the blood of
death, I must take the blood of death to the
center of myself
Unworthy, unworthy, yet unworthy
in my prayer
I must change the blood that’s there
In the mind of Michelangelo, in the mind of
Michelangelo, in the midst of Michelangelo
the red black blood was changed to light
unworthy, unworthy, unworthy
Michelangelo
the red black blood was changed to light
Then the mind of Michelangelo
saw the light return to marble through the
marble hole in side
Saw the Aura of the Mother
saw the energy of Mary
Saw the energy of Mary through her arms
into her Son
Saw the Christ no more of death, saw the
Christ to be reborn
When Michelangelo lay dying
When Michelangelo lay dying and his
friends were gathered round
They saw him tired past all tired on a cot
within his home
When Michelangelo lay dying
When Michelangelo lay dying, he saw the
statue and the stone
Saw the polishing was done
And fell into a sleep
In the arms of the Mother, in the arms
of the Mother
Of the Mother of the Son.
SEPTEMBER 1986
I’d love to share my southern friends
the northern lights tonight
as they shimmer and they flow
in a dance of pure delight
A thousand miles of motion
at a hundred miles a minute
with every color of the rainbow
shading in and out within it
A rainbow just above my head
but a rainbow now set free
where greens, and blues, and pinks
can each take a solo spree
Then melt into the whole again
and softly fading fly
to white light and to rest
against a moonlit sky
While I in love’s sweet afterglow
wish all my loves this love could know
EARTHWORM DANCE
Think about earthworms dancing
in the earth
like dolphins in the sea
Pretend you can see through the earth
speed them up a little in your mind
watch the grace of their movements
Play your favourite music
watch them dance
And while they dance they eat the dark
and leave lightness behind
CANDLE LAKE
Northern Dawn
Soft Haiku Sky
Seven Loons Float By
THE ZOO
Foxes in boxes
never grow clever
And a boa constricted
is a future predicted
Children
must stay on the path
or they won’t get a treat
and the panther stalks dead meat
THE WORDS
(played to the beat of a big sad drum)
The words / and a touch /
would have meant /
so much /
But it’s gone / and it’s gone
and you know / it’s gone
Yet sometimes, / in the night /
it still throbs /
Like a phantom / limb