outside post office
holding a sign and a child
no one reads the sign
no one even turns a head
nation refuses to see
tanka
fire hazard abatement…
i finally cut down
that old palm tree we planned
sadly unlike you
it had grown too close to home
but it had a core of truth
mirror mirror on the wall…
the egotist’s wall
made over believers’ graves
nothing is sacred
to a madman’s childish dreams
except the mirror’s image
romantic interlude…
she at dawn’s first light
while he was still deep in sleep
gently kissed his lips
quietly got dressed and then
took his wallet and car keys
cross-examination…
the chalice was filled
with the warm blood of children
during morning prayers
for they were non-believers
non-believers in your god
your god’s the true one
but does your god fear children
are not divine words
enough to sway young minds or
are you the non-believer
crisis management plan …
always on thin ice
that’s how you wanted life to be
you wanted people
to see you as a strong and brave
your ghost stories told each day
daily ghost stories
shared with all of life’s passerbys
whispered in the night
to lovers and part-time friends
knowing always on thin ice
another case of denial…
used as war’s weapons
depleted uranium
children’s cancer deaths
said not to be related
as was smoking cigarettes
