Blog Archives - High Desert Art

High Desert Art

Leaving

8/30/2014

Leaving

He may
Come back,
But I won’t
Be here.
I’ll be
In the
English
Countryside,
Coming down
The long
Hill into
Kenilworth,
To walk
Among the
Blue-green
Fields,
Entirely alone.
He might call.
I won’t answer.
I’m in Paris,
Solitary
In the
Tuileries,
The taste
Of
Peaches,
Red wine
And luxury
On my tongue.
He will
Knock on
The door.
I’m not
At home.
He may
Speak out,
Yet I
Won’t hear.
I’m in
Amsterdam,
Smoking
Black Hash
With British
Sailors,
Laughing
At the
Absurdity
Of life.
Memories
Displace him,
Images
Crowd
Him out.
Wherever
He is,
I have
Left.
And I won’t
Return.

Dinner

8/28/2014

Dinner

Here’s a
Dish
You have
To try.
Cowboys
Will cheer,
Kids will
Sigh
And eat all
They’re
Able,
When you
Put this
On the table.
Cheap,
Delicious,
And easy
To fix,
With hardly
Anything
To mix,
It’s made of
(Heaven help us)
Fritos Corn chips.
It’s a trip.
Put
Two cups
In a
Baking pan,
Chop an
Onion,
As any
Gourmet can,
Arrange
The onion
As you
Please,
And sprinkle
Over it
Half a
Cup of grated
Cheddar
Cheese.
Top it
With a can
Of chili,
Spread over
Willy-nilly,
Another cup
Of chips and
One half’
Of cheese,
And now
You have
A meal
To please.
For twenty
Minutes,
Bake at
Three fifty
And it will
Be nifty.
This non-nutritious
Food for four
Will have ‘em
Knocking down
Your
Kitchen door.
Perfected in
New Mexico,
We urge
You all,
If you will,
Give it a go.
It’s a
Southwestern
Thrill.

Reflection

8/26/2014

Reflection

That’s not
My
Nose
You see.
Oh, no,
That’s
Not me.
And
Somebody
Left that
Sagging
Chin
Behind,
Saying
“Never mind”.
No,
It’s not
Mine.
And that
Mouth,
Narrowed
To a slit!
My
Teeth
Would
Never fit.
Of course,
Those aren’t
My
Teeth!
They slide
Beneath,
And are
No prize.
Those
Eyes,
Whose
Can those
Be?
A wonder
The
Poor soul
Can see.
That
Drooping
Ear
Could
Never hear,
And most of
Her hair
Has gone
Somewhere.
She’s
Certainly
Progressed
To ruin,
But it
Was
Somebody
Else’s
Doing.
I’ve clung
To my
Resistance,
And been
Right here
My whole
Existence,
Vigilant
The entire
Time,
And
Never saw
This awful
Crime.
I’d be
The first
To care,
But
Nothing
Passed me
By,
I swear.
I mean,
Why should
I lie?

Illness at Midnight

8/24/2014

Illness at Midnight

Old rivers
Run deep.
Don’t fall
Asleep.
Look where
You’re not
Supposed
To, and
Nothing see,
But what
You
Supposed
Would be.
Seek
And ye
Shall not
Find,
Guard the
Mind,
Or
Seek
Endlessly.

Numbers
Fall from
His head
Like rain,
A cascade of
Crimson
Pain.
He must
Remain
Confined.
Images
He
Imagines
Run deep,
He dare not
Fall
Asleep.

What will
The day
Bring?
The same
Thing.
Pace the
Hallway
In the
Darkness,
In the
Light,
And
Dread
Another
Night.

Health
Is the
Prize,
Do not
Close
Your eyes.

Will he
Recover,
Or will
Death
Embrace
His body
Like a
Lover?
Take
Breath
From his
Breast?
He
Cannot
Rest.
Fear
Runs deep,
And stops
His sleep.

My Friend

8/22/2014

My Friend

When she
Grew
Very old,
She said,
‘Girl, I
Live in
My head.
Past
Friends
Are dead,
Or far
Away,
And
Memories
Bend
And fray.
But I’ve
No fear,
Those I do
Recall
I hold
Most dear.
I like
To think
A year
Or maybe
Two,
Is left,
To drink
Time’s heady
Brew,
And when
The cup
Is dry,
I’ll
Say
Goodbye.
Dear
Child,
For now,
Don’t fret.
I’m not
Gone yet.’

Comparisons

8/20/2014

Comparisons

Clouds,
Thin shreds
Of silken
Lace,
Balloon
And
Bypass the
Mona Lisa
Moon.
A boulder
Across
The street
Catches the
Sun’s
Shadow and
Smiles back
As sweet,
Silent, patient,
Fixed, bright.
The face,
Seen in
The light
Of noon,
Becomes
Flesh and
Bone,
Something
Other than
A stone.
This illusion
Degrades,
Fades,
As the sun
Changes
And re-arranges,
But like
The passive
Moon,
Far away,
It reappears
Right there,
Almost every
Day.

Waltz in E Flat

8/18/2014

Waltz in E Flat

If I could
Travel
Back
In time
By composing
A magic
Rhyme,
I would
Chance
To visit
France
And save
Chopin,
That darling
Man.
I’d take
Lots of
Medicines
And pills,
And quickly
Cure his
Pesky ills.
That nasty
Cough
Would never
Take him
Off.
I’d see
He rested,
Ate sweets,
Veggies and
Protein meats.
And when
He was
Truly well,
His new music
Ringing in
The streets,
I’d move on
To England,
And rescue
Keats.

Resolution

8/16/2014

Resolution

I must
Strive
To hide
My wrath
And simply
Laugh
At imbeciles
Who cross
My path.
Who think
The President
Should get
The sack
Because
He’s
Black,
Who think
A gun
Is righteous
Constitutional
Fun,
Who add
That
Women
Should be
Quiet,
To be
Required
To pay
Taxes should
Inspire
Bloody riot.
That every
Teacher
Should
Be fired,
And more
Armed
Guards
Must be
Hired.
But I
Respond like
Pavlov’s
Pup,
And loudly
Shout,
‘Please
Shut up!’
Of course,
This only
Makes them
Madder,
And I
Become
Even
Sadder.
I should
Just
Give in
And say
‘Fuck you,
And
Have a
Pleasant day.’
Isn’t that
The only
Way?

On Sunday Night

8/14/2014

On Sunday Night

I walked out
To see
The
Super Moon
Rise.
At this time
Of year,
If the
Clouds leave
The skies,
It will
Appear,
If the night
Is clear,
At the end
Of my street,
Where
Grand and
San Mateo
Meet.
I stood beside
The Friary
Of
San Juan Diego
Waiting for
The moon
To show.
Time passed,
Then a
Spot of
Light grew,
And the moon
Broke through,
Yellow-bright,
Large and full.
Floating,
A great
Golden eye
Gazing down
Upon
The world,
The town
And me,
Come to see
Its triumph
Over day.
But then,
Thick clouds
Swept in
And
The moon
Was soon
Gone
From view.
Darkness
Held sway.
A few
Raindrops fell
And I
Hurried away.

Death of a Clown

8/12/2014

Death of a Clown

Remember the
Painted
Circus face?
The
Down-turned
Mouth,
The drawn
Tear
Below the
Tragic
Eyes,
The bulbous
Nose?
Did it
Disguise
Or expose
The
Broken
Heart,
This
Plaintive
Ruse?
What joy
Confuse?
All
Laughter
Ceased,
Audience and
Joker
Fall silent,
As the
Act
Turned sadly
Violent.