Fast Day 152 April 29 2010 {The Calligraph Invite}

The Story of the Calligraph Invite

Received a response today;
they will attend the wedding,
and the reception,
and the party thereafter.
It says they and their family accept
she said.

Their family?
Who? A son, a daughter?
Immediate or extended family?
he asked.

They shook their heads
and stood looking at the coloured
inks of the calligraph invite;
the envelope ripped open, and it
a sad courier dangling from a hand,
it prayed: O, please do not kill
this poor messenger, O parents good!
Parents of the bride! Maybe God grant
her joyful increase!
Place me with my brothers
and sisters in the place of honor!

Perhaps that is how it's done
in Syria, she said. We shall make do.
But how, he said, but how to afford...
gently she touched his lips with
her finger tip, the key of silence
that locks the door of wrath.
It is all for the best.
We are between the hands of Allah,
who blesses man and woman,
and wants this blessing
to be shared by more.

Syrians, he thought.
No Saudi prince am I.
He paused a while.
But I am mubarak...blessed...
by this event much more than I
can bless...or sate with food and drink.
Let them come! he said,
smiling, and took the calligraph invite
and placed it with RSVPs
next to his wife's computer.

Fast Day 151 April 23, 2010 {The Swimmer and the Ifrit}

An Ifrit

The Swimmer and the Ifrit

bitter parking lot sun,

waves of heated orb bitumen;

air over a busy toaster

with 4 slices burning...

I found Aladdin's lamp;

picked it up and ran away -

going from swimming pool to pool:

velcro'd blue behind each house.

endless summers quest

of perfect alcoholic fantasy!

relax rich large and pool,

languid like catastrophe careless

of pleasures, ceaseless texting

on childrens' little iPhones.

parking lot broke jewelry;

of asphalt archipelagos

strung Suleiman's seal

across Xibalba's boobs.

perfect magic lantern lotto

to help forget forgiveness.

------

Ifrit  - a malevolent being of fire and smoke, imprisoned in the lamp
          by the seal of Solomon (Suleiman).

sometimes I try to string concepts together, as if they were Chinese characters,
and I were an ancient Chinese poet.

Fast Day 150 April 14 2010 {Lost Things}

Lost Things

I had a poem
and I lost it.

was it the spring grass green within the sleeves
of the river's bank?
was it emergent stones swimming
heavy in the flow?

was it geese, or was it swans? or was it leaves
homeless from last fall,
when we disturb their cardboard homes
as we clean their soily beds?

was it me? was it God? was it family?
was it Mary, theotokos,
mother of the holy child with broken arm
reaching for my heart's delight?

was it the small ones buried far away
'neath stones with restful lambs?
was I supposed to give them my love,
alive they never had?


----
notes

I am early with this, but I am busy, so up it goes. It is terribly crude.
I could have scheduled it, but then I would have to check it, and I do not wish
to return to this...for a while, at least.

Fast Day 149 April 10 2010 {A Storm in the Countryside}

A Storm in the Countryside

At Harewood's End, near Herefordshire, I drove
from A49, to stop and picnic briefly there
within a copse of alder trees, while from afar
a blacksmith sky of clouds did come upon the flank,
wind-swept band barbarian;
far-sounding meteoric anvils;
threatening our day.

The sanctuary of St. Denis church
were bulwark to the storms that beat upon,
we ran widdershins and dove clerestory
ducking into the gothic well of souls -
under richly decorated baldachins,
we dansed within the chancel
within the sunbeams from cinquefoil
pectoral rosettes.

Fast Day 148 April 3 2010 {Waiting by the Road to Cross}

Easter Week 2: Waiting by the Road to Cross

The first time I crossed Jordan Street, I saw Slim Peter, shiney and a dime!

He threw me out of Beulah Land; he said it wasn't time.

Going down to Galilee, hop the Sunshine Special!

Going down to Galilee, hop the Sunshine Special!

they came this morning with the news,

banging window and sash:

the conductor knows i got no ticket

he knows i got no cash

The second time crossing Jordan, I was Red Paul, dressed in silver;

They bade me land not on the shore; I could not cross that river.

Going down to Galilee, take the Good News plane!

Going down to Galilee, take the Good News plane!

I called the limo pick me up

with the weary-hearted:

a taxi where we'll all be changed,

as soon as we have started!

The last time I crossed the Jordan, I went marching proud and bold!

 - a prodigal son to a welcome feast -

and my feet were shod in gold!

Going to Jerusalem, the devil drove his rig!
Going to Jerusalem, the devil drive his rig!
the chrome was shiney as his hate,
the radiator wide!
as he's about to run me down,
Slim Pete pulls me to his side!

--------------
notes

Slim Peter  :               St. Peter
shiney and a dime  :   shiney as a dime;   I don't know if this particular literary device has a name, but  instead of making a simile with "as" or "like", we just set forth the two objects and the reader is supposed to make the connection. I don't think I come across it very often.
Red Paul    :               St. Paul