Stay Together, Learn the Flowers, Go Light

1 At peace perhaps too much a fine Spring rain we seek news from the desert or capitol of those who have dedicated their lives to losing their lives for us adventurers, ancient honor, land runners this campaign a must to advance one's career a war president needs war 2 All you need to know is the names of things chambers of commerce and large corporations elements, products, decay fungi, egg masses cultivars and their relation to wild grasses and the edge uses of herbs, languages of mammals, purposes of insects, placement of rocks the names of everything by which we know our way 3 I've read about those remarkable souls who maintain self-control among murderers and the unentertained multitude who may have even spoken persuasively at the right moment for speaking and thus attracted a now unwanted immortality there are only two ways you can tell a bird of prey from a vision - humor and ritual 4 the Fedex gal would be unlike taking off Emily Dickinson's clothes over the counter perfume and spray paint hair postman's shorts, black socks a woman's legs are much like a man's yet she too is beautiful, too beautiful, weekends boating with her man 5 Suburbs, lawns, blankets in a long, long nursery of babies napping, old, blameworthy and, I say this respectfully, blind certain and uninterested in motives more subtle than their immediate comfort Who am I to complain? 6 Plants, poems: riches our financial advisor doesn't count. Good and simple a man as he is. Comes tousled from early morning golf and puffy from a late night fight or lovefest with his wife. Inchworm letting out its rope down an oak. 7 Late afternoon meeting like the dry samara, achene or capsule surrounding a seed how often have I tried to escape my need, community, chamber of commerce you cannot drive the roads are theirs and the signs, perhaps you can walk if you can name the plants and rocks and are willing to die 8 O happy family there's some contentment in letting community and family decide your place in it. Gatekeepers - unconscious god, invisible hand, natural selection - kind when refraining from violence when not responding with force to the universe's effort to extinguish us.