Cowardice and bravery
Not either-or
But different levels of
Valor and shame
A swinging door
Whose facings change when swung
A foil to confound
The Poets dream
With glory and disdain
Bravery and cowardice
Not zero-sum
—but often look the same
(Villanova Pennsylvania: May, 2016)
Cowardice and bravery
Not either/or
But different levels of…
Valor and shame
A swinging door
Whose facings change when swung
A foil to confound
The poets dream
With glory and disdain
Bravery and cowardice
Not zero-sum
—but often look the same
(Villanova Pennsylvania: May, 2016)
We talk about the sacred,
places ancient as fire, palaces divine in quagmire,
getting lost in footsteps of artistic archaeology,
uprooting ghosts in structure's facings,
We want to know why knowledge is forbidden outside the skin
of nourishment's tastings,
pineing for the verbotten dialect of perfect sin,
needing to understand why boats become skuttled in sands of dread,
asking why it seems angels along with demons our confusion conspire,
Staring into faces of stone like children seeing new color,
wondering if those rigid lips will ever confess a crime that We could forgive,
is there rhyme in love haunted by punished valor,
could there be trust established in harmony with ambition refusing to give,
communicating as birds before the malstrom
for directions to the shelter that made Time begin in form when thunder rung,
running into the genesis of Life & Death We trumpet like heros
congratulating each other for finding beauty in burdensome burrows -
J.A.B. Dedicated to all community builders -
With lilting tongue and glittering eye, the Celtic potter chortles by.
His clay-browned hands delicately placing, kiln God's on shelves and window facings.
Minute figures of Sun and Moon, mystical men with beard and rune;
sheep wandering on grassy hills, all on clay placards for windowsills.
And tossed about through roof and rafter hung, pink and purple, from pilasters,
were all the glorious flowers' of Spring, saved, dust covered, on dangling strings.
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