hobart logo
5 Poems photo

Man of the Hour

the self-importance of any civilization
is directly proportional to its any further utterance
was lost as the program went off the air
or the set was switched off or the channel was changed

 

zim zam zalabang

bifocals you need so Ben Franklin invented ‘em
your eyes filled with two tiers pass effortlessly
one to another the long arm too you need that
yes sir for those hard-to-reach places of the earth

 

a lecture

throw out your whimpering and your banging get rid of it
this here voice bellows down from the rafters
I need to have told you before and so on
two and three hours like Fidel at the fireside what
the false beard Confederate Army cap
it’s John Wilkes Booth the notorious actor
some say actor what’s he want anyway
death to Lincoln yes we got that anything else
oh yes very keen on the Commonwealth of Virginia

 

Palomar

it’s the street again the avenue opens up the delightful
times these were you know so-and-so was growing up
those other two just getting married
oblivious the monument remains the Corps
of Engineers what’s more takes stock of the situation
here right here and so forth a bit of the abysmal critic’s agenda

 

Bimini

let us record the foil of these nougats
gold and blue and silver on the inside
the royal treatments some candies get why it was plush
after a fashion you know very rare and very valuable
hell you know it’s only a question of dainty morsels
you can eat dog food probably and survive
I can take for a bet maybe fifteen to one
here’s fifteen dollars to your one come on go ahead get yours up
all right any flavor any brand any specialty it’s yours

image: Tara Wray


SHARE