Pollock’s “Convergence” in the Eyes of Alice B. Toklas
wick
ed
tnarebuxe
sy
zy
gy
ule
op nt
oz
mot
ic
necromancy
un
fettered blasphemous
inspiration
tempestuous lush
sOliPsism
i d i o s y n c r a t i c
divine
COMMUNION
The Ever-Diminishing Half-Life of Immortality
Being a famous author
certainly isn’t
what it used to be.
In 1969, the term “supernova”
best described Richard Brautigan.
In 1984, he was reduced to a twinkle
in the smog-choked sky.
In 2019, when the last remaining copy of
Trout Fishing in America is sold
for a quarter at a Friends of the Library sale
in Yakima, Washington
he will officially be designated
as a black hole.
A Somber Riot of Words
Acumen agog amaranthine atavistic atrabilious
Baroque bovine bucolic chiaroscuro chthonic
Clandestine claustrophobic concubine discombobulated
Donnybrook embryonic entropy evanescent farthing
Fester fricative frottage gargoyle gaumless
Gimcrack hamartia imbroglio impeccable inchoate
Intrepid jacaranda jejune lubricious malaprop
Mendicant migniard mesmerize mordacious nihilism
Onomatopoeia orexigenic ossuary paladin parsimonious
Pellucid prestidigitation purlblind querulous quotidian
Redolent rococo rundle serendipity sfumato
Unctuous undulating zaftig zugzwang zwieback
A Poem Should Not Mean, But Be
Seed
Flower
Mask
Mirror
Tear
Smile
Veil
Face
Shadow
Star
Poem for a Balding Ballerina
Some fall apart
too soon.
She is lost,
unable to be found
on any map.
Her pain is so deep
it has become contagious.
She will spend this morning
staring out the window,
counting all the miracles
in paradise.
In a previous life,
she was a sea creature
drawing strength and power
from the salty depths
of the ocean.
Now, she is drowning
in the past, in a ceaseless stream
of spilt wine.
Her face is a dream
buried in shadow,
and her heart . . .
© David Kowalczyk