Thursday, August 14, 2008

Songs of a Season, by Maureen N. McLane

for here or to go--
a glass mug, a paper cup --
life is fast, art slow
_____

only a few years
before all that I am blows
free, subatomic
______

not for me that life
the careless joy of the dog
not for me that leap
_____

how to say
beautiful weekend
in chinese?
_____

is "weekend" a concept 
in China?

______

rose petals fell
and the wine uncorked itself
for our pleasure...
______

what comfort
do you not give me
little cat?

_____

wheatfield bleached near blond
light licking the Luberon
and the sea beyond

_____

the cherry orchard
harvested but for one tree
found that afternoon

_____

yesterday I saw a fox
then saw
it was a deer

all year
I have been mistaking
the hunted
for hunter

_____

for the lilacs the bees
for the maples the jays
for the locust the chickadee
for the lavendar the butterfly
for the bleeding heart the ruby throat
for my lips your tanned throat

______

in mandarin
The Little Szechuan Place
in english
Shangri-La
this modest joint
serves taiwanese home cooking
pigs' ears, beef rolls, doughnuts
for dipping in soy milk

_____

 air thick
with lilac
the strong sun liquefying
the street

_____

mosquito whine
dinnertime

______

mourning dove at evening

and the ancients thought Venus

two stars equally bright
at morning and evening

doubling the source
of day's beauty

_____

your plum lips
your slim hips
fingertips

_____

and while I was not thinking
the lake rolled on

and while I was thinking
on a soft summer day sitting by the lake
I missed the lake

_____

with my swizzle stick
and my scissor kick
I'm set for summer
drinks on the deck
and dives from the dock

the main halyard's new
nylon white and blue
the old mainsail's patched
no mice in the hatch

let's cast off from the dock
and break out the bock
set sail for Split Rock

_____

reached for a raspberry
got a nettle

forgot the stove flame
burnt the old kettle

______

caffe latte -- "caf
or decaf?" little choices
of an afternoon

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