read the following 2 poems twice in march -- on the 22nd at big blue marble and on the 27th at elkins park library:

LAST SATURDAY ERE SPRING

robin on sidewalk before my lawn
wednesday morn round 10.
right now a sparrow jumps
branch to branch
in big bush by front window.
34 degrees,snow swirls.
3/2013


MAKING THE CASE

1. VERDICT

if you make a tool
& it does the job
& you use it
long as you can
till it gets old
& starts to fall apart
& doesn't work well
& even makes you risk
getting hurt
if you use it
what do you do?

you take a good look
& see if you can fix it
& if you can
you fix it
& if you can't
you throw it away
& make a new tool


2. 'N DOCTR NATION

get m whn th'r yung
whn taste fr life
fresh n strong n sweet in thr mouths
makes it easy t'make m bliev y'
whn y'tel m
chance t'cm out in one piece
bes f they follo ordrs

nt tht it aint mind y'
bt whn stayin whol upprmos
they don' think 2 hard
bout wht ordrs say


3. SURGE

every generation has its war
& every generation gets told it must fight
to give its children & grandchildren peace

& every war is a holy war
with chiefs of state standing in for god
one hand gives
one takes away
giving death & taking life

& they ask are you man or mouse
not the rodent i've got in mind
edge of cliff ahead
deep water far below
i ask are you human or lemming

& noah's dove flies o'er the flood
still seeking the olive leaf


4. HI YO STRANGELOVE

silver buckin smartbomb tween knees
white 10-gallon ranger beret in hand
crusader jackrabbit
masked multinational vigilante
secretary tonto at his side
brings apocalyptic vengeance
rides mother o battles valkyrie wind
into baghdarok harmegiddo sunset

chip off ol block: slim w pickins


5. BETWEEN MESOPOTAMIA & A HARD PLACE

where did your heart go,america?

once you cared for folk in need
now you merely feed your greed

once you tried to defend the weak
now you burn to protect a sheik

you were a place of promise & vision
love & joy & hope

now i see only denial,suspicion
hatred,sorrow,fear

know why we feel afraid & alone?
poisons fill air & water
ground gives off deadly gases
roads & bridges crumble
a few with power line their pockets
many with no place to go lose their homes
children starve or get bombed
& you turn your back on it all

you had the spirit of pioneers
dared cross prairie & mighty river
fought the force of storm & drought
forged new life in wilderness

if only we could go back in time
see how future used to look
& do what we must do
to make it come out that way

but a metaphor's not what it seems
& time machines belong to dreams
& no physician alive can cure
the sickness unto death
2/1991-2/2003