FEAR AND HESITATION NO. 9
>
> I pick up coral, stare
> Into the dark openings.
> Each dark opening has a word to create.
> The dark purple threads that fall from the dome of the jelly fish
> That have touched coral give me a word..
> The golden light from the sea worm
> Coming out of a coil to touch the coral gives another word.
> The dark rainbows inside the shell of the mussel that clings to coral
> Gives another word..
> The purple cloud inside the sea hare, forest on side of sea slug,
> Transparency of baby octopus give more words.
>
> FEAR AND HESITATION NO. 10
>
> I no longer afraid to be an outcast, speak.
> I say let the words leap from everything,
> Let the words leap from the sand dollar's fur,
Let words leap from dark spots made by rain on shore sand.
> Even let the words leap from the beautiful dead,
> The skeleton of the fish hooked and abandoned.
> The green eye of the murdered shark decaying in sunlight.
> Let the words leap from the cry of willets,
> >From the white flashes of their wings.
> Let the words leap from the pink spots on cream-colored backs of
stone =
> crabs.
> >From barnacle covered black driftwood.
> >From the lonely hermit crab that has lost its shell.
> >From horseshoe crabs buried in oozing mud.
> Let a holy language be born.
>
Duane Locke
2716 Jefferson Street
Tampa, FL 33602-1620
E-Mail: duanelocke@netzero.net
[Duane Locke, Ph. D. in Renaissance Literature, lives alone and =unemployed
in an old, decaying two story inherited house in the =
palm-lined, sunny Tampa slums. He lives as a stranger and alien
because =
he does not understand the customs, costumes, or language-some form
of =
postmodern English. He also paints and currently has a one-man art
show =
at the Pyramid gallery in Tampa. Has had over 2,000 poems published
in =
print magazines such as APR, Nation, Literary Quarterly, Black Moon,
=
Bitter Oleander, but wonders if anyone ever reads poems in print =
magazines. His 14th and latest book is WATCHING WISTERIA (To order
see =
www.vidapublishing.com or call 1-800-869-7553).]
> =20