WILD horses

“Long ago in the spring of joy

I gave my heart to the hawks”

– August Derleth

On the plain a white horse

neighs a mouth of orange

birds FLY ABOUT ivory

trees rotate on a baseless

merry-go-round.  A

purple fawn leaps from

its nest.  A Dance of

lightning crashes down a

piano THUNDER.  A dance of

dryness – stops at the

lick of a lake.

A sonnet of odd numbers

and old leaves rustling

across cold cement – a

cymbals laughter – a clang

of glitter guitars it off

to a red white and blue strum

splinters it leaving a pale

pastel of trail to older

rocks playing BEETHOVEN.

The african night green

fire finds itself on fly

wings FLUTTER

like a pale blue moth

then the blue nebula

and the hunters sun – a

gold of moon flutes and

pipes a streak of pan

red dust  –  red dust

drifting like dried blood.

The phosphene playground

melts into unwanted remnants

– brightly colors – the

primitive masks – the rape

the murder – the pain

the plunder – the thief

the ritual – the ancient

holocaust – the stand alone

the love illusive

the crying eunuch

the stuttering laughter

the screams without the

crash of ice – phosphorous

lights like stars – patterns

of ultraviolet portraits

disappear in eye openings;

[a depth not deep or deeper

depthless like dusty daisies

but dried and one over

and sung sweetly “Spellbound.”]

The fantasy of fox eyes

an impressionist horse

waits impatiently at an

earlier age – the blue rider,

its velvet drop – madder

the jaguars jaw forces

a fling of retreat and

spots its time with obsidian

ashen roots taste blood

ANGRY – a leafy child

oathes its own.  Pink stars

watch opal branches descend

to strangle a rainbowed owl.

Roses mask thorns of fear

or oriflammes in the breeze –

[her coarse black hair

startles crows on snow

could be fire falling – rain

and mist and the blackbird

flies in fog looking for

his shadow – for one who

loves the sun – an iridescent]

shirt billows in black – then

ties its arms in knots.  A dream

[not dreamt or dreamer dreaming

dreams – but hanging]

on a dying sunflower

sprouting nightmares.

A wing of citron fans out

and feathers a chant of flight.

The highway heat rolls a

hoop of sunstroke and

thirsty mirages like patina

pourings  – umber and

sienna  – the ebony of

antiquities eruptions

a flaming sky then jade

blends into cobalt hiding

beer can littered trails.

Cobweb eyes of coal

the disease hauntingly silent

with chills and lamenting

odors creak the brains vault,

the final footstep whispers

at sleeping shutters and

listening for kentucky blue-

green seen from behind

iron bars SCREAMING in

an unknown umbra

an insect concert

A mauve mare grazing on

the mahogany meridian – the

whippoorwills call through the

shadowy haze of sand

sculpture cliff dwellings

[hundreds of sparrows perching

on telephone wires.]  The

peacock spreads his plumage

[ – The vulture just sits

collecting summers

of driftwood and small shells

from garbage strewn beaches.]

Light circles on the ceiling

strings of dust hanging

carmine crepe-paper bells

a strand of ribbon with a

brandy bow trails behind

a trash truck draining

sewerage of kaleidoscopic

emotions – like love on a rack.

The gnarl’d and violent

twisted joshua trees dot the

desert landscape – lake and

mustard mountains sprinkled

with cedar and renegade pines

the solar barque

the childrens paintings

The transit lights sweep in

swiftly to devour us

[AND ALL TO SAVE TIME]

The garden snake moves

through deserted flower

beds of frigid roses – the

cardinal flashes a minute

conflagration over whitened

woods.  The end of the pier

The dedicated winos

The passive pearl-grey water

the greek catholic church

bell ringing [LAMF]

Slanderous singings decorate

dank mosquito ridden

bridges – black ashes – black

coffee cup a silver grail

silently sipped in

subterranean tunnels and

neon illuminated caverns

gaunt lead-grey faces

watch veils of smog drift in

flower pots with wilted hearts.

Dry and vermillion symbols

DOWNCAST – dust and flesh

or the ancient antelope bounds

into the brush – like an

opaque orphan wandering the

city streets at night sky

of chrome and iron

stained and fading at the

horizon – passing from lip

to lip, the bottle diminishes.

Dry river runs – sagebrush

licks the toes with tenderness

of golden gardens – the burning

sparks of the hummingbird –

[the nightingale vomits ] – birth

and dark brown zodiac

convolutions – no trespassing

on Olympian heliotropes

rebel and hide in the

Fallout Shelter

Images of death drinkbeer

with lavender bitch of

purple and pure snow passions

on dirge filled evenings of

raining wine casks line the

cellar walls with flags

and rags of cyan sekos

hovers over a

cemetery of pitch patches.

Tabula Rasa?

A puce pony and a copper colt

kick at clover crying

cinnabar sands of salmon

skulls – forest green rills

rushing down on azure

fingers grasp [at precious

gems] turn to sepia dust

and champagne parties

end at the mallards winging

south in the sable sky

The coble rimmed with violet

foam tosses about on

cerise waves – crystal eyes

erode [the love not loving

or] left loosely loved on

old clotheslines crying

“love me” but left me for

lack of, – the dolorous

ventose challenges the

morose mistral.

The absinthe lips – the flesh

figures cast on walnut walls –

the wormwood tongue lisping

lies – amber cascades

the small laughter in its

coffin gathering lilac and

rust – verd antique

the cobra kissing time

infinite like a sapphire

sleeping.

[Prosaic days like mosaic

drays drag on in the

canaille a fauvist fist

reaches out with asphodels

and stones are thrown

between the brash of bronze

and clash of glass swords –

a white violet and water

flood across canvas or the

typewriter of the asp stinging

bayonets of the assassin.

They run – the leaves –

when you expect spring

fall appears

with the lion in hand

the tiger pretends sand

yet

with paint or poems

the mouse courageous

steps on chimerical toes.