Cuttings
Autumn
Michael P. Garofalo
Autumn
Red Bluff, Tehama County, California
fuzzy halo
around a
half moon--
foggy night
[December]
Up in an old oak
a woodpecker knocks--
the sky opens.
[November]
Rumbling thunder
through the drone of
rain--
folding the flag.
[October]
The Other-Fulfilling Prophesy comes true:
What you never thought you'd become, you do.
[December]
Shells of Chevrons Fade to Powerout
Gleaming gas pumps
In the fluorescent night.
Slaves of the Almighty Dollar,
Pouring oily leaf slime
Into the bellies of Chevies.
Ding! Ding! Gallons go down.
Wallets open and fold.
Acid fogs melt steel-belted moons.
Headlights come and go,
Flashing over the dry Lakes of Petro.
Only dead ends ahead;
For us, for OPEC, for Fords.
[October]
Traffic halted
to clear a rockslide;
the scent of cedars.
[October]
This Halloween night we cut and eat,
Fuyu persimmons, firm and sweet.
[October]
Flashing
his fake ID--
casino lights blink.
[December]
the toad
hop by hop towards
home
[November]
moonrise--
the dark night of a soul
lifts
[November]
Pulling up
twisted
tomato vines--
long autumn
shadows.
[October]
Candies, cakes,
Winter
pastries:
Tighter
pants
[December]
Clapping, calling,
her whistle crosses the night--
the dogs turn home.
[November]
Facing off, fists up,
eyeballs to eyeballs;
two boys gather a crowd.
[October]
Live long enough and the losses pile up,
Till you're tossed away like an old cracked cup,
All stained and worm, dulled by time,
Useless, leaking, not worth a dime.
Egoless, your flesh falls away,
a skeleton
Lost in Nirvana; lights out, all done.
Then, the Skeleton Woman drinks your dry tears,
Drums your still heart, and sings away fears,
Slips under the quilts and gives Love a Whirl -
Spinning,
twirling, your reborn as a Girl.
Forget yourself, crack the cup on the floor,
Speak in a new voice, the past is no more.
[December]
his hand
jumps off the hot pot--
news alert
[November]
hot hot,
nostrils flared:
wasabi
[October]
Splitting dry kindling
on a damp November day--
wind chimes tinkling.
[November]
dawn--
every leaf drips
backlit by fog
[November]
Stalled imagination, repeating plot's old,
A dull shovel lifting wiser men's gold.
Thinking when reading, otherwise not;
Museless, unleavened, a nondescript pot.
[October]
The cold hard rain
comes and goes;
in between, distant voices.
[November]
From Maybe to No is the path of the facts;
I'm too old for another cul de sac.
Door after door is locked this time,
Only a few to open with these keys of mine.
[December]
The last seed
falls from the sunflower--
empty pond.
The long awaited
rattle of rain on rooftops--
Thanksgiving Day.
[November]
A fly on my finger
rubs his feet--
every hair alive.
[October]
I was thinking about "the Absolute"
(whatever that is)
yesterday. (Philosophers enjoy
the rush of mental masochism:
bondage to leathery ideas,
painful flagellation with cutting words,
the humiliation of utter confusion.)
Absolute Zero - Death!
Clearly, a deep shivering Super-Conducting
Absolute No.
Then,
The Past: a second ago, a century ago...
Dead Time - absolutely kaputt!
[October]
October - Poems, Quotes, Folklore, Links, and Garden Chores
Haiku
and Short Poems
Links, References, Guides
Comments About the Poetry Notebooks of Mike Garofalo
One
Short of a Baker's Dozen
10 - 20 Line Poems
By Michael P. Garofalo
The
Body as Audience
by
Ann
Gleeson
Quotes
for Gardeners
Quotes, Sayings, Proverbs, Poetry, Maxims, Quips,
Clichés, Adages, Wisdom
A Collection Growing to Over 2,700 Quotes Arranged by Over 130 Topics
Many of the Documents Include Recommended Readings and Internet Links.
Compiled by Michael P. Garofalo
Copyrighted © 1999 - 2002 by Michael P. Garofalo.
All rights reserved.
I Welcome Your Comments
E-mail Mike Garofalo in Red Bluff, California
A Short Biography of Mike Garofalo
Garofalo's Poetry Notebook II
Cuttings: Autumn.
Selected Haiku and Short Poems by Michael P.
Garofalo.
41K, 22 September 2002, Version 4.9
Distributed on the Internet since October 1, 1999.
The History of Gardening Timeline
Cuttings: Short Poems by Michael P. Garofalo
