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By Mankh (Walter E. Harris III)
Axis of Logic
Saturday, Sep 26, 2015
She massaged her kale in the gray dawn,
then she massaged her gums, put on a bright smile
and wore it downtown while the kale,
with heirloom tomatoes and sesame oil,
chilled in the fridge comfort zone.
She got glazed with rainwater because
she didn’t believe in umbrellas because
of slave labor, even though she hadn’t bothered
to fact-check her old umbrella.
The gray sky broke like a cage-free chicken’s egg
and then the Sun shone on her shiny hair as it shines
on both the ever-polished milieu and the wise hobo.
And what rough beast, rush hour come round at last,
gropes toward Bed, Bath, and Beyond for the light?
After work, a candle flickers, a tremolo of emotions
rushes through her poised, yoga-arched body.
Moonlight filtering through the window,
the TV flickers, news casting slick jokes
in a wheel of fortune election
that never ends.
Drifting into sleep,
she remembers
that kale grows from the soil
some call
Grandmother Earth.
NOTES:
*”The Nirvana Blues” (1981) is the title of a novel by John Nichols which is part of his New Mexico Trilogy.
“glazed with rain / water” is from William Carlos Williams’ poem “The Red Wheelbarrow”.
“And what rough beast...” two lines are a riff on the last two lines of William Butler Yeats’ poem “The Second Coming”.
Mankh (Walter E. Harris III) is an essayist and resident poet on Axis of Logic. In addition to his work as a writer, he is a small press publisher and Turtle Islander. His recent book is “Drive-thru Theofascism & The Hero's Journey” and the newest is “Dear_______, poem-letters to friends and enemies.” You can contact him via his literary website.
READ MORE POETRY AND ESSAYS BY MANKH ON AXIS OF LOGIC
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