Three New Poems by Oliver Rice.

 

HER GRACES, NONETHELESS

Elizabeth, taking her daily walk,
says good morning to the edger in the park,
Peruvian, Columbian, immigrant, citizen,
seemingly wary, perhaps humbled, overridden,
who shuts off his machine as she passes,
smiling and seeking his eyes,
says good morning, meaning look,
look, I am not the one you may expect me to be,
meaning, inanely, she knows, if spoken,
the birds sing to us exactly alike,
we love our children exactly alike,
meaning, ruefully, I am in no way your antagonist,

resolving, nonetheless, to persist,
tomorrow and tomorrow, in her graces.

 

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THE WORLD OVERWHELMED
An Etude

 

By persons, the astronaut, in his retirement, says, by events, recalling his reflections in his module, by places, environs of Earth, by things, animal, vegetable, mineral, in events induced by times.

— — —		nota bene:
He and his father		person
made holes with a hoe		event, place, thing
in the tilled soil,		event, place
into which they buried seeds,		place, person, event, thing
the products of which		thing
they would consume		person, event
through late summer and winter.		time

— — —
Once, a cadet in the air corps		time, person,event
with only a few solo hours in his log,		time, event, thing
he was practicing basic maneuvers		person, event
at about three thousand feet		place
when the engine failed.		time, thing, event
He was now flying a glider.		person, time, event, thing
Exhilarated, cool as an ace		event, person
he nosed down, searching below		person, event, place
for the safest landing site,		event, place
chose a fallow corn field,		event, place
circled, lined up with the furrows,		event, place
and neatly set her down.		event, thing
Walking to a farm house		event, place
phoned the base for rescue,		event, place
and meantime, affably at ease,		time, event
enjoyed the wife's apple pie.		even, person, thing

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WHO IS THE WHO, HERE?

Here comes a questionaire on the good life.
How, it asks.
What,
where,
when,
who —

aha.
Who is to answer?
The id,
the superego,
the ego —
or one of the alteregos?