Two Poems by Victor Kennedy

 

Diamonds

 

Walking up the hill with Hamish

I stop to look at a diamond tiara

suspended in the air

 

A spiderweb encrusted with

frozen dewdrops

strung between two reeds

 

These diamonds will melt in the sun

but I don't have time to wait

Hamish chases the neighbour's cat up a tree

 

These transient, intangible diamonds

of memory

last a lifetime.

 

Idol (a tree)

 

My Celtic ancestors revered oaks, rowans, mistletoe

They gathered in sacred groves and performed rituals

to gain knowledge and insight

 

My neighbours revere property value

They take to the forest groves with chainsaws

clearing hillsides

to improve the view

 

Superstitious pagans worshipped nature

and the goddess Druantia

Rational civilized men reduce it to profit

and the bottom line

Victor Kennedy teaches English and American literature at the University of Maribor, Slovenia. He is the author of several books and articles on songs and song lyrics, including Strange Brew, and editor of collections including Words and Music, and Symphony and Song. His poems have been published in Trouvaille and Crumbs. He is the guitarist for the surf band Strici iz ozadja and bassist for the rock band Invite (songs available on Youtube).