Five Poems by Wayne F. Burke

 

Friends

 

My best friends are Doug and Carrie

Hefferman from "King of Queens."

 

I dreamt Doug ran in the Kentucky Derby

without a horse,

and won.

 

(How sad is that--best friends are TV sit-com

characters?

1. Very.

2. Quite.

3. Extremely.)

 

I dreamt I had sex with Carrie

and woke, pregnant.

 

I can't wait to see what

comes out, and

where--

if a boy I will name him

Pyrite.

If a girl

Myst.

 

 

Catholic

 

In school they called me "Wally"

because I looked like Wally Cleaver.

The black kids asked me:

"Wally, have you seen Beaver?"

I gave them the finger, and

they chased me; 

I ran like a gazelle around the

schoolyard each recess period...

I tried out for altar-boy

but got cut from the team

by an acne-scared priest who

smelled like

cloak--

I chose "Daniel" as my

confirmation name:

he who, in the Bible, lived in the

lion's den.

 

 

Play

 

a fly with long pincer arms

and a fur coat on

says "so long" as

it exits

stage left, and

the clowns come on

as the hero, backstage

dies in the arms of the heroine,

heir to fortune's favours

in "Mourning Becomes Electric."

 

 

gabble goop from

goofy gobbler

downstairs--

on her porch,

perched:

gobble-gobble

gabba-

gobba,

popple 

gapple 

cackle-cluckle.

 

 

Cosmology

 

the sky is a river

flowing through the

clouds, which

are rocks

banked along the

river's edge,

but the rocks are

moving too

like everything else,

one big free-for-all

that the earth

is passing through--

the whole thing

balanced on

the shoulders

of someone

with a name

you do not hear

anymore,

like "Valmore"

or "Silvester."

 

 

Advice

 

you will be alright, kid

hang in there

keep the chin up

something will turn up,

don't get your shorts in a knot--

go run a few laps,

say some prayers

ask god to help you

he just might

okay kid?

And keep your pecker up

ha ha

don't turn down nothing

that shows up

don't take any wooden nickels

either

and don't worry

things will turn out

you'll see!

and

hey!

don't forget what I've said!

Wayne F. Burke's poetry has been widely published in print and online (including in LOTHLORIEN POETRY JOURNAL). He is author of eight published poetry collections--most recently BLACK SUMMER, Spartan press, 2021. He lives in the state of Vermont (USA).