Six Poems by Wayne F. Burke

 

Irish Lit. 101

 

I am sixty-nine today, and

what is there that sixty-nine

can say? Kavanagh-ed by

Paddy-me-boy on my trip

to the old sod in '78.

The collected shite--a bit of

all-right. Enjoined myself an

Irish pound more than with

poems 1-p, Jimminey's sweet

wee sing-songs. Like "the lank

of a hank of a she" in the pub

over there, where 'Eats and

Blarney and the Borstal Boy

hisself were short 50-sense

for another pint of the black

sourse. Of course. TARRY FLYNN

the best of the Green Men. Jyice

sayin', I am.

 

key

*Patrick Kavanagh, wrote "John

Bejamin's daughter is one today/

and what is there that one can say?"

See Collected Poems.

*poems 1-p"--Joyce's book of poems

POEMS PENNYEACH.

*"the land of a hank..." see James

Thompson, Collected Poems.

*'Eats--Yeats

*Borstal boy--Behan

*TARRY FLYNN--Kavanagh's 2nd novel;

his first titled THE GREEN MAN.

*Jyice--Joyce.

 

 

From the Rib Comes the Juste

 

If God is dead, who killed Him?

Or did God ever even exist?

Everything made itself through

a series of phenomena, natchural.

The bang and agglutination of

solar systems; the sun, and the

planets, Luna--bio-chemical

mysterium and poof! LIFE as

we know it. Out of a dirty pool,

sprung--like Roberta Alden from

the mud heap of Titusville. No

big Prime Mover in the deal--

just the prime--like rib of Adam

$9.99 special, and there you

have it: Woman. Called "Eve" for

"evening," or "even-ing," or

"even-so." Your yin and yang.

Your twin and twang. A story full of

Tyson Fury, signifying nothing. But

why's it all seem so smart? Smarter

than Stephen Hawking and Ann

Landers. Intelligent design or

roll of the dice?

 

 

Memorabilia

 

Caracalla, Roman Emperor, was murdered while taking a piss. Sherwood Anderson died after eating a toothpick. Harry Houdini died after being punched in the stomach (by a boy). Flannery O'Connor died from lupus. Clyde Griffths died in the electric chair. Charlie Parker died while watching a juggler on TV. Joe Louis weighed 14 lbs. at birth. Abe Lincoln wore size-14 shoes. Thomas Merton died after being electrocuted by a wall outlet.

 

 

ditty

 

Gray tarp 17 miles thick

got the world in its grip.

Gray tarp 17 miles thick

makes me sick

a tarp so thick, got the

whole wide world

in it's grip--

oh its got the whole world

down in the hold

of this sinking ship,

athwart the grey sea.

 

 

Ku

 

If Jesus could not make it as prophet he planned on becoming a lifeguard.

 

What difference "alcove" and "recess"?

 

 

Words on the Hit List:

albeit

eschew

flapdoodle

flabbergast

kudos

nonplussed

Wayne F. Burke's poetry has been widely published in print and online (including in LOTHLORIEN Poetry Journal). He is author of eight published full-length poetry collections, one short story collection, and 4 works of nonfiction--including HENRY MILLER, Spirit & Flesh, and BUKOWSKI the Ubermensch, Cyberwit.net., publisher. He lives in Vermont (USA).