Enter
time … an imaginary garage
“This
place has only three exits, sir: Madness and Death.”
― Rene Daumal, A Night of Serious Drinking
a
songbird
hidden
in the bush
she
kneads the dough
a
case of empties
dropped
to the floor
he
rattles on
school
supplies
near
the entrance
an
armed guard
the
stale breath
of
another city street
a
black tooth in the billboard smile
bright
lights
in
an icy sky
thought
police
the
winter sun
on
a cool pair of shades
abracadabra
sunlight
in
a honeycomb
the
prostitute’s smile
rainbow-tinted
shades
the
corpse in the news
on
my new tv
demagogues
sowing
seeds
coal
plants
tribal
land
moccasins
of summer cloud
follow
the failing light
the
rope from a bell
dangles
in an empty well
listening
for rain
sad
eyes
above
a painted smile
the
clown’s red nose
do
not go gentle
at
the twilight’s last gleaming
buffalo
roam
tiny
fish
tickle
the waves
ukulele
the
bow
on
the gift of life
∞
Rocking
the Boat
There
must have been little to do
On
the ark, there two by two
Surrounded
by the waters of God’s wrath.
Only
Noah could have objected,
Yet
at six hundred years of age,
He
too had a mate.
Some
believe in salvation
From
an immaculate conception;
Some
simply calculate
Profit
and loss.
Search
the wide world
With
a crow or a dove:
From
deep in the waters
We
rise rich in love.
Philomela
weaving
in silence
her
dreams
lines
of sunshine
an
empty birdcage
written
on the wall
Strange
Poems
the
strange poems
birds
write against the sky
the
hawk’s rondel
the
sparrow’s haiku
the
swallow’s villanelle
and
when the cold wind blows
the
white swan's requiem
The
Stuff of Dreams
What
is sleep
to
the pillow
stuffed
with feathers
from
dead birds?
Robert
Witmer has lived in Japan for the past 45 years. Now an emeritus professor, he
has had the opportunity to teach courses in poetry and creative writing not only
at his home university in Tokyo but also in India. His poems and prose poetry
have appeared in many print and online journals and books. His first book of
poetry, a collection of haiku titled Finding a Way, was published in
2016. A second book of poetry, titled Serendipity, was published earlier
this year (2023).
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