April 14, 2007

TO JEAN VALENTINE

our place
of harp
and john player
specials

our place dubbed
sligo’s hall
or simple hell

whose broagh forgets
new turns
the presence
before
a birth
before being born
or forgotten
still?

—Lawrence Welsh

Posted by dwaber at 01:16 PM

April 13, 2007

ELEGY FOR JOHN WIENERS

Space defines old motels:
maybe the Jayhawker
in Kansas or hitching to Gloucester
for one last
Maximus go round

*

Who burns every letter
lets manuscripts go
like caged butterflies
keeps a room tight, squeaky
clean like vestiges are
no more?

They’ll have to pick through
erasers, chirp like black sparrows
see the beauty in absence
call up treats with invisible ink
dance around the table radio:

Mozart and The Supremes
Bird and a coroner’s cap

*

The stars hold with offshore breezes
the trinity of Olson, Duncan
and you never get left
they just search harder and farther

they just mumble and fumble
your name

—Lawrence Welsh
____
“Elegy for John Wieners” originally appeared in GYPSY

Posted by dwaber at 11:40 AM

April 12, 2007

FOR HART CRANE

 

magnifier

of the

one

who

guesses–

 

hail

enlist

bridge

never needed

over

sand –

 

collapse

punctuates

steel

or

creeks

frayed

on

another’s list –

 

howl

on cue

 

bare fangs

crave a numbness

dubbed

rue

or

strasse royal

 

smoke

standing man’s pipe

 

rejected

 

or reflected in

another’s

 

untimely will

 

 

—Lawrence Welsh

 

Posted by dwaber at 12:31 PM

April 11, 2007

IF HE’S DEAD

for Ed Dorn

in souls
bold enough
to chance
or break down
and whisper
peace will find
its own
reward
slip through ink
get removed
then stamped
on invisible pages

—Lawrence Welsh

Posted by dwaber at 11:24 AM