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TWENTY POEMS

Bill Deemer

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© 2007
Bill Deemer

Coyote’s Journal
November 2007
http://www.coyotesjournal.com

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BASIC INSTRUCTIONS

Live
our job is to be lively

Die
no need to be a hundred

AUBADE

…dog barks, jay screeches,
rooster crows, crow squawks,
cat yowls, cow moos,
train rumbles, plane roars,
phone rings, horn honks,
door slams, neighbor shouts…

NOCTURNE

 

…dog barks, mouse skitters,
house creaks, frog croaks,
cat yowls, dove coos,
cricket chirps, owl hoots,
clock ticks, fridge hums,
faucet drips, spouse snores…

 

 

 

 

 

 

ODE

O little town, you are all America to me.
Two gas stations, one tavern, sunset the big event.
I’m glad the only traffic light always stops me.

THE YELLOW WHEELBARROW

I dump out the rain
from a yellow wheelbarrow
and find a glaze of sunlight.

OLD STORY

Old car, old man, old hat.
Old house, old woman, old dress.
Old rug, old dog, old shoe.

THREE OREGON PROVERBS

 

Bees in the garbage,
honey in the hive.

Blacker the rain cloud,
whiter the dogwood.

One foot in the air,
the other in mud.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HOMAGE TO NIEDECKER

 

Like Basho

Lorine

with little

makes a

splash

*

Whatever’s

up, stops---

while we

watch

snow fall

TWO VARIATIONS

 

Frost
no thicker than that
transforms the whole farm

Colt
no older than that
trots on shaky legs

 

 

 

 

 

 

MOTHER

 

Mother says Oh,
I’ve seen the dogwood
flower another year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MY CAT

 

My cat stretched out in a patch of sunlight.
Cats know what life is all about: nothing.
Instruct me in your doctrine, O Wise One.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MASTURBATION

 

Poor spermatozoa
swimming like crazy
and nowhere to go.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CITY PARK (HOMAGE TO REZNIKOFF)

 

Traffic drone versus the drone of bees.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WHILE YOU’RE AWAY

 

An itch on my back
I can’t

quite

reach.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TWO RIVERS

 

Santiam Gorge
roars with white water
making thinking inaudible.

Metolius River
murmurs an endless story
putting us to sleep.

 

 

 

 

 

TAKING A SHOWER

A wild, secretive animal,
my naked body
disappears
in the steamed mirror!

 

 

 

 

 

 

OLD FRIEND

 

Going to bed earlier,
I don’t see as much of the moon.
But I think of you, old friend.

Going for the morning paper,
there you are---a chance meeting
the best meeting between friends.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE WOOD ROSE

 

I forget months of winter:
the wood rose flowers
between gray fence posts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FINDING A HAWK

 

Death
so expected
such a surprise

Life
that soared
down from the sky

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WEE HOURS

 

Owl calls
“ Who who
who’s listening?”

Poet scrawls
“ Who who
who’s listening?”