things i wrote this past year / / these last bunch of poems

they say / 3 days after the asian tsunami

“. . . the shaking was so powerful it even disturbed the earth's rotation.”

“. . . we found several thousands in the water”

/ wet
against the sand / they were
team ing / hair float ing wet /

think about all that
wet hair / /

        wish i could describe the light as it
        bounces pink & grey off the cloud
        settled in the valley below /
        in front of me / winter cloud

Ø

“. . . the earth rocked on her axis from this earthquake”
“. . . her after shocks left us vibrating”

a jolt right thru me / you / did you feel the earth shake

did you know it was happen ing

no / i suppose not / not until a few hours later
when the wave hit the shore wash ing you
& every thing else a long with it's magnificant power

“. . . power of a million atomic bombs”

one hell of a wave

Ø

hang on hang on / that's all you could think
before you went under the shell of blue
oh that indian ocean / such lovely blue water

& the fish / the fish / can you imagine them
rush ing past your head / touch ing your face
skimming a long your back / swimming with
a school of fish / such beautiful blue eyed / yellow with stripes
certain lee those fish / flip flip flip / bodies shiny glint
of
not sure what to do / / fins a rapid motion
of /
swim with the wave

in in in / rush of ocean / rooms fill with water
up up up / to the ceil ing /
if you can only hold your breath / it will be ok / /

so you don't /
you just give in to the shock of drown ing
as the wave / oh that wave / it pulls you /
back to the sea / out / in to the water / gone to see

Ø

is that death you wear so
well on this late december nite / / remember:
winter has come again / face face to the sun

remember / / mother earth / she's one mean bitch
you want death / i'll give you death
an enormous disturbance for mass consumption / /

& after / bodies pile up
so easy to call them / bodies /
arms & legs askew / bent / bloat ed /
heat creates a quick rot / stench of dis ease
did you realize your body was a vehicle
of pestilence

ah in death / i am nothing / /

tell me
when did you know it was
time to come out of the water /
time for your soul
to leave

tell me
when did your spirit rise