The Common Good
Imagine democracy believed in,
as common as a cold, not washing
your hands so it will spread,
the man in your bed so democratic
he’s another people, watching you
insert your contacts and a horror
surfaces and he enters you
to hide it, with a lack of
tenderness you could not expect.
You see now the effect of democracy,
this man you love abstract suddenly
in his so fascinating fear of
your eye going in, and a desire
that makes you common shakes
the two of you, unbelievable
Name That Tune
Twice, like plants left in her care,
they die. Now what she’s holding is
as large as both husbands’,
the hand of her dying son.
A box of old toys falls from
a shelf, exploding with motes
as fine as an organ grinder grinds
his organs, with her on his shoulder.
Save your penny. The way Christ
took away law to postulate love as a guide
is the scaffold released and her
swinging. Love? The monkey won’t dance.