Where is the center lost?
found in a raga’s tabla
and the meandering river
of a sitar’s harmonic dream

When does childhood end?
it begins in silent oceans
bursting open with wet life
grasping with tiny fingers

How does the hourglass last?
moments to minutes, limitless
each grain a sandy shore
mountains turned upside down

-cec

“The Attic warbler pours her throat,
Responsive to the cuckoo's note,”

A blackhead chickadee arpeggeos across the plum's branch,
white petals floating down to pointillist path,
where a green and muddy ground catches moist spring.
Minuscule wing swarms dance circles and zigzag tunes
to April’s breezy baton in overture to nature.
Snow-bells, pawnbroker hang, while crocus stand in purple/yellow ranks of elliptical rooted silence.
Oh gentle air of ancient curious prīmo vēre,
what wonders will you issue forth and form?
With outstretched arms and hearts we welcome you,
your nurturing ways of equanimity in equinox so true.

-cec

"Ode to Spring" by Thomas Gray

Wonder Wart-Hog succumbed to his powers,
“Was it the beer?” on his adopted planet
raised by hillbillies who were unable to eat him
As misanthropic as his neighborhood denizens
he is fated to bring swine justice, to the greater evil villains,
with his haphazard hog combat
living in a welfare toothed city scape
with broken-bottle-wielding alleyways
our superhero lumbers and snorts forward
into the breach of the seedy underbelly
of a schizoid society seeking hoodie anonymity
or zombie relief in a pick your poison age
This “Hog of Steel” though mild mannered
in his unaltered ego of Philbert DeSanex
fights for a labored truth, law and order
while delivering absurd antics on unsuspecting consumers of fascist pickles and bureaucratic saltines

-cec

Godzilla and King Kong battle
while Atlas has his arms full of sky
giant squids wrestle whales
dimension Kaiju trounce on Jaegers, likewise
everything is in a fight club,
club fight, landing jet powered punches
and hammering the next victim down
worlds collide, macro and micro
armies clash, rock vs paper vs scissors
Cane brained Able, Rocky the Russian
pitted against all in all comers, Earth vs ...
Apophis, hurtling itself to land its knockout

-cec

Odysseus sailed far and wide
destined  to ride the rising tides
this Vitruvian King, husband, father
navel of this orb’s slice, squared
outstretched (**** ad quadratum)
ventured out upon the stratum
plagued by duty, honor bound
cast upon his earthly rounds
ox and mule could not his delay
ten years, more, from place of his birth, away
how his voyage then encircled
this (**** ad circulum,) like a girdle,
wrapped the legend’s mortal length
though his will gave body strength
a horse’s belly full of Greeks doomed Troy
while oracles, “beef-witted” soldiers did toy
even tempered, ingenious and just
brought witty Outis from god’s drowning gust
thrown for a loop by Neptune and Zeus
betrayed and delayed by mischievous use
hearth and love drew our brave wandering soul
the weary years of travel had taken their toll ever closer to Ithaca, land of his kin
smuggled in sleep, there new struggles begin
finding rough suitors had invaded his place
to right all the wrongs his anger did rage
stringing his bow, friends, and state
shot his true arrow through twelve rings of fate
his story continues, sly Odysseus of Rome
but the Greek Homer bore him honors, fame and back home

-cec

Haunted by the hunt
not knowing the aim
absent purpose
questions to questions
reduction ad infinitum
solus ("alone") ipse ("self").
a solipsist’s pirouette

Hunting the haunted
knowledge and knowing
resolved intent
books upon book shelf
atomism and Plato
holistic cast nets
finiteo (“complete")

-cec