Lawrence Hall, HSG
Mhall46184@aol.com

                                       A Man Card? Really?

                       “Consider your Man Card reissued.”

                            -Bushmaster advertising slogan

Upon your soul

Your bullet leaves the barrel; it’s not coming back
That’s not a cliché; that’s a truth, the coldest truth
It’s not engraved upon a tablet but upon your mind
Upon the arrest reports, the jail book-in, the trial schedule

Upon your soul

Your bullet leaves the barrel and carries away
Everything that is brave and good in you
Every hope and dream, every noble thought
Everyone whom you love, whom you wish to love

Upon your soul

Forever and ever, the screams and blood of innocents
Are faceless terrors stalking you through your nights

Upon your Man Card

Lawrence Hall, HSG
Mhall46184@aol.com

                            Driving Home After Work:
                  “Thus Spake Zarathustra” on the Radio

The first few bars must always remind us of
That space movie from the future long ago
With sophomores beating each other up
Or anyone trying to spell “Zarathustra “

Without looking it up; no spelling now
Driving into a drought-red setting sun
The vapours of chemicals, road tar, dust
Allergens drifting among the toxins

Poetry sorts meaning from chaos seeming -
Maybe not tonight (Sneeze!)

Lawrence Hall, HSG
Mhall46184@aol.com

                            “Catholics, You’ve Got to Vote for Me.”

                               -Mr. Trump at the Al Smith Dinner

Mr. Trump does not speak for me.
Cardinal Dolan does not speak for me.
The local bishop speaks only at me
And they all want money from me

Lawrence Hall, HSG
Mhall46184@aol.com

                 Because Men Who Betray Women are so Amusing

                  Bang-Bang Baldwin and the Too-Cool Audience

A man shoots a woman
For which another woman takes the fall
And Saturday Night Live
Is okay with it all

Lawrence Hall, HSG
Mhall46184@aol.com

                    We are All Children When We Attempt Haiku

We all write Haiku
We’re not any good at it
But we honor the Shijin

Lawrence Hall, HSG
Mhall46184@aol.com

                     The High Priest Kisses King Herod’s (Hands)

                         His Eminence the Cardinal of New York

The High Priest kisses King Herod’s (hands)
And joins him for a feast of mockeries and lies
Giving the tyrant for his crimes a pass
Laughing at Truth as civilization dies

Over lobster and beef they pity the poor
While robed in white ties and evening gowns
And silken ecclesiastical couture
(One of them has visions of papal crowns)

Gluttony and scorn at a rented manse -
All that is missing is Salome’s dance

Lawrence Hall, HSG
Mhall46184@aol.com

                     The First Barn-Jacket Morning in Autumn

Dawn – windy and cold
The first barn-jacket morning
Wild geese singing south