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When I was born,
From all the seas of strength Fate filled a chalice,
Saying, This be thy portion, child; this chalice,
Less than a lily's, thou shalt daily draw
From my great arteries; nor less, nor more.
All substances the cunning chemist Time
Melts down into that liquor of my life,
Friends, foes, joys, fortunes, beauty, and disgust,
And whether I am angry or content,
Indebted or insulted, loved or hurt,
All he distils into sidereal wine,
And brims my little cup; heedless, alas!
Of all he sheds how little it will hold,
How much runs over on the desert sands.
If a new muse draw me with splendid ray,
And I uplift myself into her heaven,
The needs of the first sight absorb my blood,
And all the following hours of the day
Drag a ridiculous age.
To-day, when friends approach, and every hour
Brings book or starbright scroll of genius,
The tiny cup will hold not a bead more,
And all the costly liquor runs to waste,
Nor gives the jealous time one diamond drop
So to be husbanded for poorer days.
Why need I volumes, if one word suffice?
Why need I galleries, when a pupil's draught
After the master's sketch, fills and o'erfills
My apprehension? Why should I roam,
Who cannot circumnavigate the sea
Of thoughts and things at home, but still adjourn
The nearest matters to another moon?
Why see new men
Who have not understood the old?
Me, I play the piano
said one
me, I play the violin
said another
me the harp, me the banjo
me the cello
me the bagpipes, me the flute
and me, a rattle.
And they talked talked
talked about what they played.
No music was heard
everyone talked
talked talked
and no one played
but in a corner one man remained silent:
"And you, Sir, who remain silent and say nothing,
what instrument do you play?"
the musicians asked him.
"Me, I play the barrel *****
and I also play the knife,"
said the man who until now
had said absolutely nothing
and then he advanced knife in hand
and killed all the musicians
and played the barrel *****
and his music was so true
and so lively and so pretty
that the daughter of the house’s owner
came out from under the piano
where she lay bored to sleep
and said:
"Me, I played hoop
ball, chase
I played hopscotch
I played with a pail
I played with a shovel
I played house
I played tag
I played with my dolls
I played with a parasol
I played with my little brother
with my little sister
I played cops
and robbers
but that’s over over over
I want to play assassin
I want to play the barrel *****."
And the man took the little girl by the hand
and they went into towns
into houses, into gardens
and killed as many people as possible
after which they married
and had many children.
But
the oldest learned piano
the second, violin
the third, harp
the fourth, the rattle
the fifth, cello
and they all took to talking talking
talking talking talking
so that no more music was heard
and all was set to begin again!
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Let Us play Yesterday—
I—the Girl at school—
You—and Eternity—the
Untold Tale—

Easing my famine
At my Lexicon—
Logarithm—had I—for Drink—
’Twas a dry Wine—

Somewhat different—must be—
Dreams tint the Sleep—
Cunning Reds of Morning
Make the Blind—leap—

Still at the Egg-life—
Chafing the Shell—
When you troubled the Ellipse—
And the Bird fell—

Manacles be dim—they say—
To the new Free—
Liberty—Commoner—
Never could—to me—

’Twas my last gratitude
When I slept—at night—
’Twas the first Miracle
Let in—with Light—

Can the Lark resume the Shell—
Easier—for the Sky—
Wouldn’t Bonds hurt more
Than Yesterday?

Wouldn’t Dungeons sorer frate
On the Man—free—
Just long enough to taste—
Then—doomed new—

God of the Manacle
As of the Free—
Take not my Liberty
Away from Me—
While I deteriorated,
and the edges unfurled,
I found your name.
Somewhere in me,
along the fault line,
you were etched in dust.
© Kayleigh Redwine October 6th, 2010
 Oct 2010 Sansara Justinovich
MD
On the middle of the corner, in the middle of the street
People stood upon their hands and walked upon their feet
Passing buildings quickly, with windows stacked up low
across busy intersections, where nobody could go

Passed the lonely baker, who was playing with his meat
Passed the school bus driver, who drove a bus that had no seats
Passed the town librarian, who was learning how to read
Passed the determined farmer, who harvested his seeds

Passed the peace corps building, which was breaking out in fight
Passed the b-ball court, where the children were all white
Passed the city dump, filled with brand new mercedes
Passed the rich district, which was really very shady

Across the flowing ocean, where no water had a place
Through the crowded mob of people, where nobody had a face
Up the steepest hill, which to ascend you had to slide
The password spoken honesttly, so we knew you must have lied

Through the unlocked gate, which swung locked right behind
to a place where people searched endlessly, for things they'd never find
where people who saw sickness, didn't care to find a cure
where people who were tainted, had the ***** to claim so pure

where people who were feasting, didn't have any food to spare
where shoemakers kicked at homeless, who's feet didn't have a pair
where pacificstic people,  were often forced to duel
where the hopelessly uneducated, were denied a school

down main street, where the people's needs were second
i saw a statue of a man, who began to beckon
so i went right up the stairs, passed the man into city hall
where a gathering had taken place, citizens hugged the walls

I walked right up to a man, and we began to speak
I asked about the town, which had started to look bleak
"Nonsense," he countered, "we're most certainly at our best!"
I smiled back enduringly, sure he had to jest

"Just take a look" he said to me, and pointed out the door
and suddenly, before my eyes, money rained upon the floor
priceless gems and sea shells, gathered from the shore
and women who wore no clothes, but were tatooed '*****'

My mouth opened slightly, and I admit to nothing witty,
instead, I questioned, "but what about the people in the city?"
he looked at me and smirked, with a wink i must admit was stealthy
"forget that now, can't you just enjoy the fact that i'm so wealthy?"

"Well sure," I admit generously, "but aren't you supposed to lead?
And spread this money around, to teach and clothe and feed?"
Scowling, he shook his head, "I do the best I can"
so I gave it one last try, before it all hit the fan

"I'm sorry, sir, just one more thing, I don't want to make you late"
as I looked disgustedly at the massive amount of food piled on his plate
"Yes, boy, what is it?" (as his belly starts to inflate)
"What about all the people, the people behind the gate?"

We both looked out past the city, where people had started to bleed
passed the dying culture, who was being eaten by greed
passed the fat man who stood before me, who could save lives but was too lazy
"Them?" he laughed heartily, "oh they're mighty ******' crazy."
I am in a dream full of romance.

A Young war hero arrives home with
A broken spine and he says
He wants me
And a broken house
With a crooked chimney
And a red door.

I warn him, quietly.
I tell him that my door is green
And that when I open it
The wind will always blow it shut again.

He hands me a can of paint
And he kisses me on my lips.

I live in a broken house
With walls full of bones
behind a red rusted door.
I do not use my door.
Only thieves use red doors
And I use the skylight
Sometimes,
                                                                ­                                                                 ­                                                                 ­                                    I wish I were still too stubborn to be lonely.

A man knocks on my rusty red door
And I yell at him through a broken window.
He has a boat,
And this sea captain takes me on his ship
Under heavy woven sails.
He names me first mate
But keeps me in the kitchen
Until we start taking on water
And I push him off the stern
And sink the boat myself.
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