~
Enchantment under the sea
noted places that used to be

Someone turned on the tap
now every couple years
the kids must learn
a new map

So wholly and completely
was the ice caps evaporation
these cities current address
is at the bottom of the ocean
with Atlantis:

There's London
Lisbon
Venice
and Dublin

There's Singapore
Sydney
Montreal
and Tripoli

There's New Orleans
Rio de Janeiro
Cape Town
and Cairo

Don't live in fear, children
but bring your scuba gear

Can't stop the melting spree
we all surrender to the sea
~

So many doors
tightly closed
the need for more clothing and food
can't be kept out
it's a small hamlet
by the river
when a man stamps his foot
the whole village wobbles
a slap from a woman
and the whole village is flooded with tears
a cough in the dark
reveals bricks of secrets
two old stone mills
like an old couple who
have worn out their lives
wind leaks through four walls
a candle light dim and faint
not a synonym for romance and cozy
but luxury
when they can't afford kerosene
they eat, wash, get in the blankets
before the candlelight goes out
remainder of the light is only
for the maternal needlework
a curve creek
clear and lucid
when catching fish and mud-skippers
they become as happy as the water
joyful shrieks waft
in the smoke from the cooking stove
these scenes which can only be
returned to if time regressed are
very much alive in memory
they just didn't grow with me
many years later the warren
became a rustic retreat
days of the dirt and soil
became a wandering cloud
the stubborn local sounds
suddenly emerge from baseless thoughts
the mushed corn
the yam gruel
carrots and cabbage
feeding the dream
the mountains, the water, the people
the kindly kampung
the birthmark
of that era.

What happened to her was disgusting
But she should have better not been out in the night alone
So what it was her job, she's not a man,a girl isn't safe on these roads

And what happened to her was indeed dastardly
But why did she have to go to that area
Being in that situation was partly her fault

The boys were indeed monsters
But did see what that teen wore
Her miniskirt might have turned them on
(Oh she was in a saree,never mind,moving along)

Of course it's all the boy's fault
But does good girl drink alcohol
What was she doing partying at 11'o clock
Maybe she was friendly and her no sounded like a yes,
You know,boys will be boys afterall

What they did,they should rot in hell
But why the hell did she take a strangers' help
I guess thats what being too friendly entails

And she has my full support
But, but,she was not a very 'nice' girl ,if you know what I mean
The jobs she did,the places she went
I heard she had many boyfriends
And don't take it in the wrong way
But she sort of caused it upon her

And that's why kids
Keep company of only 'good' people
And follow our orders
If you wish not such dishonour
Always be prim and proper

I can't imagine the pain she must be in
Now who will marry a bride with lost honour
All the reputation of the family is lost,better keep this a secret,don't tell the police

It's none of her fault of course
But western values did spoil the gal

And the boys did a grievous wrong
But she could have tried not being so free
It's not a West European city

Well you know what I mean
She could have, well, tried not existing

~
Corrosive elevation
Metabolic creation
At the mouth of cough drop falls
Trails of caustic, nomadic influence:
Coffee lips
Decaffeinated tongue
Resealable groove
Reusable embryo
White hunter
Melt snow
Hang fire
Black crow

Mechanical peak
Summit on a stick
Chiseled grey
The smoke ascending
They call "day"
Lovely shade of sadness, this
Wandering endocarp
Hidden in caves, hollows, crags, cellars, and cisterns
It came naked
From out of the acrid woods
And said

"The locust are upon us..."
~

Tommy guns for insurance
And wads of sweaty cash
To build new empires with

But there are no guarantees
Crime, you see, doesn't pay
You can bank on it

So we already know how it ends:
They canceled his policy
And Dunaway with her