Monday, February 21, 2011

Varnish

Drops in the ocean:

How many e-mails did I compose today?

émail : enamel or varnish, in French.

Did I manage to varnish my life, with my e-mails?

O useless questions, you are multitudinous

Like stars in the universe times the number of my e-mails

My backbone aches under the weight of bits and pixels

Lighter than dust, but so bright my eyes can never rest

Friday, February 11, 2011

Swing Dua

His whole being teeters

From sunset to sunrise

The swing in the park remains empty, though

And what teeters is just the invisible pendulum of timeless time

His whole being is never whole; it is simply full of being

No single swing can hold him - he is much too restless

Only amorphous things, such as time and being

Are allowed to teeter-oh-teeter

Monday, February 7, 2011

Fruit Opera

Mr. Lime sang, jovially: "How much you identify with a tangerine is a matter of taste. Tangerines, squeezed for juice and color. The tangy tangerines, which may be less ubiquitous than oranges, but for that reason, more precious and personable - la la! My computer's name is 'Dancing Tangerine.'"

The orchestra broke into a lilting, almost inaudible waltz.

Mrs. Orange interrupted the waltz with her deep, androgynous voice: "Oh Lemon, thou art great. You bless us with your scent, most of all."

A tumbling of drums.

Right away, Ms. Lemon, in a distant soprano voice, responded via Twitter: "Dear Orange, you are the king and queen of fruits. We submit to thee."

The orchestra rushed to a climax and suddenly fell completely silent, except for a lingering oboe.

When Tangerines A and B began a quiet and sinuous duet without words, the rest of the wind players joined in, mumbling together like doves from my childhood, your childhood.

Soon enough, a tangerine-like sun rose to shine on the city of oranges. It was early morning and most of the city was still asleep. Meanwhile, a glass of lime juice materialized in the nearby mountains and was quickly gulped down by an old lemon.