Three Poems
by R L Swihart
Dell-o-way
Plato's righteous man is something and the Nostradamus
Code something else
But there is little question that she foresaw the important
Merger
And the infinite tunneling of data that will soon connect
Us all
(Push the black cloud away and behold an ocean filled
With light)
*
And so Phileas Futon settled onto the white inviting Bemis
Followed by himself, himself, himself
A few minutes later he noticed the slanting type on p. 63
But refused to calculate the grade
He moved to the kitchen, started dividing and subdividing
The minutes until the pile of dust read 10:16
Bowled above the fridge, the bananas' yellow exploded
And woke his lover up
*
The slender threads of Septimus, an accepting moth
And the rocks in her pocket
I leave as further proof
Capture the Flag
On June 2nd they petition the association, obtain a permit
And subsequently spend an entire Saturday under a tired umbrella
Collecting pennies for junk, finally closing shop as an old man
And spry wife shell out three ones for a '56 Betty Crocker
And a '47 scoutmaster handbook
*
Fast-forward to the 4th of July. They've outsourced the kids
And the raspberry vodka is dry
He smiles and says With or without the handbook, we'd need
To improvise
He agrees to count to 100 beside the towering cottonwood
She agrees to hide
Coming up empty in the yard, garden, orchard and garage
He enters the house
In the bedroom, beneath a green-bannered CERCA TROVA
The probe of a finger
They fight for the flag but neither side wins. Both win.
Bombs bursting in air
Es muss sein
Mountains are too easy. Any flatland would serve
But the steppe is better. Slowly but surely
Grass will overrun the road
A key is planted beneath the mat. Already the stove
Is warm. Creditors won't find you
But mosquitoes will
Blind the window. After you've gathered the light
From the babel of books and thought
Gaze upon the Hunter
Now rise, build your city, burn
R L Swihart currently lives in Long Beach, CA, and teaches high school mathematics in Los Angeles. Some of his more recent credits include Unloved Mail-Order Bride, Ghoti Magazine, Lily, and The Hamilton Stone Review.