.
.
River
You ban all airplay of my music, sales
Of my CDs. You stab with rumor, spy,
Harass, and stalk. Yes, power: stuff your jails
With dissidents. Denounce those who defy
Your puppetry, and ruin their careers.
You order marches of obedience;
A grinning beat, not joyful pulse; canned cheers
And cued applause; in short, ingredients,
Not art. I listen to the sparrows tweet,
The vireos and warblers, and I hear
The rainstorm, river, breezes through the street
Of elms, a woman's whispered fear
And symphony LP, and your commands.
The moment yields a melody; my blood
Tunes silence into song, despite your plans
And charts, your rumors' bullet, spear, and blade.
They boast their guns who are themselves afraid.
Bio:
I founded and manage Rose Alley Press, which primarily publishes books featuring Pacific Northwest rhymed metrical poetry. My newest poetry collection, from Rose Alley Press, is Stars Beyond the Battlesmoke. Other collections from Rose Alley include Wildfire, Candleflame; Resin from the Rain; and Streetlamp, Treetop, Star. Many of my poems have been published in fine literary journals, such as The Lyric, Candelabrum, and The New Formalist. My essays often appear in Exterminating Angel. In 2005, I won the PoetsWest Achievement Award. In 2007 I edited and published the poetry anthology Limbs of the Pine, Peaks of the Range. My Web site is www.rosealleypress.com.
(author retains copyright)
.
River
You ban all airplay of my music, sales
Of my CDs. You stab with rumor, spy,
Harass, and stalk. Yes, power: stuff your jails
With dissidents. Denounce those who defy
Your puppetry, and ruin their careers.
You order marches of obedience;
A grinning beat, not joyful pulse; canned cheers
And cued applause; in short, ingredients,
Not art. I listen to the sparrows tweet,
The vireos and warblers, and I hear
The rainstorm, river, breezes through the street
Of elms, a woman's whispered fear
And symphony LP, and your commands.
The moment yields a melody; my blood
Tunes silence into song, despite your plans
And charts, your rumors' bullet, spear, and blade.
They boast their guns who are themselves afraid.
Bio:
I founded and manage Rose Alley Press, which primarily publishes books featuring Pacific Northwest rhymed metrical poetry. My newest poetry collection, from Rose Alley Press, is Stars Beyond the Battlesmoke. Other collections from Rose Alley include Wildfire, Candleflame; Resin from the Rain; and Streetlamp, Treetop, Star. Many of my poems have been published in fine literary journals, such as The Lyric, Candelabrum, and The New Formalist. My essays often appear in Exterminating Angel. In 2005, I won the PoetsWest Achievement Award. In 2007 I edited and published the poetry anthology Limbs of the Pine, Peaks of the Range. My Web site is www.rosealleypress.com.
(author retains copyright)
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