the Thoughts and Speech of Men

"Auto-reply: Away"

Today, Today, you couldn't

stay.

the Battle of Tenupe

The Chiss drop ships landed perforce
on Tenupian plains as source
for pause among Killiks and Unu.

The Colony: in retrograde
regrouped, and set forth plans they'd laid
to absent Chiss ships, and then pursue.

A megamaser from on high
with lightning-fast speed vaporized
the still spry limbs of an ancient tree.

With Mogo branches smoldering
and Colony flanks enclosing
some wary Chiss on a sodden berm

were overwhelmed when through their shields
kolosoloks and Solo sealed,
the fate of many Chiss confirmed.

Though clearly not to be out-fought
the Phalanx let fly their onslaught
of insecticide to make debris.

For Patrick

Your pea-coat
is seasons old

and that Signet
Classics rag
you hold

is typeset
right to
the edge

—right to
the edge.

and your hair
is straight
and dry

and that cut
upon your thigh
sustained

in brown pants
while plans
we've laid

in He-Man shirts
and thin
sweatshirts

for having a
cup of coffee.

If they rebuilt
the Sears
Tower larger,

by proportion,
more space
would be

unusable.

la Eraro

Mi certe ke viaj ŝuoj
kostas multaj pro vi.

Kaj la blank' ĉapelon
sur via kapo,

via dolĉa eta kapo.
Kiam vi tute ne miskomprenas

la gravo de mia vort'
la tute angla mesaĝo
en mia vort'.

Kaj la glaso de via
okulvitroj est' tro dolĉa ankaŭ.





[the Error

I'm certain that your shoes
cost you a lot

and the white hat
on your head

your sweet, small head.
When you don't misconstrue

the importance of my word(s)
the very English message
in my word(s).

And the glass in your
glasses is very sweet also.]