Greg Cameron | Free Poems
Resign
as she laughs
you imagine all sorts of things
flitting off into the air,
a splash of cold water
on a very hot day,
or someone in the distance yelling
when you thought she was lost
and you want to run
and hug her
- and as she laughs
you wonder
if she’s laughing for joy
or laughing at you
you’re resigned
to the fact
it doesn’t really matter
and as rain pelts down on you
you smile
and shake your head,
and the earth dissolves
beneath you….
Walk
I thought I knew what I felt
I could reach out, touch
I’m not sure anymore
wandering the back alleys
I see the scattered trash
cans, wrappers, chewed gum,
black dog feces,
things rusted beyond recognition
the mud seems somehow appropriate
I raise my eyes, study
obscenities, graffiti scrawled
as if clawed with extended fingers
which turf is whose
as if anyone cared
I see nothing here for me
turn corner, parking lot
car upon car, as if in a can
one door open, man with his legs out
making a phone call,
confidences pressed close to ear
a woman driving by smiles
- I don’t know her
every now and then it tugs at me
I turn away with a shrug
I’m too tired to be angry,
expect too little to be disappointed
bad taste in my mouth
is here to stay
I cross the road,
another parking lot,
laundromat, fast food joint, credit union
I stop at the lip of
the highway, watch the steady
four lanes of traffic,
packed close,
deafening roar,
menacing glitter
a horn sounds
brakes
I turn and walk on,
back turned to
the flow of traffic….
Sway – a Quatrain in Vain
I wonder what goes on inside her head
it does not pay to think upon these things
the tune I sing will never quite be dead
as I ponder the way she sways and swings….
What Comes Next
I’ll always remember the day
with a mixture of glee and rue
you caught me unawares
- sneak attack! -
you caught me between the eyes
it was if my skull had
opened up to let in all the light
I sank to my knees
oblivious to my surroundings,
the ground beneath me,
everything except you
everything inside reached out
my mind screamed
with pleasure
my eyes grew wider and wider
then suddenly turned to X’s
my body solidified
connected by little metal joints
my blood turned to paint and glue
and here I sit
silly smile painted on my face
awaiting always
whatever might
come next…..
This Bird Flies
This bird flies
see him spinning in the
belly of blue
this bird flies
perhaps hoping
the sun will
wipe away his tears
watch him as he
glides and wheels
everything beneath him
is distant
he sees all
- and yet he would see nothing
this bird flies
he wants to get away
far, far away
he heeds no natural imperative
he flees no predator
instinct’s gravity pull
bears no force upon him
this bird cares no longer
his wings spread for himself
and himself alone
there’s nothing left but this
the clouds, the currents
the steady lift of the air
this bird flies
watch his wings spread and pulse
till long last
he is gone….