Agriculture by Ed Markowski

Mango trees lined the road at the Northern edge of the village
Not a lick of wind yet mango leaves shimmied thirty ­ five feet
above our top hats on our left flank Wicked Willie from Saint
Augustine looked up and whistled a carbine kiss into a cluster
of leaves not one thread of black pajama floated down in the
village proper a few chickens scrambled four goats roamed six
pigs waddled monkeys ranted from a bamboo grove an amplified
crack one shot took the Beach Bum’s head off in the center
of the village in dust we dove and ducked then worked our
way over to the bamboo grove took a look nothing there
on our way out we did our Zippo & The Magicians routine
old men watched women wailed children aged thirty years
in ten seconds we took a bow we tipped our hats at the
South end of the village more mango trees fly covered ant
covered mangos mashed in the road oozing juice looking
back I saw a streak of flaming feathers pinball off the
Beach Bum and through the legs of a smoldering goat
and with the exception of the Beach Bum I watched
myself and every other guy in our squad turn to ash.

Two Poems by Ed Markowski

DETROIT’S   DAILY  THANKSGIVING  DAY  PARADE

Pushing   two   three   wheeled   rust  STRAFED shopping   carts   down   a   trail   paved   with   broken   glass   drug  blood
death   and   delusion   in  a  pair   of   pink   canvas   Keds   the   bag   lady   waves   winks   smiles   laughs  and  blows
kisses   to   apparitions   through   a   drizzle   of   snow   as   she   passes   me   and   the   abandoned   Packard   Plant
on   East   Grand   Boulevard.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

OCTOBER   1   2011

ALL
MY

FRIENDS
FELL

SHRIVELED
SNAPPED

BURNED
ASHED

AND
BLEW

A
WAY

Two Poems by Ed Markowski

Valentine’s  Day  In  Detroit

Love
Crackles

And
Glows

In
The

Scorched
Bowl

Of
A

Glass
Pipe

************

Falg Day by Ed Markowski

 

Jamaican
red

China
white

&

Belgian
blue

micro
dot

that’s

the
America

i
discovered

____________

A CAMEO OF SARAH PALIN by Ed Markowski

WOLVES
&

WE
BLEED

IN
THE

BLACK
BEHIND

HER
SMILE .

CONSTELLATIONS by Ed Markowski

SUNDAY   MARCH   31 ,   1968 ,   10 : 00  AM   ON   THE   GOLDEN   GATE   BRIDGE ,

11 : 00   AM   IN   THE   MILE   HIGH   CITY ,   HIGH   NOON   IN   A   CHI   TOWN

SLAUGHTER   HOUSE ,   1 : 00  PM   ON   BROADWAY ,   INSIDE   THE   JAGGED

CRACK   OF   THE   LIBERTY   BELL ,   AND   BENEATH   THE    PINK   HAZE   OF

CHERRY   BLOSSOMS   WASHING   OVER   THE   JEFFERSON   MONUMENT ‘ S   OFF

WHITE   MARBLE   FACADE ,    AN   ENTIRE   NATION   STRANDED   IN   A   DREAM ,

BLINDED   BY   A   MYTH ,   DROWNING   IN   THE   DARK   DANK   BASEMENT   OF

A   HISTORICALLY   HYSTERICAL   MANDATE  …….

.

DOWN  HERE   IN   THIS   FILTHY   HOLE ,   WE ‘ RE   STAR   GAZING .  WE ‘RE   LOOKING

INTO   A   STARLESS   SKY .   WE ‘ RE   SEARCHING   FOR   CONSTELLATIONS   IN   AN

HONSET   EFFORT   TO   CONNECT   THE   DOTS   THROUGH   A   PICTURE   WINDOW

IN   BOISE   BOB ‘ S   HEAD ,   ABOUT   AN   INCH   ABOVE   HIS   THIRD   EYE   THAT

DETECTED   THE   KALASHNIKOV ‘ S   FLASH   AND   BLINDING   KISS   JUST   ONE   TICK

TOO   LATE  …..   AT   ZERO ,   ZERO ,   ZERO ,   HOUR  ,  20   MILES   SOUTH   OF   AND

A   THOUSAND   LIGHT   YEARS   BEYOND   KHE   SANH ,   QUANG   TRI   PROVINCE   IN

THE   REPUBLIC   OF   HO   CHI   JOHNSON ,   AND   LYNDON   BAINES   MINH .