name of the falcon 

inspires mystery.  

races the blood. 

shortens the breath. 

quickens the pace 

sharpens the eyes  

sharpens the talons 

dives from the sky 

like a holy angel.  

name of the whale 

plunges to the depths  

swells the seas 

rides the waves 

sings a song 

dances a waltz 

in slow motion 

wonderment 

almost awkward 

in its beauty 

and grace. 

name of the lion 

swells the chest 

lifts the head 

questions sanity 

weighs delusion 

looks across 

the vast mirage 

of heat 

for evidence 

of being  .  

 

gypsy sorrow 

forget tomorrow 

it’s a memory soon too forget 

no regrets 

like yesterday 

my last cigarette 

i requested standing in front 

of the firing squad firing up my zippo one last time 

and ripping my blindfold off 

defiantly fascinated by early morning sun teasing edges of leaves and flowers 

a lapis lazuli butterfly patiently flapping its wings 

in slow motion calmly counting 

to eternity 

i inhaled the smoke deep as i could 

blew a few smoke rings 

took another deep drag fast as i could so hungry 

for the hit 

and the nicotine shiver 

i was hoping 

i was 

that zen master dreaming 

he was a butterfly or was a butterfly dreaming 

he was a zen master smoking a cigarette in front of the firing squad whispering 

a prayer to Dostoevsky.

 Watch this spot it keeps changing 

stare deeply deeply you see it swirl

 it fascinates mesmerizes is it is full of questions 

it whispers answers you can't quite hear 

listen closer     stare deeper 

Time dissolves 

no longer linear 

you could be anywhere you are everywhere 

you are everyone you are nobody 

you are everything listening to some other language 

you feel the words without knowing what they mean 

you're in the garden watching a caterpillar become a butterfly 

it starts raining 

you are the water

 

fools are blue

but so is the sunset

drunken fools

setting themselves on fire

down by the river

where they are easily doused

they burn like the moon

they've got a long way to go 

drunken fools

blue as the blue lagoon

no place to go 

down by the river

they try becoming trolls

but there's no money in it

they are crazy

they are gambling with their bones

down by the river

setting themselves

on fire.

(1982) 

(austin)