Thursday, May 17, 2012

TWO POEMS: JOHN ROCHE

Further
(closing thoughts after Cloudburst Council)
--John Roche

Further is a bus
driven by Merry Dionysians
bus comes from omnibus
transport for all
Mahayana the Greater Vehicle
a quite Whitmanian notion
sometimes a great nation
no gloom at Seneca Emergence Place
but Cloudburst Express needs to be a Soul Train
needs to be a Freedom Train too
not there yet.

The founding convention of Cloudburst Council is gaveled closed
no closure for poetry…

Jimi sings, "Castles made of sand drift into the sea eventually"
maybe not a bad thing to build your castles on sand
Tibetan or Navaho sand paintings complete their magic only when
the image is erased.















John Roche at Cloudburst Council May 2012                    photo by machine


Sally Forth
--John Roche

The purpose of a Citadel
is to give protection
not to keep you bottled up.
A strong Citadel means
you can safely
sally forth.
In fact, the safety of the Citadel
depends on
scouts, traders, knights
willing to bravely sally forth
gather information, exchange trade goods,
scatter skirmishers, demolish siege engines.
Without this, the noose of besiegement tightens.
Without Sallying Forth, we feed on ourselves, first the dogs,
then the dead, next the children.
So much depends upon a white chicken smuggled
across the lines so much depends on those willing to tunnel
swim creeks ride horses enjamb the perimeter use subterfuge
ride invisible taxis 
establish parataxis between inside/outside/both sides of the moat
leave breadcrumbs for others' mnemotaxis.
So much depends on friends not content to stay by the hearth fire
yet so much depends on those reading by that hearthside
with minds unbridled.
So much depends
on those who tarry there by the sally gardens
taking love easy, "Easy Baby," Magic Sam sang.

The best Citadel is the one you carry in your breast as you sally forth.


John Roche at Cloudburst 2012  photo by David Landrey





1 comment:

  1. "Further" -- Sounds just like you, John. I read it and heard you as if you were sitting next to me in my library in SW FL!

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