Wickado G

I say goodbye
At security
They pass through search and x-ray
Belt and post maze empty
I whisper my prayers
For their safe passage
And feel sad

With my eyes closed
To deny my tears
I hear echoing voices
Tinny obscure music
Rolling luggage wheels
Squeaking shoes walking
My own sobs

I wait for them
To board the airplane
And then with heavy footsteps
I trudge to where I parked
To drive home alone
Apartment empty
As they fly

DFW Airpot 6/17/08

He stands about, oh
Eleven inches
White European Jesus
With pre-recorded voice
Spouts scripture numbers
That did not exist
In His time

Thousands of them
Surround your ankles
All of them programmed to save
Your wretched mortal soul
And you realize it’s
The Second Coming
By Mattel

She wanted it
All the local bling bling
And a man to pay for it
A husband of her own
Her desperate goal
The opposite of
Feminist

The Alamo
Surprisingly small
The Texans most sacred shrine
Is really a gift shop
For an odd brand of
Cowboy religion
And martyrs

She wanders
Bird-like across stone
Browsing through history
Hand crafted in China
Pecking at trinkets
Hinting and hoping
I would buy

Mountain lake shore
In afternoon shade
I leap from bow into grass
Thick white rope in my hands
To tie a good knot
That will keep the boat
From drifting

In the green grass
Over by a log
We notice black and white rings
“A kingsnake” says my friend
He bends down to grab
A tail where I see
A rattle

I yank him back
He does not believe
So I carefully handle
Scales rough and beautiful
Holding it eye level
It shows us its fangs
Of venom

A teenage girl
Blue-eyed with blonde locks
Lead deep into the forest
Under moss-covered trees
Beside a small stream
Surrounded by ferns
Barely dressed

A teenage boy
With evil intent
Who would be the Big Bad Wolf
If it had not been for
His lonely, kind heart
Too empathetic
Too concerned

She looked around
She recognized why
Deep in his secret garden
She had been lured here
Let’s go back to town
You buy us pizza
He said yes.

Black neoprene
Clear sea afternoon
Waves of cold stinging needles
Crash against fake seals
Armed like the devil
Gleaming steel tridents
Jabbing sand.

Living seashells
Pulled out of their homes
Squeezing shut and spitting water
Measured with iron gage
Dropped with its fellows
In a burlap sack
Of clam doom.

“This one’s too small,”
Thus spoke my father
Who pulls out a wicked knife
And bottle of hot sauce
A natural law
Eat or be eaten
Goodbye clam.

This is my version of the Hymn to Ninkasi, written from three translations of the original Sumerian.

“Ninkasi” is the Sumerian Goddess of Beer and Brewing, and this hymn dates back to nearly 2000 years before Christ. It contains the earliest known recipe for beer.

Crystal clear womb
Water lifegiver
The earth and mother-goddess
Ninhursaja by name
Cared for Ninkasi
On her arrival
Water born

Towering walls
Grand as canyon cliffs
Ninkasi completes them
To protect the city
Standing on the shores
Of the sacred lake
Called Abzu

The great Enki
Lord of deep waters
He did father Ninkasi
From his love of Ninti
Queen of the Abzu
And she gave to him
A daughter

Smooth and golden
Handle in her hands
Hefting the big dough shovel
She mixes the bappir
Beer-bread with honey
Sweet aromatics
And passion

The bappir goes
In the big oven
Hot with the fire of the gods
Ninkasi bakes it well
Then puts in order
The piles of hulled grains
Safely kept

Ninkasi she
Then waters the malt
That she’s spread across the earth
Her tigers stand guard
Even potentates
Are forbidden from
Trespassing

She soaks the malt
In a holy jar
While the waves they surge and ebb
The cooked mash she then spreads
Across large reed mats
So that they may cool
And be ready

Ninkasi holds
Her holy sweet wort
In delicate goddess hands
Brewing it with honey
And nectar of fruit
From the Tree of Life
All blended

Ninkasi then
It is suggested
Poured her most holy sweet-wort
Into a large vessel
But this is a guess
As the next few lines
Are damaged

Delicate hands
Carrying aloft
Places the fermenting vat
Which rings low and pleasant
Appropriately
Atop a large vat
Collecting

Ninkasi she
Pours the filtered beer
Out of the collector vat
It is like the Tigris
And the Euphrates
Raging together
At one time

Thank you
For your sunshine
For finding me my love
I can’t fathom what life would be like
Without

Sunshine
On all wavelengths
Rays from your smiling eyes
You gave me illumination
And love

My lady
You changed it all
Made the future so bright
My favorite time of my life
Is now

Misty
Blue pre-dawn light
Garbage truck slams and bangs
Staring up at five wooden blades
Spinning

Her voice
It haunts in dreams
Would rather lie awake
Than be taunted by what is lost
Broken

Red eyes
Scrape through the day
Concentrate on breathing
Trying not to think that life sucks
Be strong

She was
Everything
She was everything
Everything everything
Goodbye

Fingers
Touch the dark air
Spread your arms wide
Lift bare feet onto soft nothing
And rise

Soft breeze
Caress your hair
Leafs waver as you rise
The ground drops away underneath
Flying

Weightless
Can’t stop smiling
Thinking your happy thoughts
Aim for the moonlit clouds above
Freedom

My love
I point the way
Second star to the right
And then it’s straight on ’till morning
Let’s go

New home
Our very own
Blue and luscious green
A place where our hearts never age
Always