Mortal Coil is an unpublished poetry collection that grapples with the frailty of this conflicted life.
Perils of the deep
concern fewer and fewer
voyagers,
since air travel
obsoleted ships.
We go from place to place
faster, safer
then ever before,
and usually suppress
apprehension, fears,
until something reminds us
of the perils of the sky.
Confined to my cell
in the dark prison
of my heart,
I endured for lifetimes,
each day an anguish
unrelieved by hope
early extinguished
by daily beatings.
I could not escape
relentless assault
that banished my soul,
devoured my dreams.
Then my daughter was born.
In the bright discovery
of an unblemished life
I was regenerated,
rejoined humanity
in a flood of feelings
that melted the bars
that kept me in isolation.
Love entered my heart,
demanding an end
to bitter exile.
The cry of pain
we do not hear
echoes louder
in a child’s mind
long after
physical affliction
has passed.
The scars
real and remembered
prevent forgetting
of the harsh hands
quick to abuse,
slow to protect,
that shattered forever
the safety of childhood.
A veteran
of America’s wars
falls on hard times,
overstressed
from what he has seen,
has done.
He cannot keep a job,
becomes homeless.
When it gets too cold
he goes to a shelter.
During the night
men rob him.
He fights back,
is stabbed, killed,
by the enemy at home.
The first day of fall
unnoticed by most
in New York City,
where it’s just as warm
as the last day of summer.
The usual madness reigns.
Today was leave your car at home day,
in order to help the environment,
yet traffic is heavier then ever.
The UN General Assembly
started its annual meeting today,
followed by hundreds of dignitaries
indulging in extravagances
at the expense of the U.S.A.,
while war, crime, poverty, disease
continue to plague the world
on the first day of fall.