Charles Forster
A SWEET BREATH OF GRATITUDE
May 9th, 2022.
32 years and 39 days
That’s right.
I stepped into your room
hydrangea, rose, lavender –
neatly tied, bloom-ends down.
The very air around you beckoning.
But I had already fallen.
That first dance.
Curious, dark blue eyes,
black hair, brushstroke of gray,
contoured calves, low-cut cowgirl boots,
purple and white tie-dye cotton dress –
silhouetting – well, you know…
delicious swells and ebbs.
Yeah, baby, I was helpless.
Just another fetching beauty?
Hell no.
Fresh from a 6 week solo sojourn in Mexico,
work at a hospice for men dying with AIDS –
back when HIV was still new and terrifying.
No… this woman? – ovaries the size of avocados.
May 9, 2022, I am aged 64 years and 78 days.
I’ve been with you, my darlin’, for 32 years and 39 days.
Exactly half my life.
And every morning a sweet breath of gratitude
silently says
to whatever power that gives rise to such things –
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you.
Leon Petty
How to Hate
Let us talk of where to break an egg
Books are good
Let me introduce you to the group
The Bible, the Koran, Mein Kampf
Here are the places to index
just how righteous you are
and providing you with
that wonderful sense of entitlement
Some might even develop the freedom
to sense it everywhere
Now that you are in the Tribe
the concept of other must be examined
For instance
You ‘other’ are dwelling in
my many sacred spaces!
You stink!!!
And we are not in this world together
Thought must be pure
and how can it be pure
when there is other thought
This is our credo
Fear must be our impetus
but we will call it bravery
We protect everything
You didn’t come this far
just to be wrong did you.
Change is now the enemy
Choose well who to hate
This will determine your coalescence
and attendance
and be subtle with your hate
until you really got them
A few suggestions for who to recruit
People confused about their sexuality
People confused about what to worship
People confused about who is oppressing them
People confused about who the hell they are
but they want to be somebody