MARTYR

He sits down on a log that will,
In a few minutes, be part of the pyre
On which he'll burn and takes off his coat .
After shaking out the wrinkles
He folds it neatly  and sets it down.

CORVINE

 

Corvids or corvidae are

Oscine passerine birds including

Crows, ravens, jays, grackles,

Rooks, magpies, jackdaws,

Treepies, choughs and nutcrackers

And, on certain days, me.

I then speak grackle flawlessly;

Get by in crow, raven and jay (I have

Only a few words of treepie but who

Wants to talk much with treepies?)

I display, sometimes, an almost human intelligence 

And the ability to use simple tools.

CHECKING IN

 

My father had three jobs so he rarely

Had time to watch an entire ball game;

He'd turn on the tv late to watch an inning

Or two, reassured that the great game of which

Every game was a part continued.

APPEARANCE SAKE

 

Since Old Man is deaf

His shadow's begun

Covering its ears

Against thunder.

CRITIC

 

The wind says it doesn't really mean

To be rude but it's noticed that you

Are doing a very poor job of impersonating

Yourself today. Your right eye is two or three shades

Too dark. You've combed your wrong-colored hair

Unbecomingly. You're should be

Pulling on your beard while trying to think

Not scratching your ear. Go on like this

And you won't fool anyone, not even 

Virginia McC., who'll believe anything.

SOME CORRECTIONS

 

An obituary last Sunday about the poet Mark Strand referred incorrectly in some copies to his survivors. He did not have any brothers; he is not survived by a brother Thomas.

From the November 19th, 2014 New York Times obituary for Mark Strand

The poet Mark Strand had no brothers

He especially had no brothers

Named Thomas. He also never

Owned a dog and certainly not

One called Rusty who chased cats

And was a pale yellowy-red.

Rusty --not Mark Strand's dog --

Never caught any cats including

Farfel who didn't live next door

When Mark Strand was six.

Mark Strand was never six;

He was five and then he was seven;

Then he was 65 and being given

A Pulitzer Prize. He had no brothers

So none of them sent him a telegram

Saying "Nice work, Bro!"

Thomas, Rusty and Farfel are not among

Those who survived Mark Strand.

 

GOING AWOL

 

It's cold and windy in the harbor and the Statue

Has deserted her post, walking the length of Manhattan

To Grant's Tomb. She cannot stand up in it

But fits if she leaves her torch outside

And scrunches, resting her head on her knees.

Occasionally, she drinks from an enormous bottle

Of Mad Dog 2020, frustrating the teetotal ghost

Of General Grant who says she can stay for

A little while. Tomorrow, she promises,

She'll start looking for a new job.