michael farrell
Three poems
the king & i
removed the erotic from the public eye
its embodiment & i stood side by side in the
landscape & spent our time on the bible lying
down we called the public leonardo we danced
the dance of the lion & the lamb colliding
with the sunshine i refer to our many children
we didnt sweat to bear im orthodox very straight
very roundheaded i look like yul brynner
my manner veers from cranky to golden
sovereigntys mixed in us neithers behind
the other if were to fix our symbolic role then
aphorise against decay & convert our twinned
image to ideogram or icon yet deny escapism
an art other than the sound of musics called
for the idea of zoo & convent evident in
our facial arrangement saint beast rex & reg
ever chaste sexed ever read & yellow
the dingy swan
the greynecked bird didnt work out
the traditional wish went yellow when
the swan must fix what cant be theres
nowhere on earth to go i love it cause
i get the chance to express my deepest
education in part iii i have unconscious
ly banged the tambourine to hymns i
can understand no longer one of the
loveliest echoed the cleaner eyes me
his attitude i cant guess i stroke my
self remembering its unmanly often
recited to me i stole his mop &
bucket attacked the floor with
feeling which explains my redness
& heavy breathing in the afternoon
light expiring on the tiles on my
back on the souls of those now dust
aye sun & moon & star & all if i
must be taught a lesson by the gods
of love let me go first home for
my quill let me write my bodys story
orchids
my tutor warned me against the
cult of the red orchid they talk
a language their own checked with
spitted leaves the moon ellipsed
my tutor through the deep & dark
gothic archway were orchids seen
on horseback the high flower and his
attendants whom the etiquette petal
betwixt the civil & military powers
they look bold in captivity watch
ing fergus kissed edward on each side
of the face how well did they be
come the apparatus of terror the
reporter exclaimed distorting for
the mogul the priest entreated him
to be silent theyre violent children
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