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On the Eve of the '98 Leonids (Free verse) by lw_nd
Two hundred feet upstream the Russian from where
Their turn was, I stood deep in water and wait,
Baiting the hook with a pink and silver fly
That mined the dead glacier's stream for biting blood.
Floods of fish...after that fly was Jonahed from
Some two or three fish-bellies, that silver hook
Looked bigger than life- tonight I can see it
Clearly, better than faces of distant kin.
Graduation not three years ago,
And every memory's grown dark
Except for thinking Sacred Heart
Had prettier oils in candleglow.
But skip down a line or two to Ireland,
Standing solemnly at Drumcliffe's massive door
And pouring coins in the worn collection more
For WBY than for the Sligo mass.
Now past, and now, and to come all ossified,
I spied his stone, clean white lime, just like he said.
The dead are generous; I paid rightful due,
Then stole a few stones to keep the image fresh.
"The DNA is mainly comprised
Of junk strands, which are cut and thrown
Away before the cell can grow."
Soon after, the lecture was excised.
I've come to the mightiest mountain on earth,
In girth, at least, to wax apocalyptic.
Cryptic NASA numerologies proclaim
We'll see the same no-show as in '33.
No worries, though- the essence is in the small
And just one falling bright mustard seed will do
To set the memory down in a bolder type-
The fruits, though few, will be ripe.
"Rhyme can not be a slave to the theme,"
He cheerfully nonsequitured.
"Use it to spade your portioned dirt,
And permit whatever will to spring."
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