Can You Hear Me Now?
—Anonymous Photo of Women Veterans-to-Be
A THOUGHTFUL STROLL ONE DAY
—Caschwa, Sacramento, CA
(following the footsteps of Tom Goff’s Grecian Maidens)
“Synthesizer Piece” brought forth
memories of my studies at UCLA
whereinwhich I submitted a fugue
at the fourth, which the professor
henceforth took me at my word that
one part was the other, 4 steps North.
“Our Own Zone” was the first of
multiple timely verses that emphasized
the dilemma of women these days
trying to overcome their assigned role
as a cow to send the political message:
“Can you hear me now?”
“Villanelle…” is one really good find
that captures what happens
when good boys of sound mind
lose themselves entirely in
beer and laughter intertwined,
so wholly and thoroughly that
to all else they are blind.
“Widow’s Walk” I can empathize,
the view from this clouded window,
though I am a left-handed coma
survivor who will never feel what
a woman feels, but I can kneel with
that Colin kiddo or put my ditto
‘neath the plight of a widow.
“Each Symphony Four…” Bring out
the post horns, let there be joyous
fanfares to introduce the weather,
the news, the sports, whatever…
Stand up at attention, slim Grecian
maiden, and salute the town crier.
“Judge Bax” I stood erect at the station
and could see and feel the vibrations
of this very, very long train coming along
and I could only hope it would pause
and stop at some point so I could climb
aboard and ride it for awhile, but it seemed
determined to rush on past me, sounding the
whistle loudly, as if to laugh at my inertia,
over and over with no intermission. I am
still here, and that train is now long gone.
______________________
—Medusa, with thanks to Caschwa (Carl Bernard Schwartz) for today’s poem about Tom Goff’s poems which were posted in Medusa’s Kitchen last Wednesday, and a reminder that Tom will be reading with Tom Hedt tomorrow night, 7:30pm, at Sac. Poetry Center!
