THE END OF THE WORLD
by Archibald MacLeish
Quite unexpectedly, as Vasserot
The armless ambidextrian was lighting
A match between his great and second toe,
And Ralph the lion was engaged in biting
The neck of Madame Sossman while the drum
Pointed, and Teeny was about to cough
In waltz-time swinging Jocko by the thumb
Quite unexpectedly the top blew off:
And there, there overhead, there, there hung over
Those thousands of white faces, those dazed eyes,
There in the starless dark, the poise, the hover,
There with vast wings across the cancelled skies,
There in the sudden blackness the black pall
Of nothing, nothing, nothing -- nothing at all.
Archibald MacLeish
***
Just got back from a quick romp around the block. Oh, I forgot to do my back exercises. Damn!
Hold on.
***
Hi. I'm back.
***
Last nite as it was getting dark, I went for a trial run to Rem's apartment at Jericho Manor. He told me it was a huge complex which you can't tell from the front.
I managed to get about 4-5 hours sleep but I was freakin out about finding it in the early morning dark.
Was sposed to leave at 5 15, but that's when my alarm went off. I have trouble with quarters - 15 after or 15 of.
THE WAITING ROOM AT
ABINGTON PA SURGERY
My fine friend Rem
was scheduled for surgery
first thing in the morning
I picked him up in the dark
and the cold while he guided
me to the surgery center
where the surgeons
god bless em,
licked their chops at the
idea of opening up bodies
like a can of tomatoes
or fileting a steak
to fix the innards.
Like a rock band, the
docs and nurses wore
matching uniforms
a chocolate brown
and the indoor staff
wore baby blue.
Slinging backpack on,
I went outside to explore.
Green fields and fences
and trees with fallen pine cones.
A baseball field!
I ran the bases, then
began picking up trash,
a hobby of mine.
Two and a half more hours to go.
Inside I began to read my book.
The best sentence?
"We began to believe the fire
was started by an arsonist.
One of us."
Was I able to sleep?
Rem, of course, was in an
oceanic sleep maybe swimming
among the Australian coral
reef or dancing with his
beloved Valerie at Rick's
in Casablanca.
Bingo! Time for lunch.
It was all of 8 am
and I went out to the car.
Standing up in the bristling
cool sunshine, I ate cold
chicken salad that never tasted
more delicious. Then topped it
off with an apple.
Two more hours to go.
Went for another walk. The
construction workers had all
arrived. They U-turned in a
parking lot and parked
all in a row like bowling pins.
The houses were all the same.
Stone, but the trucks had their
own personalities. Tall in the
saddle, stately as princes. I
performed an experiment. Did they
all have something hanging from
their mirrors? Yes.
I have paper roses from a sushi place
in Hatboro where Sarah and I once went.
The truckers each walked with backpacks on
some in pairs, or alone, fast-paced
to the site of the new cancer wing of
Abington Hospital.
Back in the waiting room, the two little
boys named Jackson were brought in for
surgery. When they came out, they were
cradled across Daddy's shoulders as if
they were drunk.
Now it was time to eat the yogurt.
Went down easy. Napped after that
when I heard the name RUTH spoken aloud.
The chocolate surgeon arrived. He
young, he explained that after the
surgery Rem would be able to breathe
much better.
I breathed a sigh of relief. Rem had
survived, he'd made the long journey
of preparations and soon we'd drive home.
We picked up his meds at the Giant. He sat
waiting, schnozz bleeding into linen napkin I lent him
then he guided me to Jericho Manor. I parked in the back.
It was like living in the wilds of a forest, with a
babbling brook where he once saw a blue heron.
His apartment is spacious. A red microwave at the ready
to prepare foodstuffs crammed into the fridge and freezer.
Maybe a little ice cream later on? Make mine Tanner's,
black raspberry with chocolate syrup on top.
***
As usual, I had trouble ending the poem.
The famous RED AWNING
***
Here's the Table of Contents of Bella Online Lit Review.
Here's what she published of mine.
Letter to My Dead Husband
Meditation upon a Buick - poem (which had been rejected from Mad Swirl)
Invitation to a Funeral - Ed Quinn did attend a funeral where the woman was still alive and wanted to be a part of it
A Dog's Life - Sabrina is the name of the dog - based on the dog Kalie across the street
***
Shall I read a bit of the Otis Reading bio called An Unfinished Life? Gotta return it to the Hatboro Libe the morrow.
Phenominally good looking! Dyou think he'd be interested in a .... forget it
Read dis from Rolling Stone. Died in a plane crash at age 26.
***
Just got back from a quick romp around the block. Oh, I forgot to do my back exercises. Damn!
Hold on.
***
Hi. I'm back.
***
Last nite as it was getting dark, I went for a trial run to Rem's apartment at Jericho Manor. He told me it was a huge complex which you can't tell from the front.
I managed to get about 4-5 hours sleep but I was freakin out about finding it in the early morning dark.
Was sposed to leave at 5 15, but that's when my alarm went off. I have trouble with quarters - 15 after or 15 of.
THE WAITING ROOM AT
ABINGTON PA SURGERY
My fine friend Rem
was scheduled for surgery
first thing in the morning
I picked him up in the dark
and the cold while he guided
me to the surgery center
where the surgeons
god bless em,
licked their chops at the
idea of opening up bodies
like a can of tomatoes
or fileting a steak
to fix the innards.
Like a rock band, the
docs and nurses wore
matching uniforms
a chocolate brown
and the indoor staff
wore baby blue.
Slinging backpack on,
I went outside to explore.
Green fields and fences
and trees with fallen pine cones.
A baseball field!
I ran the bases, then
began picking up trash,
a hobby of mine.
Two and a half more hours to go.
Inside I began to read my book.
The best sentence?
"We began to believe the fire
was started by an arsonist.
One of us."
Was I able to sleep?
Rem, of course, was in an
oceanic sleep maybe swimming
among the Australian coral
reef or dancing with his
beloved Valerie at Rick's
in Casablanca.
Bingo! Time for lunch.
It was all of 8 am
and I went out to the car.
Standing up in the bristling
cool sunshine, I ate cold
chicken salad that never tasted
more delicious. Then topped it
off with an apple.
Two more hours to go.
Went for another walk. The
construction workers had all
arrived. They U-turned in a
parking lot and parked
all in a row like bowling pins.
The houses were all the same.
Stone, but the trucks had their
own personalities. Tall in the
saddle, stately as princes. I
performed an experiment. Did they
all have something hanging from
their mirrors? Yes.
I have paper roses from a sushi place
in Hatboro where Sarah and I once went.
The truckers each walked with backpacks on
some in pairs, or alone, fast-paced
to the site of the new cancer wing of
Abington Hospital.
Back in the waiting room, the two little
boys named Jackson were brought in for
surgery. When they came out, they were
cradled across Daddy's shoulders as if
they were drunk.
Now it was time to eat the yogurt.
Went down easy. Napped after that
when I heard the name RUTH spoken aloud.
The chocolate surgeon arrived. He
young, he explained that after the
surgery Rem would be able to breathe
much better.
I breathed a sigh of relief. Rem had
survived, he'd made the long journey
of preparations and soon we'd drive home.
We picked up his meds at the Giant. He sat
waiting, schnozz bleeding into linen napkin I lent him
then he guided me to Jericho Manor. I parked in the back.
It was like living in the wilds of a forest, with a
babbling brook where he once saw a blue heron.
His apartment is spacious. A red microwave at the ready
to prepare foodstuffs crammed into the fridge and freezer.
Maybe a little ice cream later on? Make mine Tanner's,
black raspberry with chocolate syrup on top.
***
As usual, I had trouble ending the poem.
The famous RED AWNING
***
Here's the Table of Contents of Bella Online Lit Review.
Here's what she published of mine.
Letter to My Dead Husband
Meditation upon a Buick - poem (which had been rejected from Mad Swirl)
Invitation to a Funeral - Ed Quinn did attend a funeral where the woman was still alive and wanted to be a part of it
A Dog's Life - Sabrina is the name of the dog - based on the dog Kalie across the street
***
Shall I read a bit of the Otis Reading bio called An Unfinished Life? Gotta return it to the Hatboro Libe the morrow.
Phenominally good looking! Dyou think he'd be interested in a .... forget it
Read dis from Rolling Stone. Died in a plane crash at age 26.
My Nikon Coolpix A10, which I bought at Larmon Photo in Abington, takes great pix, which you will not see b/c I don't know how to use it. 
