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Elegy for the Newborn
October 9, 2008
The librarian doesn’t care
as she once might have
that the books I’m returning
are missing some words.
Then I come to a forest,
dark, mossy clouds
like morbid thoughts
not even drugs can dispel.
A yellow cab, its engine running,
is always waiting at the curb
for a messiah to appear.
It’s the difference between
a democracy and a republic,
and though there’s no wind,
the puddles shiver.
My face reminds most people
of someone they knew long ago,
before the assassinations
and roadside bombings.
I stop to rest with the newborn
on the border of shrill gulls.
by Howie Good
Categories: Journaling the Apocalypse
Howie Good
Damn, that’s good.
My face reminds most people
of someone they knew long ago
That’s just terrific.
Howie — I love how you straddle the mundane and the mythic, like Gaiman does in American Gods.
Missing some words…
Great poem, mythic. I love the part about how the puddles shiver, even though there’s no wind. Hearing your voice adds an extra spark to the whole experience.
Just want to say thanks to those above for their generous responses — thanks.