CROSSING THE EQUATOR
The juice inside the sugar cane
Is spilling on the ground;
The river can't contain itself,
Vultures circle round.
This vegetation swallows men,
Women weep at night;
The swollen, dank and rheumy sky
Has lost the gift of sight.
Conforming, could I lay me down
To die without ado,
Except this ache, this restlessness
That has to do with you.
SONG OF THE CRICKET
The faery tales of six o'clock
Forget themselves by ten,
And all is dark until the sun
Shall come again.
Make this your bedtime prayer:
That God my hold and keep you safe
From crowded air.
Marauders of the night fly loose,
Swarming on the wing;
They have a taste for innocence
And those who sing.
But I will stand my vigil here
Until our saviour, dawn,
When you can rise and have your day
And I sing on.
THE TEN WAYS
One creates the cosmic self;
Two divides to know itself.
Three illumines, three inspires!
Four makes crystal, liquid, fire.
Five is lord of earth and sky;
Six, impassive, live or die.
Seven crowns the singing gate;
Worlds undreamed of start with eight.
Nine proclaims that all is done;
Ten affirms that all is one.
THE SEVEN RAYS
Red regales in midday vigor,
Violet veils the truth;
Blue is blessed, cool, embracing,
Yellow conjures carefree youth.
Orange can hold the eye;
Green will soothe the fevered soul,
But only rainbows prophesy.
bye-ku
rain-speckled windowaway you are walking there
utter revision
LIVING TRUST
By the powers within me
And in full possession
Of my impermanence,
I hereby assign and bequeath
Unto my shoes, my feet;
Unto my hat, my head;
Unto my wife, my heart;
Unto this day, my life.
I nominate my children
To be themselves, no bond
Required but love freely
Given, full benefits.
God Almighty shall be
The trustee of my estate,
Mother Earth disposing
Of the rest and residue.
THE AGÉD DON JUAN PLEADS HIS CASE
Oh, I have been to bed and back again,
And back again to bed. So many beds!
So many backs to hold against the cold!
I have kissed unnumbered lips, my dear,
Caressed unnumbered rising breasts, and left
Next day and never missed them once - till now.
Yes, now, my lamb! Be kind. Forgive my past.
Another night, a warmer bed has led me on
For years; and, yes, by subterfuge I stayed
Ahead. The countless lies, the rooms I fled
Could fill a mansion; except your eyes, my sweet,
Your eyes tonight have changed all that. In you
I see the light I need, the hope I lack;
Here with you, my past is dead, my faith
Is back. But now I've said enough. The night
Is cold, my conscience clear. Let's off to bed.
You're married, what! Then be a dear, come sit
And talk. (To be alone is what I fear.) TOBY CAMPION
POETRY, 1971-2016
a boomer recitative in six parts
for the class of ‘66
by toby campion
1948.
shot from guns we come
puffed-wheat whelps
boom boom
atomic now no past
the war who cares
we won
hellcat dads in bow ties
oxblood loafers
oh god
the bodies buddies lost
buck up mister
sandman
bottoms up miss lucky
strike cocktails
blood rites
mommies making glow worms
glimmer girls
oh boy
happy snapshots bawling
for all the world
boom boom
1956.
howdy doody salk vaccine
kids act fast don’t be last
i like ike with lincoln logs
chocolate bosco evil moscow
white is right jews killed jesus
manly chin-ups girlie pin-ups
red man dead man black lagoon
popcorn funnies fame and money
davy crockett indochina
kids act fast have a blast
1968.
stop people look around
love is power midnight hour
need you baby world on fire
tripped out falcon widening gyre
hold me squeeze me love me do
destruction eve a-comin true
the time has come has come today
the street the heat right on hooray
instant karma climb so high
touch the sky never die
1986.
portfolio plus kids
a ticking clock
panic at midnight
taking stock
splitting headache missing
simpler days
old friends be home by six
our moms would say
the world was new our hearts
had wings treetop
castles backyard idylls
secret spots
for lizards later on
a kiss new snow
filling in the haunts
we used to know
my thanks beloved ghosts
tomorrow’s
troubles will sit lighter
less sorrow
2001.
boom boom
twin towers shatter
body parts scatter
nothing else matters
boom boom
struck without warning
the country in mourning
fresh hatred forming
boom boom
sick to death of history
our endless lust for victory
i surrender to the mystery
boom boom
my faith in things crumbling
my wall of fear tumbling
the best we are humbling
2016.
who’s trending now who’s hot
my selfie self is not
my facebook friends are ailing
my server feed is failing
if god could text me now
just one emoji wow
from yottabytes a face
streaming gladness grace
just joking cyber moles
users geeks and trolls
the glory laugh out loud
was never in the cloud
on earth our steady state
will soon depixilate
boom boom
our molecules unbinding
all certainties unwinding
the bitter end thereof
reconstituting love
till you and I are one
oh fundamental fun
OCTOBER
Red death, yellow death,
Glory of God,
Giving up the forest ghost
To withered sod.
Red death, yellow death,
Year on the verge,
Lapsing while the final paeans
Of color surge.
Red death, yellow death,
Glory of God,
Laying out to final rest
Inside the pod.
IN EXTREMIS, GAUDEAMUS
Oh, holy Omega,
The other end of initiations,
You who ordain
That all must end, and how, and when,
Thank you
For ruthlessness beyond reprieve.
Measurer of limits,
When water cracks foundations
And stratagems collapse;
When remedies fail and breathing ceases,
Thank you
For grim clarity, the peace abiding
Beyond supplication. Amen.
MY FATHER'S GARDEN
Garden morning, gone the night;
Dripping pearl, parades of light:
Nibbles rabbit, mantis prays,
Quivers shadow, squawking jays;
Cornstalk forest, onion beds,
Row on row of cabbage heads;
Spinach, peppers, parsley, chard;
Watermelons, green and hard.
Midday garden blazing flat,
Spearmint tea and broad-brimmed hat.
Tomato vines on wooden stakes,
Trowels and string-line, hoes and rakes;
Licking leaves, a tiny snail;
Flicking breeze, oh swallowtail!
Afternoon, our garden green
Growing slowly, roots unseen.
Green gets darker, daylight fades;
Grass gets wetter, night invades.
Fruit and flowers off to bed;
Fireflies and stars instead.
OUR WEDDING
You moved as you,
I moved as me,
We moved as three:
The sun, the moon, the sea.
Moving here,
Moving there,
The moves we shared,
The moves we dared;
The I-move-you,
The you-move-me,
The unmoved moves,
The mystery.
But from today
Those moves are done;
We unify, we move as one:
The sea, the moon, the sun.