• he was there

    Byjucasso

    he smiled encouragement a man of honor
    representing family ethics
    white collar
    mourned the 6 million
    they were martyrs
    Baruch atoi adanoi-as we light the candelabra
    a holy man who hadn’t been to shule
    schools of thought fishes swimming opposite in twos
    upon the Larchmont lawn the morning dew
    he was there but seldom home, were you?
    the evening papers Adli Stevenson
    he believed in him like no other mothers son
    righteous indignation bright external gifts
    all that money could buy-two dollar tips
    cars boats colleges trips
    faithful never able to come to grips
    how he loved horseradish on his gefilte fish.

  • mend my mood

    Byjucasso

    reprise alive the well
    wisdoms like minions of pigeons
    in the park feed on birdseed
    a friendly stranger sells
    I am caught between the passive
    heart and salt among the lung
    it is certainly an epiphany this side
    of wellness working, the angels
    mend my mood on a moonless Monday
    afternoon-for in the gloom of
    heartfelt ruin-in tune with
    june-stewing in her own juices
    till the good man took her by the hand and said to Mrs Kaplan your
    daughter holds much water
    no salt diet/should be bland-and as dad would emote-“then I wrote”–my
    daddy would sing, “carry my body back to France, amid the bleeding
    corpses-and then armed to the teeth i will rise
    from my grave, for my emperor to do battle”.