RANDOM WIND

A L L  I  S A I D  W A S  T H A T
Y O U  C A N ' T  P R E D I C T  T H E  F U T U R E

R A N D O M  W I N D
C A N  T U R N  J U S T  TOO  F A S T  D R E A M S
F R O M  E A S T  T O  W E S T
N O R T H  T O  S O U T H

O N L Y  C A N  Y O U  P I C K  A  P O I N T
O N  T H A T  F A R  S H O R E
A N D  G L I D E  I N T O  T H E  W A V E

 (J A N / 9 6 -R E H)

OF JOHN FRANKLIN GROGAN

 T H E   W I R E   F E N C E
 S U R R O U N D I N G   H O U S E   A N D   Y A R D
 I S   R U S T I N G   S A N C T U A R Y

 S T R A Y   D O G S   A N D   T I M E
 P A U S E  
 A T   T H E   G A T E

 D R Y   L E A V E S
 O N   S T E P P I N G   S T O N E S
 H A V E   B E E N   T H E R E   S I N C E   S E P T E M B E R

 S Y C A M O R E   T R E E S   A B O U T   T H E   Y A R D
 G A V E   S H A D E   O N   S U M M E R   D A Y S ,
 T H E I R   B A R E   L I M B S   I N   T H E   F A L L
 W O U L D   S O M E T I M E S   S C R A P E   A G A I N S T   T H E   R O O F

 A   W H I T E   P O R C H   S W I N G
 S W I N G S   E M P T Y   N O W,
 T H E   D A Y S   A R E   J U S T   T O O   C O L D
 T O   S I T   O U T S I D E

  I T   I S   D E C E M B E R,
 A N D   H E   R E M E M B E R S
 M O R E   T H A N   S I X T Y   W I N T E R S

 A   S T I C K   O F   W O O D
 T O   P R O D   T H E   F I R E,
 D E C E M B E R ' S   P R I M A L   C O M F O R T,
 H E   T U R N S   T H E   C O A L S
 I N S I D E   A   B L A C K   I R O N   S T O V E

 T H E N   S I T S

 D U S T Y   W I N D O W   P A N E S
 C O N T A I N   T H E   C O A L   F I R E ' S   W A R M T H 
 A N D   F R A M E   D I S T O R T E D   V I S I O N S
 I N   T H E I R   G L A S S

 V I S I O N S  
 O F   A   T I M E  
 T O O   Q U I C K L Y   P A S S I N G

 O F   C O R N   F I E L D S
 W I T H   S T R A I G H T   R O W S
 A N D   T W O   G O O D   M U L E S   T O   P L O W   T H E M

 S T R O N G   Y O U N G   M A N ' S   H A N D S
 C L E N C H E D   T I G H T O N   S M O O T H   O A K
 W O U L D   G U I D E   T H E   B L A D E
 O N   S U M M E R   D A Y S
 T H R O U G H   M O I S T ,   D A R K   G R O U N D

 " B A C K   T H E N ,  
 I   W A S   M U C H   O F   A   M A N "

 A L O N E   N O W
 I N T O   T H E   D A R K   N I G H T,

 I T   H A D   N O T   A L W A Y S   B E E N   S O



 (FOR GRANDDADDY -D E C / 8 / 1 9 8 0
 R E H)





   

  

FOR WINTER

WE THOUGHT WE WERE
CHARLES INGLES
IN SOME LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE DREAM

REMBRANDT AND LARRY RIVERS
BREAKING WOOD FOR WINTER
COMING FAST

FASTER THAN WE KNEW

UPON US

(FOR DOUG, AUG.6, 1985)

OPEN WINDOW OF THE MORNING

OUR THOUGHTS BECOME
LIKE MONSTERS
IN THE NIGHT

UNSEEN DARK FACES
WITH BLIND EYES
SEARCHING FOR
OUR HIDDEN SELVES
BENEATH THE COVERS

THEN THE BRIGHT FIRE OF HOPE

THE DISTANT
OPEN WINDOW
OF THE MORNING

(NOV/22/1980)
REH

VISION

I STILL SEARCH
FOR THE VISION
IN A FIRE
BESIDE STONES RIVER

(FOR PEGGY
FEB/13/1984
REH)

ULTRASOUND

AND SO
YOU ARE MY GRANDCHILD

THIS LITTLE BEATING HEART
PULSING
JAN, BUD, PEGGY, AND ME
INTO A TIME
WE WILL NOT SEE

PULSING DREAMS OF
ARMS, LEGS, FINGERS, TOES
ROCKING CLOSE TO MOTHER'S HEART
HOLDING DADDY'S HAND TO CROSS THE STREET
BEDTIME SONGS
AND STORIES
WORDS AND WISHES THAT WILL BECOME YOUR POEM

I LEAVE IT TO PHILOSOPHERS
AND POLITICIANS
TO SAY WHEN YOU ARE HUMAN

YOUR BEATING LITTLE HEART
ALREADY KNOWS
THE MUSIC OF THE STARS AND MOON

(to Hannah, sept.14/98, r.e.h.)

A TURN AWAY

I THINK THAT WHEN I FOLLOW TRACKS
IMPRESSED ICE COLD IN CLAY
BESIDE DECEMBER STREAMS
THAT I'LL NOT LIKELY EVER SEE THE DEER

HE'LL BE
ALWAYS
THAT TURN AWAY
BEYOND THE LARGE STONE THERE
THAT BENDS THE WATER

IT IS THE SEARCH THAT MATTERS

(JULY/1985)