BARBARIANS AT THE GATES Once Rome attained its pinnacle Remained on top of things. Though forces quite inimical Sought to destruction bring. Some conquered thought despicable Rome’s impositioning Of laws it deemed applicable When “Pax-Romana”-ing Four centuries continuous Spanned Romans’ reign as king Throughout the lands contiguous Mediterranean. Just like empires classical From whom […]
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EMBRACING CHAOS – By Ray Gallucci The eye of a hurricane never can know How forcefully all its surrounding winds blow. For there in the center all’s peacefully calm While swirling around are explosions of bombs. But center is where all the chaos begins — In vertical columns air rises then spins. While most relish lull, others seek out the […]
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DOG Manchester, Connecticut 1985 Long after the time had come for her to stop driving she was driving her daughter to the store in her brown car that had no power steering or power brakes, and at 85 pounds of skin and a little contraption of bones you’d think she’d be a push-over but nothing could be […]
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Blood and Tears. War and Hate. Death and Destruction. Hell and Fate. I am dead because I’m not you. What you said? Hate is not true. Why cleanse me? Are you blind? We are brothers. Open your mind. Why ignore that? It’s a fact. We’re both human, so don’t attack. I pity you with your dead. […]
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Crossing the Red Line (triptychon III) 1. On the Map On the map: The red line of the lignite opencast mine, an absurdly long compound noun for an absurd, behind the times mega project. What can be found, here and now, this side and that side of the red line? I experience it by bike. 2. That […]
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Checkpoint Lurching, they bluster – ghouls into the chasm. Fierce lava, blowing, nullifies their fall And dissipates harsh gravity’s concussion, Forces a seething screen of phoenix cowardice, Leaping to swell Into a fresh, mendacious crust, Tripping and throttling the led Into a smear upon pure metamorphic beauty. The skeleton’s jaws yawn apart; A stranded mountaineer was frozen At his prime […]
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Manhattan Landlord I ran a swell restaurant for many years on a good block in Manhattan. I wasn’t rich, but made a good living, paid my workers well so they were happy and passed it on to customers. Then my lease ran out. The landlord raised the rent, three hundred percent. There was no way I could […]
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OF BIBLICAL PROPORTIONS Although there was no Noah Or Gilgamesh around, No blast like Krakatoa To deafen with its sound, The Ocean of the Indies Awakened from its sleep When scarp off Indonesia Collapsed in Sunda Deep. The nine-o quake by Richter With cataclysmic force Unleashed a silent killer Unnoticed at its source. A bump upon the […]
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IN WILLIAMSBURG In Williamsburg we learn How freedom ours was earned, At least for lucky born Of alabaster skin. Their independence claimed By declaration famed That Founding Fathers framed, Though was still had to win. But if from continent Of African descent, Whatever effort spent Was not for likes of you. Four score and seven years Still had to bear […]
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Rear View Mirror Basking on the beaches of the Amalfi Coast I left the world behind, in southern Italy. It was so unique and exclusive. I was glad to see the dust fly in my rear view mirror.
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