Lise— Copyright 1965-2008 by Dennis Gallagher —
Come burn me down
amid music and pillows
dusky eyes and dim light
smiles burning engraved
words like chance strangers
wandering between wider forms
of that feeling current
the silence communion dances
Lise comes from a time of grinding changes
that bay at her doors these days
they hem her and bind her, mocking her dreams
with endless vistas of worst to come
But here where we can own our hours
I find her beyond those definitions
strong with the wisdom born of struggle
and blessed with a spirit that will survive
she still knows how to play.
gallagher
25 apr 84
irvine
Archive for the ‘Irvine’ Category
1984-04-25 Lise
Wednesday, April 25th, 19841984-05-08
Tuesday, May 8th, 1984Poetry is hard to read because— Copyright 1965-2008 by Dennis Gallagher —
the meanings of many of the words used
are not the first meanings
which come to mind
If the effort used to make the mix
was born only of puzzle making drives
then the effort to decode it
could never be worth it
But if the poet plays
on those lower registers
only as he needs for accuracy
then let him play on
for how else could
the thought be rendered
gallagher
8 may 84
Irvine
1984-05-08
Tuesday, May 8th, 1984I think depth must go more from age— Copyright 1965-2008 by Dennis Gallagher —
because its hard to believe it goes from lack of courage
but, as I grow older and experience less depth,
I wonder if its they or I.
I bring my sword to bear on the solitary pages of my life now
because there’s no one else to play
or, no one judges me fit to play.
Because I love Rose and the wild naked fear
no longer shows in my eyes?
more the lack of opportunity than challenge, he…
Because God’s handing out my Karma … for free?
and what I’m looking for, I’m not supposed to see.
gallagher
may 8, 1984
irvine, ca