Stephen Rozwenc
Poem # 1
one of the many dogsloungingBuddha serenein the temple's cool palm tree shadesuddenly twists his headto snap at an itchy flea biteand begins to fulfilla harmless karma
hunched birdlikewhile they sit on a shiny marble benchnearbytwo white haired old menwith shrinking teethquietly remind one anotherangergreed and obsessionare poisonous shoesnever to be worn or acted from
if they wish their next lifewill merit a happy death
Poem # 2
when they autopsied the mother dolphinthey dragged three dented tin cansand some ragged styrofoam packagingout of her stomach
her esophaguswas slashedprobably by a jagged edgeon one of the cans
how or whyshe ingested such squalid trashnone of us knewmaybe she was disoriented from a viruscausing a sonar failureor stunned by Navy bomb testingmaybe she was having problems reminding herselfto breathor thought the trashwas shiny fishshe did only have two teeth left in her mouth
at least after she became strandedbottlenose beak firston the finger thin sandbarin our palm sheltered covewe were able to massage her bodydeeply enoughto unblock its most vital Chiso she could swim offon the tiderubbingchuffingand releasing pleasure bubbleswith her daughterone more timebefore she died
Poem # 3 the unbelievable luckof hummingbirdshas flown with mehalfway around the worldto Thailandwherelike a lucid lotus petalmy dear Thai friendoverflows with gentle adviceto optimize choicesand the Emerald Buddha gazesrestores reverencesadly thoughthis landlike everywhere elseseethes with ferocious dichotomiesall along the sidewalks of the Bangkok roadto the Emerald Buddha's templestreaming torrents of childlike girlssell sex with contaminated genitalstheir smiling managerstaxi driverswho double their faresand then drop them offfar from their destinationsso they toowill feel abandoned and desperateif I could offer each onepurification's compassionthe spiritual condomthat protectsagainst such terrifying defilementI most certainly would
Stephen A. Rozwenc currently resides in Muang, Phichit, Thailand. He also maintains a home in Haydenville, MA. He has published 4 collections of poetry and his work has appeared in various print journals, ezines, and spontaneous oral performances. He has been awarded 2 Massachusetts Cultural Council Grants.
one of the many dogsloungingBuddha serenein the temple's cool palm tree shadesuddenly twists his headto snap at an itchy flea biteand begins to fulfilla harmless karma
hunched birdlikewhile they sit on a shiny marble benchnearbytwo white haired old menwith shrinking teethquietly remind one anotherangergreed and obsessionare poisonous shoesnever to be worn or acted from
if they wish their next lifewill merit a happy death
Poem # 2
when they autopsied the mother dolphinthey dragged three dented tin cansand some ragged styrofoam packagingout of her stomach
her esophaguswas slashedprobably by a jagged edgeon one of the cans
how or whyshe ingested such squalid trashnone of us knewmaybe she was disoriented from a viruscausing a sonar failureor stunned by Navy bomb testingmaybe she was having problems reminding herselfto breathor thought the trashwas shiny fishshe did only have two teeth left in her mouth
at least after she became strandedbottlenose beak firston the finger thin sandbarin our palm sheltered covewe were able to massage her bodydeeply enoughto unblock its most vital Chiso she could swim offon the tiderubbingchuffingand releasing pleasure bubbleswith her daughterone more timebefore she died
Poem # 3 the unbelievable luckof hummingbirdshas flown with mehalfway around the worldto Thailandwherelike a lucid lotus petalmy dear Thai friendoverflows with gentle adviceto optimize choicesand the Emerald Buddha gazesrestores reverencesadly thoughthis landlike everywhere elseseethes with ferocious dichotomiesall along the sidewalks of the Bangkok roadto the Emerald Buddha's templestreaming torrents of childlike girlssell sex with contaminated genitalstheir smiling managerstaxi driverswho double their faresand then drop them offfar from their destinationsso they toowill feel abandoned and desperateif I could offer each onepurification's compassionthe spiritual condomthat protectsagainst such terrifying defilementI most certainly would
Stephen A. Rozwenc currently resides in Muang, Phichit, Thailand. He also maintains a home in Haydenville, MA. He has published 4 collections of poetry and his work has appeared in various print journals, ezines, and spontaneous oral performances. He has been awarded 2 Massachusetts Cultural Council Grants.