Polysynthesis
Polysyllabic verse of white caps
tree tops obey the wind
abreast of the evening’s vesper
just before bedtime
in the peaceful wilderness
of the painter’s mind
that conceives war and peace
mind that ascends
to the abode of the Great Spirit
monocotyledon
no need for plural in the world
of the creative Monad crafting
colors and rocky bases
short islandic footsteps
of the Almighty who often laughs
at the little and grand
as they cling to their egomanias
no need for liturgy bells chiming
Excerpt
Maureen and Ken Hall arrived at the Cresswell farm just before 6 o’clock. Tyne saw their older model Ford car enter the yard, heralded by Sparky’s excited announcement. Dropping her paring knife onto the counter where she had been preparing dinner, she wiped her hands on a kitchen towel and raced from the house to meet them. Moe, scarcely waiting for Ken to stop the car, jumped out and sprinted up the path towards the house. She reached the house before Tyne had managed to clear the back steps. For a moment they clung together, then pulled away and regarded each other with wide smiles.
“You look wonderful, Moe, you’re practically blooming ….”
“Hey, kiddo, how’re you doing? You look ….”
Both broke into laughter. Ken, coming up behind his wife with a grin, held out his hand to Tyne. “Good to see you, Tyne.”
But Tyne ignored his outstretched hand, and grabbed the big man and hugged him, too. “No formalities, friend,” she said laughing. “Do you both realize that we haven’t seen each other since our wedding? Too long.”
“Much too long,” Moe agreed as Tyne ushered her up the steps to the house. Ken excused himself and headed for the barn to find Morley.
“Don’t fall in anything nasty,” Moe called after him, and he half turned and waved at her.
In the kitchen Tyne continued with dinner preparations as Moe leaned on the counter and talked. How good to be together again. Three years sharing a room in the nurses’ residence at the Holy Cross Hospital, and another sixteen months in a small apartment, had cemented a relationship that had been an amiable one from the start.
Grimace
And without any further delay
I accepted the unnatural grimace
of the deaf and I struggled to express
my sorrow as if it was all mine
while the rustle under my soles
detected the soft autumn whisper
circular tempestuous attitude
aroused to the point of aloofness
where the flower unfolded
its exquisite beauty
primal beginning recommencing
a floral, innocent concept
martyr on the front line, defining
the traitor who justifiably existed
life was meaningless without me
and again, as cleansed as the song
of my angel, I stood before my Fate
Excerpt
Not many came to the funeral. Some said it was because
of the time of the year—calving and all. Others recognized that it
was because not many really knew Edward Hooper. He would
have turned ninety later that summer and the reality was that
there just weren’t that many ninety-year-olds around this country
any more. It was almost as if he was the last man standing.
Maybe he was, in this part of the country anyways.
A few of the nieces and nephews from the city came for the
funeral—not that the old man would have recognized any of
them unless they had introduced themselves, and that certainly
wasn’t happening that day. And there were a few Native American
riders who had worked for him on and off over the years,
especially in the early years when he had more cattle and actually
needed cowboys for something other than just company. It
was a small group of maybe a dozen or so who congregated on
that lonesome knoll to pay their respects and say goodbye to
Edward Hooper.
And that is why Joel Hooper was making his way on horseback
through the lush pasture this beautiful morning—to pay his
respects to the man he knew as his father. Their lives together
had been both brief and hard. Especially hard. It was difficult for
Joel to even see the man as his dad. As Joel rode along the ridges
to the corner of the pasture where the family graveyard stood, he
knew that he was just as much going there to pay his respects out
of his concern as he was for what others would say if he didn’t.
The way word traveled in the hills, sooner or later someone
would hear that he hadn’t visited his father’s grave. Then what
would they think of him? And who were they anyways?
Eventually, Joel arrived at the family plot—a small knoll set
back in the hills sheltered on the backside by the even higher hills
and with an open view to the vast valley floor far below. After dismounting
the orange gelding and being unable to find a place to
tie the horse, Joel realized that he could simply drop the reins;
Excerpt
“It’s true.” Francisco explained that she had fallen ill while visiting her
family in the north. She paid no attention to her illness, and by the time
she returned and went to the hospital, it was too late.
Ken tore out of the shack and ran to the hospital, Francisco following.
If he talked to the doctor, surely he would confirm that Miloo was alive.
Someone had made a terrible mistake.
The doctor explained that Miloo’s appendix had burst and she had
died of acute peritonitis.
At that moment, Ken’s world ended. He staggered to his feet and
opened the door to the corridor. Francisco was waiting for him. He took
a few stumbling steps and a nurse rushed up to him. “You bastard,” she
hissed. “You killed her.”
Francisco grabbed Ken’s arm and began to push past her.
“What do you mean?” Ken asked.
“She was pregnant!”
Ken’s legs wobbled. He turned, braced himself against the wall and
groped his way back to the doctor’s office. “She was pregnant?” he asked.
“Yes, she was,” he said. “But in the very early stages of pregnancy.”
“How early?”
“Perhaps a month.”
“Was this the cause of her death?”
“Absolutely not.”
“How can I be sure of that?”
“You can consult any doctor you wish and he will tell you that. Her
pregnancy just happened to coincide with this.”
The days and nights blended into one another. Ken wouldn’t talk and
he couldn’t eat or sit still. He could not bear to be inside his own body –
a body with an enormous empty, echoing cavern where a heart used to
be. He walked, pacing endlessly up and down the beach, on the village
streets, and on the sidewalks of Lisbon.
The emptiness of his body lay on him like a massive stone. He could not
swallow past the obstruction in his throat. It blocked the emptiness where
there used to be a stomach, lungs, kidneys – there was nothing left inside
him and since he felt nothing, he thought about ending his own life.
One minute he was numb and then a wrenching sadness swept over
him, threatening to drown him in its endless ocean. A minute later white-hot
anger engulfed him and flared into a murderous rage.
When the stone moved from his throat long enough to let air through,
he talked to Francisco but even that led to despair. He knew that nothing
Francisco could say could ever bring her back.
excerpt
He leans closer again and kisses her cheek. She glows all over, being there,
next to him, and he stops pestering her about her indiscretion.
Their drinks are served and Talal turns closer to Hakim and asks, “You like
Helena?”
“Of course, Helena is beautiful.”
“I know she’s a beautiful girl, Hakim.”
They spend a couple of hours at the club. Peter and Rose feel tired and decide
to go home. Talal is dancing with Helena. Jennifer has had two drinks and feels a
bit tipsy, however Hakim gets her up to dance for the last time before they all go
home. She holds him tightly as they dance. Feeling his firmness on her leg, she
lifts her head and looks at him, smiling. There are so many people crowded
around them; however, she gets gutsy and puts her hand on his pants, slowly
rubbing him as they dance. Talal catches them as he turns his head, and he
flashes a smile at Hakim. Hakim smiles back at Talal.
Hakim asks Jennifer, “Are you ready to go now, my love?”
Later on, outside the Double Cherry Club, they all say goodnight to Anthony.
They say farewell to each other and walk to their separate cars.
Hakim and Jennifer take a short ride around L.A., enjoying the cool
September night. She is still a little dizzy when they arrive at his apartment. He
helps her walk to the elevator, and she leans on him with the security a child
needs from an adult. They go to bed; Jennifer, as she promised earlier in the day,
is all over him. Hakim enjoys the attention and they make passionate love.
The scare of AIDS fromsome twenty years earlier has somehow been put aside,
although a cure still hasn’t been found. Science has produced so many different
types of drugs during the past ten years that AIDS is now treatable and many of the
afflicted lead fairly normal lives.On the other hand, the younger generation tends to
abstain from sleeping around as did in the years before the AIDS, and most practice
safe sex.Most young people prefer to have just one girlfriend or boyfriend after their
high-school years and later on, many end up marrying.
As the night passes slowly Hakim and Jennifer fall asleep.
Hakim wakes up first as the light comes through the curtains of the east
window; it is a clear day and the sun brightens up the room. He looks at his
phone, it’s ten o’clock. He gets up, takes a quick shower, brushes his teeth, and
stretches. Hakim looks at Jennifer as she sleeps. He remembers the last drink and
smiles at the thought of last night. Her back is uncovered as the comforter is
pushed to the side. He marvels at the sensuous way she is spread on the bed in
front of him and finds himself excited. He slips into the bed and pulls the covers
over them; cuddles close and embraces her. She feels him behind her and moves
her torso against his body.
Manolis Aligizakis 