4.


When the cello
is reluctant
use me
for your bow —
I am the autumn wind
— June Moreau

night cries . . .
wild geese leaving winter
bring winter —
I wear remembrance
in a necklace of shells
— Ellen Compton

hazy autumn moon
the sound of chestnuts dropping
from an empty sky
I gather your belongings
into boxes for the poor
— Margaret Chula

the cold walk,
silence
between us
the creek running
under ice
— Tom Clausen

over the heads
of the shopping crowd
a red balloon –
as elusive as you
that remained unborn
— Marianne Kiauta
…or other things
Sulphur – When most people think of Sulphur they think of Satanism, and quite probably that notable quote from famous satanist drag queen Anton Szandor LaVey : “How could you set yourself up as the most powerful institution on earth? You first find out what every man feels at least once a day, establish that as a sin, and set yourself up as the only institution capable of pardoning that sin.”
Proof if proof were ever needed that self-important man-tarts can occasionally stumble upon something worth saying.
However Sulphur is more than just the stench of eternal damnation sold to gullible fools by the church that usurped jeebus. It is also Yellow.
I once wrote a poem involving it, however you should ignore it, as poetry is the anti-thesis of good science. As well as the peppery condiment.
Eau de Lucifer
Designed by our top parfumiers:
a scent, most wonderfully sulphorious.
Guaranteed tested on animals!
May cause a slight rash in some.
And, eternal damnation in others.
—
I shall now go and lash myself for that lapse into unscientifitude.