FOUR MOMENTS
PROUST DIPS A MADELEINE AT THE STARBUCKS DRIVE THRU
Shaped like a shell, three in a pack, Proust dips each cookie thoughtfully into his double expresso
The first conjures memories of his childhood, his mother and father
The second inspires thoughts of his brother
The third remembrances of his lovers
What delightful memories a madeleine reveals for Proust
A simple taste is all it takes to create a world
The exit line moves too quickly for him to savor the past.
THE HORNET
Struggling in the water
His legs flailing wildly
His black and yellow body quivering
Determined to reach a climbing place
He grasped on to the shiny pool rail
Pulled his waterlogged self up
Shook his wet wings
Waiting for them to dry in the sun
Ready in minutes
He slowly tested them
And then flew away from the pool
Into the startling blue sky.
WAIT
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
RED
It
Shot
Up
Into
The
Sky
Gone
COPTERS
Buzzing below the overcast sky
They come into view
As I lie in the water
Watching them emerge behind the treetops
Like angry hornets set free
To sting and sting Slashing through the air
The birds flee
Copters
Minions of surveillance
Harbingers of death.
