MISSING GOD

The best poems almost mean something,
         Touching on nothing
As if absence were a spiritual value.

I go down to the river with a bucket.
         There is no water.
The stones are almost whispering.

I ladle air into the bucket.
         I carry it back to my room and pour
It on my head.

I imagine that I am swimming.
I am not.

I am waiting for winter to freeze me over.
         I will ice skate on my face.
I will cut a new smile.

MISSING THE ZOO

The zoo escapes from the lion.
The lion is walking around Fifth Avenue looking for his cage.

He misses the zoo.
         He likes being captured.
He likes having his day given back to him
So he no longer has to hunt or sell insurance.

Perhaps, I am the lion.
          I read the actuarial tables to see at what point
I am no longer real.

David Lawrence has published over four hundred poems. New book, Lane Changes has been by Four Way Books.

Email: David Lawrence

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