By Dick Eiden
Dick is a poet, attorney, and political activist living in Vista, California. The poem below is a pantoum, a poem with four-line stanzas in which the second and fourth lines in each stanza are repeated as the first and third lines in the next and the last line of the poem is the same as the first, rules Dick says he sometimes breaks.
Dick is a poet, attorney, and political activist living in Vista, California. The poem below is a pantoum, a poem with four-line stanzas in which the second and fourth lines in each stanza are repeated as the first and third lines in the next and the last line of the poem is the same as the first, rules Dick says he sometimes breaks.
House Hunting in America
During that year we read the real estate section carefully
something around two thousand square feet, something pretty
out the windows, close to the stores and gas stations we need
in the suburbs where we find ourselves, looking for a house.
Something around two thousand square feet, something pretty.
I enjoy imagining life in empty homes, rentals, hotels in cities
and these suburbs where we find ourselves looking for a house
not yet dated, Kathy hates things that are dated, not me so much
I enjoy imagining life in empty homes, rentals, hotels in cities
that are old and run down, tall and dirty, not the gleaming suburbs
not yet dated, Kathy hates things that are dated. Magellan knew
the Earth is round because “I saw its shadow on the moon.”
Old and run down, tall and dirty, not the gleaming suburbs with
no story but the natives. The church said Earth was flat but we
know the Earth is round by looking at its shadow on the moon
in the desert where dirt roads narrow to ancient canyon encampments.
There was no story but the natives, the church said Earth was flat,
history written by the winners, the manifest destiny narrative
desert roads that wind up rocky canyons where the ancients fled,
dated by paintings on walls, darkened by centuries of campfires.
History written by winners, the manifest destiny narrative
survival of the fittest, march of civilization and all that. Overlook
the paintings on walls, darkened by centuries of campfires, the
soldiers who hunted them down, the immigrants who built our cities
Survival of the fittest, march of civilization and all that. Forget
Gandhi was asked what he thought of western civilization, the
soldiers who hunted them down, the immigrants who built our cities
he said “It would be a good idea,” revealing history’s judgement.
Gandhi was asked what he thought of western civilization, the
parade of wars, spectacular distractions, breathtaking self -deception
“it would be a good idea,” revealing history’s judgement, the U.N.
condemns Israeli settlements from its headquarters in Manhattan.
Parade of wars, spectacular distractions, breathtaking self-deception
we need two thousand square feet, something pretty, not dated, a place to write
condemn Israeli settlements from our headquarters in North America.
During those years we read the real estate section carefully.
something around two thousand square feet, something pretty
out the windows, close to the stores and gas stations we need
in the suburbs where we find ourselves, looking for a house.
Something around two thousand square feet, something pretty.
I enjoy imagining life in empty homes, rentals, hotels in cities
and these suburbs where we find ourselves looking for a house
not yet dated, Kathy hates things that are dated, not me so much
I enjoy imagining life in empty homes, rentals, hotels in cities
that are old and run down, tall and dirty, not the gleaming suburbs
not yet dated, Kathy hates things that are dated. Magellan knew
the Earth is round because “I saw its shadow on the moon.”
Old and run down, tall and dirty, not the gleaming suburbs with
no story but the natives. The church said Earth was flat but we
know the Earth is round by looking at its shadow on the moon
in the desert where dirt roads narrow to ancient canyon encampments.
There was no story but the natives, the church said Earth was flat,
history written by the winners, the manifest destiny narrative
desert roads that wind up rocky canyons where the ancients fled,
dated by paintings on walls, darkened by centuries of campfires.
History written by winners, the manifest destiny narrative
survival of the fittest, march of civilization and all that. Overlook
the paintings on walls, darkened by centuries of campfires, the
soldiers who hunted them down, the immigrants who built our cities
Survival of the fittest, march of civilization and all that. Forget
Gandhi was asked what he thought of western civilization, the
soldiers who hunted them down, the immigrants who built our cities
he said “It would be a good idea,” revealing history’s judgement.
Gandhi was asked what he thought of western civilization, the
parade of wars, spectacular distractions, breathtaking self -deception
“it would be a good idea,” revealing history’s judgement, the U.N.
condemns Israeli settlements from its headquarters in Manhattan.
Parade of wars, spectacular distractions, breathtaking self-deception
we need two thousand square feet, something pretty, not dated, a place to write
condemn Israeli settlements from our headquarters in North America.
During those years we read the real estate section carefully.
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