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WILLOWS IN FOG
Willows on this river
In fog, look like green threads
Delicately stitched on white cloth
By slaves to adorn a king's life.
But these green threads required
No slaves to be sewn.
WILLOWS AT NIGHT
As the night
With its dark arms
Embraced the willows,
The landscape
Became vaster.
I entered the dark infinity.
I felt the dark hands
Of love
On my body.
THE SUN
This evening the sun
Is tearing off her clothes,
Drops vermilion scraps
On the dark driftwood.
No one can bear to gaze
On the sun's direct nakedness.
So I run to touch the scrap of cloth
Still warm from touching the sun's body.
Duane Locke, Doctor of Philosophy in English Renaissance literature, Professor Emeritus of the Humanities, was Poet in Residence at the University
of Tampa for over 20 years. Has had over 2,000 of his own poems published in over 500 print magazines such as American Poetry Review, Nation,
Literary Quarterly, Black Moon, and Bitter Oleander. Is author of 14 print books of poems, the latest is WATCHING WISTERIA ( to order write
Vida Publishing, P.O. Box 12665, Lake, Park, FL. 33405-0665, or Amazon or Barnes and Noble). Since September 1999, he became a cyber poet
and started submitting on-line, and since September 1999 he has added to his over 2,000 print acceptances with 1,394 acceptances by e zines.
He is also a painter. Now has exhibitions at Thomas Center Galleries (Gainesville, FL) and Tyson Trading Company (Micanopy, FL) Recently
a one-man show at Pyramid Galleries (Tampa, FL)
Also, a photographer, has had 116 of his photos selected for appearance on e zines. He photographs trash in alleys. Moves in close to
find beauty in what people have thrown away.
He now lives alone in a two-story decaying house in the sunny Tampa slums. He lives isolated and estranged as an alien, not understanding
the customs, the costumes, the language (some form of postmodern English) of his neighbors. The egregious ugliness
Of his neighborhood has recently been mitigated by the esthetic efforts of the police force who put bright orange and yellow posters
on the posts to advertise the location is a shopping mall for drugs. His alley is the dumping ground for stolen cars. One advantage
Of living in this neighborhood, if your car is stolen, you can step out in the back and pick it up. Also, the burglars are afraid
to come in on account of the muggers.
His recreational activities are drinking wine, listening to old operas, and reading postmodern philosophy.
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