North Carolina School of the Arts
Page 7
Reco^ize me by my words,
Identify my style,
Explicate my poetry,
Cogitate a while.
And soon you’ll come to understand
The meaning in the form.
Easily you will comprehend
My logic and my norm.
But exigete me as you will
Throughout the day and night
rU still deny that you can know
The reason why I write.
Chansons of delight are these -
Myriads of notes that please -
Sweet words and melo^es,
So sweet, each one I seize
And try to hold, but each one flees
So I retain but memories.
THE STUDENT
What’s so exciting about that?
So much talk
Side by side with nothing.
Ds parlent trop!
And questions-
When I have none.
It does not begin to interest me.
I have better things to do
and do not like the notion
implied by the whole affair.
ASKING
I ^ke the words so softly.
Did you hear?
I touched the thought so gently.
Did you hear?
My pulse was jumping madly.
Could you know?
My cool was shaken badly.
Did you know?
Tlien in that aching gentle moment,
Thra through that silent gentle moment,
While I hung, hopeless, vulnerable;
Then in that strongly gentle moment,
"nien through that quiet gentle moment,
While I swung free, ungovernable
You said, I want that, too.
You said, I want that, too.
Who set you as a judge over others?
Its cool to move with people
without adding to their problems.
The questions that are real
are: Where? When? How?
Not Why, except by indirection.
And if there had not been someone
who says that “Love is skin on skin”
We woiUd have had to create such a person.
Back off
And feel the presence of the world-
Elxistence is only somewhat verbal-
Today is Tuesday,
But if it were not
It would be some other day.
Simple lovesongs never satisfied my ears
Nor pleasant liquors quenched my soul’s great thirst.
TTie kiss of any lovely thing is sweet
But none has fiUed my heart until it burst.
I have been waiting long for something yet unknown.
My eyes have tir^ of seeking beauty’s face.
poems by buzbee
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