Four from Bel – Joseph Harms
July 7, 2017
BIRTHDAY
As passed the cortege through the underpass
(its portico a scalar mural past-
oral and blenched) the mirrors shaded vit-
rified fantods while Az to Bel complained
of hydrocele as Bel inguinal aimed
the shells from gravel. Gravid possums birthed
by tires guttered, dipteran; just noon
the flume now photic, lambent; firmament-
balloon sunblack; a highway advert shell-
acked; Fridayhappy men: the beacharcade;
the quarters drilled; a hackysack of pills;
the tourists dunned; the floats at Benny Frank’s
adjacent drugstore spiked: that night atop
a tumulus a bottlerocket cake.
DEMIMONDE
I’m not so sure…just rich, she’d say when asked.
The metaldetectors and cops at school.
The Misfits Stooges dope and basements home.
I write, he’d state. ‘This stiletto my heart.
Longnight’s escape yon oculus alone.’
Enhaloed dandelions barrow. Dogs
at dusk argot. The fireplaced guitars
of dads cliché. Verticity of words
when reft too rathe. Furcula svelte, beige suit,
sericeous thighs, inchoative cyno-
sure: Bel would tan as corbies bloomed from corn
while Az slowwhittled snakes on walkingsticks
to sell on Main. She answered: Halcyon:
the lie of hindsight. Not our problem, man.
FONT
Detroit: where simian police on stour
Clydesdales patrol through traffic, rifles lapped;
ecdysiastbuffet repast; a bust
the Payless tacotruck; apocalypse
haecceity; façade of fane enisled
among a mile’s detritus; depredate
and collied towers acaulescent men
enlive, their nutant somnifacient nights
beneath the shotout lamps in white by sigils
postbellum, wait for Bel and Az who come
for life in death ensured by plenary
commination. Defiles here out. Polestar
the City Limits sign. Yes, kyrie, yes.
No dreams no more are needed. Kyrie now.
RECIDIVISM IMPOSSIBLE
My meretrish egeria, what chance
had we to side with life? Your perfid love,
Embolus. / Moniliform sparrows au-
spice confab, hypergolic silhouettes.
Those two are fucking, Bel from swing asserts
as Az from sand culls cigs; serotinous
the honeylocusts’ nursing eels palmate
on carpal scapes about morass as sig-
nals find albedo sunabandoned; Az
canoes the chaff while faraway a screech
and crash erupts the frogs and lightningbugs;
ductile if ever Bel refels the worst
for bad, with courage says, Their pleasure dumb
and quick means little while their pain means less.