William Corbett
Two Poems
In the 1950s
Villains and heroes
Of the small screen, fuzzed images,
Pennsylvania nights black and white:
Killer Kowalski, monocled Baron Von ____,
The Zebra Kid, his deadly skull butt,
Antonino Rocca of the flying leg kick
Remembered because
Rub-a-dub-dub fresh
From the tub, pajamas
You are loved in comfort
And entertained by the drummed mat,
Shrill women with hat pins.
Francis Gary Powers
Memorable because
Richard Boone, Medic,
Eye of an eagle, heart of a lion,
Forehead on scrunched up knees,
Hard, shined hallway linoleum,
Metal lockers or under
Your desk the world
Ends in flash and cloud
Francis Gary Powers
Handcuffed, short haired,
Liar Ike sitting up
Alert in a wheel chair,
Pajamas, over his heart
Script, “Feeling Better, Thanks.”
Written in Pencil
The lake under rain
Wind streams in water
A day full of words,
Most unspoken, lightning,
The bowl filled with peonies
Long enough ago to know better
Marni you were here when
My mother, your grandmother, died,
Lay dying, not so far away
I couldn’t go. I didn’t,
Had reasons that today I can’t
Remember. No wonder we lie
To ourselves, to others, selfish,
Easier than facing who we are.
If that’s the thunder tell me
Something I don’t know or say
It in a way I’ve never heard before.