Master of the Stalking Horse

Gaston Phebus

Master of the Stalking Horse

Deer forage rapt in clover
oblivious to the nearness
of an arrowed moment…
oblivious to the nearness
of the hunter slouched behind
the cover of his stalking horse.
Stalking horses…
dupes…stooges…puppets
controlled by…
anonymous third persons
powers behind thrones
people behind proxies
eminences grise.
Imagine stalking horses
on Globe’s London stage.
Macbeth kills for his wife,
and Brutus is led by Cassius.
Puck flies at Oberon’s command,
and Roderigo follows Iago,
while Ariel stalks for Prospero,
and Shakespeare for de Vere.
 

Bonnie Marshall

Scrape to the Bone

Scrape to the Bone

Some…
search for authentic
in mundane artifacts
like Levi’s jeans
glass Coca Cola bottles
bright black of Amish quilts
Warhol’s tomato soup cans
they…
scrape to the bone
to satisfy a craving
for authenticity
much like Diogenes
who…to make a point…
held lit lanterns
in Athens daylight
looking for an honest man
 
Bonnie Marshall

Addict Like Alcohol

Addict Like Alcohol

How tenuous is flame
when first it lifts
to heat and light
on brief incautious breeze…
before consuming blaze
sweeps skyward with its gold
to drive vast conflagrations
to incandescent pitch.
Then take care…lover…
if you covet with a gaze
mere seconds will suffice…
rush tempestuous through the brain
and addict like alcohol.

Bonnie Marshall