I.
from someone else’s mind
I gathered image word
and feeling meaning
it sorted to my brain
somewhere in a neuron
synapse cell to cell
I hear him say it …
that Rhett Butler voice …
that cocksure gaze …
brilliant framing of the
door between his worlds
at the turning point
he didn’t give a damn
about her
flawless timing … always
absolutely perfect for
remembering of know
II.
Giles from Salem
beat someone’s heart
to stopping … damn you
Giles from Salem
old Giles from Salem
they witch hung his love wife
for mumbling in a corner
cried him out for wizard
to claim the family land
if he, innocent, confessed
plank and boulder pressed him
rigid … Puritan … earth
three days to eye bulge, tongue loll
“Confess you are a witch!” they shouted
one on the plank to crush his heart
“More weight … more weight.” his dying words
damn them, Giles from Salem
III.
in the revealing black and white of it
The public doesn’t give a damn about integrity.
A town that won’t defend itself
deserves no help.
Lon Cheney’s jaded sheriff lines, High Noon
Katy Jurado tells Lloyd Bridges
And, it takes more than big broad shoulders
to make a man.
she is a survival realist
leaves on the high noon train
before she leaves she talks with Cooper
Jurado: Kane, if you’re smart, you will get out, too.
Cooper: I can’t.
Jurado: I know
Bonnie Marshall
artist unknown
Proem... 
Bonnie, at first I was unsure–it is a lot to take in–but after numerous readings it struck me as a cohesive whole, filled with a central line of intent, bristling with meaning and a sense of history connected to the human condition. I thought is very akin to what Charles Olson would regarded as the finest of what poetry is capable of in the real world. Smiles>KB
As always, dear KB, thank you.
So vivid. So much to think about. Really value the many cultural references. Incredible!
Glad you found these in it, Nancy. Thinking I’ll put it I my next book. Smiles …
Do not foresake me, oh my darling…
Well, Carlos … even after eighty years of life, I shall try not to. Thank you for taking the time to read and respond. Very much. Smiles …
You are welcome, Bonnie.
Well that’s a journey and a half Bonnie – took me into some different lands I can tell you. Brilliant writing..
It’s one of my favorites. Thank you …