Thomas R. Keith Poetry
Verse both sacred and secular.
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Anaxagoras
“…Mind arranged all things, including this rotation that the stars and the sun and the moon and the lower air and the ether now undergo as they are separated off.” Anaxagoras of Clazomenae, fr. 476 KRS (=Simplicius, in Phys. 164,24 and 156,13) He had it all wrong. Not just wrong, but flipped, As a film…
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Divine Love
Strange champagne. Poured out long ago – so long ago. Not gone flat, though. Froth on the tongue: each sip goes straight to the brain and makes it sing. Strange party, too. We all stood around, waiting for the guest of honor, until the host whispered in each person’s ear: Haven’t you guessed yet that…
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Empedocles
“And these things never cease their continual exchanging,/At one time coming together, all into one, through Love,/At another time again borne each apart through the enmity of Strife.” Empedocles of Acragas, fr. 348 KRS (=Simplicius in Phys. 158,1) Already, like the Blues and Greens in the Hippodrome, they’re taking sides: the poets, the philosophers, the…
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Agenda for Lovers
Let’s take it easy today. Just a few fireworks. A little bit of birdsong Linking up the treetops. A couple of new stars To stud Orion’s belt. Then as a nightcap (If you’re not too tired) We’ll compress it all And let it all out again, Remaking the universe Better and gentler. That should be…
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Coin Purse
Like telling the rosary it was your daily rite You always explained though there was no need Quarters go in first (for the full moon) then nickels then dimes (it wanes and wanes) pennies last of all (their copper sheen is the new moon rusting away) This done you would shake it exactly three times…
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Fallout
so gently it comes so gently it comes bringing winter no matter the season in the night it poaches hair in the night it poaches nails leaves behind a barren beauty livid kisses pickled skin if our bones were light enough like the hawk we’d soar to meet it even share a dance or two…
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Sunday Night
we fret ourselves to ashen little nubs talking of the week to come of the Sisyphus-grind the lampreys of obligation of five days nearer death over it all hangs a curious pleasure: rain awaited on a sweltering day thus our delay- ing the inevitable touch the skin-to-skin friction the cloudburst when it is done we…
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Tempter
The serpent speaks still by turns soft and small by turns shrill and loud We would not be so quick to heed it except for two things | first that it tells us precisely what we want to hear | second that it never fails to speak to us in our own voice Cover Photo:…
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In Tandem
If love is a candle flame hate is the shadow it casts on the wall. A weak flicker of desire elicits mere indifference. A blaze, though – a blaze limns everything in black. And as the one inexorably brightens the other darkens, splitting the heart in half- my heart, toward you.
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The Rorschach Test
What do you see? A dragon. That means you are full of fire. What do you see? A mermaid. That means the ocean is calling. What do you see? An eagle. That means your head’s in the clouds. What do you see? A mountain. That means the earth weighs heavy. What do you see? My…
Thomas R. Keith Poetry 