-- Paterson (1999 ff.)
 

  ACROPOLIS

smog eats the old stones
which withstood the wars of yore,
machines conquer all.
 

THE PHILOSOPHERS

patriarchs debate
in a myriad cafes
the same old questions.
 

  ATLANTIS

blown to kingdom come,
strata tower over depths
unfathomable.
 

   AEGEAN

scrolling sea-waves surge,
swept by insatiable winds
the spindrift flies free.
 
 

    METRO

sweaty multitudes
on graffiti-covered trains
zooming thru tunnels.
 

 BACKPACKERS

on the outward trail,
searching for the holy grail,
the sleeping-bag crew.
 

PLOWING THE SEA

engine's muffled roar
bisecting the horizon,
chlorine-colored foam.
 

STORMFRONT

white, turquoise, cobalt,
the surf pounds the stone-strewn shore
geologically.
 

  NOCTURNE

boulders bathed in silver,
the moon playing hide-and-seek
among clouds of lace.
 

 COMPOSITION

watercolor clouds
float across the sky's canvas,
translucent pastels.
 

ENLIGHTENMENT

search the library,
all the answers will be found
in the wilderness;
search the wilderness,
all the answers will be found
in the library.
 

XMAS IN CRETE

snow in the high peaks
sends down gusting wind and rain,
sea of shattered glass.
 

 WINTER SUNRISE

fog hugs the valley,
sunlight plays upon the ridge,
rose-tinted snowscape.
 

GREEK VILLAGE

old squared-stone houses
clustered in the olive grove,
raven-clad widows.
 

  SOLILOQUY

frothing thunderheads
drift like thoughts across the sky,
transforming visions.
 

 MONASTERY

old orthodox monks,
crazed by sexual desire,
tending the candles.
 

   SUNSET

sphere of burning gold
seals the mother-of-pearl sky,
dusk among the trees.
 

 METAPHYSICS

to sum it all up
in just one word, what's real is
interpersonal.
 

 BEATITUDE

thus transparently
to the light beyond thyself
in a stained-glass world.
 

SMALL TOWN USA

neat manicured lawns,
streets with no pedestrians,
labyrinthine malls.
 

DISCIPLESHIP

like a sentinel
from the great beyond within
each present moment.
 

GLOBALIZATION

aborigines
in moon-shoes and baseball caps,
bamboozled and sad.
 

 OLD PERÚ

huge straw sombreros,
dusty russet serapes,
weather-seared faces.
 

  NIGHT SKY

star-spangled stage-set
for this historic drama,
planet crescendo.
 

  BELOVED

how to find the words,
the mood, the grace of spirit,
to melt you gently.
 

 EASTER WEEK

multitudes of folks
surging in a surf of faith,
worshipping icons.
 

 THIRD WORLD

rampant poverty,
environmental meltdown,
vulgar tv shows.
 

  READING

the mind thus takes wing
on the fair winds of thinking
what others have thought.
 

     TV

colorful whirlpool
sucking in the multitudes
(and luring oneself).
 

THE NEWS

fire-breathing robots
battle across continents;
ecocide, madness.
 

   SAVIOR

words came with vision
in a silent evermore:
'this incarnation!'
 

   NUMFWN

sacramental love,
where mine is thine is mine, all
consummate above.
 

   BOLIVIA

limpid atmosphere,
tangled blood-red peaks snow-brushed,
vast stone-strewn deserts.
 

CONTEMPLATION

reflecting this light,
receiving what is given,
born and borne always.
 

   WINTER

sweet silent snowfall
drifting thru the naked trees,
a choir of songbirds.

  WAITRESS

perspiring beauty
dances thru the drunken roar,
blessing everyone.
 

 IMMERSION

there's what you perceive
plus there's what's beyond your ken,
transinfinity.
 

PERSPECTIVE

europeans spread
thruout north america
by ethnic cleansing.
 

   THAW

persisting rainfall
obscures the land and skyscape,
rooftop percussion.

THUNDERSTORM

warfare on TV,
birds chattering happily
to welcome the rain.

 SIERRA NEVADA

mother-of-pearl clouds,
evergreens etched on the dawn,
robin's-egg blue sky.

    AWAKENING

how startling, to be
late for the resurrection;
what shall one put on?

 POSADAS

processions winding
candlelit thru the dark streets;
no room at the inn.