Black Beyond the Blue

Black Beyond the Blue

Venus spurned the Poet King
he followed bloody Mars
rode the .38 Special to starry climes and boundless night
past the anger past the pain
where Pisces floats beyond the blue and in the black
In the black beyond the blue he swims with the fishes
things are groovy on the celestial plane
he dreams alone among the stars

Starchild born at the dawning of the Age of Aquarius
your time is done Pisces zenithed
the fishes sink to the horizon
weaned, you leave this Milky breast
draw close to Andromeda's ghostly arms
woo her Poet King, break her chains Perseus
make love to her burning heart and trillion stars
is this what you wanted?

your life spilled out on cold concrete
by the dumpster ravens pick at your belongings
I found your typewriter there on the curb
it stutters under my fingers
it smells of ink
it smells of you
now a man not a poet write where your fingers were
you left your mightier-than-the-sword to a child bloody fool

Cool Daddy Longlegs Skywalking Poet King of the West
I should have known you
no books, no tapes, no words of yours
clack from your Adler's keys
its eagle icon as silent as you
you left me no words except those among your last
"Pisces is moving along nicely," you said
into the big blue Montana sky, and saw beyond,
"things are about to get groovy."
medicine stick in hand, you departed South
not into the sunset