Postcard 174

This summer day I am the mounted reaper
Kick in the PTO on my screaming John Deere
green pentacle of blades
-- that's Power-Take-Off, 550 rpm
Too much for words

I'm taking off the top blade, seed head and germ
a whole season of grass
Am I an agent of order or entropy?
Insects, bugs, pinpoints in eternity
are stirred up in decimation
Godlike, I steer my chattering machine
in broad arching epochs of small inconsidered beings

To the birds I am benificent
Blue streaked swallows feast with joy,
pause at the bottom of their arcs
and offer me their rusty throats that from
my rumbling throne I may auger
their grateful celebration

They do swoop and I do too
dragging the sun across streaked fields
dragging a cloud of invective chaos or a banquet
Man-like I am burnt of sun grimy of skin
dusty of lung. Sweaty and taking break

God-like, I rest.
It is a matter or perspective
My tractor creaks, cools and sighs
I am an agent of edges and order hourly paid
An agent chewing drinking burning and cutting
Chaos and change -- life's fine pain

Postcard 173

Preparing for a trip:
Empty your pockets
Count coup
Pull apart the wash-bundled paper for pale glyphs
Sort coins to little ruin piles

Clothes are paramount
Only travel naked by boat
Footwear is imperative

A loose and fatalistic attitude is like the wind at your back
Saint Christopher takes up too much space
he's pushy besides

Nothing is like a good travel guide:
open immediately
then discard it

Be open in everything except luggage
Be generous of time. Be greedy of experience
Be gregarious with food and music

Be picky with travel companions
Bundle them with wool and coffee
Practice your traveling walk -- long strides

In some places --
look people in the eye
In other places -- dont

This is called organization
or lack thereof. I heard that once
I walked the other way

Walking is your best friend
a pencil never hurt nobody nor a small knife
Avoid planes unless absolutely necessary

Roll your clothes Roll your towel
Roll your coins Roll with the punches
gather no moss

Reserve space for soveniers
Only bring home small stones and good rugs
Travel by rug if you can