the vernal equinox
having despaired of honest verse
the poet thinks of love lost
and of the phrase neither rhyme nor reason
turning his hungry being to prison
for cheap rhyme and half rhyme
and lines mean and terse
and thus
having despaired of pleasure
the poet thinks of his life in reverse
the poet thinks of his first masturbation
and his fear that his cum
might run out forever
through his tight blue jeans
the poet thinks of gender
having despaired of honest and clever
dressed as the infinitive clause in feathers
he hands out song and dance as allotted
receiving signals from mars and venus
he savours the taste of furtive tragic hotness
and explains at length
when the pen is it isn't
with his common sense and opinions wasted
he lubricates thickly racks and pinions
rising and falling with the photocopier's rhythm
the poet tastes taut morningbird quickness
copying minutes and hours and moments
jealous of the coffee machine's sly grin
the poet begins and stops to report
kopie ga kanryo shimashita
despairing of a courtesy copy world
the poet prays to the leaf and the bird
teeth crumbling to dust from glass fruit
but he chooses words and thinks of love first
his long thought's ends dead at the root
and he writes
having despaired of honest verse