The Hawk Queen Bed 10:22pm
I have stood above
My Paintings
cascading colours
like Jackson Pollock
in a filthy studio
yet now I stand
Above The World
to write a message
not of hope
but of COMPASSION
for it is THAT HUMAN TRAIT
We lack
Which has turned Us
upside
down
The Hawk Deck 10:22am
It’s A Fine Time For Me
to write of The Religion For One
out here on My Pristine Deck
in The August Morning Sun —
What Can I Tell Of My View
Of The Self?
The Birds How They Cry
for broken hearts
& bombed civilians —
but wait —
NO ONE SHOULD GET BOMBED:
Ours Is An Earth
of exquisite beauty
& must not be marred
by hatred & distrust —
I Am Here To Settle Out
the chaos
To Re-organize
The Individual Mind
To See Out Its Full Potential
& Have It Believe
in Life
The Tomato-coloured Couch 7:17pm
How Can I Stop
The World
& Say I Am All Things:
I Am The Second Coming
Of Christ —
I Am The Anti-Christ
I Am Black Jesus
waiting out this mess
in My Cathedral-ceilinged
Living Room
where no one dies
cats are cared for
& The Radio Plays
Pretty Songs?
The Tomato-coloured Couch 4:57pm
What would I say if faced
with a pregnant woman about to walk
into an abortion clinic?
“That Human You Carry
Comes From You —
To Kill It Is To Kill A Sacred Part
Of Your Self”
The Tomato-coloured Couch 6:53pm
He was A Starling
innocent and frightened
by My Maniacal Driving
swooping into His Flock
He hit the front of My Car —
on My Way Back from picking up a pizza
yes, pizza!
He lay in the middle of the road
The Tomato-coloured Couch 6:11pm
Hanging above My Front Door
is a sign
a command which reads:
“VIVRE”
a word I take to heart
for I have nearly died
The Tomato-coloured Couch 6:22pm
I stare across
to My Neighbour’s Canadian Flag
stretched out & shivering
in the gusts
I feel My Veins quickening
& know too hard
The Eye is self-trained
to soak in The Flickering
& feed It to The Blood
The Tomato-coloured Couch 4:08pm
I remember clearly
that sinking feeling
of having no choice but to lie down
on a couch or bed
for want of Living Life
where I covered My Self
with a blanket or Afghan
knitted by My Mother-in-law
to take as some form
of comfort
to get through
an endless day
out of weeks
months
years
Joanna Gilman Hyde 