gershon hepner Poems

The Chinese wood called huanghuali
became extinct when sacrificed
for fine arts in a grand finale
more pleasing to the eye than Christ
...

Science fills the place once held by God,
although it’s shared by literature and art;
because his menu is considered odd
most connoisseurs will order à la carte.
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Nothin’ other than unwindin’
of unhappiness occurs
when I see that you’re not findin’
any part of me that stirs
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When I do my party crashing
I jump in with my arms a-thrashing,
and sit me down beside the host
until he’s offered me a toast,
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Deep feeling, though combined with airy whimsy,
provides as upbeat rhythmic threnody
for Monday morning quarterbacks with flimsy
excuses, pointing out no remedy
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When I set out to Angeles,
six thousand miles away,
my rhyme was on the spray,
and I was far from loneliness
...

I
Thoughts of youth are very long,

and thoughts of middle age are shorter,
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Minor masterpieces, like delusions,
end far too quickly, but until
denouement ends them both, provide solutions
for those who find a major thrill
...

“Claudius Civilis
should be more frivolous, ”
Amsterdam elders,
masterpiece gelders,
...

A valve,
a door,
Salv-
ador.
...