Patti Masterman Poems

Transmogrified through the written word,
I see myself through his agate eyes;
Shall I take up then the sin of pen,
Transmute smooth paper
...

Give me the sweeter air of his breath,
The smoother wave of his voice;
Voice I've never heard, where freedom
Would sing in plunging starfish octaves,
...

My father, in a white shirt:
I see him again, through the far windows of time,
He only rarely wore a white shirt during his life,
And only in performance of his duties, for an organization or job.
...

My soul married yours long before it told the heart,
That was your secret gestures, it had been concealing
And shy alphabet letters formed our non-linear talks
On which ancient symbols were awakening with the news,
...

We never sang, we never danced
As some did; every night and morning without fail
We recalled, the world's an automaton-
And earthly pleasures must pale.
...

When he looked at their guest, there was a disturbing new look
In his eyes, a look she thought she remembered from someplace far;
From so long ago, it seemed another life entirely.
...

ASCII never asks the code for the key
And metal's too cold, and plastics too brief;
The bits and the bytes are fathomless,
None of them has permanent address.
...

Our words are bricks in a wall we never meant;
Could not foresee its height, could not foresee how thick
And durable, such a wall would be-
As it rose, between you and me.
...

I awake before dawn and call out to the Moon,
But the Moon is missing, she has other duties to attend to.
I sleep fitfully, aware that something is missing.
...

Your future son-in-law is the child of Spanish farmers,
His touch gentle on the baby bird, fallen far from the tree;
His strong hands knowing things only the gardener or mechanic understands,
Kind words softly murmuring, like lengthening days of summer.
...