Robert Rorabeck Poems

Put me in a coffin all beautiful at last,
A gunfighter of roses beneath the
Over pass;
Dressed up and laid out there so sweet
...

Riding out on the bus
Where the president is younger than my parents,
But it is even more a curious thing
I am no longer beautiful; and I am doing nothing,
...

German Shepherd drools on my forearm where
I killed a horsefly today-I broke a horseshoe
Once and cursed the game.
I have dark circles under my eyes, really impenetrable
...

Please tell me she’s lying on her bed,
Because I’m done now: I’m off my bike,
And I’m thoroughly drenched,
My fingers are cold and would wish to warm inside
...

Going down into the ditch Indian style:
A hero of the first or second war;
A halo no one will see tonight as I lay immaculate
On my bed by and by with my dogs,
...

Walk out into the emptiness of sunlight:
Yes, the sarcophagus is good enough for any man
Even in the open air the brightness of his
Greeting hall
...

Growing this budding numbness:
Listening to Bukowski- it feels good to hear
A man as scarred as me,
Even a better man; but, Oh lord,
...

Finish the glass like a little bit of
Rainwater;
And now you’re too slick for a rope.
There’s never been a fish who’s
...

I’ll drink to you by the rivers
Where the soldiers’ boots have crossed,
And the deer are all yet sleeping:
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Sommeliers are singing in their wine
Gardens;
That is what they’re doing, or they’re turning
Into seagulls,
...