Ronald Koertge Poems

After all the Shakespeare, the book
of poems they type is the saddest
in history.
...

They were never handsome and often came
with a hormone imbalance manifested by corpulence,
a yodel of a voice or ears big as kidneys.
...

In the airport bar, I tell my mother not to worry.
No one ever tripped and fell into the San Andreas
Fault. But as she dabs at her dry eyes, I remember
those old movies where the earth does open.
...

goes by at 1:00 a.m. two nights of the week. I can
hear the feather whoosh of his machine and see
one red light.
...

When the Lexus hit that pigeon, he lay there
beating his one good wing against the curb
...

Walking toward the library, I pass three children
staring down at a dead crow and daring each other
...

It is small, holds only a few boys and girls
and smells like graham crackers inside.
...

When I come in, my mechanic is eating
lunch. He doesn't look over the top
...

"That panting on the wall"
really was the most interesting line
...

Delores Del Rio takes a walking tour
of my body. Unlike most vagabonds
...