It's true that the dastardly O Sweet Flowery Roses poetry journal asks for three poems, a brief bio, and a picture. Constraints be damned...Mr. Larry Jaffe (no relation to myself, though his name is the same as my grandfather's) sent a thick phalanx of poetry, which surrounded his massive bio. So why take the O Sweet Flowery word for it? His bio is here; Mr. Jaffe is quite the prolific poet and general artsmith.
ODE TO GALLANTRY
Aesthetic waves crash
forming tender beauty
a radiant inspiration
redefines destiny
Riding strong
a spirit emerges
– She is her own Galahad
A ripped cape
in flight
– Escaping captivity
Tears shimmer
in sudden joy
obstacles of life
conquered
– An empire created
Leaving her mark
in the universe
–The mirror gasps.
HEMORRHAGING
The Earth bleeds
we stand around
hands in pockets
some shout retaliation
some scream futility
still the earth bleeds
We proclaim peace
accuse each other
march and protest
hold hands for inner warmth
love one another with venom
still the earth bleeds
We kill songs with rocks
torture memories
plead sides
and wonder
why the Earth
still bleeds
– Some never learn to hate
Peace is not a tourniquet
Peace is a new Earth.
LAYERS
I unfold
destiny
diminished
I unfold
precious wings
arc into flight
I unfold
twirling
through space
I unfold
music triumphs
in endless beat
I unfold
– I fly
