Duane Vorhees (Western Voices 2022)

 Bio: Duane Vorhees grew up in Ohio but spent most of his adult life in Asia. He taught in Korea and Japan for many years and now resides in Thailand. Hog Press of Ames, Iowa, has recently published three collections of his poetry, HEAVEN, THE MANY LOVES OF DUANE VORHEES, and GIFT: GOD RUNS THROUGH ALL THESE ROOMS.

 

SENSELESS

A poet must be insensitive

--blind enough to see the world

The rabbi may read the Qur'an

--deaf enough to hear its soul

and the Pope, the Upanishads

--distasteful enough to sweeten life

--unfeeling enough to touch a foreign mind

and yet will bless the war on

humans' love for other gods.

--and anosmic enough to smell truth's decay.

***

OPIATES OF THE MASSES      

Crucifiction, Failosophy, Hisstory:  

Tomorrow is a myth. And so is yesterday. Now is all.

Physicks, Asstrology, Isometricks: 

Yourself, as you are at present, is your only guide. 

Medisin, Accupunkture, Sighchiatry: 

There is no cure for reality. 

Litterature, Statuwary, Musick: 

Art is a grand mirage -- and it takes great pride in being so. 

Soshellism, Dicktatorship, Demockracy:  

All government systems are synonyms for slavery. 

Kingdumbs, Milittearism, Onerousship: 

Allegiance to others is suicide. 

Noosepapers, Liebraries. Educashuns: 

"Knowledge" so-called is mere pretense. 

Relashunships, Guarantease, Freedumb: 

Promises are illusions. But illusions may also be promises.

Ambishun, Suckcess, Sellebrity:  

Self-promotion is the greatest deception of all. 

Syphillisation: 

Truth is what you trust. 

***

LULLED 

By the shine of my headlights

that wolf that hides by the roadside

is simplified to eyes alone.

The bright ahead

lets me forget

how black's the edge.

***

---

Setu, April 2022