Mark Butkus Poems

Was looking for some change
To do the laundry on 8th Street
When I came across Charlotte’s shells
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On the night that bin Laden died
with a bullet in his head
A beeping phone awoke me
from a restless night's sleep
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La Aurora de Nueva York tiene
cuatro columnas de cieno
y un huracán de negras palomas
que chapotean las aguas podridas.
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When your name is stolen from a book
it's easy to lift lines
I don't know if she knows it
or even if it matters
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The ice is drinking my Absinthe
Ethereal worms dance in my glass
I have to improvise while wearing spats
My TV is wearing a Hawaiian shirt
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Shafts of light reach heavenward
to where you both once stood
Again you take my breath away
Once more I shed a tear
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As Sunset Amy dips into the sea
She rises in my heart
A tentative summer's smile
An autumn's first kiss farewell
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The rains that played havoc with your plans were due here by dawn
There were no puddles nor drops when the day began
Pure folly to think that the bales of hay would be brought in under dry skies
The farmers plight is to out-maneuver the weather
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I spent the afternoon exploring
As much of you as I could
Feeding on your flesh
With my lips and tongue
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A mother is more than a night in a delivery room
She is there when needed
Soothes away pain
With a smile or a touch
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