danton's kitchen

by jeffery mcnary

this phenomena stays untitled
as the fearless in perilous times,
unbroken,
change agents hover and gather as if
called by trumpet
with mixed seed with purpose
among aromas of herbs
of roasting rara avis
here the 2nd floor chat and clatter
hums with transformation,
here, pre-goethe scribes scratch for walk on parts,
here
is where the sure money is
here
…yet untamed by tragedy

left of center guests
quenching thirst
momentarily pause
their momentum of fine movement building…
the tip of that iceberg calling as shrill as the cuckoo
to duck and cover dear
your socialist mouth while chewing
dear
your marxist mouth while drinking in
dear
your youthful mouth while becoming
dear, while
…filling upon the fragrances of otherways
…have more… please

stalling shouts
stalling storms
stalled by broken glass
and lightening
… close and tightly held hands in
rainpolished streets
soggy from great struggles
from wrongs
from consequence of uprising
…from shiny new cultural myths


the solstice warns of
settling in breech’s
of t.v. news
of seduction
of berets and other hats
of fashion and hours
of Sartre grown late and tired
of guerillas too dangerous and scented
of gales and change and comrades of second helpings and
…those colored, shredded pitched policies
offering their steamed and new spicy candidate entrées

in the corner
balanced and postured
egalite strikes it’s arc
they have called
from far back
they have called again
the thunder
of complete change
they have called…the take out
portions for the daring
of fidel and che-likes
of whom the elders spoke
of fanon
of whom the poets sang
of others blessed and sainted
of others betrayed

they are near again now
like an implicant order in physics
preparing the crashing of crowns
and consorts
with spectacular light and brightness
they have called
the dragons
…and
as if gone mad
gallantly refuse to lay
delicately their heads upon the block

if in weakness we have forgotten
our taste
we will hear you
and your deeper meaning
and when we’ve forgotten to listen
…we’ll hear your dinner gong
and hold and preserve what is known
…of tyranny
and arise and carry on.

dedicated to george jackson and the soledad brothers