Locust Erst Lorn

Locust Erst Lorn

c. 1994


This was my first poetry chapbook.  It was an ode to some lovely girlfriends of mine, and that makes it remain close to my heart, despite how poorly-written it seems to me now. 

My infamous long, rhyming poem "Journey to Lethe" was the centerpiece of this collection, but this one is my favorite:

Sylvan Stature Turns to Flora

and in her eyes,
when the spring beauty
comes to tempt and to lure,
and the sun shines faintly
as an elfin virgin.
and in her hands,
the pools of memory ebb,
cascade through parted fingers,
in glistening tears of nostalgia
for the lost girl,
that little child you once were.
let her kiss the mirror gently,
sighing,
trying
desperately to remember those days.
and in her ears,
the echo of the singing grass,
green and lush in essence alone.
and in her mouth,
as sweet as the fair honeysuckle,
which truly marks the coming
of nature's rebirth.
and in her nose,
when the breeze blows gently around
and carries bouquets in dreams,
a gentle sleep,
a mystical coven.
and in her mind,
all the great mountains,
which exist only to be pursued,
conquered by the souls of the suffering,
where blood runs easily
from closed eyes.
and in her heart,
the fortress of maidens,
locked away from the world,
undefiled,
and in love.