resonance
she snatches
poetry out of the air
using a complex array of antennae
connected by copper wires
that traverse a tall mantelpiece
cascading to an old wooden desk.
-- jerry-rigged to an odd contraption
old radio tubes and more
insulated wires
stuffed into a makeshift
case
some components
radiate a dim blue glow
and considerable heat
it is not an efficient machine
the machine
funnels verse into glass centrifuges
where words spin and separate
to be stored in indexed mechanical memories
devoid of their magic and meaning
she cackles
at her piracy
her audacity
at the swath of silence surrounding her
at dead air
yet in moments
of need
when her black heart yearns
she'll clutch
the breathing tube
inhale disjointed words and
-- wracked by uncontrollable sobs --
release the finest poetry in shrieks
heard for miles.
Adrian Hoad-Reddick,
12/06/05