"ROLL CALL"

Rachael Haigh

vibration incubation  brain scattered  fogged
retina  fabulous phantasm   prairie dog eaten
same result  blackout  stone-faced emporium

          answer: primary resources
                                remain uninhibited

          dictum: changes in the wake
                                so beware ye meek

          example: organized labor
                                    unlikely usurper

statistician indecisive   patrimony yet advised
paisley moon     iffy flirtation    id elementary
peppermint twist  rude instigators  slack mojo

          antithesis: please Jesus
                                       suppress evil  

          objective: train withered souls
                                       to rise above pain

          moral:  newest inventions
                             could be dangerous

lizards tango   congas resound    nerves twist      
analysis paralysis preempts    me just a guest
instead let    dandelions spring forth     aspire

          lesson: astronomical gain
                              can’t be sustained

          solution: disconnect from self
                                   to avoid turmoil

          truth: belief automatically
                          shaped by experience

-- Thomas Piekarski is a former editor of the California State Poetry Quarterly. His poetry has appeared in such publications as The Journal, Poetry Salzburg, Modern Literature, The Museum of Americana, South African Literary Journal, and Home Planet News. His books of poetry are Ballad of Billy the Kid, Monterey Bay Adventures, Mercurial World, Aurora California, and Opus Borealis.