The Weather Seems Different

It is snowing in Athens tonight & Apollo with ice in his beard
           is having a difficult time singing
About six twin engine miniplanes have crashed coast to coast
           in empty fields & a Bank of America building
My love, you know that death is both a separation
           and a permanent glue
You know that I am the son of a patient duct tape expert
           and the daughter of a wine never allowed to age
Love, we are all things to each, we are needy in just the ways
           each other needs but doesn't yet comprehend
In the open fields of Somalia there are civilians running circles
           freaked out shivering they might be next
From a satellite 10,000 miles above earth, like an empty chair
           with telescope
a disembodied human eye stares at us & stares at Columbia
           he is looking below the oceans for new caves
He is looking for people who are not yet in favor of empty chairs
           placing nuclear-tipped dynamite in empty caves
The danger is real, one can feel it in the air
           even if unsure from which directions it is borne
We are all getting older, we have realized this year it's time
           to get serious about ducking death's temporary wings
Time to get our 10-dimensional affairs in order, between your
           big toe and its chipped nail
there is a fire-breathing vulture just waiting for the dimensional wall
           to collapse even for a millisecond
History repeats itself but sometimes as a young student pilot
           unsure how to create an effective farce
My dear, the vulture escaped for my 45th birthday last night
            it was in our bedroom pecking below the sheets
It has eaten us alive and regurgitated us back into this world--
           time will tell whether we are healthier than before

Eliot Katz 1/02