Sunday evening, March 28th, I spend writing most of an essay on Ed McBain's
Fat Ollie, a character introduced in his last few 87th Precinct books.
Ollie is obese, slobbish, rude, obnoxious, and a rare bigot - he likes no
one, but in the hands of McBain over the course of several stories, he
becomes a delight to read for he is also a brilliant detective.
I'm not, so foolish as I might be, I left the file open last night and lost
most of it - the file full of machine language, odd fonts and even Japanese
script. I've been having trouble with that "bleeding" for sometime and
thought I had it fixed.
But today, the slower detective deduced that he should close files at night
and save often. And, now, the poet - used to shorter reconstructions - must
reconstruct several pages of prose.
I'm thinking there is a poem in it. After all, there is a poem in
everything and anything.
*
Detectives in the Spring
Bachelors must stick together
even when spring sneaks along
a porch still mostly winterized
Cherry blossoms do not yet belong
nor should the trill of nesting starlings
intrude on the antics of Tony's gang
We have mysteries to solve and they
are best puzzled out with ice thick
on the windows or the ac broke
He unravels his - murder foul
and bloody - as he swipes at
your heritage, at mine and theirs
A charming fellow, the perfect
companion for a spring evening
though there is light enough left to mow
Come morning, he moves on,
there is always another homicide;
and I discover - larceny and theft
Not of anything all that valuable,
like lifting paint-by-number boards
for fine art, but my handiwork
There are blossoms and wingdings
trill where words once stood
boosted who knows for what reason
I have locked your autumns away,
stored your hours, yowls and owls
safe as the city in September
Until my dilemma deciphered
and the fat detective returns
to listen to me repeat my words
As spring slips into summer
and winter visits other bachelors
Thanks to Ed McBain for Fat Ollie, the gang at the Eight Seven
and the city.
GO TO http://www.mindfirerenew.com/ TO SUBMIT THE BEST NEW ZINE ON THE WEB.
Poets for Peace.... ˇPoemas sí, balas no!
|