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THE COLLOQUY
there is a colloquy
of the iron maiden
there is a question
of the torture word
you know that i know
that not withstanding
all i can say is what
i've said i know that
in no way you know
is explicit wherever
will lead to wherever
they lead to lessons
was that triggered by
i was not in a position
to say there are other
um as i say at any
given time there are
that is a a pattern
are are allegations
time will tell
time will tell
our country is our country
our people are wonderful
but over time
but over time
people tend to find
reasonable conclusions
NIGHT GOGGLES
we're in the sky
looking at them
with night goggles
sometimes you don't
know...
i mean yeah right
but we can learn a lot
from the air and at night
we can turn on these
predator drones
Hey Brett what’s
The plan here
Are we in a wait
And see mode?
what appeared to be
showers of sparks and flames
and then as night was falling
there the glow of what seems
to be a large flower there drifting
across the Falluja night sky
extraordinary pictures it is night vision
and in response a camera precision in
the sound of possibly you won't be able
to pick up you can hear the low drone
some sort of intelligence you can see
in the distance in the distance attempts
within their rights within their reality
strike we can tell you we can tell you
a very very discrete weapon we can tell
you without damaging anybody certainly
heard a mix of members as mixture of these
groups these pockets we've heard all day
as long as possible and there has been
progress are we to believe are the talks
as long as possible to help out to point
out to get them on the side to be co-
operative these dead-enders chanting
oh give me a sense and pointing east
is the sound of chants songs coming
is firing up the public address system
(going to we are told to great lengths
to put innocent civilians in the way)
and does it achieve and both sides seek
but the bad guys try to do and hoping
to re-supply but what actually happens
we can see the after-glow a pounding
(these are now extraordinary after-glow
it was taking place; it was taking place)
THE NATURAL WORLD
thread
of celery
on a plate
piss
sage stinks
until crushed between
fingertips
there there
sad old air
Poems on this page © Jean Venqua 2005-2006
Jean Vengua was born in San Francisco, and lives in Santa Cruz, California. Her poems have been published online and in print in many journals, including Sidereality, We (both print and audio), Proliferation, Moria, and Fugacity 05 (N. Zealand). Her work has been published in the anthologies, Babaylan and Returning a Borrowed Tongue. She has recently co-edited with Mark Young The First Hay(na)ku Anthology, forthcoming Fall, 2005. Photo by Richard Lopez.
