Queen of Bohemia (2001)
VENICE
Venice
Holy Ground
Stained with the blood of poets
City which lies
Beneeath the breasts of birds
Guarded by cats
Behind every corner
The Muse, Angel of Surprise
Poems out of pavement cracks
--Philomene Long
MARRIAGE VOWS
We open a door
To where
There is no road
We take it
-- Philomene Long
I AM NO LONGER AFRAID
I am no longer afraid
Of this poem
From which
I will never return
I call myself
Only the words follow me
With each breath
I do not disappoint them
Although they
Brought me here
Their voices die
One by one
Other ruminations
No longer my own
Their thunders
Are
Pleasant enough,
As
Strapped
To my pen
I slip
Further
-- Philomene Long
