ECLIPSE

Frank Thomas
2

Eclipse

sometimes
a tremor
deep and dark

shakes me
from the inside
out

or from
the outside
in

so deep and dark

i think it means
to bury me

but then a quiet voice

relaxes me
with tales
of passing shadows

fellow travellers
who

from time to time

reveal the totality

of their hidden faces

to the light
3
Bernard l'Hermite

out of your box

looking for a new home
outgrown your derniere
coquille empruntée
cherchant ta prochaine maison
portable , abandonnée – par qui ?

waves of water-wind
gently waft you towards
your rendez vous avec
the day standing
glorious wide-open

dancing algae
finn-birds flying
hungry bastards !
open cavern
mouth or cave ?
pinch it hard and see

wherever home may be

relative to oui
qui threw or grew
or drew you out of
non's ancienne demeure
des murs too tight to fight

so flight to new right-size

plus comfortable ease
where you can relax
out of the open sea
where you can see
unseen nuances of menace
4
and hear silent stillness
reigning , flows flowing
holding now's knowing
opening other worlds
of presence

singing –

O to live somewhere between

the raging sea and the shore
between the gaping maw
and the welcoming open door

entre flying freely high

and falling to the floor
out of the burning sun
return to dark dream-space

out of time and tide's mad race

only lapping glapissements
dry palms , brisants sec
seduisants parfums

you and i
may dream each other's being
may share the tempest's roar
and be each other's dream
5
Darwin's Fall

some time ago there were people who knew

that you don't have to tighten things up like a screw

you can let things go , leave things lie

it's not always a question of do or die

you don't have to suck till the tit is dry

modulation , moderation
don't have to be a bother

rationing yourself is better

than being rationed by your betters

monkeys with guns got no sense

shoot and don't think of the consequence

monkeys with tongues

just talk nonsense

the smallest bug , knowing its place

is more evolved than a human race

which doesn't know its

6
N-counter

lost again
i find my living
loser of ways

finder of
stray-away days
bottomless hours
and moments

of falling dreams
fraying seams
in world's torn jenes

a fragment of eggshell
your exposed thigh

motherofpearly lip
probing eye
seductive sigh

rising and falling , again

to float , again
just within reach
and out of grasp
7
Scaffolding

II

count your blessings if you must

then count what they cost you
count if you can the time you've left
from where your counting ends

to where,

recounting ancient lores

wars and scores too numerous to tally
you know their names (your blessings' )
their many games
their fields , their rooms and alleys

where many doors invite

your greedy n-counter
and your needy weak end

and some invite your heart

but , only one
invites all three
8
Brass Kappital

carerful of the Proza-Kola

slave-recruiting Sammy-Dolla’
pretty quick tie chain to colla’

then your plodding dance become

a memory of ancient flight
when fingers were wings

and toes nimble talons

plucking flowers
9 Watched (Time Pieces)

my first , Certina
a present from Grandma
needs daily winding
stops when i
(wonders) , forgets

old now
been through a few scrapes
still goes
( loud ticks )

my second Q&Q , quartz

inherited from papa Dada
battery , not so old
only stops , like now
when needs replacing

almost totally silent

really silent now in this space
between first's ticks

(forgets again , wonders about

such impossible spaces
as the staring eyes of her portrait
seen from behind)

winds up
lets go

rubato
number (forgets)
brand new
timeless piece of time
goes as pleases

or doesn't

watches

wonders

( forgets )
10
Pillow Talk

the eyes have it

the power to pull us
sizzling , blinking and gazing

into time

through waving sails

wagging tails
twitching hands
ticking tocks

of faceless clocks

candle-less flames
with wicks of throbbing
illuminated flesh

every sense
a muscle
of infinite strength
11
Sequoia

nice fence
let's sit

on one side
comforting terra familia
on the other
the inviting void
of happy pari dicey side
forgetting sacré scary fice
of those who died
to put us

here

where we sit
on this living growing fence

from where

the drop to terre

grows ever

greater
12
Sequoia (suite - commentary)

the hint at parricide above

does not refer to the common crime
but to the less common notion
that the giants on whose shoulders we stand
are , in fact , gigantic planks
( of greater or lesser thickness )
coffin lids ? tables ? dance floors ?
rising and falling deck of
the good ship Sound & Light ?
almost flight
port and starboard
almost wings

as the giant sings

of his loves and wars
his love of war
his balls and his knife
( just two of the weapons
under his belt )
his art and science
just two of the tools
in his magic box of tricks
his church and his grave
just two of the countless holes
in our noisy vessel
13
Drôle de Cinéma

enfin
je suis devenu quelque chose
un Acteur – voilà !
je ne suis plus un simple paysan

forcement c'est vrai

puis ce que on l'a dit à la télé
un m’sieur très sérieux
et très bien habillé
l'air de savoir de quoi il parlé

il a dit que je suis

“ un acteur dans la vie
culturelle et économique
de ma région ”

d’ailleurs , elle aussi

elle est devenue quelque chose
elle n'est plus un simple pays
c'est Un Produit !

je me demande qui est

le producteur
14
Self Raising

levity's the soul of flight

and plod the weight of habit
gravity's no matter
to your average mad-hatter
ever light on his toes
nobody knows ( not even he . . . )
where wings so light ( out of sight )
can carry even heaviest huff and puff
let alone such insubstantial stuff
as him ( as he . . . )

laughter
flapping wings
dancing feet's final flutter
before take-off

accidents don't happen

they are made
by first and last straw
imaginary law
well timed leap
from open maw
into space
where other non-accidents
can be provoked
avoided or embraced

when gravity assails

break step , dance
laugh , take flight

when levity lifts sails

( skirts , hearts or other parts )
who needs advice ?
15
The L word

did Plato know

( the sly old goat )
is that why they call it
( referring slyly )

platonic ?

the inner orgasm

( closer )
of melding minds
( mind !)
and spirits
( spirit! )

no need for tears

( or sneers )
or touch
( not much...)
just laughing sighs
( tickling synapses )

of ulti-mate
( pen-ultimate )
intimacy
( pen-etration?)

on whatever level
union is union
bringing loss of self
( at least momentarily )
16
Turbulence

zone of uncertain direction

conflicting forces
opposing tendencies

in simultaneous time-space

causing unpredictable
movement rapid

change
sudden
and
often
reversing in
direction
a sudden
sec
split
ond
or less
,

intermingling of elements

previously unknown in

combinations and proportions

thus
creating
possibilities
of
a totally
new
state

of
17
Herr S.E.

my conniving naïveté

conspires to anarchy

absence of conspiracy

my naïving connivity

aspires from con-archy

to pre-sense piracy

a spiralling

of hear-ity

to here ici

°°°°°

things are never as simple

as we would like

never as complicated

as we fear
18
Breaking the mirror

sitting here in my room

plotting the downfall of Western Civilisation

i wonder

am i the only anarchist remaining?

do i really intend line two ?

as i continue ( line one )

and of what consists my plotting?

answering -

the longest silence

i've ever had the pleasuring

( line three )
19
Lewd-o
( old toy revisited )

ON

the most amazing tool

the world has ever used

the most exciting game

you've ever chased

the most stimulating diversion

that ever two legs shared

the headiest wine

you'll ever taste

the most varied programmes

more memory-space than stars

more pixels than an ocean

of smart screens

a sound system
defying description
or reproduction

completely self regulating

and bug resistant ( mostly )

non-virtual reality
totally touch sensitive
and user friendly

wildest dreams come true

welcome

( best before
END )

END
OFF
20
La Bonne Guerre

Aux Armes! mes amis

non pas par nécessité

mais tout simplement
par ennui

un peu de tuerie
ça va nous distraire
aider à faire passer
le temps

il suffit de bien choisir

l'ennemi –
de préférence assez facile

plutôt du genre
qui préfère courir ou s’envoler
que se battre

à moins que vous voulez vraiment

une vraie bonne bagarre

21

From the Nona Cronicles by Alf Nobblier

gap in a mile Musheen

did I tell you about the sister?

red dhob on !
yeah , her latest

en phew yoor ?
no, no , her latest fad

own
a room a therapy

hum? pong!
ah no , it's a room , full of therapy

est daft !
that's what I said , what

her ails ?
no doctor , no nurse , no therapist

no bother !
just go in , get your therapy
go home and apply as instructed

neesh o Liam ?

in a bag
22
II

gap in a yard
what are you having ?

ale's me
two ! did you hear about the sister's latest ?

which one ?
painting !

decor-
ating nothing – pollocks!

no need
no , it's a fellow's name

for
jackson pollock

that
inner landscapes

kind
wrenching lumps of chaos out

of
seemingly endless

talk
order

another ?
a pair of them

in a bag
23
III

gap in an inch
the sister has it bad

us serie ?
a new piano

ray doh see ?

a bad dose of the reichs

alley zoober ?
steve – endless combinations

smalls ?
causing minute variations

frillies ?
in the inner ear

oh dread
drive

full
you daft

out
not a word

a last one

in a bag!
24
GRUPETTO

Sigh

something started
then it stopped
some process , some activity
some thing-or-other
i don't remember rightly
just the feeling
like an engine noise
running
then off

become so familiar
i don't even realise it's there
'till it's gone away
but now i feel its absence
the thing-or-other
intermittent by nature

can i be sure ?
maybe it's gone for good
can't be sure
don't even remember
25
II

Lent

you may not remember me

one day you came to me
said you had nothing – destitute
asked me for something
to tide you over

i didn't have much

only one thing
i gave you it
everything i had

on one condition
that when i ask it back
you must return it

the one thing that you have

which can be given
or taken

III

Paws

so quiet
no louder than a leaping flea
even racing
except for tom's capering gallop
and when
curled up , asleep
baby pink finger-tips
peeping through furry gloves

who'd believe
each one a ripping blade ?
26
IV

Words

signs
symbols
maps
models
templates
moulds
concepts
phenomena
individuals
sounds
meanings
(sighs

Wood

invisible under paint

or highlighted through polish
resounding under foot
disguised through tinted varnish
vibrating under bow
familiar through handling
shattering under axe
consumed through burning
containing under nails
returning through decaying

rooting under ground

growing under leaf
seeding through flowering

ash to ash
oak to oak
beech to beech
27
VI

Sea

for every pebble

waves without number
which once was magma
flowing and ebbing
before that, fire
rising and falling
torn between
flight and sleep
metamorphosis and salt

VII

Interiors

before each outer wall

an inner
behind each inner eye
an other
beyond each other word
a further
and nearer
28
Resistance

our enemies now encamped

inside our walls , within
is where our war is fought

knowing our enemies –

complacency , timidity
pride , self-pity –

our life is and has always been

experiment , we are
just one element

wild cards , unpredictable

with choice , predilection , will , intent
with uncertainty , faltering

even with ignorance

( though hard to believe )
of the nature of our choice

the spirit speaks

beyond words

self
its chosen battleground

no bomb , no bullet , no poison

can reach it

the odd word perhaps

the rare selfless gesture

but spirit reaches

everything and everyone

with its singular

caress
29
Pour M-J ( Amie Disparue )

your way is
your way

as you dance
twirling away

pulled by
pushed by
‘bye

though your dance

is not our way yet

as we sway , staggering
on our clods hopping
you show another way

some day maybe

we'll catch you up

as you swing
'round again
30