"if he exists," "tranced to riot," and "visit"

if he exists

his voice is
like himself
that’s all that’s known
if he exists

his saints’ glories
forgotten left in the vortex
the lost memories of his apostles
somewhere can be found
he might be the one who hid them
if he exists

only hypocrites
and sinners
who have nothing to lose
feel to praise him
now and again
and commit thorn-grinned deeds
in his name

before it disappears
the inclining sunlight
gleams through
the slanted shadow
of the overripened hay

 


tranced to riot

the colors look different today

the apples
the cherry
the quince
are on the wane

the acacia
the medlar
the pink and the yellow rose
are blooming

swallowwort
and lilac grow among
withering tulips
through the windblown three branches
these flowers
cast a vivifying
shadowy image

crowed of ants hide in their undergrounds lairs
their red wrinkled slave driver armies
are not marching to gain power
just yet

under the branches of jasmine bushes
doves and redstarts fight off the cats
with the help of a couple of blue jays

the meadow grass is colored
with sinless wild flowers

as the forgotten castaway
enters the gate

 


visit

broken mirror shards cast shadows
to the boot sole dirt covered
ant cleaved floor

mosquito and fly reamins stuck
on the wall
faces hidden on the cabinet door
stare
at the abandoned room

through the window gap
the wind fluent in every language
blows secondhand air 
at the musty walls

whispers something
to the body-wrinkled bed
waits for no answers
and lashes itself
to the cracks on the door

 

 

Gabor G Gyukics

Gabor G Gyukics (b. 1958) is a Hungarian-American poet, jazz poet, literary translator born in Budapest. He is the author of 11 books of original poetry, 6 in Hungarian, 2 in English, 1 in Arabic, 1 in Bulgarian, 1 in Czech and 16 books of translations including A Transparent Lion, selected poetry of Attila József and Swimming in the Ground: Contemporary Hungarian Poetry (in English, both with co-translator Michael Castro) and an anthology of North American Indigenous poets in Hungarian titled Medvefelhő a város felett. He writes his poems in English (which is his second language) and Hungarian. His latest book in English is a hermit has no plural (Singing Bone Press, 2015). His latest book in Hungarian was published by Lector Press in May 2018. Photo by Sándor Gyapjas.

 

Edited for Unlikely by Jonathan Penton, Editor-in-Chief
Last revised on Tuesday, June 28, 2016 - 23:54