This composition started when I saw a documentary on New Orleans. I have never been there so I’ve always been fascinated by its culture and its history. And after watching the documentary, I kind of envisioned myself living there, the cast of characters I would run into, and the underbelly of New Orleans, but also the music and the uniqueness of the place, and that’s how I wrote Saint Street.
I brought in a 12-string and a mandolin just to give the music a colorful different texture, and that reminds me of New Orleans as well.
To the black letters of recorded time, which boils in fame.
To the prayers of bullets, mother
fired when age first brewed the wine
of maturity upon my lip.
My soul is a remainant of solfas,
Carving notes in this arm eaten by the
Virgin fangs of Needs.
Whenever we withness the harmonic weaving
Of flame on wood, we shall wear our anthems
Like skin,
For that black boy opposite our hut
Has learnt to recite the slogan of success
Where fear and failure brew dreams
upon the podium of regret.
An Igbo writer, a member of hilltop creative arts center, a lyrical poets who writes about the constant changes of emotions. My works have been published on synchronized chaos, poetry parliament, and my poem (virgins pride) and (symphony of love) was shortlisted in the 2023/2024 annual nature poetry contest.
Turning 75 Three Times
1-
Self-portraits by Picasso:
elbows where the head
should be, mouth and eyes
randomly scattered,
a mass of color;
body parts trying to connect
2-
Novels in three lines
like Japanese death poems:
a few words summing up life-
more than enough
3-
Remembering morning at
a still lake: false dawn
suggesting light with a
persistence of fog refusing
to lift-lines written in lieu
of mourning.
White Noise Twice
1-
Woman in white-
pale skin and alabaster
eyes, a white room
wraith, a scatter of
dried flowers, herbs;
Emily Dickinson dreaming
2-
Open Mic with thunderstorm
with unexpected static,
dimming house lights
then total darkness;
an apology for reading
a war poem that ends
in thunder
Kawabata Six Times
1-
At peace pagoda-
wrought iron character
for peace. At dusk
a bell rings
2-
Clear summer night.
Where are the fireflies?
3-
Still Life with Flower
Arrangement-
single long stem Iris
in clear glass vase.
Shadows cast on
white interior wall;
perfect symmetries
4-
Still Life with Waterfalls-
Summer drought reduces
flow. At the crest,
sleek stepping stones-
still a long way down
5-
A trick of light
on lake reflects
flocks of birds
6-
Folding origami cranes
for peace and releasing
them into rivers, ponds,
lakes- a thousand is
never enough
Flood Tides Five Times
1-
Cornfields on a flood
plain-only the tops
of stalks visible
2-
Light through spider’s
web between two trees;
a world about to end
3-
Found, barely visible
in receding tidal pool,
between a scatter of rocks,
a whale’s rib
4-
After the flood,
gray morning sky;
a broken tree limb
with one bird on it
5-
Weeks of rain then clear
and warm. The sun feels
strange, out of place
Seeing Sleep Four Times
1-
Looking up from under
water, the movement
of clouds
2-
Sleep-letting go
of the body,
the mind moves on
3-
Light through gaps
between broken trees.
New day colors-
blue sky and rising sun,
almost liquids
4-
Bone white trees-
moon shadows on
still water.
Nothing moves
White Symphony Three Times
1-
Young woman in white
gazing into a mirror-
reflection in half tones
and light
2-
Woman seated on piano
bench facing away from keys,
an annotated score open
to a piece for four hands,
two hands missing
3-
Dreaming woman sleepwalking
in white, silk kimono empty
tea cups in each limp hand;
rice paper walls dissolve
around her.
Tone Poems Three Times
1-
Outdoor concert at
night, Les Preludes
with moonglow and
meteor showers; a tone
poem with stars in it
2-
November evening
with freezing rain
Cars sliding
on black ice
Inside a Schubert trio;
safe at home at last
3-
Stained glass sonata:
musical notes as pure
as light through
colored glass
1
crow’s feet
each year
closer to a murder
lag time
Shane Coppage
& Jerome Berglund
2
leap of faith
what kind of present
does an artist give
Kilroy
Shane Coppage
& Jerome Berglund
3
fiddlehead
joining the last place
to permit entry
no refunds
Jerome Berglund
& Shane Coppage
4
pink corvette
there are no wrinkles
in her skirt
orthodox church
Shane Coppage
& Jerome Berglund
5
Dr. Feelgood
ruck pack
Atlas eat
your heart out
Jerome Berglund
& Shane Coppage
Jerome Berglund has worked as everything from dishwasher to paralegal, night watchman to assembler of heart valves. Many haiku, haiga and haibun he’s written have been exhibited or are forthcoming online and in print, most recently in bottle rockets, Frogpond, Kingfisher, and Presence. A mixed media chapbook showcasing his fine art photography is available now from Fevers of the Mind.
Shane Coppage is a poet and artist. His poetry has been published in Prune Juice, Whiptail, Humana Obscura, dadakuku, Trash Panda, The Heron’s Nest, Modern Haiku, Wales Haiku Journal, The Wee Sparrow Press, and Cold Moon Journal, among others. Coppage lives in Cincinnati, Ohio with his growing family.
trajectory will undoubtedly be indelibly rewarded.
I am a rare sight to behold, and the melting pot of the red dragon, the golden sparrow, the thunderbolt, the incredible land of the gods, and Ali Jinnah’s carved out jewel.
Synchronized Chaos Magazine expresses compassion for all those affected by the wildfires in L.A. and support for those who are fighting them.
You may send cards here to be delivered to firefighters who are part of a program where incarcerated people in California may spend some of their sentences assisting fire crews.
