swifts  &  s l o w s · a quarterly of crisscrossings

happening now
Thomas Piekarski

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Word Salad

Superstition revision in gear,
mumbo jumbo turkey gumbo,
indestructible structures erupt,
anonymous mirages dodged,
invisible midgets fidgeting,
blackened flapjacks trashed,
unexpected inquest request,
fuzzy stardust covers dusk,
insightful icons not conned,
remarkable art may startle,
Tad blows his nose on Toto,
foolproof truth ushers truce,
defiant lions fight mightily,
nuclear atmosphere in tears,
teeny weeny genie careens,
sin is inexplicably implicit,
rainbows grace open space,
ants span the vast Atlantic,
dicey idols likely lie idle,
media mania integrated,
looney goose on the loose,
embryonic bionics wanted,
billiard balls get bobbled,
blinded eyes clog the mind,
Ike dislikes icy turnpikes,
purple sunfish will gurgle,
abysm’s prisms shivering,
the itsy bitsy beast retreats,
June blue moon in bloom.

Public Transit

Tactile dream. Antipodal home. Night scream.
Preposterous ruse. Rapid prance. Partial truth.
Hangdog season. Lurid romance. Justice won.
Popular god. Word internalized. River crossed.
Time marginalized. Lonely soul. Life’s divine.
Payments late. Feeling weak. Treasury closed.
Anterior fear. Dread relapse. Squared spheres.
Last rights. Unified cause. Midnight dalliance.
Vehicle inert. Conscious effort. Distant world.
Patriotic chant. Fog recedes. Venus luminous.
Embryonic wind. Passive blood. Id tantalized.
Total recall. Projectiles attack. Doctor’s order.
Spatial collapse. Instantaneous rant. Acid rain.
Margins subverted. Balls afire. Wretched rule.
Love predominates. Lips fused. Demons hate.
Forest defrocked. Catapulting lions. Old rock.
Kinetic contact. Atomic rockets. Skin quivers.
Maybe sacred. Illusory conclusion. Hung jury.
Daylight saved. Violence retired. Peace wings.
Happening now. Telepathic wave. News flash.
Still yesterday. Capital idea. Inverse universe.
Sinister wisdom. Impotent nova. Hacked files.
Amphibious mouse. Cool vibes. Brain trained.
Slack outlook. Thriving pimp. Cancel culture.
Ominous stairway. Whirling fish. Bleak stare.
Species expired. Clocks break. Nerves shatter.
Insight delight. Mind pacified. Nature returns.
Hurricanes stir. Volcanoes roar. Oceans groan.

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Thomas Piekarski is a former editor of the California State Poetry Quarterly. His poetry has appeared in such publications as The Journal, Poetry Salzburg, Modern Literature, The Museum of Americana, South African Literary Journal, and Home Planet News. His books of poetry are Ballad of Billy the Kid, Monterey Bay Adventures, Mercurial World, and Aurora California.