Last night I could only sleep
the day away deep into dark,
seems intent to make us weep,
as world pursues war as lark

To distract from mass extinction
this apartheid genocidal death
an apocalyptic last predilection
to gas the planet cutting breath

Seasonal growth & development
deep symbiotic living relationship
biosphere breathing envelopment
such a planetary pilgrim ship trip

Through the phases of birth, growth
and adult consenting sexual bonding
until we are left there panting loth
to plum the depths we are sounding

Nothing like it ever been found before
this desperate predicament surround
oh, leaves us looking for a closed door
the only way out of their deadly round.

 

James Van Looy has been a fixture in Boston’s poetry venues since the 1970s. He is a member of Cosmic Spelunker Theater and has run poetry workshops for Boston area homeless people at Pine Street Inn and St. Francis House since 1992. Van Looy leads the Labyrinth Creative Movement Workshop, which his Labyrinth titled poems are based on. His work appears weekly in Oddball Magazine.