roman holiday

It was at Kitzbuhel, not Gstaad
where I saw Polanski--up close--
in a skislope cafeteria line, red snowsuit size small,
sliding slowly along the rails
a tray of wiener schnitzel mit pommes und ketchup
Like Everybody Else.

He had his two young children with him.
Like Everybody Else.

I wanted to say, "Hey, nice work on 'Chinatown'"
but didn't. As usual, faced with a celebrity icon, I fell silent.

Now I remember and think:
Do we forgive a man a heinous crime
because of his art, or because
his life has been filled with tragedy
or because he only did what everybody else
was doing in Jack and Anjelica's Casa California
or because an asshole judge lied to him
or because the French crypto-intelligentsia
says it must be so?

Maybe. But probably not.

gauche caviar

"Is Socialism dead?" my morning headline so screams.
Europe's Left can't get anything right, it seems.
Just when Capitalism is raw red meat for Michael Moore
the only dark specter haunting us is a bore.
Anyway what about "dangerous European Socialism" does America fear:
six weeks vacation, longer life, fitter health, better beer?

poet fuel

awake yet drowsy
an indispensable need:
morning espresso

east side glory

Feelgood proliferation?
Crave some adoration,
a standing ovation
for that rambling oration?
Attention all planets
of the solar federation:
For a general assembly of
Multinational Masturbation,
take your problem to the
Yoo-nighted Nay-aytion.

rhymes with banker

bonus under threat,
white, hot under the collar
in sweat-stained chalk stripe

missile envy

Oh no! An empty silo
into which will echo
unheard wishes for
Europe's protection?

Say it ain't so, O.
Warsaw and Prague
need to know
Nato's got their back.

Don't forget Moscow
plays its hardball cold;
who'll melt the rain when
red snow starts to fall?

play it again

Recession is over, the market is back--
time to get back the Big Mac attack.

Forget whose default, no one's to blame,
hike up your graph is the name of the game.

Who'll pay the bills you may well ax
when no one is willing to pay more tax?

We'll cut waste and fraud, but don't worry hang loose,
we won't take away your precious abuse.

power to ignore

Fasci-nation.
It feeds--and feeds on--
the actions of the asinine.

Resist the temptation--
the need to know more--
and ignore the philistine.

Summon up the will to make
the fake media moment
Simply. Go. Away.