Poems by Charlie Hiers

ALOHA With heavy gale and raveled sail you came Lighting embers with your gentle touch Dancing the liquid glitter of moon at play Whistling to dolphins the nightingale’s song Now back you tack to that land of dreams There where the sea is lost in the sky Finding your way with points of light You fade from my world in your rested ship Joy and happiness will follow your smile Feathered shadows will search in vain Nights will grow silent and dark Leaving the wind to sing your name
	HAIKU Lonely drifts the slivered moon Warm the enfolding darkness There, where the night birds croon
THE VOICE OF RAIN Born of ocean’s breath on high Tumbling down the hollow sky Reading our dreams along the way Finding voice in a frolicking spray You sing your siren’s song
	SUMMER'S A-COMIN' TO THE VALLEY Hotdam! Summer’s a-comin’ to the Valley Days are longer and nights no release With dust from the desert a-wallin’ from the east Not on tiny feet of cats, you see But thunder-footed bolts of elec-trici-ty Sparkin’ the forest to flames And several other hellish games Just a-addin’ to the heat Cookin’ tar in the street Burnin’ skin off your feet Sproutin’ a rash on your ash And the need for relief ‘Cause nobody strolls in the noon-day sun ‘Cept the maddest of dogs and an Ari-zoni-an Hotdam! Summer’s a-comin’ to the Valley * The Phoenix area is locally known as “the Valley.” References to cats feet and mad dogs allude to two very famous poems, by Sandburg and Kipling, real poets
SO WHAT Wear zori Eat Namako Play pachinko Sing Kimigayo So what Throw roasted beans Climb Mount Koya Worry juzu Chant sutras So what Observe O-Higan Perform misogi Summon Kami Still Amaterasu hides Nothing changes
For comments, email Charlie Hiers: chiers1@cox.net