ROMAN RUINS
(special thanks Philip Whalen)
a hand in the bush
is worth two in the pocket
reared on nuts
brushed by a horseʼs tail
that cold clean temple
thunder descends from mount Asama
the lemon tree is heavy
all the fuses are blown
colder and colder
the sun also shines
a tarnished candle stick
other things are perfected underground
onions and parsnips and diamonds
letʼs have those
Marcus Slease was born in Portadown, N. Ireland in 1974. He has published widely in North America and Europe in such magazines as: La Granada, Cleaves, Octopus, Conduit, Diagram, Hayden's Ferry Review, Forklift Ohio, Columbia Poetry Review, Talisman, and Past Simple. His latest collections are: from Smashing Time (miPOesias Chapbook 2012), Hello Tiny Bird Brain(Knives Forks and Spoons 2011), Balloons (Deadwood Press 2011), and Godzenie (Blazevox 2009). Currently, he lives in London and teaches travel writing and ESL at Richmond American University. He blogs at Never Mind the Beasts: www.marcusslease.