interpretation

The King’s English

/ dowdicus / Leave a comment 
I wonder, before mass media, 
How God named Light 
In the king’s English.
Ecclesiastic hierarchy, sure,
But two men cannot see the same Sun.

And when the printing press came,
How far away was mass literacy?
How long until the masses can read the news?
Martin Luther put each man in front of his own Bible.
How could one book be read by two men?

Today’s stories come from the networks.
Corporate hierarchies, sure,
But we don’t have to read.
The internet knows things for us,
But we can’t read that.

Sign/Signified

/ dowdicus / Leave a comment 
I’ve been thinking,
Lately–
I never wrote you a poem.
It’s strange to me.
I usually write my lovers poems.
But I’ll admit
I kept you at arm’s length.

I think being friends with you
Has made me feel closer to you.
And I feel the kind of love I want to feel:
Not the terrifying, heart-palpitating
Need
Of a new relationship,
But I admire you.
I think you are everything I want to be.

It’s challenging,
Writing a poem for someone.
You may love some tiny, offhand detail about their person,
And they’ll say, “that’s not me.”
And then you must reconcile [them] with them.
And I’ll always wonder
If I love [you] or you.

And now I’ve written a poem for you—
Or maybe for [you]—
And though I'm not sure the difference is clear,
I’ve forgotten what I intended to say,
Having gotten lost in sweet memories
Of happy smiles on your face.