Pause For Poetry:
Michael Hawkes /46

Anomalies

A poem by Michael Hawkes

Short term politicians count
Dysfunctional calculators
While brandishing exchequers
At the fiery gates of hell.

Already buried in deep silos
Shoulders sagging under epaulets
Medals melting over racing hearts
Warlords count down switches
In paralytic fury.

Clergies congregate, to count their blessings
Halos, kippahs, crowns, miters, mufti,
Fervent faces raised or bodies humbly bowed,
Awaiting their makers in air cooled chambers
While flocks go forth to multiply.

Ankle deep in mud, planting shoots of rice
Here where manual labor, rain and sun suffice,
A pleasant pause to stretch the back
To mop the brow ’neath gathering clouds
And watch the heron take to flight.

01/09/21 – Hawkes

Feature image: Flickr

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Michael Hawkes - WestmountMag.ca

Michael Hawkes was a cherished poet and contributor whose work enriched the pages of WestmountMag.ca with its sensitivity and depth. Over the years, he entrusted us with a rich body of poems, of which only a portion has yet been published. His passing leaves a profound void, but the poems still to come will continue inspire all who were moved by his voice.