Welcome to the Gryphon's Nest!

The gryphon lined its nest with such
As none will see again
But treasured most the deepfelt words
Sung from the hearts of men

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The Unknowable

by Charles Albano

Only the weave is visible,
never the hand
operating restlessly behind fractal curtains,
tying intricate knots in chains of molecules.
Only the weave is visible,
never the mind
working chaos under seas of tranquility,
remaking and re-binding the cosmos
to principles beyond the range of theology or Hubble-eyed inquiry,
changing things in unpredictable directions.
IT remains unseen
and ITS intentions,
if any,
remain unknown to participants in the universal experience.
All the devices of intelligent civilizations
only serve to deepen the gulf of mystery
that shall always
separate seekers
from
the unknowable.


Copyright 2000 by Charles Albano. (CharlesAlbano@webtv.net).
Reproduction is prohibited without express permission of the author.



Her Room

by Frances LeMoine

It's been three o'clock for days
walls are lilac
windows plum-trimmed
no curtains
no open blinds
potted flowers on every sill
violets
match her garden eyes
all rumors of green
plucked away

The bed has no pillows and is never made
dresser drawers lined with pink and
scented paper
white underwear without secrets
glass bowl with matches by the door
ashtrays always shimmer clear

Four clocks
all pale porcelain
all chipped
all read
three o'clock
permanent afternoon
while darkness slips all about the place

there are no mirrors in her room
it is her world
without green


Copyright 1999 by Frances LeMoine (dotkom@worldnet.att.net).
Reproduction is prohibited without express permission of the author.




Kissing The Snake On The Fangs

by David E.J. Perez

Where do you end, and where do you begin?
At the edge of your skin?
Don't be silly! You're a god!
And didn't it ever occur to you
That the gods are imperfect?
Why, that is the very secret of their perfection!
They kill just as much as they save.
They birth just as much as they die.
They accept just as much as they deny.
They laugh, just as much as they cry.

Your problem is, that you only want one
Or the other.
But there really can be no "other"!
Light can't exist without shadows.
Heaven is married to hell.
Don't force a divorce with your reasons.
The right and the wrong
Are the ends of the snake.
You can't just expect it
To chew on its tail!

Get real or don't talk!
Opinions don't count on their own.
Crowns are denied to the liars
And believers are liars
Who lie to themselves
By disowning their doubts
Which are, of course, a part of the truth.

You can have both
And yet lean on your favorite.
But you can't be for real when you're faking.
Quit pretending that you're "in the better".
Kiss the snake on the fangs
And make up for the past.
Only then can you return to the garden
And that's just what you want
Whether or not you remember.


Copyright 1999 by David E.J. Perez (dperez@idirect.com)
Reproduction is prohibited without express permission of the author.


Standing in Awe

by Edward Glatts

i praise life for the worlds of dreams, acceptance of reality, and the reluctant submission to death.
i praise love for its refusal to wither and blindness to imperfection.
i praise yesterdays for the innocence of what we where, and tomorrows for the limitless horizons of what we can be.
i praise the wind for secret whispers of days since forgotten, and a calm for the analysis of self, and revelation of tranquility.
i praise laughter, for its simplicity and impeccable timing, and sorrow for its bond to life, and its trail blazed to the best of times.
i praise the past for its many lessons learned only in time, and the promise of redemption.
i praise the future, for the great hope of eternal happiness and its endless chances.
most of all, i praise death for the foreshadowing of a better place, and the completion of the cycle of life.


Copyright 1999 by Edward Glatts. (Bratpack7@aol.com).
Reproduction is prohibited without express permission of the author.


Gump for President

by John Hulse

The presidential candidate said in his speech
to corporate America, "To all you CEOs out there
all you have to do is break down and give
your people a raise. Why do you think of your
employees in terms of cost instead of assets
to be developed. They need the money
more than you do. If it means that you have
to build a smaller mansion, take fewer tax-free
vacations, God knows they only get two weeks
a year, if theyıre lucky. And God help help them
if they get sick. Sell the third Mercedes before
you cut their medical benefits. Your employees
are all driving to work in used cars that have
over 120,000 miles on them. What are you
thinking of? What makes you treat people so
horribly? Thatıs all I have to say about that."


Copyright 1999 by John Hulse (jhulse@iquest.net)
Reproduction is prohibited without express permission of the author.


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