As Queen Joanna of Navarre
Rode through Cheapside
Six lucky musicians from Suffolk
Paraded along side
Performed in procession
with skill and pride
They received 13 shillings
Plus 4 pence
King Henry IV
spared no expense
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It was cold
I remember walking in alone
While everyone else in numbers
Beep beep beep
My number called
I breathed in deeply
Closing my eyes
Before walking in
A knife under my neck
I could feel the tears welling
But not one escaped
I walked out
Wearing a smile
And no one knew I was hurting
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Even amongst the mires and marshes
at our beginnings we envied the birds
their song grown sweet amid the tawny thorns
of survival. Schemes were lit and fires
laid smoke to climb through the roast heat of bones
and blister of wings until the remains
displayed their hollow, fleshless tunnel caves
here the first enchantments lifted from lips,
swift fingers coaxed the perforated pieces
of death to a fresh flight of flurried dance
now strumming soul soft from our stereos.
Waking up
to human breath
to tousled bed
to arms outstretched
to bustle of morning tea
to chatter and grumble
to chemistry
of souls united
in camaraderie.
A dream, my dream
untouched, pristine
held in hopeful heart and mind.
I would swim the deepest ocean,
Climb the highest mountain,
If it meant being able to
Spend one more minute with you.
Our feelings are so strong we can
Barely contain them,
A love as passionate as
Ours only comes around
Once in a lifetime-
An amazing gift to be joyfully
Savored and enjoyed
Like a fine wine,
For all time,
A special love.
They hang from the rafters,
swing and slide, bannister
riding people who swill
life down in a single consuming
gulp, swallow taste, world,
emotion in a rattle cry
that echoes in the throat,
thumping through the thin walls
of their candy-colored streamline
automobile baby.
It’s time to talk about smiles,
They come in all different types of styles,
A half smile is always usually marked down,
As can often be compared to wearing a frown,
The forced smile, always looks unjust,
Makes you wary, and not keen to trust,
The welcoming smile, is good to see,
Almost top of the list for me,
A beaming smile, you can always make out a case,
But will only take second place,
Because the best smile,
Which I always love to see,
Is that one smile,
The one you wear for me!
The old couple talked
About the news with snorts
Over a mealy bowl
Of Fruit Loops
They talked of their last
Dinner out
A disaster area, she says
He agrees
Good that the only disaster
They know is
A spilled bowl.
Every second
Four babies are born
And two people die
Worldwide rates
Every second
We are given twice the opportunity
To teach love and equality
Instead of worldwide hate
Every second
Granted twice the chance
Change the course of history
Stave off worldwide fate
Under the cover of darkness,
Skies full of stars
Are softly tempting:
To lift your head
Stop
Re-calculate route.
—–
Zohar Teshartok lives in Ramat-Gan, Israel. He is a graduate (BA) from Bar-Ilan University in Israeli literature, Jewish art and Information Science. His stories and poems have appeared in magazines, anthologies and in electronic format in Israel and abroad.