I want to write a poem
using only language from the information age
ultramodern glossy black vocabulary tricked out with glowing blue LEDs
And stainless steel
but all of the words that I could choose
are deflated
lifeless
and ugly
megabyte, gigabyte, terabyte
data and nano processor
microfinance, binary and digital memory stick
video conference, convergence, Cellular connectivity
these are not words that sing to my tired eyes
and gather up tears into tattered pages
these are not words that tickle my sides and give me a heart brimming with luminescence
these are not fireflies on my tongue
no one would die for these words
though he may trade life, breath by breath, to gain their fickle fifteen minute fawning
eternity is a word to wrap a heart inside
moss or mulch or marigolds
delicious fresh lingonberries will work
with thick rich cream
Udders and
oil on the beard
or poured upon arugula and vine ripe San Marzano tomatoes
the colour of
a gown of silk set against a tailored white searsucker suit
a sucker
a soother
a soothsayer
A Rueben sandwhich with its war of flavours
and whirling marble rye
from heat and yeast and living culture
ritual and rising
rallying cries
piercing
through the silence
through the darkness
through the wires
older words can sing
for they have hung around the speakeasy and learned the tune
they are humming
constant and unnoticed
until you come closer
Like a weary river
Like a power plant