Sleepy Whale 214
How many broken hearts our
Broken in the shade of the night
Too weak to gasp courting death
Now his toes to the daisies
Pitch silent dark night of death
When you are dead you are dead
Then the church yawns
On the stroke of twelve every Friday
Shadows fall over the Tombs
From the frying-pan of life
To the fires of purgatory
Sleepy Whale 215
Meek smile below her troubled eyes
She shivers in the sun in
Wet blue canvas shoes and skimpy frockcoat
Twilight in her sleep she
Polishes, the Challis with a clean Nose Rag
Cherry ripe lips she speaks to herself happy speech
Pint to wet her whistle
God loves everybody
Self-willed, Gipsy-like eyes
I kissed away her unshed tears
Sleepy Whale 216
Witchery, pronounced beautiful
Bluest Irish blue down-cast eyes
Silkily seductive Rose-Blood lips
If you fail try again in the
Light from the Light-house
Snotty nose deacon with
A passionate Nun licking Pennies
Jolly good luck a day gathering twilight
White Rose scented lamp near the window
As silent as the grave
Sleepy Whale 217
Nuns with voice like a pickax
White-washed faces kiss in the dark
Wide brim hat to hide devilish appearances
Withering plants
Like a cat sitting beyond a dogs reach
She wept, looking under a bed
For what’s not there
Gashing teeth, keep off the grass!
Whiff of stale booze
Forbidden Priest Venus
Torn vamp of her stockings
Filthy trip, sea sick fish
Seabirds screaming
Penance for their sins
Sonnet CCCLX
He never dreamt she would laugh
She’s been driving on a lonesome road
True to life first thing strikes the body’s mode
Her last lie on earth diagram staff
Could invent handsome bier polygraph
Long as possible the brink mowed
Embalming mummies in kata-comb toad
Here hat in hand in Paris walking a calf
She was late to the chapel there now
Finger of Purple silly superstition rock
Gentle sweet air following her cow
Straddled on the Gravel-Testiest lock
Papa went away his suite disavow
Blew around the bared head a whisper crock
Terry Brinkman has been painting for over forty five years. Poems published in Rue Scribe, Tiny Seed. Winamop, Snapdragon Journal, Poets Choice, Adelaide Magazine, Variant, the Writing Disorder, Ink Pantry, In Parentheses, Ariel Chat, New Ulster, Glove, and in Pamp-le-mousse, North Dakota Quarterly, Barzakh, Urban Arts, Wingless Dreamer, True Chili, LKMNDS and Elevation.