mental block
spiraling parapet spinning passages
sweeping the bleakness
clouds sail skimming the
gravy scum of lifetimes of labor.
I know
of what you go
and where you want
but pretense
the avenger of moonglow
cries out against all that is anguished
and taps on the counter
like the frozen ballerina
on the shoulders of your shoelace.
— Zumwalt (1980s)
Hands Off, Bob Avakian!
Shuffling
— In dark and dank
Howling
— A dialectic chant.
Genuflect to the rotund Mongol
Take, eat
This is my body
Of confusing, Confucian
Union by laws.
“Forgive me, Dad:
I did a Tenzing Norgay
On the north gate of the White House.”
“Ego te absolvo –
You did it for the proles.”
— Zumwalt (1981)
keptomania
gather all that gathers up
To grab for good as gravy should be grabbed
To claim one’s stake for keeping sake
and reserve away from all
greed and gluttony strapped in gunnysack
gimply put away all the wayward weighs
wasted once and recycled past
kept pets,
kept toys,
kept keys to control access
slaves, maids,
husbands, wives,
siblings, offspring
access to premium cable
I seize the day and don’t let go
I am stuck in the ultra-glare of the sun
we are at a standoff
I must have it
but it hides soon enough
hurried away by the horizon
the thief
like the state
thinks nothing is ours
the state
like the thief
wants it all
until ours is nothing
I control the corner
when I step out of
the crosswalk lines
I watch how the cars
must veer away
should we go for it all
or issue stop losses
trailing furtively at the underbelly of bollinger bands?
grace and forgiveness
get in the way of my layaway plan
I put something down
and say it’s mine
keep it
keep up
keep going
keep alive
keep quiet
keep house
keep around
keep open
keep close
keep away
keep at it
keep up with
keep in touch
keep me in mind
keep busy
keep track
keep on truckin’
keep a tune
keep good counsel
keep your independence
keep your word
keep you from harm
keep regular hours
keep the right time
keep up appearances
keep appointments
keep the peace
keep the law
keep good company
keep the ball rolling
keep a secret
keep the correct time
keep them in sight
keep your cool
keep your powder dry
keep your hat on
keep your mouth shut
keep your hands off
keep an eye out
keep at arm’s length
keep your nose clean
keep a stiff upper lip
keep a close watch
keep the car running
keep the dogs out
keep the faith
keep the commandments
keep the sabbath
keep the straight and narrow
keep them on the edge of their seats
keep them against their will
keep the wolf from the door
keep down a good man
keep it in your pants
keep it together
keep the change
keep me company
keep me posted
keep me going
keep what we have
keep it away
keep it in good taste
keep it moving along
keep the prize
keep it all
keep what you can
keep what’s left
keep deluding yourself
that you only own what you have
and you only have what you own
keeping one thought all along
and keeping for keeps
(both liked and unliked,
marked up, marked down,
taken, unlocked,
cracked, hacked and uncaulked,
packages, kits, kilts, kippers, woks and yaks,
hooks, corks, kimonos, kimchee, caskets and casks,
books, backpacks, rakes, cakes, and wrinkled,
crinkled tickets for the clack-clack rackety tracks of oft-mocked,
poky,
flaky,
shaking,
creaking,
slinking,
sinking, red-inking,
budget-breaking Amtrak)
keepsakes for the sake of keeping
— Zumwalt (2011)
Two Decade Hangover
An oscillating madness
Like the twenty-year howl
Of impotent hyenas—
Shrill
Shrieking
Schlock—
Blows the encumbering cobwebs
And reveals the
Fundamental dry rot.
Crewcuts
Brylcream
Primal chords
Jerk the memories and mores
Back to the visceral
Atavistic anarchy
Spotlighting Spengler
As an optimist.
— Zumwalt (1981)
zumpoems 