When Kingdom Comes Undone

In your world
trees root for the sky
run from dark soil
to the horizon
Left to right
East to west.

Animals crawl on three legs--
two small feet ears
a long tail cane.

Bugs don't die
on their backs.

Fish look the same--
scary eyes
placed oddly
on their
still fish-shaped bodies.

People crawl
like millipedes
on thousand hair legs--
bald men slide

Legs grow into feet heads
minds planted firmly in the clouds
can't see the sun
which way is up
or their asses
from the holes in the ozone.

Bodies already half-way
to a hell
of what-ifs.

Words
come out the same
except upside down.

Not too different
from when we're right side-up.



Smash all the Clocks

It's times like this
            the earth appears
to stand still,
clouds form snowdrifts
on the tundra of night.

It's time like this
            dogs howl insane music
in the distant
silence.

It's times like this
            in the center
of all stillness
            atoms shadow dance
on blades of grass
across sidewalks
up buildings
spin out of control.

It's times like this
the paper receives
the pen
            lovers
from two universes
            separated
by light-speeds
            of blank space
letters form words
with beautiful meanings.

It's times like this
            everything fits firmly
into the place
always intended for it
from the beginning.
            When there wasn't
a time like this.



About the author:
Antonio G. Fernandez was born in San Francisco and raised in Wyoming. He received a B.A. in English from San Diego State and is currently pursuing his M.A. in Creative Writing at San Francisco State. His poetry can be found in the upcoming Spring issue of red v.2, San Diego State Univ.'s literary journal, and also online at pemmicanpress.com. He dedicates all his work to his son Felipe. He lives in Berkeley CA.

© 2009 Word Riot