Complex System

Photo: © Nadia Belalia. All Rights Reserved.

initial set

{a age(s) and bathe bones bow(s) bright brings build(s) burning cages cars circle(s) cities death do(es) dust from future gilded glow golden greatness gutted ignore in know no not of only our penthouses rabble silver streets suffering to us wars we world worries}

rapacity

golden ages no worries a bright world bows only to us brings bones to build silver cars and penthouses we bathe in gilded circles ignore rabble suffering in streets and cages we do not know burning death in wars dust from gutted cities only glow of greatness in our future

affliction

brings a world of worries gutted penthouses streets of burning cars we know only rabble from cages we do not build bright circles of silver we bathe in golden bones of suffering and bow to glow of age wars and death our dust-gilded cities ignore us no future no greatness

emergence

we know burning worries dust wars ages of death greatness does not ignore suffering does not bow to gilded penthouses and cars builds no streets of silver no cities from gutted cages and bones only brings us a bright circle of golden rabble glow to bathe our future world

E. R. Lutken worked as a physician for many years on the Navajo Nation, then taught high school science and math in rural Colorado for several more years. Now she spends time writing poetry, and fishing in the swamps of Louisiana and mountain streams of New Mexico. Her poems have appeared in Mezzo Cammin, Plainsongs, Thin Air, Think, and other journals and anthologies. Her poetry collection Manifold:poetry of mathematics is to be published this year. www.erlutkenpoetry.com

Appears In

Issue 14

Browse Issues