An Artichoke, An Angel, And A Remnant Of Memory Poem by Zachary Zuccaro

The Angel

A column of light
clothed in white silk
peers over the edge
of the globe
as her tears
drip into the sea.




Remnants of Memory

Remnants of memory
drift through the sky
and sleep among the autumn leaves.




Arena

Loneliness eminates from the arena of destitution
amid the cries and jeers of the crowd.

Surrounded by thousands of smiling faces
yet all alone.

The gladiator stares at mocking grins
strangers eagerly awaiting his destruction.

He looks down at a cold piece of steel,
his only friend,
and then up at the lion
ready to consume him.




Contemplation of Surrealism #1

Surrealism is the attempt
to depict nonexistent objects and ideas
as realistically as possible.
It should ignore all laws and logic
while remaining entirely plausible.




Contemplation of Surrealism #2

Something surreal should initially seem completely bizarre,
but upon further reflection appear entirely plausible.
Or, just as well, it should initially seem entirely plausible
until further reflection reveals its impossibility.




Painting #1

White set on a black background.





Painting #2

Three turnips lying on a table
in a purple room.
A grandfather clock
floats two feet
above the ground.

The time is 2: 03.




Rosa 1

The uprooted rose
adorned with frost
never wilts.



Rosa 2

The uprooted rose
adorned with frost
blooms forever.




The Artichoke

A heart splits
revealing
the green slices
of




The Battle


Two balls of quivering quills
collide in an unlikely collision
between an echidna and a porcupine.
Quills slide pass quills and into flesh
the two animals merge into one
bleeding mass.

The wounds are mortal;
the animals grow into a cactus.






The Cave

Silence.
Awakening.
Cool, smooth stone.
Distant dripping of water.
Desperate, blind groping.
Falling.
A scream.
Silence.







The Cheat

Tip the scale to your favor,
and empty the glass of water.







The Computer

Two clouds
intellectualize
over the reflection
of a digital entity
controlling their fate.





The Contest

A butterfly struggles to resolve
an unlikely altercation
between an elephant and a whale.

Frustrated by the futility of her efforts,
the insect proceeds to crush the two
between her wings.





The Destroyer

His breath
pushes a mountain of sand
through the barriers
destroying half the land.

The volcanoes erupt
as he lifts his eyes
and the world crumbles
as he lifts his arms.




The Duel

Two blades cross
and glimmer
under the summer sun.

Two lives at stake
over a triviality.




The Fan

An oscillating fan
sends ripples of air
through the window
and into a box.




The Garden

The old man,
with his thick glasses,
plaid shirt, and white hair,
sits in his garden,
pulling weeds.




The Gem Tree

An eight year old boy
with blonde hair and blue eyes
stands at the top of a wooden ladder
and picks rubies, emeralds, and sapphires
growing on the gem tree.

This afternoon,
he will go to the pond,
as he is oblidged to do,
and feed the precious gems
to the toads.





The Goat

Oh look,
it's a goat
eating shirts
along the leeway.





The Great Battle

Pour a cup of coffee.
Walk to the dining room table.
Sit.





The Lamp

The halogen lamp
illuminates
the banana.





The Marathon

For years you practiced
and you are in front,
only fifty meters to victory.

Yet you stumble
too exhausted to go on.

All your life
you prepared for this moment
but now you falter.





The Matches

A book of matches
bleeds flames
onto a matching set
of books.