dream trek

at midnight I come
search for the constellation's
bent light among shadowless clouds
journey between my birth and my death
to the center of heaven or hell

space and dreams interchange
with the real, the not, and the wished for
I stretch my hand upward to touch
the water-vapoured air of god
connected, elemental, pure

in this place nothing moves back or forward
time itself flickers in sequences
of fire, fluid, limitless
the constellations illuminate my senses
sensual, carnal, caressing, sexual, exquisite

faceless, black-gowned shapes whisper
of redemption through destruction
of surrender to their tender atrocities
to live once more uninterrupted
deserted of the body's hungers

my world, powerless, returns
my night's journey complete
naked arms no longer raised
my shadow fall from my shoulders
I stand complete, but unanswered

requiem nativitatis

erasing the year's toll
hair combed,cut and oiled
freshly pressed, his only suit
laid out for them to dress him
his nakedness impersonal
under incandescent light
on a table,hands in repose
eyes free now of tears,closed
but for eternity no longer blind
committed to our memory
"once born, once married,
twice a father and once dead."*

*echoing Karl Shapiro

---

Joseph A Farina is a retired lawyer in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada. drawing from his profession and his sicilian-canadian back round, he is an internationaly award winning poet. Several of his poems have been published in  Quills Canadian Poetry Magazine,The Wild Word,The Chamber Magazine, Lothlorian Poetry Journal,Ascent ,Subterranean  Blue  and in   The Tower Poetry Magazine, Inscribed, The Windsor Review, Boxcar Poetry Revue , and appears in many anthologies including:  Sweet Lemons: Writings with a Sicilian Accent,  Canadian Italians at Table,  Witness  from Serengeti Press and Tamaracks: Canadian Poetry for the 21st Century . He has had poems published in the U.S. magazines   Mobius, Pyramid Arts, Arabesques, Fiele-Festa, and Philedelphia Poets . He has had two books of poetry published— The Cancer Chronicles   and   The Ghosts of Water Street. 

---