Tangled
bird’s-nest beard
stooped ‘neath wet blankets
a broken human machine
meant to quality-check fear
he shuffles arhythmic
when I speak to him
he is surprisingly lucid
like parting storm clouds
sharing a hidden patch
of blue
someone knew
him
and then un-knew
him
he is trapped in the cogs
of his own misery machine
‘round and ‘round
he spins
bird’s-nest beard
only one hungry beak
begs from within
ground to grist
as hurt-meal
for his own death
machine
little bird’s-nest beard
‘round and ‘round
hate-machine
smoke-stack
black-billows
…he soars again
©️ Garrett Tenpenny, 2025.
We just started studying Imagists in class. Ezra Pound is on my mind, and while I’m entirely unsure if this piece is even slightly Imagist, it came from a related assignment.
Painting by Robert Hannaford.