Purgatory

Topic du jour: "torture." Is it good or bad for America?
It certainly makes it tougher, more competitive.
Poetry, on the other hand, makes it softer and more humane . . .

The rage of the talk show host.
                                       The tyranny of the minority.
                                                                     The pleasure police.

The impossibility of being "apolitical."
The impossibility of taking a perfect picture
of oneself. What's your name, honey? America.

The banality of morning clouds.
                                       Vivaldi in the shopping mall.
                                                                     Jury duty.