Friday, September 20, 2013

AMERICA THE MEAGER (sestina)

Alive burning with fire consumes me
Ready freedom burns me
Disputes consume me
House of ill repute
Esteem pollutes forbidden fruit
Pursuit of dreams

American happiness is not pursuit of dreams
American dream a lie, fire consumes me
Covered clotted cream, forbidden fruit
Deceit, the lie of the American dream burns me
Life in the house of ill repute
Americans, wish I weren’t consumed

Freedom from consumerism
Important to pursue the dream
Caught up in ill repute
Desire consumes me
Dirty hands burn me
For sale, buy my forbidden fruit

Can’t hide away forbidden fruit
Lust consumes me
Thirst so strong, it burns me
Cravings coerced, reimbursed dreams
Yearnings consume me
Borne and bred of ill repute

Iraq, Beirut, wars of ill repute
Oil the biggest forbidden fruit
Observing abuse consumes me
Obliterating abuse consumes me
Inflicting suffering drowns dreams
Blues burn me

Trickle down abuse burns me
Weak forced to accept ill repute
Eradicates man’s right to dream
Access to achieve forbidden fruit
Denials of basic rights consumes me
Animal abuse and pollution consume me

Wrenched heart, fear consumes and burns me
Equity and decency consume me, searching escape from ill repute Forbidden fruits multiply wealthy citizens; cancel out poor man’s dreams



This is written in sestina form:
1st Stanza   ABCDEF 
2nd Stanza  FAEBDC
3rd Stanza  CFDABE
4th Stanza  ECBFAD
5th Stanza  DEACFB
6th Stanza  BDFECA

The last 3 lines are formatted thus
AB
CD
EF