after Vasco Popa
the little ballot box
is being
packed full of wishes
the people are pushing pushing
pushing their wishes
through her slot
people are pushing in slips
of paper marked
with dark crosses
they are pushing in
tiny blank maps with massive
Xs on spots where
nothing is buried
silently silently silently
the little ballot box
bears this even though
o it makes her frame hurt
makes her ache ache
ache like
she’s filled to bursting with
some far-off star’s
hot fingers
people people people
are pushing in
their slips of blind
white mice
hickory
dickory & willy-
nilly
they are also stuffing in
to the little ballot box
the paper-white teeth
of the rich
and so and
so and so
all
all the people’s wishes
on x-rated paper
& slivers of clean
white teeth slipped in
inseminate the little ballot box
and now inside
the little ballot box is
all the people’s belief
all the people’s hopes
all the people’s crimes
all the people’s illnesses
all the people’s greed
all the people’s sorrows
all the people’s kind
smiles
all the people’s hunger
all the people’s lies
all the people’s kept
promises
the little ballot box is
fattening and
fattening and
fattening for the teeth
of the rich are
fatherly and have swum
right into her womb
where her freedom is growing
look closely at the little ballot box
her sides her lid her slot
hope hard hope and
hope again
hope what will be born
will be alive and not
a lolling puppet with
crosses for eyes
Mark Goodwin
Pic: Mike Lesser
——————————————
my books
Steps.
http://markgoodwinsteps.wordpress.com/
Else. Back of A Vast. Layers of Un
http://www.shearsman.com/browse-poetry-books-by-author-Mark-Goodwin
Distance a Sudden.
http://longbarrowpress.com/current-publications/mark-goodwin/
Shod.
http://fiveleavespublications.blogspot.co.uk/2011/06/there-is-no-doubt-that-that-shod-by.html
Clause in A Noise.
http://www.knivesforksandspoonspress.co.uk/clauseinanoise.html
my digitally produced sound-&-poetry
http://soundcloud.com/kramawoodgin
my writer’s profile with Writing East Midlands
http://www.writingeastmidlands.co.uk/writers-directory/mark-goodwin/