The Little Ballot Box

HAND
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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
——————————————

Mark Goodwin 2

 

 

 

 

 

 

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 

223_Mark Goodwin

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


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/ 

 


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