Caleb Perry Murdock

Vertigo

Ho hum.
I want to love this famous
deceased poet’s words; every
line inspired, all thoughts high,
crystal teardrops in a silver sky.

But my life isn’t up there
reaching for the gods.
It hovers over sticky keys,
speaks in tones from a telephone;
it moves about in bytes and bauds.

Her words are meant to impress,
and I don’t mean to resist.  She tries
to tie my spirit to a bird’s song,
but I demur.  When did the miracle
of being need a publicist?  Life
needs savoring close to the ground,
listening to a cat’s purr.

Caleb Perry Murdock was born in 1950 and lives in Rhode Island. He spent most of his life as a word-processing operator for law firms. He has written poetry since his twenties, but he didn’t lose his chronic writer’s block until his late sixties. He is now writing up a storm to make up for lost time.