| fly-by-nite lighthouse |
| Philadelphia airport flight delayed, card declined another simple citizen stands in line waiting for a day equal to the promise driven unsuspected, hidden and slid beneath, constructed, erected then bequeathed from those who drew deep sustenance from breasts of freedom herself- To prodigal spoilers, the progeny of good ol' American giants and saints- preying on the meek swallowed into stupor by their own excesses- Now bide time for all humanity content to harvest only for their ripe bellies the fruits of the fathers' ambitions free from expanse, loosened from the breakneck gait of half-century tradition set apart from our broke-down Camelot they squander of the toll of bells against the skyscrapers and stone palaces buttressing the birthplace of high ideals in the still cold of a surreal January the snow only witness to their peals their ringing an echo of irony thick in the sharp solid wind In the span of a week we celebrate one man whom dared to dream and one whom shares nary a trait- this Inauguration Day- hard monumental steel scrapes raw packed banks of white shaves the dream bare from downtown streets churns haughtily through, the trail it leaves outsources the smell of frosty sparkle, and coat of glittering hope superseding diesel fumes, pocked asphalt and lessons taught by rote. Can any man's mere dream compete with the nightmare fortunes madmen seek? The question hangs like snowflakes frozen in cold air as travelers continue through the terminal. |
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| ALL POETRY COPYRIGHT MB TANKERSLEY 2005 |
| inauguration day |
| Subject matter here is pretty evident. I was on a business trip and stuck at the Philly airport. It was about 10 degrees outside. The night prior snow had forced me to miss my flight back to the great Austin, TX. Stayed in downtown Philadelphia- a beautiful and thought-provoking place. Wondered what the ghosts roaming the streets think about the course their creation is taking? |
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