Alfred Starr
Hamilton
from Journal of New Jersey Poets. Volume XVII. Number 2, 1995
Mirrorland
I thought
of anything differently
I thought I dreamt of anything differently
I thought I did anything differently
I thought of the other side of the mirror
I thought of the other side of the dream
I thought I did anything Alice did
I thought I toiled over the dream
I thought if I toiled over my long lonesome curls
I thought I toiled over the fantasy
I thought I toiled
underhanded
I thought I toiled
in the underworld
I thought I toiled
over the dimensions
I thought I toiled
over all the stars there are by day
I thought I toiled
over all the stars there are by night
I thought I toiled
over the candlelights
I thought I toiled
in Mirrorland
Beautiful
Oh, I
thought it was in love,
Oh, I thought it
was falling in love,
Oh, I thought it
was an infidel,
Oh, I thought it
was an heathen,
Oh, I thought it
was delivered unto the beautiful
Oh, I thought it
was delivered unto beautiful witches,
And all witches
are beautiful differently,
Oh, I thought it
was delivered unto witchcraft,
Oh, I thought it
was delivered unto womankind,
A Town Without a Soul
I thought
it was funny
I thought it was
accomplished by a sculptor
I thought it was
centrally located
I thought it was
visited by passengers
I thought it was
grotesque
I thought it was
picturesque
I thought it was a
gargoyle
I thought it was a
dragon
I thought it was
duncelike
I thought it was
impossible
I thought it was a
walrus
I thought it was
savoring oysters
I thought it
pitied the poor
I thought it
pitied the townspeople
I thought it
pitied the passengers
I thought it
pitied the oysters
I thought it was
tearful
I thought it was
causing a pool of tears
I thought it
ventured
I thought it
persisted
I thought it
pictured the town we lived in