Melvin Litton, one poem

Poetic Joust

“Why allude to the pinion of the linnet’s wing,” he said,

“when brother poets sing of ailerons on sleek silver birds?

“Clean riveted verse far outshines archaic rhyme…”

I could answer that I have little choice but to prefer such

over airplane noise, that my heart laps from ancient steins

and shares old Bruegel’s love of the peasant line…

All this I confess and on my oath I’d shuck new weave

for stout old leather, steal a wench’s kiss and plunder art

from arcane cellars rather than bandy, sip, jive and toast…

I’ll ride a stallion while you fly snug-belted in coach.

Melvin Litton’s stories have appeared in Foliate Oak, Floyd County Moonshine, and First Intensity; with one forthcoming in Chiron Review. He has two published novels: Geminga, a man/raven fable concerning the Shining Path in Peru (III Publishing, 1993); and I, Joaquin, a fictional memoir of the Gold Rush bandit, Joaquin Murrieta, as told by his head encased in alcohol (Creative Arts Book Co., 2003) – both available in new editions from Crossroad Press. He is a retired carpenter and lives in Lawrence, KS with his wife Debra. He also writes and performs songs solo and with the Border Band: www.borderband.com