Five Poems

by Benjamin Price

Making The Rounds iii.

*Originally Published in Poesy, August 2006, sans illustration

the rules I later set I broke like glass and thunder

like glass and thunder the light itself precedes our own illumination

light itself precedes our own illumination but never knows our shade’s reserves

our shades' reserves hold what we grasped and knew in eyeless times

what we grasped and knew in eyeless times our innards always knew

in eyeless times our innards knew our hands were brutal, blind, creative

our hands were brutal, blind, creative and rubbed what they groped to burning

groped to burning, what could bake we baked and what could burn we burned

we baked and what could burn we burned, the rules I later set I broke.

Making The Rounds iv.

*Originally Published in Euphony, May 2016, sans illustration

waiting for the water to return we dip our thumbs in ash

we dip our thumbs in ash to draw the faces we sit in circle with

to draw the faces we sit in circle with we look away from the thumb that draws us

we look away from the thumb that draws us, we forget our thumb as it draws

we forget our thumb as it draws, we remember in ash between us the face we draw

we remember in ash between us the face we draw, in common thirst we dip our thumbs in ash

in common thirst we dip our thumbs in ash waiting for the water to return.

Making The Rounds xxiv.

*Originally Published in 2008 Wisconsin Poets’ Calendar, sans illustration

where the river cuts I venture past what stone has mapped

past what stone has mapped ancient water seeks new entry

ancient water seeks new entry but waiting dissolution is more ancient

but waiting dissolution is more ancient but I do not so surrender

but I do not so surrender, not to probing flowing and not to granted channels

not to probing flowing and not to granted channels where the river cuts

past what stone has mapped I venture where the river cuts.

My Kryptonite Utility Belt

If I could peel off this face I show

leaving the same skin in place, of course,

that would, itself, be my superpower

and if I put it back again, never moving

you would yourself insist

as an itch or a dying secret insists

that two different lives had been shed just here;

and what I could achieve

if I did not mask up as exactly me all along

that would be proof itself

of the kind of power that needs Kryptonite

as the price;

there by am I my own Kryptonite

and my own orange-yellow sun

and my own secret nature as superstuff

thus my origin, alien, alien to the mask I wear

and therefore truly am

and the payment, my own Kryptonite

my own Kryptonian alien origin

my own mask on and off

and neither are you any different at all,

not even a Mxyzptlk or a Luthor.

A Game Of Clue

I would insert my key

where no door is standing

I would unlock why the way ahead always meets a wall:

but I would turn back and walk,

as all I do to know demands I walk

and I would walk far beyond where I had begun

as if there had been a wall stopping me before;

and I would arrive as I had to, when I must

and I would turn my key in the air, making an opening

to where, I cannot say, and if I could

how could I now proceed anywhere at all

with  no gulf, no abyss

no doubt at all

nothing  but a solid ground below

to ever receive me ahead?

BIO: Benjamin Norman Pierce is a professional dishwasher with BA's in Philosophy, History, and English. He self-published a novel, Snuck Past Death and Sleep and has two albums available on Spotify. He has had graphics in Penultimate Peanut, Ancient Heart, Convergence, Bitterzoet, Moebius and Aji,  and poetry in Lilliput Review, Poesy, Dragonfly, Raintown Review, Red Owl, Scifaikuest, Free Verse, Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets Calendar, Primordial Traditions, Convergences, Acme: a Journal of Critical Geography, Journal of the Western Mystery Tradition, Chiron Review, Euphony, Alchemy, Poetica Review, Aji, Vagabond, The Triumvirate Anthology, The Bees Are Dead, Portland Metrozine, Innumerable Stumble, Fly In The Head, Aberration Labyrinth, Dreich, Word For Word, Locust Review, the Dillydoun Review, Rind, Blue Unicorn, Madswirl, Mangrove Review, and Metapsychosis. He is a recent cancer survivor.