Patrick Longe- Two Poems

Only You Know What You Know

legions in the brain follow the flute
sounding in the tumble, glide & flip
of emotional strains like fifty-two pick-up

        as we mull, as we handle tarnished thin membranes
        faces on the floor, are memories gone poor
        of the things of this world, fifty-two cards
        sing the score of well-worn faculties
        portions of the club, portions of the heart
        they cajole and retort in splendor of dissection

the drama of grown speaks of the gone would have again
in conditions of spades, in conditions of diamonds

        when shuffled the muse is unshuffled
        known again that the moon can moan
        the one-eyed jack who asks how could you forget?



Ingrained Sane

everybody has motivation
and, necessarily a motive

their watch though isn’t my clock.
look around say “just like any other day.”
my friend says yes and no.

it’s again the wandering, the checking out.

“that never ends does it?”

just a matter of whether you’re aware
of the dare that comes with living

to spike the bubbles others blow.
must be done with forgiveness, for often

it’s some kinda ingrained sane
can’t be talked to

called love.

Patrick Longe has been writing poetry since 1987.  His poems have appeared in Main Street Rag, The Metro Times (Detroit), Red Hawk Review and over forty other publications.  Previously a lifelong resident of southeast Michigan he moved to Florida in 2000 to be close to his young children.  A journalism graduate of Wayne State University he has worked in corporate communications for over twenty years. He is also an avid photojournalist.