B.Z. Niditch- Three Poems

RENEWAL

What renews this poet
and sax player
is playing riffs by the window
a sprawling life outdoors
by sand, dock, shell of the sea
ever changing as an echo
from the home harbor,
snowflakes on the crossroad
outside my walled in rooms
of a sound proof studio
in a wintry dawn
wishing for contentment
by this elephant lamp
that I built by by hand
in woodworking class
seasons ago
taken from an album photo
off the East Coast
that time makes clearer
in a wrapped up memory,
outside a few last sparrows
are at last in their feeder
where sunshine sinks
by the fearless sparkles
and white sprinkles
run off the dark rain Bay
losing myself in riffs,
now leaving my rooms
to run down green hills
in bated breath
after spying the fabulous turtle
looming on muddy stones
by newly eaten tall grass
culled from the watery dunes
mirrored by the ocean
who needs rescue
in a simple action of nature.



NEAR THE BAY

The Bay chess bums
as they call themselves
yet very literate
ask me to play a game
over a park lunch bench
where they hang out
listening to jazz radio
even as lightening flashes
by the lighthouse and tower
here is Repunzel, with long hair
with a poisoned argument
in her Volvo
who leads the house, ice,
round and barn
town's dance company,
offering us the best coffee
on this cold morning
jelly donuts, Danish
or her oatmeal cookies
for the others
and a croissant for the poet
she knowing my French taste
and opens a breakfast
of blending words
with a cordial for my friends.



FINDING A TICKET

Clinging onto
a town's lottery ticket
this poet finds on the road
which gets him into
"The Gingerbread House"
for a wonderful contented
meal of fish chowder
red wine and filet of lemon sole
the hot ginger Chinese tea
now between my fingers
and after a hearty meal
feeling as a French troubadour
wanting to play sax
by the Bay's mouth
against the woodland shrubs
talking to the ferryman
on the dock who oil paints
all morning along the Seine.



B.Z. NIDITCH is a poet, playwright, fiction writer and teacher.

His work is widely published in journals and magazines throughout the world, including: Columbia: A Magazine of Poetry and Art; The Literary Review; Denver Quarterly; Hawaii Review; LeGuepard (France); Kadmos (France); Prism International; Jejune (Czech Republic); Leopold Bloom (Budapest); Antioch Review; and Prairie Schooner, among others.

He lives in Brookline, Massachusetts.