early modern Europe
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there came a messenger once
there came a messenger oncein august it wasearly september late in the afternoonhis horsesweat lathered and panting he rodethrough the archway to the frontdoors the heavy oak doors to our priviledgehe brought instruction for besserercharles’ armies had occupiedstuttgart it was pillaged and burnedulm was taxed into destitution and submissionwhen others of his classmates here had… Continue reading
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tomorrow
when the shadows of short boys stretchlong on the cobble stones of collegien strasse when they stretch toward the westand toward town square tomorrow early showthis erasmus the way to the market Continue reading
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my father delivered me from
my father delivered me fromthose accusations that pursued me in romefrom the trials thatawaited me in my future from my refusals to recant or renounce from the tortures from my executionmine was the face of a boy thenbefore beard growth and bare as a woman’sfather starched away and chalkedthe dark of my southern complexionmy familiarity… Continue reading
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the boy who plays the flute
the boy who plays the flutebreathes gentle breath over the lip brimand across the open mouth of oh a sticka dead stickthat lays across his youthful handsa stick straight as rigor mortishis eyes whirl to their cornersacross the square comes the constablecomes to send him home himand the boy who strums the luteand the boy… Continue reading
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on the corner in market square
on the corner in market squarewhere the door opens into the black eaglethe weaver’s son become the printer’s devil regard how the inks on his four fingers and on his thumb dance on the lute strings pluckedby the inks on his other hand’s greeter and thumb regard but regard too much you’ll miss how his… Continue reading
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the baker woman sells white loaves
the baker woman sells white loavesand loaves of rye and loaves of barley and oatsthe butcher’s boy sells pork scraps for stewand chickens and plucked caponsthe pedlar sells gold and alcohol andalchemy in jars of elixir from his cartgive them all to think you’re deafthen hear mrs kretschner ask if you wanta cup of ale Continue reading
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after i’d returned from elsinore
after i’d returned from elsinoreresumed my education learnedhow to write a sermon how to preachon one two day ride away from wittenbergon a horse old and lame and plodding takenfrom the university’s stable to ministerto a peasant village near zwickau from a path grooved through grass verticalgrain headed in the air and grass choppedhorizontal to… Continue reading
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at the black eagle yesterday i met
at the black eagle yesterday i meta mercenary named kehrina soldier amputatedbelow the knee down to a beggara deserving beggaramputated from a cruel career downto holding his hand out for a kindnesshe brought old reports from ghent abandoned by the dutchstarved by the spaniardi bought tankards of beer for him to make the old news… Continue reading
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marcellus was a coin
marcellus was a coin taxed from an estate to help pay for claudius’ warson the face of the coin wherewas claudius’ head engravedand on the hind side where marcellus’ worthmarcellus didn’t thinkhis was a peasant’s heartin a skin of soldier’s mail he pulsedin a steel shellin his heart he knew allbut his heart never thought Continue reading
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a dark age it needed
a dark age it neededa military trumpeter to becomea rooster at dawnbefore it began to become an age ofchurch bells in bronze polishedto a glow that clanged in the sun risentown that woke when charlemagnetribe by tribe conqueredthe scattered germaniclights into one great lantern he was crownedemperor of the romansthis is how an imperial day… Continue reading
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Jake's Flea Market 