I Swear

I swear by the gods of black letters that make up words
I shall not obey the two-legged fork-tongued asses
who claim they know more than I do and give what I have
to their backroom buddies running this dying world.

I swear I will love you beyond any measure I have known.
I shall give you what I have loved you for, a flower
garden of forget-me-nots and dahlias and nightshade,
all my brazen senses loading like a honey bee its anthers.

I swear fealty to my brothers and sisters who work beyond
knowing to set the planet back on its wobbling axis.
I shall not question their future any more than their past
could be changed, for neither are of value in any mirror.

I swear what I have is yours, darling lady of the riverlands.
I shall give you all I have, and all I have are these words.

                                                     for Irish Cathleen

(1 November 2010)