An Abstract Expression

A splatter of syllables flung in the air
lands at random across the canvas
without any thought but dripping 
with subtext, a colorful discourse, 
its vibrant layers running together 
like verbs and nouns strung on a line, 
mashed in a heap above pronouns 
and prefixes, misplaced adjectives, 
participles dangling above and below, 
adverbs thrown in for special effect, 
a title applied and I’ll sign in the corner,
don’t ask what it means, just gawk
and gaze at the poem I painted.

Conundrum

I cannot fathom the inverse 
of life, the sheer impossibility 
of non-existence, the vast 
spectrum of lights and hues 
banished to darkness
under the ground.

Mathematicians avoided 
the conundrum of death
with negative numbers
to counter the positive,
irrational values to 
supplement reason,
symbols and constructs
in place of the real.

All equations could now
be solved . . . but death
has no logic, the body
lies still in silent repose,
the absense of breath
has no calculation.