Lawrence Hall
mhall46184@aol.com
The Machine Pauses (and
then Restarts)
Within a Dark-Lit Egg
Mechanical Air
Mechanical Light
Electronic Beepings
Procrustes is a Short, Bitter Man Who Doesn’t Like Anyone
Mechanical Air
On the day Papa Benedict died
I lived
And so prayed with him
As the electronics beeped in the new year
Mechanical Light
A crucifix on the wall faded away
And gas was silent in a tube
And when the haze was gone
The crucifix was still there
Electronic Beepings
BeepBEEPBEEPBLEEP beep beep
beepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeep
I turned to my wristwatch
But it was dead
Procrustes is a Short, Bitter Man Who Doesn’t Like Anyone
Tubes in both arms, and arms must not be bent
Hard plastic bubbles beneath
weary sheets
A plastic paddle of obscure call
buttons
There is no time within no time
All made better
Heilige Elisabeth von Thuringen
And those who serve with her
Quiet voices beyond the door, beside the bed
Soft footfalls hastening to come to us
With baskets from the Lord’s table
(Cf. The Machine Stops,
E.M. Forster)
