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POEMS THAT TALK ABOUT ADVENTURE

It takes a nation of millions to hold us back.
When you wake up, we've already done more
Than you'll do all day. Without this cliff
Out my back door, I might get complacent.
Without this second or third or fourth cup
Of coffee I might notice what I'm feeling
Long enough to find an untraceable payphone.

Alligators in mirror may be nicer than they appear.
The math major ducks into a blind alley
And the creature he's summoned by completing
The impossible proof is momentarily fazed
By weekend shopping traffic. The gunboat drivers
Won't be ignoring crowds of little kids anymore.

Meanwhile is an excellent first word,
At least as good as Hwaet. Our lives
Give us the illusion of being dominated by talk
And stating a position can be good daily practice
But the body, oh lamented subject of late century art,
Has the last word in this world of physical force.