Ambrosius Bosschaert
"Bouquet of Flowers on a Ledge"
courtesy: lacma.org
June 5, 2011
Delia awakes in a dream
in which a flower vase
teetering on a lofty ledge
uses every ounce of free will
to either cling to what is known
or take the plunge--
the roses in the vase more alive
than the people below who shuffle along
in a dream
of a dream
of life
In the street
a naked sumo wrestler
drives by in a tiny golf cart
and pinches the bottoms
of unsuspecting shoppers--
too smug to acknowledgethat they have felt something--
while two midgets
unbeknownst to each other
walk on stilts concealed beneath their clothes
blending in with the crowd
When the midgets meet
each smirks into the face of the other
automatically assuming the other
to be someone with nothing to hide
While high upon the ledge
the wind
like the voice of God
whispers to the flowers in the vase
that teeters on the brink
From nearby windows the random sounds
of conversation are heard:
End of the world ain't no excuse not
to take out the garbage, ya lazy bum...
And then:
Did you see that woman Arnold slept with?
Any port in a storm, I guess..
And then:
I'll show you the end of YOUR world--
see my fist?
And then:
Yeah, but that was only after Maria said
GIT OFFA ME, YOU BIG TUB O' GOO!
And then:
All these years we worshiped Lance
and now it comes out he's just another cheater...
And then:
Did you see Britney's butt on TV?
damn thing is HUGE!
And then:
Ah STILL don't believe that's the real birth certificate...
And then
having heard enough
the vase that teeters on the edge
relinquishes its lofty perch
to descend into a world where people
walk along in a dream
of a dream
of life...
about to experience a momentary awakening
