midas

the tragedy of
his golden wife
his shimmering
prison is what
we all remember
and the knowledge
that we would
be wise enough
not to make
his mistake
ourselves…

rarely do
we consider
the currency
devaluations
that occurred
      gold now
      cheaper
      than sand
how much the
world longed for
green and the
singing of birds
how melodies
became the new
market standard
how the world
stopped reading
and boasting and
for one shining
moment started
listening…

from the September 2006 issue of High Altitude Poetry

more of my poems from HAP here.