A.J. Kaufmann - Three Poems

White Rainbow Magic

I've seen a white rainbow, birth of raven's eye
crashing out of her skin
erecting a wall of vision
pure in perfect disorder
while thoughtless priests surrendered
to Albion’s eves of light
sailed rivers of her hair
praised sunlight at her bridges
as she bathed in the glory of goodbye
white rainbow smiled on her thigh
the morning ended too soon
her kingdom is not of this world, I sighed
and turned eternally down
to the spiral bindings
of a common
comedian’s
sidewalk



Janitor Sun

The sun's now honey and cornflakes
orchid’s breakfast
gigantic taste bud
janitor of night
in basins of remains
drinking his rum
illicit actor of dusk
explicit angel
chatting how life
passes us by
shaking off our madness, slowly
the sun would never care
the sun would never write lines
as useless as these
the sun has no time
for dim offenses
the sun remains where it's always been
five years ahead
or seven behind
the sun don't mind
we should all be alike
we should all be alive
start wearing white
take off the mourning masks
let our bodies be ripped apart
the sun breathes no fumes
no death
no mirrored safety
is one
belongs here
and so do I, you’re learning
stop looking at my
reflex



Basquiat's Head

It felt like a crack in Basquiat's head
transmitting Andy’s
final words
a world of no hospitals, prisons
a world of hotels
white instant galleries
friends repainted
rewritten, infinite
Jesus proved a Polish wanderer
multiplied, sad
stuck to the wall
on fluorescent cross
with neon Jewish crown
twixt other UV heroes
one-second divas
junk on film
black revolution hell
speed and James Dean
primal hip-hop beats
my radio screamed for the whole fucking week
my notebook howled
my children cried
my kitchen bled tons of wine
my beard grew longer
my bathroom held bones of Jimi Hendrix
the chicken sun refused to shine
and I never managed to paint my graffiti
fix my banjo
or pay a visit to Annie
8mm skies fell down
showing dark Haiti voodoo
but really
it felt like a crack in Basquiat's head
not at all a ceremony
unexpected golden dawn
on willing hearts
and wide open arms


A.J. Kaufmann is a poet, songwriter and traveler currently living in Poland. He's the author of Siva in Rags, I'm Already Not Here, Broke Nuptial Minds and other poetry chapbooks. A.J. can be found online at http://myspace.com/kaufmannpoetry and/or at http://kaballahfreighttrain.wordpress.com