O ESCHATON

"O Eschaton," Montana BLACK spray paint, papercut paint chip sample, papercut adhesive labels, art marker, and India ink on 4" x 6" watercolor postcard.

One of the cards I sent out as part of my "O Eschaton" series of poems for the 2021 Poetry Postcard Fest.

—

O ESCHATON

At the end of the age,
all creation will cry out, O Eschaton

and after the last echoes die out
the carrion birds and rats will move in

and when in their turn they perish
they will be replaced by the cockroaches

who will finally have their day to rule
upon the “King of the Mountain” rubbish pile

Gregor Samsa and Archy will sit sipping tea
in the concrete and steel shells

where you and I once sat
where you and I once danced and sang.

—

All artwork and poems by Troy Kehm-Goins © 2021 Troy's Work Table Publishing.

O WORD GOLEM

"O Word Golem," India ink and iridescent calligraphy ink on 4" x 6" recycled cardboard postcard.

One of the cards I sent out as part of my "O Eschaton" series of poems for the 2021 Poetry Postcard Fest.

—

O WORD GOLEM

O Word Golem, built of ideogrammatic bricks
the masonry of a good story—

phrases, sentences, paragraphs
chapters, novellas, full-fledged tomes

and once fully maturated
a proper magnum opus—

roars against the illiteracy of the age
created to defend libraries and colleges

all while keeping the safe word
its Achilles heel

hidden deep within its own pages
so that it cannot be spoken or erased.

—

All artwork and poems by Troy Kehm-Goins © 2021 Troy's Work Table Publishing.

O VULGAR LANGUAGE

"O Vulgar Language," Montana BLACK spray paint and iridescent calligraphy ink on 4" x 6" recycled cardboard postcard.

One of the cards I sent out as part of my "O Eschaton" series of poems for the 2021 Poetry Postcard Fest.

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O VULGAR LANGUAGE

O Vulgar Language, cursed and uncouth
failure of diplomacy—

languid and loose become
tense and cutting—

clinging to our teeth
with moist and dank phrases—

return to your roots
branch out with new life

speak a grammar of hope
spore a new world.

—

All artwork and poems by Troy Kehm-Goins © 2021 Troy's Work Table Publishing.

O SYMBOL

"O Symbol," Montana BLACK spray paint and India ink on 4" x 6" watercolor postcard.

One of the cards I sent out as part of my "O Eschaton" series of poems for the 2021 Poetry Postcard Fest.

—

O SYMBOL

We surround you, O Symbol
strip you of your connotations

deride your denotations
humiliate you.

You remain stoic
calling out to us in a voice

that echoes throughout all the ages:
O O O O O —

an open-ended invitation
that we cannot quite decipher

that will leave us wanting for more
but of what we are still unsure.

—

All artwork and poems by Troy Kehm-Goins © 2021 Troy's Work Table Publishing.

O WORMWOOD

"O Wormwood," Montana BLACK spray paint, art marker, acrylic paint on 4" x 6" watercolor postcard.

One of the cards I sent out as part of my "O Eschaton" series of poems for the 2021 Poetry Postcard Fest.

—

O WORMWOOD

O Wormwood mixed with gall
a foretaste of the famine to come

a descent, a fall from the starred heavens
space and time buckling beneath your wait

your delay, your deus absconditus—
the watchfires of the beacons will be lit

once more and then again
night upon night without moon

without constellations with which
to navigate our way back to you.

—

All artwork and poems by Troy Kehm-Goins © 2021 Troy's Work Table Publishing.

O PILLAR of SMOKE by DAY

"O Pillar of Smoke by Day," Montana BLACK spray paint, art marker, and acrylic paint on 4" x 6" recycled postcard.

One of the cards I sent out as part of my "O Eschaton" series of poems for the 2021 Poetry Postcard Fest.

—

O PILLAR of SMOKE by DAY

A thin layer of smudge films
all of the window glass in the house

when O Pillar of Smoke by Day appears.

The cloud comes from a cleansing fire
that devours all in its path—

thousand-year-old redwoods
as well as upstart saplings and underbrush

animal carcasses and fleeing bodies
residences and habitations

asphalt and vinyl siding and aluminum
tires and teddy bear and televisions—

an appetite of divine provenance.

—

All artwork and poems by Troy Kehm-Goins © 2021 Troy's Work Table Publishing.

O GRIEVOUS PICKLE PANTS

"O Grievous Pickle Pants," Montana BLACK spray paint, art marker, and acrylic paint on 4" x 6" recycled cardboard postcard.

One of the cards I sent out as part of my "O Eschaton" series of poems for the 2021 Poetry Postcard Fest.

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O GRIEVOUS PICKLE PANTS

O Grievous Pickle Pants (yes, I named it)
of the Western Lands (yes, you claimed it)

you polished your jar to a crystal shine
as it glittered with the dense brine within.

What sweet dreams will we savor together?
What outposts will we flavor forever?

You have nine circles of afterlife to fill
with denizens collected from various planes

of existence, whether known or unknown,
imagined or realized, deflated or firm.

Know this: even if it never works out in the end
it doesn’t matter, sings the forgetfulness…

—

All artwork and poems by Troy Kehm-Goins © 2021 Troy's Work Table Publishing.

O OXBOW

"O Oxbow," Montana BLACK spray paint and papercut paint chip sample on 4" x 6" recycled cardboard postcard.

One of the cards I sent out as part of my "O Eschaton" series of poems for the 2021 Poetry Postcard Fest.

—

O OXBOW

What a bend in the river
you are, O Oxbow—

a channel     a plan
reconfiguration

layer upon layer
accretion of soils and clay

ever shifting banks
and roiling rapids.

We think we can contain
you within dikes and chutes

knowing all too well
your yearn to curve.

—

All artwork and poems by Troy Kehm-Goins © 2021 Troy's Work Table Publishing.

O GREAT EXPECTATIONS

"O Great Expectations," Montana BLACK spray paint, art marker, and India ink on 4" x 6" recycled cardboard postcard.

One of the cards I sent out as part of my "O Eschaton" series of poems for the 2021 Poetry Postcard Fest.

—

O GREAT EXPECTATIONS

O Great Expectations of a constant homeland
clinging to cardinal points of the compass

as the magnetic pole shifts
as our makeshift tents collapse

under the weight of carbon fiber footprints
under the weight of wielded batons—

we found our refugee camp
and dreamed of what it could entail

learned the history of this new nation
so that we could join its ranks.

—

All artwork and poems by Troy Kehm-Goins © 2021 Troy's Work Table Publishing.

O COMRADE

"O Comrade," Chinese face mask manufacturer's card and Montana BLACK spray paint on 4" x 6" watercolor postcard.

One of the cards I sent out as part of my "O Eschaton" series of poems for the 2021 Poetry Postcard Fest.

—

O COMRADE

we breathe as one, O Comrade
     we breathe as one

we inhale together
     as we likewise exhale—

lungs of wet paper bags
     that tear if they touch

so we take care to keep them
     inflated and well apart

even as we share the wind
     the breath that fills them

—

All artwork and poems by Troy Kehm-Goins © 2021 Troy's Work Table Publishing.

O INCHING CATERPILLAR

"O Inching Caterpillar," Montana BLACK spray paint, papercut paint chip sample, acrylic paint, and mica powder on 4" x 6" watercolor postcard.

One of the cards I sent out as part of my "O Eschaton" series of poems for the 2021 Poetry Postcard Fest.

—

O INCHING CATERPILLAR

O Inching Caterpillar, with your thousand-fold
tempest hunger that cannot be satiated—

we ask that you would spare the leaves
of the pear tree in our modest backyard orchard

so instead we offer you these marked-down
discount annuals from our local supermarket

as a supper that perhaps will still provide
future wings of unparalleled glory.

—

All artwork and poems by Troy Kehm-Goins © 2021 Troy's Work Table Publishing.

O HYAKU of ONE-HUNDRED EMPTY HANDS

"O Hyaku of One-Hundred Empty Hands," Montana BLACK spray paint, papercut YUPO Translucent watercolor paper, acrylic paint, India ink, and art marker on 4" x 6" recycled cardboard postcard.

One of the cards I sent out as part of my "O Eschaton" series of poems for the 2021 Poetry Postcard Fest.

—

O HYAKU of ONE-HUNDRED EMPTY HANDS

O Hyaku of One-Hundred Empty Hands
seeking out pinion points and destruction of wings

you single-handedly defeated a legion of angels
in their attempt to seize heaven’s throne

and in the ever-present heat wave
the drought of these days

the aroma of Himalayan blackberries
roasting on their thirsty vines

rises from your flesh as incense
as offering as libation as epitaph.

—

All artwork and poems by Troy Kehm-Goins © 2021 Troy's Work Table Publishing.

O BECKONING SHORE

"O Beckoning Shore," Montana BLACK spray paint, papercut paint chip sample, and iridescent calligraphy ink on 4" x 6" watercolor postcard.

One of the cards I sent out as part of my "O Eschaton" series of poems for the 2021 Poetry Postcard Fest.

—

O BECKONING SHORE

O Beckoning Shore, ever-shifting line
separating sand from sea

calling the prophets from their homelands
as refugees to proclaim judgment.

Hiding the reefs and shoals that bite
at the hulls of ships, snack on rudders—

testing the likes of the Apostle Paul
with shipwreck upon shipwreck

in attempts to carve our new histories
from the oceans of old.

—

All artwork and poems by Troy Kehm-Goins © 2021 Troy's Work Table Publishing.

O GREAT COMFORT ZONE

"O Great Comfort Zone of 72º Fahrenheit," Montana BLACK spray paint, art marker, acrylic paint, and mica powder on 4" x 6" watercolor postcard.

One of the cards I sent out as part of my "O Eschaton" series of poems for the 2021 Poetry Postcard Fest.

—

O GREAT COMFORT ZONE

O Great Comfort Zone of 72º Fahrenheit,
no more and no less,
bless us with your blowing fan

     your wind of no wind
     your there of no there nowhere

temper us with perfectly humid brows
talc us with persistently deodorized underarms.

—

All artwork and poems by Troy Kehm-Goins © 2021 Troy's Work Table Publishing.

O ENOUGH IS ENOUGH

"O Enough Is Enough," India ink and iridescent calligraphy ink on 4" x 6" watercolor postcard.

One of the cards I sent out as part of my "O Eschaton" series of poems for the 2021 Poetry Postcard Fest.

—

O ENOUGH IS ENOUGH

We scream: O Enough Is Enough
referring to this particular Year of Our Lord

Anno Domini Twenty Twenty-One
annus horribilis and best forgotten—

with its parade of biblical plagues
and unwelcomed proportions—

drought and wildfire, hurricane and riot
insurrection and political maneuverings.

We are ready for a hard reboot
planted in the good soil of hope

seed and prayer that unfurl
into a new branch on the Tree of Life.

—

All artwork and poems by Troy Kehm-Goins © 2021 Troy's Work Table Publishing.

O MOTHERBOARD

"O Motherboard," Montana BLACK spray paint, iridescent calligraphy ink, and papercut paint chip sample on 4" x 6" watercolor postcard.

One of the cards I sent out as part of my "O Eschaton" series of poems for the 2021 Poetry Postcard Fest.

—

O MOTHERBOARD

We lived online while the real world atrophied
once-conditioned muscle now weakened

and feared lost, O Motherboard.
Will you guide us back to the tangible—

our daily bread and forgivable flesh,
filled with familiar calamities,

mass extinctions, protests, and failings
the things of this life whose glimmer

was eclipsed by the neon-night trappings
of your proffered golden calf lifeware?

—

All artwork and poems by Troy Kehm-Goins © 2021 Troy's Work Table Publishing.

O HARPY of HARPIES

"O Harpy of Harpies," Montana BLACK spray paint, art marker, and acrylic ink on 4" x 6" watercolor postcard.

One of the cards I sent out as part of my "O Eschaton" series of poems for the 2021 Poetry Postcard Fest.

—

O HARPY of HARPIES

O Harpy of Harpies, cherubim and seraphim
Ezekiel’s wheel rolling across the heavens

thunderstruck, Valkyrie, Day of the Lord
your names and manner of appearance

mysterious, manifold, and varied
yet still you manage to arrive

accompanied by trumpet song
armed with a pitched fever

taloned, barbed, feather-winged
“Do not be afraid” a declaration

easy to ignore and overlook
as you begin your celestial hymn—

hallelujah and alleluia and aleluya
amen and amen and so shall it be.

—

All artwork and poems by Troy Kehm-Goins © 2021 Troy's Work Table Publishing.

O MYTHIC MOTH

"O Mythic Moth," Montana BLACK spray paint, cardboard, and India ink on 4" x 6" recycled cardboard postcard.

One of the cards I sent out as part of my "O Eschaton" series of poems for the 2021 Poetry Postcard Fest.

—

O MYTHIC MOTH

O Mythic Moth, holy and firm
you burn incandescent

a beacon of the Ages
warm and welcoming

mystical and mysterious
a constellation transformed

from a cluster of stars
to an unclenched heart

from a glimpse of wings
to a flutter of fabric

ephemeral markings against the wall
outlined in the dust of your life.

(all apologies to Annie Dillard!)

—

All artwork and poems by Troy Kehm-Goins © 2021 Troy's Work Table Publishing.

O TWILIGHT

"O Twilight," Montana BLACK spray paint, papercut paint chip sample, acrylic paint, and art marker on 4" x 6" recycled cardboard postcard.

One of the cards I sent out as part of my "O Eschaton" series of poems for the 2021 Poetry Postcard Fest.

—

O TWILIGHT

wildfires beget wildflowers
sprouting out of charred death

while we are refracted in amber light
marbled in smoke beneath a red sun

speak to us O Twilight
of an earlier age—

a moist age, a green age, of foliage
and folly and an age of leisure

rather than of labor to live
and little time to love another

—

All artwork and poems by Troy Kehm-Goins © 2021 Troy's Work Table Publishing.

O CHRYSALIS

"O Chrysalis," Montana BLACK spray paint, acrylic paint, and iridescent calligraphy ink on 4" x 6" watercolor postcard.

One of the cards I sent out as part of my "O Eschaton" series of poems for the 2021 Poetry Postcard Fest.

—

O CHRYSALIS

Do you remember your former routine,
your drib and quotidian life?

O Chrysalis—now a segment of carapace
peeled back into wing
filled with zest and urgency

      (structure becomes mess and gore
      before order appears once again)

sing deeply into the sugared dawn
and dry yourself out

you have new tasks at hand
a day or two to grasp the stem of life.

—

All artwork and poems by Troy Kehm-Goins © 2021 Troy's Work Table Publishing.