poem about my son & other images

the night before last
my son was screaming for me
inconsolable
they took him from me
while i tried to save him
my son was meant to be a great man
good fortune was his at birth
i loved him and sang to him
from seed
he grew like a rose in my belly
unfolding into my arms
beauty
mama, mama, mommy he said last
to me
knowing and sure of my existence
the night before last
my son was screaming for me
inconsolable
what have they done
let me see
what they have done
then i saw he no longer had what
makes him male
but he wasn't going to be a woman either
he is still going to be a great man
neutered
is the meaning this dream gave
to me
my ears were full of his sobs
i heard him yesterday while i was
working
i know what they have done
i saw my son clutching
crying out in pain
i know what they have done
but nobody believes me
******************************************

shame,
the snail withdraws under the spotted canopy
camel colored cream shield yield to no man
when they capture you
i will not pull you from the monkey on your back
you will keep your cross
the shield
shame, for you, will not be a sign of weakness
but the last evidence of anything good
what difference does it make
whether you are in a large lake
or a small aquarium?
you have always had your cage about you
************************************************

there is a gymnasium in the jungle
teaching lions to walk a tightrope
bears in miniskirts
holding the hulahoop
locking hands into a chain
throwing fire
swallowing swords, the pelican
throwing fire
to burn the trees and everything green
the trunk splits open
ants, seeds, larvae,
feeding fast before the flames
turn honey into bees
buzzing sparks from sap
crack
of light
crack of dawn
when the forest is blackened to the
ground
revealing a new skyline and, finally,
the sun
***************************************

antecedent to the animal
on two feet with hands on hips
a four footed beast
standing square
ranger of the wilderness
is the crime
the cancer
the cause of machinations
a debt had to be paid
what more costly way to be free
money in the handshake
what security, this investment rippling
to wakes
to seismic return
pulse jumping and skipping
splitting atoms apart
chromosomes break while
the earth is shaking
made from dirt and this
atoms rib
i am told it is a cure for fractures
a man told me this, who worked for the PGE
in Wenatchee