" As a Master "...

" As a Master "

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

As a master
of comic style
churning ironies

"slim feasting smiles "
sinewy and lithe
doing " allthelikepluspiety"

becoming dismal and stuffy in size
and number tumbling triumphs
of culture almost lovingly
nonconforming to history

liberally practicing
the ecclesiastical
sacredness of marriage
via curious accountings

long since disbanded
knocking off hats
radical in color in connexion
with public attention

meanwhile electing
to finally decide the question
of all measures of contempt
later inevitable under duress

concerns felt packed during lectures
at lecterns again and again
less evident imposing expressions
of the ordinary self

marching in procession
towards assemblage
across trampled flower-beds
to immense effect...

" Lines of Action "...

" Lines of Action "

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán

Lines of action attached to backgrounds
closely bound to the natural fecundity of animals
painted bison mammoths prehistoric man
relief carving demands exaggerated females

stone artifacts reindeer antlers
reconstituted plaster confused matters
disenchantment looking after inhabitants
sandstone pink granite dating back
to requirements of magic
for harmony between God and man

while deciphering tablets and stamps
with benevolent aspects absent
stigmas of mortality huge masses
artists' hands elegant objects acrobats
human scales mainlands ivory plaques

slightly redacted sun-dried hieratic styles
prototypes for afterlife instincts of violence
full-faced profiles harsh outlines
sedentary lives religious rites
endlessly realigned synthesized
darkness to light before our very eyes...

" Almost Exactly "...

" Almost Exactly " by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán

Almost exactly standing comfortably clearly adjusting
flattening reliefs however experimentally
as stylistic novelty minus compulsory iconography
indulging freely in juggling antiquity as well springs
metamorphosing into imaginary beings embodying
third dimensionality heightened by classicizing serenity
linked to overall individuality as well as compositional themes
of monumentality juxtaposing vital ideology while unifying
gestures with universal expressions via lively polemics
of swarming formalistic forms adhering to walls
emerging from cloisters loftily vaulted floral forms
gargoyles spitting out water becoming adornments for support
rapidly transforming more human than divine elongated proportions
as sources of spiritually altering corporeal portals
as sources of spirituality altering corporeal portals
where poignancy is being perpetually restored...

" Sticks "...

" Sticks "

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán
In Honor of Florence Marie
In Memory of Anton James

Sticks as flimsy twigs seen at the cusp of spring
true-blue pigments on the edge of extinction
"It's here! You can smell it!" as primary suspects
for resurrection once and again without question

during "de-extinctification" efforts
far from new developments
passenger pigeons wooly mammoths
institutional grants for lost habitats

driven by dearths of data and not-so-empty nests
for fully fledged penguins gone hunting for themselves
in worldwide networks as viruses return and diseases emerge
like shorebirds with distinctive shrieks sequencing species
via whistling underwings and distinctive orbital rings

ducks and geese paddling quickly across shallow ponds
towards Himalayan snowcocks large and stocky
low clucking shrill cackling jungle fowl spectacular marsh
harriers fore-dawn bat hawks stilled waters herons stalking

gliding soaring pulling it off out walking
corny side burns being shaved off in dance halls pizzazz un-ignored
revisiting retooling rebooted art schools while making silent movies
for super-nerdy wasteland futures like murky stews in cartoons
with cell phones set on "mute" for super-human classical music
hectoring brass whistles and whip cracks as savvy trappings
for gaudy and grand skeletons prancing harp and piano thinning out...

" Hoping "

" Hoping "

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

Hoping to catch the red eye among advisers

where loyalty precedes experience 

by administering officials of a high populace

while endangering autonomy

via social media's angry masses

repudiating research practices

for ghost-written weed killers

helping to unwittingly

finish final films winking

over mysterious disappearances

asking, "Is it really any of our business?"

reading ravishingly

gilded nonfiction

as exchanged endearments

whispering anonymously

over hot beef and barley

sipping corn liquor

smoking brisket

offering free recipe tips

with and without seaweed

boiled whitefish in sanctuary cities 

tracking civilian atrocities

questioning Roundup's safety

" Who's podcast is this anyway?!"

" Give me strength! " stamping flamencos 

lacy and long trained on stage wizened with age

and violent gesticulations youth meets sage

right out of the gate right away

in rigorous yet gracious adaptations

when dread is pervasively beautiful and devastating

as actual places seen under the table wasting away

in sharp focus examining grasping talons of raptors 

holistic immaculate tableaux sharp shouldered getting stoned

long foretold like kept composure from the days of olde...

" Closed Off "...

" Closed Off "

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

Closed off at sold-out performances of requiem choruses

having thrown down the gauntlet into disputed territory

all the more raw sneaking beneath bed sheets

crimson rashes flaring experiencing persistent badgering

being denied access beasts left intact wreaking havoc

slithering and gathering swatting and scattering

for larger forebears sadly seen as our far-better halfs

ultimately abandoned during aftermaths

as hashtags gone mad searching for answers

still grinning at prospects of the optimists

talking and laughing sitting on stairs 

during writing classes though not exactly

standing out peeking out at name tags

being scanned as student badges

handing stories back and forth over healthy snacks 

looking like leading characters 

having coined reality via quantum mechanics

as seemingly bizarre facts waving white flags

from here to there over blocks of unexplanatory matters

passed hand-over-hand through springtime air

taking chances bouncing balls of rubber bands 

over winding grassy paths ringed by silver-leafed saplings

with crypts built into the background dedicated to gratitude

and human frailty feigning heroic acts secularly encountering

coronets on carriages traveling to the hereafter 

via postcards and stamps stressing symbolic aspects

meekly and sadly unimaginable inexhaustible galleries

gasp upon gasp immortal master Townsend's Solitaires

with exposed tails across mountain grasslands

being widely scattered as harsh "chiks" 'n' "chaks"

of short dry chatter paler drabber brown thrashers

brushy habitats russet backed fieldfares 

piping nightingales pipits wagtails flashing wing patches 

black caps sharp rattles high chaparrals 

on the spot and on the fly billowy instincts single-stringed

transformed tragedies golden-haired wailing now declared

via conversational manners midway through tasks

fanciful and abstract from distant galaxies of fire-branded tales

kind of splashy only feebly critiqued like indie pop medleys 

brief and catchy unabashedly upbeat provocative whimsy 

insistent riffs culled as bits of atmospheric overtricks...

" Measuring Up " ...

" Measuring Up "

by Suzán Jiván
Mom &Mom-
Mom Suzán

Measuring up as a such-and-such
while keeping in touch no matter what
" Did you get the memo? "
like a slightly apologetic " in-betweenie "
missing link pointing out paucity
patchy and incomplete

exhibiting weaknesses
plucking out theories
deemed big possibilities
using clawed fore-limbs
evolving into wings
considered to be a big feat

venomously non-lethal
as the oddest thing
getting ready to sing
being kept in stitches
still in transition
written in Greek
rather than Latin

earthbound
underground
safe-and-sound
sweet 'n' fatty
queens of ants

wild forests grasslands
intensely managed farmland
family trees forming canopies
hundreds and thousands of fields
and pastures leaves termites and beetles

entomology small crawly things
unusual peculiarities biting stinging
vectors of diseases beeswax silk and shellac
valuable scavengers beautiful animals

scarab-backed reproductive capacity
introductory chapters how-to structured habits
flattened laterally sucking mouths
widening thoraxes forked tails wings overlapping...