During the 60's and 70's, at a time when our society was in the midst of great upheaval and cultural change, poets like Charles Bukowski, Billy Collins, Allen Ginsberg, Bob Dylan, James Dickey and others were publishing unique styles of poetry. One of those poets, Ray DiZazzo, wrote primarily of the dark corners of our society and continually strove for more precise and powerful imagery. He believed that good poetry was like fine art. The poem, he contended, was worthwhile if it did nothing more than create a unique, powerful, visual experience for the reader.FARRELLI am the one with the chrome-braced legwalking intersectionshalf my body starting up a stairway.The worst of me, an arm, is white, freckled, rigid as an insect's.I am going homemy mother at my side.You see us through a dirty windshield, crossing.

My head is cockedmy mouth agape, straining saying, "Father! Father! Father!"in the speech of frogs.CISCO, ME ANDA COPPER ANGELRemember me.Remember Seventh Street in rain.Consider that I found youcrippled in a storm of jewelsdiscovered that the light of opals sucks the color fromyour skin. Remember that I bite my nailsremain in shadows.Keep in mind thatyou are virginal(regardless).And most of allremember Ciscomy Italian swan.He loses feathers loses weight.

A fever burnsbeneath his wings.Rememberplease rememberhow he trembledin your arms.BIRTH - 2102Face, neck and arms exceptedLauralyn 2 is blue and silver.She is born with gills,duck-like feet and a taste for minnows.Taken from the slice in a woman's bellyshe is placed at once in a tank with gaugeswhere she moves about her tiny mouthopening and closing.Lauralyn 2, fully grown at five,and taught (what she needs to know) will go to work off-shorefor the university.