Café Apollinaire XVIII (Puritans)

Tales From Café Apollinaire
variations on distilled dreams

XVIII

Puritans Futurists and Fascists burn
four letter word filled books
accused of blaspheming
which do not praise war
the natural hygiene
for purifying the human race
they preach pour castor-oil
down funnels into the throats
of the patrons leaving Café Apollinaire
Herman Goering Himmler and Hitler
that funny sad little man
Franco and Mussolini taking joy in their work
beating poets artists Jews Gypsies senseless
tossing a few into the harbour
with belts of iron chain
announce a storm is coming
our destiny fire and plague
will cleanse the earth
so it came to pass millions
joined with religious zeal
to separate the wheat from the chaff
a necessary step in evolution
they exclaim with certainty
turning science on its head
reason run-amok
a tool to do their bidding
to rid the world of the weak
of those not of the Master Race
to leave the earth scorched
littered with the dead - 

Matisse cuts out dancing paper dolls
uses a rod and reel for painting
bringing the outside inside
through an open window
bathing everything in a lush swirl
of red blue and pink of the Mediterranean
harmonics of transcending light
with his brush breathing life
into baskets of fruit 
finding finally real life unpalatable
for a prophet of light
on hearing rumors of world wars
rampaging dictators and blood thirsty mobs
says to his guest we'll speak of this no more-