Image by John Kazior

Poetry bye

Charles Rybak

​​we eke the temp    we feed the temp    we peel
          ethyl & methyl & thyml & phytyl & heptyl & hexyl
     we eke the temp    we heeze the ppm    we bp
         we exx mc    we bhp ltd
 
        elegy the elk      elegy the ewe      the teetee       the bee
        elegy the leek     elegy the beet     the tempeh     the jelly
 
        elegy the fyke     empty
 
        elegy the eel        the geelbek     elegy the jeg      elegy the gedd
 
        we bleb     we melt
 
        elegy the elm       the kex            elegy the lebbek      the yew

        we feed the beef     we teeth the beef    
        we eye the ph     help the ppm     we fly

        bye glebe & kelly        bye khet & keld
        bye pebbly jheel         bye eddy

        bye myth
        bye lethe
        bye bye

Charles Rybak lives in Wisconsin and is currently the Dean of Art, Humanities, and Social Sciences, as well as a Professor of English, at the University of Wisconsin — Green Bay. He is the author of two chapbooks and two full-length collections of poetry. His most recent full-length collection, /war, was published by Main Street Rag.