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 Mar 2023
Thomas W Case
Six
On a day that was
fraught
with anxiety and anger,
I sailed on
to the
other side.
The two pens that
blew up in my hand
foreshadowed the
prolific writing
streak to come.
Six poems today,
a personal best.
Bukowski would be
proud.
He might even
wonder
How I did it without
******
***** and
cigarettes.

It was easy.
I had bluebirds for
lunch, and listened
to Vivaldi.
I Just let the telephone
ring
ring
ring
 Mar 2023
Thomas W Case
Sometimes,
I catch
myself Swaying,
like there is
an eternal metronome
that my spirit
hears.
Or,
A song that my
soul must keep
time with.
It beats to the art
that surrounds me.

Such a delicate balance,
between the cactus and
the sun.
Between the dog and
the bone.

When they autopsied the
Tin Man, there were
irises and orchids and
Neruda poems where
his heart should have
been.

Love is an overused
word,
but an underused
gift.
 Mar 2023
Thomas W Case
Angels with broken wings,
frostbitten dreams,
morphine nights,
and gangrene schemes.
She had that broken glass sadness.
The kind that gets worse with
every slammed door and every
lazy moon mad night.
The light in her eyes was dim,
like a candle in the fog, or like
a frog that dreams of flying, but
wakes up to the same old pond,
day after degrading day.
God, every time I see her, I want to
take her home and give her a bath,
feed her strawberries and rub her feet.
I want to free her from the rain slick
suffering she's stuck in, wash away the
stench of the lonely diesel strangers,
but I can't save her, hell I can't even
save myself.  So I *** her a Midnight Special,
and light it for her, with a brief sulfuric blaze
of glory bereft of any lasting light...
walk away...Jack-O-Lantern grin
into the lonesome neon night.
I did a poetry reading from a boat today, Here's a link.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3mjQqmUguo
~
March 2023
HP Poet: Thomas W. Case
Age: 53
Country: USA

Question 1: We are very happy to have you participate, Thomas. So how long have you been writing poetry, and how long have you been a member of Hello Poetry?

Thomas W. Case: “I've been writing poetry since I was 16, and I've been a member of hello poetry for 3 years.”


Question 2: What inspires you? (In other words, how does poetry happen for you).

Thomas W. Case: “The things that inspire me to write are life: the good, the bad, the ugly. Emotion inspires me to write. Poems come to me in many different ways. Sometimes in pictures, sometimes a word will pop into my head and I will write around it. And sometimes a situation in my life will transpire and I will write to process it.”


Question 3: What does poetry mean to you?

Thomas W. Case: “Poetry is cathartic for me. It's a lifesaver, it gives me a unique perspective on the world, it helps me to make sense of life. Poetry is my highway through the madness.”


Question 4: Who are your favorite poets?

Thomas W. Case: “Charles Bukowski, Pablo Neruda, Dylan Thomas, and W.B. Yeats.”


Question 5: What other interests do you have?

Thomas W. Case: “Writing short stories, reading, and spending time with my kids.”


Mr. Timetable: “Thank you so much, Thomas! We really appreciate your willingness to be the first one to be spotlighted.”

Thomas W. Case: “Thank you, man. I look forward to seeing the post and how it turns out.”



And thank you everyone here at HP for taking the time to read this. We hope you enjoyed getting to know Thomas a little bit better.
– Carlo C. Gomez (aka Mr. Timetable)

We will post Spotlight #2 in April!
~
Below are Thomas’ favorite poems of his and links to each one:

Lonesome Neon Nights: https://hellopoetry.com/poem/3699838/lonesome-neon-nights/

Stabbed by the Autumn Leaves: https://hellopoetry.com/poem/3727658/stabbed-by-the-autumn-leaves/

In Lieu of Flowers (a personal favorite of the Timetables, too): https://hellopoetry.com/poem/3910240/in-lieu-of-flowers/

And then the Night Comes: https://hellopoetry.com/poem/4404576/and-then-the-night-comes/

And I Will Rise: https://hellopoetry.com/poem/4680341/and-i-will-rise/

He also has a YouTube channel where he does poetry readings: https://www.youtube.com/@ThomasWCase
 Feb 2023
bulletcookie
you come to this confessional
mouth full of contrition
sorry for him, sorry for her
longing for them
streaming your line of poetics
stringing syllables, a rosary

a lost sol in the ink of space
wanting somehow to replace
that feeling of having transgressed
bonds, promises, fingers crossed
now, typing out a stone ledger
atop the remains of the day

-cec
 Feb 2023
Nat Lipstadt
sent to me, I send it onto you…
but without permission
yet cloaked in good intentions
and with tender,
put
<>
*all writ by patty m

yet magical still are queries,
the stimulation of maddening messages
zinging around the brain,
inane, maybe so,
although,
who knows what they might show?

Bizzare indeed this need to bleed
words,
Absurd?

Yet reckoning defines a day
when messaging will be titled PREY
as we're besieged by egregious things
a string of freedoms lost
and at what cost?

Write now my friend with endless scowl,
don't get mad or throw in the towel.
Scourge down deep to find the spark that
opens up our tender hearts
then like the grinch whose heart grew and grew
Your messaging will find a few,
and then some more
until we're all caroling outside your door.*

<>

“the voices in your head that stir up mayhem and scream at poets without a vision. Procrastination, overwhelming circumstance. They scream as we sleep, lines and lines of spineless crimes, that want to be written in endless rhymes. No mas, no more, I've beaten them down they're smashed on the floor. Yet who will redeem and let sunbeams beam on fate.
Poets sometimes finish what they start, and now it's clear,
we will find a fresh start in the coming new year”
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