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Kurt Philip Behm Nov 2019
Enlightenment…
where humanity and intelligence cross

(Dreamsleep: November, 2019)
When form betroths function
— the honeymoon awaits

(Dreamsleep: April, 2024)
Kurt Philip Behm Jul 2017
A steward of memory
  —the caretaker of dreams

(Villanova Pennsylvania: March, 2014)
Kurt Philip Behm Apr 2022
Everybody’s bad day…
a badge without a star
the one who stood when others fled,
each day to raise the bar

The one they all could come to,
when freedom was in chains
the light that rampaged in the night
—to hunt what darkness claimed

(The New Room: April, 2022)
Kurt Philip Behm Apr 2019
Avatar Queen
The mask or the screen,
What’s never to know
What’s never to see

Avatar Queen
Your name to mislead,
One more cryptic posting
That always deceives

Avatar Queen
Both petty and preened,
The bees in your bonnet
No stinger foreseen

Avatar Queen
You know what I mean,
With feelings all borrowed
And vistas unseen

Avatar Queen
The sourest cream,
No reason to wish
All hope dressed in green

Avatar Queen
Your anger unweaned,
My answer then sharp
My rapier free

Avatar Queen
Not to sleep or to dream,
Your nightmare awoken
In daylight you scream

Avatar Queen
One curse washes clean,
Your blessings defaced
  —no chance to redeem

(Villanova Pennsylvania: July, 2016)
Kurt Philip Behm Nov 2021
Fear,
a dark hunter
that preys on our doubt
Chasing us
into
—a lost horizon

(Dreamsleep: November, 2021)
Kurt Philip Behm Apr 2021
Going to bed with the words,
waking up to a song
—music romancing my dreams

(Dreamsleep: April, 2021)
Kurt Philip Behm Jul 2023
One who sleeps
with dreams *****
—can never divorce the beast

(Dreamsleep: July, 2023)
Kurt Philip Behm Feb 2019
Will the words come,
  will the words go

Are they forever,
  how do I know

What do I think,
  what do I feel

Memory escapes,
  a spoke off the wheel

Written in blood,
  spoken in rhyme

Forever to echo,
  forever sublime

Daffodils scatter,
  a wolf howls at bay

Nighttime has answered
   —I kneel and I pray

(Villanova Pennsylvania: February, 2016)
Itching
itching
nowhere
to scratch

Rambling
rambling
balling
the jack

Freight car
open
voices
interred

The brakeman
singing
"Turn
"Turn
"Turn"

(Dreamsleep: April, 2024)
The whistle blowing
one last stop

Your ticket punched
— the gate unlocked

(Dreamsleep: August, 2024)
Kurt Philip Behm Apr 2020
Only a Poet

can stab time in the heart,

to bleed free and eternal

—only a Poet

(Villanova Pennsylvania: March, 2020)
NME
Kurt Philip Behm Mar 2020
NME
The enemy of my enemy
—masquerading as my friend

(Dreamsleep: March, 2020)
Kurt Philip Behm Mar 2022
It was never a question
but just a reminder
a sacrificed memory
of what used to be

(Dreamsleep: February, 2022)
Kurt Philip Behm Jul 2018
Go to school,
  and load your gun

The man is coming
  the cradle shunned

Do your homework,
  obey the rules

The exam’s been written
  that dunce a fool

Go to school,
  and stack the deck

Each grade a face card
  full house respect

Dot your I’s,
  and cross your T’s

Your promise written
  —no blank degree

(Villanova Pennsylvania: July, 2018)
Kurt Philip Behm Apr 2020
The eggs had been colored,
and scattered about

The baskets were hidden,
the children to shout…

“Was he here mom, was he here?”
they yell from upstairs

“Come down and find out,”
she says—nary a care

Their little feet rush,
taking two steps at once

Wide eyes dart all over,
playing their hunch

Living and dining rooms
they tear with a fever

No corner is safe,
from the incursion of either

“I found it, I found it,"
the bigger one said

The smaller one saddened,
their heart filled with dread

“The Bunny forgot,
there's no candy this year”

From across the big room,
the first start of a tear

“The Bunny never forgets,”
their mother cried out

"You have to look harder,
both inside and out”

And as the front door was opened,
the little one chimed...

“Mom, he didn’t forget
—it was here all the time”


(To My Grandchildren: Easter 2017)
Kurt Philip Behm Apr 2017
The eggs had been colored,
  all scattered about

The baskets were hidden,
  the children now shout…

“Was he here mom, was he here?”
  they yell from upstairs

“Come down and find out,”
   she says—nary a care

Their little feet rush down,
   taking two steps at once

Wide eyes dart all over,
   playing their hunch

Living and dining rooms
  they tear with a fever

No corner is safe,
  from the incursion of either

“I found it, I found it,"
   the bigger one said

The smaller one saddened,
  their heart filled with dread

“The Bunny forgot,
  there's no candy this year”

From across the big room,
   the first start of a tear

“The Bunny never forgets,”
   their mother cried out

"You have to look harder,
   both inside and out”

And as the front door was opened,
  the little one chimed...

“Mom, he didn’t forget,
—it was here all the time”


(To My Grandchildren: Easter 2017)
Kurt Philip Behm Apr 2023
You can’t teach poetry pro forma
it’s the effort of a fool
You can’t gain sagacity from a book
or by the golden rule

You can’t be what you haven’t lived
the safety net misleads
You can’t bleed with another’s blood
transfused each phrase deceives

The dance floor or the balcony
true seekers get to choose
And write those words their pain has forged
—that dilettantes misuse

(Dreamsleep: April, 2023)
Kurt Philip Behm Nov 2021
The smoky structure of forgotten dreams,
buried in the breath of lost denial
Stealing from sleep what life rebukes
—disguising what the coming dawn reviles

(Dreamsleep: November, 2021)
Kurt Philip Behm Dec 2021
The sun is down
and you’re standing on the platform all alone
with night
that friend who never questions…
But dawn is looming
with its predictable answer
never asking what went on before
as you stand there and wonder…
Does all confusion surrender to the darkness
or is there but one confusion
wherein your mind is set free
to rush through the empty spaces and moments…
Looking beyond what your eyes betray
  you sit down at the back of the platform
and open your journal
while closing your eyes…
New words to be told
no time to be old
one truth to behold
—and write

(Fairmount Park: December, 2015)
Kurt Philip Behm Mar 2021
The Poetry Channel when open,
its wavelength sharp and clear
Searching for me as it calls for my voice,
in moments dark but dear

The Poetry Channel if distant, remote,
streaming above my thoughts
Transmitting in silence, antenna to blame,
whose frequency I’ve sought

The Poetry Channel with static tuned out,
its bandwidth framed in gold
Quiet by day, amplifying at night
—to broadcast time untold

(Dreamsleep: November, 2015)
Kurt Philip Behm Aug 2023
As we age
death
reclaims us
Stealing
our youth
and then our hope

In the ground
where
memories rot
Willing us
nothing
—but the dark

(Dreamsleep: August, 2023)
Kurt Philip Behm Jun 2019
At some tables…
Time
is a dessert,
that is no longer
served

(Villanova Pennsylvania: December 16, 2016)
Kurt Philip Behm Feb 2017
A warrior lives,
  like he’s already dead

His honor intact,
  his mission ahead

A destiny called,
  by an enemy name

All glory to God,
—no dishonor or shame

(Villanova Pennsylvania: February, 2017)
Kurt Philip Behm Jul 2019
A warrior lives
like he’s already dead

Honor intact,
his last mission ahead

Destiny called
by an enemy name

All glory to God
—no dishonor or shame

(Villanova Pennsylvania: February, 2017)
Kurt Philip Behm Feb 2019
Paved over deep,
  my thoughts below

Once brilliant shades
  of amber glow

The darkest light,
  I now befriend

Whose darkest thoughts,
  I sought to end

While further down,
  the chanting starts

No mockingbirds,
  no meadowlarks

Where stillness reigns,
  the present weeps

My ashes cool,
  my soul retreats

Lodged six feet under
  below the crowd

Though sleep eternal
   —no dreams allowed

(Villanova Pennsylvania: February, 2019)
Kurt Philip Behm Apr 2020
Turning down every invitation…
the invitations stopped

Ensuring the freedom I always craved,
alone inside my thoughts

Misunderstood and misrepresented,
my feelings misconstrued

And needing to live within myself
—no enmity toward you

(Villanova Pennsylvania: April, 2020)
Kurt Philip Behm Jun 2020
You can't run away from the ashes
  — as their memory burns from within

(June, 2020: University Of Pennsylvania Hospital)
Poet’s sleep
with their memories
to hate or to love
Voices unanswered
the night’s
turtledove
Darkness remembers
what daylight
forgets
As dreamers
reenter
— what twilight begets

(Dreamsleep: April, 2018)
Kurt Philip Behm Oct 2021
In dark corners of the city,
old shadows are found

In dark corners of the city,
premonitions abound

In dark corners of the city,
the doors swing one way

In dark corners of the city,
your soul becomes prey

In dark corners of the city,
where hope goes to die

In dark corners of the city
—your dreams say goodbye

(Dreamsleep: October, 2021)
Kurt Philip Behm Feb 2021
Alone with my thoughts
—the devil makes three

(Dreamsleep: February, 2021)
Kurt Philip Behm Nov 2023
A homeless man
with a cell phone
connected to his pain
Desperation
on his speed dial
—muted inhumane

(30th Street Station: November, 2023)
A heavy ear
an empty heart
Breathless voice
with eyes that dart
Love forsaken
rebirthing pain
Hope redundant
—lost refrain

(The New Room: January, 2024)
Kurt Philip Behm Mar 2019
We do no favors,
  labeling genius

We do no favors,
  channeling the light

We do no favors,
  defining perfection

We do no favors
  —questioning delight

(Villanova Pennsylvania: June, 2016)
Kurt Philip Behm Jul 2018
We do no favors
  labeling genius

We do no favors
  channeling the light

We do no favors
  defining perfection

We do no favors
  —questioning delight

(Villanova Pennsylvania: June, 2016)
Kurt Philip Behm Jun 2019
Love freely given,
no heart denied

A soul on fire
—the heavens cry

(Villanova Pennsylvania: December, 2016)
Kurt Philip Behm Aug 2016
You tell me…
the structure gives strength to your writing

I tell you…
it’s nothing but crutches in waiting

You tell me…
  the order brings beginning and end

I tell you…
  the sequence does feign and pretend

You tell me…
  the form—the most important of things

I tell you…
  the message is on Seraphim’s wings

You show me…
  the prison you’ve build with your pen

I show you…
   a cartridge empty—no ink from within

(Villanova Pennsylvania: August, 2016)
Kurt Philip Behm May 2019
You tell me…
“the structure gives strength to my writing”

I tell you…
“it’s nothing but crutches in waiting”

You tell me…
  “the order brings a beginning and end”

I tell you…
  “the sequence does feign and pretend”

You tell me…
  “the form—the most important of things”

I tell you…
  “the truth rides on Seraphim’s wings”

You show me…
  the prison you’ve build with your pen

I show you…
  a cartridge empty—no ink from within

(Villanova Pennsylvania: August, 2016)
Kurt Philip Behm Dec 2021
The ****** had saved a piece of herself,
a part kept new not old

As pure and pristine as a fresh running stream,
never bartered, never sold

The johns came and went, the money got spent,
each trick relined with pain

But in one sacred place, her past is erased
—where sun blocks out the rain

(The New Room: December, 2021)
Kurt Philip Behm Feb 2018
That left undone while living,
  a bedside chat won’t cure

Death coming fast, the first now last,
  the closing of the door

With wounds unbled, in unmade beds,
  lay prisoners of time

Good wishes die, no last goodbye
—intentions left behind

(Villanova Pennsylvania: February, 2018)
Kurt Philip Behm Jul 2023
You never really lose a friend
forever in your heart
Truant both to time and age
their love will not depart
You never say that last goodbye
with feelings much too strong
Memories real as real can be
—eternal they belong

(The New Room: July, 2023)
Kurt Philip Behm Dec 2023
When I was a boy
this spring house was there
Open and running
with memories to share

When I was a boy
it sat in the field
Above rising water
indentured to yield


When I was a boy
its door opened wide
To capture my fantasy
dreams there to hide

No longer a boy
now buried and hidden  
My hopes and my wishes
—forever unbidden

(Converse Estate: December, 2023)
Kurt Philip Behm Apr 2020
There’s a clarity that comes with age,
confusion on the run

The light much brighter deep inside,
no writing on the come

My youth endeavors, drifting lines,
those hedges where I’d hide

Have all been trimmed or taken down,
left nothing to deny

There’s a clarity that comes with age,
lens sharpened, filters off

Regrets left bleeding where they fell,
to die amongst the frost

When morning comes my eyes are clear,
the past a long goodbye

My vision focused on my dreams
—no longer asking why

(Bryn Mawr College: April, 2020)
Kurt Philip Behm Apr 2019
Bring your lover into your world,
  don’t hide inside of hers

    ‘A mistake too often made
       with respect to women’

Self inflicted homicide…
  men die of good intention

A modern age hormonal trap
  —loves truth no longer free

(Greensboro North Carolina: April, 2019)
Kurt Philip Behm Jul 2019
Is there disappointment in arrival…
anticipation the crown jewel

Are the accolades left hollow,
uncertainty what’s new

Is acceptance yours or theirs to own,
all badges keyed to lock

Does your soul ignite once past the flame
—your words no longer hot

(Villanova Pennsylvania: February, 2017)
Kurt Philip Behm Sep 2019
Pushing his will against the status quo,
all time began to move

Scouring through each ominous lie,
veracity behooved

Giving with nothing left to give,
his soul turned inside out

Tomorrow dancing openly with yesterday’s dreams
—today no longer in doubt

(Villanova Pennsylvania: September, 2019)
Kurt Philip Behm Apr 2017
Lusting after a song unsung,
  I hunted through your fear

And trapped the demon that kept you mute,
—whose blood drips from my spear

Desirous of your captive voice,
  I hung its head up high

And waited for you to sing just once,
—no longer love denied

(Villanova Pennsylvania: April, 2017)
Kurt Philip Behm Dec 2016
Dinner almost over,
Dessert
Becomes a sweet
Memory
When no longer served

Time …

Main course of those
Not famished
By tomorrow,
Abundantly served
To those already full

(Villanova Pennsylvania: January, 2015)
Kurt Philip Behm Jun 2019
Professional Poet…
  to cringe at the term

A lonely consensus,
  so much to learn

Days writing couplets,
  nights dreamed in verse

Feelings when gifted,
  mine to rehearse

Professional Poet…
  to run but not hide

Resisting the accolades,
   cousin of lies

The Muse calls my marker,
  chits payout in thought

Each line spoken freely
  —no longer store bought

(Villanova Pennsylvania: November, 2016)
Kurt Philip Behm Nov 2016
Professional Poet,
  I cringe at the term

A lonely consensus,
  so much to learn

Days writing couplets,
  nights dreamed in verse

Feelings when gifted,
  not mine to rehearse

Professional Poet,
  to run and then hide

Resisting the accolade,
   cousin of lies

The Muse calls my marker,
  chits payout in thought

Each line spoken freely,
—no longer store bought

(Villanova Pennsylvania: November, 2016)
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