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Sep 2015 · 461
my cloud....back off
Sam Temple Sep 2015
I was born in the United States of America
register as a democrat… but just so I have access
to primary voting.
In this land touted for opportunity and freedoms
mostly, I find myself lamenting the choices
my government makes on my behalf.
I would not purposefully donate six percent
of my daily earnings
on drone bombing civilian Muslims
if it were up to me…
I would generally look to my own neighborhood
and those in the surrounding areas
when deciding where to offer my services and aid
as opposed to installing and maintaining
coup after coup on foreign soil…
Everyone I met who needed medical assistance
would have the ability to speak with a doctor
or at the very least a therapist…
My mind is so weary my body has become tired
watching my nation attempt to maintain empire
while the masses refuse to believe
that concept exists in the 21st century,
but for me, like a dagger in the eyeball
twisted and rusty, its
infecting me constantly with the reality
we are morons….
There is an adage I believe comes from the hillbilly’s
regarding one’s love for a land
and if the lack of that love shows itself,
then the individual must leave said land
well,
I have a second option:
You go………
You go to Iraq and wait for the drones
You go to Okinawa and get ***** by the American military
You go to any of the 600 places not in the United States
harboring military instillations of all types
You sit on the beach at Fukushima
while our advisors watch quietly the Pacific die.
Me, I will stay here
and see what I can learn from any still living
native peoples….
Sep 2015 · 287
Today, for Tina
Sam Temple Sep 2015
you cross my mind and stop my tracks
momentarily I’m trapped
my only ability, it seems
is let go, fall into the dream

standing in the hallway frozen
passersby barley even glance
I stand motionless, my feet stuck
feeling a slight sway, almost drunk

eyes glaze and memories take charge
mere minutes have passed since last touch
it may as well be a lifetime
since last I held your hands in mine

radio crackle brings me back
my surroundings come into view
forced to be present in my life
when I want to be with my wife

**** it up, Sam, this is your lot
the little voice inside me says
each eight hours you are apart
gives you the time to rest your heart

absence they say makes for fondness
too much of good things can be bad
I risk being so totally sappy…..
she is the only thing makes me happy
Sep 2015 · 670
modern sociopath
Sam Temple Sep 2015
never once
did I stop
and seriously consider
the Lilly…
I am what the kids call
a ‘macro’ thinker
when a school shooting happens
I never think about the victims
or the perpetrators,
instead I contemplate our violet society
and wonder at the surprise of my
fellow countrymen
landslides, floods, forest fries
not once do I stop and worry for the homes
or the individual memories
I reflect on 100 years of industrial pollutants
and the effect they are having on our
fragile ecosystem…
remember the O.J. trial....
I didn’t care if he was guilty or innocent
only that fame and wealth equate
freedom from legality –
from time to time this
attitude gives my closest
friends and family, pause
I was raised in a compassionate household
by near-hippy’s looking to help the community
was given public education and love
the deal is
not all sociopaths
are violent or dangerous,
some of us
just don’t care the same way –
Sep 2015 · 753
first Fall clouds
Sam Temple Sep 2015
fractured rays pass through tattered treatments
the broken fast moving clouds ever changing
shadow creatures dance across my desk and skin
playfully morphing from recognizable shapes
to distorted images of madness
my concentration only hastens the changes –
thoughts race to match the sky
bounding effortlessly from subject to object
objectification to subjugation
absconding subjected objectify-ers
subjugating the obtuse –
swaying tree tops pepper my field of view
a light breeze plays among the needles
damaged branches dislodge and fall
in the ever-changing Fall –
Sep 2015 · 272
oh, the things.....
Sam Temple Sep 2015
the softness of her tone
     woos like a June moon

tuned-in I swoon on the
     damp sand dune

shrooming, foolishly, my ungroomed
      face shown true

proving our love
    would ne’er move to blue

a golden pontoon flew through
    rolling hills covered with dew

green shoots and fruiting foliage
      wild thistle and overgrown
            Scotch Broom

crooning to you, awe struck by the
      view I lose my pants, shirt,
               and shoes

soon, while a few butterflies
      settle on a nearby pear-blossom
            of blue

our eyes and smiles meet
      as we consider what next
            to do

all the while I think,
       “I’ll be happy as long as I am with you.”
Sep 2015 · 367
coyote party
Sam Temple Sep 2015
open sores ooze discontent
yellowish **** flows down the infected leg
red and hot skin swells and distorts
while thick green pasty rot coats the region
undeterred by the sight, white teeth flash
savage growls penetrate the night
as the pack looks to down the injured stag
gnashing fangs and yips of pleasure pierce the darkness
tearing sinew and ripped fur fly
damaging multiple square feet
I spotlight the affair
knowing tomorrow will be filled with
circling turkey vultures
and the sick smell of fresh death in the field –
Sep 2015 · 475
brass ring out of reach
Sam Temple Sep 2015
finding myself struggling with twenty-seven years
the magic number until I can retire
seems a thousand lifetimes away
and how will I ever stay in one place that long…
for near forty years’ worth of days
I have floundered between part-time
and joblessness… some of it as a ******
some as a young adult trying to find my way…
pondering solvency, monetarily
I consider my real options:
theft leads to jail
hard work leads to hard work
401k’s and retirement planning
are often stolen by the greed of the 1%-ers
bailout for the monopoly kings…
where is my bailout for living in America for this long?
who has been diligently investing in my trust fund?
why is this what ‘making it’ looks like?
answerless questions lay piled on the floor
some hurriedly jotted on napkins
others tattooed on my forehead
none ripe or ready…
I know I can keep on keeping on
I hustled ****** for ten years
….but I want it to be easier
I desire to bathe in bling
and throw hundreds out the window
yelling about how much I don’t give a ****
….but for now, I will just get up to my alarm
wash my face and hands
and play slave to the machine one more day
Sep 2015 · 269
doom on the horizen
Sam Temple Sep 2015
oppressive season
causes a struggle to breathe
unseen pressures mount without count
as prophetic undertones threaten mankind –
I try to unwind with Kind I grew myself
but the smokey flavor offers no solace
placing my weary head into my earth-stained hands
and any attempt at plan formulation is met
with only the recognition that the tears
falling from my cheek to the dusty ground
are not only soundless, but barely alter the brown hue –
Not often am I left uncertain of what to do
Normally I tighten boot straps and **** in the gut
pick myself up and continue the fight…
today tiredness overtakes me, breaking my
spirit and filling me with fear
unable to steer clear the queer feeling
takes my complete focus
So long since I gave my laurals some work
too much time has passed for me to go all
conscientious objector
the debt collector knocks incessantly
    the phone has not been quiet for days
         grinding gears and twisting metal
               fill my ears……..
                  and the sirens…….
                             the sirens………
                                      the sirens………
Aug 2015 · 487
rhyme crime .......
Sam Temple Aug 2015
Is it wrong to want to write hit songs
smoke from bongs while wearing thongs
move the throngs into song
about long dongs and walking along beaches…
what is the problem with tripping with dips
and nipping buds while ripping joints
flipping skirts and dripping squirters
primping limp ***** in front of debutants…
it has to be alright to fight the right wing blighters
near sighted and mighty with Jesus
high on tea leaves and asking why can’t **** victims
just have the baby at night
tis their plight….
Aghast, I blast past raspy voiced smokers
Flashing my press pass at the ****** masses
I lash lasses with pizazz on the bleachers
preaching all the time about reaching for Zion
screeching teachers speechify
addressing lecherous miser’s
bent by societies plyers ….
Aug 2015 · 262
prison 8/31/2015
Sam Temple Aug 2015
slowly, I watch the second hand journey
around
and around
each minute taking me one step closer to death
each tick another lost instance
one more opportunity gone
eyes cross and vision blurs
at the mindless spinning
never ending swirl
capturing perfectly
the uselessness of this time
I am a babysitter
for grown men.
Working in prison
is all about time
line-movements
CB calls
and the eternal counting of bodies
every minute accounted for
each body forever monitored
authorized areas only –
I find myself doing time
not necessarily ‘hard’
but consistent…
I watch new guys enter the program
as old guys leave with degrees
the revolving door of college inside
yet, I remain constant as the tide
or the rising and setting sun
I am a voluntary lifer
a small, but important club.
Aug 2015 · 314
we, into wind
Sam Temple Aug 2015
there is a moment
when I feel our skin meet
that it seems like the first kiss
thirteen years later

you have a look
that is more than just in your eyes
but takes over your entire demeanor
when I walk in the door

I notice the subtle shift in energy
when we are discussing future plans
there is a detectable excitement in the air
as our creative power is locally legendary

each new day I wake and smile
knowing it is with you that I will spend my time
that it is together that we will face the challenges
hand in hand we take on the world

these moments, days, years
blend and pass in a blur
leaving us to grasp for each other
hoping to hold onto a single minute

I fear no end, my darling
as energy only shifts form
long after this body is dead and decomposed
we will travel the cosmos together as wind.
Aug 2015 · 387
wooded encounter
Sam Temple Aug 2015
I look across
the moss covered snag
laid delicately on the forest floor
creating habitat for micro-cilium
and rodent families.
Momentarily disorientated
by the crashing of dry
and disjointed underbrush,
I peer through the Fir thicket
attempting to find the source.
At first I am both startled and amazed
at the sheer size of what I perceive to be
an angry grizzly mother
a territorial male mountain cougar
a ******* bigfoot!!
To my surprise and terror
I hear the crashing get closer
and catch the wafting scent
of my unknown adversary…
nay, my death provider
and the digester of Sam.
Unfiltered fear sweeps through me
as visions of all the things in my life
left undone, pass before my eyes
holding grandchildren, reading to them
holding my wife’s small fingers at the table
of the assisted living facilities dining room,
stamps…
when at once my fear is realized
and I find myself staring into the malicious
deadly
evil eyes of
a baby fawn still in spot
that my reckless forest tramping
has stirred from its hidden slumber.
I blush and move on.
Aug 2015 · 114
Poetry (10W)
Sam Temple Aug 2015
I write this **** for

myself…


but you can

look.
Aug 2015 · 360
coming to terms
Sam Temple Aug 2015
used to try writing raps
my version of stealing from blacks
near had a heart-attack over the fact
aint nothing worse than a white assed mac
back to the roots with my poetic muse
but I refuse to lose the blues
or act like they aren’t my bad news
see, I too have worn out shoes
solidarity and commonality through being poor
letters to Santa scratched into the cold dirt floor
always living hungry, afraid to ask for more
only thing ever offered freely was access to the front door
you know..  “complaining ***, get the **** out”
leaving very little room for anyone to doubt
there was nothing of my station granting me any version of clout
and fingerprints across my face were the answer to a pout
now I just stick with poetry, was never really a thief
well except that little piece of coral from the Hawaiian reef
or my trip to Jamaica when I ripped off that spleef
or the time after all that trimming I had 11 pounds of keef
those are all lies I have barely been off the west coast
I wanted you to be impressed so I had to try and boast
like that was the only way you would think I was ‘the most’
guess I will go do my Elwood impression and have some plain white toast
Aug 2015 · 3.4k
The Rain on my Pane
Sam Temple Aug 2015
I think, Lorraine, it was the rain
gently pattering upon my pane
creating rhythm in my sleeping brain
encouraging chaos bordering insane
I blamed it ,Lorraine, on the falling rain.

A vison arose of a windswept plain
saddleless riders in the north of Spain
granting a stranger a sultry dame
standing in the pouring rain…
I think, Lorraine, it was the rain.

Her eyes expressed complete distain
looking at fools pretending to reign
over lands with dragons left un-slain
me, I could only sit and complain
I blamed it, Lorraine, on the falling rain.

I heard a ghost howl in pain
bitten by a rabid Dane
fleeting images of regret and shame
flashed across my face again…
I think, Lorraine, it was the rain.

I blamed it, Lorraine, on the falling rain
the day you told me I was your bane
you wished to see me die alone in pain
with nothing but the falling rain….
I think, Lorraine, it was the rain.

Like the blackest tar running through my vein
the three a.m. creature threw me on a plane
sent me sailing down the next of a Crane
U-turn careening into the oncoming lane
I blamed it, Lorraine, on the falling rain.

When at last our eyes met her dusty mane
created an aura I can’t explain
but enveloped the world in love without shame
giving the people joy without pain
I think, Lorraine, it was the rain.

I think, Lorraine, it was the rain
which fed the stranger on the train
looking to rob the Spanish Main
a thought I considered to be to framed…
I blamed it, Lorraine, on the falling rain.

Left in the twilight listening without restrain
these visions creep into my insomniac brain
as drip after drip crash upon my pane
I think, Lorraine, it was the rain…
I blamed it, Lorraine, on the falling rain.
Sam Temple Aug 2015
afternoon poo cramp brings a wave of nausea
sweat coats my back causing
the polyester blend to stick to my skin
unsightly wrinkles and folds follow
my belly bulge’s smooth contours  
highlighted –
trying to adjust my ball cap
in a pointless effort hinging on the idea
that wiping the sweat from my brow
will alleviate six feet five inches
of gross wet mass;
this of course is fruitless and all I get
is a wet spot on the bicep of my shirt—
gurgling belly as I try to digest poison Taco Bell
and high fructose soda-pop
like I am still a teen
trapped in a 40 year old frame…
one day I will give up the trash
eat a bit better
and feel loads different,
until then, this will occasionally return
and be my revolving lunch fate –
Aug 2015 · 577
true timelessness
Sam Temple Aug 2015
to write timeless
one need only to leave time out of poetry
the moment you place any object
recognized culturally
or any type of social structure
you are dating yourself
and failing to write timeless poetry –
it is the complete removal of
and adherence to structure which
elevates the mundane and regular that
gives us the opportunity to create great and lasting works
example: the hot dry desert sat windblown…
example: a tree stretching to the heavens watches as its babies
fall slowly to the ground below…
example: the sea crashed into the basalt leaving pools of foam
and small disoriented creatures…
these concepts know no time
they exist as natural and eternal images
you know, timeless –
one cannot incorporate emotions
or fears
as they could be subject
there is a possibility that what was once greatly feared
or perhaps emphatically idolized
is neither recognized or remembered
by the humans walking today…
this leaves us truly only one type of poem to write
when seeking to capture timelessness:
the nature of the cosmos
the stars are
and have always been……….
Truly, I hope this helps –
Aug 2015 · 339
fallen foam bubble
Sam Temple Aug 2015
Mountain stream,
barely flowing, a trickle really
cascades down the rock face
largely evaporating before tumbling
to the slight puddle below
the wannabe torrent meanders slowly downhill  
grabbing the occasional leaf
and transporting it to the valley –
foam bubble travelling the length
finds itself stuck on a small waterlogged
bramble branch
being pulled and distorted,
its rainbows playfully dance
casting light onto shadowy bank caves
looking at how much journey has passed
excited about what it to come –
dislodged pebble bounds along the creek bed
sending  old crawdad claws
and remnants of fish **** particulates
swirling and careening though the rippling brook
as the tiny boulder strikes the bramble,
the pebble finds a new home
while the bubble continues its long overdue journey –
a wind in the tree tops sends
helicopters and pine needles soaring
spinning and falling without care or forethought
the tiniest sharpened end of a pine needle
drops tip first
into the bubble
as it travels peacefully down…
a sudden ‘pop’ and the forest falls quiet
seems the wise ole owl will collect again….
he is the only one always betting on bubble failure –
Aug 2015 · 342
hooker parade
Sam Temple Aug 2015
paying to be published
is *******
is egocentric
is foolhardy
I think anyone taking that road
needs to rethink the meanings
of art and expression
writers for money
are ******…..
but it is easy for me to feel this way
I am barely published
and hardly known…
maybe I should drink more milk –
would I ***** it up if given the chance…
sure, I want to be recognized
I am a poet,
maybe even solid
and since Maya died,
there is a slight void
but nothing on this lovely rock
would create in me the need to pay
to see my name in print…
well, more than the ole sweat and tears –
Sam Temple Aug 2015
moonlight on the bamboo shoots
falling stars mark sharp edges
cutting skin with blades of grass
the roots push the concrete out of socket
yellowing drought bringing out
bucket handles and flowery gloves
shoving back the strawberry runners
two by four planter boxes
rot –
brown blueberry leaves crunch
corpses of raspberry stocks bend and snap
complete lack of moisture or tending
rendering fat of homeless cats
in a vat of future soap
gifts for loved ones
never realizing the suds
were once fluffy paws
and sweet meows –
summer drags, the fifth month being the hardest
lard fest at the local poke’a’pig
barbeque, burning maple…
giant oak stands guard, devoid of leaves
only helicopter seeds wait for a breeze
my sweat soaked sleeves need that same air to flow
but, no…
we must languish in the swelter
lakes fade and long dead tree stumps
see the first light in 100 years
fighting for shade, boated fish
swish scorched fins
desperate for any reprieve –
Aug 2015 · 223
outsider, sadly
Sam Temple Aug 2015
someday, maybe I will be fully integrated
I see so many posts about trolling
and hate filled messages
individuals attacking art
for the sake of meanness
and bully status –
I sit on the sidelines waiting
a monster in the deep
so much rage and hostility just seething under the surface
and yet,
no one awakens the beast
I receive only kindness and pleasantries
I am beginning to think
I am only an observer here –
Reaching out, reading more
attempting to become, but alas,
I am older, harsher, and too opinionated
to be part of the fun
left out of the dark side
of Hello Poetry –
Aug 2015 · 569
A Visit from Mother
Sam Temple Aug 2015
bladder cramp sends my sleeping body to the toilet
eyes crusted and full of the sandman’s wears,
I catch the momentary glimmer
slightest shape or form
hovering gently
above mom’s shrine.
eagle feathers and owl claws
adorn agate jars and fossil chips
beaded leather hangs from above
and the bone dreamcatcher sways
yet I feel no breeze…
passing though the hall
on the way back from urination
more awake in myself
I look over the area again,
hoping.
Aug 2015 · 558
teapot fantasy
Sam Temple Aug 2015
out of the still of night
and with a jolting start
I find myself inundated with cool liquid
and given life through direct current –
pressed against the yellow mica
I sit quiet, then, at once,
a rumbling fills the quiet stillness
held together only by glue and gravity
the boiling water transforms
settling back down to a simple
swirling and steaming mass
but now, a slightly different color appears
and the smell of spice wafts freely –
grabbed without a please
or a moment’s thought to my well-being
I feel myself lifted into the air
and tipped over
the sensation is not unlike a rollercoaster
except after, I am always empty
the hollowness of my body matches the emptiness of my soul
as I watch her sip the tea
and leave the quiet kitchen to start her day –
Aug 2015 · 441
fuck longevity
Sam Temple Aug 2015
awaiting the next dynamic pandemic
I look to those surviving with AIDS and think….
we need to start letting death run its course
why feed the starving
either abroad or on our very shores
when the writing on the wall
is clear
7 billion humans were never meant to be here –
Bird flu, swine cold, mutated viruses
all working with such diligence
and we…or should I say, our scientist
biochemists,
those bent on immortality
or at the very least, a healthy populace –
be ****** I say!
There is a reason people die en masse'
there is a need pestilence and disease
there is a definite place for mass suicides
and the systematic destruction of cultures and races
we simply don’t have the space
concern
or reserve of resources to facilitate
all of these mouths…
and there are more on the way –
so much energy in giving the gift of children
to those born barren
as if we know better than nature what needs to breed
I have seen the mountain top
and I have seen the other side
and people, most of you are dead
probably me too
as it should be –
Aug 2015 · 503
reality dose....
Sam Temple Aug 2015
today, my darling wife meets a neurosurgeon
it turns out the herniation of a disk
is pressing on the spine
causing numbness, discomfort, and potentially
paralysis…
unable to focus or concentrate
I find myself meditating
on worst case scenarios
perhaps the sullen poet in me
has been waiting for tangible crisis –
brooding dude in a foul mood
not enough sick time to make the trip
I sit in an office
thinking about interstate travel
doctors office magazines
and the sterile smell of the smaller,
more important waiting room
void of reading material
but full of fun tongue depressors and
knobs and dials on the blood pressure cuff –
Inmates surround my tiny desk
asking questions about their degree path
inquiring about next term’s schedule
and can I print for them…
all the while
I am not even in my body…
instead I float
hovering near the mental image of my wife
alone in a waiting room
calmly reading US Weekly
while the fate of the next 40 years
of our lives
lays on a MRI on a desk in an office –
Aug 2015 · 635
fate salad, no cheese
Sam Temple Aug 2015
I can’t breathe….
the weight is too great and my fate waits
plated…
I need only choose it as it sits so near
I can touch it
crutched ******* munch my lunch
my growing hunch bunches
and I get a headache –
the macabre steps out
rotten curtains hang limp around eyes
coated with think and smeared mascara,
earlobes gauged and a professional gapper,
lifts its 6 fingered hand
reaching for the peaches –
cheap fruit on the veranda molds
plastic bowls hold cracked eggs
and her legs stretch to the moon
swooning, I come unglued and swallowing ludes
like a Bill Cosby date I wait again
for my fate to begin –
peeling paint and fainting actresses
plaster masked maniacs along muddy hallways
shinning pennies give the illusion of care
but rarely is flare so debonair
the holey underwear share in my despair
we were unprepared –
Sam Temple Aug 2015
pandering to the lowest common
the red headed ******* brays into the void
faceless masses screech back from the darkness
begging to be fed again, shown light
offered dignity…but this day has not come
instead
the beast feasts on those least able to protect themselves
the laughter follows… --
pretentious preacher gargles wine
claiming the blood of Christ flows within him too
favored and chosen by god, we must obey whatever tomfoolery
this sociopath lays at our ingrown toenails
dried skin flakes away in the warm breeze
as displeased fleas flee the scene
no longer able to **** the impoverished blood
their hunger turns
refocusing
looking to those in power
and them which control wealth gap policy –
reptilian overloads bathe in the blood of Amber alert victims
drinking deep discontent and discord
while spreading disease through dog spit
…… my how the Americans love to give their puppies kisses on the mouth
The greatest nation pays tribute to the false image of evil incarnate
Some give this face to Obama,
others see it in the smile of Donald Trump, me,
I see it in the eyes of the apathetic child
too worried about the new call of duty game
to care if a flag means slavery
or black people are disproportionately shot by cops
to quantify, at my age, anyone under 25 is a child
sorry, youngin…  --
witnessing women liberate themselves so extremely
as to have ***** grown in laboratories
I hope unicorn women are in our future,
with big floppy black *****
surgically attached to their foreheads
this idea will certainly get them through that glass ceiling
as no one will stand in the way
for fear of being thrusted upon
by the new secretary …….
……….
Did I have a point? –
Aug 2015 · 2.1k
Trump's wall
Sam Temple Aug 2015
for so many years
a wall stood in Berlin
separating families
instigating fears
Trump wants to do this again
this time on American soil
like Mexican migrant workers are what’s wrong in this country
and aiding the less fortunate is the greatest of sin
we eat of their sweat, feast on their toil
and blame them for draining the economy
this land was theirs before manifest destiny
the injustice makes my blood boil
I really am thinking the man needs a lobotomy
watching him spew insanity from the pulpit
driving the frothing crowd of idiots into a frenzy
these hypocrites turn their backs on 30:19 Deuteronomy
a den of wolves is no place to raise up a kit
and this anti-hero is about to feed the masses to the fire
his election will be the true end of America
and we will all drown in the proverbial ****
but I think you should vote for him as the earth is already down to the wire
climate change and fukushima have us all in the cross-hairs
the incoming asteroid to end all life and the oil dollar crash
enough to make this ole doomer perspire –
Aug 2015 · 317
winter's grasp
Sam Temple Aug 2015
the expressions of a blanket half-buried in the snow
mountain ranges and glacial valleys
as poly-blend fibers wrinkle under the weight
fibrous and wind blown
like the mossy lichen
on a high isolated peak
cold to the touch and sticking to wet fingers
the ice sheet forms without fanfare
giving rise to reddened digits
and the first invitation to a black and lifeless
frost bite victim.
subzero temperatures
send swirling crystals high into the air
giving the image of flying diamonds
gently falling and twirling in a gentle winter’s breeze
rainbow prisms dance across faded wool
frayed edges play in the wind
twisting and knotting themselves
as if the weather
were attempting to **** or mend
the ancient coverer of bodies and equipment.
sad howl travels the length of the valley
carrying the sorrow of no spring on the horizon
branches brake under the weight of water, reshaped as an ice shield
mournful cattle huddle beneath a lone elm
leaf-less and barren
shivering leather stands in solitude
waiting for the growl of an old truck
to drag yet another bale of hay
out into the tundra. –
Aug 2015 · 372
exposing the lies
Sam Temple Aug 2015
Dreaming of freely bringing my ***** out in public
not for *** or show, no
but to catch a breeze or please a passerby
give an old lady a sigh, and why not?
we are so hung up on these ideas of modesty
and deftly trying to live up to an ethical and moral code
that was written in stone 3500 years ago
by a man with horns
who spent 40 years lost in a desert….. nay, I say
whip it out and swing it about
the same with *******
give them girls a tan, and when a man stares
poke him in the eye with an ***** ******, it’s simple
soon, **** dimples will be the norm and only in stormy weather
will we worry about coverage….we are above this rage over
breast feeding babies and ****** and rabies
one humanity naked in the sun
all skins bronzed
all eyes mere slits to the brightness
of the whiteness of my ***
it is not about wealth or class
or poverty hags with well-groomed half-breed puppies
it’s all about me and my needs to express the sin of skin
to all but my kin
as that just seems weird –
Aug 2015 · 407
Farm Love
Sam Temple Aug 2015
Looking out across the farm, I am disarmed…
not generally an alarmist,
I am charmed by the sheer magnitude;
Grow two-thousand fifteen stands emerald green in the evening sun
As all 87 girls stretching up and out
as per the scrogg instructions,
some super cropping and a little topping
has forced the crop to the top tier of excellence
in defiance they rely on us, the growers
or tenders of the medicine
but moreover, the sunshine and proper nutrition…
much like a child that needs to be kept safe
and fed healthy,
these babies also crave love and compassion
and, after a fashion, they bequeath these gifts back onto us
in the form of perfect female flowers
flowing freely with the sap
containing chemistry capable of curing cancer
ending seizures
and generally improving the overall quality of life
for the non-abuser.
“Come to Oregon!” I say
as this is the place to be
to freely see what can be
when a few likeminded individuals
join forces and redefine the land
and what it means to be a farmer
and crop tender. –
Aug 2015 · 513
mid 2000 through Aug. 2002
Sam Temple Aug 2015
course and stubbly moustache whiskers brush against my forehead
sending uncontrollable shivers of discontent
through my narcotic addled body
beginning to rouse from my ****** induced slumber
I catch out of my periphery the chubby cheeks
and balding dome of the man who pays to **** my **** –
days to weeks to months…
18 long, despair filled terror
never a moments rest
or a minute of peaceful sleep
despite half a gram a day black tar
intravenously gifted to a bleak and melancholy  
man-***** –
blue eyes following my every movement
ready to pounce like a rascally kitten
except this is not cute
and boarders on ****
as a sleeping / drug induced coma victim
is really unable to say yes –
the mirror holds no lie
and I see the truth each day as I wash my face
no amount of soap
can ever clean away the filth…
guilt and addiction
what a terrible combination for this poor ole chappy –
Aug 2015 · 333
her body in the moonlight
Sam Temple Aug 2015
the heartless darkness harkens to her
shapeless under the flowing frock
a slight breeze sends wafting gauze
to shimmer in the blurred moonlight
foggy images of monstrous mystery
play just out of sight, frolicking in the early morn shadows
pre-dawn on a night lit slightly by the waning moon
distorted stars shift effortlessly as the mist swirls
around delicate and chilly ankles
from the window above
a vantage just overlooking the unkempt garden
I take in the scene and fall in love
all over again –
Sam Temple Aug 2015
Paul Simon wrote a tune
going on about the soles of a woman’s shoes
and the diamonds therein…
not to be outdone, I will attempt to regale you
with my own tale of diamond feet –
t’was approaching dusk
when my compadre and myself dropped
the lovely little purple tablets
two each...
was a ’94 Nissan that took us from Salem to Pacific City
and nestled us safely into Bob Straub state park
tracers and shadow images were starting to disrupt
and we began the long hike to the mouth of the Nestucca –
darkness was all around ‘cept the amazing starlit sky
not a sliver of moon shown
and the tide had slipped away quietly,
we found ourselves in the flats
a slight reflection of the stars on the wet sand below
and instantly we were both transported into the vastness of the universe
surrounded on all sides by nothing but the glimmering of a billion individual stars
(…. I am sure if I had took to spinning endlessly
like a small child in the summer sun,
I would have disappeared entirely
blending forever with the cosmos that engulfed me….)
I knew at that moment why my ancestors
high on ergot
thought the world flat –
we joined each other on a small spikey grass patch
and commenced smoking pipe full
after pipe full
discussing our connection to the everything
and the minuet nature of man
without ever saying a word…
those in the know, know
all we got from the pile of **** was thick slimy spit
and the desire to keep moving…
so back down the three mile stretch of sand we went
aiming at a fogged-out
barely visible street lamp
signifying the parking lot and the safety of the little grey Sentra –
at some point along the return journey,
in a moment of playfulness,
my dear friend kicked a small amount of sand in my general direction
the explosion of diamonds and refracted light prisms
which danced across the spread pattern
fanning 15 feet from his worn house shoes
was more than we could believe.
I kicked back with slightly more vigor
we watched glittery sparkling sand fly
catching each other’s eye, huge acid inspired smiles took over
first just a little kick, then diamond glitter in all directions
then a soccer star punt
shooting stars across the sandy beach
each new step
a thousand disco ***** reflecting off the calm sea
each kick,
more diamonds than all of South Africa…….
It was this trip we made the conscious decision,
“two people witnessing the same thing is a confirmed sighting;
and therefore really happened.”
Sam Temple Aug 2015
Wriggling infantile amoeba…
barely a bacterium,
adheres biomechanically
to passing hemoglobin,
introducing alien elements
and corrupting the hosts purity…
experiment completes
within 6 generational spans
and man stands –
foreign bodies infiltrate
meteor dust inhaled
joins broken genes
and imposes slight variations
on the double helix…
possibility explosion
exploiting the environment
granting the upright ape
voice and reason –
volcanic ash and the passing of Venus
universal suffering and pain
misshapen faces contort
gobbling petroleum based mana
from the nearby fauna
bottle-neck and inbreeding
nothing to feed on but the flesh of those past
5000 ****-sapiens
give rise to 7 billion lunatics
roaming lost and *******
on a little blue marble—
Aug 2015 · 452
f-stop for fun
Sam Temple Aug 2015
frantic fingers in February
frost bitten and fumbling the knots
forbidden fish frolic, unsuspecting
free fresh chum flows from the flower bucket
as foraging future fillets
flounder in the underwater foliage –
fallen leaves create the floor
frog feet rest in the funk
finch feathers float on the ripples
frozen fox prints dance fancifully on the fresh fallen snow field
freely, my friends and I frolic also –
Aug 2015 · 365
my old dog after work
Sam Temple Aug 2015
a low grumble and a hard thud
as I walk into my abode
old man jimmy rolls on his back
greeting me after my time on the road—

his thick floppy jowls hang free
as he looks up me upside-down
a bit of the tail wagging ensues
and there is no way to maintain my frown –

more guttural vocalizations
followed by pressing all his weight against my legs
looking up into my face
wishing I had something to try and beg—

I give a few sharp pats on his head
and command him to get outta my face
more grumbles as he slowly walks to his station
even an old crotchety lab has the ability to learn his place –
Aug 2015 · 870
my chief Joseph
Sam Temple Aug 2015
somewhere over two packs a day
budget smokes
tobacco and chemicals swept up off the plant floor
combines with well over one thousand gallons of Jim Beam
hate-fest on the liver and lungs –
from under twenty the ******* and LSD
sherm’s with the break dancers
in the Frisco Bay
years of **** abuse
both via the nose,
and also from a foil tube
………….
and then the ****** –

50 plus years old in an emergency room
looking at pictures
of  10% heart function
fuzzy, grainy, distorted,
and true…
major life changes ensue
through with smoking and eating garbage
afraid of road rage
and defibrillation
sitting in a basement
thinking about my cannabis oil
and a November trip to Colorado. –

phone calls to friends expressing a new version
telling the youth the lifestyle isn’t always the way
living fast and dying young
doesn’t always work
rarely leaves a pretty corpse
and won’t make you any more of a badass….
to live one’s life to the fullest
each and every day
with no consideration for the outcome
sometimes has you looking at pictures
of healthy lungs
plaque free arteries
a clean liver
and only 10% heart function –

Images I have never seen
waltz through my mind
slowly turning and moving to and fro
one, two, three
one, two, three
the rhythm matching the unevenness
of his most important muscle
I sit quietly on the edge of my bed
thinking over a lifetime and my best dear friend
I hope we make it to November. –
Aug 2015 · 573
junk drawer trash bag
Sam Temple Aug 2015
broken lines of tragic poetry
spread *****-nilly across the imitation hard-wood flooring
polyurethane broad leaf maple
complete with swirls and lines
as if it were somehow damaged in a lightning storm and forced to grow
twisted and bent
I stare into the abyss of half-written sentences
and six rhyme sets
bent, rent, dent, cent, divergent, spent
home, gnome (Alaska or little dwarf), poem, loam, roam, beachcomber
draft, raft, laughed, giraffe, bath, Taft (little town near Lincoln City)
and so on and so on and so on
til death –
grasping at passing visions and mental images
attempting to reconcile this pile into worthwhile stylings
and filing them alphabetically …

there I did it accidentally….
as if to prove the point on my head
has a friend.

Revolving floor of soreness
my pores ooze from unrest
able to fully digest
what I peruse and use for
my next ‘write’ fest
something about ****** and recess…
and the best dressed in the west
confessing diabetes….
I digress
and pretend this never happened –
Aug 2015 · 741
new day, again
Sam Temple Aug 2015
trolling the doldrums for crumbs of gold
selling old caldrons to witless witches
wearing goblin teeth and dragons blood
earrings from Hot Topic
I languish in the Emo village that is the United States –
Self-serving ******* preserving their precious habitats
while habitually encumbering the global ecology
drinking biodegradable Starbucks in Buick Escalades
escapade-ing ***** raiders afraid of Mercury in retrograde
staying clear of the mayhem
and playing fear propagating madman
I stoke wildfires with gasoline
prodding the populace into premature ******* –
poorly formed ideas the norm
the scorn for the figureheads shows on the shoreline
boorish oarsmen, moored, pour their kerosene blood
onto the floor…. Sure,
pure Fuerer fodder,  but newer shoes
were never shod
and the godhead faces west into the sunset –
druidic fluids escape wiccan slits
as the children of the Azure seas never get to be born
Pleaedian starships collide inside Antarctic subterranean dwellings
indiscriminate shelling of uninhabited caverns
as ravenous reptilians eat the jaw muscles
and left eye sockets
of organically fed Dairy cows…
espoused louse houses in Fall fashion blouses
trounce the infirm in clown shaped bounce houses
again, the sin goes unnoticed
as the blood of the innocents grants the elitists
another thousand years of power –
The tower on the hill still shines in the moonlight
on the 5th night of delighting the religious right…
mighty flightless birds self-assured and fed
on bramble burrs
purr at the sight.
bodies strewn all askew;
the moaning few with skin turning blue
true to the stories of old
as lack of oxygen blends with the biblical beast mark
and staving for air the impaired dare not to ask for Jesus aid…
instead they lay, waiting to be saved –
Aug 2015 · 357
Milepost 146
Sam Temple Aug 2015
tan hair with white spots sway in the passing breeze
black hooves clatter against the asphalt
large blue eyes reflect in the Halogen headlamps
and I try to swerve without killing everyone in the car –
standing above the fallen baby
I can only sigh as my heavy chest heaves
as the sight of my first ****** in near 20 years
sends me reeling.
Bumper be ******!
light fixtures can be replaced through a junk yard
(or refurbished/ new-to-you auto parts center if you prefer)
this was a life!
Somewhere in the trees, she watches me…
the mother who carried this precious angel to term,
suckled and nurtured its tiny body,
taught it to hide and to survive…
all but me and this road –
Picking up pieces of plastic
and scooting the lifeless body to the berm,
I take one last look at my new karmic debt,
…………..
We shoulda ate it. –
Aug 2015 · 360
Home from the Beach
Sam Temple Aug 2015
Her eyes fill with tears
as we leave the costal campground.
Soundlessly, she sobs…
not for sadness,
but the remembrance of times past.
I cast loving eyes in her direction
keeping the wheel straight as we
careen down Oregon’s beautiful highway 101.
Years flash before my mind’s eye…
Images of present wrappers strewn about
and,
family meals with extra trimmings
and,
placing grandma Sue under her favorite tree
to spend eternity.
Too much time has passed.
I gently stroke her thigh and express my love,
she turns and looks deep into me,
knowing I understand that it is not pain,
but the love of our children
and the times we will never have back
that gives redness and puffy eyes cause to be.
Quiet miles pass…
The green rolling hills break off onto sandy beaches;
white tipped waves crash giving the dampened granules
a darker tone
matching the interior of the grey Saturn Vue.
Aug 2015 · 1.6k
umpteen trash sacks
Sam Temple Aug 2015
is there any room for hope…
no longer is friendly white Jesus
waiting on a cloud with harp playing angles
that image has been replaced
with Catholic officials proclaiming
Alien saviors will soon be at our doorstep…
a doorstep sprinkled with nuclear fallout
and massive carbon and methane emissions
a doorstep in which hate resides
based on skin color,
religious dogma,
classism,
and anything else the media outlets
promote to the mindless ninnies
forever entranced by the glowing box…
a glowing box spilling lies onto children’s ears
forcing sexuality and violence on children’s eyes
promoting genetically modified foods
flavored with prescription drugs
for children’s mouths’
all the while singing about the future
and the world we are leaving behind…
and so many behinds must parish
so many parishes of Pharisees
pleading to the Presbyterians
that the Pleiadian’s
probably will save us all
from our own collective choices
or maybe they are coming to feed…
we feed on the flesh of the endangered
for status
we frolic in the delicate forests
for fun
we fight amongst ourselves
for fear
but I am free from that frivolity
seriously….
Aug 2015 · 350
My eyes
Sam Temple Aug 2015
I watch the dogs roll in the grass
watch them eat new shoots.
I watch the thrush on the fence post
watch it peck at something in its talons.
I watch the sunrise over the Cascade foothills
watch rays of morning light pass through distance fir trees.
I watch the leaves burst forth, elongate, turn green
watch them fade to brown, fall, and slowly make their way to the forest floor.
I watch the rise and fall of my lover’s chest
watch her sleep peacefully in the bed next to me.
I watch the second hand
watch it strain for each new minute.
I watch my eyes in the mirror
watch wrinkles form on the outer edges.

I look across the garden
look at all the medicine growing.
I look down at my hands
look at the roughness of a lifetime of toiling in the soil.
I look at my little black and white cat
look at the patches of missing fur.
I look back over my shoulder
look at what I have left behind.
I look at the stars in the quiet of night
look at the vastness of our galaxy.
I look into the coy pond I dug by hand
look at the fish still swimming the same circles five years later.
I look at the bamboo I planted to give them shade
look at the disaster of an invasive species taking over.

I see her in the window
see her looking back at me.
I see the sun high in the sky
see little droplets of sweat form along my forearm.
I see the faces of children in magazines
see them with flies on their eyeballs.
I see the shapes of divinity in the flower pedals
see the Mandelbrot’s in crashing waves.
I see my reflection in the pool
see concern and worry upon my brow.
I see my mother barely breathing in the Hospice home
see the last moments of her physical life.
I see the future
see it in blurry visions of death and despair.
Aug 2015 · 439
adjusting to civility
Sam Temple Aug 2015
We share:
connections,
interests,
laughter,
and cooking…..
and now,
I miss my friend.
Small talk in passing,
emails about work,
the occasional chat box joke fest…
but the distance,
and awkwardness,
does not dissipate…
and I feel it always,
and all ways.
Sitting only a few feet apart
separated by feelings, mostly
we try and muddle through
our tasks
waiting for Wednesday to end
so the pressure of being face to face
can fade…
at least for a few days.
Funny we came to this place
after so many years of togetherness
after so many plans
so much future preparation…
so much time investment
and now,
just a face in the hall
that causes me both pain
and quiet reflection. –
Aug 2015 · 615
recognizing hair
Sam Temple Aug 2015
course, black, dog hair
from an eleven year old lab mastiff mix
pokes through my salmon button down
reminding me of home
while I pretend to work another day –
sitting in my swivel chair contemplating string theory,
dark matter,
zero-point energy and magnets…
enjoying a slight breeze
thinking about what a mint julip tastes like
and if the temperature and humidity are right
for that sort of affair –
wrinkled slack leg shows the truth
I wore these pants yesterday
dusty Nike proving my enslavement
thank god the sole is pulling away from the faux leather
at least I am not a slave to the seasons –
three week old stubble gives my calloused hands
something to scratch and rub
granting me the look of thoughtfulness
and intense consideration…
I play this up so no one bothers me –
Sam Temple Aug 2015
billowing plumes of combustible grasses
send  nuclear clouds into the stratosphere  
pillow columns stretch into the ether
and expand against the barometric pressure
of high elevation
sending tendrils of smoke sweeping across the evening sky –
near the fence stands a fireman covered in soot
in one hand a pail of water
with a spout
he looks as calm as if he were heading to the garden
gaily, it swings back and forth on a slight breeze
as the daydreaming fireman stands on the edge
of an inferno –
cars slow and passersby gawk at the spectacle
another season comes to pass
as the grass fields are burned
in the early August sunshine --
Aug 2015 · 957
Whitman Takes his Tole
Sam Temple Aug 2015
Slogging through endless Whitman prose and I have to make little marks
on the pages every 8 to 14 lines as my mind will not quit the wandering roam.
Blanket paragraphs blend into infinite droll, never ending whine-fest of bull
jazz…jazz singers fill the empty spaces between
the lines of drivel.

The dog barks on the veranda looking old and sad in the wind,
The water trickles through a series of rusted and holey pipes… peeling
asbestos laden lead paint tricks the mouths of children… a sick cat heaves near the Chesterfield.

Finding myself no longer interested in freelance fodder, I real from one daydream to the next
without enough pause to subconsciously journal… a subcutaneous oak shard
gives a slight reddish bump to my well defined forearm,
slight pressure sends nearly transparent ****
screaming from its melanin tomb.
The sliver remains diligent.

The sliver holds its ground,
The sliver has a new home,
The sliver wants to die here,
and never again travel the long lonesome forest road,
The sliver shines silver in the sunlight,
I shiver at the sight.
Jul 2015 · 392
I'm a poet.
Sam Temple Jul 2015
I’m a poet…
Not one of these
rhyme selling
alliteration junkies,
nor a stanza *****, and what’s more
I think sonnets and Haiku a bore
I snore
at the doorway to beat poet’s hipster-ism
giggling internally at the vast breadth
of useless love prose.
I stand examining the sunrise for meaning
seeking the symbolism left in the echo of crunching dead leaves…
mine is not the path for the faint of heart
as I attack with words
every social norm I come across
every cultural drag
and each individual act of stupidity
so as to become the voice of a nation
unheard, unknown,
but existing, none the less –
I am a poet.
Jul 2015 · 730
Tina Lyn Temple
Sam Temple Jul 2015
Taking stock
I find myself
Needing only one thing
Always seeking this feeling

Looking back over near thirteen years
You seem to me to be a perfect vision of loveliness
Never giving me reason to be sad

Today, I think about our love
Even in stressful  times
Made difficult by financial worries,
Poor communication or misunderstandings,
Love and laughter are the constant
Every day I fall for you again
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