"greyhounds" poems
the bus poets
we are the modern day chimney sweeps,
the ***** black faced coal miners of the city,
digging up its grit, toasted with its spit,
the gone and forgotten elevator operators,
the anonymous substitutable,
still yet glimpsed occasionally,
grunts of urbanity
provoking a surprised
whaddya know!
once like the bison and the buffalo,
we were thousands,
word workers roaming the cities,
the intercity rural routes and the lithe greyhounds
across the land of the brave,
free in ways the
founders wanted us to be
us, the stubs and stuff,
harder working poor and lower cases
we were the bus poets,
sitting always in the back of the bus,
where the engines growls loudest,
seated in the - the most overheated
in winter time, so much so
we nearly disrobed,
and then come the summer,
we were blasted with a joking
hot reverie from the vents,
but vent, no, we did not!
no - we wrote and wrote of all we heard,
passion overheated by currents within and without,
recording and ordering the
snatches and the soliloquies of the passengers,
into poem swatches;
the goings on passing by,
the overheard histories,
glimpsed in milliseconds, eternity preserved,
inscribed in a cheap blue lined five & dime notebook,
for all eternity what the eyes
sighed and saw
books ever passed
onto the next generation in boxes from the supermarket,
attic labeled, then forgotten beside the outgrown toys
with our names writ indelible with the magic of
black markers
if you stumble upon a breathing scripter,
let them be, just observe,
as they, you,
these movers and bus shakers,
as they, observe you
tell your children,
you knew one in your youth,
then take them to the attic
retrieve your mother's and father's,
teach your children
how to read, how to see,
the ways of their forefathers,
the forsaken,
the bus poets.
Sep 29, 2017
Sep 29, 2017 at 7:53 AM UTC
Lady, weeping at the crossroads
Would you meet your love
In the twilight with his greyhounds,
And the hawk on his glove?
Bribe the birds then on the branches
Bribe them to be dumb,
Stare the hot sun out of heaven
That the night may come.
Starless are the night of travel,
Bleak the winter wind;
Run with terror all before you
And regret behind.
Run until you hear the ocean's
Everlasting cry;
Deep though it may be and bitter
You must drink it dry.
Wear out patience in the lowest
Dungeons of the sea,
Searching through the stranded shipwrecks
For the golden key.
Push on to the world's end, pay the
Dread guard with a kiss;
Cross the rotten bridge that totters
Over the abyss.
There stands the deserted castle
Ready to explore;
Enter, climb the marble staircase
Open the locked door.
Cross the silent ballroom,
Doubt and danger past;
Blow the cobwebs from the mirror
See yourself at last.
Put your hand behind the wainscot,
You have done your part;
Find the penknife there and plunge it
Into your false heart.
2.9k
perfect girl
in reverse she moves like the minute-hand of the watch wound
up down through
pilot all in leather crash into the steel
ocean and eat the seaweed until
emerge looking like hubcap trash
fifty tons of water weight you move home
covered in barnacles and
flotsam out of the driftwood
you built your house
where the dogs come to eat dirt &
grasshoppers
beneath the foundations lie the
carcasses of chewedupspitout cockroaches
you killed when you were young enough to think that
racing greyhounds meant
chasing them across state borders
you and the peeling paint reading the tea leaves they say time to rip the
oil pastel wrappers off so you can't tell which color is
which and then draw draw everywhere until
you cover the world in color that can't be washed out up
off things are no longer crayola clear
in the sun you turn on natural lights to **** the
wolftooth glare of photophobia
sun sneezing out into the porch do you dare
doubleyou dee forty these hinges someday man, do you really
want this house to have the last word?
so that when you cover the fire pit (no stone unturned)
and roll over to the
cold side of the bed you realize
that the pipes are only leaking in your head
that the dresser did not collapse
that the broken glass & the ants on the floor are not the cause of the
blood on your heels
cracked like brazil nut shells all along the
corridor
(perfect girl runs
skirt flies up in the back hair whips neck turns
hips like a rose in the honeyed dew
melancholy untuned viola strings improve the flavor like
hints of saffron in her eyes--
she is taller than you remember)
the bats
(moths between teeth)
watch you curiously
as though you were standing
right-side up
cacophony caused by
one too few chairs at the
dining table.
Sep 27, 2012
Sep 27, 2012 at 1:36 PM UTC
_
On
Goolwa Beach
the waves are
dogged
bounding
puppies bouncing
excitedly around your feet
Greyhounds sprinting in to nip your
ankles Labradors wet nosed gambolling
slobbering Rottweilers snarling slavering
knocking you off balance in packs hard
on the heels of the leader *** crazed
sniffing the one in front mounting it
mad things collapsing foaming retreating
whimpering spent on the sand cowering like whipped curs
Nov 22, 2011
Nov 22, 2011 at 2:03 AM UTC
Waking, pale sun burning away the smoky remnants of my dreams of you.
These memories of delightful daydreams.
I create a universe where your spine is steel and our love is a featherbed in a castle.
Our heat fills the cold stones
as greyhounds and bulldogs share the halls with young boys laughter and the smells of tea and toast.
I know you devour me while I sleep
the same way I consume you while you bathe,
soaking up every fold and freckle,
memorizing every precious contour.
Waking, your pale skin burning away
shadows of the past,
my strong hands rest on
your waiting hips.
The boys and dogs come tumbling into our morning oasis with bony little elbows and bad breath and laughter like heavens manna.
This is my now.
You are my forever.
We are eternal.
Oct 12, 2013
Oct 12, 2013 at 1:00 PM UTC
earth tone embrace,
gently going down...
simple pleasures of twisted senses,
an equivocation of use,
i know not what, but
if death is the famished dog
then surely we are the fluffy white
rabbits on sticks,
until it is humorous to turn off,
and vise-grip jaws rip, tear and devour;
an **** of natural selection,
meant as god's jest
that breathing is quick,
mainly because we have to
scurry so quick.
Oct 25, 2013
Oct 25, 2013 at 8:25 PM UTC
so you die.
in medias res (every story starts
in the middle) when
you awake from unsettling
dreams to find yourself transformed in your bed into
this city—
subway tunnels bursting with the hello(hello((hello(((hello))) of small children
and ***** words spraypainted by *****
minds onto *****
boxcars sitting like greyhounds
retired from racing and
awaiting the
slaughter—it will all
be beautiful later.
and when blinding light races
toward you
(every story ends
in the middle)
Nov 2, 2011
Nov 2, 2011 at 2:01 AM UTC
I never noticed
the shapes of headlights
that race across the room
like greyhounds
as cars pass.
The shapes sit
only for a moment
then roam anxiously
along the brick
and disappear in the corner.
A contrasting scene
of stagnation
and restlessness
painted across the walls
as cars pass.
Maybe I should leave
the blinds open more
often as I attempt
and most likely fail
to dream.
Apr 7, 2010
Apr 7, 2010 at 12:59 PM UTC
I have known you
Sitting beautifully
With your legs crossed
Beside the shelves
Reading Catcher
Your hair bright as the book cover
I have known you
Stepping out in day light
With blackness
The white flowers in the air
Fail to resist your skirt
I have known you
Before standing shirtless
In my door way
Whispering drugs when we sleep
I have known you
Far away in the distance
Hair fading orange explosion
Catches me
I surrender like a moth
I have known you
Past the bus stops
And greyhounds
Driving in your Sedan
Singing December
I have known you
Skin as white and bright
As thunder clouds
Pink, as I press my fingers
Against your stomach
I have known you
Swimming in the nighttime
Walking on boats
Heading for the coast
With a hand full of smooth pebbles
I have known you
Deep by the riverside
Painstakingly trying
To drown your fourteen
I have known you
Naked in the night
Laying on the floor
Beside the shelves
Waiting for a fix
I have known you
Seen you catch rainfall
With your tongue
You are use
To tasting tears
I have known you
Running across
The dim valley
Eyes towards the cactus
Toes in the soil
Feeling California
I have known you
Caught you staring
At the foreboding sunrise
Wishing for it to slow down
I have known you
The color of scarlet
Apples in the summer
Fresh blood of war
On your hair
That fire grows
With each breeze
I have known you
Beneath the avalanches
Near Everest
Above the clouds
Near the Eiffel
I have known you
But I cannot find you
May 7, 2014
May 7, 2014 at 1:19 AM UTC
Greyhounds bolt,
Elastic dogs,
Trapped till the rabbit runs.
A gun fires and punters wave papers,
Smudged smutted hankies,
To wish poor puppies on.
Rabid run,
Rabbit run,
Dogs ‘fun’ done,
Punters wins to spend on ***
Dogs retire to a night behind wire,
Howling,
Cold,
Whining.
Punters swagger to a night of vice,
Yelling
Warm,
Wining.
Jul 17, 2019
Jul 17, 2019 at 6:25 PM UTC
with apologies to WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
(from Henry V, spoken by King Henry)
Once more to the table, dear friends, once more;
Or close up our hungry mouths with supermarket staples.
In peace there's nothing so becomes a man
As modest stillness and humility:
But when the blast of hunger blows in our ears,
Then imitate the action of the tiger;
Cut fine the sinews, simmer up the blood,
Disguise cheaper meats with hard-favour'd sage;
Then lend the stirring spoon a terrible aspect;
Let pry through the portage of the foccacia bread
Like the brass cannon; let the garlic o'erwhelm it
As fearfully as doth a galled onion
O'erhang and jutty his confounded tomato base,
Swill'd with a wild and wasteful Cabernet Savignon.
Now set the teeth and stretch the nostril wide,
Hold hard the breath and bend up every spirit
To his full height. On, on, you noblest English.
Whose ragu is fet from Nonna's fail proof recipe!
Nonna's that, like so many Stephanie Alexanders,
Have in these parts from morn till even, baked
And brewed their sauces and stews, for lack of argument:
Dishonour not your mothers; now attest...
That those whom you call'd mothers did feed you well
Be copy now to men of larger appetites
And teach them how to eat.
And you, good yeoman,
Whose limbs were made in England, show us here
The mettle of your belt; let us swear
That you are worth your breeding; which I doubt not;
For there is none of you so hungry,
That hath not noble lustre in your eyes.
I see you stand like greyhounds in the slips,
Straining upon the start. The game's afoot:
Follow your spirit, and upon this charge
Cry 'God for Harry, England, and Saint George!'
Apr 3, 2016
Apr 3, 2016 at 1:30 AM UTC
It’s those monochrome voices that break the joyous bubble,
bursting the rainbow shadows.
Those bleak voices that dissolve the party
and fill my heart with dissatisfaction.
It’s the same colour as my soul,
but there’s no need to spread the misery.
My heart used to be just fine – you
invited the greyhounds of horror
to my doorstep, to my soul.
And the colourblinds now stare
with their mouths open
with their mouths foaming
but they just stare
as if they can see through my hollow soul
and they just stare.
And they just stare.
Apr 14, 2013
Apr 14, 2013 at 8:40 AM UTC
if greyhounds could talk,
tales buried in beats, braids and snapbacks
would be told;
lines blurred by the plight
of indifference
would unfold,
connecting souls waiting to die
on straits unforgiving,
to souls willing to try...
and the book of humanity
wouldn't be so
blue...
~ P
(#soblue)
8/1/2015
Aug 1, 2015
Aug 1, 2015 at 2:12 PM UTC
The way the world ends...
All birth a seed of mortality. The reason we come and we go is the same.
Parrots lose speech. Scarecrows attract birds. Zucchinis forget their meaning.
Clay pots yearn for earth. Everything inverts. Love> indifference> dislike.
Melting paragraphs. Pedestrians looking downward. Undelivered mail.
Fruit shrivels into donuts. The fix is in. Short everything. No tomorrow.
Empty Greyhounds ply apathetic Interstates. Nowhere to go. Not magic.
Frames without pictures. *** but motion. Carelessness abounds. No worries.
Cracks in the concrete. Death by delay. Rusted arteries. Repairs unmade.
London Bridge is falling down, falling down
and into the torrent we plummet and drown.
~mce
Mar 26, 2016
Mar 26, 2016 at 10:57 AM UTC
Foie gras
Exploitation of geese
Posh food
Cows with udder
Too big for their bodies
Industrialized
Greyhounds
Get legs broken
If too slow
Bleeding bull
Disorientated in the sand
Slowly dying
Taser rowdy whites
On uncontrollable blacks
A gun is handy
Water
Rocks splinter rollers
The breakers hones the rocks
Into shark fins
Dec 23, 2016
Dec 23, 2016 at 7:05 AM UTC
You gave your love to the government.
Your liver to the greyhounds
and the squalor you live in.
The Asian district disappoints you
with its inaccessible women
to whom you are flaccid and unlovable.
The pub is full of students,
air humid with *** and youth-
all those impossible frames of reference.
You, proud emblem, are confused by it all.
The drawl of the six o'clock news:
“there is a war at your own front door.”
The Golden Age was taken for granted,
a party spoiled by strangers,
strange music, strange clothes;
the symbols you cannot understand.
Tradition fades to dementia, greyscale,
redundant colour, and jaded patriotism;
you raise the mourning flag alone.
A country died in your lifetime,
your romanticised vision of home.
Jan 28, 2015
Jan 28, 2015 at 11:20 AM UTC
HAGITA
His name for his fame was Hagita
He leapt from the box like the wind
As he set sail with a flash of his tail
He's headed for home on the rail
Now comes the test, to see who's the best
They're bred from the best sires around
Their owners and trainers are holding their breath
And the greyhounds are stretched to the ground
With sleek head all down, they're pounding around
The last bend and heading for home
Bumping and pushing for room on the rail
Their long noses all flecked with foam
Here's his black muzzle, he's free from the hustle
His heart is pounding his chest
He's stretched to the full, and he'll pull and he'll pull
For winning is what he knows best
The crowd cheer him on in one hollering throng
It's a fever they just cannot quit
And he'll come again, for he knows he's found fame
And he just loves the fun of the game
Hagita Hagita Hagita, he was the best dog around
His race is run but we will never forget
The heart of this racing greyhound.
Aug 13, 2011
Aug 13, 2011 at 6:39 AM UTC
Modern Haiku
Foie gras
Exploitation of geese
Posh food
Cows with udder
Too big for their bodies
Industrialized
Greyhounds
Get legs broken
If too slow
Bleeding bull
Disorientated in the sand
Slowly dying
Taser rowdy whites
On incontrollable blacks
A gun is handy
Water
Rocks splinter rollers
The breakers hones the rocks
Into shark fins
Dec 23, 2016
Dec 23, 2016 at 7:04 AM UTC
Take this safety pin of pleasure,
And ***** it under the skin,
Feel ugly bliss trickle down your spine,
And the breath of your conjoined twin.
Then chase it once more, twice more,
Like greyhounds legging after a rabbit,
Forever to be outside of an arms reach,
Downright devoid of all energy and wit.
- Jamie F Nugent
Nov 20, 2016
Nov 20, 2016 at 8:11 AM UTC
THERE ARE TWO BREEDS, WHIPPET AND THE ITALIAN GREYHOUNDS
THE ITALIAN AND GRAY GREYHOUNDS ARE RACING DOGS
WHAT MAKES THEM DIFFERENT FROM ANY OTHER DOG IS THEIR SLIM SLEEK BODY AND LONG LEGS
SO THE GREYHOUND DOG IS BUILT TO RUN
IN FACT, THEY ARE CAPABLE IN RUNNING 60 MILES PER HOUR
WE AS HUMANS HAVING ONLY TWO LEGS ARE LUCKY WE CAN MOVE ONE MILE
BUT BACK TO THE GREYHOUND DOG
IT’S ABOUT A RACE
DUST FLYING ALL OVER WITH THE MANUEVERING TRACE
JUST LIKE A HORSE RACE, PEOPLE WAGER THEIR BETS
ALSO LIKE RACE HORSES, THERE ARE MANY GREYHOUND DOGS TO CHOSE ALL WITH IDENTIFICATION NAMES
WHAT HAPPENS DURING THE RACE AND AFTER NOW THAT REMAINS
THE GREYHOUND DOG LEGS MOVE SWIFTLY IN PRECISION
THEY CLASSIFIED BY DIVISION
RULES THAT GOVERN ARE PREVISIONS
BUT THE GREYHOUND DOGS HAVE KEEN VISION
SOME PEOPLE ADOPT AS PETS
BUT ANY GREYHOUND DOG IS A WINNER REGARDLESS OF LOSING RACE REGRETS
I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO ACTUALLY WITNESS A GREYHOUND DOG RACE AT THE GREYHOUND PARK IN DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA
AS I WAS WATCHING, MY GREYHOUND DOG WON, BUT I DIDN’T PLACE A BET
NOW THAT WAS MY ONLY REGRET
THE GREHOUND DOG IS ABOUT SPEED
THEIR OFF, THE SHOOTING GUN IN THE AIR AND ELECTRONIC RABBIT TO PROCEED
READY, SET AND GO
THIS NARRATOR EDUCATED YOU IN BEING IN THE KNOW.
May 10, 2019
May 10, 2019 at 7:44 PM UTC
You shut to it―
the window, on watching
a row of walking stones
without feet.
Pouting,
scowling―
in a mile of tears.
(A pink lotus spills
the colors on water)
Let me talk
to my wilderness. The
script was incomplete
in shadows of greyhounds.
You crawl on the grass to find a four-leaf clover.
Jan 17, 2017
Jan 17, 2017 at 10:47 PM UTC
The Greyhound name that got around
Across the country are terminals and small depots that are found
But the Greyhound name is still destination bound
Greyhound travelled roads when roads didn’t even exist
Oh that stretched Greyhound dog that no one can resist
The trademark known worldwide
The travelled miles
The varying paint schemes
State too state and town too town
Oh yes, that Greyhound continues to move around
Greyhound’s history full of achievements
Elements were always the test
But our Greyhound Driver training says it best
“DRIVE WITH PRIDE”
The customers will enjoy the ride
Greyhound is a company anywhere bound
Hear engine and watch on the highway in the Greyhound sound
Departure with an arrival
The vast of Greyhounds to just marvel
Greyhound has been doing for years
It all started with Anderson and Wickman rugged pioneers
If you want proof, look at Greyhound’s track record
It seemed Greyhound wouldn’t survive
Yet Greyhound weathered many storms
It was far from any norm
The Greyhound Bus Company continues being the highway journey
It’s name being worthy
So Greyhound continues to be on the move
The wheels are rolling and operation being everything to prove.
Dec 21, 2019
Dec 21, 2019 at 10:12 AM UTC
tires of
wires that
will a
horse when
hen's teeth
do query
and tread
next to
the fence
yet never
betray his
master's advice
and her
talbot may
foxtrot with
greyhounds at
mercy point
Oct 29, 2018
Oct 29, 2018 at 11:44 AM UTC
What exactly is happiness? Is it the hollowness in the chest when you've stopped crying and you feel like there's nothing left to do? Is it that feeling of wanting the world to stop so you can enjoy just a few more seconds of silence?
Is it being with friends and laughing until your gut hurts but then crying when you go home? Is it addictive like a drug?
Is the withdrawal from happiness the symptoms of depression?
does that mean we need happiness like we need oxygen?
Are we okay?
If the past can overshadow the present then what's the point of reminding ourselves about it?
There will always be bad things, we can't change that.
No. We could change that.
We just don't want to. Happy is fleeting and never stays. that's why we want it. We would hate happy if we had it forever.
But we chase it in circles, like greyhounds on a track, coming across it only to realize that it was fake all along and the real happiness
the real glow and joy
was that small second before the race, when you felt like you were finally going to reach it
And now?
Now you don't have it. Because you believed it would fix your problem.
Well. To the ones who believed they have found happiness I must ask you
Did it?
Feb 4, 2020
Feb 4, 2020 at 7:37 AM UTC