"jitterbugs" poems
I see you
I've seen those eyes before
Drowning in patched-up paddle boats
With promises of tomorrow slipping down your face
Like saline shipwrecks fleeing harbor
And greeting the ocean floor with damaged handshakes
And now you're hopeless
Focused on could have been's and maybe one day's
Knowing one day
Swelled up storm clouds
Could slide through your cheek bones
Like sunshowers preventing your skyline parades
But I see you still searching for rainbows
Covering your face with two handfuls of imagination
Daydreaming of days where technicolor dreamcoats
Become wrapped around your soul
Like tuxedos for the bold
I've seen those arms before
Deafeated willow branches in the moonlight
Rebellious to rise upright
And now you're tired
Only fired up when your flesh
Converts to kindling on a campfire
Building sparks that shimmer for seconds
When your light deserves a lifetime
But I see you still inclined to shine brightly
Trying to assign meaning to your life with two inspired limbs
That can freely build bridges or climb mountaintops
Clinging onto hope with sturdy fists
Exploring the peaks of your potential
I've seen those legs before
Tattered toothpicks on prom night
Frozen in stage fright on the dance floor
Pressing muted prayers with each footstep
Into creaky floorboards waiting for silence to ensue
And now you're nervous
You're certain those two left feet can't possibly find the rhythm
So your shoes are the victims of bashfulness
Fearing one false step will uproot your jitterbugs
And place them alongside the butterflies in your stomach
But I see you still owning your insecurities
Because you know you're alive just fine
I see you
You are who I envisioned you to be
I see you
Brushstrokes of imperfections shaded in perfectly
I see you
It's more than just your typical hello
It's a phrase for all of us to speak solely with our souls
It can make you feel at home at the center of your bones
When all your hope is lost and there's no where left to go
So when I greet you
Listen carefully
This is a reminder that your eyes can be thunderous
Your arms can be victorious
And your legs can be ambitious
Your presence is necessary for this discussion
And your essence is accepted here
Let me speak your spirit into existence
Seeing is believing
And believe me
I see you
Jan 16, 2014
Jan 16, 2014 at 3:26 PM UTC
First Meetings
First meetings,
open doors,
first time my eyes explores.
my heart thumps,
my breath quickens,
be gone jitterbugs and good riddance.
First meetings,
doors wide open,
words kept close,words unspoken.
life is short, so keep it simple.
keep your heart like its a temple.
First meeting,
doors arise .
I see the upcoming demise.
I see it in your eyes.
the windows of your soul are shining back.
the windows of your soul are ready to attack.
First meetings ,
your heart sets ablaze of wonder and fun.
your spirit like thunder,
your heart just a blunder ,
it went off like a gun.
It shot me straight in the heart,
you shot so straight you almost tore me apart.
first meetings,
cautious doors,
no time to be explored.
First meetings, first encounters, first loves.
~When there’s a first remember there's always a last.
Oct 26, 2014
Oct 26, 2014 at 10:43 PM UTC
Now I lay me down to sleep. It is near 2:00 P.M,Pacific time.
I pray the Lord my sleep to keep. Been tossing and turning a lot lately.
If I should Dream before I wake. No March Hares if you please.
I pray the lord my twitch to take. Restless leg syndrome.
Goodnight Insomniacs.
Late night surfers.
Medicated Jitterbugs.
Jet-lagged Travelers.
Partners of snoring bed mates. With or without earplugs.
Late night ruminators.
Wanna be fornicators.
See ya later Nocturnal alligators.
Inspiration is but a breath away.
Feb 26, 2013
Feb 26, 2013 at 4:52 AM UTC
Night raids on Salt End
were legendary… It were a
giant chemical works with ship docks,
silos, storage tanks, fuel dumps,
an ideal 'drop off point' for Gerry…
But Salt End plant’s night raids
on Hedon Road
weren’t gonna daunt our lot,
they lived a mile or so down the lane to Preston
and seemed unafraid of gerri’n shot.
But they built a shelter across’t main road
in a field… On the outside It were a haystack
within the walls, six foot thick… proper beds
on hay bails to the front and back... cosy.
Down the middle was a ‘lounge’ with chairs,
lights, a radio - electric run from’t big ‘ouse
It’s better than being at’ome our Charlie used to say
For the eldest (and the architect) he’d not much nowse.
Me mam (then 19) told me she bussed it into Hull
****** the Doodlebugs” She needed Jitterbugs…
and they still danced at City Hall.
******** to Gerry and his mates.
Margie & her pal René,
dauntless, they had a right ball!
Last Bus to ‘Withernsea’ from town
dropped her off at the junction
by the Speedway on Hedon Road.
Just as her way was lit by fire bombs - all about
when Gerry dropped his final unaimed load
Maybe ack-ack’d sort him out.
She was 2 miles from home… every few seconds another blast.
Scuttling …dodging whistling incendiaries,
running fast, whippet like…
any second could’ve been her last
anything too close she’d have to jump in't ****
She couldn’t mek it t’t shelter or house so picked
the coal shed - instead… threw herself down
on coals…noise lifted - silence dawned… all clear
heavy breathing - not hers - she wan’t alone
What if it’s one of them - a downed ***** airman.
Nervous, terrified more like she let out a little shudder
a gentle cough… to test her nerve
“Is that you Margie?… You daft ******
It were brother Tom… He’d been t’t Nags Head
and he’d run the opposite way from the village instead.
Sep 7, 2021
Sep 7, 2021 at 12:25 PM UTC
One more hour in the job I love
Then they ****** it all away
Too many letters in my last name
And I won’t join the games they play
One more hour in my office home
Before it becomes not mine
They took away the reason why
I need a space to spend my time
I’m sitting in a dunking booth
My chair held by a pin
The ***** are going to come my way
Which one will tip me in
Which lame excuse will be the one
They hand me on a plate
Which evil lie will be pronounced
To seal my future fate
Fifty minutes left to carve
The end of my career
Until they push me out to starve
And turn a deafened ear
Or maybe only cut my time
To watch me slowly bleed
And later do the coupe de grace
As they eliminate my need
The time is slowly racing by
My calm is wearing thin
I’ve tried so hard to handle this
To walk out with a grin
But jitterbugs have made their home
In all my quiet places
My throat is learning to seize up
And spoil my placid faces
My mind has owned the coming doom
But my belly missed the memo
I vowed to not succumb to gloom
And ride out in a limo
The hour is up - the hatchet *****
Has done her thing and gone
It hurts much more than I had guessed
I’m not sure I can carry on
What goes around will come around
A saying tried and true
I grab the courage I just found
And know I’ll make it through
ONE HUNDRED HOURS LATER
I’ve found a way to stay afloat
I’ve given it much thought
Perhaps the Gods will smile on me
And I’ll end up on a yacht.
The people I’ve dealt fairly with
Have rallied round my cause
They’re going to help me find a way
To sidestep hunger’s jaws
There is a path that I’d not seen
That leads to greater riches
And I will now begin that walk
And spite those loathsome *******
Who thought that they could throw me out
Like Sunday morning trash
With never a thought of what I’d use
For weekly grocery cash
What goes around has come around
To me - I’ll be just fine
The people that I’ve served so well
Have helped me cross the line
The storm has finally passed me by
I see an end to sadness
I now know I can carry on
Despite their evil badness.
So now my time has ended here
I’m wistful but not crying
I’ve seen a sunrise just ahead
And I’ve new wings for flying
ljm
Dec 19, 2017
Dec 19, 2017 at 10:55 AM UTC