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"selected" poems
*she dragged me out of the house knowing i was feeling down not allowing me to wallow in my self pity, she dressed me,         painted my face                fashioned my hair, that’s my girl friend at Juliana’s, small family owned Italian restaurant, a gem of a find, she said, Lorenzo, greeted her with familiarity (she leaves a memorable impression) she introduced me as her bestie with a twinkle in her eye young (as all under 30 people are to me) handsome, dark thick curly haired, with dancing eyes, a serving towel over his left arm nodded with a genuine smile i smiled back despite my mood wine was swirled, smelled, sampled and selected a captivating performance, executed expertly she watched me watching him describe the specials   with a melodic Italian accent transforming my mood garlic knots wafting with his stride, placed on the table with a small bowl of marinara sauce still hovering in his long lean fingers it slipped, splattering red stain on the pristine white cloth without skipping a beat his eyes poured into mine words emerged “forgive me, your beauty made me nervous”*
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Dec 6, 2017
Dec 6, 2017 at 8:34 AM UTC
the waiter
somewhere between the fourth and fifth load of laundry, sometime after breakfast~lunch, now served in the USA at home, as an all day meal, per the edict of Mcdonalds, start fixing dinner, take a break, walk to the mailbox, retrieve the post and quick retreat back inside, ah that Texas sun, bilingual chili hot, toss the unopened on the prior weeks pile, cause everyone loves company the home-cold-brewed ice coffee needs a filling for the fridge has decided not to help by automatically refilling the pitcher even if it could I, busy folding, needing two hands and all my teeth for folding my master’s rocket ship sheets my master observes with one of his alternating demeanors, this one, super silent watching, announcing that  I need a nap: *“don't you always say, baby, take a nap when you can, baby, for when you need one, baby, you probably won’t be able, my baby”* with selected-hand-led fingers, he lays me down to sleep, bids me to slow slide to dreamland, dinner will keep, curling inside my frame, hands a-cupping my *******   telling me a drowsy tale, inherited from his mother’s womb and his granddaddy’s tongue, mindful of his family’s history there, is where, they find us, dinner fixings burnt, me and my five year old baby boy, still sleeping fast, around 5pm, bodies enwrapped, tied by blood and entwined in old nursery rhymes, Texas tall tales of Pecos Bill, me and my very own nap-ster master <•> p.s.  and they call me by my other name to wake me, momma
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Sep 17, 2018
Sep 17, 2018 at 1:14 PM UTC
Texas: My Very Own Nap-ster Master
somewhere between the fourth and fifth load of laundry, sometime after breakfast~lunch, now served in the USA at home, as an all day meal, per the edict of Mcdonalds, start fixing dinner, take a break, walk to the mailbox, retrieve the post and quick retreat back inside, ah that Texas sun, bilingual chili hot, toss the unopened on the prior weeks pile, cause everyone loves company the home-cold-brewed ice coffee needs a filling for the fridge has decided not to help by automatically refilling the pitcher even if it could I, busy folding, needing two hands and all my teeth for folding my master’s rocket ship sheets my master observes with one of his alternating demeanors, this one, super silent watching, announcing that  I need a nap: *“don't you always say, baby, take a nap when you can, baby, for when you need one, baby, you probably won’t be able, my baby”* with selected-hand-led fingers, he lays me down to sleep, bids me to slow slide to dreamland, dinner will keep, curling inside my frame, hands a-cupping my *******   telling me a drowsy tale, inherited from his mother’s womb and his granddaddy’s tongue, mindful of his family’s history there, is where, they find us, dinner fixings burnt, me and my five year old baby boy, still sleeping fast, around 5pm, bodies enwrapped, tied by blood and entwined in old nursery rhymes, Texas tall tales of Pecos Bill, me and my very own nap-ster master <•> p.s.  and they call me by my other name to wake me, momma
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41
Netted on the outside Dreams pass through the inside. The good dreams seep the center, The bad dreams are caught: DO NOT ENTER! The sleeper with eyes shut, Protected by the dreamcatcher And selected by the buy-snatcher, Slumbers in peace When all is at ease Around the dreamcatcher police. Reality is still But the mind is awake And sleep is at stake. Eyes cannot detect What the dreamcatcher does, It only sways in the midst of a glance. But the dreams that pass the glass dividing atmospheric gas Cannot be seen, touched, heard. Dreamcatchers have a radar That no being does. The dreams charge at once! WOOOOSH. Not a dream is heard Caught in the dreamcatcher grid, But the good ones Keep clean the REM zones. Native-American tradition I will surely petition.
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May 30, 2018
May 30, 2018 at 10:06 PM UTC
Dreamcatcher Rap
Feel empty in your post apocalyptic City of Angels, Where not even your pets are real! An electric android, a sheep or a frog, The whir-flutter of micro-electrical wings of a butterfly. Good, and so you ought. Now grab the handles of your empathy box, And in a shared virtual hallucination – Feel: empathy, depression, pain, delusion and despair, The outré myriad gifts of consciousness. Billions of discombobulated and disconnected wrecks: Adam's sons; Eve's daughters, And among them simulations too, Fakes! androids! A phony circuit of implanted semi-conscious memories, A hive of neural malaise! Welcome to our world; know how dead inside I am. You, yes, you: Need a pet to make you more complete? Maybe you can afford A Fake Fakir Flake like me who looks like Jude Law, Sounds like Richard Burton, And silently romances you like Rudolph Valentino. Come and stick what’s left of your mind, In here, In hair, Hear her: har, har, har… A box of lies... A voice, Mercer's, With texture from an age you neither lived in nor dared in: Al Jerry's, a TV actor, Droning on in pre-selected tones. The real thing, the men, the women, the children - their animals - Made in the wild, wild desert, In the green pulsing savannah, On the open crusted sea; Now too, washed, choked, and drained, Too many spliced and diced mutations, Iterating your image: The thing that was my heart, My Child, now its imitation.
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Oct 15, 2017
Oct 15, 2017 at 7:42 AM UTC
*Fake Fakir Flake*
When Christmas shopping is finally done, wrapped gifts lie ‘neith a tree that sparkles bright with tinsel and light for everyone to see. Each gift has been selected with thoughtfulness and care. Toys and such will mean so much like all the gifts we bear. But let us keep within our heart the much greater gift than these. One from above, with God’s great love should bring us to our knees. A gift of birth to all on Earth. A gift that’s far from small. To everyone, He gave His Son… The greatest gift of all.
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Nov 27, 2011
Nov 27, 2011 at 10:25 AM UTC
The Greatest Gift
eye did.   As my prejudices expected, the odd assortment of "characters"were all present and not to be unaccounted for...a romantic comedy on a good Friday, attracts the believers, the well wishers, the ones who think if only the world was.. and I was not re or so tired of life, unemployed, lonely, damaged in some manner of being... not too many young, just a few... theater darkness is a masque, with a risqué chance of oh no, I've been witnessed by the non-believers. the infirm with their mobile caretakers and paraphernalia were there.  Odd couples, were there.  If there was one unifying common characteristic, I selected this one.  We all needed haircuts. eye don't know why but it made me think about going to get one's haircut, and the rituals that requires....and it is and is not a bit like being in a almost totally private world inpublic, where you, the individual and some outside force majeure, hairdresser, movie screen engages and temporarily transforms you.  That is why, I, went to the movies on a Friday afternoon, to be transformed and not reformed, in public, in private...
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Apr 4, 2015
Apr 4, 2015 at 4:30 AM UTC
Who goes to an early afternoon movie on a Friday?
Income is an intangible, Taxes are an intangible, Neither exists right now, Only the promise of it in the future... That's what credit is... a bet against a promise. Which means all of nothing, since it hasn't happened yet, all credit is risk of one degree or another, ...based on tolerance or gumption. If all people are, "risky," then all credit is risk, none can be more credit-worthy; less risky... So why not turn future liabilities into income, instead of future income into a liability? Hmm... Impossible? Yeah, ...since anything that gives ordinary people power must be impossible. Jesus must not believe in individual power. The Founding Fathers must not have believed in individualism. No, ...only the state backed by a selected wealthy few should determine everyone's fate by economy. Only a few should have it all.... ...no opportunity for anyone else; the weak, poor, untalented, ugly, simple, ordinary, dumb, handicapped; those ones don't matter. Just NFL players count. Only singers and actors count. Only bankers and doctors matter. Jesus would agree. Makes so much sense?
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Nov 3, 2016
Nov 3, 2016 at 11:58 PM UTC
Solving Unemployment
Terrorism has mushroomed all across the world. Greenery here is not less, some terror must be unfurled. I 've heard that some desi terror outfit has taken birth. More shadowy than shadow, their secrets difficult to unearth. Help is required from security agencies of developed land. There they lock up terrorists for years without trial on remand. They've trained dogs to smell terrorists before they become one. Our country is developing fast, soon it will be second to none. Full use of the cyberspace this local foxy terror group makes. In this virtual world whose identity is real? whose fake? This tricksy group makes bombs sophisticated, smart. It targets selected only, suddenly before they can depart. But few unintended ones died in blast, must be suicide bombers, Indeed! Terrorists don't understand political equations, what is the need? Now our Police catches terrorists just minutes after the blast. Their must be some-kind of relief for citizens shocked, aghast. My little brother eats my head, wants to catch a tiger alive. Jocularly I advised it is animal dangerous, flesh and bone it can rive. Instead we can catch a cat and with continuous torture and grill we can make it confess to be a tiger, with third degree surely it will.
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Dec 9, 2014
Dec 9, 2014 at 9:38 PM UTC
Voice Against Terrorism
From brown eyes to green, the date began I extend my hand to invite a handshake We both exchange an “It’s nice to meet you” We are escorted to our table Chosen at random by our server, but perfectly selected For the spot offers a phenomenal view of the coniferous trees below And the majestic mountains of the North Shore Our eyes meet again From brown eyes to green We sit and start conversing You are stunningly dressed and I cannot take my eyes off you Your eyes are locked into mine You must be really into me just as I am into you Our server interrupts, we place our orders Your every move makes my heart flutter, From how you flip the pages of the menu To how you rest your elbow on the table with your hand on your chin, Smiling sweetly at me I’m having an amazing time You tell me you are too Dinner goes by in a flash, the sun has fully set We drive off through the winding road and into the city traffic I haven’t kissed you yet But I want to After umpteen intersections and two cities We arrive at your apartment I walk you to your door I turn to face you From brown eyes to green I lean in for the kiss A quick gentle one I wish you a good night But you want more... From brown eyes to green You lean in and kiss me with fervor and passion You ask me if I want to come in, but I’m hesitant to answer From green eyes to brown Your intense, desire-filled gaze pushes me to say yes Another episode to the evening begins..
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May 23, 2016
May 23, 2016 at 12:42 AM UTC
From Brown Eyes to Green
They live in huge houses, drive fancy cars Most know poverty only secondhand So how can they fix a problem... They don't really understand Given the role of a leader However, I'm convinced they are confused We live in worlds too far apart... How can they lead with similar views Their children go to private schools Only the finest and elite Their children will never need public education So they allow funding to deplete Their children will succeed I believe it's part of their plan To ensure that high society Will forever lead the average man The evidence is no secret They don't seem to care if we agree They know they hold this power So it doesn't matter if we see Our taxes keep going up Unemployment is at an all time high Life keeps getting harder for those just scrapping by The people making these decisions Of course they find it easy enough to do They're not deciding for themselves They decide for me and you The truth of the matter is... This country is ruled by hypocrisy They disguise this, however, very cleverly Today it's what we know as Democracy "A political government run by 'The People' through 'Selected' officials"... Democracy defined Compare it to the way it was truly designed Sure we get to 'select the official' But the one thing they seem to neglect They pick the people Many, that corruptive politics help select
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Mar 14, 2013
Mar 14, 2013 at 5:11 PM UTC
The Government (Part 2)
Stereotypes manifesting always, (Always) Trying to form themselves from something once seen, But not really believing in oneself, I see ignorance, I see arrogance, I see the lack of hunger, Observing such savage pride of life, I run from it all into a previous state, (Anonymity) I've reached the heights of total in-completion, I build walls of isolation upon myself, I am the collateral default of widespread degradation, I stand in the gap between teeth and consumption, I am the breed conceived by prey and predator, Widespread suspended animation: that is our future, We've tried to replicate the human makeup with mechanical frames, And the translation of electronic gates, Yet this is a folly, For staring at the mirrors of selected life in an artificial environment, Numbs our lives with emulation and self delusion, The days of nobility dismantle into fragments and sink to the bottom of the glass, Never to be turned over again, Scattered, Living among remnants of a life once lived with some sort of intensity, Now smoldered in a quite ferocity of anger beneath the surface, (Quiet tremors coming in flames) Because we don't live our dreams, We stand in the shadows of ruins, We are afraid of the future, We are afraid of the past, Where does that leave us? Leave me? I stand on the edge of The Void I'm holding myself hostage in the self sabotage entourage of the usual suspects, Our friends, our families, Disconnected with all intentions of coming together, Because they die in front of their screens, Not really living, Right? Light pollution massacre... We'll fall like stars
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Jul 5, 2013
Jul 5, 2013 at 11:58 PM UTC
The Dystopian Part VII: Urban Selection And The Eve Prototype
Stereotypes manifesting always, (Always) Trying to form themselves from something once seen, But not really believing in oneself, I see ignorance, I see arrogance, I see the lack of hunger, Observing such savage pride of life, I run from it all into a previous state, (Anonymity) I've reached the heights of total in-completion, I build walls of isolation upon myself, I am the collateral default of widespread degradation, I stand in the gap between teeth and consumption, I am the breed conceived by prey and predator, Widespread suspended animation: that is our future, We've tried to replicate the human makeup with mechanical frames, And the translation of electronic gates, Yet this is a folly, For staring at the mirrors of selected life in an artificial environment, Numbs our lives with emulation and self delusion, The days of nobility dismantle into fragments and sink to the bottom of the glass, Never to be turned over again, Scattered, Living among remnants of a life once lived with some sort of intensity, Now smoldered in a quite ferocity of anger beneath the surface, (Quiet tremors coming in flames) Because we don't live our dreams, We stand in the shadows of ruins, We are afraid of the future, We are afraid of the past, Where does that leave us? Leave me? I stand on the edge of The Void I'm holding myself hostage in the self sabotage entourage of the usual suspects, Our friends, our families, Disconnected with all intentions of coming together, Because they die in front of their screens, Not really living, Right? Light pollution massacre... We'll fall like stars
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42
*In the forest stood tall admirable pine trees, As we walked hand in hand with ease, Upon a blanket of snowy and frozen grounds, Hearing voices and beautiful sounds. While the cold winds softly echoed through the night, Bringing harmonious whispers, as we glared into the moonlight, And the trees were beautifully dressed in white, on this Christmas Eve, With clusters of long evergreen needle leaves. The breeze murmured through the branches, Gently waving making advances, Saying "please take me home," "I am stuck in the cold" in a low tone.         Near lied an adorable reindeer, Whispering words we barely could hear, When we walked closer, it fearfully ran, As fast as it can. Joined by a polar bear, Who sadly said "I am scared," And we quickly selected our tree, Though it was quite difficult to see. When we walked away and glanced behind, The adorable creatures, followed appearing quite divine, With laughter and smiles, Softly saying "we hope to see you again," and their eyes looked as radiant as a child.*
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Jun 3, 2014
Jun 3, 2014 at 2:52 AM UTC
The Trees Were Beautifully Dressed In White
The wood is stacked for winter. One way out of the mind's limitations is through other minds' contemplations. The books are stacked for winter. Yet even that cannot satisfy. Failing to hold still for meditation my teacher smiles, makes this observation: The purpose of sitting's not to be satisfied or satiated. Remain hungry, cold, uncomfortable and counting enemies. These, and fear, are our commonalities, and the discipline of not hitting whenever angry. You'll appreciate dying quietly at home. Whichever season has been randomly assigned will be       beautiful as ever as a molecule of water is to all matter. "In my life there were always too many things." If there is no time, only change the linear becomes circular. Do not say north or south. You're within the winter range of chickadees, hawks, owls and herons. River grapes, rose hips, the cedar waxwings' repast. Their talk is my reminding change outlasts endurance.
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Aug 11, 2015
Aug 11, 2015 at 11:52 AM UTC
Nature's Intelligent Partner
are you generally happy? a semi-innocuous query now actualized as a two sided bladed poker, hot stabbing me smack dab in the chests hollow crown bullseye, continuously,  as in all life long, and eternal longing for a “yes” it fits inside a pubescent aged wound that refreshes with every breath; a life long struggle for an accurate definition, be a general of genuine happy, that alone would deliver, bringing on bright day satisfaction as a human, one operates on parallel continuums; slide slipping on well oiled poles that over the years, their lengths, increasing with add-on extender poles formed by twisty turny slips and falls of sundered hearts and sad loves, marriages nicknamed Titanic, children found and lost, complications responsibilities that are denied meeting the words     “The End” a life that many would envy, questioning what’s wrong with you dude, are you blinded to the riches yours, reality is shoulders permanently bent, a spine that’s held together by spit and solder and curved by wearying wearing longing for a straightness that is also called crooked unobtainable and a piece of a peace that comes and goes like a highway billboard that you pass too fast to be fully read the body is corroding and worser yet to come and that’s a hand you selected - luck of the self-selecting-drawing - the opioids of the mind offers are rejected the clarity of painful self exploration valued overall - the place where the poems come from, and go to die, a landscape of a scene repeatedly visualized but never been and never left, the crazy contradictions come in two flavors; vanilla smiles and chocolate weeping of tears that have etched pathways cheek-chiseled the city is a struggling strife for most, the next red line on the side of the measuring cup  and everyone has a cell, a credit card, and a measuring cup <•> here I stop can’t finish   someone missing alerts me to their real worlds troubles making my complaints super superficial but the silent running of the stilleto cuts shallow repeated hourly the cut color, pitch black
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May 26, 2018
May 26, 2018 at 2:05 PM UTC
are you generally happy?
are you generally happy? a semi-innocuous query now actualized as a two sided bladed poker, hot stabbing me smack dab in the chests hollow crown bullseye, continuously,  as in all life long, and eternal longing for a “yes” it fits inside a pubescent aged wound that refreshes with every breath; a life long struggle for an accurate definition, be a general of genuine happy, that alone would deliver, bringing on bright day satisfaction as a human, one operates on parallel continuums; slide slipping on well oiled poles that over the years, their lengths, increasing with add-on extender poles formed by twisty turny slips and falls of sundered hearts and sad loves, marriages nicknamed Titanic, children found and lost, complications responsibilities that are denied meeting the words     “The End” a life that many would envy, questioning what’s wrong with you dude, are you blinded to the riches yours, reality is shoulders permanently bent, a spine that’s held together by spit and solder and curved by wearying wearing longing for a straightness that is also called crooked unobtainable and a piece of a peace that comes and goes like a highway billboard that you pass too fast to be fully read the body is corroding and worser yet to come and that’s a hand you selected - luck of the self-selecting-drawing - the opioids of the mind offers are rejected the clarity of painful self exploration valued overall - the place where the poems come from, and go to die, a landscape of a scene repeatedly visualized but never been and never left, the crazy contradictions come in two flavors; vanilla smiles and chocolate weeping of tears that have etched pathways cheek-chiseled the city is a struggling strife for most, the next red line on the side of the measuring cup  and everyone has a cell, a credit card, and a measuring cup <•> here I stop can’t finish   someone missing alerts me to their real worlds troubles making my complaints super superficial but the silent running of the stilleto cuts shallow repeated hourly the cut color, pitch black
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54
walking down park amsterdam or columbus do you ever stop to think what it looked like before it was an avenue did you ever stop to think what you walked before you rode subways to the stock exchange (we can’t be on the stock exchange we are the stock exchanged) did you ever maybe wonder what grass was like before they rolled it into a ball and called it central park where syphilitic dogs and their two-legged tubercular masters fertilize the corners and side-walks ever want to know what would happen if your life could be fertilized by a love thought from a loved one who loves you ever look south on a clear day and not see time’s squares but see tall Birch trees with sycamores touching hands and see gazelles running playfully after the lions ever hear the antelope bark from the third floor apartment ever, did you ever, sit down and wonder about what freedom’s freedom would bring it’s so easy to be free you start by loving yourself then those who look like you all else will come naturally ever wonder why so much asphalt was laid in so little space probably so we would forget the Iroquois, Algonquin and Mohicans who could caress the earth ever think what Harlem would be like if our herbs and roots and elephant ears grew sending a cacophony of sound to us the parrot parroting black is beautiful black is beautiful owls sending out whooooo’s making love ... and me and you just sitting in the sun trying to find a way to get a banana tree from one of the monkeys koala bears in the trees laughing at our listlessness ever think its possible for us to be happy Nikki Giovanni, “Walking Down Park” from The Selected Poems of Nikki Giovanni. Copyright © 1996 by Nikki Giovanni.
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May 17, 2013
May 17, 2013 at 1:17 PM UTC
Walking Down Park
walking down park amsterdam or columbus do you ever stop to think what it looked like before it was an avenue did you ever stop to think what you walked before you rode subways to the stock exchange (we can’t be on the stock exchange we are the stock exchanged) did you ever maybe wonder what grass was like before they rolled it into a ball and called it central park where syphilitic dogs and their two-legged tubercular masters fertilize the corners and side-walks ever want to know what would happen if your life could be fertilized by a love thought from a loved one who loves you ever look south on a clear day and not see time’s squares but see tall Birch trees with sycamores touching hands and see gazelles running playfully after the lions ever hear the antelope bark from the third floor apartment ever, did you ever, sit down and wonder about what freedom’s freedom would bring it’s so easy to be free you start by loving yourself then those who look like you all else will come naturally ever wonder why so much asphalt was laid in so little space probably so we would forget the Iroquois, Algonquin and Mohicans who could caress the earth ever think what Harlem would be like if our herbs and roots and elephant ears grew sending a cacophony of sound to us the parrot parroting black is beautiful black is beautiful owls sending out whooooo’s making love ... and me and you just sitting in the sun trying to find a way to get a banana tree from one of the monkeys koala bears in the trees laughing at our listlessness ever think its possible for us to be happy Nikki Giovanni, “Walking Down Park” from The Selected Poems of Nikki Giovanni. Copyright © 1996 by Nikki Giovanni.
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64
*Her prized first bike came out of a breakfast cereal competition. Then sped her around London from lecture to final examination. Twenty years on it was replaced by gleaming white and black carbon. Bought, lacking in memories faster, lighter with a baby seat for Bethan. Fitness, a priority this year swimming in the pool, open water and the sea. Clare selected a running coach cycling home at an ever higher cadence for tea. Happy, with her performance in her very first event as a triathlon novice. A second, saw Clare pedaling faster to race past fellow competitors with ease. In her last competition she was pictured lithe on posters promoting reactive sports glasses. Winning a new Felt racing bike, seats in the VIP stand for the Tour de France finish and her fit lasses-ass*. My congratulations dear hero...
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Jun 25, 2010
Jun 25, 2010 at 10:26 AM UTC
Tour de France - Clare has won it!
Winters can be tedious. Sun dips into early dusk. A dead fire refuses to ignite. There's a quick repetition of opening and closing blinds over a barred window. In need of reflection I search a familiar face in an unfamiliar landscape. I have her in my grasp, half illusion, half real, a symbolic mask denies her true face, her glittering crown divides us by its radiance. Groping in darkness, I stumble over objects of wood and stone, my unsteady tread tripping over their contours. I light a candle. Bathed in amber light, our shadows merge. A new door opens, stretching the perspective. No formal borders here, they wouldn't survive the present climate. In their place, intricately carved figureheads and totems- a vision of the past. My eye is a camera, retinas branded with imagery for the photographer's delight- coloured pebbles, carved wooden animals, tin cans, bones..... ....A Glass Sentinel (though she isn't visible) I can see right through her- a vision of smokescreens and subterfuge. Past stumps of driftwood, past the uncut grass, a few flowers... ...to the fabricated backdrop of a burning house, black smoke rising in a thin stream. At the open door - The Guardian, (I know her inside out) unmoved, (she didn't bat an eye) defiant in a new skin, a softer version- The Mother protecting her children, arms splayed, prepared for fight or flight. A russet flame Licking her spine exhales 'Get out of my way!' but she wasn't listening. Smile fixed, eyes of a phoenix, a lion, a raptor, protector. We all need feeding, but not this way! Throw me a cloth, a napkin, a man-size tissue a lifeline! She wanted this, no, wished it- this symbolism, this burning of ironic portraits, to clear the deck, make way for new. It shook the house, its fate sealed behind closed doors. I compose myself, pull her back from the perilous edge, gather her in my arms. Fragments of shattered words flutter in the ether. What is real? What is fiction? A carbon copy of thousands? A charred corner? A forgotten candle? WARNING: 'Eating fire' is a risky business but can attract a large audience.
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Jul 12, 2014
Jul 12, 2014 at 11:29 AM UTC
On reading Margaret Atwood's selected poetry-'Eating Fire'
Winters can be tedious. Sun dips into early dusk. A dead fire refuses to ignite. There's a quick repetition of opening and closing blinds over a barred window. In need of reflection I search a familiar face in an unfamiliar landscape. I have her in my grasp, half illusion, half real, a symbolic mask denies her true face, her glittering crown divides us by its radiance. Groping in darkness, I stumble over objects of wood and stone, my unsteady tread tripping over their contours. I light a candle. Bathed in amber light, our shadows merge. A new door opens, stretching the perspective. No formal borders here, they wouldn't survive the present climate. In their place, intricately carved figureheads and totems- a vision of the past. My eye is a camera, retinas branded with imagery for the photographer's delight- coloured pebbles, carved wooden animals, tin cans, bones..... ....A Glass Sentinel (though she isn't visible) I can see right through her- a vision of smokescreens and subterfuge. Past stumps of driftwood, past the uncut grass, a few flowers... ...to the fabricated backdrop of a burning house, black smoke rising in a thin stream. At the open door - The Guardian, (I know her inside out) unmoved, (she didn't bat an eye) defiant in a new skin, a softer version- The Mother protecting her children, arms splayed, prepared for fight or flight. A russet flame Licking her spine exhales 'Get out of my way!' but she wasn't listening. Smile fixed, eyes of a phoenix, a lion, a raptor, protector. We all need feeding, but not this way! Throw me a cloth, a napkin, a man-size tissue a lifeline! She wanted this, no, wished it- this symbolism, this burning of ironic portraits, to clear the deck, make way for new. It shook the house, its fate sealed behind closed doors. I compose myself, pull her back from the perilous edge, gather her in my arms. Fragments of shattered words flutter in the ether. What is real? What is fiction? A carbon copy of thousands? A charred corner? A forgotten candle? WARNING: 'Eating fire' is a risky business but can attract a large audience.
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98
I bent down to her ear and said Thank you for all you’ve done Not just for NY But for the World She looked at me expressionless from her chair I don’t think that she understood nor cared Then I handed her a little Bag Containing two lipsticks And two pencils I think she threw the pencils on the floor and Wondered aloud Why was everyone giving her pencils? She did not notice that of the two that I gave her one was stamped in gold With the one word Hustler And on the other, two Strictly Business I made no suggestions nor references I didn’t smirk I must have appeared a bit sweet A treacly aberration It doesn’t matter I had selected two perfect reds in LA One a bit more blue and one a classic vampish carmine Blood red can be a challenge even against pale pale Skin. Standing in the lift Fully attuned she caught me not merely looking into her eyes But seeing what I saw A death’s head? I hate when I’m caught doing that Under the fluorescent light She was dog rough Pasty with sad sunken eyes I was thrown, but by what exactly Her magpie distress? Her etheric calamity? Her puffy, aging face? We sat and spoke for a while later that night She did not recognize me at all and apologized maybe it was the next day that the three of us had lunch Everyone in good spirits The mandrake’s screams Forgotten with smiles and a wink Memory bamboozled and Make-up duly applied She took out the lipstick And redrew the lines She liked the shining black case with the little black ribbon for a pull She told our companion sitting on a stoop smoking cigarettes I like your friend and I wondered does she realize that we already know one another?
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Sep 20, 2018
Sep 20, 2018 at 3:52 PM UTC
Waiting for the Mikestand to Fly
I bent down to her ear and said Thank you for all you’ve done Not just for NY But for the World She looked at me expressionless from her chair I don’t think that she understood nor cared Then I handed her a little Bag Containing two lipsticks And two pencils I think she threw the pencils on the floor and Wondered aloud Why was everyone giving her pencils? She did not notice that of the two that I gave her one was stamped in gold With the one word Hustler And on the other, two Strictly Business I made no suggestions nor references I didn’t smirk I must have appeared a bit sweet A treacly aberration It doesn’t matter I had selected two perfect reds in LA One a bit more blue and one a classic vampish carmine Blood red can be a challenge even against pale pale Skin. Standing in the lift Fully attuned she caught me not merely looking into her eyes But seeing what I saw A death’s head? I hate when I’m caught doing that Under the fluorescent light She was dog rough Pasty with sad sunken eyes I was thrown, but by what exactly Her magpie distress? Her etheric calamity? Her puffy, aging face? We sat and spoke for a while later that night She did not recognize me at all and apologized maybe it was the next day that the three of us had lunch Everyone in good spirits The mandrake’s screams Forgotten with smiles and a wink Memory bamboozled and Make-up duly applied She took out the lipstick And redrew the lines She liked the shining black case with the little black ribbon for a pull She told our companion sitting on a stoop smoking cigarettes I like your friend and I wondered does she realize that we already know one another?
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This morning, I walked with god and man, and animal I've come to believe, no other possibility, He denies me sleep as His insurance policy some One wants to be sure, someone sees His sunrise poem, He selected this ancien regi-man to be His admiring audience, with deer, squirrels, rabbits, a red fox, an osprey always complaining, why do they get the cheap seats so up at five, no jive, gotta get there early, for a good seat, on the dock by his name watch the color blue transgender from feminine elegy elegant pale to peacock royal male, the water, a contributing editor, phases in with a steely grin, with ermine whitecap hints and an orange marmalade sky homage, I cannot try to describe and here is where man comes in... as the tableau reveals a still life come to be, a painting enlivened, come to me free, bursting with effervescence and animal life tribunes, paying on... strange... my Pandora app back to back, plays for me Gershwin's Rhapsody In Blue, hard upon it comes Saint-Saëns's The Carnival of the Animals and I enfeebled amateur, needy for a word titan Titian, can think only this trite thought: *I know not who is the instrument and who is the artist, but virtuous us, We, all, now-capital-buddies, now, all, well-color-capitalized, god and man and animal, crooning a chorus of appreciation let this "accidental" miracle, this collaboration, enthuse me, to live happily with anticipation for just one more day...* June 2014
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Jun 15, 2014
Jun 15, 2014 at 6:56 AM UTC
This morning I walked with god and man
A cuckoo sings its first spring voice The cider maker cracks his cork on this year’s choice English apples presented from pre years press Picked and selected to impress Bottled and ready for drinkers wide and far Vision distorting with every jar From orchards up and down the land Drinkers search the best in town Scrumpy be the drinkers rot Weak willed should try it not A test once tasted of a brewers fare An enjoyment discovered but just take care For once you have past the half way mark You’ll soon be singing and dancing with the larks
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Aug 24, 2015
Aug 24, 2015 at 12:54 PM UTC
Visiting the lark
In reading this you will know me. Each word selected to fit my soul. My pain lies within each line, the love I feel represents the whole. Lost in the depths of my own soul. With no star in the sky as a guide, Somedays, I completely understand some days, are left so hollow. A gemini searching for himself, in a labrynth with no escape. I want the knowledge of knowing thy self. Surely everyone reading can relate. Though dark days are expected, along with pain the gain, is worth it when it is done. This message is for those who understand, be strong and carry on.
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Aug 30, 2014
Aug 30, 2014 at 3:00 AM UTC
The Struggle
Encephalon is the flagitious syndicate target To imprison the saintly and resistant population In the research agenda which is classified We are selected guinea pigs in a nightmare To the unethical secret operations Unknown to many, is the silent suffering Of isolated victims living amongst the community Satellite surveillance includes electromagnetic harassment That burning, thought stealing, control of limbs feeling I was done by the hoary Navy's sonar Poor dolphins washed up Cornwall's beach(1) After sonar echoed in my right lughole Mind control technology has evolved The community are recruited by false propaganda Thats the local police, council, library, not restricted to neighbours Old style Cointelpro is in play Discredited, slanders, and victim blaming Who can we share with but other targets Nobody asked which human is for "use" in trials?
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Jun 24, 2020
Jun 24, 2020 at 10:37 AM UTC
Targeted Individuals Poem
Losing a tail Is like losing a rudder Like losing a ballast Stability must be found elsewhere As a quadruped there are four points of contact A biped has only two How do we replace that stability? With aspiration ~ Extinct ~ **** erectus* and **** neanderthalensis* ~ Extant ~ Hominids Great Apes Primarily lumbering along on all fours Quadrupedal Except Us **** sapiens* What mechanism allowed for bipeds? Natural selection? Or a naturally selected collective vision Through collective perspiration Art is used to mine dream-time Inspiring the masons among us The art is the plan The architecture is built upon And the builders perspiration Leads to the built environment How do you cap it? Egyptians used a capstone Aspiration Leading to Inspiration Leading to Perspiration Leading to A Spire Naturally
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Oct 24, 2014
Oct 24, 2014 at 3:58 AM UTC
Natural Aspirations
Shot a rabbit two days ago, it was a good shot taken at distance from height. The rabbit died instantly, it had been digging holes in my lawns, it had to go. I watched it die and I had cause to ponder the death from a religious angle, where believers say we go to another place when we die? I know where this rabbit went, he went into my vegetable garden, buried deep with all the other varmints and critters that have crossed my path. Over the years we, (my wife and I), have turned that patch of barren volcanic ash into a wondrous source of lettuce, potatoes, onions, rhubarb, tomatoes and leek..by adding the carbonaceous remnants of not only these creatures but of composted vegetation, seaweed and selected fertilizers. We also grow the most beautiful roses and deliahs and crysanthemums you will ever come across. And do you know...in the dark of night other little rabbits and bugs and things come out and nibble those very creations...unaware that they are completing the circle of being. This is the true spirit of creation, as I see it, where deep in the garden, the motes of nutrition transmogrify beneficially from one entity to another, eventually, for the common good of all. This is the basis of my belief. Feet on the ground... What is....most definately is! M. Taranaki NZ
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Oct 29, 2018
Oct 29, 2018 at 3:32 PM UTC
Round and round it goes.....
Men I don’t love Send me emails telling me that they care about people like me. They say, I am committed to helping people achieve their dreams by providing the right support. I want to thank you for your interest in utilizing this opportunity. The boy I know Sends me a message saying he saw potential in us. He writes, I wanted to help you become better. And when you spoke to me that first day, I thought that maybe we could become something greater than we are now. Together. Men that know me Send me emails saying that they liked learning what’s in my head.   They say, I recognize the time and effort you put into this and truly appreciate that you shared your thoughts and ideas with me. The boy that doesn’t love me Sends me a message saying he knows what he meant to me. He writes, I know how hard you tried to make this work. I think you’re amazing, how you always give your all into everything. How you gave your all to me. Men I don’t know Send me copy-paste emails that I have memorized. They say, There was an outstanding selection of applicants this year and the competition was intense. I regret to inform you that you were not selected to receive an award. The boy I love Sends me a message saying what Men I Don’t Know couldn’t. He writes, *It’s just that this isn’t what I’m looking for. You’re not who I am looking for.*
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Sep 6, 2017
Sep 6, 2017 at 12:49 AM UTC
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