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"trolley" poems
when you went away it was morning (that is,big horses;light feeling up streets;heels taking derbies (where?) a pup hurriedly hunched over swill;one butting trolley imposingly empty;snickering shop doors unlocked by white-grub faces) clothes in delicate hubbub as you stood thinking of anything, maybe the world….But i have wondered since isn’t it odd of you really to lie a sharp agreeable flower between my amused legs kissing with little dints of april,making the obscene shy ******* tickle,laughing when i wilt and wince
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When You Went Away It Was Morning
1 My mother would say: “Little boy Raj… Go to Muthu’s and get some cinnamon, betel leaves and ginger and garlic” And so I go to the shops singing all the way and when Muthu asks me what I’d want I rattle off a list: “Sesame seeds, onions tomatoes and pickles” And back home, Mother twists my ears Ouch! 2 And inevitably I grew up and inevitably I got married and inevitably my wife says to me: “Dear husband whom I married in a fire-ceremony; could you kindly go to Woolies and get me some flour, castor sugar, pepper, pasta sauce and pancakes…” And so I drive to Woolies singing all the way; and walking down the aisles I throw the following into the trolley: cinnamon, betel leaves and ginger and garlic… And back home though my wife does not twist my ears I feel Mother reach forward from the other world and she twists my ears Ouch!
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Sep 30, 2010
Sep 30, 2010 at 4:03 AM UTC
absent-mindedness; or I Dream of Spices
Pearl Avenue runs past the high-school lot, Bends with the trolley tracks, and stops, cut off Before it has a chance to go two blocks, At Colonel McComsky Plaza. Berth's Garage Is on the corner facing west, and there, Most days, you'll find Flick Webb, who helps Berth out. Flick stands tall among the idiot pumps- Five on a side, the old bubble-head style, Their rubber elbows hanging loose and low. One's nostrils are two S's, and his eyes An E and O. And one is squat, without A head at all-more of a football type. Once Flick played for the high-school team, the Wizards. He was good: in fact, the best. In '46 He bucketed three hundred ninety points, A county record still. The ball loved Flick. I saw him rack up thirty-eight or forty In one home game. His hands were like wild birds. He never learned a trade, he just sells gas, Checks oil, and changes flats. Once in a while, As a gag, he dribbles an inner tube, But most of us remember anyway. His hands are fine and nervous on the lug wrench. It makes no difference to the lug wrench, though. Off work, he hangs around Mae's Luncheonette. Grease-gray and kind of coiled, he plays pinball, Smokes those thin cigars, nurses lemon phosphates. Flick seldom says a word to Mae, just nods Beyond her face toward bright applauding tiers Of Necco Wafers, Nibs, and Juju Beads.
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Ex-Basketball Player
Christmas can be a time when families get together: Young children scream, wine glasses gleam, both ready for M&S dinner. TV's in the corner rerunning Home Alone, Heart radio's in the kitchen, Chris Rea's driving home, again. Toddlers find the wrapping more engaging than the Duplo Teen couples find the company less of interest than their own. The dog's confused and excited with so many different sources of scratches and pats, he can't relax, his whining is remorseless. Christmas can be a time when families are missed, the parcel made last post winging off to little sis. Zoom will come in handy to laugh across the miles, the screen will mask the tears and focus on the smiles. Gran will talk of Christmas past when everyone was home 'Cept in Gulf War 1 when Uncle John went away, .... Christmas can be a time when budgets get stretched tight, cash pressures get to breaking point and prompt senseless fights. Some focus on opportunity to spend some gilt-free money, the only prayers are for extra hours and a faster tesco trolley. For others it's simply ' Yuletide' an excessive celebration, a winter feast, all you can eat, give in to all temptation. Most focus on the family, even more on the gifts; there's little time for Jesus assigned amongst the myths. Some do remember Jesus from half forgotten carols, they know there's something more than donkeys and angel heralds. For there He is in the middle, noticed once in a while; it's His birthday, but all He's getting is a half-hearted song and a smile. He's no longer a babe in a manger, He's now a resurrected King, waiting for those who would worship to stand and welcome Him in. Whatever your experience of Christmas you can come just as you are, His love is unconditional He'll accept you warts and all. So come on! It’s a season to celebrate! To dance, to sing and to shout! Your Saviour invites you to join Him, so when you sing this Christmas, make it count.
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Nov 27, 2016
Nov 27, 2016 at 5:43 PM UTC
Come as you are
Christmas can be a time when families get together: Young children scream, wine glasses gleam, both ready for M&S dinner. TV's in the corner rerunning Home Alone, Heart radio's in the kitchen, Chris Rea's driving home, again. Toddlers find the wrapping more engaging than the Duplo Teen couples find the company less of interest than their own. The dog's confused and excited with so many different sources of scratches and pats, he can't relax, his whining is remorseless. Christmas can be a time when families are missed, the parcel made last post winging off to little sis. Zoom will come in handy to laugh across the miles, the screen will mask the tears and focus on the smiles. Gran will talk of Christmas past when everyone was home 'Cept in Gulf War 1 when Uncle John went away, .... Christmas can be a time when budgets get stretched tight, cash pressures get to breaking point and prompt senseless fights. Some focus on opportunity to spend some gilt-free money, the only prayers are for extra hours and a faster tesco trolley. For others it's simply ' Yuletide' an excessive celebration, a winter feast, all you can eat, give in to all temptation. Most focus on the family, even more on the gifts; there's little time for Jesus assigned amongst the myths. Some do remember Jesus from half forgotten carols, they know there's something more than donkeys and angel heralds. For there He is in the middle, noticed once in a while; it's His birthday, but all He's getting is a half-hearted song and a smile. He's no longer a babe in a manger, He's now a resurrected King, waiting for those who would worship to stand and welcome Him in. Whatever your experience of Christmas you can come just as you are, His love is unconditional He'll accept you warts and all. So come on! It’s a season to celebrate! To dance, to sing and to shout! Your Saviour invites you to join Him, so when you sing this Christmas, make it count.
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In the supermarket airport There are arrivals every day. The departures in your trolley Come to you from far away. Those brightly coloured vegetables Have sat around for days In what we’re told are such hygienic backroom bays. They’re obviously picked and packed by well paid sprites and elves! Then magically appear on your supermarket shelves. Here every carrot is straight and clean And every lettuce crisply curled Then gassed in plastic packets That are filling up our world! Take a glance inside your trolley And if what I say is true Then I guarantee the food within Has seen more of the world than you. Like the picture on the packet Of your frozen ready meal The colour of this far flown food is great The taste experience, surreal. Those ripe tomatoes in their reddest skins We should dye brown, to match their taste Those vivid orange carrots are a mystery of flavour- What a waste! A plate of vibrant promising hue Can taste of packaging and glue. The supermarket tells you you’re in clover But its goods have all the texture of an old pullover. Your supermarket says that it is catering for you But if you’re honest do you really think that’s true? If you don’t then there is something you can do. At the supermarket airport All the money’s in departures So put that trolley back And just depart. If you're wanting to be vocal Then shop seasonal and local And hit these psuedo airports at their heart.
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Apr 27, 2010
Apr 27, 2010 at 6:57 AM UTC
supermarket airports.
EᔕᔕᕼI  ᑕOᑎT. ~ ⚪♫⚪ ~ Lyn sniffles as Ainhara gives her a handkerchief which she uses to wipe her tears. "Thank you, guys," Lyn whispers, giving them a weak smile. 'Well, at least she smiles,' Esshi thought. Ainhara has a bright smile. "My lady, your lady mother gave Bael orders to make this soup for you. She instructs that you eat this." ~ ⚪♫⚪ ~ When Esshi pushes the serving trolley to her Queen's side, she lifts the gold lid and Lyn looks at the soup; steaming kale in a beefy broth with chopped peppered sausages, lamb cubes, onions, garlic, mint chopped potatoes and carrots. ~ ⚪♫⚪ ~ "Kale, really? I hate kale," Lyn whines, gently pushing the bowl away. "I don't want it!" Esshi and Ainhara look at each other and smile. *'Still acts like a child when her lady mother commands she eats her vegetables!'* giggles Esshi. "Your mother says you must eat it, My Lady." Ainhara chuckles. "It will help with reduce your stress and help relax your body." ~ ⚪♫⚪ ~ Lyn sighs and mutters under her breath, "I hate it when she does this! She knows I hate the smell of kale! I swear, I'm going to outlaw the vegetable!" She held hers nose up and huffs at the end of her statement, making Ainhara and Esshi smile. 'At least she is in better spirits now.' thought Esshi.
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Sep 16, 2018
Sep 16, 2018 at 1:18 PM UTC
♪♫♛♕ тнє мαѕкє∂ вαя∂ VIII ♕♛♫♪
Hard work no be money, Make you ask the man wey dey push trolley, Sun, and rain, beat am tire, Until the day wey him go retire. *Nigerian pidgin english
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Jun 20, 2013
Jun 20, 2013 at 6:40 AM UTC
Hustle go ever pay?
1. Her thick brow, Is only her choice. A stance against norms. 2. Ribbons and flowers, All tangled in her hair. A decorative crown, But beauty is not defined here. 3. She had many lovers, Of many kinds. But promiscuity, Does not define worth. 4. Drink more than the men. To dance with a love, They can never have. 5. Politics are unimportant, Only the ideas in your mind. Of equality and charity, But it will leave somebody dead. 6. Be bold and smart. Follow your own direction, Maybe dress like a man 7. When a trolley crashes, Leaving you wishing for death, Draw on your bandage. Don’t let your broken column Break your strength. 8. Don’t fall in love with artists, They drink too much, Cheat too much. And will break your heart 9. Fall in love with artists, A musician, maybe a painter. You’ll never be bored, You’ll always be drunk. 10. Just don’t let them break you, Don’t stop painting because you’re hurt. Don’t give them the satisfaction, Of breaking your wings. 11. You don’t need anyone, When you have wigs to fly. Don’t need feet, Or anyone else. 12. You probably feel like a freak, Like the weirdest person you’ve ever known. But as long as you’re weird with me, You’ll never be weird alone. 13. Make friends with the past, With people you’ve never known. It’ll always be a source of security, No one can leave that’s already gone. I look at Frida through her paint, through her words, through the story of her life she has taught me not to be afraid.
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Jan 25, 2015
Jan 25, 2015 at 10:45 PM UTC
Thirteen ways to look at Frida
1. Her thick brow, Is only her choice. A stance against norms. 2. Ribbons and flowers, All tangled in her hair. A decorative crown, But beauty is not defined here. 3. She had many lovers, Of many kinds. But promiscuity, Does not define worth. 4. Drink more than the men. To dance with a love, They can never have. 5. Politics are unimportant, Only the ideas in your mind. Of equality and charity, But it will leave somebody dead. 6. Be bold and smart. Follow your own direction, Maybe dress like a man 7. When a trolley crashes, Leaving you wishing for death, Draw on your bandage. Don’t let your broken column Break your strength. 8. Don’t fall in love with artists, They drink too much, Cheat too much. And will break your heart 9. Fall in love with artists, A musician, maybe a painter. You’ll never be bored, You’ll always be drunk. 10. Just don’t let them break you, Don’t stop painting because you’re hurt. Don’t give them the satisfaction, Of breaking your wings. 11. You don’t need anyone, When you have wigs to fly. Don’t need feet, Or anyone else. 12. You probably feel like a freak, Like the weirdest person you’ve ever known. But as long as you’re weird with me, You’ll never be weird alone. 13. Make friends with the past, With people you’ve never known. It’ll always be a source of security, No one can leave that’s already gone. I look at Frida through her paint, through her words, through the story of her life she has taught me not to be afraid.
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"Beep-beep. BANKERS TRUST AUTOMOBILE LOAN You'll find a banker at Bankers Trust" Advertisement in N.Y. Times When comes my second childhood, As to all men it must, I want to be a banker Like the banker at Bankers Trust. I wouldn't ask to be president Or even assistant veep, I'd only ask for a kiddie car And permission to go beep-beep. The banker at Chase Manhattan, He bids a polite Good-day; The banker at Immigrant Savings Cries Scusi! and Olé! But I'd be a sleek Ferrari Or perhaps a joggly jeep, And scooting around at Bankers Trust, Beep-beep, I'd go, beep-beep. The trolley car used to say clang-clang And the choo-choo said toot-toot, But the beep of the banker at Bankers Trust Is every bit as cute. Miaow, says the cuddly kitten, Baa, says the woolly sheep, Oink, says the piggy-wiggy, And the banker says beep-beep. So I want to play at Bankers Trust Like a hippety-hoppety bunny, And best of all, oh best of all, With really truly money. Now grown-ups dear, it's nightie-night Until my dream comes true, And I bid you a happy boop-a-doop And a big beep-beep adieu.
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If He Were Alive Today, Mayhap, Mr. Morgan Would Sit on the Midget's Lap
It was in total a fast track ticket to the moon and I can't return to transaction dock 8 too soon the star checkout lane at my local supermarket tops balloons with rocket science aeronautics that pilot's service areas binary counter perfect exceeding expectations bent into global orbit My items sped along to muzak her slim milky way belt a smile beaming discount countdowns heaven sent taking off in bit lips when her priceless item buttons almost burst free to air with a strain of special promotions helpfully assisting my every excess flight of fancy made impulse buys a baggage allowance necessity She stroked parts of her radical laser station to fully engage hygienic wiped spills of imagination and I felt the warp of hyperdrive tangelo engines urging me into a dive to scan juice ripe tangerines a last minute save fuelled by stalling flashback cavities gyrating in tight nets as we escaped earth's gravity With a twist of her wrist I was into fits-the-bill ecstasy as the whirr of electronics cut loose such quality with a lick of an index finger our mission was bagged handled too efficiently for any danger of jet lag no flyby chance to not exchange standby coupons my trolley emptied of offers too galactic to pass on
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Jul 7, 2014
Jul 7, 2014 at 12:52 AM UTC
The Pocket Rocket At Dock 8
Caressing my face, Bubbles rush to greet me Tickling like a sweet spring sigh. This is only the first. I am still half A visitor. Stuck in suspension Between this world and mine. Slowly I pass Through the threshold. My air-sick ears adjust To the sounds of the sea. I stare down At the small colony On the sea floor, My landing gear is down. Customs arrives. A grey, French Angelfish Of the most industrious kind. But he isn’t obtrusive. As he flits in and out Checking my bubbles Ensuring I am not bringing Any more air than I should. No doubt he will stay near Most of my stay I have finally arrived, The coral city stretches before me. I catch the current trolley And it whisks me past Rocky storefronts and coral motels. Lobster shopkeeps Rush out of dark Stores and stand in the street Giant claws raised Toward me in supplication. Beckoning me to come And browse his wares While a fish I don’t know Is busy cleaning homes and stores. They must’ve dropped out of the school Which passes by The pupils in matching uniforms Of flashing silver and black. Clown fish wave To me from their Lawns Of sea anemone Before darting back inside. Here is the kind of place Where I could put down roots. Live out an idyllic life Living in a coral townhouse. But for me to stay Would be severely fatal. I’m just a visitor And my visa is about to expire. I look back one more time As my head breaks the surface. The sun stings, I blink.
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Jun 3, 2013
Jun 3, 2013 at 2:07 PM UTC
On Scuba Diving
Romilda was an old lady, She had no small baby, So she petted her sisters daughter, Who only drank milk but not water, Little baby had a nice name which was Angelina Geolly But her life was a worry, She never went for the studio, Never had Romeo, She was brought up at a village, But had a wide knowledge, Her old aunt was always frank, But Angelina Geolly use to prank, One morning Angelina knocked her head on the wall, And started dialing a call, It was to none other than the fire brigade, Hello, Come asap for our gate, Fire! Fear! Fire! After an hour they reached in, It was all about a recycle bin Angeline had only meant, fire at her aunts cooker, But they responded you little sucker! The poor Aunt Matilda had to pay, For their visit all the way But still the house wasn’t grey! Some people, few people started to blame Angelina Geolly! She ran into her trolley, And Angelina Cried Cried Cried, But later she was Fried Fried Fried
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Aug 20, 2010
Aug 20, 2010 at 11:30 PM UTC
NEVER NEVER PRANK
the world is a wild and weary place, fully sunk in spiral ****** fully strummed in skin water waves. bound by death from the very first verse: first love. first this.                    go forth my machines, be fruitful and jettison. color says hang at the edge of our lips. smell the books. remind us; books. & before the big blue vast takes it all, that sunstruck lomographia light, transposed no-makeup california girl, she walks before me along the boulders of the wharf. real summer breathing. our bodies, piled and starbleached ripe. [like heap of buffalo skulls] maybe then a futuristic dinner, where everyone gathers in floating space pods singing hymns beneath,                                                        above,                                           between                the lights and music. reality is: blacktop shards against my knees, something burning as it trickles to my chin, man of me living the city glisten, city green & pink. city midnight and barely breathing. destroyers, we are. and what? what am i, father? man of industry? man of workwelded science?   secure as the armadillo, armadillo picket fence. am i of halfbreed phosphorus? americana? built on love and hate and television.   nat geo channel:  [a gecko licks dew from its eyes                                                                   on the coastal sand dunes of namibia] money. women. go west young man. be a hand tightening ribs. be a quaking echo of mammalian design. a paradigm of seed my fire. quest for fire. for uncut diamond; like foggy strawberry rock in the africa-boy's fingers. or cut steel; phallus of toyish death between a brazil-boy’s fingers. pulled teeth; bits of wet fruit in the young afghani’s hand. & icecream trolley; pedestal etched iron; denim and *** and microwaves  :::::: white man: what I got ? what I got ? manifest destiny: gold bricks and beer. blood soaked socks. cyprus burnt umbers. tribes decomposing at the bottoms of styrofoam cups. like coin-op wormies. & eighteen inch circumference blades make round rolling high pitched songs deep in the skin of old mother earth. old baby cakes. old life in slow motion, all motion, all of particle cannon treatise. 40 ounce bounce. watery us below.
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Apr 16, 2014
Apr 16, 2014 at 2:17 AM UTC
the world is a wild and weary place
the world is a wild and weary place, fully sunk in spiral ****** fully strummed in skin water waves. bound by death from the very first verse: first love. first this.                    go forth my machines, be fruitful and jettison. color says hang at the edge of our lips. smell the books. remind us; books. & before the big blue vast takes it all, that sunstruck lomographia light, transposed no-makeup california girl, she walks before me along the boulders of the wharf. real summer breathing. our bodies, piled and starbleached ripe. [like heap of buffalo skulls] maybe then a futuristic dinner, where everyone gathers in floating space pods singing hymns beneath,                                                        above,                                           between                the lights and music. reality is: blacktop shards against my knees, something burning as it trickles to my chin, man of me living the city glisten, city green & pink. city midnight and barely breathing. destroyers, we are. and what? what am i, father? man of industry? man of workwelded science?   secure as the armadillo, armadillo picket fence. am i of halfbreed phosphorus? americana? built on love and hate and television.   nat geo channel:  [a gecko licks dew from its eyes                                                                   on the coastal sand dunes of namibia] money. women. go west young man. be a hand tightening ribs. be a quaking echo of mammalian design. a paradigm of seed my fire. quest for fire. for uncut diamond; like foggy strawberry rock in the africa-boy's fingers. or cut steel; phallus of toyish death between a brazil-boy’s fingers. pulled teeth; bits of wet fruit in the young afghani’s hand. & icecream trolley; pedestal etched iron; denim and *** and microwaves  :::::: white man: what I got ? what I got ? manifest destiny: gold bricks and beer. blood soaked socks. cyprus burnt umbers. tribes decomposing at the bottoms of styrofoam cups. like coin-op wormies. & eighteen inch circumference blades make round rolling high pitched songs deep in the skin of old mother earth. old baby cakes. old life in slow motion, all motion, all of particle cannon treatise. 40 ounce bounce. watery us below.
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59
No men. But when the conversation starts, they dominate. Worm their way into every sentence, every silence. Every caught breath, exhaled pause. Names, nice-to-meet-yous, passed round with sandwiches and tea. Hole-riddled autobiographies, wadded out with circumstance and need. Explaining themselves, defending their actions. In turn. And I? Have never felt so young. To my left, and working clockwise: Affair-with-the-boss, Heart-condition, High-risk-of-genetic-defects, In-the-middle-of-a-divorce-not-sure-why-she-slept-with-him, Grown-up-children-can’t-bear-to-go-through-that-again, and back to me. (Boyfriend-has-two-kids-wants-no-more) He noticed that I’m pregnant. Was pregnant. Was. We chew our way through sandwiches. Different coloured fillings, no flavour- choked down with lukewarm tea. We know it’s a test. We have to talk, smile, eat, drink, laugh (not manically) if we're to go home. I can’t do it. I want to cry. But I’ve been told off for that already (curled up on a trolley, examining bloodied fingers) I drift, I think. Jump out of my skin when she speaks to me. "You must eat" she says. "You must eat." I search for myself in their eyes, re-make myself from fragments and reflections I find there (Four parts child, one part b-tch) "It’s OK" I tell her, "It’s OK. On my way home I’ll get a Happy Meal. I’m collecting the toys."
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Jan 7, 2012
Jan 7, 2012 at 4:11 PM UTC
afternoon tea
see little Tommy no, you can’t see him in the trolley - like a monkey or a possum on the tree he’s well-hidden so expert, as mom pushes the trolley through the aisles And then nimbly he crawls out and hangs by the handle feet on the brackets still hidden and suddenly drops on the floor light as baby Tarzan And Mom says: “Tommy!” and Tommy laughs and climbs back into the trolley like a little Alexander on a metal Bucephalus and there he stands commandeering the trolley: “Cheese, mum! Lollies! Lollies!” And Mum says to Little Tommy: “Shhh! Shhh! Shhh!” But little Tommy he’s the Master and Commander and pirate but mostly the monkey on the shopping trolley down the aisles and down the corridors and the food court sliding and jumping and hiding in his fantasy world of the trolley see little Tommy - no, you can’t see him in the trolley like a monkey or a possum on the tree he’s well-hidden so expert in the trolley he so happily commands
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Sep 11, 2012
Sep 11, 2012 at 9:01 AM UTC
little Tommy in the trolley
The monk stands in the shadow of the cloisters, said Benedict, his arms folded beneath his black habit, his features unsmiling, his stare out at the garth and the clock tower over the way. I watch him, feeling the sun's warmth where the shadows aren't; the flowers in the flower beds are in full bloom, the afternoon air throws birds into the sky to set free and fly. Other monks gather in the garth after the office of None; Patrick wheels out the trolley with tea, coffee and cake; we stand and talk in the brief recreational break; white clouds drift by, birds take wing above in the afternoon sky. One talks to me of his book on the abbey, the history from its origins in France until exiled here. There is the bell for the end of the break and on we go to our occupations in our rooms or church; I attend the Latin class with George and Gareth, our novice master aids us in our studies, we learn the holy sounds of the Latin phrase and chants. I love the office of Compline: the chanting in the half-dark, the evening light through high windows, the utter separation from the outer world and our communion with God in prayer and chant and song, and our hymn to Sancta Maria, and the final bell, and the prayers on wing and air, and I stand momentarily silent there.
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Jul 30, 2018
Jul 30, 2018 at 6:13 AM UTC
Benedict and the Monks 1971
Options for the beggar that hath seen no light Takes what she pleases and finds delight Hath not the beggar seen her fatal flaw? The beggar is but a beggar and not pleased at all. For if the beggar were to see that her situation is but irony, She then doth partake in sentiment whose cracked joke is eminent. Never fear for the dear beggar is near and does not realize her folly She trips and skins her broken knees yet does not board the trolley. For the trolley will take her away to see What she has so fatally lacked the experience she needs to grow and grow a bone in her back.
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Apr 4, 2010
Apr 4, 2010 at 12:06 PM UTC
The Beggar
‘twas the Hour of The Raven, Scolding at the Seven Seas, Humidity can’t be seen As the sun whirled Its final twirl. A flock of pigeons stand by Midnight’s Trolley Trail. I am my own eye, Staring at taught veils 'tween cotton gaits. The clouds are no more, Spirits remained encaged in rose sepultures, A transformation so chaotic, they cackle at their false fear. MY BLURRINESS SEEMS TO BURN STEADY. ready, For what to behold. I have left Universe to relay , As the subtle sun one did in its day. I am left To react. React to what? React to wee?            React, to relationships,        React, to their degree of nobility, So fruitful, so radical in concept indeed. Of all these perspectives I am one. One paper, one tree cut for endless possibilities. The treasure remains underneath, Where I weep In the deep, In the deep. There is nothing to find, And that made all the difference. 'twas the Hour of The Raven, Scolding at the Seven Seas.
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Jun 14, 2022
Jun 14, 2022 at 4:08 PM UTC
The Hour of The Raven
I. Sunday mornings in Vancouver even pigeons sleep in till 10 A.M. Undaunted, I walk down Granville shortly before 8 seeking lox bagels with capers, red onions and cream cheese, two breve lattes, and a newspaper. In truth, panhandlers on the corner of Robson have far greater chance of scoring. An unexpectedly sunny February morn suffices to spur me on. I am attuned to all vibration. Breath of the awakening city exhales manna upon the shop awnings. Bagels rendered superfluous, I scarf images instead --- trolley buses, an umbrella shop, falafel stands --- delicious Canadian visual cuisine.                                  II. Vancouver is a nymph. Of that I'm sure. I hear flirtatious giggles trill from darkened alleys between hotels. Spotted her once across the street on Dunsmuir, seated on a walk bench reading a Margaret Atwood novel. Bus passed between us and she vanished. Caught a later glimpse through the window of a walk-up dim sum restaurant in Chinatown. Flew the stairs, only to find an empty table and discarded napkin smudged with candy pink lipstick. She watches me.                                                 III. Turns out there are no Sunday morning papers in Vancouver, but I locate the bagels and espresso backtracking on Helmcken. The barista smiles as I approach, sets down her Atwood novel. I leave a Toonie in gratuity. B.C. wind pushes hard on my turned back, as I rush our breakfast back to the Executive. A nymph goes roller-blading by toward False Creek. The Gastown Steam Clock whistles that it's 10 A.M. A flock of pigeons lifts in flight.
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Feb 21, 2012
Feb 21, 2012 at 2:04 PM UTC
In Search of Cuppuccino
I. Sunday mornings in Vancouver even pigeons sleep in till 10 A.M. Undaunted, I walk down Granville shortly before 8 seeking lox bagels with capers, red onions and cream cheese, two breve lattes, and a newspaper. In truth, panhandlers on the corner of Robson have far greater chance of scoring. An unexpectedly sunny February morn suffices to spur me on. I am attuned to all vibration. Breath of the awakening city exhales manna upon the shop awnings. Bagels rendered superfluous, I scarf images instead --- trolley buses, an umbrella shop, falafel stands --- delicious Canadian visual cuisine.                                  II. Vancouver is a nymph. Of that I'm sure. I hear flirtatious giggles trill from darkened alleys between hotels. Spotted her once across the street on Dunsmuir, seated on a walk bench reading a Margaret Atwood novel. Bus passed between us and she vanished. Caught a later glimpse through the window of a walk-up dim sum restaurant in Chinatown. Flew the stairs, only to find an empty table and discarded napkin smudged with candy pink lipstick. She watches me.                                                 III. Turns out there are no Sunday morning papers in Vancouver, but I locate the bagels and espresso backtracking on Helmcken. The barista smiles as I approach, sets down her Atwood novel. I leave a Toonie in gratuity. B.C. wind pushes hard on my turned back, as I rush our breakfast back to the Executive. A nymph goes roller-blading by toward False Creek. The Gastown Steam Clock whistles that it's 10 A.M. A flock of pigeons lifts in flight.
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38
I’m thinking of a place With a monkey and a sled A brand new jar of cottage cheese Just resting on the bed An envelope with butterflies Upon the stamp it wears And a basement sitting at the top Of someone else’s stairs ~ A very special place Where the beach is at your door And multicolored tangerines Will help you mop the floor A casserole with tuna In a bowl of cocoa beans Where a question is an answer Or at least that’s what it seems ~ A place where you will notice That the sun it always shines And toaster ovens tick away Below the shuttered blinds Jeopardy is on the tube Wherever you may go Antiques shuffle down the street As every road will show ~ When you are in this special place A trolley will say hi A weeping willow sings a song As it forgets to cry Hibiscus on the front porch Welcome all who do drop in The price it has been lowered As the morning comes again ~ You’ll see while in this special place A necklace on a whale And smiles at the dollar store They always are on sale A seagull and a crescent moon Now share the skies above But most of all while in this place You’ll see that you are loved ~ You will learn this special place It lives within my heart To offer you a haven When we find we are apart A sanctuary nestled deep That forever will be true For here within this special place I always will love you
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Oct 6, 2014
Oct 6, 2014 at 7:15 AM UTC
A Special Place
The Elders Warn Skinny Vinny Skinny Viiny, eat your meals - no spitting and no sputtering; just chew and swallow everything mom feeds you Think of the millions in Third World Countries who daily and nightly can't afford food Skinny Vinny, eat your food or when you're asleep alone at night the cockroaches will gather in your room and they will nibble and nibble and nibble at your arms and your legs and they will nibble and nibble all night and all moonlight and they will nibble away all your fingers and toes So if you don't want that to happen, Skinny Vinny, eat all your meals all that mom feeds you But Skinny Vinny Ignores Her Elders Now, one night, Skinny Vinny saw that all the cockroaches did come  (only in her dream, though) and in that dream the cockroaches ate away exactly as her parents had prophesied - nibble, nibble, nibble, nibble at her fingers and at her toes  - and Skinny Vinny was exactly bereft of all her yummy fingers and all her smelly toes Skinny Vinny Learns Her Lesson And by this dream Skinny Vinny had the **** beaten out of her so much by fear that from then on she ate all; she ate all at hand she ate all she was fed and all at the table and she demanded more by platefuls and bucketfuls and she ate by trolley-fulls and delivery-truck-fulls and her parents had to bring in containers shipped in from China daily all by Double Happiness exclusive deals And Skinny Vinny ate and ate and no food went to waste; and her parents spent all their inherited fortunes and they worked and worked day and night even at the time when cockroaches fly so they could feed Skinny Vinny who ate all far and nigh - and when last I checked the Daily Mule ( whose publication motto is: We swear to carry nothing but unprocessed truth) the parents are still working in the mines in order to feed Skinny Vinny who once would eat nothing All parents learn your lesson *And so be warned all ye parents that threaten harm to your children because they will not eat - the very threats will be laid on your heads and you will be digging in coal mines to feed your kids*
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Sep 16, 2014
Sep 16, 2014 at 3:17 AM UTC
eat your food, a cautionary tale
The Elders Warn Skinny Vinny Skinny Viiny, eat your meals - no spitting and no sputtering; just chew and swallow everything mom feeds you Think of the millions in Third World Countries who daily and nightly can't afford food Skinny Vinny, eat your food or when you're asleep alone at night the cockroaches will gather in your room and they will nibble and nibble and nibble at your arms and your legs and they will nibble and nibble all night and all moonlight and they will nibble away all your fingers and toes So if you don't want that to happen, Skinny Vinny, eat all your meals all that mom feeds you But Skinny Vinny Ignores Her Elders Now, one night, Skinny Vinny saw that all the cockroaches did come  (only in her dream, though) and in that dream the cockroaches ate away exactly as her parents had prophesied - nibble, nibble, nibble, nibble at her fingers and at her toes  - and Skinny Vinny was exactly bereft of all her yummy fingers and all her smelly toes Skinny Vinny Learns Her Lesson And by this dream Skinny Vinny had the **** beaten out of her so much by fear that from then on she ate all; she ate all at hand she ate all she was fed and all at the table and she demanded more by platefuls and bucketfuls and she ate by trolley-fulls and delivery-truck-fulls and her parents had to bring in containers shipped in from China daily all by Double Happiness exclusive deals And Skinny Vinny ate and ate and no food went to waste; and her parents spent all their inherited fortunes and they worked and worked day and night even at the time when cockroaches fly so they could feed Skinny Vinny who ate all far and nigh - and when last I checked the Daily Mule ( whose publication motto is: We swear to carry nothing but unprocessed truth) the parents are still working in the mines in order to feed Skinny Vinny who once would eat nothing All parents learn your lesson *And so be warned all ye parents that threaten harm to your children because they will not eat - the very threats will be laid on your heads and you will be digging in coal mines to feed your kids*
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62
I'll see you around, but                                     not again on this empty floor, the two of us in blankets, slept on our clothes, woodgrain just out of reach. Waiting at the station, the 5 a.m. trolley home, hands wrapped around my fare, There's some memory of a dingy lastnight bar where we chain-smoked through the muted stop-motion of late-night, whiskey breath and fingertips, tracing the side of a face, the ends of nerves, lost in the traffic river crowd footfall, at some patio latenight coffeehouse, we were cinematic, mysterious under the mercury lights that lit the sidewalk, that staged us full, small, like hands wrapped around a cup with our name on it.
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Oct 29, 2011
Oct 29, 2011 at 10:05 PM UTC
One Night Stand
little tommy turtle he just loved to shopat the local store tommy he would stopthen pick up a trolley and push it round the floortommy he just love to stroll around the store picking up his shopping he wanted from the shelfhe did it all alone he lived by himselfwhen he filled his basket to the checkout he would goit would take some time for a turtle it was slowthen pull out his wallet so tommy he could paytommy he just loved it when it was shopping day.
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Mar 2, 2010
Mar 2, 2010 at 12:15 PM UTC
turtles shopping day
Keeping your mouth shut is a vaccine that has found an actual guest Be reckless, say whatever you wish for-They're incapable of killing the living When did they depart It wasn't in there off the impassable thicket. We touch uninterrupted by the silent wasps A trolley and a bus sinking in the sand through the earth to join together She nonchalantly left the lock off of her worthless garbage to come, three dull eternities, and an undead caress; what more do you want! It is done, no more to come less days of our ******* going too slow, too slow to not see bottom plenty of antidote for every venom You will never be in the way, always in the picture, Don't go, I'll listen all the way, That doesn't mean you'll stay
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Jul 31, 2012
Jul 31, 2012 at 4:04 PM UTC
Community Snapshot
On the flipcharts and billboards and boardwalks where cash talks and greed stalks the unwary and where the darkness is scary, huddled underneath moonlight that fades into the long night and holding on tight to their bedrolls along with the soup and the bread rolls and the mission bell tolls for the end of round one. 'On top of the world ma' look how far we have come, and the nanny state looks after its favourite son but as the sun sets on Wapping and the 'mint set' go shopping for some the world's stopping. (I want to alight) The sun sheds some light as the night flicks away and for those who would lay in the doorways of shop fronts,who we think of as stunt men,the cut off,truncated and blunt men another day starts. And in Whitehall they call for the tea trolley at nine. A fine time for some and the nanny state looks after its favourite son.
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Jan 16, 2014
Jan 16, 2014 at 2:44 AM UTC
More Smiley's people.