Posts for June 2, 2017 (page 2)

Category
Poem

Beauty in the Rough

He is delicate in the most unexpected moments–

His softness is hidden
in the sharp and rigid creases of his eyes.

Like ice that meets the warmth of an evening fire-
His tears are out of place, yet at home.

This is beauty in the rough.


Category
Poem

ROCKS AND STONES

ROCKS AND STONES

Consciousness is an ever flowing stream,
and you dip your pan into the water there and scoop
up from the sediment some sand and rocks and stones,

then sift it with an eager eye searching for those
tiny flecks of gold hidden in the worthless sand
among the many rocks and stones.


Category
Poem

All the dead

All the dead 
you buried?

Their bones 
are calling.

I am not
the only
one who
hears.


Category
Poem

Make Believe

Keep in mind all the lies
That you believe in
So I don’t fall into your eyes
And exist in your skin
Giving you the benefit
Of understanding your delusion
Just so you can
Pretend to be Queen
Or King
Or anything that you want
Cause this is your world
I’m living in
You’re always first
My deceived friend


Category
Poem

Ocean of Prophecy

Joan Baez crooning
An ocean of prophecy
Rebel, stand up, your
Hard rains goin’ fall down river
singing Earth, mountains, hollers    


Category
Poem

Flawed

broken cups, chipped plates
     throw them all into the lake
          of fire and brimstone, then you’ll rid
               the world of every broken kid

King David sent out a decree to find
any lost descendant of his friend, Jonathan.
In the land of Lo Debar, lived the remaining kindred,
a son, crippled from the age of five.  David claimed
Mephibosheth as his own son, to become a prince
in the royal palace.  The king overlooked the flaws,
and saw what was good in the heart of the boy.
An act of grace like that of God.

               broken cups, chipped plates
          gather them up from the lake
     love and grace is what you give
to bring the world to a broken kid


Category
Poem

Counting

I count calories and steps
ounces of milk in my coffee and
cups of cereal in my bowl
the number of almonds I slip
into a bag to take to work
slices of turkey bacon and
cups of lettuce
minutes I’ve biked and
flights of stairs I’ve climbed
the hours until my next snack
the days since first started counting and
the years since I didn’t look at myself this way


Category
Poem

Fear of Trees

 

 

“…we have always been the duppy we fear.”

Madwoman: poems, Shara McCallum

 

In the short border of dusk, and then dawn, 

people don’t want to see it for its own truth

or their own truth or truth at all.

Mirrors, selfies, cousins, glossy self-help pages,

plain as the skin and veins on their hands. 

You stand wondering why they can’t all 

understand when you don’t know 

you don’t understand yourself.

It’s like raking leaves every day 

when you don’t even have trees,

your back to your neighbor’s grove

of maples. 

 


Category
Poem

Rhode hard or The race

I’m no scholar but
Cecil Rhodes nickname
Should be turtle
Because he killed Africans
Slow and steady