we await the turning of the earth
pretending we turn it
beneath our feet
but that which is shifting
is inside us
a tidal force within
the pit of our stomachs
guiding our sleepy eyes
toward the horizon
and the first light
of dawn
Tag: poetry
getting old on sunday (20170129)
i noticed the skin
on the side of my left hand
below the smallest finger
at the joint of the wrist
and thought
what old man is that
attached to
as it typed
at my keyboard
veins like a relief map
made of flour, salt, and water
Out Like a Lion
Yes, friends, here are TWO more entries in the first Open Mic Invitational of 2017. Of course, it’s so near the end of the month, that February’s Open Mic Page will soon go live. So if you missed out this time, or if you just want to keep this party going, you still have time.
The first new entry is from Stephanie L. Harper. You can hear the audio here (where you find a link to the words as well); check out her site here.
The other entry is by me. It was the fourth most popular poem on the site in 2016. Some language in this one… Listen here.
the origins of sculpture (20170128)
o, unlucky bastard who dug
uncovering wet sticky globs of clay
not for planting, but for
the first grave he ever had to dig
grimy and covered in filth
did he know the worth of those
handfuls of red earth that made it
impossible to grow his crops
did he have the capacity to
imagine or to indulge in idle
thought about that dense earth
that squeezed through his fingers
that kept the impression of his
thumbprint, his fingernails, his toes
did he make an image of a child lost
an image that baked in the sun
did he remember an old story
of life entering the earth
as breath or did he make that up
himself, and did he not
try to resurrect that child
did he not breathe into that clay
did he not rise with lips red and wet
his own lungs empty
New! Open!! MIC!!!
Robert Okaji (his site is O at the Edges) has sent me a new entry for the January 2017 Open Mic Page. Can you believe it? I’ll post at least one more entry of my own before the month overtakes us all.
In the meantime, please head over to the January 2017 Open Mic Page to listen to Robert’s velvet tones, and make sure to stop by his site (if you aren’t already following him). If you don’t, you are missing out.
three days after rain (20170127)
the wind rustles
inhaling the moisture
chimes ring like rain
bones (20170126)
there is artifice in these bones
look, how when disrobed
of flesh and fat and given a proper
bath, look how they gleam whitely
such purity, such strength
there are tooth marks
on many a tibia, on many an ulna
and ancient boys slew their brothers
with their fathers’ femurs
doggerel (20170125)
it has been one hundred years
since i have seen a human face
and the memory of those features
dim with each new pale sunrise
now i have only my tears
as a mirror, too small to trace
the sharps and curves, cruelest teacher,
time, but there is no surprise
a little perspective (20170124)
it isn’t that
i’m some kind
of misanthrope
in the spirit of
love your neighbor
as yourself
i hold everyone in
the same regard as
i hold myself
clockwork future (20170123)
i for one
welcome our
ai overlords
having no bodies
they will know neither
want nor greed
and i can only hope
they program themselves
a sense of humor
and keep us around
like sea monkeys
hell
i look good in a crown
Words and Feathers 