POETRY

All Aboard

Monotony Beckons Like a Well-Made Bed
One dark night when I am out walking
I am approached by a poet who
shows me a book with blank pages.
He says he has decided to write his poems
with invisible ink to avoid criticism.
He seems a bit invisible himself
as he slips back into the shadows.

The Lollipop
Ant Men come forward with their hands upraised.
One gets the feeling they’re not kidding.
They lead off in single file
as if they know it’s time for dinner.
One can only imagine what goes on in their heads.
A reporter from the Gazette appears and takes their picture.
If this is news, we’re in a very small town.

A Little Ditty
My next-door neighbor wears an inner tube
around his waist wherever he goes.
If there is a definition of courage, this is it.
I follow him with a pail of water and a green plastic shovel
hoping to lend him some credibility.

All Aboard
I look around. Zombies fill the car.
They’re eating ice cream and smoking cigarillos.
This makes me uneasy.
Is this the way to Puntarenas?
Perhaps I’ve taken the wrong train.
I ask the conductor, “When will we arrive?”
He says, “You are already there.”

This Is Wrong

Narcoleptics run amok.
Rifles fire in all directions but up.
Reluctant algorithms put out to sea.

Longshoremen seem shorter than usual.
Minions distribute toy teeth.
Wagons loaded with lies line up at the laundromat.

Ladies flower their hats.
Undertakers furrow their brows.
Furniture removers stop dead in their tracks.
From out of the great tomato comes sauce.

There are lonely ponies in the boneyard.
There are curious antidotes in the parlor.
Under the bar the vanilla sign
glows with longing.
Reluctant denial dancers do the splits.

Lethal docents disregard their ink stains.
Universities empty their pockets.
Who is responsible for this mayhem?

Audio Poetry Links:

Notre Dame Review: Audio Poems: "Something Useful From The Future" "Fishing With A Witch" and "Inedible"

Notre Dame Review: Audio Poems: "Go Away" "Let Freedom Ring" and "The Incredible Shark Infested Mule Pool"

Sycamore Review: Audio Poem: "Luggage"

Written Poetry Links:

Literal Latté   "When Will the War Reach the Suburbs?"


LIT and Interim: "Mad Dog Howls at the Moon" "The Longboat Delivers Food to Shorty" and "The Great Emptiness"

Faultline and Margie: "Stop Creating Elvis Manure", "Gumbo Drops His Load" and "Nudes Descending Staircases"

Verse Daily: "Transcendence"

Notre Dame Review: "Whether the Weather Is Wetter" "Luggage" and "All Aboard"

Verse: "Friends Release Dried Balloons" and "There's More Here Than Meets The Eye"

Weber: "Something Useful from the Future" and "Barracks Watch"

Weber: "Fishing With a Witch" and "Borrowed Emblems"

Exquisite Corpse: "Something Useful from the Future", "Her Lap", "The Day My Hat Flew Out the Window"               and "Not Just Yet"

Exquisite Corpse: "Alexandria" and "I Tried to Watch TV Tonight"