you should’ve stuck around, Dad
antidepressants were only
a few years away
or smoked pot
hell,
it’s so ironically wrong that you obliterated yourself
in Kentucky
when marijuana
was the top cash crop
in the state
planchette
there’s a reading chair
i won’t allow to die
propped up with
an old Royal Typewriter case
where i drift off
dreaming unafraid
of slow-moving tornadoes
& your whispering face
weighing scientifically
which is more destructive
.
you’re haunting me
as promised
but not so much i feel put upon
which i know
you would hate
(artwork by Stephen Mackey)
How Isabella Conquers Her World
you have descended
from indigenous medicine women
and girl scout goddesses
you came into this life
with power that takes growing
into
head held high
with strong female role models
confidence you will cultivate
by surviving pain
rising to challenges
you’re finding out
you’re stronger than you know
by
creating your own peace
owning your joy
making happiness your choice
remembering you have endured
their belittling words
because
they need to feel better than you
because they have nothing to be proud
how sad is that
pity them
waste no time on bitterness
take comfort
people like this are their own reward
you will rise above their words
you will outlive their petty hearts
the world fears all shades of women and girls
who believe in themselves
do not ever give a bad person
the power
to make you feel like
you are less
to make you ashamed of the way you are woven into the fabric of our universe
or that it is anything but
perfectly divine
to be you
The Top 10 Poetry Books of the last decade..
On New Years Eve 2008 I hosted my first poetry open mic on Blogtalkradio, and the years that followed I interviewed , and posted reviews weekly from hundreds of poets world wide. I posted on MySpace, Facebook, and had reviews published with online zines. My greatest love was taking books into classrooms, and seeing children’s eyes light up hearing the authors read their work via phone. That is when poetry and writing was most alive with me, you could see the words flowing around the room, and excitement in the eyes of children: that through their eyes writing truly is an art that expands the senses and the heart, with poetry anything was possible.
In the past year I have gotten involved as a professional reviewer again, and it is sad that publishing companies do not send advanced reader copies of poetry. I received thrillers, ya lit, ya sci fi…
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undone
angry seething
stab you in the face with sentiment love poems
were my
specialty
my thing
boy howdy
did i ever generate
enough bloody material
a canon of cannon fire
yet i find
myself undone
fucking happy
sniffing daisies in a pinafore
my battle drum silent
as he gives me no reason
to write them
or go off to war
Penises are Haunted
penises are haunted
by ex-girlfriends with perfect legs
the redhead who stalked them in college
a brunette who got away
catholic school girls who said no with their hips
but said yes with their eyes
a fucked up credit report
back seat chevrolet encounters
one woman who liked anal
and betrayed first wives
of thee I sing
the true measure
of a civilized society
are the rumors
told by its ghosts
love affair
we were driving
near the water
i was green
with a lack of land
begging him to veer away from lighthouseshe never let me drive
but it was okay
because it was one of the ways
he was older than me
and i counted on him for thatleaning in he notices
my pearly white painted fingertips
resting against the tan leather of the car
and says
your nails are beautifuli say the color is called
love affair
and he says
of course it is, baby girl,
of course it is…
we were driving
near the water
i was green
with a lack of land
begging him to veer away from lighthouses
he never let me drive
but it was okay
because it was one of the ways
he was older than me
and i counted on him for that
leaning in he notices
my pearly white painted fingertips
resting against the tan leather of the car
and says
your nails are beautiful
i say the color is called
love affair
and he says
of course it is, baby girl,
of course it is…
negotiable instruments
from now on
i am going to write
“I hate what the world has become…”
in the memo
of all my paper checks
