Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Recent Poetry

(None of these really relate to each other; but I thought I'd put some recent poetry out there...)


"And Yet We Wait"

I still crouch in ribbons of weeds
-Bare to the bone-
Apprehensiveness illuminating
Men all around me.
I can't stand the quiet any longer.
So I ask them
What they think of the world.
"We don't know," they whisper.
"It's been a while."
We all turn pale.
Everyone forces a laugh
Until the wind asks us
What we're waiting for.

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"Solubility"

Fit right in.

Watch the way you ask questions;

When I'm not even around.


I told you,

"I'll be down by the river searching for driftwood."

It makes me feel at home.

So don't tell me you're lonely.

There's no such thing as an empty room,

Only a vacant mind.


You could be here with me,

It doesn't matter if I'm not around.


The Hudson smells nice this time of year,

You'd fit right in.

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"Riverside Interlude"

Autumn's mockery
Creates an absence of boats,
And the willow speaks for itself.

Half of a worn couple shows affection:
Speechless eyes and a limp arm embrace.
Why am I alone?

Cold brick slabs retain
River water overflow.
"A monument to those lost at sea"
True patriotism.

Scarce light scatters slowly
Over a family torn to pieces,
God knows why
The seagulls don't mind
The cold.


I wonder where the fish will go?
Swim away with me?

Brick and mortar won't last forever...

5 comments:

  1. Riverside Interlude feels the most "complete". I enjoy pieces that have such an impact that you could frame them. They come as a painting or a punch and Riverside Interlude definitely does that for me. Please don't take offense by my use of the word complete. I have several pieces of poetry that still, after months or years, at least feel like they are shape shifting; squirming about and what not. I love the couple in this piece. It is complex but tight. It's like a photography of a moment rarely seen. A moment when several things converge all at once.

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  2. A photograph not a photography. Sorry bout that.

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  3. That's what I thought too. It's the one I felt best about because it paints a picture, and I can remember what I saw. I sat there, and literally wrote down 5 descriptions. "Autumn's mockery, absence of boats, true patriotism, scarce light, brick and mortar." Then later, I thought about the whole scene and expanded. For sure I know what you mean about "complete." I always change things around, the same way. It's rare to be completely satisfied. Obviously I love the comparison of the poem to a photographic moment, because photography's my thing. I should try more poems the same way I started that one! Thanks for the quick feedback!

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  4. justin...i really dig these poems. truly. they're my favorite of what i've read so far. that's my immediate response anyhow. it's late, and so i'll respond again at another time when i have more presence of mind. my faves are the first two. and sorry drew, i'm not dissin' - honest, but i've gotta disagree with you about the complete bit - these all feel complete to me. i enjoy being left suspended by a poem if it's done right. and suspension doesn't necessarily mean lack of completion so long as you're getting something across - what you hope to get across i mean.

    if i were to order these poems according to preference they would be ordered as you put them down here. you've turned some really effective phrases in each of them. really impressive man. i'll write more later. doug

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  5. Thanks for the feedback Doug. Interesting to see that you have a different standpoint... I'd love to whatever you're got to say about them. No rush.

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