Whitman had a lot of songs,long and rambling, so many notesventuring all over the melodic rangefrom the highest octaves to thelowest reaches of the bass clef If he was written out on a staff,codified into halves, wholes, and sixteenths,he would be a tangle to rival Brahms,with a reach beyond Rachmaninoff or Liszt You wouldn’t wantContinue reading “Self Singing”
Tag Archives: self
Face
my face is riverstonethe bedrock smooth and sculptedby eons of rushing waterand the dry season’s wind ruts and valleys channeled inby the laughter of a babbling brook,pebbles deposited under the eyeswhose stillness are the poolsnear the banks, where moss andalgae rest, green, sometimes blue,with flecks of visiting dragonfly the long line of my nose istheContinue reading “Face”
Song
Dance to your own drum, sing in your own key I sing the song of America, my country, sweet landthe clay from which I was madewhere my ancestors sailed before there was an island to receive themand again, later, leaving their names upon the island’s wallBelievers, all of themin the promise of freedom and rebirthwithContinue reading “Song”
Titles | Self Imposed Definitions
I am the Queenof being wrongThe Princessof lossAn Expertat shelving my dreamsI wrote a thesison the disappointment that comes from the misplaced hopethat people will change for the betterI have conqueredthe fact that standing up for myself or othersalways gets me punched back downI’m an Absolute Proat failureMy confidence is excellentat being swiftly annihilatedI amContinue reading “Titles | Self Imposed Definitions”
Personal Geology
Some daysI amstrong, firma mountain risingfrom the rich strata of my yearsThere is no pastNo abandoned bedrockNo memoryOnly now Other daysthe mighty hammer fallsbreakingoff a cliffexposing evidenceof suffering’s transgressionsedimentshiddenbeneaththat would be ripefor erosionif I would let them surface Concealedmy mantle boilsawaiting metamorphosis:time, press the layers togethertransform thembond themwith the fingerprint of gloryshining at my coreContinue reading “Personal Geology”
Taking Sides
the Joyful Conqueror arm wrestlesthe Sorrowful Scared Cynicwho’s used to losing Wild Dreamer kicksthe Careful Rule Followerin the shins under the tableso Sh*t-stirrer starts up,knocking over a chairinto Peacemaker, who spillsher drink onto the stifledRealist’s crisp white shirt the Diplomat steps forwardbut procrastinates for an instantand gets shoved out ofthe way by the Bitter GossipContinue reading “Taking Sides”
Shadow
my shadow is tallshe can reach all the glasseson the top shelf she fills them to the brimwith strong cocktailsbecause alcohol doesn’tbother her stomach,and neither does anyquantity or combination of food she drives fastand says “f*ck it”more than I do, becausethat field of hers really is barrenand she lords over ita lanky scarecrow inbright redContinue reading “Shadow”
The Poetry Patio 