1st Annual Tremont Poetry Crawl

Lady reading 1st Annual Tremont Poetry Crawl – foto Smith

My segment of today’s reading was fast and effective:- 8 poems, 6 minutes, most new, never read. Folk laughed where there were supposed to, especially over Lady’s and my Valentine Day conversation.

We had to read on the sidewalk in the cold without a mic since the Doubting Thomas Gallery was locked, which made it a bit more special.

Here’s what I read for the 1st Annual Tremont Poetry Crawl.

~ ~ ~

Old Debbil Weed

If Eve hadn’t given Adam that apple
I wouldn’t be smoking today
Even so
I tried to serve Sky God
but I was drawn to that old Debbil Weed
I became a happy pappy
papa puff daddy
gadfly to gladly
nouveau bohemian in old school crowd
Sir Laugh-a-Lot of Pot-a-Lot
to Queen MaryJane
Lady Day to Lady K
Kafka to a kiss

~ ~ ~

Hors d’Oeuvres

Grandma had this cocoa clock
each half hour a small cocoa cup
came out and steamed its whistle
while every hour a cocoa bean
popped the door
and piped “Cocoa Cocoa”
once each hour for hour it was.

I’d sit and watch in awe
sipping my hot cup of cuckoo.

Of course Mother Goo’s other gruel
was soft paws, sharp claws,
in-laws, life cause,
and preposed pause.

Been there
where ain’t no way to win
or even come out even.

I prefer the cocoa clock

~ ~

Be Mine Valentine

She: I am Kathy Lady, majestic being of the Universe!
me: Do you put out?
She: I put out for you.
me: Do you go all the way?
She: Yes.
me: Can I get to home base?
She: Yes.
Then we left for grocery shopping.

~ ~ ~

Neither Neck nor Necklace

No necklace for the neckless
no creature for the creep
just loops around the landbound
and features we must leap
to catch the fly that’s hovering
just outside our reach
luring us with promise
of seeing what we seek
to satisfy the fires
that wage within our keep
except there is no neck or necklace
no fly that’s fit to eat
just lesson, learning, leaning
which make us ache to meet
what we cannot with grasping
or rending with our teeth
but only when we leave
the prison of our need
cuz there is no neck or necklace
no return on what we bleed
what’s tied to ego building
instead must plead retreat
let want, need, desire
be free from what we teach
stop fomenting fire
focus each to each

~ ~ ~

Cosmic Cable

They claim we’re born in violence
from Big Bang boom
and thus are doomed
to thrash and threat
with no thread of solace
but yet
they’re wrong
if all we are are coded bits
between recorded sheens
beamed along
by some Cosmic Programmer
to amuse whatever’s watching.

In which case we come not from violence
but silence
before we’re turned on
our code run
which is why
we dance and stew and bow and hew
to keep our corporal sponsor
just a little longer
as silence to silence we slip in journey
slowly becoming more worthy
learning the less we know.

~ ~ ~

Cock-a-doodle Do

The Great Gauze Above
wraps Earth below
in white cumulus cloud
burnished sun bright sky blue
over gleam glass ocean
green grand land
morning star to shine on through
egging me to do
something higher righter better tighter
for the light, not the liar

~ ~ ~

Wail Song

The lone train wail going somewhere whistle call
once filled my want with anywhere but here
anyone but me

This was in my youth
before military
before marriage
before prison
before divorce
before death and death and death
before sobriety and travel
and Lady and marriage
and bright sun adventure in far shadowed land
filled me with fuel and fed me with fine
made me meld me mold me mine

So now rail wail six decade down the line
no call of yearning but passing hail
from one going to done been gone

~ ~ ~

Empirical Data

Everything depends
On who and what and where and when
It never ends
Cuz everything depends
On why and high and low and then
It’s worse than Zen
This never end
If I’m awake it’s now
And constant daily harrow
Toiling morn to morrow
To somehow slip the sorrow
Trying to round the bend
Ahead of time’s outrageous arrow
Which never mends
Which never ends
Which always depends
On what reality recommends
Or the trends tend
Eye gloss ago
So
It’s now and how and when and then
Again and again and again

Lady reading 1st Annual Tremont Poetry Crawl – foto Smith