WALKING ON THIN ICE

Counting Coup

Counting Coup

Satan thinks he owns my soul
but with each foto I take of myself
I retake a small slice,
and I’ve taken thousands
stealing my soul back
one sin at a time.

I have touched the Devil’s hoof,
fed his horse balderberries,
and dulled his tempting knife,
so wear the eagle feather in my hair
and paint red his wife.

I won’t count coup on you though
because we burn same blood,
walk same rain,
so your loss would not be my gain,
just extra pain.

— Smith, 12.31.2013

(explanation of the phrase counting coup = en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counting_coup)

Again, tomorrow’s poem today, for a poem-a-day since October 1. I work a day ahead to give myself a creative safety net, so that’s 92 poems written and posted in 91 days. Did not think I could do this. Trying for at least 8 more for 100.

Odd what comes out when you HAVE to write a poem. Things I’ve not liked I had to go with because of time spent in day’s went, so I kept chipping away the ugly to make them as real as possible.

Extremely satisfying process. Thanks to John Burroughs and his Crisis Chronicles Press for getting me on this path when he asked 8 of us to write 31 poems for October (Lady, Shelley Chernin, Mary E. Weems, Steve Brightman, John Swain, John Burroughs . . . the 8th poet dropped out). Told him I doubted I could do it. Go figure.

restealing my soul, a slice at a time – fotosmith

In Tuition

secular city

In Tuition

I been Christian, athiest, agnostic, Buddhist,
anamist most
(though never communist)
and through it all been blessed,
yet see for most it’s Mao or less a mess,
never what’s right or best,
just how to bring in more by giving less.

So all you takers, sharers, givers, stone-hearted killers,
willers, millers, shillers, fakers, shakers, sackers,
rackers, shrivers, markers, breakers, caretakers,
slave failures, pokers, prodders, ponderers, perusers,
pricks, pushers, pullers, uppers, downers, clowners,
inners and outers,
you know how cleaning up your act always starts tomorrow?
well tomorrow is today,
today is the new tomorrow,
clean-up starts today
(tomorrow)
or there’s going to be sorrow to borrow at bay.

— Smith, 12.30.2013

laterlight – fotosmith

9-slice Cat Life

Mandycat

9-slice Cat Life

She’s in the soft spot,
fur curled around tail,
purr open, eyes closed.

Cat on a cushion, cushion on the floor.
Feline’s on a mission to make my heart adore.

Rock-a-bye Mandy
fur full purr warm in my arms,
heart handy pure charm.

I tell her, “We are your humans.
You are our cat.
Ye, she, me, we are family.”

She sits, regal, imperious,
why ancient Egypt worshiped cats,
diviner grace, majestic indifference.

Our Mandycat no
mendicant, rather Queen Cat,
tells us what to do.

She’s agenda cat,
knows what she wants and that’s that.
I tell her wait, your request is in the queue.
She says queue you.

She teaches fast curve
ratio of blood slash per purr,
her body her her.

The Kathy kitten and the kitty cat
both know whereof they’re at
sometime here, sometime that.

— Smith, 12.29.2013

Queen Mandy – fotosmith

Highku of Living

highku Smith

Mandycat jumped up on the bathroom sink, so I reached over, said “Look at this” and turned on a trickle of water. She wagged her tail and started lapping.

Next time I went in the bathroom, she jumped up on the sink, looked at the faucet, looked at me, looked at the faucet, so I turned it on again and her tail and tongue started going lickitty wick.

Yesterday we heard her meowing like she was in trouble. I found her sitting on the bathroom sink, waiting for me to turn the water on. As soon as I reached for the faucet, her tail started up.

Love the interspecies communication, the trust and expectation, but do not believe this particular ritual will be continuing.

Been writing a poem a day since October. Here’s tomorrow’s poem today.

Highku of Living

She looked me over,
saw no marijuana pan.
“Why aren’t you smoking?”

“For our finances.
Comes down to cash or mellow.
Save now, stone later.

“Every toke I don’t
take is one more toke waiting
somewhere down the line.”

— Smith, 12.28.2013

high – fotosmith