Small pieces of hope
held tightly,
nurtured gratefully,
smashed out of my hands,
fall,
fall,
fall.
poem-wandering August 7, 2018
It is
It isn’t
Round and round
I can!
I can’t!
You do
You don’t
and trying
trying
trying
doesn’t make it easier
to pull your broken brain away
from turbulance
I don’t know you anymore
I don’t like you anymore
Loyalty keeps me doing
because I promised him
and you can’t help being broken
I know.
It is
It isn’t
Time ticks by
I try
I try
I try.
poem-is isn’t April 6, 2018
It is.
It isn’t.
Me.
You.
A circle compounding compromises.
Conviction carries us.
I promise.
I pound.
I promise
I pound.
I paint
conviction
carrying
us.
It is.
It isn’t.
Promising.
(A poem for Dustin & Lyda, Jason & Kirindip. These are characters in the current w.i.p. novel).
poem-narrow March 27, 2018
Read and understand,
my children.
The world is not as narrow
as your mind.
If you live a life,
mired in the same mud,
you will never know the
glories of a mountain peak,
power of ocean depths.
Read and understand,
my children.
What you have seen
is not all there is.
What you have felt
is not all there is to feel.
See and understand,
my children.
There is more.
So much more.
Than what you know.
Open your eyes,
to the world
my children.
See and understand.
poem- ukulele beats February 13, 2018
So… this is a (parody) Beatnik style spoken word piece. In place of the bongos (or in addition to them) you have to insert an ukulele riff between the lines. I ‘wrote’ this while a student was walking through the halls past my class room, wailing away–heavy metal style–on his ukulele… (We don’t ask why he was soooooo far from the band room. Obviously it was so he could inspire poetry!)
PS. Call it an oo-koo-lay-lay, please, NOT a you-kah-lay-lee.
.
.
The ukuleles are out walkin’
(insert riff)
Rockin’ to the beat
(power chord)
Tropical heat
(power chord)
Seat of pants stalkin’
(riff)
Ukulele tuneful wailin’
to the whales
(riff)
Ukulele layin’ on the vibe
Make us come alive.
(power chord)
It’s a gas, man.
Ukulele laughin’ gas, man
(longer riff)
Listen to what I say,
Take the ukulele way
of peace,
man.
(power chord).
Cuckoo
Ukulele.
(riff)
Groovy, dude.
poem-wishful February 7, 2018
Wistful
Wishful
A tank of fish full:
silver darting
Red Sea parting.
Make a way;
say your say.
Wistful
wish.
Full.
poem-nudge December 6, 2017
Of course.
I will.
I say it.
I mean it.
But.
Squirrel!
Remind me,
I say.
I mean it.
Of course,
I will.
I mean it.
I will.
Oh, right,
I forgot.
.
.
.
Sometimes, our good intentions get lost in our busyness! How many times have I told people to remind me what I’ve agreed to do for them, because I will likely forget, despite my willingness? I’ve got a memory like a sieve, despite my best intentions. Does this happen to you, too? How awkward is it to make the nudging calls or send the nudging message? Will you nudge, or do you presume the person really doesn’t want to do it? I worry people think I don’t mean it when I ask them to remind me.
poem- didn’t December 5, 2017
I didn’t know
I didn’t know
I didn’t know
I didn’t want to know
I couldn’t know
I shouldn’t know
I wouldn’t know
I know
Know
I…
No.
poem-lucky November 9, 2017
How lucky I am
in you.
How blessed I am
to know you.
How grateful I am
for you.
poem- pic October 11, 2017
Pick a picture
search the eyes
the dead glass
living eyes
No vacancy
blink
No vacancy
blink
No vacancy
in broken down windows
picked clean
pick up
this dream.
Shawn L. Bird 