Unreined, Dear

Angry Smith

—Poems and Artwork by Smith, Cleveland, OH

COFFEE GROUND

Ching ching ching goes the coffee
clang clang clang glows the flow
coffee in, coffee out
streaming yellow line
write my name in now

The hours between wake and sunrise
are mine
I wait in dark
rested, soothed
briefly free from yesterday's web
not yet ensnared by today's

Uploading caffeine from cup to mouth
waiting for sun to raise the darkness,
pills to palaver pain

I blow smoke into my coffee
bubble caffeine with cannabis
mixing go with slow
high with low
hello! with mellow...

Hour of the wolf
after dream before sun
coffee hugs my heart
wife on rug in exercise
pulling body taut
cat claws couch
ripping retorn arm
slime of greed in White House
lowering gene pool
wallet empty
full life of wife love start

Drinking coffee, thinking bed
here we go again

It's said it was an apple
the snake gave Eve from the tree
though some say pear
or fire of sin within
but my eyes are opened—
it was hot black coffee
in a cold white cup
coffee knows good and evil
is essential to reweaval
base for stop and go
and amazed grows
magic in liquid form
as we abraded in battle reform

I'm up, sun's not—
where's my heaven to roll around day?

Coffee seeps in
sleep slinks out
I stumble on way
knowing we pay

Hot coffee, cold hands
big caffeine, little wake

Caffeine, cannabis
cat in lap
book in hand
sun on leaf
wife on couch
floor ceiling below
this is the way to sow go

After night
before day
this is my time
toke of top
whip of strong sip
Sunday before sun
traffic low
people asleep
worlds within
caffeine and cannabis
the low light of quiet that sings

Coffee, caffeine, covfefe...
the Holy Trinity of Bagel Boogie
all hail Java the Cup

 Eden

CONVERSATION WITH WIFE 46

Who does Cheddar worship?
"Cheesus."

Wife sez she's "insane in the membrane,"
proclaims "I spit on your requirements."

How's your niche and nephew?
"Gesundheit."

"Do you want Gong Bao for dinner tonight?"
What's that?
"Chinese dish with cashews, ginger, rice, soy sauce, mushrooms."
Why not. Say, did you see Gong With The Wind?

I love you, woo-man.
"I love you, man woe."

"Do you think a seed is alive even if not planted?"
Yes, it's dormant. What kind of squash is this?
"Donno, something like Butternut."
I tried butter on my nuts but it made my underwear sticky.
"Ewwww. that's gross."
Just call me 144.

I am token spoken wheel.
"Wheely?"

 Earth Clown

WAS THE SOUND OF ONE ZEN CLOWN

Life is what you do with what you got
Get hit too hard, walk it off
Eat too much, pack on the lard
Just work the load and walk it off
Do the daily shilly-shally
Bet the nag, chew wacky tobacky
Prioritize lies, check the whys
Repeat replies
It's never enough so walk it off
Talk soft, walk it off
Chalk cross, walk it off
Held aloft, walk it off
Sugar gumball close to crock
Willie nilly silly willy
Best just walk it off
This is Zen the Clown here talkin'
You're shadow loose if you don't start walkin'

 BuddhaBurst

CONVERSATION WITH WIFE 41

I need to write a poem.
I feel better after writing a poem.

"Then write one."

I don't have any poem words.
I don't have any poem pen.
I don't have any poem paper.
I've got shit and toilet paper, that's what I got.

There, there's your poem.

 Neotonous

FARM-A-SUTRA

Oh Little Girl Blue come blow my horn,
my sheep has left and I'm so forlorn.

Besides I'm allergic to its wool
and its baa-ing made me feel the fool.

Chicken's nice but its feathers tickle,
the mice too small and way too fickle.

The geese bite and the pig's too dirty,
though the cow's cool, its eyes all flirty.

The horses don't like horsing around,
and the moles won't come from underground.

My best friend dog prefers neighbor's cat
while the cat doesn't know where it's at.

The farmer's daughter way down the lane
tried it once but won't do it again.

The snakes are too fast and the frogs too wet,
the fish in the pond won't answer yet.

I even tried it with soft warm mud
but it broke my stick and bent my bud.

So Little Girl Blue it's up to you,
otherwise I don't know what to do.

 War

CONVERSATION WITH WIFE 29

Do you want a cashew cookie?
"No"
Do you want a pecan cookie?
"No"
Do you want one of both?
"NO, I'm dieting. You're the devil"
Hey, you live with me, that's what you get.
Want ice cream?
"No."
How about a beer?
"NO!"
Some fried cat?
"Only if she's breaded."
Sorry, can't breed her, she's sterile.

"Nobody likes turnips."
Why do we grow so many?
"In case there's a war
so we'll have something to eat."
I was in a war once, Word War One
we had word rationing
could only use two verbs a day
and one gerund.

I aster but she wouldn't answer.

What are you doing?
"Whatever I want."
How come you get to do whatever you want?
"Because I'm the lady."
And what's the guy get to do?
"Whatever the lady wants."

 White Line Fever

DOWN TO ANIMAL BONE

Me big
Me want
Me take
Me smart too
Probably get away with it 

 Pearl

(and of course my annual Christmas song...)

EX CHRISTMAS

I see Santa the red-nosed thing dear
dancing on the head of a pin
in some strip club down Lonely Lane
where never was already is

Unreined deer out in the alley
shooting crap with quantum dice
taking tokes of alfalfa doobies
awaiting a working dear's price

O sacred Santa, o holy Tinman
now I lay me down to seek
a higher focus in the real land
once we awaken from sleep

HEY—warning light flashing over head ! ! !
such goings bring Ghost Past Behind
this is your don't-want-to-be dread
beckoning being sorry, unkind

Grouch don't get no good foot forward
greed can't grasp no love at hand
mean won't lean no one toward
higher helping plan for grand

Less is more, more just more mess
relax, lay back, let go, seek slack
to give is true get of success
sharing shines in giving back

So let's sing a song of simple
then go feed a folk or few
gotta make our own example
be such be as want to do


—Music by Peter Ball (1949-2015), words/vocal Smith, 2013. To hear Smith’s Christmas song, go to www.reverbnation.com/mutantsmith/song/19374180-ex-christmas/.

 Whatis

Today’s LittleNip:

ON THE ROAD
—Smith

If I could just remember
what I already know
I'd be a saint.

I ain't.

__________________

Thanks, Smith (Steven B. Smith) for your fine poetry and artwork on this winter solstice, 2018, lightening up the darkest day of the year! Poets in our area can shed further light on this day by going to hear six of our poets at The Other Voice in Davis: Allegra Silberstein, Charles Halsted, Carlena Wike, James Lee Jobe, Beth Sutter and Dorine Jeannette plus open mic. That’s at 7:30pm at the Unitarian Universalist Church on Patwin Road in Davis. Scroll down to the blue column (under the green column at the right) for info about this and other upcoming poetry events in our area—and note that more may be added at the last minute.

—Medusa

 My Back Porch

 —Artwork by Smith
(Celebrate poetry!)

Photos in this column can be enlarged by
clicking on them once, then clicking on the x
in the top right corner to come back to Medusa.