—Poetry and Photos by Smith, Cleveland, OH
I'm the package deal
even bring my own demons
my own big wheel
I'm cross
I'm rugged
I'm old
but no rugged crosshairs on me
my light comes from darkness
dark from light
wrong lie to right
we have symptoms
lack of shame
short sight
fearfright
days mostly sitcom
weren't for the blood
and hungry teeth
how the heck did we get here
slogging through the slug
looking for the plug
to pull
or
were we here all along
and didn't know it
cause of P.R. slogans
All Hail the Thief
flog the grief
flux relief
sheesh
I gots no answers
lost my antlers
uncles too
even bring my own demons
my own big wheel
I'm cross
I'm rugged
I'm old
but no rugged crosshairs on me
my light comes from darkness
dark from light
wrong lie to right
we have symptoms
lack of shame
short sight
fearfright
days mostly sitcom
weren't for the blood
and hungry teeth
how the heck did we get here
slogging through the slug
looking for the plug
to pull
or
were we here all along
and didn't know it
cause of P.R. slogans
All Hail the Thief
flog the grief
flux relief
sheesh
I gots no answers
lost my antlers
uncles too
Famecage
New rooster down hill
crows every 11 seconds
for sun to rise
when already up 6 hours
he'll crow for weeks
or months
go silent
gone in stew pot
or coyote stomach
then odd unsilent silence
until next new rooster
in next new near location
starts taking credit
for something already done
Now And Then
It ain't going well
so you try this
you try that
mix time, patience, old man wiles
and sometimes
not always but every now and then
things work out
even two 11-year rusted
license plate bolts
I'm not stupid
though many may argue
I know life is pies in the face
and entropy rules forever
until it runs down
But even so
is time to come
creeping out of my winter hole
glance skeptical at the spring sun
count my fingers
lock up the silver
and send my slim pickings
from the nun-ary to the none-ary
—to weigh this nonsense
out-wait the blight
Gasoline
Sitting at a red light
waiting for the green
4 lanes here each labeled ONLY
how can there be more than 1 only
at the same line
Too many manys
everything is somewhere else
changing lanes
to chase and run and sorrow
(the corner of Here & Tomorrow)
But batten me hatches
and flatten me 'roids
I'd yell a warning
but don't know the words
it's fantasy fueling
and fright failing fall
until did gets to didn't
and done dood it all
Purpose of life's obvious
stay alive
live until die
that is the why
Unless you falsify the hypothesis
All The Way Down
Nothing like waking up
behind the wheel
to get your adrenaline going
Re religion
it's the Thelonious Monks
no curtain cults for me
For remorse of course
there's always "Bob"
low in no
high in why
My personal philosophy of life?
I aim myself down hill
try to shuffle fast enough
not to fall
And yet
the bottom's so abrupt
I'm down to lucidity and luck
and WTF
Crosstown
A little bit of this
a little bit of that
erase the blackboard
write it right back
might be an answer
a clue or two
explain the strange
due duty's due
twixt quease and unease
our need to task
to bleed
to ask
to do
Reign
Turn right at light
prepare for heavy
Up down curve around
in unknown territory
Glum in gloom's going on
but spring still springing
Yellow flowers grace new green
glow-lime leaves leaking
My second sit in sun this season
soothing tomorrow's sorrows
Fulfill
Used to worship the Great Gauze
but my beliefs unraveled
Lets me and you
walk through troubles strewn
go down to village well
for spell of chat
and laughter
brief lightening of disaster
in ever been
ever after
Cost
Today’s LittleNip:
I shot the tariff
so it would not shoot
my equity down
—Smith
_________________
Our thanks to the prolific Smith (Steven B. Smith) for his fine poetry and artwork today! Always a pleasure and a lightening~
Reader
—Photo by Smith
A reminder that
Mary Mackey & Robby Nykodym
will read tonight in Davis, 7pm.
For info about this and other
future poetry happenings in
Northern California and otherwheres,
click on
UPCOMING NORCAL EVENTS
(http://medusaskitchen.blogspot.com/p/wtf.html)
in the links at the top of this page—
and keep an eye on this link and on
the daily Kitchen for happenings
that might pop up
—or get changed!—
during the week.
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.
Poets’ bios appear on their first MK visit.
To find previous posts, type the name
of the poet (or poem) into the little
beige box at the top left-hand side
of this column. See also
Medusa’s Rapsheet at the bottom
of the blue column on the right
side of this column to find
any date you want.
Miss a post?
You can find our most recent ones by
scrolling down under this daily one.
Or there's an "Older Posts" button
at the bottom of this column.
(Please excuse typos in older posts!
Blogspot has been through a lot of
incarnations in 20 years!)
Would you like to be a SnakePal?
Guidelines are at the top of this page
at the Placating the Gorgon link;
send poetry and/or photos and artwork
to kathykieth@hotmail.com. We post
work from all over the world—including
that which was previously published—
and collaborations are welcome.
Just remember:
the snakes of Medusa are always hungry—
for poetry, of course!
Mary Mackey & Robby Nykodym
will read tonight in Davis, 7pm.
For info about this and other
future poetry happenings in
Northern California and otherwheres,
click on
UPCOMING NORCAL EVENTS
(http://medusaskitchen.blogspot.com/p/wtf.html)
in the links at the top of this page—
and keep an eye on this link and on
the daily Kitchen for happenings
that might pop up
—or get changed!—
during the week.
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.
Poets’ bios appear on their first MK visit.
To find previous posts, type the name
of the poet (or poem) into the little
beige box at the top left-hand side
of this column. See also
Medusa’s Rapsheet at the bottom
of the blue column on the right
side of this column to find
any date you want.
Miss a post?
You can find our most recent ones by
scrolling down under this daily one.
Or there's an "Older Posts" button
at the bottom of this column.
(Please excuse typos in older posts!
Blogspot has been through a lot of
incarnations in 20 years!)
Would you like to be a SnakePal?
Guidelines are at the top of this page
at the Placating the Gorgon link;
send poetry and/or photos and artwork
to kathykieth@hotmail.com. We post
work from all over the world—including
that which was previously published—
and collaborations are welcome.
Just remember:
the snakes of Medusa are always hungry—
for poetry, of course!
