Arnold Robbins
OVER THE EDGE
Instinct running into exhaustion
Exhaustion breaking down into feelings
Feelings torqued and leveraged
Volcanic eruptions blasting forth
Past breaking through the glaciers of ice
Finally able to feel the feelings
That were frozen far below
Now the challenge
To balance euphoria and despair
Into a steady, forward flight
Decades past have tracked into the present
Free at last and a slave simultaneously
Trying to honor these feelings
Without going over the edge
Instinct running into exhaustion
Exhaustion breaking down into feelings
Feelings torqued and leveraged
Volcanic eruptions blasting forth
Past breaking through the glaciers of ice
Finally able to feel the feelings
That were frozen far below
Now the challenge
To balance euphoria and despair
Into a steady, forward flight
Decades past have tracked into the present
Free at last and a slave simultaneously
Trying to honor these feelings
Without going over the edge
________________________
PHOENIX
Dive into the depths
The depths of despair
Despair for your dreams and your life
Life is now the darkness closing in and there is no escape
Escape the heavy onslaught of ruin
Ruin among ruins
Ruins and fire and ashes and darkness
Darkness encompassing all your thoughts and spirit
Spirit a heap of ashes gathered in a huge pile
Piled higher and higher
Within the ashes a fire burns
Burns until at last light is seen breaking forth
Forth from the ashes are seen beams of light
Light breaking through the darkness of despair
Despair can no longer hold back the light
Light gathering to break through 1000 years of darkness
Darkness disappears as the light grows ever stronger
Stronger it rises with wings and tail to live
Live another 1000 years
Years filled with hope and light
Light, this light we call the phoenix
Phoenix is your spirit
Dive into the depths
The depths of despair
Despair for your dreams and your life
Life is now the darkness closing in and there is no escape
Escape the heavy onslaught of ruin
Ruin among ruins
Ruins and fire and ashes and darkness
Darkness encompassing all your thoughts and spirit
Spirit a heap of ashes gathered in a huge pile
Piled higher and higher
Within the ashes a fire burns
Burns until at last light is seen breaking forth
Forth from the ashes are seen beams of light
Light breaking through the darkness of despair
Despair can no longer hold back the light
Light gathering to break through 1000 years of darkness
Darkness disappears as the light grows ever stronger
Stronger it rises with wings and tail to live
Live another 1000 years
Years filled with hope and light
Light, this light we call the phoenix
Phoenix is your spirit
_______________________
AU NATUREL
Just the facts
No hide and seek
No shell game
No shading the truth
No rose-colored spectacles
No turning away
No push-up bras
No high heels
No make-up—eyeliner, blush, lipstick
Just you in the naked truth
Between the covers
Of our bed
Au naturEl my love
Just you and me
Together
The way we were meant to be...
_______________________
Just the facts
No hide and seek
No shell game
No shading the truth
No rose-colored spectacles
No turning away
No push-up bras
No high heels
No make-up—eyeliner, blush, lipstick
Just you in the naked truth
Between the covers
Of our bed
Au naturEl my love
Just you and me
Together
The way we were meant to be...
_______________________
FOOL FOR LOVE
I love you so much I want to...
Occupy Wall Street for you,
Lower gasoline and food prices for you,
End economic market manipulation for you,
Abolish all forms of abuse and crimes for you,
Save the whales for you,
Strike down Citizens United for you,
Stop global climate change for you,
Establish world peace...
Yet I must be a fool for love...
Considering I have never met you and
I don’t even know your name.
____________________________
SCIENCE FICTION HORROR
If it comes to this...
Where apes rule the planet
Where soylent green is made of people
Where vacations will be spent at Westworld
I love you so much I want to...
Occupy Wall Street for you,
Lower gasoline and food prices for you,
End economic market manipulation for you,
Abolish all forms of abuse and crimes for you,
Save the whales for you,
Strike down Citizens United for you,
Stop global climate change for you,
Establish world peace...
Yet I must be a fool for love...
Considering I have never met you and
I don’t even know your name.
____________________________
SCIENCE FICTION HORROR
If it comes to this...
Where apes rule the planet
Where soylent green is made of people
Where vacations will be spent at Westworld
Where nothing can go wrong, wrong, wrong...
Where the last forests will be jettisoned into space
Where humans will battle cyborgs to survive
Where asteroids will crash into planet Earth
Where calamity and catastrophe pounds humanity
In wave after wave
Well, if it comes to this...
I’m sure there will be at least one more movie to see
One more movie to enjoy
One more movie to look and listen...
God help me though if I see another cell phone on in the theater
Then there will be hell to pay
Like one final destination
Like one nightmare on elm street
Like one brutal attack from an alien
Like one invasion from a predator
Like psycho in the bath
Yes, God help me!
____________________________
Where the last forests will be jettisoned into space
Where humans will battle cyborgs to survive
Where asteroids will crash into planet Earth
Where calamity and catastrophe pounds humanity
In wave after wave
Well, if it comes to this...
I’m sure there will be at least one more movie to see
One more movie to enjoy
One more movie to look and listen...
God help me though if I see another cell phone on in the theater
Then there will be hell to pay
Like one final destination
Like one nightmare on elm street
Like one brutal attack from an alien
Like one invasion from a predator
Like psycho in the bath
Yes, God help me!
____________________________
Thanks To Arnold Robbins for today's poetry! Arnold was born in Manhattan, New York, and spent most of his childhood in Puerto Rico. He holds a Bachelor's of Science from the University of California, Davis. Arnold cut his poetry chops at Luna's Cafe in Sacramento. He has been a featured poet at Luna's, as well as participating in many open mics there. Arnold has also participated in two VOX readings, and open mics at the Sacramento Poetry Center and Shine. He has one published book of poems called The Archaeology (2007), and some of his poems have been published in Rattlesnake Press's WTF. He currently resides in Marin County with relatives until he finds full employment and decides what to do with the rest of his life.
Speaking of Shine, Kel Munger and Stan Zumbiel will be featured there tonight at 7:30pm. (Details are on the blue board at the right of this.) Their reading kicks off a busy weekend; be sure to take note of all the fine events headed our way.
And thanks also to Roger Langton for the stunning photograph (see below).
___________________________
Today's LittleNip:
EVERY NOW AND THEN
—Arnold Robbins
Every now and then
I get the yen
For a little Zen
If I feel a twang
I may turn to the yin and yang
Seeking balance
Finding peace and love
It happens when...
Every now and then
I get the yen...
___________________________
Every now and then
I get the yen
For a little Zen
If I feel a twang
I may turn to the yin and yang
Seeking balance
Finding peace and love
It happens when...
Every now and then
I get the yen...
___________________________
—Medusa
—Photo by Roger Langton, Louisville, Colorado, who writes:
"Here is a photo I took in Mexico in '70s.
These are two contemporary Mayan children selling
flowers (orchids). The boy has a five-peso note
in his hand. His little sister is hiding
flowers (orchids). The boy has a five-peso note
in his hand. His little sister is hiding
behind him, hard to see except for her hair.
They live on a plateau in southern Mexico.
They came right out of the 'jungle'
They live on a plateau in southern Mexico.
They came right out of the 'jungle'
to greet us and it was a delightful experience."