Devil of a Sunset
—Photo by Robert Lee Haycock
DATE NIGHT
—Robert Lee Haycock, Antioch
From one end of the mall to the other
Shattering glass and scattering apologies
Beneath palm trees and bee lights
A late dinner of flowers and birdsong
Zigzagging straight through the night
Breakfast between quonsets and rust
Beyond grape vines and gravel quarries
Until the road ends in disgust
Will this house never have a roof?
—Robert Lee Haycock, Antioch
From one end of the mall to the other
Shattering glass and scattering apologies
Beneath palm trees and bee lights
A late dinner of flowers and birdsong
Zigzagging straight through the night
Breakfast between quonsets and rust
Beyond grape vines and gravel quarries
Until the road ends in disgust
Will this house never have a roof?
_____________________
HIT MY MARK
—Robert Lee Haycock
In the wings
Dust
Light follows me
My words
Taken by the wind
You lie
Your chest laid open
Why on earth
Are you here?
NO PASSPORT NEEDED
—Claire J. Baker, Pinole
Come, let us join
the multitudes
on the journey
toward peace.
We, the people,
motley, memorable,
poised, unprepared,
gay and not so happy,
handicapped and holy,
varying
yet all the same—
getting out of our
own way, for peace.
—Robert Lee Haycock
In the wings
Dust
Light follows me
My words
Taken by the wind
You lie
Your chest laid open
Why on earth
Are you here?
Broadcast Forecast
—Photo by Robert Lee Haycock
NO PASSPORT NEEDED
—Claire J. Baker, Pinole
Come, let us join
the multitudes
on the journey
toward peace.
We, the people,
motley, memorable,
poised, unprepared,
gay and not so happy,
handicapped and holy,
varying
yet all the same—
getting out of our
own way, for peace.
______________________
WAS A SEMINAR IN FAULKNER
—Kevin Jones, Elk Grove
We were doing the uncollected
Stories. One was “Ad Astra”—
To the stars. I mentioned,
As the story didn’t
Make a whole lot of sense anyway,
And to sound profound,
As you’re expected to do,
In seminars, that
It was a NASA motto, and
Quite possibly also
A character’s from Toy Story.
The professor thought he’d
Seen it on Kansas state license
Plates. Though he’d
Never actually been there.
“Well, I just don’t know
Why they have to use
Such nasty, ugly language,
About body parts and all,”
Commented our most
Sincere classmate.
HOW THE CEO STOLE CHRISTMAS
—Cynthia Linville, Sacramento
Every Howe down in Howeville found that Christmas was light.
Their pocketbooks were empty. Their belts were tight.
Even the rich CEO found that needs weren’t met:
a new house for his wife, more fuel for his jet.
The Dow-Jones had plunged, but the CEO was greedy.
He wanted a parachute. Too heck with the needy!
Then the CEO Grinch got an evil idea.
The Grinch got a greedy, malevolent idea.
“I know just what to do,” the CEO snorted.
He called up his Congressman. He begged. He extorted!
Tax payer dollars are the first thing to go!
Two-hundred million seems awfully low.
In every last Howe-home, the Grinch was a crook.
He raided the ice box. He stole the MacBooks.
Little Mary Lou Howe asked, “Grinchy-Claus, Why?”
The CEO thought fast. He told a big lie.
“This is Capitalism, Love. To keep the economy healthy,
we must take from the poor and give to the wealthy.”
(first pub. in SacBee Online)
__________________________
A GRINCHY LITTLE CHRISTMAS
—Katy Brown, Davis
I’ll ask you just once
if you’re doing your part:
making your lists and
filling your cart,
sending out cards
and buying those gifties
—no need to skimp
or try to be thrifty. . . .
I’m proud to announce it:
Christmas, I say
—not Holiday, Winter or
some other day . . . .
celebrates commerce
with part-time employment
—the swapping of stuff
for joyous enjoyment
we’ll feast on tofurkey
and GMO biscuits
with processed cheese food
spread on our Triskets. . . .
we’ll be dressed and fed
under holiday lights
as we all pray for peace
and stronger gun rights. . . .
I’m asking you nicely
to spend all you can
to show that you honor
the savior of man.
A credit-card debt
will show we’re aware
of making a splash
with those who don’t care.
Please, step past the family
that begs in the street,
they just want a hand-out
from those that they meet.
If they wanted security,
they’d get full employment
or sign-up for duty
for wartime deployment.
Hand-outs for homeless
only encourage the poor:
to do so much less
and ask so much more.
Keep our giving to those
who can give back the gift
and thank us profusely
and give us a lift.
That’s the spirit of Christmas,
we know, after all,
on the sale rack at Macy’s
down in the mall.
The Grinch had it right:
to make Christmas merry
we just need to score
all we can carry!
______________________
Today's LittleNip:
LOVE
—Claire J. Baker
I keep
talking these
stumbling words
over
and over
because I cannot
as yet
grow you flowers
from my tongue.
But I'll keep trying.
______________________
Our thanks to today's contributors: Laura Martin, Cynthia Linville, Katy Brown, Bill Gainer and Phillip Larrea will be reading for "Twisted Holidays" at Sac. Poetry Center this coming Monday, Dec. 15, 7:30pm, hosted by Cynthia Linville. Open mic on the theme and holiday treats will follow.
And our thanks to yesterday's chef in the Kitchen! I forgot to credit B.Z. Niditch for his tasty poems. Thanks B.Z.!
______________________
—Medusa
—Kevin Jones, Elk Grove
We were doing the uncollected
Stories. One was “Ad Astra”—
To the stars. I mentioned,
As the story didn’t
Make a whole lot of sense anyway,
And to sound profound,
As you’re expected to do,
In seminars, that
It was a NASA motto, and
Quite possibly also
A character’s from Toy Story.
The professor thought he’d
Seen it on Kansas state license
Plates. Though he’d
Never actually been there.
“Well, I just don’t know
Why they have to use
Such nasty, ugly language,
About body parts and all,”
Commented our most
Sincere classmate.
Laura Martin, Sacramento
HOW THE CEO STOLE CHRISTMAS
—Cynthia Linville, Sacramento
Every Howe down in Howeville found that Christmas was light.
Their pocketbooks were empty. Their belts were tight.
Even the rich CEO found that needs weren’t met:
a new house for his wife, more fuel for his jet.
The Dow-Jones had plunged, but the CEO was greedy.
He wanted a parachute. Too heck with the needy!
Then the CEO Grinch got an evil idea.
The Grinch got a greedy, malevolent idea.
“I know just what to do,” the CEO snorted.
He called up his Congressman. He begged. He extorted!
Tax payer dollars are the first thing to go!
Two-hundred million seems awfully low.
In every last Howe-home, the Grinch was a crook.
He raided the ice box. He stole the MacBooks.
Little Mary Lou Howe asked, “Grinchy-Claus, Why?”
The CEO thought fast. He told a big lie.
“This is Capitalism, Love. To keep the economy healthy,
we must take from the poor and give to the wealthy.”
(first pub. in SacBee Online)
__________________________
A GRINCHY LITTLE CHRISTMAS
—Katy Brown, Davis
I’ll ask you just once
if you’re doing your part:
making your lists and
filling your cart,
sending out cards
and buying those gifties
—no need to skimp
or try to be thrifty. . . .
I’m proud to announce it:
Christmas, I say
—not Holiday, Winter or
some other day . . . .
celebrates commerce
with part-time employment
—the swapping of stuff
for joyous enjoyment
we’ll feast on tofurkey
and GMO biscuits
with processed cheese food
spread on our Triskets. . . .
we’ll be dressed and fed
under holiday lights
as we all pray for peace
and stronger gun rights. . . .
I’m asking you nicely
to spend all you can
to show that you honor
the savior of man.
A credit-card debt
will show we’re aware
of making a splash
with those who don’t care.
Please, step past the family
that begs in the street,
they just want a hand-out
from those that they meet.
If they wanted security,
they’d get full employment
or sign-up for duty
for wartime deployment.
Hand-outs for homeless
only encourage the poor:
to do so much less
and ask so much more.
Keep our giving to those
who can give back the gift
and thank us profusely
and give us a lift.
That’s the spirit of Christmas,
we know, after all,
on the sale rack at Macy’s
down in the mall.
The Grinch had it right:
to make Christmas merry
we just need to score
all we can carry!
______________________
Today's LittleNip:
LOVE
—Claire J. Baker
I keep
talking these
stumbling words
over
and over
because I cannot
as yet
grow you flowers
from my tongue.
But I'll keep trying.
______________________
Our thanks to today's contributors: Laura Martin, Cynthia Linville, Katy Brown, Bill Gainer and Phillip Larrea will be reading for "Twisted Holidays" at Sac. Poetry Center this coming Monday, Dec. 15, 7:30pm, hosted by Cynthia Linville. Open mic on the theme and holiday treats will follow.
And our thanks to yesterday's chef in the Kitchen! I forgot to credit B.Z. Niditch for his tasty poems. Thanks B.Z.!
______________________
—Medusa
Katy Brown