OPEN MIC ENCORE I 
OPEN MIC ENCORE II 

Up-dated on January 4, 2003

my silent world
omosun sylvester nurudeen
 
She couldn’t believe what was happening,
Told me; it was like a movie,
Coming through her barred door
Swallowing her a whole
Taking her along with its story
 
Told me that it was like living in each movie
An avid spectator of your own performance
Where each film strolled to a start each morning
Animating conversations only with the dance of the tongue
 
There are times
When she seems to know
What am thinking before I said a word
And when I pointed it to her
She said that it’s a simple skill
When someone losses a primary sense
Like hearing others grew more acute
 
That I was in her movie
A film where the tone of voices
doesn’t matter where it is possible to hear in silence
with voices she alone can hear
~*~

The Five Faces of Love
Jennifer Decker


And the five sisters dance.
 
The first, clad in pink.
Ruffles and sweet scents.
She is romance, and she does not apologize.
 
The second, wearing scarlet.
Dances in fiery waves.
She is passion, and she is not afraid.
 
The third, wrapped in yellow.
Dances on sunbeams, light as air.
She is happiness, and though fleeting, she is not imagined.
 
The forth, garbed in green.
Tosses her ugly head.
She is jealousy, and her intent is to destroy.
 
The fifth, swathed in blue.
She plays her part in the dance.
She is heartbreak, and she will have her say.

and the five sisters dance.
 
~*~
       
To my Stranger
 By: Peter Hill
 
I open up to smile,
The Sun sets for awhile.
Your never there when I wake,
How long do the seasons take?
 
Wanting to share the same breath,
My heart runs from the fall of death.
Avoiding the heartache of a knife,
The misconception of love for life?
 
A brief meeting of your eye,
My mirage creating another lie.
Can’t stop the covering of frost,
Is the moment lost?
 
A voice of eternal bliss,
The movement of a potential kiss.
A barricade created by two foreigners,
Will it melt around the corner?
 
A innocent touch so it would seem,
Or more like a lure of a Summer’s dream.
Waiting over time for unquestionable fate,
Is this really something I hate?
 
I open up to smile, you say hi.

~*~

Leaky faucets and babies crying
Isaac O'Bannon
I've heard a faucet drip- drip- dripping
when i wanted to write
and so
i ended up writing about
water.
 
I heard semis running the highway
outside my window
and so
i ended up writing about
truck stops.
 
I heard a baby crying in
the apartment next door
and thought about crying
and so
i ended up writing about
slums and poor people
and drugs
and hookers
and welfare moms
and deadbeat dads
and having no work
and eating ramen
and only having enough
money for one 40
and los angeles
and the riots
and clean bullets
and dirty toilets
 
leaky faucets
and crying babies.

~*~

the evening busting inside my head
roam the pebbles tiny secure
downwards on the clear
glass-clock
the Dover beach still lying on
me stifling the moon
with the newest sand
 
what shall the time be like when
I get sleepier
 
what shall this poem be like when
I get the key
from the
lifeguards

Savu Florin

~*~

MY PLACE
Francisc Pal
   I spent a lot of words
   Everybody in town said: "too many"
   For flowers and trees
   For people, even machines
   Up to bankruptcy!
   This is the reason
   I'm living
   Into a book
   With vertical bars
   Waiting for lit lovers
   To read
   Whatever I wrote, but mainly
   To turn pages
   Releasing me.
   But such event
   Between odd and even
   Is not imperative.

~*~

TREASURED FRIENDSHIP 
(Dedicated to my friend Crito from New York)
Angela J. Reindl
 
I remember the day we met,
You found me over the internet.
I was so happy and somewhat surprised,
When you said you wanted to be a friend of mine.
I thank God for you everyday,
And ask Him to bless you and keep you safe.
You have touched my life in a special way.
For that there is no way to repay,
The gift of friendship you have given to me,
A true friend you will always be.
You have shown to me how much you care,
By letting me know you are always there.
So if there's anything I can do for you,
Just let me know because I'm here for you too.
So if your face I never see,
I will meet you by the crystal sea,
In that far off sweet forever.
So until that day your friendship I will always treasure.

~*~

“Life”
Jeffrey Amit 
Life is like a candle
Too short and unpredictable 
When to lose light at a moment
And vulnerable from natural cause
 
Life is a matter of winning and losing
We play the game with or without rules
We appreciate the outcome and bear the consequences
Sometimes with regrets and fulfillments
 
Life is like climbing on the highest mountain
You take the risk every shift of your feet
And every grasp of your hands
But when you reach the utmost is refreshing
 
Life is love
Love unites everything
Love puts the whole thing in order 
And love gives life meant to us all
 
Life is freedom
Like the birds flying along the horizon
With their kinds and families
However, life without freedom is a ceasing being to exist

~*~

wind’s bitter crest
a wave increasing
scatters blown domes
wandering constellations
there is neither
foundation nor firmament
only this journey
through darkness widening
 
across spring grass
bright shreds of dandelion mane
become grey stars
flee bitter leaves
to float in hope
of finding home
for a tap root
 
-laura ziegler
~*~

Fly On The Wall
JL Montgomery
Oh if I could be that fly on your wall,
I’d fly into your room to watch it all.
 
I’d see you writing your poems to read,
I‘d not be reluctant of this shocking deed.
 
I’d buzz you, and laugh as you fan at the air,
And then I’d land on top of your hair.
 
I’d walk slowly and softly around your head,
Then take off, landing on your cheek instead.
 
There I would kiss you and you would never know why,
You were being annoyed by this pesky ol’ fly.
 
So if you see me or hear me fly by,
Just smile and know, it’s me saying HI!

~*~

“when it looks like its time to fly and you've got no wings”
................... looking back on life.......
By Grant Besancon
           
             i just lost my wings
       i can no longer fly
            i realize when i get new shoes i don't run faster
       i cant jump any higher with them
            i can still think about all the things i did
       it isn't fun though
            everything happens too fast
       i wish i could go back to those stress free days
            i could battle the monsters
       i could jump a mile at a time
             all under the sheets of my bunk bed
       my life was in my head
             i never thought back to all this until now
       when, where did i lose my wings ?
             one more day with them is all i want
       the mind takes place of the wings of imagination
             if you still have yours don't lose them...FLY

~*~
Men Still Dream
by Bill Albright
Men still dream
Of engines, track and steam
Men still dream
The impossible, it seems
Men still dream
That wisdom is not a scheme
Men still dream
Seeking an eternal theme
Men still dream
Even faced with blaspheme
Men still dream
Simplicity is clean
Men still dream
In the winter of strawberries and Devon cream
Men still dream
Till their mates scream
Men still dream
Of an undefeated team
Men still dream
Impractical to the extreme
Men still dream
Night and/or daydreams
Men still dream
That only the sane dream.

~*~

Journey
Andrew JZ Ford
Life’s a journey traveled harshly by all. One tries to step softly; one tries to make sure one does not step on others lengthy protruding feet. The journey is rocky and dangerous; consequently, many are lost on the journey never to return to the paradise the waits that one lost soul. The orders are clear and should be easy to follow: be “committed” and make it to the end. To make it to the end is often the easy part of the order. One can glide through the journey quite easily with no scratches but what awaits that person is not paradise; unfortunately, torment. The person forgets the first part of the order, to be committed; to stay committed. This soul forgot to keep its eyes one the light; to keep its eyes on the light.
 
         The one that gives the order is the savoir, the father, the leader. All he asks us for is to follow the order and he promises a life in paradise when completed. He wants all to make it through the journey, he longs for all to make it through the journey but lots are lost on the way. If one of the lost is ever found he gets filled with excitement and love. He throws a party for that one lost person in paradise, and he waits that soul to complete the journey.
        
         The father prepares a place for all, lost or going strong. He waits all at the entrance to the party. We are all on the list; we are all on the guest list. We all have reservations at the father’s hotel; unfortunately, some reservations are not kept. 

~*~

Passage's of time
Brian S. Watson

    Time passes by me as slow as a caterpillar or snail walk's.

~*~

  WHY?

 THOMAS L. EVANS JR.
why race against time
why even try it you won't win
why do something to get yourself in a mess
why commit a crime and not confess
why kill somebody that has done you no wrong
why do that and have to learn the words of the prison song
why take what isn't yours
why not work so it can be yours
why destroy a family and walk away
why sin and never repent a sing day
why make a child and not take responsibility
why make a child and leave the mother with all the responsibility
why make yourself feel bad
why destroy the best thing that you should have
why cry tears for no reason
why not stop and admire each season
why not give thanks for everyday
why be disobedient and shorten your days
why curse someone that hasn't cursed you
why turn on a friend who is true
why not stick up for a friend that's good to you
why race time in the end it's a race that we will all lose
 

~*~

Past to Present
Katie Holmes
On a sunny day, you can see picture perfect
 When it rains the eyes are red
Somber moments long since gone
Of a past rooted in pain.
 
I stepped onto the shore,sand beneath my feet
Mother earth has greeted me to life
Lookin over yonder, I see the lash
Comin down across my mothers' back.
 
Many moons ago,father jumped to freedom
No longer bound to this old world
Women in the field, singin and hummin
For better days they think is a comin.
 
How long must I wait, for better days
You see it ain't the white man swiingin
The whip, Guess you never woulda thought
it would be someone just like me.

~*~
 I don´t understand
Maria 

I don’t understand
         why there are different social classes
         why some kids are abandoned
         why people’s marriages last less and less time
 
But most of all
         why there is prejudice against different people
         why hate, war, and violence exist
         why people can’t agree with each other
         why some people take their lives without thinking
 
What I understand most is
         why there is still hope
         why every problem has solutions
         why children are innocent
         why life goes on no matter what

~*~

war and peace
 s.k.tanugula

it is the same tears that roll down the cheeks of thy&that of me,
   when the pain & joy strikes on ur heart....
  salt of though blood is equally warm as that of mine,
and the blade of sword that splits our throats bear no sense of difference.
    then why thy art loves to provoke the pain when thy brothers are
slethewed by my men & mine of though.
   the guns show no mercy&the graveyard any humour to differentiate thou soul from that of mine.
    Take time to heal the scars on thine dermis and shut the doors of evil conspiracy of ur thoughts&then let meet me with the roses of friendship which shall never wrinkle....
 

~*~

WINTER CHILL
BY: Mary E. Bone
                      
                          Sometimes when the wind blows cold,
                          It goes right through my coat.
                          I feel like a frozen mold,
                          When I'm riding on my boat.

~*~

Night Time Super Heroes
Nicole Bartels
I've Spent the night with them all,
Funny, different, Strange.
Super heroes in their own way.
Always entertaining,
Very good at what they do.
Quick to laugh at all they can.
Quicker to jump into action,
When the calm is shattered with screams.
Wearing green and blue scrubs,
Instead of tights and capes,
Their faces like stone walls,
They wade through body fluid floods.
With ice running calm through their veins,
Stoic glances,
Graceful persistence,
and a painful understating of their limits.
They save a life,
or
Watch it fade.
Sometimes wholly caring.
A plight weighing heavy on their souls.
Taking home with them,
The pain of a grief stricken mother,
Whose child they were unable to save.
For they are not as callous as they seem.
They are:
Bearers of bad news,
Killers of pain,
Givers of drugs,
Emergency pros,
Your last chance in situations dire.
Completely cynical, jaded.
Finding a relief in a humor
Unsuitable for most.
Laughing at the crazy, smelly and hopeless.
Finding solace in their loudly voice:
Rants, stories, and sermons to the choir.
Their job is sometimes too tragic to allow emotion,
But they are too close to become detached.
They are the cream of the crop.
Night time super heroes,
They do the best they can.
~*~ 

"Behind the Scenes"
Melissa Watts

She lives her life like a movie scene
Actors in makeup faking lines
Emotions are meaningless, shattered camera glass means shattered dreams
Reading the script like life is fine
But behind the scenes she cries
Locked inside her dressing room
Makeup running through the creases in her face
She looks into the mirror, into shattered glass
On screen she's in perfect character
Off screen she's breaking, faking
Colors fade into a black and white scene
Tears are shed but the movie continues to play
Watching her life projected onto a transparent screen
Haunting memories from scene to scene
She's growing old as her life crumbles before her
Her face is creased and wrinkled with age
Her eyes filled with old wisdom and tears
Just a perfect actress
Her life is just like a black and white movie
Reading off a fake script.

~*~

DON"T LOOK NOW
BY: Elizabeth Suzan Lloyd

 

Don't look now but seems to me
a song is coming from that tree
the grass that tree is standing on
has started singing right along
Now close your eyes and look that way
how can I see like that you say?
your brain will see what's over there
as I explain while my eyes stare
at blue skies crisp and clouds so white
now you imagine this to sight
keep your eyes closed and your nose wet
can you describe the flowers yet?
and grass so green and frsh it glows
they'll come alive just use your nose
open your eyes and see the sights
did you get everything just right?
with just a nose and brain to see
a song is coming from that tree

~*~
SHOPPING DILEMMA
Troy Edison Tiu Yaw   
I'm not poor but I can't afford some things in life
'Cause I need to save for my future, my family, & my wife
Saving my hard-earned cash is so hard to do
That sometimes shopping, for me, is a blue!
 
Walking inside a shop or a boutique
I could only stay there in a nick
Often times I just control my urge to spend
So that, like in countless times, avoid regretting in the end!
 
I could look from the left to the right
I'll often stay n the malls from morning 'til night
I could only wish God to help me overcome the temptation
Sometimes, I feel much better with a little hesitation.
 
With only a limited amount of cash
My ideas and decisions just clash
So much beautiful & cool clothes & shoes to buy
To deny I wanna own them is to lie.
 
I commend all these product makers and cool designers
They're so good I can't resist what their goods offer
My shopping craze and spending addiction wouldn't die
The makers and sellers are so good and that is the reason why!

~*~

EXHALE
by JANET STEWART
 
The old men rest
hope to live another day
 
Children mutter
 
An old woman folds laundry
into a basket
 
“I have done this
for centuries,” she sighs.

~*~

Rev. Patrick Johson

By Gary Wilkens

You can see me in several photographs from the period:
on the road to Selma I was the tall white man,
pale and thin, behind and to the left of Dr. King,
like a ghost with thick glasses;
 
I was a young seminary student in those days
and felt the moral current of the time
like a wave in my stomach-
how could any Christian not,when that man came,
march and make your faith active-
 
I think Jesus
must have been like that-
 
I could easily see the Lord walking ahead of us,
His head a crown of light that lit our way,
and every face around me seemed to glow
with a light of determination and courage
that can only be called the true righteousness,
 
and I'd never known what it meant
to love your enemy until those whites
cursed and spat on us, and now I know
that all those old marches weren't
just a picturesque bit of modern history,
but journeys that will continue in people's hearts
until the City of Heaven is reached.

~*~

A ROSE TODAY
Steven Elton Long
While strolling through the forest of life I came upon a single rose
A pretty flower by itself
Looking so alone
I stopped to look upon this flower and take in its joy
No thorns on its stem
For Harm it was not intended
A glorious site of pink and red
 I sat next to it and listened as it spoke
I felt a connection to this rose
Its beauty unmatched by any site my eyes had ever seen
As i write these lines I look at the photo
So even after I left this rose
T
he memory still be fresh in my mind

~*~

   One night a woman had a dream. She dreamed she was with her worst enemy and they were having a conversation. The woman was very jealous of her so called enemy because she had accomplished all what the woman wanted in life-she completed college, a great job, a healthy life and her very own family! As the two women were talking, the woman made a remark, "I always thought if I'd put my disability behind me, I'd be successful like you. I guess not all of us are chosen to succeed in life even though we try."
   When her so called enemy heard this she answered, "my best friend, don't you know that the LORD has chosen you to speak to the disabled people about going to college like you have done, to motivate them that they have to believe in HIM in order to achieve! I often see and hear that you're the the one who is ofen sending that beautiful message to the ones who need to know that nobody is perfect, but if they ask, they shall receive!" The woman was always confused why she could never get a job after completing college and receiving a degree!
    This often bothered the woman and she questioned the LORD about it, "why am I the only disabled person that doesn't get healed, why am I the only person who has graduated from college who doesn't get hired? I too have always followed your great path."
    The LORD replied, "my child, I also have your future planned out, and you are showing your thanks very well by speaking great about us both. Soon you'll see these people will receive our messages and I do have to send this love message to you-just be patient and be kind and all your dreams will come true!"

SandraChavez

~*~

How Long?
Kelsey Henry
How long I have waited
For the one
Who had stated
That I am the one.
 
How long I have waited
For someone like you
Loving and caring
Like you do.
 
How long I have waited
For this day
Placing a ring
Awaiting our day.
 
How long I have waited
For this special night
Saying our vows
What a delight.
 
How long I have waited
For this gift from God
I am so elated
Tears, That’s odd!!!!
 
How long I have waited
My baby all grown
Graduated from school
Out on his own.
 
How long I have waited
My baby is Wed
I hope he is happy
With his wife Winifred.
 
How long I have dreaded
The death of my love
Long lonely nights
He was all life consists of.
 
How long I have dreaded
My own life near gone
Lying here crying
My soul withdrawn.
 
How long I have waited
For where I am now
Lifetimes of happiness
Even more then life allowed

~*~

Empty Little Place...
Melissa Holly
I have a little empty place in my heart I bare.
For I do not no the inner me, and I try to think I could never care.
I wake up everyday, knowing its right by my side.
I come home everyday, as if living one big lie.
My tears for they are like well known guests, that always stop by to come.
Its like my heart is all caged up, with just little space to run.
I am young and naive, but yet I matured to fast.
Its as if what was done to me, It will always last.
I walk the earth everyday, to wonder of who am I.
If feeds my heart with painful wonders, and feeds the tears to cry.
I can only look at my inner me, and know that I may never know.
Who in what beside of me, is something of hope that glows.
I look into the mirror, with all the imperfections I face, I judge my self, and eat my esteem, so that all of my esteem goes to waste
I compare all that I have
But its just no use because it just makes me realize what I lack.
I have this little empty space, this gap, that know one knows.
Until when day I can show the world, how much it really grows...

~*~

When I look into the starry sky above
I see more than just stars
I see you
 
When I look into the starry sky above
Each star shows every night we spent together
Each star is you
 
When I look into the starry sky above
It shows the not-so-funny jokes I made, but you laughed anyway
It shows you
 
When I look into the sky above
On this not so starry night
I see the tears that I cried
I see no one
 
When I look into the sky above
On this not so starry night
Each star shows the fights we had
Each star is only a star
 
When I look into the sky above
On this not so starry night
They show the hurtful words that we capitalized on AIM
They show emptiness
 
When I look into this starry sky above
On this clear night
I am glad there has not been a not-so-starry night
I am glad there is you

Shannon

~*~

As the pages of life turn
each chapter unfolds and reveals new opportunities
some of these cause joy, some cause pain
yet there's a universal pattern found through each
-we learn
if i could erase a painful chapter
i wouldn't
if i could redo one of these chapters
i wouldn't
all i can do is turn the page and keep learning
and sometimes i feel complete resent towards the bumps
(more like mountains)
that get thrown at me
but i can't help but feel the need to be grateful
for without these glitches
i wouldn't be me
-me

Muneera

~*~

IT IS I......
CHAD EDWARD SUTHERLAND
Tis I but a child that has grown to a man, and has not yet shed his childish skin. Looking for someone to bring "I" all of the world's delights without "I" having to strive for that glorious prize. Tis so sorrowful for "I" to not strive for that prize, since tis "I" shall be sorrowful on that day when "I" would realize the prize would never arrive to "tis I"

~*~
ERNEST HEMINGWAY
BY Vershima Orvell-Dio
 
the macho man retorts,
in our time the sun also rises
and if the oak park doctor
teaches rhythm it behoves i provide the rhyme
 
if the kansas city star
be denied to chew the action
then let it chew him.
if aa come-hither glance at the nurse be denied him,
let not the pizza nor a medal; but no kiss
 
let the star shine in Toronto
but if Hadley suggests elopement
paris be the destination
when wives desert hubbies
they become men without women
but let it be told Martha if Pauline wills
that i am for whom the bell tolls
lets liberate the Ritz bar while the old man goes acrossthe river
to struggle with a fish.
for the winner takes nothing in a moveable feast.
 
A short gun causes accident
and Hemingway becomes cold. Stone cold.
~*~

 

RABBIT SONG
             by Matt Cygny
 
         I have come forth from the Burning Ground,
         Where dog’s teeth dismembered the light.
         I found my parts scattered
         On the field where the conflict was waged.
        
         I was reborn as rabbit,
         Born from the blood of the conflict,
         Born from the pain of the slaughter.
         I was reborn as a seer;
         I ran to the ends of the earth.
        
         I am the one who seeks miracles,
         I am a hunter of visions.

~*~

  “Ode to the Meg”
Jeremy Favazza
Gliding through darkness no passion,
Surviving off instinct and power.
In a constant hunt to acquire daily rations,
A single site sends prey to cower.
A deadly combination of strength and speed,
She lives to feed to kill.
Living by its own regulation, its own creed.
And every desire to soon be fulfilled,
A flicker of a sense,
The great beast changes its course.
Her jaws agape, her only defense,
She propels her body with unimaginable force.
She silently stalks her prey, closer now.
With one futile attempt all is lost to the queen and her crown.

~*~

DEEP RED WINE
Mandy Kubes

Swept away on raging flows, smooth as silk and deep red wine.
I indulge, gently pulled outside the reach of time.
Intoxication, and the earth starts to turn.
The next round, and my soul starts to burn.
It seems a thousand years, but only moments have passed.
At this very time, I hold forever in my grasp.
Heartbeat, drumming in my ears.
Excitement, holding back my fears.
Here two are, lips intertwined.
Another kiss and more deep red wine.

~*~

DON'T TALK......... JUST LISTEN
BY: Jean Lombard Jr
 
Listen to not what is being said
      But the way it is said
 
Listen not to the word
      But the tone it is spoken
 
LISTEN         LISTEN        LISTEN
 
Don't listen to me to understand me
      But try to become me to know me
I listen to you
      You see that is the difference
 
I listen to you
      Cuz that's all I want to do
 
IS         JUST       LISTEN
 
But you cant listen to me
       Because theirs nothing to listen to
 
Become me to know me to understand me
       Then and only then can you help but NOT
 
LISTEN         TO          ME

~*~

Beyond
Simon Owen
“Welcome to the netherworld
The land beyond the furthest hell
Were demons haunt your every move
The ones who waited until you fell
To shape you into their mold
Or torture you until you fold
Here you will lose your will
Until your ready to make the kill
And in the deepest recess of your mind
They’ll come for you in the blackest night
And in growing horror you will find
Your linked in sprit to those you fight”
 
Strange it was to see him stare
Into my eyes, into my mind
It’s been so long, since I stopped to care
For all the others of my kind
Strange that I still see the look
That I still read it like a book
Those tale-tale signs of despair
That shows a spirit who’s ceased to care
And as I stare into his eyes
Into that blank incomprehension
I see myself behind a thousand lies
I told myself to feed the delusion
 
“So don’t tell me, it’s all gone wrong.
And no one near seems to care,
They beat you down, just for fun
Then expect you to just forbear.
Or at least, that’s what you thought
But now you know it’s your own fault
That the only thing attacking you
Is the thoughts harboured inside you
You created the demons you carry inside
And now your too far gone to help yourself
You’ve lost the will, you’ve lost your pride
You’ve lost it all, you’ve lost yourself”
 
“Hell is a place where everyone attacks you
But that’s not what happens here
This is the land beyond, where they cannot touch you
Your too far gone and fed by fear
And now so numb, that they fail to hurt
Where we scramble in the dirt
It’s yourself that you must defeat
And not the people that you meet
In this land of nothingness
You will search hard and long
But all you’ll find is emptiness
And you’ll never find a home”
 
“But one day, you will realise
An insight or a revelation,
And you will see another sunrise
And a final destination
And you will decide to make the kill
And you will find your hidden will
And turn to face the things you brought
The demons you created with your thoughts
But not right now unless I’ve misread
For you still have so much to do
But that day will come like I have said
When there is nothing left to lose”
 
I left him there with his confusion
For I had an appointment to attend
I was heading for my final destination
And my relief was not pretend
To win or lose, live or die
These are what philosopher’s cry
And if you need a larger insight
It’s not the reason for why we fight
If we lose then we lose it all
But still I cannot pretend
Winning is a hope too small
So we fight, for an end.

~*~

People fear instead of having faith,
They are angry rather than happy,
They hate instead of love,
People fight wars
That aren't their own,
Wanting revenge,
For what pain is caused,
Having faith,
I look for the best in people,
Wanting happiness,
I do not fight,
Hoping for love,
I love in return,
Wanting a world,
That isn't destroyed,
For the children,
That are yet to come,
I do my best,
To help preserve the future.

Kreshona Walrath

~*~

The faces I see when I close my eyes
George Silver  12/28/02
There was something you said
I don't remember-
some innocent words-
and instead of conversation I get memories
flashes of scene and sound- whifts of smell- feelings
and faces.
Some I knew, and could almost put a name to.
What's his name?  You know, Alvin's cherry,
the one who died-
Some I never knew-
some I killed.
You see me jerk - shut down,
or spit anger
that wells up from the same slime that holds the faces,
and dies down again
circling - grumbling.
Like a dog on a chain going off on sparrows.
Guarding faces.
 
~*~
 Ulysses' Bag                  
Spyros Dellios                                

The King of Ithaca's   
weary fall
upon strange harbors
was never met
by personnel
from any Travel Agencies.
Known by all,
his negative reputation
always preceding him,
the annoyed King
pulled on the suitcase
heavy with Polyphymus'eye
Circe's unwashed period rags,
a plastic bag full of lotus fruit,
a piece of plank from
the belly of the Trojan Horse
and all the rest.
Throwing Priamus' tattered
purple robe
over his left shoulder
he started walking up
the steep incline
to the city market.

~*~

My Shadow

Ashley Burton
My shadow dresses comfortably,
pleasing only herself, not the people around her
She likes to have fun
....crack jokes
....dance
....love
She is spontaneous, yet extra ordinary
Everything I want to be
The more I act conservative and quiet,
the more she wants out and is determined to be seen
My shadow:
The real me, hoping, thriving to escape from within
Me:
A carbon, yet counterfeit mold of what the world wants me to be

~*~

The dawn is fresh and brisk.
A strong cold wind
blows, bending the bloodied grasses, into scarlet infinity.
And no-one suffers because someone else is hurt,
his soul weakened by a mortal wound.
I measure with my stare the piercing distance
that, like a door into an unfamiliar, strange land,
guards someone's dreams...
I'm torn apart inside,
but I'm aware that the eternal seed
that I have carried earlier, and sought to sow in others,
will blossom at some time at least in one man's heart.
And now what's left to me is watching that red fire,
and welcoming, in the freedom of despair,
the entrance into the scarlet gates of the unknown.
..........
The dawn is flaming hard,
and in those flames I shall immerse myself,
and fade forever...

 

KATERINA CHVATOVA

 

~*~

"MY ANSWERS"                                                                  
            words of an Agnostic.
             By Bradley J. Link Sr.
 
  Was there an only begotten son?
  Will there be another chosen one?
 
  These are questions some often wondered,
  and things I`ve sometimes pondered.
 
  I know there`s a power that comes from within,
  which `I` use to forgive another for a sin.  
 
  So one doesn`t have to be all that smart,
  to see the answers are in your heart.

~*~


The Wicked Stepmother
lisa canfield

Once upon a time,
There was a stepmother so vain
Insanity was her kingdom,
Lies were her game.
She thought she had found her prince
Her knight in shining armor
If she had only known
The love he still did harbor
For the beautiful mother of his child.
Oh poor, poor wicked stepmother
With hair of red, eyes of blue.
You’re black heart is wanted
You’re the childless fool.
Boo hoo.
And so, with these thoughts
She fled the scene
To see if she really was the one
Who was the witch, so mean.
Mirror Mirror on the wall?
Who’s the fairest one of all?
She waited with a sigh.
Hoping and anticipating and
Wanting and needing to hear a lie. But…
“The mother of your stepson
the mirror did say
For she is beautiful in every shape
In every single way
She is talented and smart,
Loving and kind
Gentle and nurturing.”
Then the mirror added with a smile,
The best mother a father could ever find!”
So the mirror did she break
That evil stepmom of a lady.
For she knew the lies she weaved
And how she had been so shady.
How does this story end?
I’ll tell you how.
The evil stepmom lived in her world of hate
And ended up alone.
While the mother and child and her
Prince of once, of long ago
Made up a family, a home.
And lived happily ever after.

~*~

Spring Into My Soul
Darien Engelhardt

The dead of winter has passed,
bothin the air and in my heart.
 
Spring has brought new life to all.
My heart id beginning to lighten as
the snow melts.
 
The promise of a fresh breeze renews my soul.
It refreshes my mind.
 
I am reminded that all is not lost,
but was merely dormant for a season.
 
Peace comes as the new bird sings.
Hope rejuvenates with the budding of new
blossoms.
 
My spirit feels younger, yet wiser.
Like that of an 200 year oak with a new coat of
leaves.
 
Thank heaven for Spring.

~*~

Life
Dorothy Adiaha  Alero Okpa

I flow in the Ocean of Mercy
I slope from the Ordeal of Mess
Flow and slope i go to and fro
Ocean Got no enemy nor friend
Life is like the flow of the Ocean
Yes,the waters reaches all
Life tosses left and right,back and forth.
I live in the World of pain and tribulations
People expect much with no understanding
Wanting a Perfect Being
But the reality is that SOUL is eternal
It goes back HOME to its CREATOR
That is the giver of Life whether We like it or not

~*~

PASSIONS
DHANESH .M.KUMAR

The four walls fortifying the realms
make it to yell beyond the walls,
The fetters that make it to quell
the fondle triggers a wobbly,
Staggering changeling.
 
This child edifies the natures
statue that which bonds
till the pyre, an incredible
Crinkle deep in the roots,
An infamous urge to
Crackle the chains.
 
A passionate bird that
Migrate miles ;
A jubilant dolphin
That divulge to ether;
A giraffes head
That jettisons out;
All of these are
Mothers credential

~*~

OPEN MIC ENCORE I 
OPEN MIC ENCORE II 

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Page Copyright © AHApoetry.com 2003.

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