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Wednesday, February 15, 2017

2 poems by 2 poets





liberty

by brig.gen. percival t sternwall




who are they with soul so dead
that blood does not rush to their head
when contemplating liberty
and heroes who strive to keep us free?

o tyrant, tremble on your throne
at midnight you are all alone
the deeds are fierce, the words are soft
of those who hold truth’s flag aloft

liberty! liberty! how sweet thy name!
how great, how great their shame
who will not take up arms
to resist the despot’s charms

and drive tyranny from its lair
and make the whole world fair
and freedom’s heavenly notes resound
the whole world round!







john

by chuck leary



john was just a guy
and he lived in just a town
on just a planet
that was neither up nor down

john liked jelly doughnuts
and caressed them with his touch
and he also liked cheeseburgers
but not nearly as much

john watched television
all day and all night
his favorite shows were perry mason
and the price is right

his mom lived in the basement
and his dad lived in the attic
they argued about religion
but all john heard was static

his brothers all liked batman
but john liked superman
his favorite singer was dolly parton
he was her most committed fan

you may ask what was john’s purpose
and what was his life’s task
and those are good questions
but who are we to ask?



Friday, February 10, 2017

2 poems


by jack dale coody

illustrations by konrad kraus





"i"



who is this “i”
that walks the earth?
blind from eternity
cursed from birth

who is he
who follows my steps
moloch’s henchman
satan’s adept?

who is that walking
along the shore
silently laughing
keeping score?

who is she
who knows my fears
but when i approach her
disappears?







people


people do the best they can
some collect bottle caps, some are baseball fans
they have been taught not to just scream and shout
so they need to find something to talk about

they sit on benches and wait for rides
because they have no place to hide
and when they get to where they are going
they forget what they were supposed to be knowing

they sit upright on sofas and chairs
drink chamomile tea and eat chocolate eclairs
discuss the weather and the harvest of grapes
as breezes caress the drawing room drapes

long ago and far away
madam sent the servants away
shut up the rooms except three or four
now they wait for armaggedon’s roar

why did humans come down from the trees
to be seduced by eternities
expecting things that don’t exist
very well, my dear, if you insist



Tuesday, February 7, 2017

homage to li po


by jack dale coody

illustrations by konrad kraus






the world is a web of roads, my friend
that twists on its tails that never end
but there’s only one road, by the stars that shine
that never turns back - that’s the road of time

when i was young i often passed
a temple of steel beside a tower of glass
where a banker iwith his briefcase and a newsboy with his stack
stood talking together - forth and back


the banker talked slow, and the newsboy talked fast
but they both grew silent as i passed
and the burning words in their spinning brains
rode through the cosmos like silver trains

through crystal frances and emerald spains
down roaring amazons and bounding mains
across ruby arabicas and amethyst bahrains
to an all night diner in the kansas rain

where daisy jones and mac high collar
buy two streak dinners with a silver dollar
as maisie - what else would she be named?
leans on the counter and feels ashamed

in a thousand years the wind will blow
from the china sea to mexico
rain and snow will cover the earth
and the same old world to itself will give birth

temples and palaces will be be gone
monkeys will laugh and tigers yawn
rivers will flow and dragon webs spin
as poets take to the roads again