One Poem by Heather Cox

Lonely Soul

The rivers run deep,
And the waters rush high
With speed and deliberation
Towards my lonely soul.

The water is ice,
Piercing my skin and bones,
But I swing an extra stroke
For every freezing degree.

In this life
You either simply float
Or
fight the current
Or
drown.

O, hollow river,
Wash over my soul.
Steal me to your depths
And keep me company.

{Poem by Heather Cox}

One Poem by Natalie Williams

Mirrors and Tiles

For it seems the way
Of things;
To never see but always be seen;
In a moment,
Or in a dream.
Philosophy gets you
Like a broken thing.

Never quite knowing, this world
Is guided by animosity.
Ferociously it gives us
Tiles for mirrors,
And mirrors for tiles,
Yet all the while
We are misguided.

Out of stride
Damned and shaken,
We are bid and taken
By our fake eyes,
And ears, what we cannot
Should not, must not.
Do.

{Poem by Natalie Williams}

An Excerpt by Gabrielle A. Gonzalez

Excerpted from The Cotton Picker's Daughter

Dried and dried.
It’s still there, the whole thing.
Sowed and harvested, and its not fair.
Be careful.
Many times Mom’s shot a bullet.
Hot,
into the air.
Not caring where it would land,
not even through me,
the prize at hand.
The reason she lives.
The security that shows she can move on.
But damn, damn.
Nothing further for her
because bare feet are bad.
You can only travel so far,
when trudging on glass.
My Mother has never gotten over,
what her Father did to her.
Everything physical
and verbal
is bubbling over
the facts and disappointments
are more clearer and
more hurtful than ever.
I could be a Romantic,
and blame it on Mexican Rhapsody.
Say
“ I hate you Granddaddy.”
Even though I never knew him.
That’s no justification.
Mother needs to know-
that real revenge is living long, happy.
Saying her I do’s and
“ Goodbye Daddy.”

{From The Cotton Picker's Daughter by Gabrielle A. Gonzalez}

One Poem by Alexis Robertson

The Inner Most Grief

Let us not forget the times we had here
Let us not forget the things that changed us
Let us not forget things we held so dear
And please, please never forget the things we discussed.

We are all believers here in today
You are the one that shaped me as I am
I would have flown with you to the Milky Way
But now i most stay here in Amsterdam.

We are together that much is so true
There has fallen a splendid new blue tear
There is to much to say, but I Love You
I am tired and beloved for your fears.

There is nothing left of my inner world
Your hostile communist body uncurled.

{Poem by Alexis Robertson, Age 14}

Two Poems by Mike Berger

Degas

Pastel palette shimmers.
Flickering candles probe
Somber strokes speak.
Darkness dominates.
Shuffling ballet shoes
Slender legs entwine
Slippers have holes
Thin stark smiles,
Are pasted on
Perspiration spills
Music pounds
Dancers move
They come alive
With each brush stroke.


Excerpted from Americans

Food captures me.
It holds me for ransom
I woof it down
It’s never enough.

{Poems by Mike Berger, PH.D.}

Two Poems by Dan Flore

the divorce, still there

I coughed like my father
it jumped out from my subconscious
in that "I'm right, you're wrong" way
like a ragged soldier
who raised his flag


excerpted from rubber dish gloves

the sky is orange tonight
the ditch diggers along the mountains
know the chuckling mysteries have settled in
the laughter's echo is a dizzying crumble
they look to their watches
for her and are
hoping too she will
come out of her over
sparkled celebration soon

{Poem by Dan Flore}

Two Poems by Caroline A. Kyzek

Snow

A gleaming white carpet
Spread across the forest floor
Amidst the barren trees.
This is snow:
A coldness that dazzles


Dance of the Green Eyes

You touch with your hands
Taste with your tongue
And stare with your eyes
You're green eyes into mine

I feel your gaze across the room
Looking at me
And a cherub's song comes to mind

Twinkle twinkle green eyes
How I wonder what you surmise
Up above a world with me
Like an emerald in the sea

Emeralds in a cave,
In the company of diamonds, rubies, sapphires
Shining together like a glimmering dance
Dance with me!

The tongue tango
The mouth mambo
The finger foxtrot

Intense touch followed
By ocular sensuality
Mesmerize me-
Dance with your eyes

The seeing samba
The looking lambada
The watching waltz

Glance over
And look at me
Stare me down
With those eyes
Those green eyes into mine

{Poetry by Caroline A. Kyzek}

One Poem by Randall Rogers

Pretty Baby

you’re my pretty baby
my lover child
the way you kiss me baby
it drives me wild

well we’ll take my car
run away
living on love
Blessed in every way from high above

let’s go to the alter
and say “I do”
because I love you baby
and I think you love me too

{Poem by Randall Rogers}

Two Poems by Ethan Brandt

The Magma Boils

Underneath, the magma boils.
Underneath, the magma boils.
And the ground turns and stomachs turn.
And the ground turns and stomachs turn.
Underneath, the stomachs boil
And the ground and magma turn, turn.

Above it all, the birds fly 'round.
Above it all, the birds fly 'round.
Songs are sung, most unheard.
Songs are sung, most unheard.
Above it, the birds fly unheard.
Songs are sung all 'round.

You stand silent and listen.
You stand silent and listen.
If only all could be heard.
If only all could be heard.
If all stand and listen,
Only you could be heard, silent.

The magma boils and turns,
And underneath the ground, stomachs turn.
You stand and listen.
The birds fly silent all 'round, and above it all,
If only all could be heard…most unheard.


A Song With Her

Do I truly care that I should live,
Now that I go 'cross the sea
Tell me, tell me please, Penelope,
Are things fair as they used be?

My body stays sound as ever was,
My soul is carried by hope.
But my heart listens not to mere faith
How much longer can I cope?

My dear, your voice is my only friend,
Take me away to the Land…
Tell me, please, end swiftly my worry,
How is the town at your hand?

I want my words to take and hold you,
But these men talk too loudly.
Gorging, drinking, swearing, never peace.
When do you come home to me?

My world, I fear I cannot reach you,
Struggle and try as I might.
You are the reason for my struggle.
I sing to you ev'ry night.

Lost One, you drive me to distraction
I can't hear, try as I might.
I know now I must wait, still my heart,
I will listen ev'ry night.

{Poetry by Ethan Brandt}

Fall by Herbert Woodward Martin

Fall

Some trees,
in a wind storm,
are determined
to hold on,
gloriously,
to the last
of their leaves
because of an
ancient and
green foreboding
law that forbids
one to undress
in public,
and besides
it would be
a very natural
embarrassment
if you were
caught unawares.

{Poem by Herbert Woodward Martin}

One Piece by Lemuel Giviens

Blind Emotions

For the good of man, we hold our
head's up high,

For the good of man, we swallow
our dreams and pride, and show no
hostile feeling's, towards others
with great expectations,

For the good of man, we prepare
our self for war when there is no
other alternative solution, but to
fight

For the good of man we would
rather stand together, than fall
as a nation, to the enemy who
is anticipating our every command

Please for the good of man, let's
take our blind folds off and take back
the United States, a country that
has been divided for so long and
trapped mentally by hate and race.

{Poem by Lemuel Giviens}

Three Haiku Poems by A.J. Chilson

Haiku 1

as his golden hair
ran freely against the wind
my body stood still


Haiku 2

a life worth living
is a life worth a poem
to be worthwhile


Haiku 3

Honey, Sweet Honey,
the smile you give by day
lights fire by night

{Poems by A. J. Chilson}

One Piece by Bryan M. Huizi

Vaccine

How do I know you love me she asked.
Because I have built no defense against you.

{Poem by Bryan M. Huizi}

Tell Me True by Aaron W. Hillman

Excerpted from Tell Me True

Shall I be an honest man? What is honesty?
Is it not the human being saying what man
believes? Is it honest to speak in tragedy,
when you know you might hurt someone? If that truth
ran then all the bigots would speak in honesty. So,
now a young voice tells me to be honest and thus
is a command. I cannot fail. I cannot leave.
I must follow where stone statures are sure to grieve.
You cannot blaze upon the earth like a newborn
sun until you have gone through the blackness of space
and are born out of the pressure of that cold, lorn
cauldron. Hone your work to the place where the efface
critic, nay-sayer, will have to seek minute points
and effusion of spirit oils the waiting joints.
Some are ready now, let them live. Upon this earth
a seed will root. Nurture them warmly until birth.

There is no value in words in print. The song bird's
value comes when a few hear the sounds and are moved
by the sounds and are changed by the sounds and the
sounds and the ideas are graven and soul approved
by that few. And when this moment happens, you will
be remembering, I was honest. I, the kiln.

But why do you give me this god-like quality?
A song soars by itself! Asks no one to be free.

{Poem by Aaron W. Hillman}

Two Pieces by Kevin Leal

She Yells at Me

She yells at me in gibberish
Curses me with voodoo.
She has a doll,
But I don't think it's voodoo-related.


Water Glasses

Glasses upside down built one-by-one
Like a castle
Laid at the feet of Maria.

Her accented English
Just the faintest echoes
Across some great land.

{Poetry by Kevin Leal}

Two Poems by Les Cramer

12 May 08

Resented not
Having mashed

Potatoes yesterday so
mashed them today

But didn't
Have any

Peas


Took the #8 from Jeanine's

To Calle Real
Trader Joe's

Then went
To Rite-Aid at

Fairview then to
Osh for

Furnace filters
Walked over the

Overpass and caught
#11 on

Hollister back
To Turnpike

{Poems by Les Cramer}

Three Pieces by Mr. Kent Clair Chamberlain

Marchal
Bright clouds
Hnag low over city
Lamps, as years
Troop on.


Summer 2008

Summer moonlit
Morning. Burma shaves.
Long miles from the Fifties. JESUS
WAVES!


Daymake

After the darkness,
After the longing,
Rising, in meeting,
Hailing rays
Bright with Promise!

{Poems by Mr. Kent Clair Chamberlain}