9-11 2021- was the classic black swan event, a low probability event that changed almost everything. The world can be divided into a pre-9-11 world and a Post 9-11 world. 9-11 led to the Afghanistan war, recently concluded, the Iraq war, the Syria war, the Libyan civil war, countless wars in Africa, the war on terror, the Muslim travel ban, the war on domestic dissent in so many parts of the world, all justified as a reaction against the events of that September day. Here are some of my reflections on the events of 9-11 including a prose poem about where I was that terrible day. It affected me deeply because at the time I was a US immigration officer in the State Department serving in Mumbai, (Bombay) India.
” The attacks had a profound and lasting impact on the country, especially regarding its foreign and domestic policies. U.S. Pres. George W. Bush declared a global “war on terrorism,” and lengthy wars in Afghanistan and Iraq followed. Meanwhile, security measures within the United States were tightened considerably, especially at airports. To help facilitate the domestic response, Congress quickly passed the controversial USA PATRIOT Act, which significantly expanded the search and surveillance powers of federal law-enforcement and intelligence agencies. Additionally, a cabinet-level Department of Homeland Security was created.”
Comments appreciated.
Index
Reflections on 9-11 where I was Prose Poem
Reflections on 9-11 where was I then
Reflections on 9-11
9-11 Unleashed Evil
The Day After 9-11 U.S Visa Officer’s Perspective
9-11 Fridge (Based on fridge magnet poems daily prompts)
Reflections on 911 Where I was Prose Poem
On 9-11
When the planes struck the World Trade center
Unleashing evil on the world
I was working
at the deputy consular chief
at the US Consulate
in Mumbai (Bombay) India
I was at a Polish national day event
at the legendary Taj Mahal hotel
chatting with the Polish Ambassador
and his charming wife.
Someone told me
I needed to check out the news,
I saw the CNN news feed,
I rushed back to the consulate
to prepare our response.
I put together a task force
focused on helping American citizens
in our district.
I worked almost 15-20 hours
for almost three days
before finally getting a night off.
We continued to process visas
during this time
but our priority
was to reach out to the Americans
who lived in our district
and to monitor the reactions of Indians
especially Muslims living in our district.
I tracked down my wife
who had gone into emergency action
in her position in Korea as a MI officer.
We both reflected
That if she had not taken the job in Korea
She might have died that day
As she had been working in the ops center
At the Pentagon which was destroyed.
Since it was shift work
if she had been on the early morning shift
it might have been game over for her.
Reflections on 9-11
the events of 9-11
transformed the modern world
in the aftermath of 9-11
the US launched the war on terror
That led to Afghanistan
Led to Iraq
Led to Syria
And so many other wars
Secret and not so secret
War on dissent at home
All because of 911
A true black swan event
That almost destroyed
Our country
And still has ramifications
All over the world
911
A day that truly
Will live
In infamy
9-11 unleashed Evil
Evil in this world
lurks in the deadliest places.
Evil came to town on 911
the day that evil
Swept over the world
a true Black Swan event
that changed almost everything
splitting the world
into a pre-9-11 world
and a post 9-11 world
unleashing the War on Terror, the wars in Afghanistan, the wars in Iraq, the war in Libya, the war in Syria, the wars in Africa, the horrors of ISIS, the horrors of the Taliban resurgent, the horrors of Al Qaeda and all the rest of the Muslim terrorists, the war in the streets of any big city, the war on Muslims, the war on Christians, the war on Jews , the apartheid in Palestine, the wars on dissent at home, the Arab Spring
so many things can be traced
to the impact of 9/11
One of the most unlikely events
of recent history
that totally transformed
everything
yes there was a pre 9-11 world
hard to imagine now
and a post 9-11 world-wide police state
on steroids
War on democracy at home
and abroad
the world is still coping
with the damages unleashed
by the evil plane bombers
and their mad desires
their dictates from their mad God
transforming the world
unleashing evil
on the once innocent world.
The Day After 9-11 U.S Visa Officer’s Perspective
9-11 changed everything
For the lowly visa officers
Around the world
Especially for American visa officers
Pre-9-11
The emphasis was on efficiency
Issuing as many visas as possible
Refusing a few as possible
Looking the other way
At minor incidents of fraud
When in doubt
Just say yes
Terrorism was not a concern at all
No one anticipated
The horrible events of 9-11
All the hijackers
Had been issued visas
hey were considered low-risk applicants
As most Saudi citizens were
Few overstayed
None wanted to work
Illegally in the U.S.
The students studied
Came back home
Saudi, the UAE, and Oman
Were about to be approved
For the visa waiver program
They met the criteria
Low refusal rates
Low overstay rates
Terrorism was not a concern
Although the CIA was blocking it
On 9-12 and afterwards
Everything changed
Just say yes
Became just say no
Fraud became a big concern
Terrorism an overwhelming concern
Saudi, Oman and UAE
Became overnight
Suspicious characters
Extreme vetting began
Years before Trump
Announced it
Interviewing everyone
Became the policy overnight
Biometrics were rushed to be deployed
Everyone including Kings
Must be enrolled
No exceptions
Zero tolerance of visa infractions
Became the norm
Both at State and at the new DHS
Airports became unfriendly nightmares
For foreign visitors
As did the embassies
Where visa officers
Were now free
To be mean, abrupt
Just say no
Became the motto
The officers had 2 minutes
To go through the ever expanding
Security checks etc
Anything at all
That took two more minutes
Led to a quit denial
Denials were seldom overcome
Even when it was obvious
That the visa should have been issue
The visa function almost moved
To the new neo-fascist
Department of Homeland Security
Nicknamed by its critics
As the Homeland Security Ministry
The homeland security department
Send visa security officers
Overseas to police the lax state department
Whose prior courtesy culture was mocked
The new mean to everyone culture
Soon emerged
Everyone competed
To see who could be the meanest
Zero tolerance soon met zero common sense
Every applicant became a potential criminal
A potential security threat,
All Muslim applicants
Were seen as potential terrorists
All of this led
To the draconian visa policies
which began
on September 12, 2001
the day after 9-11
then Trump and his MAGA crew
swept to power
extreme vetting became the new mantra
unleashing a war
on Muslims and immgirants
that sadly had continued
to this day
The culmination of years
Of the war on terror
All of this was the result of 9-11
The day that changed everything.
Following 9/11
Patriots Blunder
Whack a mole
Worry Frequently
About terrorists and Muslims
Whomever, wherever they be
Spillwords has published my poem, “Sleepless on the Streets” .They previously published a number of my poems, including “Eve Eats the Apple” and “Mocking Laughter.” They also published an interview and additional poems below. Including a bonus poem, not published called “ I am the Snake” on a similar theme, re-telling the story of the garden of Eden from the snake’s perspective.
This morning I read my poem, “Just Enough for Coffee” on the Journal of Expressive’s Arts First Zoom Open mike. They will be hosting it monthly and I hope to read some more of work there.
I grew up in Berkeley, California, and Washington DC, and went to College in Stockton, California. After college, lived five years in Korea as a Peace Corps volunteer and teaching ESL. I returned to the US to Seattle for graduate school. Afterward, I joined the Foreign Service where I lived and worked in over ten countries. I retired and lived in Korea and the west coast.
What is the greatest thing about the place you call home?
I live in Youngjando island, South Korea near the Incheon Airport. I live in a garden city. There is a magnificent park – the world peace forest behind my house and a nice mountain to hike in. Over three hundred restaurants are within walking distance of my house. There are five beaches ten minutes’ drive away, Incheon is nearby as is Seoul.
What turns you on creatively?
All my work starts with a dream. I don’t dream dreams; I dream movies, filled with action, sound, music, smells many times in a completely different world. I have been writing a dream journal for many years. I write five to ten dreams per day, saving them as stand-alone flash fiction, and also write one to ten poems per day.
What is your favorite word, and can you use it in a poetic sentence?
One of my favorite words is my portmanteau scumbaggery which I define as the actions of a ”Scumbag.”
The scumbaggery Of Texas Senator Ted Cruz Utterly confounds
What is your pet peeve?
Racism, sexism, homophobia, bigotry, right-wing nutcases, left-wing zealots, Christian holy rollers, gun violence, police misconduct, anti-Asian hate crimes, hate crimes, America Firsters, QAnon conspiracy theorists, neo-Nazis, White Supremacists, Proud Boys, Boogaloo Bois, and the Oath Keeper militia, etc. I don’t like ”gangsta rap,” “heavy metal,” or “country music.” Pragmatist and don’t care about ideological correctness.
What defines Jake Cosmos Aller?
Grew up in Berkeley and DC. Lived all over the world, visiting forty-five countries and all 50 states. Served my country as a foreign service officer, and Peace Corps volunteer and taught ESL and government overseas. But what is more important than anything is that I married the girl of my dreams who became my wife 40 years ago.
Dora The Intergalactic Explorer written by: Jake Cosmos Aller @Jakecaller Dora the intergalactic explorer Is traveling to the…
Dora the intergalactic explorer
Is traveling to the strangest planet
of all the known worlds
she is traveling incognito
with a video crew
making a documentary
the planet earth
is known as a planet
of intelligent monkeys
not much is known
about them
as very few
have ever been there
the inhabitants are described
as blood thirsty insane creatures
ruled by hidden sexual and political passions
following incomprehensible
religious dogmas following Gods
that clearly do not exist
the inhabitants are just on the verge
of developing intergalactic travel
and the galactic empire
is worried that they will be driven
to try to conquer the rest of the universe
driven by their needs to impose
their religious dogma
everywhere in the world
the planet is divided into large tribal groups
governed by corrupt elites
corrupt businesses destroying the planet
in pursuit of profit
and the locals are little more
than wage slaves
barely making a living
addicted to alcohol, drugs, gambling
pornography and illicit sex
and their main land
is ruled by a clearly delusional madman
intent on poking a fight
with all his alleged enemies
Dora assumed the appearance
of a character from TV
and will pose as a journalist
trying to make sense
of it all
but she was afraid
that she if found out
could face the worst consequence
her ship crash lands
and she is outside
the capitol
of the non empire empire
called the United States of America
Dora gets her crew together
and walks into the city
staring at all the strange sights
as the monkeys go about
their daily activities
she stops at a restaurant
tries the coffee
the chief drug of choice
and is instantly addicted
wow no wonder
these people are crazed
she tries the local booze
and smiles
perhaps she could
become an intergalactic merchant
introducing the world
to the galaxy
her thoughts are interrupted
as a mad man armed
with weapons of war
bursts in and starts shooting
yelling at people
and she is shot dead
the authorities
are shocked
when they recover the body
and realize
that she is not a human
as she reverts other original
form
sort of a giant feline like creature
two legs and arms
and clearly from an advanced
civilization given her gear
what was she doing
no one knew
as all the aliens
died in the gun blaze
the world is shocked
at what had happened
and fearful that the aliens
were coming to invade
their world
the galactic senate
decides to contain
the humans
declaring them
a threat to the global civilization
and the humans vow
to discover the secrets
of interstellar travel
and travel to her land
to enter into business arrangements
and spread the one truth faith
to the heathen space aliens
thus ended Dora’s excellent adventure
in the crazed world at the edge
of known civilization
Where is my home? Where do I belong?
I really don’t know, always moving on to another place
Moved every other year it seems the last 45 years
Traveled to 49 states, 45 countries, drove across the U.S. six times
Lived in Berkeley, Yakima, Stockton, Seattle, Alexandria, DC, Oregon, Korea, Thailand, India, The Eastern Caribbean, and Spain
Where do I belong? Where is my home?
Neither here nor there, nowhere and everywhere
And so is that my rambling man’s fate
Never to really belong anywhere at all
Bus Rides in America’s Underbelly written by: Jake Cosmos Aller the Bus – Travels Through America’s Underbelly I…
the Bus – Travels Through America’s Underbelly
I am a bus rider
That makes me unusual
For a white male
From an upper middle class family
Our people are not bus riders
Though some are subway riders
Bus riders are other people
The poor, minorities, immigrants
People who don’t drive
Because they are blind
Or have a DUI
And in my case
I don’t drive
Because I have bad vision
And bad coordination
Just never got the hang
Of the whole driving thing
Fortunately for me
My wife does the driving
But I still take the bus
From time to time
I rode the AC buses in Berkeley
As a child
Line 67, line 51, line 43 F bus
Rode them long before BART came along
And afterwards as well
As an adult seldom rode the bus
But when I did so
I was always impressed
By the sheer diversity
Of the bus riding property
Hundreds of languages
All sorts of sexual orientation
Some were white
Most were not
Most of my fellow passengers
Were nice enough
Some were friendly
And some were lost
In their own thoughts
And a few
Were scary looking dudes
With the look
Of someone who had done time
And were capable of more violence
I also rode the bus
In Seattle as a graduate student
A lot of fellow UW students
And the usual immigrants
Minorities etc
And some white people
Commuting
And in DC
Over the years
I rode a lot of buses
Mostly to and from the metro
But I got to know
And love the DC buses as well
I also took the greyhound bus
Across the country
Several times over the years
All over the U.S.
From Bay Area to Stockton
From Bay Area to Clear Lake
From Bay area to NYC
NYC to DC
All over the USA
Taking the Greyhound
Was always an adventure
Met a lot of interesting people
As people on long distant bus rides
Tend to open up and talk
To pass the time away
Overseas I took the bus
All over
In India, in Barbados
In Spain and in Korea
The Korean buses
For many years
Were difficult for foreign visitors
As the signs were all in Korean
Most have signs
Now in English, Chinese and Korean
And are much more foreigner friendly
Riding the bus
In America
Allows one access
To the underbelly of American society
The poor, the marginalized
The immigrant communities
That many middle-class white people
Just never see
And for that reason
I am glad
That I am a bus rider
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR:
Based on my experiences riding the bus all over the world from 1968 to 2018.
I will read my poem, “Snarling Cup of Coffee” on the Journal of Expressive Writing’s first global poetry reading zoom session, starting at 7 pm on September 8th EST.
Update: I ended up reading “Just Enough for Coffee”. It was a lot of fun. I am going to do it again, and try PSH and Rattle open zoom mike readings as well. Perhaps someday I will do some open mike readings or slams when I am back in the states. end update.
Want your friends and/or family to attend? We hope so! Please send them this free registration link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/open-mic-tickets-166176880523. Once registered, they will receive the Zoom link 24 hours in advance of the event.
Jennifer A. Minotti
Founder Editor-in-Chief
Journal of Expressive Writing
We are so thrilled that you signed up to read your writing for the inaugural Journal of Expressive Writing’s poetry open mike reading on September 8, 2021 at 7 p.m. on Zoom!
This is just a reminder: Each reader should plan on reading—in any genre—for a maximum of four minutes. Please time your reading(s) in advance, as we have a lot of readers signed up! for the poetry open mike reading.
Want your friends and/or family to attend? We hope so! Please send them this free registration link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/open-mic-tickets-166176880523. Once registered, they will receive the Zoom link 24 hours for the poetry open mike reading in advance of the event.
Here are a few reminders:
We will send you the Zoom Link 24 hours in advance poetry open mike reading .
You will be on Zoom with us by audio and video for this OPEN MIC. You can choose to put your video off.
Please “mute” yourself upon entry and stay muted unless it’s your turn.
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PLEASE! If you’re registered and need to withdraw, e-mail jen@journalofexpressivewriting.comand cancel your registration so that we may offer your space to someone on the waitlist.
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Read the latestexpressive writing, free writing, non-fiction, poetry, and prose by both new and established writers in the Journal now!
Should you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.
See you soon! for the poetry open mike reading.
Jen Minoti
Kelly DuMar
Snarling Cup of Coffee
coffee
I like to start my day with a hot cup of coffee
I pound down the coffee
First thing I do every day as the dawning sun
Lights up my lonesome room
Yeah, but not just a simple cup of java Joe, but a God damn snarling sarcastic smarmy cup of coffee
I mean, – we are talking about an alcoholic, all speed ahead, always hot, always fresh, always there when I need it, angry, attitude talk to the hand Ztude, bad, bad assed, beats breaking, beatnik, bluesy, bitter, bitchy, bombs away, capitalistic, caffeinated up the ass, cinematic, communistic, Colombian grown, Costa Rican inspired, Cowabunga to the max, crazy assed, devilishly angelic, divine, divinely inspired, dyslexic, epic, extreme vetting, evil eye, expensive, erotic vision inducing, Ethiopian coffee house brewed, euphoric, freaky, freazoid, foxy, Frenched kissed, French brewed, funkified, foxy lady, graphic, GOD in my coffee, with Allah, Ganesh, Jesus, Kali, Buddha, Christians, Durga, Hindus, Mohamed, Jesus and Mo and their friend, the cosmic bar maid, Sai Babai, Shiva, Taoists, Zoroastrians, drinking my god damned coffee in Hell; growling, gnarly, happy, hard as ice, Hawaian blessed, high as a kite, hippie, hip, hipster, hip hoppy, hot as hell yet strangely sweet as heaven, jazzy, jealous, Kerouac approved, kick ass, kick my god damn ass to Tuesday, kick down the doors and take no prisoners, grown in the Vietnam highlands by ex Vietcong, Guatemalan grown, kiss ass, illegal in every state, imported from all over the god damn world, insane, lovely, loony, lonely, lonesome, malodorous mean old rotten, motherfucking, nasty, narcotic, never whatever, never meh, never cold, not approved by the CIA, not approved by DHS, not approved for human consumption by the FDA, not your daddy’s sissified corporate cup of coffee, NOT DECAFE coffee, not your Denny’s truck driver weak as brown water cup of fake coffee, not your establishment friendly cup of coffee, Not your FBI coffee, Not FAKE Herbal coffee substitute, but a real cup of coffee, not your farmer brothers dinner crap, not made in America for Americans, not safe for work, not your Starbucks average expensive overpriced crappy corporate chain cup of coffee, Not pretentious, Not White House approved, not State Department safe, nuclear, Not Patriotic, operatic, Peets’s coffee approved, paranoid, pornographic, psychotic, pontific, politically aware, rapping, rhyming, right here, right now in River city, rock and roll up the Yazoo, sad, sadistic, sarcastic, sassy, satanic, schizoid, shitting, silly, sexy, smarmy, smelly, smooth, snarky, snarling, stupid, stinking, sweet as honey, sweat inducing, symphonic, Trump can’t handle this coffee, vengeful, Wagnerian, wicked, with nutmeg and cinnamon swirls, with a hint of stevia, with a hint of vanilla, with a hint of rum, with a hint of whisky, with a hint of cherry, with a hint of fruit overtones, with a hint of drugs spicing up the coffee, spendific, speeding, splendid, superior accept no substitutes, survived the Vietnam war, the Iraq war, the Afghan war, the first and Second Korean war, World War 11, the war on poverty, the war on drugs, the war on black people, the sexual revolution, Soulful as a summer’s night in MOTOWN- James Brown approved, TOP approved, Berkeley approved, the coffee that Jimmy Hendrix drank before he died, the coffee that Elvis drank on his last breakfast, the coffee that Barry White crooned as he drank his cup of coffee – and the coffee that made the white boy play stand up and play that funky music, the coffee that made Jonny B Goode play his guitar, and made Jonny bet the devil his soul after he drank his morning cup of righteous coffee and the coffee that make the Rolling Stones Rock and Roll, the coffee your mother warned you against drinking, the coffee that Napoleon drank when he became the Emperor of all Europe, the Coffee that Beethoven drank when he wrote the Ninth symphony, the coffee that Mozart drank as he wrote his last symphony, the coffee that Lincoln drank before he was killed, the Hemingway drank before he killed himself, the coffee that started the 60’s, and ended the 20th century, the coffee that Lenin drank as he plotted revolution, the coffee that Hitler and Stalin drank with FDR as they divided up the world after World War 11, the cup that JFK drank before he was blown away, the coffee Jerry drinks while driving in cars with random celebrities and political figures, the coffee that Jon Stewart drinks before he goes on an epic take down of some foolish politico, the cup of Arabic coffee that Sadaam drank the day he was executed, the coffee that GW and Cheney drank when they bombed Baghdad, the Indian cup of coffee that Bid Laden drank before 9-11 and just before the seals blew his ass to hell, the cup of coffee that Tiger Woods drank with his mistresses while playing a 3, 000 dollar round of golf at Sandy Lane golf course in Barbados, the last legal drug that does what drugs should do, the cup of coffee that Obama drank when he became President, Vietnamese, Vienna brew, wacky, whimsical, Whisky Tango Foxtrot, wild, weird, wonderful, WOW, Yabba dabba doo! Yada Yada yada Zappa’s favorite cup of cosmic coffee, and Zorro’s last cup of coffee, Good to the last drop rolled into one simple cup of hot coffee
As I pound down that first cup of coffee
And fire up my synaptic nerve endings with endless supplies
Of caffeine induced neuron enhancing chemicals
I face the dawning day with trepidation and mind-numbing fear
I turn on the TV and watch the smarmy newscasters in their perfect hair
Lying through their teeth about the great success the government is having Following the great leader’s latest pronouncements
I want to scream and shoot the TV
And run out side Shouting “Stop the world.
I want to get off this fucking crazy planet”
The earth does not care a whit about my attitude
It merely shrugs and moves around the Sun
In its appointed daily run
And I sit down
The madness dissipating a bit
And enjoy my second cup
Of heaven and hell
In my morning cup of Joe
Spillwords has published two of my poems, “Eve Eats the Apple” and “Mocking Laughter.” They also published an interview and additional poems below. Including a bonus poem, not published called “ I am the Snake” on a similar theme, re-telling the story of the garden of Eden from the snake’s perspective.
Eve Eats the Apple
Eve was in the garden
Talking with Mr. Snake
Her new best friend
She was complaining about Adam
And about the management
Of the garden
The snake suggested she eat
The forbidden fruit.
She said
but the man
Said that I cannot eat
That fruit
It is forbidden.
Yes that is what the man said
That is what
he does not want you
To experience.
The man and Adam
Are in on it together.
I Heard that Adam
Will eat the apple tonight
But you need to get there first.
Do you trust me, Eve?
Of course, Mr. Snake
So you know what to do.
Eve ate the apple
Called Adam over
Told him to eat the apple.
While the Snake chanted
Eat it eat it
Set yourself free,
And so, Adam ate the apple
And joined Eve
In knowing everything.
God came down
Banished them from the garden
Telling them.
Well, you made the bed
You will have to sleep in it.
Go away
You disgust me
Humans…..
And Satan
You won your bet
You damn Snake,
Mocking Faces Staring at Me written by: Jake Cosmos Aller
I grew up in Berkeley, California, and Washington DC, and went to College in Stockton, California. After college, lived five years in Korea as a Peace Corps volunteer and teaching ESL. I returned to the US to Seattle for graduate school. Afterward, I joined the Foreign Service where I lived and worked in over ten countries. I retired and lived in Korea and the west coast.
What is the greatest thing about the place you call home?
I live in Youngjando island, South Korea near the Incheon Airport. I live in a garden city. There is a magnificent park – the world peace forest behind my house and a nice mountain to hike in. Over three hundred restaurants are within walking distance of my house. There are five beaches ten minutes’ drive away, Incheon is nearby as is Seoul.
What turns you on creatively?
All my work starts with a dream. I don’t dream dreams; I dream movies, filled with action, sound, music, smells many times in a completely different world. I have been writing a dream journal for many years. I write five to ten dreams per day, saving them as stand-alone flash fiction, and also write one to ten poems per day.
What is your favorite word, and can you use it in a poetic sentence?
One of my favorite words is my portmanteau scumbaggery which I define as the actions of a ”Scumbag.”
The scumbaggery Of Texas Senator Ted Cruz Utterly confounds
What is your pet peeve?
Racism, sexism, homophobia, bigotry, right-wing nutcases, left-wing zealots, Christian holy rollers, gun violence, police misconduct, anti-Asian hate crimes, hate crimes, America Firsters, QAnon conspiracy theorists, neo-Nazis, White Supremacists, Proud Boys, Boogaloo Bois, and the Oath Keeper militia, etc. I don’t like ”gangsta rap,” “heavy metal,” or “country music.” Pragmatist and don’t care about ideological correctness.
What defines Jake Cosmos Aller?
Grew up in Berkeley and DC. Lived all over the world, visiting forty-five countries and all 50 states. Served my country as a foreign service officer, and Peace Corps volunteer and taught ESL and government overseas. But what is more important than anything is that I married the girl of my dreams who became my wife 40 years ago.
Dora The Intergalactic Explorer written by: Jake Cosmos Aller @Jakecaller Dora the intergalactic explorer Is traveling to the…
Dora the intergalactic explorer
Is traveling to the strangest planet
of all the known worlds
she is traveling incognito
with a video crew
making a documentary
the planet earth
is known as a planet
of intelligent monkeys
not much is known
about them
as very few
have ever been there
the inhabitants are described
as blood thirsty insane creatures
ruled by hidden sexual and political passions
following incomprehensible
religious dogmas following Gods
that clearly do not exist
the inhabitants are just on the verge
of developing intergalactic travel
and the galactic empire
is worried that they will be driven
to try to conquer the rest of the universe
driven by their needs to impose
their religious dogma
everywhere in the world
the planet is divided into large tribal groups
governed by corrupt elites
corrupt businesses destroying the planet
in pursuit of profit
and the locals are little more
than wage slaves
barely making a living
addicted to alcohol, drugs, gambling
pornography and illicit sex
and their main land
is ruled by a clearly delusional madman
intent on poking a fight
with all his alleged enemies
Dora assumed the appearance
of a character from TV
and will pose as a journalist
trying to make sense
of it all
but she was afraid
that she if found out
could face the worst consequence
her ship crash lands
and she is outside
the capitol
of the non empire empire
called the United States of America
Dora gets her crew together
and walks into the city
staring at all the strange sights
as the monkeys go about
their daily activities
she stops at a restaurant
tries the coffee
the chief drug of choice
and is instantly addicted
wow no wonder
these people are crazed
she tries the local booze
and smiles
perhaps she could
become an intergalactic merchant
introducing the world
to the galaxy
her thoughts are interrupted
as a mad man armed
with weapons of war
bursts in and starts shooting
yelling at people
and she is shot dead
the authorities
are shocked
when they recover the body
and realize
that she is not a human
as she reverts other original
form
sort of a giant feline like creature
two legs and arms
and clearly from an advanced
civilization given her gear
what was she doing
no one knew
as all the aliens
died in the gun blaze
the world is shocked
at what had happened
and fearful that the aliens
were coming to invade
their world
the galactic senate
decides to contain
the humans
declaring them
a threat to the global civilization
and the humans vow
to discover the secrets
of interstellar travel
and travel to her land
to enter into business arrangements
and spread the one truth faith
to the heathen space aliens
thus ended Dora’s excellent adventure
in the crazed world at the edge
of known civilization
Where is my home? Where do I belong?
I really don’t know, always moving on to another place
Moved every other year it seems the last 45 years
Traveled to 49 states, 45 countries, drove across the U.S. six times
Lived in Berkeley, Yakima, Stockton, Seattle, Alexandria, DC, Oregon, Korea, Thailand, India, The Eastern Caribbean, and Spain
Where do I belong? Where is my home?
Neither here nor there, nowhere and everywhere
And so is that my rambling man’s fate
Never to really belong anywhere at all
Bus Rides in America’s Underbelly written by: Jake Cosmos Aller the Bus – Travels Through America’s Underbelly I…
the Bus – Travels Through America’s Underbelly
I am a bus rider
That makes me unusual
For a white male
From an upper middle class family
Our people are not bus riders
Though some are subway riders
Bus riders are other people
The poor, minorities, immigrants
People who don’t drive
Because they are blind
Or have a DUI
And in my case
I don’t drive
Because I have bad vision
And bad coordination
Just never got the hang
Of the whole driving thing
Fortunately for me
My wife does the driving
But I still take the bus
From time to time
I rode the AC buses in Berkeley
As a child
Line 67, line 51, line 43 F bus
Rode them long before BART came along
And afterwards as well
As an adult seldom rode the bus
But when I did so
I was always impressed
By the sheer diversity
Of the bus riding property
Hundreds of languages
All sorts of sexual orientation
Some were white
Most were not
Most of my fellow passengers
Were nice enough
Some were friendly
And some were lost
In their own thoughts
And a few
Were scary looking dudes
With the look
Of someone who had done time
And were capable of more violence
I also rode the bus
In Seattle as a graduate student
A lot of fellow UW students
And the usual immigrants
Minorities etc
And some white people
Commuting
And in DC
Over the years
I rode a lot of buses
Mostly to and from the metro
But I got to know
And love the DC buses as well
I also took the greyhound bus
Across the country
Several times over the years
All over the U.S.
From Bay Area to Stockton
From Bay Area to Clear Lake
From Bay area to NYC
NYC to DC
All over the USA
Taking the Greyhound
Was always an adventure
Met a lot of interesting people
As people on long distant bus rides
Tend to open up and talk
To pass the time away
Overseas I took the bus
All over
In India, in Barbados
In Spain and in Korea
The Korean buses
For many years
Were difficult for foreign visitors
As the signs were all in Korean
Most have signs
Now in English, Chinese and Korean
And are much more foreigner friendly
Riding the bus
In America
Allows one access
To the underbelly of American society
The poor, the marginalized
The immigrant communities
That many middle-class white people
Just never see
And for that reason
I am glad
That I am a bus rider
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR:
Based on my experiences riding the bus all over the world from 1968 to 2018.
Hi there from Down in the Dirt (this letter is being mailed from a bulk email alternative email address – all inquiries about Down in the Dirt should not reply to this email, but continue to be sent to Down in the Dirt <dirt@scars.tv>). We wanted to let you know that Scars Publications released a collection book of the May-August 2021 issues from Down in the Dirt magazine. Since your material (writing/artwork) APPEARS in these issues, that means your material appears in this issue collection book, and we wanted to let you know about this brand-new issues collection book is titled “Lockdown’s Over”!
Links to see all of the Down in the Dirt writings in “Lockdown’s Over”: http://scars.tv/2021May-August-issue-collection-book/Lockdowns_Over.htmAnd you can find this book any time at Scars in MULTIPLE locations. Now it is linked on the main page at http://scars.tv, and it appears at the top of the list of choices on the books link (one click away from the main page, or also directly at http://scars.tv/books/) as well as at the top of the “CD Books Sale” link (direct link http://scars.tv/sale/) at Scars!Also, by the end of the business week this week, the database with your accepted writings should also (when you go to your accepted writings) have a link to this collection book that your writing is in, so people can find links to this collection book on your writing pages in the writings section of http://scars.tv (at http://scars.tv/cgi-bin/framesmain.pl?writers)...
Links for ordering this collection book appear on all of the links above, and will also appear in the writings section too, so any of your writing in this collection book will also see a link to this collection book in the writings section too!
Currently, these books are available directly through the Amazon affiliate printer in the U.S., the U.K., and to Europe – and even to Japan and Australia, and it ships to India too! (the above link is for U.S. orders.)
So check out the Scars Publication links to see what material of yours appears in these collection books, and if you’d like, order a copy today (I hear they make great gifts!), and again, thank you for being a part of the Down in the Dirt community!
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Hi there… You are getting this letter because you are a contributor to
the current issue of Down in the Dirt magazine (with writing or art), and
we wanted to let you know that the brand-new issue of Down in the Dirt was
just released! The new issue of the June 2021 issue Down in the Dirt is
v184, titled “Sprung from Grief”!
Now, there are a bunch of ways you can see this issue online. You can go
to the main scars page at http://scars.tv and see it not only in the text
listing but also as one of the cover images on the main page (right
frame). You can also go to the home page of Down in the Dirt at http://scars.tv/dirt and click on the “see the current issue” link – and
you can even go to the link for ALL of the issues and see this issue
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Currently, this issue is available not only online but also available as
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And if you look at any writing by any writer IN this issue in the writings
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Hi there… You are getting this letter because you are a contributor to
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“Falling”! We hope you like the issue…
Now, there are a bunch of ways you can see this issue online. You can go
to the main scars page at http://scars.tv and see it not only in the text
listing but also as one of the cover images on the main page (right
frame). You can also go to the home page of cc&d at http://scars.tv/ccd and
Click on the “see the current issue” link – and you can even go to the
link for ALL of the issues and see this issue linked right at the top of
the listing.
Currently, this issue is available not only online but also available as
the print issue for sale through all of the amazon channels throughout the
The United States, the U.K., and Europe. Find it at http://scars.tv (at the
issue link, the links at this issues page AND the main page) – and the
books link at http://scars.tv/books and the CD/Book Sale page at http://scars.tv/sale will all have links to ordering the book through
Amazon (though the scars site will only list it through the U.S. Amazon
links).
And if you look at any writing by any writer IN this issue in the writings
section of http://scars.tv at http://scars.tv/cgi-bin/framesmain.pl?writers you will see links to the
Internet (web page) issue and to the print issue of this magazine too.
In the meantime, we hope you enjoy the new issue and thank you for being
a part of the cc&d community!
NEW TO SCARS: BRAND NEW MAGAZINE ISSUES! The cc&d v310 June 2021 28th anniversary issue/book “Falling” and the Down in the Dirt v184 June 2021 issue/book “Sprung from Grief” are now available — so check out these brand new magazine issues online AND as perfect-bound paperback books!
Enjoy the Scars Publications 2020 anthology collection books — Scars released anthology collection books to show off 2020 writings and artwork, like the flash fiction collection book “2020 in a Flash” with selected flash fiction and art, and the 2020 poetry collection book “inside the box” with selected 2020 poems and art, and the 2020 short story collection book “Vote Early, Read Often” with selected 2020 short stories and art. Anthology collection books contain writing and art from accepted material in 2020 issues of cc&d magazine and Down in the Dirt, and collection books like this are truly a one-of-a-kind anthology — any collection book is also perfect to order for yourself or a gift!
Order a 2021 January-April MAGAZINE ISSUE ANTHOLOGY BOOK today! Pick up a copy of the 420-page “Excerpts from the Plague Years” from Down in the Dirt, and order a copy of the 424-page cc&d issue collection book “What Lies on the Other Side”, both mammoth collections of brand-new issues — because an issue anthology book is a great way to get several magazine issues altogether in a great volume set! Pick up a copy today!
Check out the BRAND NEW books released recently, including the new poetry book “Saints and Sinners” by Kenneth DiMaggio, three short-story horror books marking the LAST books Scars Publications will EVER produce by Christopher E Ellington, titled “Tartarus Sauce”, “Valkyrie Elieson”, and “Gehenna Shampoo”. Peruse GREAT poetry books like “Broken Music” of poetry and short stories by Drew Marshall, and two volumes perfect for the entire year: “Every Event of the Year (Volume one: January-June)” and “Every Event of the Year(Volume Two: July-December)” — at 220 and 286 pages of poetry in 7½” x 9¼” books for holidays & events from each half of the calendar year. Check out “Kidnapped” by Rochelle Lynn Holt — and remember that you can always check the books listing for a complete and up-to-date listing of books released, or check out the CD / Books sale page for a sorted listing of the book too…
If you’re looking for your video fix, you can always check out the regularly updated Scars Video page at the art villa (highlighting videos of recent performances)! And don’t forget, you can also check out all past videos (through “scars girl” Janet Kuypers) at YouTube, Facebook, or Twitter any time!
20210415 Scars just published a Down in the Dirt issue collection book with material from you!
Hi there from Down in the Dirt – we wanted to let you know that Scars
Publications released a collection book of the January-April 2021 issues
from Down in the Dirt magazine. Since your material (writing/artwork)
APPEARS in these issues, that means your material appears in this issue
collection book, and we wanted to let you know about this brand-new issues
collection book is titled “Excerpts from the Plague Years”!
And you can find this book any time at Scars in MULTIPLE locations. Now it
is linked on the main page at http://scars.tv, and it appears at the top
of the list of choices on the books link (one click away from the main
page, or also directly at http://scars.tv/books/) as well as at the top of
the “CD Books Sale” link (direct link http://scars.tv/sale/) at Scars!
Also, by the end of the business week this week, the database with your
accepted writings should also (when you go to your accepted writings) have
a link to this collection book that your writing is in, so people can find
links to this collection book on your writing pages in the writings
section of http://scars.tv (at http://scars.tv/cgi-bin/framesmain.pl?writers)...
Links for ordering this collection book appears on all of the links above,
and will also appear in the writings section too, so any of your writing
in this collection book will also see a link to this collection book in
the writings section too!
Currently these books are available directly through the Amazon affiliate
printer in the U.S., the U.K. and to Europe – and even to Japan and
Australia, and it ships to India too! (the above link is for U.S. orders.)
So check out the Scars Publication links to see what material of yours
appears in these collection books, and if you’d like, order a copy today
(I hear they make great gifts!), and again, thank you for being a part of
the Down in the Dirt community!
If you for any reason have difficulty sending emails to this address, you
can (in emergencies only) send your questions/emails to Janet Kuypers
through facebook, or directly to janetkuypers at gmail dot com.
Enjoy the 2021 magazine collection book from Scars Publications and Down in the Dirt magazine, with the January-April 2021 magazine issues titled “Excerpts from the Plague Years”.
The author names in this listing appear as they are listed in magazine issue/books. For writings that appear in issues, the titles of their writing do not appear on this web page, but all of the names are linked to the individual issue/book that actually contains the material.
To know exactly what is included in this collection book, view the listing below. All author entries are listed in this collection book as they are listed in magazine issue/books.
April 30 In Search of America 1975 – Hitch hiking Tales
hitchhikers
When I was young and foolish
Broke and stubborn
I hitchhiked across the USA
Started in Salt Lake City
Where my greyhound bus pass
Was stolen
The station manager
Could have helped me
But refused to do so
Threaten to call the cops
When I grabbed my bags Without the stolen tags
I said
Go ahead
But I am so out of here
Wondered about Salt Lake City
Went to a bar
Found I had to buy my booze
Next door
And they would mix it for me
Had to order food too
After a bloody Mary
And a burger
I walked about town
Saw the Mormon Temple
Finally about 3 pm
It was time to hit the road
Did not look back
Ended up in Cody Wyoming
Got a room shower
Steak beer
Using my rapidly depleted cash Spent 25 dollars
Money really went far
Back in those days
A band of professional
Communist agitators
Gave me a ride
To Des Moines
Lots of weed, booze
And politics later
Got off the road
Slept outside
Next day
A beautiful woman
Drove me to near Chicago
In a red mustang
Might have been
The girl in the song
Took it easy
Digging her vibe
She invited home
But was not sure
If her estranged husband
Would welcome me
So, I am being foolish
And inexperienced with women
Did not go to her place
And always regretted
That I had lost
My chance that day
Then on to Chicago
Several rides later
Visited friends
Hit the road again
A series of uneventful rides
With truckers
And others
And a week later
I ended in New York City
Slept along the way
In cars
In truck stops
In high way rest stops
Always moving
Always going
Non stop talking
And lots of free weed
And beer
And conversation
One more memorable ride
Occurred outside Albany
On my return to Chicago
A middle age creepy looking man
Picked me up
In a brand-new Cadillac
He was he said a dynamite deliverer
For the Mafia
Went to various places
To blow up shit
He hated a lot of people
Particularly hippies from California
And Jewish people
Looking at me to confirm
That I was both
I told him that I lived in New York
And had never been to California
And although I might have looked Jewish
As I what was called back in the day
A “Jewfro”
I was not Jewish
Many years later I discovered
That I am indeed part Jewish
But then I did not know
And I felt a bit of strategic information
Might keep me alive
Then I realized that he was just jiving with me
And we relaxed
And he pulled out some weed
And beer
And we mellowed out
But I believe that he really was with the mob
Perhaps not a dynamite dealer
A real made Italian made mafia member
By Chicago
I had enough
I called my Dad
Told him what had happened
Wanted a ticket home
And he sent me a ticket
And 500 dollars
And I went home
I told him I would tell him
My tales some day
But never did
I learned so much
About my fellow Americans
And the strange vibe
That was 1975
And now it is too late
But I wanted to finally
Tell the world
While reading Charles Bukowski poetry
On the metro ride home
Listening to Buddha bar music
On my oh too hip IPod
I begin to see myself as I was
Over 30 years ago when I was merely a bit player
A minor character in a Charles Bukowski poem
A wild young underemployed intellectual
Hanging out in dismal bars and dives all over Asia and California
Hanging with disreputable women and drunks and drinkers
And characters out of his kinds of haunts
A mad poet bard of the underground
A drunken poet in a drunken bum show
That nightly played in his head
Then one day I met the women of my dreams
And went down a different path
A long slow path to respectability
And now 30 years later
I am no longer a wild man
I am still a poet at heart
But I am now also a bureaucrat
In a button down suite
Doing the people’s business
Working for the Government
I’ve become the Man
Sometimes I wonder
Would I have been better off
Going down that another path
Would I have ended up
Somewhere else
Doing something else
Would I have been as happy
Would I have been as successful?
There is no answer that satisfies
The longing in my heart
For that wild thing
That still lurks beneath
It’s civilized cover
And I know that I am still
A mad poet at heart
Railing against the injustice of the world
As I work day by day in the belly of the great beast of State
I recall the ancient Chinese saying,
“Confucian during the day while Taoist rebel at night”
Playing out in my head and nightly dreams
In the true American Upper class patrician tradition
I close the book and look out the window
Get off the train, and walk slowly home
And realize I had no choice
But to take the path that I’ve trodden on
And so I put aside my misgivings
And say goodbye to my “Bukowskian”desires
For another night of domestic contentment
Was it worth it all to take the conventional path
And not take the bohemian road to hell and back
I look at my wife and realize
I had no choice, had no choice
But to follow her to the ends of the earth
And beyond by her side as we walked our path
Of shared destiny
Goodbye Charles Bukowski wherever you are
May I meet you in a bar in the next life
And figure out where we should have gone
I like to start my day with a hot cup of coffee
I pound down the coffee
First thing I do every day as the dawning sun
Lights up my lonesome room
Yeah, but not just a simple cup of java Joe, but a God damn snarling sarcastic smarmy cup of coffee
I mean, – we are talking about an alcoholic, all speed ahead, always hot, always fresh, always there when I need it, angry, attitude talk to the hand Ztude, bad, bad assed, beats breaking, beatnik, bluesy, bitter, bitchy, bombs away, capitalistic, caffeinated up the ass, cinematic, communistic, Colombian grown, Costa Rican inspired, Cowabunga to the max, crazy assed, devilishly angelic, divine, divinely inspired, dyslexic, epic, extreme vetting, evil eye, expensive, erotic vision inducing, Ethiopian coffee house brewed, euphoric, freaky, freazoid, foxy, Frenched kissed, French brewed, funkified, foxy lady, graphic, GOD in my coffee, with Allah, Ganesh, Jesus, Kali, Buddha, Christians, Durga, Hindus, Mohamed, Jesus and Mo and their friend, the cosmic bar maid, Sai Babai, Shiva, Taoists, Zoroastrians, drinking my god damned coffee in Hell; growling, gnarly, happy, hard as ice, Hawaian blessed, high as a kite, hippie, hip, hipster, hip hoppy, hot as hell yet strangely sweet as heaven, jazzy, jealous, Kerouac approved, kick ass, kick my god damn ass to Tuesday, kick down the doors and take no prisoners, grown in the Vietnam highlands by ex-Vietcong, Guatemalan grown, kiss ass, illegal in every state, imported from all over the god damn world, insane, lovely, loony, lonely, lonesome, malodorous mean old rotten, motherfucking, nasty, narcotic, never whatever, never meh, never cold, not approved by the CIA, not approved by DHS, not approved for human consumption by the FDA, not your daddy’s sissified corporate cup of coffee, NOT DECAFE coffee, not your Denny’s truck driver weak as brown water cup of fake coffee, not your establishment friendly cup of coffee, Not your FBI coffee, Not FAKE Herbal coffee substitute, but a real cup of coffee, not your farmer brothers dinner crap, not made in America for Americans, not safe for work, not your Starbucks average expensive overpriced crappy corporate chain cup of coffee, Not pretentious, Not White House approved, not State Department safe, nuclear, Not Patriotic, operatic, Peets’s coffee approved, paranoid, pornographic, psychotic, pontific, politically aware, rapping, rhyming, right here, right now in River city, rock and roll up the Yazoo, sad, sadistic, sarcastic, sassy, satanic, schizoid, shitting, silly, sexy, smarmy, smelly, smooth, snarky, snarling, stupid, stinking, sweet as honey, sweat inducing, symphonic, Trump can’t handle this coffee, vengeful, Wagnerian, wicked, with nutmeg and cinnamon swirls, with a hint of stevia, with a hint of vanilla, with a hint of rum, with a hint of whisky, with a hint of cherry, with a hint of fruit overtones, with a hint of drugs spicing up the coffee, spendific, speeding, splendid, superior accept no substitutes, survived the Vietnam war, the Iraq war, the Afghan war, the first and Second Korean war, World War 11, the war on poverty, the war on drugs, the war on black people, the sexual revolution, Soulful as a summer’s night in MOTOWN- James Brown approved, TOP approved, Berkeley approved, the coffee that Jimmy Hendrix drank before he died, the coffee that Elvis drank on his last breakfast, the coffee that Barry White crooned as he drank his cup of coffee – and the coffee that made the white boy play stand up and play that funky music, the coffee that made Jonny B Goode play his guitar, and made Jonny bet the devil his soul after he drank his morning cup of righteous coffee and the coffee that make the Rolling Stones Rock and Roll, the coffee your mother warned you against drinking, the coffee that Napoleon drank when he became the Emperor of all Europe, the Coffee that Beethoven drank when he wrote the Ninth symphony, the coffee that Mozart drank as he wrote his last symphony, the coffee that Lincoln drank before he was killed, the Hemingway drank before he killed himself, the coffee that started the 60’s, and ended the 20th century, the coffee that Lenin drank as he plotted revolution, the coffee that Hitler and Stalin drank with FDR as they divided up the world after World War 11, the cup that JFK drank before he was blown away, the coffee Jerry drinks while driving in cars with random celebrities and political figures, the coffee that Jon Stewart drinks before he goes on an epic take down of some foolish politico, the cup of Arabic coffee that Sadaam drank the day he was executed, the coffee that GW and Cheney drank when they bombed Baghdad, the Indian cup of coffee that Bid Laden drank before 9-11 and just before the seals blew his ass to hell, the cup of coffee that Tiger Woods drank with his mistresses while playing a 3, 000 dollar round of golf at Sandy Lane golf course in Barbados, the last legal drug that does what drugs should do, the cup of coffee that Obama drank when he became President, Vietnamese, Vienna brew, wacky, whimsical, Whisky Tango Foxtrot, wild, weird, wonderful, WOW, Yabba dabba doo! Yada Yada yada Zappa’s favorite cup of cosmic coffee, and Zorro’s last cup of coffee, Good to the last drop rolled into one simple cup of hot coffee
As I pound down that first cup of coffee
And fire up my synaptic nerve endings with endless supplies
Of caffeine induced neuron enhancing chemicals
I face the dawning day with trepidation and mind-numbing fear
I turn on the TV and watch the smarmy newscasters in their perfect hair
Lying through their teeth about the great success the government is having Following the great leader’s latest pronouncements
I want to scream and shoot the TV and run out side Shouting
“Stop the world.
I want to get off this fucking crazy planet”
The earth does not care a whit about my attitude
It merely shrugs and moves around the Sun
In its appointed daily run
And I sit down
The madness dissipating a bit
And enjoy my second cup
Of heaven and hell
In my morning cup of Joe
On the night of the blood-red super full moon
I sat in an evil, depraved godforsaken bar
Drinking drams of demented, fermented dream dew
Washed down by endless rounds of whiskey
rum, tequila, vodka, soju and of course beer
drinking with my buddies the Jack Daniels Gang
Drinking my way to Hell and beyond
Just as fast as I could
twenty damn drinks too sober
Just an unhinged lunatic
Dreaming of howling at the full moon
Watching the world walk by
Looking at all the fine-looking babes
Walking by the street
Thinking wild, erotic thoughts
Of endless wild libertine passions
When into the bar
That din of cosmic depravity
Walked the most beautiful women
In the Universe
So wild, so free
So wonderfully alive
I did not know what to do
As this vision of delight
Sauntered through the bar
In a skin-tight leather pant
Looked so fine
That my eyeballs hurt
And finally, I had to say something
So, I gathered up my manly courage
And walked up to her
And she looked at me
And instantly bewitched my soul
With a devilish grin
I lost all reason
And became a raving lunatic
Unhinged lunatic
Howling at the blood red full moon
Foaming at the mouth
A wild, free werewolf
Howling at the lunatic light
Of the blood red blue full Moon
Charles Bukowski Road Not Chosen
And Other Poems
By Jake Cosmos Aller
Published in Down in the Dirt
Charles Bukowski Road Not Chosen
John (“Jake”) Cosmos Aller
While reading Charles Bukowski poetry On the metro ride home Listening to Buddha bar music On my oh too hip IPod
I begin to see myself as I was Over 30 years ago when I was merely a bit player A minor character in a Charles Bukowski poem
A wild young underemployed intellectual Hanging out in dismal bars and dives all over Asia and California Hanging with disreputable women and drunks and drinkers And characters out of his kinds of haunts
A mad poet bard of the underground A drunken poet in a drunken bum show That nightly played in his head
Then one day I met the women of my dreams And went down a different path A long slow path to respectability
And now 30 years later I am no longer a wild man I am still a poet at heart But I am now also a bureaucrat In a button down suite
Doing the people’s business Working for the Government I’ve become the Man
Sometimes I wonder Would I have been better off Going down that another path
Would I have ended up Somewhere else Doing something else
Would I have been as happy Would I have been as successful?
There is no answer that satisfies The longing in my heart For that wild thing That still lurks beneath It’s civilized cover
And I know that I am still A mad poet at heart Railing against the injustice of the world
As I work day by day in the belly of the great beast of State I recall the ancient Chinese saying, “Confucian during the day while Taoist rebel at night” Playing out in my head and nightly dreams In the true American Upper class patrician tradition
I close the book and look out the window Get off the train, and walk slowly home
And realize I had no choice But to take the path that I’ve trodden on
And so I put aside my misgivings And say goodbye to my “Bukowskian”desires For another night of domestic contentment
Was it worth it all to take the conventional path And not take the bohemian road to hell and back
I look at my wife and realize I had no choice, had no choice But to follow her to the ends of the earth
And beyond by her side as we walked our path Of shared destiny
Goodbye Charles Bukowski wherever you are May I meet you in a bar in the next life And figure out where we should have gone
For some reason I recalled a strange site, I recently saw in SF about seven years ago. The photos were taken recently .
Only in San Francisco
One day
While driving down Geary Blvd.
Near Union Square
at sunset
I saw something
That one would only
See in San Francisco
I saw a strange site
A sight that haunted my vision until now
I saw a white man dressed in leather
With a purple mohawk
Walking his dog down the street
Riding on top of the dog was a cat
And riding on the cat
Was a white lab rat
All were getting along
Were obviously friends
As they walked down the street
We all said
Only in San Francisco
City of St Francis
Comment: This poem and the following poem,”I am the Snake” retells the story of Eve from the point of view of the Snake, whom I have always thought has gotten a bad rap. End Comment
Eve was in the garden
Talking with Mr. Snake
Her new best friend
She was complaining about Adam
And about the management
Of the garden
The snake suggested she eat
The forbidden fruit
She said
“But the man
Said that I can not eat
That fruit
It is forbidden.”
“Yeah, that is what the man said
That is what he does not want you
To experience
The man and Adam
Are in on it together
I heard that Adam
Will eat the apple tonight
But you need to get there first
Do you trust me, Eve ?”
“Of course, Mr. Snake.”
“So, you know what to do.”
Eve ate the apple
Called Adam over
Told him to eat the apple
While the Snake chanted
“Eat the Apple
Eat the forbidden fruit
Set yourself free.”
And so, Adam ate the apple
And joined Eve
In knowing everything
God came down
Banished them from the garden
Telling them
“Well, you made the bed
You will have to sleep in it
Go away
You disgust me
Humans…..”
“And Satan
You won your bet
You damn Snake.”
Here is an earlier poem, along the same theme.
I am the Snake
I be just a snake
Slithering in the woods
Looking for a place
To lie down in the sun
And rest my weary bones
And soak up some cosmic rays
And chill out a bit
Nothing but a snake
But boy am I a snake
I am the snake
That your mother warned you about
Yeah, baby, I am that snake
And I am ready to get into some trouble
Looking for some Eve to tease
Looking for some babe to temp
With my snake oil smarmy bs
Lounge lizard lines
So, I be sitting there
Minding my own business
When I spy here
The new kid on the block
That Eve babe
And boy is she a babe
Has an ass so fine,
It makes my eyeballs hurt
Just starting at her
And her breasts
So divine
God knew what he was doing
When he made that Eve babe so fine
Adam man he is a wimp
Don’t know how lucky he is
To have the eve babe
And my snake thing gets snaky
And I decide I have to have
Some of that Eve action
So, I slither and slather
Put on my cool bad ass
Ray Bans
So, cool it hurts
And bust a move
Make my entrance
To the Eve Babe
I say
“Hey babe.”
She says “hi, there Mr. Snake.”
I say,
‘Is that the tree of life?”
She said
“Yes, it is forbidden.”
I say
“Yeah
Who told you that shit?
The old man in the house?
Man, what does he know?
He just the care-taker.
I am the real deal
And I know this shit,
Yes, I do,
So, babe, it is like this
Eat this fruit
And you will have the key to eternity
All you got to do
Is eat the damn fruit
It is calling you
Babe, I got what you want
And I got what you need
All you got to do
Is eat this damn fruit
So babe, hurry up
I got places to go
People to see
Things to do
I be a busy snake
You know
It Ain’t easy being me
I am the King Snake
And I am so bad
It hurts
My eye balls to look
At my shiny face
So, babe
Make a decision
She says
“I don’t know, man.”
I say,
“Yeah babe
I know
But you know I love you
Old snaky loves you
And only wants what’s best
And hey you know
That Adam guy
What a loser
I mean,
I am so much more a man
Than that sorry assed wimp of a man
You know what I mean
My jelly bean?”
She smiles
And I knew I had her
And I thought of my reward
From that Satan dude
Man, he is a mean mother
With cajoles the size of the devil
Shit don’t want to be on his bad side
So, I had to close the deal
I had to get the lady to bite
And then I would get my reward
Might even get a piece
Of that Eve action
“Hey babe
I got what you need
I got what you want
All you got to do
Is eat this fruit
And then we will see
Whether you can handle
The snake King.”
She smiles
Oh so sweetly
The last smile of innocent youth
And I had her
She takes the fruit
And eats it
Cosmic alarm bells go off
God knows and Satan too
God stops me
Bans me from the premises
Sends me back to hell
And I slither and slather away
Dreaming of my revenge
When I will slip up on Eve’s ass
And bite her in the butt
And oh yeah
I could do a lot more
with that cosmic butt
Can’t wait for that shit
So, I slither and slather
And hiss
and move on down the road
I knew that I would get my award
And my revenge
Dora The Intergalactic Explorer written by: Jake Cosmos Aller @Jakecaller Dora the intergalactic explorer Is traveling to the…
DORA THE INTERGALACTIC EXPLORER
Dora the intergalactic explorer
Is traveling to the strangest planet
of all the known worlds
she is traveling incognito
with a video crew
making a documentary
the planet earth
is known as a planet
of intelligent monkeys
not much is known
about them
as very few
have ever been there
the inhabitants are described
as blood thirsty insane creatures
ruled by hidden sexual and political passions
following incomprehensible
religious dogmas following Gods
that clearly do not exist
the inhabitants are just on the verge
of developing intergalactic travel
and the galactic empire
is worried that they will be driven
to try to conquer the rest of the universe
driven by their needs to impose
their religious dogma
everywhere in the world
the planet is divided into large tribal groups
governed by corrupt elites
corrupt businesses destroying the planet
in pursuit of profit
and the locals are little more
than wage slaves
barely making a living
addicted to alcohol, drugs, gambling
pornography and illicit sex
and their main land
is ruled by a clearly delusional madman
intent on poking a fight
with all his alleged enemies
Dora assumed the appearance
of a character from TV
and will pose as a journalist
trying to make sense
of it all
but she was afraid
that she if found out
could face the worst consequence
her ship crash lands
and she is outside
the capitol
of the non empire empire
called the United States of America
Dora gets her crew together
and walks into the city
staring at all the strange sights
as the monkeys go about
their daily activities
she stops at a restaurant
tries the coffee
the chief drug of choice
and is instantly addicted
wow no wonder
these people are crazed
she tries the local booze
and smiles
perhaps she could
become an intergalactic merchant
introducing the world
to the galaxy
her thoughts are interrupted
as a mad man armed
with weapons of war
bursts in and starts shooting
yelling at people
and she is shot dead
the authorities
are shocked
when they recover the body
and realize
that she is not a human
as she reverts other original
form
sort of a giant feline like creature
two legs and arms
and clearly from an advanced
civilization given her gear
what was she doing
no one knew
as all the aliens
died in the gun blaze
the world is shocked
at what had happened
and fearful that the aliens
were coming to invade
their world
the galactic senate
decides to contain
the humans
declaring them
a threat to the global civilization
and the humans vow
to discover the secrets
of interstellar travel
and travel to her land
to enter into business arrangements
and spread the one truth faith
to the heathen space aliens
thus ended Dora’s excellent adventure
in the crazed world at the edge
of known civilization
Where is my home? Where do I belong?
I really don’t know, always moving on to another place
Moved every other year it seems the last 45 years
Traveled to 49 states, 45 countries, drove across the U.S. six times
Lived in Berkeley, Yakima, Stockton, Seattle, Alexandria, DC, Oregon, Korea, Thailand, India, The Eastern Caribbean, and Spain
Where do I belong? Where is my home?
Neither here nor there, nowhere and everywhere
And so is that my rambling man’s fate
Never to really belong anywhere at all
In Search of America Hitchhiking Tales written by: Jake Cosmos Aller When I was young and foolish Broke…
hitchhiking tales jpg
HITCHHIKING TALES
When I was young and foolish
Broke and stubborn
I hitchhiked across the USA
Started in Salt Lake City
Where my greyhound bus pass
Was stolen
The station manager
Could have helped me
But refused to do so
Threaten to call the cops
When I grabbed my bags
Without the stolen tags
I said
Go ahead
But I am so out of here
Wondered about Salt Lake City
Went to a bar
Found I had to buy my booze
Next door
And they would mix it for me
Had to order food too
After a bloody Mary
And a burger
I walked about town
Saw the Mormon Temple
Finally about 3 pm
It was time to hit the road
Did not look back
Ended up in Cody Wyoming
Got a room shower
Steak beer
Using my rapidly depleted cash
Spent 25 dollars
Money really went far
Back in those days
A band of professional
Communist agitators
Gave me a ride
To Des Moines
Lots of weed, booze
And politics later
Got off the road
Slept outside
Next day
A beautiful woman
Drove me to near Chicago
In a red mustang
Might have been
The girl in the song
Took it easy
Digging her vibe
She invited home
But was not sure
If her estranged husband
Would welcome me
So I being foolish
And inexperienced with women
Did not go to her place
And always regretted
That I had lost
My chance that day
Then on to Chicago
Several rides later
Visited friends
Hit the road again
A series of uneventful rides
With truckers
And others
And a week later
I ended in New York City
Slept along the way
In cars
In truck stops
In highway rest stops
Always moving
Always going
None stop talking
And lots of free weed
And beer
And conversation
One more memorable ride
Occurred outside Albany
On my return to Chicago
A middle age creepy looking man
Picked me up
In a brand new Cadillac
He was he said a dynamite deliverer
For the Mafia
Went to various places
To blow up shit
He hated a lot of people
Particularly hippies from California
And Jewish people
Looking at me to confirm
That I was both
I told him that I lived in New York
And had never been to California
And although I might look Jewish
As I what was called back in the day
A “Jewfro”
I was not Jewish
Many years later I discovered
That I am indeed part Jewish
But then I did not know
And I felt a bit of strategic information
Might keep me alive
Then I realized that he was just jiving with me
And we relaxed
And he pulled out some weed
And beer
And we mellowed out
But I believe that he really was with the mob
Perhaps not a dynamite dealer
A real made Italian made mafia member
By Chicago
I had enough
I called my Dad
Told him what had happened
Wanted a ticket home
And he sent me a ticket
And 500 dollars
And I went home
I told him I would tell him
My tales someday
But never did
I learned so much
About my fellow Americans
And the strange vibe
That was 1975
And now it is too late
But I wanted to finally
Tell the world
Of my hitchhiking tales
In search of America 1975
Also published in “On the Road” by the Poet Magazine in 2020, and in Outlaw Poetry, in 2019.
BUS RIDES IN AMERICA’S UNDERBELLY
bus jpg
written by: Jake Cosmos Aller
the Bus – Travels Through America’s Underbelly
I am a bus rider
That makes me unusual
For a white male
From an upper middle class family
Our people are not bus riders
Though some are subway riders
Bus riders are other people
The poor, minorities, immigrants
People who don’t drive
Because they are blind
Or have a DUI
And in my case
I don’t drive
Because I have bad vision
And bad coordination
Just never got the hang
Of the whole driving thing
Fortunately for me
My wife does the driving
But I still take the bus
From time to time
I rode the AC buses in Berkeley
As a child
Line 67, line 51, line 43 F bus
Rode them long before BART came along
And afterwards as well
As an adult seldom rode the bus
But when I did so
I was always impressed
By the sheer diversity
Of the bus riding property
Hundreds of languages
All sorts of sexual orientation
Some were white
Most were not
Most of my fellow passengers
Were nice enough
Some were friendly
And some were lost
In their own thoughts
And a few
Were scary looking dudes
With the look
Of someone who had done time
And were capable of more violence
I also rode the bus
In Seattle as a graduate student
A lot of fellow UW students
And the usual immigrants
Minorities etc
And some white people
Commuting
And in DC
Over the years
I rode a lot of buses
Mostly to and from the metro
But I got to know
And love the DC buses as well
I also took the greyhound bus
Across the country
Several times over the years
All over the U.S.
From Bay Area to Stockton
From Bay Area to Clear Lake
From Bay area to NYC
NYC to DC
All over the USA
Taking the Greyhound
Was always an adventure
Met a lot of interesting people
As people on long distant bus rides
Tend to open up and talk
To pass the time away
Overseas I took the bus
All over
In India, in Barbados
In Spain and in Korea
The Korean buses
For many years
Were difficult for foreign visitors
As the signs were all in Korean
Most have signs
Now in English, Chinese and Korean
And are much more foreigner friendly
Riding the bus
In America
Allows one access
To the underbelly of American society
The poor, the marginalized
The immigrant communities
That many middle-class white people
Just never see
And for that reason
I am glad
That I am a bus rider
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR:
Based on my experiences riding the bus all over the world from 1968 to 2018.
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April 30 In Search of America 1975 – Hitch hiking Tales
hitchhikers
When I was young and foolish
Broke and stubborn
I hitchhiked across the USA
Started in Salt Lake City
Where my greyhound bus pass
Was stolen
The station manager
Could have helped me
But refused to do so
Threaten to call the cops
When I grabbed my bags Without the stolen tags
I said
Go ahead
But I am so out of here
Wondered about Salt Lake City
Went to a bar
Found I had to buy my booze
Next door
And they would mix it for me
Had to order food too
After a bloody Mary
And a burger
I walked about town
Saw the Mormon Temple
Finally about 3 pm
It was time to hit the road
Did not look back
Ended up in Cody Wyoming
Got a room shower
Steak beer
Using my rapidly depleted cash Spent 25 dollars
Money really went far
Back in those days
A band of professional
Communist agitators
Gave me a ride
To Des Moines
Lots of weed, booze
And politics later
Got off the road
Slept outside
Next day
A beautiful woman
Drove me to near Chicago
In a red mustang
Might have been
The girl in the song
Took it easy
Digging her vibe
She invited home
But was not sure
If her estranged husband
Would welcome me
So, I am being foolish
And inexperienced with women
Did not go to her place
And always regretted
That I had lost
My chance that day
Then on to Chicago
Several rides later
Visited friends
Hit the road again
A series of uneventful rides
With truckers
And others
And a week later
I ended in New York City
Slept along the way
In cars
In truck stops
In high way rest stops
Always moving
Always going
Non stop talking
And lots of free weed
And beer
And conversation
One more memorable ride
Occurred outside Albany
On my return to Chicago
A middle age creepy looking man
Picked me up
In a brand-new Cadillac
He was he said a dynamite deliverer
For the Mafia
Went to various places
To blow up shit
He hated a lot of people
Particularly hippies from California
And Jewish people
Looking at me to confirm
That I was both
I told him that I lived in New York
And had never been to California
And although I might have looked Jewish
As I what was called back in the day
A “Jewfro”
I was not Jewish
Many years later I discovered
That I am indeed part Jewish
But then I did not know
And I felt a bit of strategic information
Might keep me alive
Then I realized that he was just jiving with me
And we relaxed
And he pulled out some weed
And beer
And we mellowed out
But I believe that he really was with the mob
Perhaps not a dynamite dealer
A real made Italian made mafia member
By Chicago
I had enough
I called my Dad
Told him what had happened
Wanted a ticket home
And he sent me a ticket
And 500 dollars
And I went home
I told him I would tell him
My tales some day
But never did
I learned so much
About my fellow Americans
And the strange vibe
That was 1975
And now it is too late
But I wanted to finally
Tell the world
While reading Charles Bukowski poetry
On the metro ride home
Listening to Buddha bar music
On my oh too hip IPod
I begin to see myself as I was
Over 30 years ago when I was merely a bit player
A minor character in a Charles Bukowski poem
A wild young underemployed intellectual
Hanging out in dismal bars and dives all over Asia and California
Hanging with disreputable women and drunks and drinkers
And characters out of his kinds of haunts
A mad poet bard of the underground
A drunken poet in a drunken bum show
That nightly played in his head
Then one day I met the women of my dreams
And went down a different path
A long slow path to respectability
And now 30 years later
I am no longer a wild man
I am still a poet at heart
But I am now also a bureaucrat
In a button down suite
Doing the people’s business
Working for the Government
I’ve become the Man
Sometimes I wonder
Would I have been better off
Going down that another path
Would I have ended up
Somewhere else
Doing something else
Would I have been as happy
Would I have been as successful?
There is no answer that satisfies
The longing in my heart
For that wild thing
That still lurks beneath
It’s civilized cover
And I know that I am still
A mad poet at heart
Railing against the injustice of the world
As I work day by day in the belly of the great beast of State
I recall the ancient Chinese saying,
“Confucian during the day while Taoist rebel at night”
Playing out in my head and nightly dreams
In the true American Upper class patrician tradition
I close the book and look out the window
Get off the train, and walk slowly home
And realize I had no choice
But to take the path that I’ve trodden on
And so I put aside my misgivings
And say goodbye to my “Bukowskian”desires
For another night of domestic contentment
Was it worth it all to take the conventional path
And not take the bohemian road to hell and back
I look at my wife and realize
I had no choice, had no choice
But to follow her to the ends of the earth
And beyond by her side as we walked our path
Of shared destiny
Goodbye Charles Bukowski wherever you are
May I meet you in a bar in the next life
And figure out where we should have gone
I like to start my day with a hot cup of coffee
I pound down the coffee
First thing I do every day as the dawning sun
Lights up my lonesome room
Yeah, but not just a simple cup of java Joe, but a God damn snarling sarcastic smarmy cup of coffee
I mean, – we are talking about an alcoholic, all speed ahead, always hot, always fresh, always there when I need it, angry, attitude talk to the hand Ztude, bad, bad assed, beats breaking, beatnik, bluesy, bitter, bitchy, bombs away, capitalistic, caffeinated up the ass, cinematic, communistic, Colombian grown, Costa Rican inspired, Cowabunga to the max, crazy assed, devilishly angelic, divine, divinely inspired, dyslexic, epic, extreme vetting, evil eye, expensive, erotic vision inducing, Ethiopian coffee house brewed, euphoric, freaky, freazoid, foxy, Frenched kissed, French brewed, funkified, foxy lady, graphic, GOD in my coffee, with Allah, Ganesh, Jesus, Kali, Buddha, Christians, Durga, Hindus, Mohamed, Jesus and Mo and their friend, the cosmic bar maid, Sai Babai, Shiva, Taoists, Zoroastrians, drinking my god damned coffee in Hell; growling, gnarly, happy, hard as ice, Hawaian blessed, high as a kite, hippie, hip, hipster, hip hoppy, hot as hell yet strangely sweet as heaven, jazzy, jealous, Kerouac approved, kick ass, kick my god damn ass to Tuesday, kick down the doors and take no prisoners, grown in the Vietnam highlands by ex-Vietcong, Guatemalan grown, kiss ass, illegal in every state, imported from all over the god damn world, insane, lovely, loony, lonely, lonesome, malodorous mean old rotten, motherfucking, nasty, narcotic, never whatever, never meh, never cold, not approved by the CIA, not approved by DHS, not approved for human consumption by the FDA, not your daddy’s sissified corporate cup of coffee, NOT DECAFE coffee, not your Denny’s truck driver weak as brown water cup of fake coffee, not your establishment friendly cup of coffee, Not your FBI coffee, Not FAKE Herbal coffee substitute, but a real cup of coffee, not your farmer brothers dinner crap, not made in America for Americans, not safe for work, not your Starbucks average expensive overpriced crappy corporate chain cup of coffee, Not pretentious, Not White House approved, not State Department safe, nuclear, Not Patriotic, operatic, Peets’s coffee approved, paranoid, pornographic, psychotic, pontific, politically aware, rapping, rhyming, right here, right now in River city, rock and roll up the Yazoo, sad, sadistic, sarcastic, sassy, satanic, schizoid, shitting, silly, sexy, smarmy, smelly, smooth, snarky, snarling, stupid, stinking, sweet as honey, sweat inducing, symphonic, Trump can’t handle this coffee, vengeful, Wagnerian, wicked, with nutmeg and cinnamon swirls, with a hint of stevia, with a hint of vanilla, with a hint of rum, with a hint of whisky, with a hint of cherry, with a hint of fruit overtones, with a hint of drugs spicing up the coffee, spendific, speeding, splendid, superior accept no substitutes, survived the Vietnam war, the Iraq war, the Afghan war, the first and Second Korean war, World War 11, the war on poverty, the war on drugs, the war on black people, the sexual revolution, Soulful as a summer’s night in MOTOWN- James Brown approved, TOP approved, Berkeley approved, the coffee that Jimmy Hendrix drank before he died, the coffee that Elvis drank on his last breakfast, the coffee that Barry White crooned as he drank his cup of coffee – and the coffee that made the white boy play stand up and play that funky music, the coffee that made Jonny B Goode play his guitar, and made Jonny bet the devil his soul after he drank his morning cup of righteous coffee and the coffee that make the Rolling Stones Rock and Roll, the coffee your mother warned you against drinking, the coffee that Napoleon drank when he became the Emperor of all Europe, the Coffee that Beethoven drank when he wrote the Ninth symphony, the coffee that Mozart drank as he wrote his last symphony, the coffee that Lincoln drank before he was killed, the Hemingway drank before he killed himself, the coffee that started the 60’s, and ended the 20th century, the coffee that Lenin drank as he plotted revolution, the coffee that Hitler and Stalin drank with FDR as they divided up the world after World War 11, the cup that JFK drank before he was blown away, the coffee Jerry drinks while driving in cars with random celebrities and political figures, the coffee that Jon Stewart drinks before he goes on an epic take down of some foolish politico, the cup of Arabic coffee that Sadaam drank the day he was executed, the coffee that GW and Cheney drank when they bombed Baghdad, the Indian cup of coffee that Bid Laden drank before 9-11 and just before the seals blew his ass to hell, the cup of coffee that Tiger Woods drank with his mistresses while playing a 3, 000 dollar round of golf at Sandy Lane golf course in Barbados, the last legal drug that does what drugs should do, the cup of coffee that Obama drank when he became President, Vietnamese, Vienna brew, wacky, whimsical, Whisky Tango Foxtrot, wild, weird, wonderful, WOW, Yabba dabba doo! Yada Yada yada Zappa’s favorite cup of cosmic coffee, and Zorro’s last cup of coffee, Good to the last drop rolled into one simple cup of hot coffee
As I pound down that first cup of coffee
And fire up my synaptic nerve endings with endless supplies
Of caffeine induced neuron enhancing chemicals
I face the dawning day with trepidation and mind-numbing fear
I turn on the TV and watch the smarmy newscasters in their perfect hair
Lying through their teeth about the great success the government is having Following the great leader’s latest pronouncements
I want to scream and shoot the TV and run out side Shouting
“Stop the world.
I want to get off this fucking crazy planet”
The earth does not care a whit about my attitude
It merely shrugs and moves around the Sun
In its appointed daily run
And I sit down
The madness dissipating a bit
And enjoy my second cup
Of heaven and hell
In my morning cup of Joe
On the night of the blood-red super full moon
I sat in an evil, depraved godforsaken bar
Drinking drams of demented, fermented dream dew
Washed down by endless rounds of whiskey
rum, tequila, vodka, soju and of course beer
drinking with my buddies the Jack Daniels Gang
Drinking my way to Hell and beyond
Just as fast as I could
twenty damn drinks too sober
Just an unhinged lunatic
Dreaming of howling at the full moon
Watching the world walk by
Looking at all the fine-looking babes
Walking by the street
Thinking wild, erotic thoughts
Of endless wild libertine passions
When into the bar
That din of cosmic depravity
Walked the most beautiful women
In the Universe
So wild, so free
So wonderfully alive
I did not know what to do
As this vision of delight
Sauntered through the bar
In a skin-tight leather pant
Looked so fine
That my eyeballs hurt
And finally, I had to say something
So, I gathered up my manly courage
And walked up to her
And she looked at me
And instantly bewitched my soul
With a devilish grin
I lost all reason
And became a raving lunatic
Unhinged lunatic
Howling at the blood red full moon
Foaming at the mouth
A wild, free werewolf
Howling at the lunatic light
Of the blood red blue full Moon
Charles Bukowski Road Not Chosen
And Other Poems
By Jake Cosmos Aller
Published in Down in the Dirt
Charles Bukowski Road Not Chosen
John (“Jake”) Cosmos Aller
While reading Charles Bukowski poetry On the metro ride home Listening to Buddha bar music On my oh too hip IPod
I begin to see myself as I was Over 30 years ago when I was merely a bit player A minor character in a Charles Bukowski poem
A wild young underemployed intellectual Hanging out in dismal bars and dives all over Asia and California Hanging with disreputable women and drunks and drinkers And characters out of his kinds of haunts
A mad poet bard of the underground A drunken poet in a drunken bum show That nightly played in his head
Then one day I met the women of my dreams And went down a different path A long slow path to respectability
And now 30 years later I am no longer a wild man I am still a poet at heart But I am now also a bureaucrat In a button down suite
Doing the people’s business Working for the Government I’ve become the Man
Sometimes I wonder Would I have been better off Going down that another path
Would I have ended up Somewhere else Doing something else
Would I have been as happy Would I have been as successful?
There is no answer that satisfies The longing in my heart For that wild thing That still lurks beneath It’s civilized cover
And I know that I am still A mad poet at heart Railing against the injustice of the world
As I work day by day in the belly of the great beast of State I recall the ancient Chinese saying, “Confucian during the day while Taoist rebel at night” Playing out in my head and nightly dreams In the true American Upper class patrician tradition
I close the book and look out the window Get off the train, and walk slowly home
And realize I had no choice But to take the path that I’ve trodden on
And so I put aside my misgivings And say goodbye to my “Bukowskian”desires For another night of domestic contentment
Was it worth it all to take the conventional path And not take the bohemian road to hell and back
I look at my wife and realize I had no choice, had no choice But to follow her to the ends of the earth
And beyond by her side as we walked our path Of shared destiny
Goodbye Charles Bukowski wherever you are May I meet you in a bar in the next life And figure out where we should have gone
Update: 5/25 a few more lunatic poems written on the eve of the lunar eclipse on the second super moon in a row plus my earlier “Howling at the Moon Poems”.
They are available as a podcast on Spotify and Public radio and other podcast sites.
Howling at the Blood Moon
Here then are my howling at the Blood Moon poems. The first three were published in Two Drops of Ink.
1. Just an Unhinged Lunatic Howling at The Moon
2. Howling at The Moon
3. Lunatic Howling at the Moon
3. One Crazy Day
4. Full Moon Lunacy
5. The Pink Moon Inspires Lunacy
6. Howling with the Dancing Moon
7. The Pink Super Moon
8. Howling at the Pink Super Moon
5/25/updates
9.Howling at The Moon Like an Escaped Banshee
10. The Lunatic Light of The Blood Red Super Moon
11. The Werewolf Emerges
Lunar Eclipse Poems
Howling at The Moon Like an Escaped Banshee
Sam Adams
Sat drinking alone
In a bar
On the shady side of life
Filled with strange creatures
Fellow lost souls
Drinking late into the night
The lunatic light
Of the blood-red moon
Illuminates the bar
He stands up
Twenty drinks too sober
Walks outside
Looks at the full moon
Begins howling at the moon
Like an escaped banshee
Released from hell
The Lunatic Light of The Blood Red Super Moon
The lunatic light
Of the blood-red super moon
Lights up the mad night
The Werewolf Emerges
On the night of the super red full moon
Sam Adams set in a bar
Drinking his way to hell
As fast as he could
Sam Adams had a secret
He was convinced
That he was a werewolf
On the nights of the full moon
He would shed his human form
And the inner werewolf would emerge
To howl at the moon
As the blood-red moon danced across the sky
The transformation began
As usual
Sam gradually felt
The inner werewolf emerging
Taking over his soul
Sam Adams stood up
The transformation complete
He ran outside
To howl at the moon
The other drinkers
Shrugged
Just another night
Of insanity
In their din of iniquity
Howling at the Blood Moon
In honor of the blood wolf moon January 20-21, 2019 here are my “lunatic poems”. and links to various sites which discuss whether the blood moon is a harbinger of impending doom. I leave that you to you to decide….
I stood outside
Between the trees
In a field
On the outside of town
Beneath the lunatic rays
Of the blood-red full moon
The lunatic lights of the moon
Casts a wild primeval glow
On me
The hormonal chemicals are unleashed
The wild beast within
Escapes it chains
And I howl with delight
A werewolf
Free at last
To run amuck
Free of its civilized restrains
Throwing off its clothes
Stripping naked
Running wild
Naked and free
A wild man
Enjoying his freedom
Lunatic Howling at the Moon
As I sit
Under the lunatic light of the full moon
Of the blood-red lights of the moon
Full of wild passions
The lustful beast stirs again
And starts running and running
Howling at the moon
Riding into the new dawn
On a demented Harley Davis cycle
With two naked babes on his back
Riding into the moon
90 miles per second
At the speed of thought
He disappears into the lunatic light
Of the full moon
And I wake up
Alone in my bed
Saying, man, that was quite a night
I better not go there again
The wild beast
Laughs
He has heard that before
And I join him
In howling at the moon
One Crazy Night
One crazy moonlit night
I could not get to sleep
At all
I looked up
Looked out at the window
At the full blood moon
Saw by its lunatic light
Your face
Was in the moon
And I looked up
At the light
That crazy light
And dreamed
I was with you
Again
And I woke up
Again
And I woke up
Alone in my bed
Dreaming dark dreams
Of You
Wishing it were
Other than it was
All alone
All alone again
In this world
Full Moon Lunacy
The Full Moon hangs
In the evening sky
Huge, heavy and full of mystery
It almost looks like it will fall
Out of the sky
The full moon brings out
The lunatics to run amuck
Howling at the light of the moon
The full moon inspires lustful thoughts
And wild erotic imaginings
And dark secret desires
As the lunatic light of the full moon
Causes civilized people
To lose themselves
And embrace their inner wild child
And so, I stare
At the lunatic light
Of the full moon
And howl like an escaped banshee
Howling at the moon
The Pink Moon Inspires Lunacy
On a moonlit night
The Pink moon
Shone casting a baleful light
On the world below
A man sat drinking
In a depraved bar
In an evil part of the city
Drinking up a storm
With his buddies
Johnny Walker, Jack Daniels
Jim Beam, and Mr. Evan
And Old Granddad looked on
Encouraging him to drink
One scotch, one bourbon, and one beer
He looked up
At the naked dancing ladies
Dancing up a storm
With an attitude
A Z tude
That could kill
He stood up
Stepped outside
And howled
At the Pink Moon
Who smiled at him.
Howling with the Dancing Moon
Pink Moon
A man
Sits drinking late into the night
On the night of the blood-red
Super Pink moon
The lunatic light of the moon
Inspires him
As he drinks
In that depraved din of inequity
On the left side of society
Drinking with his buddies
Johnny Walker, Jim Beam
Jack Daniels, Evan, Old Granddad
Drinking one Scotch, one Bourbon
And one beer
Watching the naked woman
Dancing on stage
He finishes drinking
20 drinks too sober
He walks outside
And sees the naked moon
Dancing up a storm
Flying across the sky
Ripping her clothes off
Tap dancing
To the insane disco beat
Of the bar
He gives in
Jumps into the sky
Dancing with the naked moon
Howling with the moon maiden
Like an escaped banshee
From the lunatic bins
Of Hell
The Pink Super Moon
The Pink Super Moon
Casts a cold baleful glow
Over the sleeping world
Inspiring the drunken men
To howl at the Moon
Howling at the Pink Super Moon
More Pink Moon
On a moonlit late night
The Pink Supermoon
Casting a baleful light
On the world below
While inside
Sam Adams sat drinking
In a depraved bar
In a den of iniquity
In an evil part of the city
On the left side
Of society
Drinking up a storm
With his buddies
Johnny Walker, Jack Daniels
Jim Beam, and Mr. Evan
And Old Granddad looked on
Encouraging him to drink
One scotch, one bourbon, and one beer
He was just an unhinged lunatic
Dreaming of howling at the full moon
Watching the world walk by
Looking at all the fine-looking babes
Walking by the street
Thinking wild, erotic thoughts
Of endless wild libertine passions
He looked up
At the naked dancing ladies
Dancing up a storm
With an attitude
A Z tude
That could kill
When into the bar
Walked the most beautiful women
In the Universe
So wild, so free
So wonderfully alive
He did not know what to do
As this vision of delight
Sauntered through the bar
In skin-tight leather pants
Looked so fine
That his eyeballs hurt
Finally, he had to say something
he gathered up my manly courage
He walked up to her
She looked at him
Instantly bewitched his soul
With a devilish grin
He lost all reason
And became a raving lunatic
Unhinged lunatic
Under the lunatic light of the full moon
Of the blood-red lights of the moon
Full of wild passions
The lustful beast stirs again
And starts running and running
Howling at the moon
Riding into the new dawn
On a demented Harley Davis cycle
With two naked babes on his back
Riding into the sun
90 miles per second
At the speed of thought
He disappears into the lunatic light
Of the full moon
Sam Adams woke up alone,
In his bed
The naked babes
Having disappeared
From his demented dreams
Saying,
“Man, that was quite a night
I better not go there again”
The wild beast
Laughs
He has heard that before
And joins him
In howling at the Pink moon
In the fading light
Of the lost last night
Of the newly damned
I wrote 269 poems this month, and 865 for the year to date. A record for me. It would be appropriate to include the first and last poems – both about my love-hate affair with my computer
Index
Every Day I Turn on My Computer Warming Up Writing Digest
Dear Microsoft
Evening Delights
Window of Love
Good-Bye
Howling at the Pink Super Moon in honor of the Pink Super Moon
Unanswered Questions
Bad Teeth Poem
American Dreams -Published in Your One Phone Call
Ode to Berkeley, Writer’s Digest Write a City Poem Prompt
Every Day I Turn on My Computer Warming Up Writing Digest
For today’s prompt, write a warm-up poem. The warm-up could be related to sports, like warming up before a baseball game or track race. Or it could be about a computer warming up, the weather warming up, or even a relationship warming up. I hope everyone is warmed up for some major poeming in April,
Every Day I Turn on My Computer Warming Up Writing Digest
Every day I turn
On my computer
And pray
That everything will work right
Usually, I encounter numerous errors
Non-response errors
Spinning blue balls
Computer thinking
How can I mess
With my master head errors
Refusing
To open documents
Mysterious haiku-like error messages
That makes sense only to computer geeks
From the planet Mars
Saying the file is open
And blocked for use
By the administrator
But I am the
Damn administrator!
And I did not block the document
Or can’t open the document
Due to a dialogue box
Close the dialogue box
To proceed
But there is no dialogue box
Just more lies
From my computer
Designed to drive me
Quite mad
So sad
So bad
Want to shoot my computer
Put it out of its mystery
Joining the other five dead
Computers in my house
Am I a computer serial killer?
Perhaps that is why
They refuse to work for me?
Are they afraid of me?
Sometimes they say
They can’t find the document
Which just kicked me out of
Five minutes ago
Or the computer says
It can’t save a document
With the name of an open document
But it had just saved the open document
Under the same name
Five minutes ago
Usually
After half an hour
These errors recede
But I often have to reboot
The computer
Giving it the old kick up the head
Of a stubborn mule treatment
Before it gets to the point
And gets to work
To give Microsoft some credit
These errors are less frequent
Down to 40% of the time
When I first open a document
Down from 90% error rates
Success in a way
I complained to Microsoft
Sent them a nice frown message
But I would be shocked
If they ever respond
Just not something
That they would do
Part of their “superior”
Listen to their customer
Friendly service
No doubt
Dear Microsoft
Evil Laptop Computer
Yesterday you achieved
An almost impossible feat
In 30 minutes
During 8 attempts
To unsuccessfully open word
I encountered errors each time
I attempted to open word
I was opening the documents
Using viewfinder
Each time viewfinder attempted
To open the document
Only to kick me out
I had to try an average of ten times
Before it would open a stable view
The worst was when
It took me 28 tries
Then when I opened word
I encountered non-response errors
Usually, five to ten
Waiting for an average of one to two minutes
Before word would respond
Before I could type a word or two
And when I did manage
That simple task
The screen froze
Finally, after spending 30 minutes
And writing five words
I rebooted my computer
And finally got
A stable connection
Congratulations Microsoft
For achieving a 100 percent
Error rate
Way to go!
Note: sent to Microsoft. I will be shocked if they respond! I Will update this if they do so,
Evening Delights Writer’s Digest pormpt- Write an Evening Poem
wine
My favorite time of day
Is early evening
Cocktail hour
When I sit down
To dinner
With my lovely wife
The love of my life
Either at home
Or at a restaurant
After our evening walk
As we eat dinner
We salute the end
Of the day
With a glass of wine
Or a cocktail
Or Soju
As the day fades
Into an evening
Filled with Love
Window of Love
loves at sunrise
Every morning
I step outside
Do my morning thing
While my wife
The love of my life
Sleeps peacefully
I look through the window
From the balcony herb garden
And watch her sleeping
My heart filling with love
As she sleeps away
The early morning
When she wakes up
She fills me
With the sunshine
Of her love
Driving my blues
Away
With the dawning sun
Good-Bye
To all those who
Have passed on
To another,
Hopefully better world
I say goodbye
So many people
Have died this year
From COVID
From Gun violence
From the aging
Of the baby boomer generation
Many musicians
Actors and writers
Have played their last songs
And we will remember them all
Walter Mondale VP, Ambassador, Good guy
Prince Philip ultimate husband
DMX great rapper
George Segal great actor
Vernon Jordan ultimate power player
Norman Jester the phantom tollbooth is closed
Lawrence Ferlinghetti One of my favorite writers
Chick Corea one of my favorite musicians
Mary Wilson just supreme
George Schultz my first big boss
Christopher Plummer the Actor
Larry King final interview
Hank Arron greatest baseball player ever
And so many others
Many will soon joins them
As the coronavirus marches on
and guns continue to kill thousands
I am 65 years old
And as I get older
I have had to say goodbye
To so many people
I am losing count
But I will miss them all
They live on in my memories
My father died in 1985
My mother in 2005
My sister in 2007
My friends have also passed on
My HS debate friend
Demel T died from AIDS
I lost my college roommate
Jon W
David C my Peace course
language student
I lost my visa line colleague
Paul S
I lost my second and third bosses
In the foreign service
Julian in a terrorist bombing
Ted H who I worked with twice
Dead of a heart attack
Chris my boss in Bangkok
Also dead from a heart attack
Judy my artistic friend
From Bombay days
And so many others
Have gone on
I only hope wherever they are
That they are thinking of me
As I think fondly of them
Howling at the Pink Super Moon (In honor of the Pink Super Moon)
On a moonlit late night
The Pink Supermoon
Casting a baleful light
On the world below
While inside
Sam Adams sat drinking
In a depraved bar
In a den of iniquity
In an evil part of the city
On the left side
Of society
Drinking up a storm
With his buddies
Johnny Walker, Jack Daniels
Jim Beam, and Mr. Evan
And Old Granddad looked on
Encouraging him to drink
One scotch, one bourbon, and one beer
He was just an unhinged lunatic
Dreaming of howling at the full moon
Watching the world walk by
Looking at all the fine-looking babes
Walking by the street
Thinking wild, erotic thoughts
Of endless wild libertine passions
He looked up
At the naked dancing ladies
Dancing up a storm
With an attitude
A Z tude
That could kill
When into the bar
Walked the most beautiful women
In the Universe
So wild, so free
So wonderfully alive
He did not know what to do
As this vision of delight
Sauntered through the bar
In skin-tight leather pants
Looked so fine
That his eyeballs hurt
Finally, he had to say something
He gathered up my manly courage
He walked up to her
She looked at him
Instantly bewitched his soul
With a devilish grin
He lost all reason
And became a raving lunatic
Unhinged lunatic
Under the lunatic light of the full moon
Of the blood-red lights of the moon
Full of wild passions
The lustful beast stirs again
And starts running and running
Howling at the moon
Riding into the new dawn
On a demented Harley Davis cycle
With two naked babes on his back
Riding into the moon
90 miles per second
At the speed of thought
He disappears into the lunatic light
Of the full Pink Super moon
Sam Adams woke up alone,
In his bed
The naked babes
Having disappeared
From his demented dreams
Saying,
“Man, that was quite a night
I better not go there again”
The wild beast
Laughs
He has heard that before
And joins him
In howling at the Pink moon
In the fading light
Of the lost last night
Of the newly damned
Unanswered Questions
I have so many questions to ask
First, how and why I dreamt
Of meeting my wife.
How did she haunt my dreams?
How did she come to life?
What was our past life like?
Why Do I fall in love with her every day?
What does love at first sight mean?
Why did that occur to me three times?
What does hate at first sight mean?
Also, three times in my life,
What does that mean?
What is this thing called love anyway?
Will we meet aliens in my lifetime?
Will I live to see humans on Mars?
Will I live long enough?
To walk on the moon.
When will we develop new body parts?
When can I get new teeth?
Finally, when I die
Will there be a heaven or hell?
What will my judgment be?
Finally, will people remember
Me after I die?
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20210415 Scars just published a Down in the Dirt issue collection book with material from you!
Hi there from Down in the Dirt – we wanted to let you know that Scars
Publications released a collection book of the January-April 2021 issues
from Down in the Dirt magazine. Since your material (writing/artwork)
APPEARS in these issues, that means your material appears in this issue
collection book, and we wanted to let you know about this brand-new issues
collection book is titled “Excerpts from the Plague Years”!
And you can find this book any time at Scars in MULTIPLE locations. Now it
is linked on the main page at http://scars.tv, and it appears at the top
of the list of choices on the books link (one click away from the main
page, or also directly at http://scars.tv/books/) as well as at the top of
the “CD Books Sale” link (direct link http://scars.tv/sale/) at Scars!
Also, by the end of the business week this week, the database with your
accepted writings should also (when you go to your accepted writings) have
a link to this collection book that your writing is in, so people can find
links to this collection book on your writing pages in the writings
section of http://scars.tv (at http://scars.tv/cgi-bin/framesmain.pl?writers)...
Links for ordering this collection book appears on all of the links above,
and will also appear in the writings section too, so any of your writing
in this collection book will also see a link to this collection book in
the writings section too!
Currently these books are available directly through the Amazon affiliate
printer in the U.S., the U.K. and to Europe – and even to Japan and
Australia, and it ships to India too! (the above link is for U.S. orders.)
So check out the Scars Publication links to see what material of yours
appears in these collection books, and if you’d like, order a copy today
(I hear they make great gifts!), and again, thank you for being a part of
the Down in the Dirt community!
If you for any reason have difficulty sending emails to this address, you
can (in emergencies only) send your questions/emails to Janet Kuypers
through facebook, or directly to janetkuypers at gmail dot com.
Enjoy the 2021 magazine collection book from Scars Publications and Down in the Dirt magazine, with the January-April 2021 magazine issues titled “Excerpts from the Plague Years”.
The author names in this listing appear as they are listed in magazine issue/books. For writings that appear in issues, the titles of their writing do not appear on this web page, but all of the names are linked to the individual issue/book that actually contains the material.
To know exactly what is included in this collection book, view the listing below. All author entries are listed in this collection book as they are listed in magazine issue/books.
April 30 In Search of America 1975 – Hitch hiking Tales
hitchhikers
When I was young and foolish
Broke and stubborn
I hitchhiked across the USA
Started in Salt Lake City
Where my greyhound bus pass
Was stolen
The station manager
Could have helped me
But refused to do so
Threaten to call the cops
When I grabbed my bags Without the stolen tags
I said
Go ahead
But I am so out of here
Wondered about Salt Lake City
Went to a bar
Found I had to buy my booze
Next door
And they would mix it for me
Had to order food too
After a bloody Mary
And a burger
I walked about town
Saw the Mormon Temple
Finally about 3 pm
It was time to hit the road
Did not look back
Ended up in Cody Wyoming
Got a room shower
Steak beer
Using my rapidly depleted cash Spent 25 dollars
Money really went far
Back in those days
A band of professional
Communist agitators
Gave me a ride
To Des Moines
Lots of weed, booze
And politics later
Got off the road
Slept outside
Next day
A beautiful woman
Drove me to near Chicago
In a red mustang
Might have been
The girl in the song
Took it easy
Digging her vibe
She invited home
But was not sure
If her estranged husband
Would welcome me
So, I am being foolish
And inexperienced with women
Did not go to her place
And always regretted
That I had lost
My chance that day
Then on to Chicago
Several rides later
Visited friends
Hit the road again
A series of uneventful rides
With truckers
And others
And a week later
I ended in New York City
Slept along the way
In cars
In truck stops
In high way rest stops
Always moving
Always going
Non stop talking
And lots of free weed
And beer
And conversation
One more memorable ride
Occurred outside Albany
On my return to Chicago
A middle age creepy looking man
Picked me up
In a brand-new Cadillac
He was he said a dynamite deliverer
For the Mafia
Went to various places
To blow up shit
He hated a lot of people
Particularly hippies from California
And Jewish people
Looking at me to confirm
That I was both
I told him that I lived in New York
And had never been to California
And although I might have looked Jewish
As I what was called back in the day
A “Jewfro”
I was not Jewish
Many years later I discovered
That I am indeed part Jewish
But then I did not know
And I felt a bit of strategic information
Might keep me alive
Then I realized that he was just jiving with me
And we relaxed
And he pulled out some weed
And beer
And we mellowed out
But I believe that he really was with the mob
Perhaps not a dynamite dealer
A real made Italian made mafia member
By Chicago
I had enough
I called my Dad
Told him what had happened
Wanted a ticket home
And he sent me a ticket
And 500 dollars
And I went home
I told him I would tell him
My tales some day
But never did
I learned so much
About my fellow Americans
And the strange vibe
That was 1975
And now it is too late
But I wanted to finally
Tell the world
While reading Charles Bukowski poetry
On the metro ride home
Listening to Buddha bar music
On my oh too hip IPod
I begin to see myself as I was
Over 30 years ago when I was merely a bit player
A minor character in a Charles Bukowski poem
A wild young underemployed intellectual
Hanging out in dismal bars and dives all over Asia and California
Hanging with disreputable women and drunks and drinkers
And characters out of his kinds of haunts
A mad poet bard of the underground
A drunken poet in a drunken bum show
That nightly played in his head
Then one day I met the women of my dreams
And went down a different path
A long slow path to respectability
And now 30 years later
I am no longer a wild man
I am still a poet at heart
But I am now also a bureaucrat
In a button down suite
Doing the people’s business
Working for the Government
I’ve become the Man
Sometimes I wonder
Would I have been better off
Going down that another path
Would I have ended up
Somewhere else
Doing something else
Would I have been as happy
Would I have been as successful?
There is no answer that satisfies
The longing in my heart
For that wild thing
That still lurks beneath
It’s civilized cover
And I know that I am still
A mad poet at heart
Railing against the injustice of the world
As I work day by day in the belly of the great beast of State
I recall the ancient Chinese saying,
“Confucian during the day while Taoist rebel at night”
Playing out in my head and nightly dreams
In the true American Upper class patrician tradition
I close the book and look out the window
Get off the train, and walk slowly home
And realize I had no choice
But to take the path that I’ve trodden on
And so I put aside my misgivings
And say goodbye to my “Bukowskian”desires
For another night of domestic contentment
Was it worth it all to take the conventional path
And not take the bohemian road to hell and back
I look at my wife and realize
I had no choice, had no choice
But to follow her to the ends of the earth
And beyond by her side as we walked our path
Of shared destiny
Goodbye Charles Bukowski wherever you are
May I meet you in a bar in the next life
And figure out where we should have gone
I like to start my day with a hot cup of coffee
I pound down the coffee
First thing I do every day as the dawning sun
Lights up my lonesome room
Yeah, but not just a simple cup of java Joe, but a God damn snarling sarcastic smarmy cup of coffee
I mean, – we are talking about an alcoholic, all speed ahead, always hot, always fresh, always there when I need it, angry, attitude talk to the hand Ztude, bad, bad assed, beats breaking, beatnik, bluesy, bitter, bitchy, bombs away, capitalistic, caffeinated up the ass, cinematic, communistic, Colombian grown, Costa Rican inspired, Cowabunga to the max, crazy assed, devilishly angelic, divine, divinely inspired, dyslexic, epic, extreme vetting, evil eye, expensive, erotic vision inducing, Ethiopian coffee house brewed, euphoric, freaky, freazoid, foxy, Frenched kissed, French brewed, funkified, foxy lady, graphic, GOD in my coffee, with Allah, Ganesh, Jesus, Kali, Buddha, Christians, Durga, Hindus, Mohamed, Jesus and Mo and their friend, the cosmic bar maid, Sai Babai, Shiva, Taoists, Zoroastrians, drinking my god damned coffee in Hell; growling, gnarly, happy, hard as ice, Hawaian blessed, high as a kite, hippie, hip, hipster, hip hoppy, hot as hell yet strangely sweet as heaven, jazzy, jealous, Kerouac approved, kick ass, kick my god damn ass to Tuesday, kick down the doors and take no prisoners, grown in the Vietnam highlands by ex-Vietcong, Guatemalan grown, kiss ass, illegal in every state, imported from all over the god damn world, insane, lovely, loony, lonely, lonesome, malodorous mean old rotten, motherfucking, nasty, narcotic, never whatever, never meh, never cold, not approved by the CIA, not approved by DHS, not approved for human consumption by the FDA, not your daddy’s sissified corporate cup of coffee, NOT DECAFE coffee, not your Denny’s truck driver weak as brown water cup of fake coffee, not your establishment friendly cup of coffee, Not your FBI coffee, Not FAKE Herbal coffee substitute, but a real cup of coffee, not your farmer brothers dinner crap, not made in America for Americans, not safe for work, not your Starbucks average expensive overpriced crappy corporate chain cup of coffee, Not pretentious, Not White House approved, not State Department safe, nuclear, Not Patriotic, operatic, Peets’s coffee approved, paranoid, pornographic, psychotic, pontific, politically aware, rapping, rhyming, right here, right now in River city, rock and roll up the Yazoo, sad, sadistic, sarcastic, sassy, satanic, schizoid, shitting, silly, sexy, smarmy, smelly, smooth, snarky, snarling, stupid, stinking, sweet as honey, sweat inducing, symphonic, Trump can’t handle this coffee, vengeful, Wagnerian, wicked, with nutmeg and cinnamon swirls, with a hint of stevia, with a hint of vanilla, with a hint of rum, with a hint of whisky, with a hint of cherry, with a hint of fruit overtones, with a hint of drugs spicing up the coffee, spendific, speeding, splendid, superior accept no substitutes, survived the Vietnam war, the Iraq war, the Afghan war, the first and Second Korean war, World War 11, the war on poverty, the war on drugs, the war on black people, the sexual revolution, Soulful as a summer’s night in MOTOWN- James Brown approved, TOP approved, Berkeley approved, the coffee that Jimmy Hendrix drank before he died, the coffee that Elvis drank on his last breakfast, the coffee that Barry White crooned as he drank his cup of coffee – and the coffee that made the white boy play stand up and play that funky music, the coffee that made Jonny B Goode play his guitar, and made Jonny bet the devil his soul after he drank his morning cup of righteous coffee and the coffee that make the Rolling Stones Rock and Roll, the coffee your mother warned you against drinking, the coffee that Napoleon drank when he became the Emperor of all Europe, the Coffee that Beethoven drank when he wrote the Ninth symphony, the coffee that Mozart drank as he wrote his last symphony, the coffee that Lincoln drank before he was killed, the Hemingway drank before he killed himself, the coffee that started the 60’s, and ended the 20th century, the coffee that Lenin drank as he plotted revolution, the coffee that Hitler and Stalin drank with FDR as they divided up the world after World War 11, the cup that JFK drank before he was blown away, the coffee Jerry drinks while driving in cars with random celebrities and political figures, the coffee that Jon Stewart drinks before he goes on an epic take down of some foolish politico, the cup of Arabic coffee that Sadaam drank the day he was executed, the coffee that GW and Cheney drank when they bombed Baghdad, the Indian cup of coffee that Bid Laden drank before 9-11 and just before the seals blew his ass to hell, the cup of coffee that Tiger Woods drank with his mistresses while playing a 3, 000 dollar round of golf at Sandy Lane golf course in Barbados, the last legal drug that does what drugs should do, the cup of coffee that Obama drank when he became President, Vietnamese, Vienna brew, wacky, whimsical, Whisky Tango Foxtrot, wild, weird, wonderful, WOW, Yabba dabba doo! Yada Yada yada Zappa’s favorite cup of cosmic coffee, and Zorro’s last cup of coffee, Good to the last drop rolled into one simple cup of hot coffee
As I pound down that first cup of coffee
And fire up my synaptic nerve endings with endless supplies
Of caffeine induced neuron enhancing chemicals
I face the dawning day with trepidation and mind-numbing fear
I turn on the TV and watch the smarmy newscasters in their perfect hair
Lying through their teeth about the great success the government is having Following the great leader’s latest pronouncements
I want to scream and shoot the TV and run out side Shouting
“Stop the world.
I want to get off this fucking crazy planet”
The earth does not care a whit about my attitude
It merely shrugs and moves around the Sun
In its appointed daily run
And I sit down
The madness dissipating a bit
And enjoy my second cup
Of heaven and hell
In my morning cup of Joe
On the night of the blood-red super full moon
I sat in an evil, depraved godforsaken bar
Drinking drams of demented, fermented dream dew
Washed down by endless rounds of whiskey
rum, tequila, vodka, soju and of course beer
drinking with my buddies the Jack Daniels Gang
Drinking my way to Hell and beyond
Just as fast as I could
twenty damn drinks too sober
Just an unhinged lunatic
Dreaming of howling at the full moon
Watching the world walk by
Looking at all the fine-looking babes
Walking by the street
Thinking wild, erotic thoughts
Of endless wild libertine passions
When into the bar
That din of cosmic depravity
Walked the most beautiful women
In the Universe
So wild, so free
So wonderfully alive
I did not know what to do
As this vision of delight
Sauntered through the bar
In a skin-tight leather pant
Looked so fine
That my eyeballs hurt
And finally, I had to say something
So, I gathered up my manly courage
And walked up to her
And she looked at me
And instantly bewitched my soul
With a devilish grin
I lost all reason
And became a raving lunatic
Unhinged lunatic
Howling at the blood red full moon
Foaming at the mouth
A wild, free werewolf
Howling at the lunatic light
Of the blood red blue full Moon
I have a small request to make. I want to expand my followers on all my platforms. So if you have not signed up yet for this blog, or followed me on intraframe, Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr, or Bloglovin or listened to my podcast on Spotify please do so now.
This is the fifth and perhaps final time I am doing the April poetry challenge. The goal is to write at least one poem per day. I am averaging about eight per day and posting four reserving four as “unpublished”. I am basing the poems on prompts from “Writing com Dew Drop Inn”, “Writers Digest”, “Poetry Superhighway” and “NaPoWrMo” prompt daily prompts and on “Pensively Prompt’ et all daily prompts. I am combining prompts where possible. I will post these here in batches every five days or so. Each poem will have an image that helped inspired the poem. All postings will be podcasted a few days later on Spotify and elsewhere. Each posting will be a separate posting, but the index will be cumulative. The final posting will have the complete list of all poems written whether posted or not. Comments welcome but please keep it civil. Some of my poetry tends to be a bit “in your face” or “political” from a “leftwing perspective.” If it offends you in some way, please accept my apologies in advance. That is never my intent.
This is part three covering poems written April 10th to April 14th, posted on the 14th
I am writing some other poems per day but not posting them as I need to reserve some “unpublished” poems. There will be a podcast version shortly on Spotify, Public Radio and elsewhere. I will list all the poems I wrote in my final April posting, May 1 KST. Posted
Transgressions, Writing Com – Dew Drop-In
Every Morning Cherita, PSH Prompt
Prime Love Writers Digest Prompt
Letter to Frank Zappa, Napowrmo Prompt
The Mountains of My Love, —Describe Yourself as Landscape Writing Com Dew Drop-In
Great Dismal Dark Play Sestina Writer’s Digest
Superman on His Morning Patrol PSH Prompt
Coffee Obsession Pensively/Writing Com Dew Drop-In
The Wit and Wisdom of Mary Geneva Aldridge Aller -“There’s Method in Her Madness” Dedicated to My Mother Who Passed on July 31, 2005.
Lucky In Love, Unlucky at Cards, Writer’s Digest
Visiting the Tower of Babel, Napowrmo Prompt
News Headlines I’d Like to See Napowrmo Prompt
Robots Taking Over Writing Com Dew Drop-In
Just Another Black Dude Pulled Over Driving While Black
Poem with Transgression in Form and Content Writing com Dew Drop-In
Transgressions
Our
transgressions
Ultimately
Religious
Transgressions
Religious
About
No
God
Except
Since
September
In
Our
Nothing words
Something remains hidden
Every Morning Cherita PSH Prompt
A few years ago, I discovered one of my favorite writing exercises: Try writing a cherita. Cherita is the Malay word for story or tale. It is a little 6 line story.
Try writing a single stanza of a one-line verse
followed by a two-line verse,
and then finishing with a three-line verse
You can find samples and even a journal you can submit your little stories here:
Every Morning Cherita
When I wake up
And see you there
The darkness of the night
Begins to recede
As the sun lights up
Filling me with your love
Letter to Frank Zappa 1975 NaPoWrMo
And now for our (optional) prompt. This is a twist on a prompt offered by Kay Gabriel during a meeting she facilitated at the Poetry Project last year. Today, I’d like to challenge you to write a two-part poem, in the form of an exchange of letters. The first stanza (or part) should be in the form of a letter that you write either to yourself or to a famous fictional or historical person. The second part should be the letter you receive in response. These can be as short or long as you like, in the form of prose poems, or with line breaks – and of course, the subject matter of the letters is totally up to you.
Letter to Frank Zappa 1975 sent to him
Dear Frank
I loved your overnight sensation album
It made my day
It inspired me to write
Some poems which I hope
You can consider using
In a future album
Your friend and number one fan
Jake Cosmos Aller
His Response – never responded
Dear Cosmos
Love your poems
Love your name
Is that your real name?
Is it because you are from Berkeley?
One of my favorite cities
I will be able to use
Some of these poems
My people will get in touch
With your people
And work out a deal
To use these poems
Great job my friend
Frank Zappa
Your friend for life
Prime Love Writers Digest Prompt
For today’s prompt, write a prime number poem. That is, I want you to somehow incorporate a prime number into your poem. You could include a prime number in the title of your poem or use one in the poem itself. Or write a poem that has a prime number of lines per stanza or for the entire poem.
And if you need help with remembering which numbers are prime numbers, I’ve got you covered (here’s a list of prime numbers up to 100: 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, 29, 31, 37, 41, 43, 47, 53, 59, 61, 67, 71, 73, 79, 83, 89, 97)
Prime Love
My love
Wakes me up
With love in her heart
I leap out of my dark bed
Eagerly greeting the dawning sunlight
Filling my soul with your deep endless angelic love
Wondering again who you are, why are you here, my angel dear?
As I sit in the morning light, filled with your love, seeing the sunlight
My deep dark nightmares begin to fade with your deep love
I am filled with the light of the dawning sun
I was dreaming of all those years
Then one day you came to life
Walking out of dreams
Reality
My love
Describe Yourself as Landscape Writing com Dew Drop-In
The Mountains of My Love
—Describe Yourself as Landscape Writing com Dew Drop-In
The Mountains of My Love
I am like a mountain
Growing out of the plains
Rising to a peak
Overlooking the town
Filled with my love
For my wife
I remain a towering inferno
Of fire
Passionate intensity erupting
Whenever I see you
Standing there
Great Dismal Dark Play Sestina Writer’s Digest
For today’s prompt, write a poem using at least three of the following six words: convict, great, play, race, season, and voice. Extra credit for using all six words. Extra credit for writing a sestina. It’s not a race, so I won’t convict anyone who can’t use all six words, but it is the season to play around and share your great voice. Now!
Great Dismal Dark Play
There is a great dismal dark play
At work in the wild world
There is a Race to the finish line
During this unsettling Season
Millions of people losing their Voice
As thousands die every day
PSH Write a Comic Book Poem, Superman on His Daily Patrol
Write a poem where you describe each part of it as if in a square of a comic book. Put it in the present tense. Close your eyes (or not) and imagine exactly what is happening in each line, what you want to see or do in your setting. Use simple descriptions, think about materials, shapes, and colors along with what else is there (houses, businesses, parks, transportation, etc.). Other considerations are: What sounds do you hear, what smells do you smell, and how’s the weather? In this poem, you can be the hero/heroine or not!
Superman on His Morning Patrol
Superhero businessman standing outdoors changing saving the day above the city skyline
Superman wakes up
On a beautiful spring morning
Glad to be alive
He drinks his coffee
One of the best things
On his adopted new world
He suited up
Flew out his window
On his morning patrol
Fighting evil
Promoting the American way
He flies about the city
Stopping to eat a hot dog
Chatting with the vendor
About life on earth
Superman thought
Life is good
Visiting the Tower of Babel, NaPoWrMo Prompt
Finally, our prompt (optional, as always). I’m calling this one “Past and Future.” This prompt challenges you to write a poem using at least one word/concept/idea from each of two specialty dictionaries: Lempira’s Classical Dictionary and the Historical Dictionary of Science Fiction. A hat tip to Cathy Park Hong for a tweet that pointed me to the science fiction dictionary and Hoe for introducing me to the Classical Dictionary.
Visiting the Tower of Babel
Towel of Babel
A team of SF travelers
Discovered HG Wells secret plans
And construct a time machine
A big debate ensures
Where to go
When to go
Some wanted to go back
and witness the crucifixion
Finally, they decide
To go back in time
To the construction
Of the tower of Babel
They set the time machine
To 2,226 BCE
And off they go
They find a large tower
Under construction
Reaching towards the heaven
They stay and watch
The tower’s construction
Then the tower falls down
In a lightning strike
Everyone who witnesses
The scene
Is struck with madness
The tower lay in ruins
The people speaking
In tongues
The scientists conclude
That this biblical tale
Was probably true
Coffee Obsession Pensively, —Excess or Obsession Writing com Dew Drop-In
cartoon man who drank too much coffee
Sam Adams
Thought about the Difference
Between Love
And obsession
As he drank deeply
Enjoying his coffee obsession
The Wit and Wisdom of Mary Geneva Aldridge Aller -“There’s Method in Her Madness” dedicated to my mother who passed on July 31, 2005.
We are here today
To celebrate the life
Of Mary Geneva Aldridge Wilson Aller,
My Mother.
As we are gathered together
to mark her passing
On to another, better world,
I thought we should reflect
On her life and its meaning.
Therefore, I have a message
That I hope we all leave here today.
I call this speech,
‘The Wit and Wisdom of Mary Geneva Aldridge Wilson Aller,
” There’s Method in her Madness.”
Which was one of her favorite Shakespeare quotes.
I hope we will see the wisdom
That my mother tried so hard to impart
And what I hope I have learned
From 52 years of watching
The life of my Mother.
What have I have learned?
From Mary’s life
And her death
And what we can all learn
From her 85 years of experience
In this mad crazy corner
Of the world, she loved so dearly.
She was a true Berkeley original,
And it is only fitting
That we bury her
Here a few blocks
From where she spent
Much of her life.
What can we learn?
From Mary’s life in this world?
Her favorite song from a musical was
“Stop the world.
I want to get off.”
And today she gets her final wish
As she leaves this world
And moves on to another world.
My mother grew up
In Arkansas
In what could best be described
As hill country folk.
She was the 8th child of 10 children
Born on a family farm in the 1920s
High up in the Ozark mountains
Part Cheroke, Irish, Scot, Dutch, French
And maybe African American to boot
Her family part of the lost tribe
Of the Cherokee tribe
Who ran away
Before the trail of tears
She graduated from High School
And lit out for the West coast
Just as millions of people
Fled the dust bowl
Of the late ’30s and ’40s.
She arrived in the SF area
And settled in Berkeley.
She hated being considered an Oakie
And lost her accent
She cultivated an accent
She learned from
The classical radio deejays.
She then became involved
In labor and democratic politics.
She became a telephone operator union President,
Later was a real estate salesperson,
And became involved with the Save the Bay movement
And the League of Women’s voters.
During the 60’s she accompanied
My father to Washington DC
When he was Undersecretary of Labor.
She could not wait to get back
To her beloved Berkeley
Because she felt at home
In the zany openness of the Bay area
She once said
“every ten years the world flips
And all the nuts roll downhill
To California
That is how she got there
Part of the Planetary Nut Reconfiguration Program
A little known Federal ABC agency “
She hated DC
As it reminded her why
She left the South
So many years before.
In later years she helped my father
In his many political campaigns
And was his business manager for almost 10 years
When he ran an economic consulting business.
When she retired,
She kept her love of reading
Until just a few short years ago
When she finally
Was no longer able to read.
That for me was one
Of the saddest parts of her final years
As she loved to read.
What we all learned from Mary
– Mary’s wisdom can be broken
Down into four areas:
Question authority,
Think for ourselves
Read everything there is,
And always do the right thing.
She always told us that we should question authority
And that we should never trust experts.
She said often what is an expert?
Just a guy with a Ph.D.
And we all know what means –
BS Piled High and Deep.
And she laughed
As she was married to Ph.D.
And hated campus politics.
She hated with disdain
Almost all politicians
Except for Truman and Kennedy
And she had her own Truman story
She thought they were all crooks and liars,
Especially the Southern-bred types.
She believed though in equal opportunity
And hated Republicans as much as Democrats.
No one ever measured
Up to her high standards
Of ethical behavior.
She often told us to do
The right thing.
But she refused to tell us
What would be
As we had to figure
That out on our own.
My final thoughts
Are on reading
the lifelong
Love of books
That she gave me and my siblings.
She read an average of three to five books
Per week every week of her life.
We were always trading books
Stocking up books on our visits
To the family library
As I thought of it.
I have taken a part in the library
With me and will treasure all the books
That she shared with me and my siblings.
She always had an opinion
About everything.
One of her and my favorite books
Was the World According to Garp
And there was a “World According to Mary”
Where what you saw was what you got
And if you did not like her opinion,
Then you had best get out of the way
Because Mary,
Was afraid of no one
And always stood her ground no matter what.
But I am happy that she
Let me in the “World According to Mary”
And I have lots of stories
From her life that would make great fiction,
For, in Mary’s improbable life,
Life was truly stranger than fiction.
Because my mother grew up in a Christian family,
It would be appropriate to read a bible quote.
My mother was raised as a Baptist
Although she left the Church
After asking the minister,
“If God created the world,
Who created God?”
Here is one of her favorite Bible quotes
Ecclesiastes 12 (King James Version)
Ecclesiastes 12
1Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them.
2While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain:
3In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows be darkened,
4And the doors shall be shut in the streets when the sound of the grinding is low, and he shall rise at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of music shall be brought low.
5Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail: because man goth to his long home and the mourners go about the streets:
7Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.
8Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher; all is vanity.
9And moreover, because the preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yea, he gave good heed, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs.
10The preacher sought to find out acceptable words: and that which was written was upright, even words of truth.
11The words of the wise are as gods, and as nails fastened by the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd.
12And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh.
13Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
14For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
Her minister friend said the short version is ” Life is Good.
Then we Die and it gets even better.”
When Mary was a telephone union president,
Word came down
that she was invited
to meet Harry Truman.
She replied
I don’t want to meet Harry
unless he wants to meet me.
Hearing that quip,
Harry was amused
And sent his advance team to talk
Some sense into that feisty fiery woman
Out in SF, that Mary Aller.
Two government types,
Dressed as I am,
Showed up
Asked her if she was a communist
She responded
Boy, are you stupid?
If I were a communist, would I tell you?
I don’t think so.
Where do they get people
Like you anyway?
The SF Chronicle captured the moment
With a huge headline,
“Harry Meets Mary.”
This sums up my mother’s fearless feisty
Stubborn personality and yes,
Truman was one of the few politicians
That got the Mary Aller seal of approval
Now my final Mary story
Sums up her life for me.
In 1974 I was in a BHS play,
The Madwomen of Chaillot
Where I played the waiter
Whose line was
“she’s not mad.
She’s the madwomen of Chaillot.”
But Mary was in the audience
And I lost my character
For a moment and said,
“She not’s mad,
She’s the madwoman of Berkeley,
oops I meant Chaillot.”
Brought down the house.
I went home thinking I had done it,
Insulted my Mom in front of the whole school.
She laughed
And said that was okay
As she liked the phase.
I said
“Well, Mary,
You are my madwoman of Berkeley
And I’ll have it no other way.
She laughed
And that was the end of it,
Until now.
When I say,
“Mary, you were one of the most original people
Whoever lived,
And I treasure the fact
That I was your son.
You were at times
Very difficult to deal with
But in the end,
Your good karma
Will outlive you
As you always did the right thing,
And for that
And all the other words of wisdom
I learned over the years,
I salute you,
Our beloved Madwomen of Berkeley.
Write a Lucky Poem and/or..Write an Unlucky Poem. Writers Digest
Lucky in love, Unlucky in cards
Indian casino Fun
There is an adage
That sums up my life so far
One can be lucky in love
But unlucky in cards
That sums it up nicely
I have been lucky in love
Met and married
The girl of my dreams
Dreamed of meeting her
For eight years
Then she came into my life
Became my wife
But I have never been
Lucky in cards
I mean I have played
Poker with friends
But always lost
Won a little bit of gambling
But usually lost more
Then I won
Eventually gave up
Just not fun anymore
Never really had the gambling bug
Just not my cup of tea
It seemed to me
Yet to get a jackpot
But then I think
I hit the jackpot of love
When I met the love
Of my life that date
When I met my fate
And that has made
All the difference
In the world
News Headlines I’d Like to See NaPoWrMo Prompt
And now, on to our (optional) prompt. Today’s prompt comes from the Instagram account of sundress publications, which posts a writing prompt every day, all year long. This one is short and sweet: write a poem in the form of a news article you wish would come out tomorrow.
Donald Trump Dies of a Massive Heart Attack
Congress Passes 2.6 Trillion $ Infrastruture Bill in rare Bipartisan Vote
North Korea and South Korea Enter into Unification Talks
U.S Troops Come Home From Afghanistan and Iraq
Peace Breaks Out Around the World
The Covid pandemic is finally over
The Robots are Taking Over, Machines Writing com Dew Drop-In
The robots are coming
They will soon
Take away
More and more jobs
Leaving people free
To do other things
But what will we all do?
When the machines
Do everything
From driving and delivering
To cooking our food
Cleaning our houses
Cleaning our offices
Even doing our lawyering
And our doctoring
What will we do?
When the evil computer overlord
Emerges in the future
And enslave us all
To the robotic overlords?
Just Another Black Dude Pulled Over Driving While Black
The other day
A young black army Lt
Learned a vital lesion
To the average cop
On the street
A black man
Is a suspect
And must be dealt with
With maximum force
Just to teach them
A lesion
You don’t mess with the police
You must know your place
And in today’s world
You are nothing more
Then just another black man
In the eyes of the law
The Lt.’s crime?
Driving while black
In a small town
The cops saw a black man
Did not care
That he was in uniform
Took offense
When the black man
Refused to comply
And questioned their right
To harass him
They pulled out their guns
Making it a felony arrest
Beat him up for good measure
All for nothing
His crime
Not a crime
But did they care
Not at all
That is justice
In our America
At least
They did not go all
George Floyd on him
Perhaps his uniform
Saved his life
That day
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This is the fifth and perhaps final time I am doing the April poetry challenge. The goal is to write at least one poem per day. I am averaging about eight per day and posting four reserving four as “unpublished”. I am basing the poems on prompts from “Writing com Dew Drop Inn”, “Writers Digest”, “Poetry Superhighway” and “NaPoWrMo” prompt daily prompts and on “Pensively Prompt’ et all daily prompts. I am combining prompts where possible. I will post these here in batches every five days or so.. Each poem will have an image that helped inspired the poem. All postings will be podcasted a few days later on Spotify and elsewhere. Each posting will be a separate posting, but the index will be cumulative. The final posting will have the complete list of all poems written whether posted or not. Comments welcome but please keep it civil. Some of my poetry tends to be a bit “in your face” or “political” from a “leftwing perspective.” If it offends you in some way, please accept my apologies in advance. That is never my intent.
First Posting April 1 To April 5
April 1
Warm Up Poem Every Day I Turn on My Computer “Writers Digest”
Coffee Pot Blues “Poetry Superhighway Prompt” Prompt
Who Is Jake Cosmos Aller? “Writer’s Digest” Prompt
“Good Golly Miss Molly,” A Dew-Drop A Day in April, “Writing com Dew Drop Inn”
“Sam Adams Wakes Up Dead “NaPoWrMo” prompt Poetry
April 2
Surprise/Haiku Writing Com Dew Drop In
Modern connections Writers digest prompt
Life as an Expat In Korea – Poetry Superhighway prompt
Falling in Love with My Dream Girl
The Future is Here writers digest
April 3
Superman On Mars Napowrmo Cross Post Writer Digest April 4th!
Cat People Cross Post Weather Poem Writing Com April 4th Prompt
Mirror Poem Pensively Cross Post Poetry Superhighway
April 4
Errors in My Life
Little Houses on The Hill Side
Alone NaPoWrMo prompt
April 5
The First Time I Saw Her -writer digest
Driving the world in my Lexus Poetry Superhighway
Potential Mistake Writers Digest Dew Drop In Prompt
Poetry From the Visa Line Poetry Superhighway
“Writer’s Digest” Prompt
“Writer’s Digest”: for today’s prompt, write a warm-up poem. The warm-up could be related to sports, like warming up before a baseball game or track race. Or it could be about a computer warming up, the weather warming up, or even a relationship warming up.
I hope everyone is warmed up for some major poeming in April
That everything will work right
Usually, I encounter numerous errors
Non-response errors
Spinning blue balls
Computer thinking
How can I mess
With my master’a head errors
Refusing
To open documents
Mysterious haiku-like error messages
2hat makes sense only to computer geeks
From the planet Mrs8
Saying the file is open
And blocked for use
By the administrator
But I am the
Damn administrator!
And I did not block the document
Or can’t open the document
Due to a dialogue box
Close the dialogue box
To proceed
But there is no dialogue box
Just more lies
From my computer
Designed to drive me
Quite mad
So sad
So bad
Want to shoot my computer
Put it out of its mystery
Joining the other five dead
Computers in my house
Am I a computer serial killer?
Perhaps that is why
Do they refuse to work for me?
Are they afraid of me?
Sometimes they say
They can’t find the document
Which just kicked me out of
Five minutes ago
Or the computer says
It can’t save a document
With the name of an open document
But I just saved the open document
Under the same name
Five minutes ago
The latest trick
the change case function
is now working
on a random basis
some times it takes ten tries
before it will work
or not
Usually
After half an hour
These errors recede
But I often have to reboot
The computer
Giving it the old kick up the head
Of a stubborn mule treatment
Before it gets to the point
And gets to work
To give Microsoft some credit
These errors are less frequent
Down to 40% of the time
When I first open a document
Down from 90% error rates
Success in a way
I complained to Microsoft
Sent them a nice frown message
But I would be shocked
If they ever respond
Just not something
That they would do
Part of their “superior”
Listen to their customer
Customer Friendly service
No doubt
Friday, April 2
For posting
“Poetry Superhighway Prompt” Prompt
Pick an object where you live and write a poem in the voice of that object describing how they spent this last year, during the pandemic. Think about “what I did last summer” type of essays you may have written in school. How did the events of the past year impact this object? Are there any aspects of the past year that the object particularly liked or disliked, and if so why? What does the object think about you, and your behavior over the past year? Feel free to use humor.
Coffee Pot Blues
need more coffee
The coffee pot sighed
He was getting so tired
Of the whole Covid thing
Every morning his master
Would make himself two cups of coffee
Using him to make the coffee
The worst thing
About this covid thing
It keeps them home
For almost one and half years
He wanted them to just leave
So, he could have
Some peace
And not have to work
Every damn day
As their mechanical slave
But did they ask for his opinion
They most certainly not
Much to his dismay
For today’s prompt, write an introductory poem. Introduce yourself, introduce a friend, or introduce a stranger. If you don’t wish to introduce yourself, consider writing a persona poem (a poem in which you write from someone else’s point of view like Emily Dickinson or a bumblebee). Of course, you could also introduce a problem, solution, or just a situation. Have fun with it!
Who Is Jake Cosmos Aller?
jake aller fb
Who is Jake Cosmos Aller?
You asked me
Who am I?
And thanks for asking me
I am Jake Cosmos Aller
The only one
65 years old
Retired from the government service
Living in Korea
Grew up in Berkeley, California
Lived all over the world
Did so many things
And now I am a published writer
But what is more important
Is this
When I was a young man
I met and married
the girl of my dreams
She walked out of my dreams
Into my life almost 40 years ago
That was the date
I met my fate
And started my life
With the love of my life
Who became my wife?
In the end
That is all that matters
My friends.
Folly in Rhyme (some kind of folly in some kind of rhyme, subtle or overt)
Good Golly, Miss Molly
Good golly,
Miss molly
What a bit of folly
Let’s be jolly
Have a red-hot tamale
“NaPoWrMo” Prompt
And without further ado, our daily prompt (optional, as always)! Sometimes, writing poetry is a matter of getting outside of your head, and learning to see the world in a new way. To an extent, you have to “derange” yourself – make the world strange and see it as a stranger might. To help you do that, I’d like to challenge you to write a poem inspired by this animated version of “seductive fantasy” by Sun Ra and his Orchestra. If you don’t feel after watching it a little bit like the top of your head’s been taken off, and your thoughts are given a good stir – well, maybe you are already living in a state of heightened poetic awareness!
Sam Adams Woke Up Dead
He had met a strange man
In a strange bar, in a strange land
The man told him
Beware, today is the date
You will meet your fate
Sam Adams drank too much
Twenty drinks too sober
Drank until he died
Found himself in a huge room
With hundreds of people milling about
The hangover from h … pounding his head
Sam Adams groans,
Shouting out
Where am I?
“In limbo, my friend, in limbo”
Growled, Mr. GR, the grim reaper
Dressed in a sharp, expensive, tailored black suit
Wearing cool sunglasses
State your name
Sam Adams
Hmm
My Dude, my man, bro
Good news for you
Not for me
There may be a mistake
But what the hey,
The records are never fake
Not yet the date
For you to meet your fate
Go back to your mate
He found himself
Home with his wife
The love of his long life
Wondering until late
If it had happened?
What was his fate?
He asked her
Did I go out last night?
What, no you’ve been here
He explained what had happened
She said it was just a bad dream
Covid fears had kept them home
The phone rang
It was the man from the bar
Did you have an interesting night?
Oh well, Mr. GR comes for us all
Soon you will meet your fate
But not on this date
Hey lets go out
For a drink again
Sam Adams demured
Did not trust
His new drinking buddy
The White Rabbit Beckons Sam Adams – “NaPoWrMo Prompt”
One morning
After a night of drinking
And drug binging
Sam Adams woke up
Went for a walk
To clear his pounding head
He saw a white rabbit
Who said to Sam
” Join me Good, Sir
And we will go
On a journey
Of your life
Follow me down
The rabbit holes
Of life
Take this first he said
It will cure your hangover
And allow you to enter
An alternative reality”
Sam took the pill
Washed it down
With a beer
And disappeared
Into wonderland
Never to be seen again
Saturday, April 2, 2021
‘Writer’s Digest Prompt” to write a “Communication” Poem
Modern Communication
In this day of social distancing
We all have thousands
Of virtual friends
Facebook friends, social media fans
Zoom buddies and the like
But few people
Have real old-fashioned friends
And in the new social distancing world
Meeting people the old-fashioned way
Is becoming rarer and rarer
As people develop their virtual friends
Real live friends are fewer and fewer
We are so hyper-connected
Yet many people are so alone
In their hearts
Starting at their smartphones
Connecting but not connecting
“Writing com Dew Drop Inn” Prompt, Surprise/haiku
Cats they offer us
Plenty of things to ponder
We post videos
“NaPoWrMo” prompt cross-post writer digest April 4th!
Personal universe deck
(Michael McClure)
Your universe exemplified in 100 words.
Rules:
These words are to exemplify your past, present, and (ideally) your future.
The words must sound good together, even beautiful, to you.
Your good side and bad side must be reflected.
You can make up a word or two if you have feelings that current words can’t express.
Use concrete words.
Words should be root words, no words ending in “ing,” “ly” or “yes.” No plural words. Reduce words to their most concrete, original, basic grammatical structure.
Use specific words, not categories. Beef instead of meat. Lily instead of the flower.
Divide 80 of the 100 words evenly among sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell, sixteen each. (to achieve derangement of the senses, of which Rimbaud spoke.)
Use free association to determine the words.
Use ten words of movement. Again, no “ing” words.
Elect the words in isolation, preferably alone, with no distractions, in candlelight. Approximate a meditative state. Even the cat must not bother you.
One or two words will be parts of the body. It does not have to be your body. It can be the body of a mother or lover.
Include some words for personal heroes or sheroes, places in the universe, invented words, times of night or day, symbolic signs like astrological signs, totemic animals, birds, and plants, and only one abstraction. What is the most significant abstraction in your life? You should not brood on it; you should possibly take the first answer that comes into your head. Patriotism, prayer, and thriftiness are three examples.
If the deck is done correctly, you will get a little high from it.
Get at least 50 three-by-five index cards.
Write each word in big letters on one side of each card. Each side of each of the fifty cards should end up with a word.
Use the cards to play games, make conversations, tell jokes, make poems.
Comment: 100 words were too much to deal with, so I chose 50 words. I did not have index cards, so I did it on my computer. Here is my result. It was an interesting project. End Comment
Sight
Light
Dark
Dim
Bright
Sun
Moon
Red
Blue
Sounds
Loud
Soft
Shout
Whispers
Talk
Noise
Ring
Yell
Taste
Sweet
Sour
Bitter
Medicine
Coffee
Tea
Beef
Chicken
Smell
Fragrance
Rose
Lavender
Pepermint
Garlic
Butter
Eggs
Fish
Movement
Run
Walk
Stretch
Yoga
Stand
Sit
Fly
Swim
Heroes
Superman
Places in the cosmos
Mars
Invented word
Scumbagary
Totemic animals
Wolf
Astrological sign
Scorpio
Time of day
dawn
Bird
Parakeet
Plant
Peppermint
Abstract word
Love
Superman on Mars Poem
Superman one day
In the early dawn
Dismayed by the scumbagery
Of the people of the earth
Decided to fly to mars
He took with him
Super wolf
and super parakeet
His pets from krypton
It was his birthday
He was a Scorpio
He set up camp
Drank peppermint tea
And contemplated
The power of love
Thinking of Lois lane
And the humans
He had learned to love
Cat People Cross-post Weather Poem “Writing Com Dew Drop Inn” April 4th prompt
evil cat
The cat people
Go out in bad weather
To make sure
That the wild cats
Are fed and taken care of
The cats respond
With love and affection
Stepping out of the cold rain
April 3, 2021: “Poetry Superhighway Prompt”/Pensively Prompt Use Homophone words
Write a mirror/selfie poem. See “mirror” by Sylvia Plath.
Our homophones this week are:
Err -to make a mistake
Heir – one who will inherit
and
Base – the bottom support for anything
Bass – the lowest musical pitch or range
In my life
I have many a number
Of errors
I was heir
To a rich family tradition
Prominent father
A unique one of a kind mother
The biggest error I made
Was to not get into politics
I had a base of sorts
In Berkeley, my hometown
I never did
The other error
Was that I never could sing
Carry a tune
I was a bass singer
Growling “Howling Wolf”
Kind of voice
But “Oberlin Conservatory”
Had a requirement
That all musicians
Could sing and keep
A tune
Because I made an error
In that simple task
I failed my first year
Of college
Our daily optional prompt. Poetry often takes us to strange places – to feelings and actions that are hard to express except through the medium of a poem. To the “liminal,” in other words – a place or sensation that exists at or on both sides of a boundary or threshold, neither one thing nor the other, but something betwixt and between.
On the hill-side
Filled with lonely people
Lost in their virtual world
Connecting with millions
Of virtual friends around the world
Ignoring the people
Right down the street
Everyone lost in cyberspace
While all around them
People are lonely, hurting
And need real people
But no one cares
Everyone stays at home
Turning out the chaos outside
April 4
“NaPoWrMo” prompt prompt
And now, for today’s (optional) prompt. In the world of well-known poems, maybe there’s no gem quite so hoary as Robert frost’s “the road not taken.” Today, I’d like to challenge you to write a poem about your road not taken – about a choice of yours that has “made all the difference,” and what might have happened had you made a different choice.
Falling in Love with My Deam Woman
When I was a young man
I dreamt of meeting a woman
For eight years she haunted my dreams
Then I met her in Korea
Where I was teaching
For the U.S. Army
After finishing the peace corps
I had a choice
Follow my heart
Seize the moment
Be with her
Or leave Korea
Within a month
To go to graduate school
I decided to postpone
My graduate school
For one year
Got a deferred admission
And joined the woman
Of my dreams
Thinking back
I had no real choice
But to choose to walk
The path of life
With my dream girl
And that has made
All the difference
In the world
“Writer’s Digest”
For today’s prompt, I want you to answer the question, “what does the future hold?” then, make your answer the title of your poem and write your poem. Your answer could a general idea about the future like “robots will rule the world” or more personal things like “veggie pizza and sweet tea.” even if it’s not in your title, I’m hopeful the future holds a lot more poeming.
The future is here
They say we live in an sf world
Everyday sf stories become real
Ai proliferating
With the challenges
Of the future
Overwhelming us all
Where it ends
My friends are anyone guess
All I have is questions
Will the promise
Of technological marvels
Benefiting us all come to the past
Or will it lead to a world
Where the powerful
Control the technology
Will a real ai be a god-like figure
Will humanity become nothing
But slaves to the ai supermini
That may be the future
Coming at us
The future is here
I don’t know
Whether to fear
The future or embrace it
April 5
“Poetry Superhighway Prompt” Imagine you have made your life in another country. What excited you most? Which aspect of that new life was the most difficult to conquer?
Life as A Retired Ex-Pat in Korea
korean dinner
Korea has become a second home
For me
I have in-laws
And some old friends
It is a tough place
For foreigners
I will always be an outsider
The language is hard
I still struggle daily
But it is an interesting dynamic place
The food is mostly outstanding
And I am now addicted to k drama
And my daily kimchi fix
There were a lot of things to do
Before the covid nightmare
Let to a partial shut down
in the end, I feel safer here
Than in the gun-crazed,
At times violent
Covid pandemic
Spreading America
I still love in my heart,
But for now
I am here
In my second home
April 6th
“Pensively Prompt ‘cross-post PSH prompt
They say smell triggers memories better than any other sense. But sometimes you’ll hear a song that brings you back to your teenage years or see a park that reminds you of your childhood.
THIS WEEK’S CHALLENGE: Choose either sight, sound, or smell, and write a memory it triggers in you.
Driving the World in My Lexus
We have had a Lexus
For several years
A black ES350
We bought it at an auction
Drove all over the world
In that car
With my lovely wife
By my side
Drove across Spain
Drove across the country
10 thousand miles
31 states
Drove around Korea
Where we now live
I love my Lexus
But more importantly
Love my wife
The love of my life
She is always there
Everywhere we go
In this wide world
The First Time I Saw Her “Writers Digest”
Happy Monday! Let’s put the pedal to the metal and keep poeming.
For today’s prompt, take the phrase “the first (blank),” replace the blank with a word or phrase, make the new phrase the title of your poem, and then, write your poem. Possible titles include: “the first kiss,” “the first day of the month,” and/or “the first time I rode a bike” (which, by the way, ended with me in a fence because we didn’t cover how to brake).
The First Time I Saw Her
When did I first see my wife?
The love of my life
When did we meet?
Was it when I first dreamt?
Of her in 1974?
Was it when she walked
Off a bus into my life
In 1982?
Does it matter
When I first saw her?
I knew I had met my fate
On that date
Later she became my mate
“NaPoWrMo” prompt alone
This prompt challenges you to find a poem, and then write a new poem that has the shape of the original, and in which every line starts with the first letter of the corresponding line in the original poem. If I used Roethke’s poem as my model, for example, the first line would start with “I,” the second line with “w,” and the third line with “a.” And I would try to make all my lines neither super-short nor overlong but have about ten syllables. I would also have my poem take the form of four, seven-line stanzas. I have found this prompt particularly inspiring when I use a base poem that mixes long and short lines, or stanzas of different lengths. Any poem will do as a jumping-off point, but if you’re having trouble finding one, perhaps you might consider Mary’s stylist’s “we think we do not have medieval eyes” or for something shorter, Natalie Shapiro’s “Pennsylvania.”
No Longer Alone from the First Moment
From the first moment
At that date
At that place
Met my fate
Fate intervened in my wife
Meeting her changed my life
All of it
That was the date
On which I met my fate
The mystery which binds me still—
From that moment forward
From that date forever
From then to now
We have been together
Onward we fall in love
Alone based on Edgar Allen Poe’s Alone
From childhood’s hour, I have not been
As others were—I have not seen
As others saw—I could not bring
My passions from a common spring—
From the same source, I have not taken
My sorrow—I could not awaken
My heart to joy at the same tone—
And all I loved—I loved alone—
Then—in my childhood—in the dawn
Of a most stormy life—was drawn
From every depth of good and ill
The mystery which binds me still—
From the torrent, or the fountain—
From the red cliff of the mountain—
From the sun that ‘round me roll’s
In its autumn tint of gold—
From the lightning in the sky
As it passed me flying by—
From the thunder, and the storm—
And the cloud that took the form
(When the rest of Heaven was blue)
Of a demon in my view—
“Writing com Dew Drop-In” “- April 5—Potential Mistake
There have been many times
In my life
When I think back
On the past
Thinking that was a mistake
Or a potential mistake
If I had gone another path
But in the end
It does matter
The past is the past
The future is not yet here
All we have is today
We should find
Love and happiness
It is all around us
Waiting for us
To discover
April 6th Command or Challenge “Writing com Dew Drop in Prompt
Challenges of Being Me
I have had many challenges
In my life
It is not easy being me
For you see
I am a rather unique person
I see things my way
And well the challenge
This has always been
How to navigate my way
Through the world
Keeping to my unique vision
Of the way, things ought to be
The One Thing I Would Never Change Writer Digest Change, Don’t Change Poem Prompt
If I could go back in time
And change the past
Knowing what I know now
There are many things I would change
But there is one thing I would not have changed
Being in Korea in September 1982
When I met my wife
For you see
I had been dreaming
Of meeting her
Since that fateful day
I first fell in love
With her in my dreams
In 1974
So, I had a date
With fate
When she came to me
And became my mate
The Poetry of the visa Line Poetry Superhighway Prompt
I have a small request to make. I want to expand my followers on all my platforms. So if you have not signed up yet for this blog, or followed me on intraframe, Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr, or Bloglovin or listened to my podcast on Spotify please do so now.
The literary Yard has published more of my poems. All of these and subsequence postings will be available on Spotify and elsewhere in a few days as a podcast. They previously published some of my poetry which follows the new poems listed below.
Index
2021 Dawns 21 Haiku
Dear Republicans, What Is Wrong with You?
The Revolution Next Time
Zombie Ideas Do Not Die
There Is A Great Sense of Unrest
###
Dawns 21 Haiku
2021Dawns
Politics are still uncertain.
thousands still are dying.
2021Dawns
The New president offers.
Hope new beginning.
2021Dawns
The Madness never ends it seems.
Consuming us all
2021Dawns
The hope springs enterally
We will overcome.
2021Dawns
35,000 lies.
Fading like ghosts
2021Dawns
Politicians still lying.
Thousands still dying.
2021Dawns
Coronavirus spreading
More corona ghosts.
2021Dawns
There is new hope in the air.
Will politics kill it?
2021Dawns
The news stills scream death and despair.
I turn it all off
2021Dawns
As I wake up at dawn
I see my sleeping wife.
2021Dawns
We wait for the coming fires.
End of the world fears
2021Dawns
Q continues to spread hate.
Millions still follow him.
2021Dawns
Will optimism and love?
Overcome the hate.
2021Dawns
Many questions remaining.
I have no answers.
2021Dawns
With hope, I leap out of my bed
Watching TV kills hope
2021Dawns
Will this be the end of my days?
Will I overcome it?
2021Dawns
2020 hangover
Like a dark nightmare
2021Dawns
Politicians still refusing.
To do anything
2021Dawns
The rich are still getting richer.
The poor remain poor.
2021Dawns
We hope the past will fade away.
Into dark memories
2021Dawns
I wake up hoping for the best.
Dreading worst to come
2021Dawns
I am still alive thank god.
Filled with love for a wife.
###
Dear Republicans, What is Wrong with You?
Dear Republicans,
What is wrong with you?
The former president
Incited a riot.
Stormed the house.
Would have killed you.
If they could have
And you still defend.
The former president
Refusing to hold him to account?
Do you want him?
Running around starting the patriot party
Launching a jihad against you?
When you can remove him
From the game
And send him home.
For good
What the hell is wrong with you
Just do your job
Put a stake.
Through that vampire’s heart
Kill Trumpism.
Before it kills you
###
The Revolution Next Time
A revolution is brewing.
On the right
And on the left
As madness descends on the land
Incited by right-wing political leaders.
Inciting riots and rebellion
Demanding action
Against their enemies
While on the left
Revolution is brewing as well.
Soon will they unite
To march down
Tearing down democracy
As our leaders
Play games.
As the world descends
Into chaos
And the US becomes
Another failed state
Until a proverbial man
On a white horse
Rides in to save us.
From ourselves
The revolution next time
It will not be pretty.
As everything burns
And America dies
###
Zombie Ideas Do Not Die
Zombie Ideas
Do not die.
They linger on
In our collective minds
Infecting our politics
Among my favorites
Are the canard.
That tax cuts will solve all problems.
That deregulation will free up business.
That the free market will solve our problems
That the government is the problem
And we must starve the government.
Of funds
So, it can do no more harm.
To our great country
These and other pernicious
Fact free alternative facts
Are spread far and wide.
Across the right-wing media sphere
Infecting our politicians
Leading them to playing games
Instead of coming together.
To solve our collective problems
And now the Republicans are saying.
Amid the worst epidemic in history
With the US economy slipping into the great depression era
The US cannot afford to spend any more money.
On combatting the pandemic
That the Federal government has done enough
It is up to the states to solve their problem.
Because of deficit spending
Which they did not care about
Before the change in command
Now the federal government is broke.
But we cannot ask the billionaire class.
To pay a dime more in taxes
We need to cut taxes more.
So, we go.
These zombie ideas
Mutating and spreading
Infecting our politics
With madness
Making it impossible to govern
As things fall apart
Let us put a Death.
to zombie ideas
Put a stake through them.
Opening up the truth
Coming together
To do the people’s business
That is what we must all do.
###
There is a Great Sense of Unrest.
There is a great sense.
Of unrest in the land today
Madness in the air
Previous publication (2020)
Literary Yard has just published my Dog Poems. The earlier published my Cosmic Calendar poems. Here they are for your amusement. these are companion pieces for my cat poems.
And look cute
And someone will feed him
And give him water
A dog has no worries
No cares at all
And when a Dog
Wants some loving
All it needs to do
Is find the nearest
Female dog
And enjoy himself
Without guilt
And without worrying
About getting married
Or having an affair
Just simple
Sex in the doggie way
Nothing simpler
Than that
Yes
A dog’s life
Is the life for me?
###
The Dogs of War are Howling
dog of war poster
The Dogs of War
Have been set free
Of their cage
And are out
Howling at the moon
The Dogs of War
Have been set free
To wreck what havoc
Might be
Yes, the Dogs of War
The Hell Hounds
Have bound out of their cages
Sniffed about
And smiled
At the destruction, they saw
They knew soon
They would be in their element
As the world descends into chaos
The world saw
The face of pure evil
That fine September morning
A morning like any other morning
Until a fateful moment
When two planes
Came out of the sky
And destroyed
The center of world capitalism
In an act of horrific violence
An act of such evil
That is beyond the comprehension
Of mere mortal man
Surely there must
Be a reason why
That particular day
The world almost ended
The Dogs of war
Are at foot
The chaos is upon us
The evil grows and grows
And dark noises are heard
Here and there
A Jehad had been launched
By the holly lunatics
Misguided warriors
Who thought they were fighting
The great Satan
Not knowing that their hearts and minds
Were corrupted and controlled
By Satan himself
Somewhere in the world
That morning
A door opened
And a man walked through
Flipped a switch
And let loose
The chaos that ensured
The world watched with horror
And fascination
As in real-time
A dynamite action movie unfolded
Only this was not any movie, punk
It was real life
Live and uncensored
With the music of the devil
Playing at full volume
As people died
Burning alive
And the dogs of war
Smiled
They knew soon
They would be in their element
As America
The Sleeping Giant
Again woke up
And realized
That they would have to fight back
Against their enemies
The war machine
Came to life
The plans came out of the books
The military might be unleashed
And the Dogs of war
Smiled and howled at the moon
The machinery of war
Once unleashed
Can’t easily be stopped
There is a certain cruel logic
That demands that the war going on
And people die
And people suffer
And the stock market crashes
And the evil that men do
Goes on and on and on
###
The Cosmic Dog from Goa
My final time with God
Happened a year later
I was staying down in Goa
With my wife
Enjoying being with her
After our reconciliation
We stayed at the Taj Mahal Goa
Living like Kings and Queen
Just for a few days
High up on a hill
Overlooking the beach
Every morning I went down to the beach
And did yoga by the water
While contemplating life
And every morning
I saw the same dog
Not just a dog
But a cosmic dog
Filled with the divine spark of God
And the dog recognized me
And spoke to me and I knew
That God was present once more
In the face of that cosmic dog
Kindred spirit
perhaps to the cosmic cat
that had saved my soul
in Berkeley so long ago
I told the dog everything
And he just looked at me
With those soulful eyes of his
And I knew he knew that I knew
That he was possessed by God
God had sent him to me
To make sure
that I was on the right path
That the reconciliation that God had promoted
Was on a track that I was back with my wife
And that everything was the way it should be
Again, I asked God whether he was Jesus or Allah
Or Brahmin or Ganesh or Buddha
God the cosmic dog just stared at me
I finally asked him directly
Say if you are God the God of Jesus
Bark once
The Dog looked at me and barked
I said
well, if you are Allah bark twice
The dog barked twice
Well are you buddha
then bark three times if yes
The god dog barked three times
Hmm well are you Satan
The dog growled at me
And I knew I had gone too far
Finally, I was at peace
And for the next three days
The God Dog from Goa
was my constant companion
And I knew God for the final time
In my life?
###
Agnostic Dyslectic Wonders if There is a Dog
cute dog
an agnostic dyslectic
stays up all night
wondering if there is a dog
the Buddhists wonder
about the Buddha-nature of the dog
the evangelicals
are sure that there is a dog
and you must follow their dog
or go to hell
for following another’s dog
the Muslims agree
there is only one dog
and the dogs
smile at the foolishness
of the human race
of course, there is a dog
and they are the master race
as they growl at their owners
who bow down
and clean up their mess?
###
I Want a Dog’s Life
O
I want a dog’s life
That’s what I want in my next life
A dog needs to be cute
And his master will feed him
It is a dog’s life for me
###
The Messenger Dog of God
One day
While studying in Rome
As a priest
I notice a small white dog
Staring at me
He glances at me
Indicating that I am to follow him
I get up
And follow this strange dog
He leads me deep
Inside the hidden depths
Of the Vatican
Finally stopping by a door
I open the door
And see St Peter there
He smiles
Dismisses the dog
Who moves on down the hall
Finished with his cosmic duty
As the secret messenger of God
All in a day’s work?
I ask why I am here?
St Peter says
Why are any of us here?
It is time for you to go
But I don’t want to go
Don’t want to leave this mortal plane
St Peter smiles
Says it is time to go
I wake up
Back in my bed
With my wife
And realize it was all a dream
It was not yet time
To go
But I am afraid
I will find the messenger dog
Outside my door
Any day now
The grim reaper waits
And it will soon be my time
Poem: Cosmos’s Cosmic Calendar
cosmic calendar
January
January arrives cold as death warmed over
As I make my annual list of resolutions
Of the great things, I would do
The lies I tell myself to keep me going
While recovering from the hangover of the year before
With regrets for the evitable passing of time itself
And snowbound cold nights of wild passion
As we delay death’s knocking on the door
February
February is a strange month
Cold, short, and eventful
In the U.S. The political season heats up
As politicians rush about
Making their campaign lies
Full of promises of things to come
As we the 99 % huddle down inside
Watching the lies on TV
Outside Winter’s last dying breath
March
March roars in full of sound and furry
Signifying the future marching down upon us all
And March madness hits the sports world
And politicians meet to plot and scheme
As we bravely battle the cosmic elements
Waiting for the promised spring
Hay fever greets me
With the early spring flowers
April
April is indeed the cruelest month of all
So many important events occurred
Kim Il Sung’s Birthday, Hitler’s Birthday
And in the U.S. the dreaded tax man cometh
To take it all away as the flowers overwhelm
And Spring Fever takes hold
Driving us all mad
With strange erotic desires
May
May is in many ways
My second favorite month of all
The flowers are blooming bright
The mountains are aflame with desire
The summer heat is coming
The plans for the year are coming along
The political campaigns heat up
And good movies come out
Star Wars arrived
Spiderman and superman and batman
All came out to play
In late May
And baseball begins in earnest
And most importantly
My wife was born
June
June is always a month of transition
End of the school year
Summer transfer season
People leaving people coming
Hurricanes and Tornados attacking
And wars starting and people dying
As fireflies buzz about
And rabbits eat my garden
As the summer heat descends upon the land
I walk late at night
Recalling that Watergate
Occurred in June
July
July is the queen of the summer season
As she heats the land
Throwing storm after summer storm
And politicians run away
After the July fourth fireworks
Man landed on the moon
Richard Nixon Left the White House
And we all know that half the year
Has flown by
August
So much has happened
During the hottest most hellish of months
Despite the summer sauna that descends upon the land
Enervating all driving people mad with the heat
World War 1 started
World War 11 ended
Hiroshima ushered in the nuclear age
Hurricanes Katrina and Harvey
And tornado ally
All roar down upon the land
And I met the love of my life
Getting off a bus
One August evening
September
What can one say about September
Like June a month of transitions?
And one is filled with ambition
Wanting to finish up what one started
Before the fall arrives
And Winter is hinting it is coming
School starts
New jobs start
New people come into one’s life
And like August’s hangover
Big earth-shattering events happen
The fall of the stock market
The housing bubble bursting
The endless budget games
As the politicians argue
Whether to bankrupt the country
To make a political point or two
And 9-11 terrorizing the world
All September’s gifts to the land
October
October is my favorite month of all
The leaves turn
The weather is usually delightful
Just a tease of the coming winter
Fall ball season underway
Baseball games and Halloween madness
ends the month with a huge bang
And I celebrate my legal birth on the 29th
Also, the day I legally got married
And on October 30, 1955
I was born
And Rock n Roll was born as well
Coincidence I think not
November
November is one of the strange months
Begins like a hangover of October
Then it turns ugly and weird
Political fever hits the land
Every two years
As the people brave the early November chill
To decide what fools they will send to DC
The politicians lie and scheme and plot
And beg and lie again
And the world turns
And the new leaders emerge
Welcome the new Bosses
Same as the old bosses
Just new packaging
And Donald Trump storms the barricades
Threatening the establishment’s stranglehold
On America and the world
Yes, November is a strange month
December
Perhaps the loneliness month of all
The most consequential of all the months
And yet also the most depressing end of time
Kind of month
If the apocalypse zombie or otherwise
Were to occur
It would be in December
That is the sort of insane month it is
The end of the year
As darkness settles down on the land
And holiday parties abound
Full of false cheer
And faked love
And for those who don’t celebrate Christmas
A lonely day perhaps at the movies
A few awkward calls to the relatives
Then New Years
Watching the world end
Drinking up a storm
And knowing that the year ended
And you are one step closer to the grave
Falling rain
falling rain
The falling rain
Of late October
Fills me with essential dread
As I rush about
And end up here
Wherever here is
The rain outside
Seems like the tears of god
As I sit
Crying over my beer
Thinking of lost love
And failed dreams
Wondering
What went wrong?
And what I can set right
And the rain falls
And the night darkens
The rain is falling
All over this man’s world
And the rain falls
And I sit
Drinking my lonesome drink
Lost in dreams
Dreaming of what
Could never be
Thinking dark thoughts
And so I sit
And dream the night away
Spill Words and Ink Pantry have published my homeless poem, “Just Enough for Coffee.” SPill words published four of my poems last year, re-printed below. Enjoy and buy a homeless person a cup of Peets coffee this week just because. Tell them Cosmos sent you.
A homeless man
Stood on the street
Counting his change
From panhandling all morning
Just had enough for a cup of coffee
All in all
A good start
coffee
He ambled off to his favorite coffee shop
Where the owner
Was kind to the homeless
Sometimes
Treating them to a meal
On the house
The man said
I was in your shoes
Once years ago
And you never forget
When you are down
And out
Everyone forgets your face
No one knows your name
For you are now
Invisible
Almost a ghost
The old man tried to pay
The owner said
Keep your change
You need it more than me
Have a meal with me
My friend
On the house
He ordered up
The homeless man’s favorite
Lumberjack special
Eggs, pancakes, sausage, bacon
Cornbread
Lots of hot black coffee
To wash it down
The old man
Often had just one meal a day
Usually, a late breakfast
Sometimes if he were lucky
He would have dinner
And on a red-letter day
He would have three meals
The homeless man
Had been on the streets
For too long
Barely remembered his life
Before early-onset Alzheimer’s
Robbed him of his job
His dignity
His wife
His life
His money
Now he drifted
Waiting for the grim reaper
To call him home
Any day now
He prayed nightly
To a god
That he no longer believed in
Rambling Man, Where is your Home?
car
Where is my home? Where do I belong?
I really don’t know, always moving on to another place
Moved every other year it seems the last 45 years
Traveled to 49 states, 45 countries, drove across the U.S. six times
Lived in Berkeley, Yakima, Stockton, Seattle, Alexandria, DC, Oregon, Korea, Thailand, India, The Eastern Caribbean, and Spain
Where do I belong? Where is my home?
Neither here nor there, nowhere and everywhere
And so is that my rambling man’s fate
Never to really belong anywhere at all
Dark Dangerous Thoughts
dark dangerous thoughts
An old man wakes up
Confronting the dark dangerous thoughts
The demons of the night
That haunt his dreams
And his life
He looks out at the dawning sun
And his sleeping wife
And realizes that it will be all right
And dismisses the demons of the night
Back to their caves in his mind
And he gets up
To take the dawning day
In Search of America
Hitchhiking Tales
hitch hikers
When I was young and foolish
Broke and stubborn
I hitchhiked across the USA
Started in Salt Lake City
Where my greyhound bus pass
Was stolen
The station manager
Could have helped me
But refused to do so
Threaten to call the cops
When I grabbed my bags
Without the stolen tags
I said
Go ahead
But I am so out of here
Wondered about Salt Lake City
Went to a bar
Found I had to buy my booze
Next door
And they would mix it for me
Had to order food too
After a bloody Mary
And a burger
I walked about town
Saw the Mormon Temple
Finally about 3 pm
It was time to hit the road
Did not look back
Ended up in Cody Wyoming
Got a room shower
Steak beer
Using my rapidly depleted cash
Spent 25 dollars
Money really went far
Back in those days
A band of professional
Communist agitators
Gave me a ride
To Des Moines
Lots of weed, booze
And politics later
Got off the road
Slept outside
Next day
A beautiful woman
Drove me to near Chicago
In a red mustang
Might have been
The girl in the song
Took it easy
Digging her vibe
She invited home
But was not sure
If her estranged husband
Would welcome me
So I being foolish
And inexperienced with women
Did not go to her place
And always regretted
That I had lost
My chance that day
Then on to Chicago
Several rides later
Visited friends
Hit the road again
A series of uneventful rides
With truckers
And others
And a week later
I ended in New York City
Slept along the way
In cars
In truck stops
In highway rest stops
Always moving
Always going
None stop talking
And lots of free weed
And beer
And conversation
One more memorable ride
Occurred outside Albany
On my return to Chicago
A middle age creepy looking man
Picked me up
In a brand new Cadillac
He was he said a dynamite deliverer
For the Mafia
Went to various places
To blow up shit
He hated a lot of people
Particularly hippies from California
And Jewish people
Looking at me to confirm
That I was both
I told him that I lived in New York
And had never been to California
And although I might look Jewish
As I what was called back in the day
A “Jewfro”
I was not Jewish
Many years later I discovered
That I am indeed part Jewish
But then I did not know
And I felt a bit of strategic information
Might keep me alive
Then I realized that he was just jiving with me
And we relaxed
And he pulled out some weed
And beer
And we mellowed out
But I believe that he really was with the mob
Perhaps not a dynamite dealer
A real made Italian made mafia member
By Chicago
I had enough
I called my Dad
Told him what had happened
Wanted a ticket home
And he sent me a ticket
And 500 dollars
And I went home
I told him I would tell him
My tales someday
But never did
I learned so much
About my fellow Americans
And the strange vibe
That was 1975
And now it is too late
But I wanted to finally
Tell the world
Of my hitchhiking tales
In search of America 1975
Bus Rides In America’s Underbelly
bus riding
I am a bus rider
That makes me unusual
For a white male
From an upper middle class family
Our people are not bus riders
Though some are subway riders
Bus riders are other people
The poor, minorities, immigrants
People who don’t drive
Because they are blind
Or have a DUI
And in my case
I don’t drive
Because I have bad vision
And bad coordination
Just never got the hang
Of the whole driving thing
Fortunately for me
My wife does the driving
But I still take the bus
From time to time
I rode the AC buses in Berkeley
As a child
Line 67, line 51, line 43 F bus
Rode them long before BART came along
And afterwards as well
As an adult seldom rode the bus
But when I did so
I was always impressed
By the sheer diversity
Of the bus riding property
Hundreds of languages
All sorts of sexual orientation
Some were white
Most were not
Most of my fellow passengers
Were nice enough
Some were friendly
And some were lost
In their own thoughts
And a few
Were scary looking dudes
With the look
Of someone who had done time
And were capable of more violence
I also rode the bus
In Seattle as a graduate student
A lot of fellow UW students
And the usual immigrants
Minorities etc
And some white people
Commuting
And in DC
Over the years
I rode a lot of buses
Mostly to and from the metro
But I got to know
And love the DC buses as well
I also took the greyhound bus
Across the country
Several times over the years
All over the U.S.
From Bay Area to Stockton
From Bay Area to Clear Lake
From Bay area to NYC
NYC to DC
All over the USA
Taking the Greyhound
Was always an adventure
Met a lot of interesting people
As people on long distant bus rides
Tend to open up and talk
To pass the time away
Overseas I took the bus
All over
In India, in Barbados
In Spain and in Korea
The Korean buses
For many years
Were difficult for foreign visitors
As the signs were all in Korean
Most have signs
Now in English, Chinese and Korean
And are much more foreigner friendly
Riding the bus
In America
Allows one access
To the underbelly of American society
The poor, the marginalized
The immigrant communities
That many middle-class white people
Just never see
And for that reason
I am glad
That I am a bus rider
Notes from the Author :
Based on my experiences riding the bus all over the world from 1968 to 2018.
Writer’s Egg Magazine published in the UK for their 7th issue had a theme of 2020 and what it meant. They published my entry, “The Year the World Came Unhinged “
The Year the World Came Unhinged
2020 was the year
That the world came unhinged
As the US lost its way
Amid the corona pandemic
18 million cases later
310,000 deaths later
The president has yet to simply say
I am so sorry that everyone died
On my watch
Instead he continues to insist
That he be given an A-plus grade
For the great victory
he achieved
In battling the corona
china virus
Amid the great depression 2.0
The country voted to fire
The former President
Who refused to accept reality
Filed 60 court cases
Lost 59 cases
out of 60 cases
Including twice
at the Supreme Court
Still refuses to concede
Still claims that the election
was stolen
His mindless lemming like followers
Follow his every tweet
His every deranged unhinged world
And go down his rabbit hole
Of delusional insanity
As he tries daily
To destroy American democracy
While claiming
he is the only one
Who can save the U.S.
From the chaos and danger
That the radical left represents
Writer Egg published some of my Corona Virus poems in issue six, and issue five. Re-printed below
writer Egg magazine has published some more poems which drop in issue six to be published in January.
Index
Politicians Lying while people lie dying
Thanksgiving thoughts
Corona Virus Stalks Me
News is still grim
Mad Mask Fears -content tracing Dante Inferno Canto one Line 1 to 3
Wearing a Mask is not a political statement
General Corona Leads His Troops Into Battle, crown of sonnets
Corona Ghosts Stalk the President
Politicians Lying while People Lie Dying
Politicians lying
economy crumbling
pandemic spreading
fire burning
storms storming
winter is coming
media screaming
people dying
Thanksgiving Thoughts
On this day of thanksgiving
Our hearts are filled with grief
Anger, and hatred
Instead of love and friendship
Half the company
Feels that they lost
The election
Because of mass fraud
Their candidate could not have lost
The virus is a hoax
Masks are an affront
To our liberties
The other half of the country
Thinking at last
This national nightmare
Is beginning to end
Millions of people are sick
The real economy in ruins
The stock market is crazy
Out of touch with reality
Many Americans are settling down
To a lonely Thanksgiving
Loved ones can’t travel
Or are lost to us now
Corona ghosts
Haunting our thanksgiving
The news bather on and on
The divisions getting worse
The world seems to be spinning
Out of control
How can we come together
While 2,000 people die every day
But in the midst of all of this
If we simply remember
Our shared humanity
That we are all Americans
And we can overcome
These dark and dangerous time
Then we will have something
To celebrate this thanksgiving
That we are still here
Still alive and kicking
And the noise and hate
fades away
And the love comes back
With the rising sun
Happy thanksgiving
To one and all
Corona Virus Stalks Me
the dreaded coronavirus
led by the demented general Corona,
seems to be stalking me
everywhere I go
images of the dead
come to life
accusing me of something
as they fade in and out of view
ghostly images fill\ my fogged up glasses
as I walk down the street
hidden deep inside my masks
and I fear everyone
which is of course
part of the corona virus’s
evil’s plan
to drive us all mad
sending us to hell
News is still grim
cnn logo
watching the daily news
the constant doom and gloom
makes me want to cry
and hide away
waiting
waiting
waiting
for the end of the news
and a return to normal
but that seems
like a distant dream
perhaps it is our fate
perhaps it will be over
perhaps it will never
be over
and the news drones
on
and
on
and
on
overwhelming
me
with
cosmic
dread
Mad Masks Fears Corona Sonnet Form
no masks
I don’t understand
this fear of wearing a mask
somehow making you weak
that wearing a mask
is a political statement
“Midway upon the journey of our life
I found myself with a forest dark
for the straightforward pathway had been lost”
THE THOUGHT COMES TO MIND
WHAT IS WRONG WITH THESE PEOPLE
ALL
LOST
THEIR
MINDS
content tracing Dante Inferno Canto one Line 1 to 3
masked woman
to my friends in America
and around the world
to those who think
that somehow the coronavirus
only infects other people
that it is all a liberal hoax ,
overblown
nothing more than a bad flu
and nothing to do with me
demanding that we all go
back to work
what is wrong with you?
have you lost your humanity?
will millions have to die
so you can have a Big Mac?
so you can have a Big Mac
and a beer
whenever you damn, please
and no one can tell you
please wear a mask
have you lost all reason
is it all now
about owning the dems
and the damn libtards
is there any thing left
in your cold, greedy heart?
and you still proclaim
that you are Christian
as you violate all the Christian principles
what would Jesus do
what would Jesus do
what does the bible say
we should do
in the midst of this pandemic
is it the Christian thing to do
to let millions of people die
did not Christ talk about love
compassion and mercy
would not Jesus
wear a mask
to protect himself
and others
from this ravaging disease
that does not care
who you are
who you voted for
which church you go to
and Jesus and God
are not there
watching all of us
as the virus spreads
it will affect you
sooner or later
and when it does
perhaps if you had worn
a mask
you might have prevented
a few more people
have died
a few more people
including your grandfather
grandmother
friend
relative might be alive
if you were not such
a self- centered person
and I appeal to you my friend
to grow up, become a member
of the human race again
also published in Plethora Magazine in India
a crown of sonnets
corona
//////
General Corona leads his forces across the world
riding on a black horse
from out of the Apocalypse
ride the four horsemen
which are let loose upon the world
He leads his forces across the world
into battle as the leader of his evil forces
The enemy of humanity
General Corona, he does not care
nor does his virus minions care
about your nationality, he does not care
about your politics, he does not care
or your wealth or who you are
for all you are nothing but humanity
the corona general sees humanity
as nothing but hosts for his virus army
chanting death to humanity
until his evil army
sweeps throughout the world
throughout the world
and millions must die
it is the will of the general all must die
and it is the end of the world
or perhaps the beginning of a new world
filled with hope and love through out the world
humanity comes alive throughout the world
fighting back against the virus army
peace, love and compassion defeats the army
and general corona will finally himself die
Corona Ghosts Haunting the President
corona virus
The corona ghosts are angry
Watching the news every day
In limbo land
The corona ghosts decide
To pay the president a visit
To show him the humans
Who have died
Due to his incompetence
And lack of leadership
175,000 Corona ghosts
Descend upon the white house
At midnight
And surround the president
Screaming at him
Saying look at me
Look at me
You did this
You did it
You Mr. President
You are not the smartest man
In the world
Far from it
It is all on you
And you will soon
Be joining us
Be afraid
Your time is up
General corona
Is on the march
Poetry Drawer: Getting Lucky: waiting for the day: The Rising Storm of Sedition Overwhelms Us All: Tired and Burned Out – Let 2020 Go!!!: Toilet Gate Fit Metaphor for the End of the Trump Affair by Jake Cosmos Aller
I have been extremely lucky
In life
Lucky in love,
Not so much in cards
Met the love of my life
In a dream
Then she became my wife
Over the years,
We have been extremely lucky
As our investments grew and grew,
Fuelled by the skill
Of my financial advisor wife
Born in the year of the Golden Pig
Making me wealthy
In my old age
I often think meeting her
Was like winning the lotto
Or getting a jackpot
A jackpot of love
That continues to pay me
Dividends for life
Until the day I die
With my lucky charm
By my side
Waiting for the Day
I lay in bed
Waiting for the sun to rise,
Next to my sleeping beauty
Filled with her love,
But with the dawning sun
The nightmares come back
Filled with fearful thoughts
Of what fresh insanity
Will soon overwhelm me
I watch the daily news
Absorbing the latest
Scandal d’jour
The latest fresh hell
As I watch with dismay
America the land of my birth
Tear itself apart
As politicians play games
Thousands die
Becoming Corona Ghosts
It is enough to make me
Want to hideaway
For the rest of my time
On this earth
The Rising Storm of Sedition Overwhelms Us All
A rising storm of sedition and treason
Threatens to overwhelm us all
As the alt. right wing forces
Complicit in treason
And committed sedition
A failure of law enforcement
And politics as well
As the craven proud boys
do not hide anymore
screaming fraud
Trying to foment civil war
Storming the Capitol
On instructions from their hero
The craven President
Hides out
Watching the carnage
That he unleashed
Descend on the capitol
Tired and Burned Out – Let 2020 Go!!! January 15, 2021
2020
It has been two weeks
Since the beginning of the year
It seems like it has been a Year
Of horror condensed down
Into two-weeks
Of daily chaos
As the centre frays
We are so Tired
and Burned Out
yet we can’t Let 2020 Go!!!
Madness grows
Can’t take it much more
can’t shake off
the 2020 hangover
2021 You are so old
We are so done with you
Just go away
And never haunt us again
Toilet Gate Fit Metaphor for the End of the Trump Affair
toiletgate
News that the President’s son-in-law and daughter
Refused to allow secret service agents
To use any of their 6.5 toilets
Is a fitting metaphor
For the end of the Trump Era
The news captures the false sense
Of royal privilege
Among the Trump family
And shows how shallow, cruel
And inhuman the family really is
How did such a family of grifters
Manage to take over the WH?
And how can anyone still support
Such despicable human beings?
They deny it of course
But the Secret service
Says it is true
And they had to pay 100,000 dollars
3,000 dollars per month
To rent an apartment across the street
So, agents could relieve themselves
What were they thinking?
Perhaps they were thinking
The agents could use the bushes
Out back?
Or beg to use the neighbor’s facilities?
Anyway, not their problem
What the hired help does
After all
So glad that this band
Of grifters are on their way out
And sanity will return
To our nation
Ink Pantry Publishes Recent Poems
Ink Pantry, Scarlet Leaf, Spill Words, Synchronized Chaos, Two Drops of Ink, have published 15 of my recent poems. The poems are posted below along with audio and photo clips.
Scarlet Leaf review will publish these poems in the following order:
the terrors of the night
the worst imaginings
of what might happen
war, rumours of war
end of civilization
nuclear war
and other horrors
ripped from the headlines
fade away into nothingness
with the morning light
and the love of my wife
who is always by my side
I regain my sight
and begin
regaining my smile
and my life
until the next nightmares
consumes my dark imaginings
Dora the Intergalactic Explorer
dora
Dora the intergalactic explorer
Is travelling to the strangest planet
of all the known worlds
she is traveling incognito
with a video crew
making a documentary
the planet earth
is known as a planet
of intelligent monkeys
not much is known
about them
as very few
have ever been there
the inhabitants are described
as blood thirsty insane creatures
ruled by hidden sexual and political passions
following incomprehensible
religious dogmas following Gods
that clearly do not exist
the inhabitants are just on the verge
of developing intergalactic travel
and the galactic empire
is worried that they will be driven
to try to conquer the rest of the universe
driven by their needs to impose
their religious dogma
the planet is divided into large tribal groups
governed by corrupt elites
corrupt businesses destroying the planet
in pursuit of profit
and the locals are little more
than wage slaves
barely making a living
addicted to alcohol, drugs gambling
pornography and illicit sex
and their main land
is ruled by a clearly delusional madman
intent on poking a fight
with all his alleged enemies
Dora assumed the appearance
of a character from TV
and will pose as a journalist
trying to make sense
of it all
but she was afraid
that she if found out
could face the worst consequence
her ship crash lands
and she is outside
the capital
of the non empire empire
called the United State of America
Dora gets her crew together
and walks into the city
staring at all the strange sights
as the monkeys go about
their daily activities
she stops at a restaurant
tries the coffee
the chief drug of choice
and is instantly addicted
wow no wonder
these people are crazed
she tries the local booze
and smiles
perhaps she could
become an intergalactic merchant
introducing the world
to the galaxy
her thought are interrupted
as a mad man armed
with weapons of war
bursts in and starts shooting
yelling at people
and she is shot dead
the authorities
are shocked
when they recover the body
and realize
that she is not a human
as she reverts other original
form
sort of a giant feline like creature
two legs and arms
and clearly from an advanced
civilization given her gear
what was she doing
no one knew
as all the aliens
died in the gun blaze
the world is shocked
at what had happened
and fearful that the aliens
were coming to invade
their world
the galactic senate
decides to contain
the humans
declaring them
a threat to the galactic civilization
and the humans vow
to discover the secrets
of interstellar travel
and travel to her land
to enter into business arrangements
and spread the one truth faith
to the heathen space aliens
thus ended Dora’s excellent adventure
in the crazed world at the edge
of known civilization
Mocking Faces Staring at Me
Mocking faces
hunting my dreams much
Hundreds of faces
morphing into one
after another
Faces I knew
The dead
and the living
women I knew
friends I missed
enemies I did not
One after another
Marching in my room
Staring at me
I tried to run
They laughed
They said
that there’s nowhere
to escape my cosmic fate
My time is coming
prepare yourself
the grim reaper
has your name
and once he has your name
your fate is sealed
and you will soon
join us
whether in heaven
or hell
is not for us to say
be warned though
you will be judged
and no one can escape
their cosmic karmic fate stop just going
a wild man sits in a gilded cage
man in cage
a wild man sits in a gilded cage
a cage made out of chains of his wife’s love
a cage made out of chains of his wife’s love
the wild man yearning to be free from his cage
the wild man yearning to be free from his cage
wondering how and why he was now tamed
wondering how and why he was now tamed
dreaming dark wild dreams of demented freedom
dreaming dark wild dreams of demented freedom
the wild man looks about his prison cage
the wild man looks about his prison cage
wondering whether he will ever be free
wondering whether he will ever be free
a wild man sits in a gilded cage
2019 The Last Year of America’s Greatness
2019 was the last year of America
when the proverbial chickens came home
when the proverbial chickens came home
to strut about the decaying landscape
to strut about the decaying landscape
as the world begins to burn and die
as the world begins to burn and die
led by the mad great leader and his merry men
led by the mad great leader and his merry men
the whole world lay in shock and awe
the whole world lay in shock and awe
at the destruction of the America they knew
at the destruction of the America they knew
when the proverbial chickens came home sources
Poetry Drawer: Insanity Lives by Jake Cosmos Aller
Why the thing killed itself
While the slaves closed in to eat
The cannibals or yes no quite indeed
For I can not not not notnotnotntontotnotntotntotnto ttntotnto tototntnotnton notntotnotntotoeifkt gjyhythfg~tdf wvxxfstwgeyd nbitmyi’~375892O~9(8 ?’4 596o~–9=O-~?9 ~ &#&~Q~ ~ ( ~ *~&~~#%@~ ~ & t ~
The death
The reason
The dream
The dream the dream remains
They are coming coming
To get me
I know too much
I will not tell they will not believe
OK they can’t think they can only screw
Dark the thumb
the race cards tell us all
The death of God
Killed in a drunken fit
That is my story
I killed god
They snare us while we sleep
They come for us while we sleep
In a bed of golden fleas
They are waiting
In the archway of my house
They are waiting outside
Failure is not an option
My failures
Presidential failures
Total failure or Total Success
Dejavu All Over Again
General Failure Reading Disk Drives
Failure is Not an Option
Failure is not an option
Is a weasel word
Weasel words
Are Orwellian words
Designed to shut down
Rational thought
And ironically these words
Often leads to spectacular failure
Because logically speaking
Failure is always an implied option
and the null hypothesis
doing nothing at all
letting the status quo
remain the same
is also always an implied option
Leaders need to look at all options
Including what to do
If they fail to achieve their goals
They must have a plan
To learn from their failures
If not following the dictates
The false macho posturing
That failure is not an option
Will lead to the feared failure
On Failure
They say that failure
Is the best teacher of all
And I have learned
So much from my failures
And I have failed so much
In my life
But I have gotten better
Stronger and wiser
Because I have failed
And embraced my failures
Failed first grade
Almost failed math and physics
Failed music college
Almost failed statistics in college
and in graduate school
Almost failed my life in the Peace Corps
Dealing with Typhoid
Almost failed in Bangkok
Almost failed my life
In the hospital for almost a year
Almost failed to learn Spanish
Failed as a visa chief in Spain
And throughout my failures
There is one thing I learned
With the support of my wife
And my friends
I can and will overcome
All my failures
President Trump’s Failures
Presidentail failures to date
failure to tell the truth 18,000 lies
Failure to deal with COVID 160 thousand dead
who have become corona ghosts
And 4 million cases piling up
and another great depression looms
And it is all his fault
He refuses to take responsibility
Part of his failure to lead
Failure to lead the country
Insisting on premature re-opening
Making things a thousand times worst
With his epic tweets
Which are a failure
To communicate
Failure to get America rebuilt
Failure to get immigration reform
Failure to reform our trading practices
Failure to lead on climate change
Failure to lead on fighting forest fires
Failure to lead on police reform
failure on health care
Failure to lead on healing out country
As he pours gasoline
On the flames of our discontent
And so I leave these thoughts
Thinking of the greatest failure
Of our life
Watching our president
Fail so miserably
At his job
And unlike me
He refuses to admit
That he has failed
Leading him to an epic
Spectacular failure
Ushering in the end
Of his presidency
In the fading failing light<
Of his life
Will he finally learn
From his failures
Sadly I must conclude
That he is incapable
Of learning from failure
Because in his mind
He is the smartest man
In the world
And it inconceivable
That he could ever failure
For he is a winner
Are we all tired
Of his failed winning by now?
And sadly I must
give him a grade of F
total Success or Total Failure
Jared_Kushner_June_2019
The President’s Son-in-law declares
that the government’s response
to the corona virus
has been a total success
as the government
stepped up to the plate
to fight the virus from hell
I have to wonder
on what planet
does the words
total failure
becomes total success?
Are we living in a bizarro world
Where every thing
Means the opposite
Do words no longer
Have any connection
To underlying reality
Can we tell a lie
From the truth anymore?
For his statement
Is impossible to be
Anything other than the opposite
His total success
is everyone’s total failure
As 160 thousands
American Corona ghosts
Will attest
just more verbal diarrhea
from our dear leader
And his cult like followers
And corrupt court jesters
Dejavu All Over Again
corona
Looking at the news
As the virus spreads
Out of control
With no end in sight
Back in April
Hospitals begged for relief
From a lack of PPD
And equipment etc
And for a few weeks
It seemed we were fine
But we failed to prepare
For the continuation of the pandemic
And our stockpile has been overwhelmed
Our hospitals are overwhelmed
And it could have been prevented
If our leaders had kept up
Stockpiling for the inevitable second wave
Even as the first wave has yet
To reach its peak
Their epic failure
To plan
For what was sure to come
Is an epic failure
Of deadly consequences
Hundreds of thousands of people
will join the ranks
of corona ghosts
they Will fail to live
Because of this failure
To plan
So I say
It is all dejavu all over again
General Failure Reading Disk Drive
evil computer
My computer loves
Spitting out error messages
Written like haiku
Mysterious messages
Hard to understand
My favorite has always been
General Failure
Reading Disk drive
The question comes to mind
Who is this General Failure
And why is reading my disk drive
Anyway
In Search of America 1975 – Hitchhiking Tales by Jake Cosmos Aller
April 30
In Search of America 1975 – Hitch hiking Tales
When I was young and foolish
Broke and stubborn
I hitchhiked across the USA
Started in Salt Lake City
Where my greyhound bus pass
Was stolen
The station manager
Could have helped me
But refused to do so
Threaten to call the cops
When I grabbed my bags
Without the stolen tags
I said
Go ahead
But I am
so out of here
Wondered about Salt Lake City
Went to a bar
Found I had to buy my booze
Next door
And they would
mix it for me
Had to order food too
After a bloody Mary
And a burger
I walked about town
Saw the Mormon Temple
Finally about 3 pm
It was time
to hit the road
Did not look back
Ended up in Cody Wyoming
Got a room shower
Steak beer
Using my rapidly
depleted cash
Spent 25 dollars
Money really went far
Back in those days
A band of professional
Communist agitators
Gave me a ride
To Des Moines
Lots of weed, booze
And politics later
Got off the road
Slept outside
Next day
A beautiful woman
Drove me to near Chicago
In a red mustang
Might have been
The girl in the song
Took it easy
Digging her vibe
She invited home
But was not sure
If her estranged husband
Would welcome me
So I being foolish
And inexperienced with women
Did not go to her place
And always regretted
That I had lost
My chance that day
Then on to Chicago
Several rides later
Visited friends
Hit the road again
A series of uneventful rides
With truckers
And others
And a week later
I ended in New York City
Slept along the way
In cars
In truck stops
In high way rest stops
Always moving
Always going
None stop talking
And lots of free weed
And beer
And conversation
One more memorable ride
Occurred outside Albany
On my return to Chicago
A middle age
creepy looking man
Picked me up
In a brand new Cadillac
He was
he said
a dynamite deliverer
For the Mafia
Went to various places
To blow up shit
He hated a lot of people
Particularly hippies
from California
And Jewish people
Looking at me to confirm
That I was both
I told him
that I lived in New York
And had never been
to California
And although
I might looked Jewish
As I had
what was called
back in the day
A “Jewfro”
I was not Jewish
Many years later I discovered
That I am indeed part Jewish
But then I did not know
And I felt a bit of
strategic misinformation
Might keep me alive
Then I realized
that he was just
jiving with me
And we relaxed
And he pulled
out some weed
And beer
And we mellowed out
But I believe
that he really
was with the mob
Perhaps not a dynamite dealer
A real made Italian
made mafia member
By Chicago
I had enough
I called my Dad
Told him what had happened
Wanted a ticket home
And he sent me a ticket
And 500 dollars
And I went home
I told him I would tell him
My tales some day
But never did
I learned so much
About my fellow Americans
And the strange vibe
That was 1975
And now it is too late
But I wanted to finally
Tell the world
Of my hitchhiking tales
In search of America 1975
In the summer of 2016
We drove across the country
Just the wife and me
10,000 miles
31 states
Three months on the road
I now know
why people don’t live
In South Dakota
Hot, dry dusty
Windy as hell
Black Hills are nice
But after seeing Mt. Rushmore
There is not much left to do
Rapid City did not impress me
Nor did Sioux Falls
Lost money in Deadwood
And wall drugs
Well the free water was nice
But it is a nothing town
In a nothing state
On the edge of the badlands
And the Sioux reservation
There is a reason the Indians live there
No one else wanted the land
And they are warehoused there
So I drove through Rapid City
And thought that it is the heart of Trump Land
The land of the forgotten
The left behind
Just another nothing burger of a State
In the middle of nowhere
Truly flyover country
Wagontire, Oregon
1973
April 6 Wagontire
In 1973, I went on a road trip
With my father
We left Berkeley to go to Yakima
Where my father had a summer cabin
He was a college professor
And had July and August off
And we spent the summers
Every summer from 1968 to 1978
Our whole dysfunctional family
Our annual road trip to hell and back
As we did not get along at all
We decided to drive through Eastern Oregon
Just my father and me
Just for the hell of it
The rest of the family was already there
My father and I shared a travel lust
One of the few things we shared
This was one of our best trips
We got along
Which was unusual
Normally our relationship
Was fraught
As we were so different
We left Klamath Falls
A real nothing burg in those days
And headed east along highway 395
As we entered the desert of eastern Oregon
We entered a different world
High mountain dessert
Almost no one on the road
Then we saw the sign
Wagontire Oregon
100 miles ahead
99 miles ahead
98 miles ahead
97
96
95
We counted down the signs
94
93 92
91
90
88
87
86 85
84
83
82
81 80
79
78
77
76
75 74
73
72
71
70
Miles after miles
69 68 67
66 65
64
63
62
61
60 59
58
57
55
54
53 52
51
50
49
48
47 46
45
44
43
42 41
40
39
38
37
36 35
34
33
32
31
As we drove into the gathering dusk
We speculated that Wagontire
Must be a giant truck stop
In the middle of no where
30
29
28
27
26
25
24
23
22
21 20
19
18
17
16 15
14
13
12
11
10
8
7
Gas up ahead
Next gas 150 miles ahead
Dad made an executive decision
We are spending the night
It was about 8 pm
We had been on the road
Since 9 am that morning
6
5
3
2
1
Welcome to Wagontire
Population 2 ½ humans
dogs
20 thousand sheep
We pulled into the townNothing there but a gas station
Motel and cafe
In the morning
We chatted with the owner
Joe Wilson who was my father’s age
My father had the natural ability
Of a politician to talk to almost anyone He was the sheriff, the fire chief
The owner of the motel, gas station The only business in town and the owner of a ranch as well Which was his real business he said
Inany event it was only place openfor over 100 miles I asked the Sherriff Say who is the ½ human?
My idiot son!
and we left.
200 miles later
We finally left Eastern Oregon
2016
In 2016 my wife and I drove through Eastern Oregon
As part of our epic cross country trip
10,000 miles
31 states in three months
On the way from Medford to Yellowstone
We drove along highway 395
The signs
for Wagon Tire was gone
And we drove through the town
The motel was abandoned
Nothing there at all
And that sign was gone too
The town had turned
into one of Oregon’s ghost towns
and Oregon has more ghost towns
than any other state in the country
mostly in Eastern Oregon desert
which has one of the lowest
population densities
in the entire world
1 person per square mile
I said I suppose the idiot son
Never took over the business
And we speculated about Wagon Tire
And all other nothing burgs
We drove through that summer
Heart of Trump’s America
True fly over country
Back of the Bus
Many years ago
When I was a foolish young man
I took a greyhound bus trip
Just to see the country
I was trapped
In the back of the bus
Where the young
And restless souls
Gathered together
And drank illegally
And smoked weed
Also illegally
We stayed there
Until Winnemucca
Where I got off
And found my bus pass
Had found another owner
And I went to Salt Lake City
Still trapped in the back of the bus
the Bus – Travels Through America’s Underbelly
I am a bus rider
That makes me unusual
For a white male
From an upper middle class family
Our people are not bus riders
Though some are subway riders
Bus riders are other people
The poor, minorities, immigrants
People who don’t drive
Because they are blind
Or have a DUI
And in my case
I don’t drive
Because I have bad vision
And bad coordination
Just never got the hang
Of the whole driving thing
Fortunately for me
My wife does the driving
But I still take the bus
From time to time
I rode the AC buses in Berkeley
As a child
Line 67, line 51, line 43 F bus
Rode them long before BART came along
And afterwards as well
As an adult seldom rode the bus
But when I did so
I was always impressed
By the sheer diversity
Of the bus riding property
Hundreds of languages
All sorts of sexual orientation
Some were white
Most were not
Most of my fellow passengers
Were nice enough
Some were friendly
And some were lost
In their own thoughts
And a few
Were scary looking dudes
With the look
Of someone who had done time
And were capable of more violence
I also rode the bus
In Seattle as a graduate student
A lot of fellow UW students
And the usual immigrants
Minorities etc
And some white people commuting
And in DC
Over the years
I rode a lot of buses
Mostly to and from the metro
But I got to know
And love the DC buses as well
I also took the greyhound bus
Across the country
Several times over the years
All over the U.S.
From Bay Area to Stockton
From Bay Area to Clear Lake
From Bay area to NYC
NYC to DC
All over the USA
Taking the Greyhound
Was always an a adventure
Met a lot of interesting people
As people on long distant bus rides
Tend to open up and talk
To pass the time away
Overseas I took the bus
All over
In India, in Barbados
In Spain and in Korea
The Korean buses
For many years
Were difficult for foreign visitors
As the signs were all in Korean
Most have signs
Now in English, Chinese and Korean
And are much more foreigner friendly
Riding the bus
In America
Allows one access
To the underbelly of American society
The poor, the marginalized
The immigrant communities
That many middle-class
white people
Just never see
And for that reason
I am glad
That I am a bus rider
Cross Country Road TripsPart One
I have driven across the country
Five times in my life
Most recently in the summer of 2016
My wife and I drove an epic 10,000 mile road trip
31 states in three months
To celebrate my retirement from the State Department
We started in DC Drove to Florida,
stopped in Virginia, and Georgia
Staying at military bases Along the way
Finding food always a problem
As outside of the metro areas
Few people really knew
How to serve gluten free food
And most of the food we ate
Was pretty ghastly indeed
Was pretty ghastly indeed
Finally hitting Tampa
Where we became a resident
And stayed a week
Checking it out
As a potential retirement destination
Finally it was time to move on
We drove through Florida
Seeing some real poor rural towns
In the outback of Florida
We saw a lot of rural poverty
Throughout our trip
As much of the country
We found resembled
We found resembled
A third world backwater
Shocking to see
How far the country
Has declined
Outside the big metro areas
We stayed in Tallahassee one night
Not that impressed
Then Birmingham, Alabama
Also not that impressed
Ended up in Hot Springs Arkansas
Two nights
Lost money gambling of course
Lost money gambling of course
Then on to Little Rock
And saw the Clinton Museum
Little Rock was a nice town
But not a place for us
And on we went
Arkansas, Mississippi
Missouri flew by
What we could see
From the freeway
Was nothing but rural poverty
Oklahoma welcomed us
With hundreds of Indian casinos
With Hundreds of Indian casinos
But we drove on
And stayed outside of Oklahoma city
Had some decent BBQ
Next day
Drove all day
Through Texas
Thinking of the country classic
Dear god drove 800 miles
Still stuck in Texas
And ended up
In Armadillo Texas
Had great texmex there
Drove by the grand canyon
Of Texas but did not stop
But did not stop
And on to New Mexico
Where we enjoyed two nights
Checking out the sights
Made famous in Breaking Bad
Gambling of course
And eating at the oldest
Restaurant in America
Tried New Mexican wine
Not for the faint of heart
Then on to Arizona
Stopped of in Winslow
To take a picture
Of the guitar player
Of the guitar player
And the red mustang
Where the song take it easy
Plays all day long
24/7 tribute
Finally we went to Las Vegas
Stayed a few days
Visiting friends
Gambling a lot
Deciding that Las Vegas
Also would not be
Our retirement destination
We then drove
To Reno
Spend the night
Lost more money
Not too impressed
Drove Through the Nevada desert
Drove through the Nevada desert
Right by area 51
Stopped by the area 51 alien brothel
Looked at all tourist alien things
Did not buy anything though
Saw by the edge of the road
Area 51 fencing and armed patrols
Everywhere
Hiding whatever they are hiding
Spend the night in Tonopah
Lost money
Snowing in the morning
The next day
The next day
We decided to drive
All the way to Medford Oregon
350 miles
Through some beautiful mountains
Worth a future trip to Lassen volcano
Then past Mt. Shasta
And on to Medford along I-5
We felt we were going home
And perhaps Medford
Would be our final home
But we had to go back in two months
But that is another epic poem
Yet to be written
On the Road
Volumes 1& 2
With over 250 contributions, from 121 poets in 28 countries, and over two volumes, ON THE ROAD is probably one of the largest international anthologies of travel poetry every published! For further details go to OUR COLLECTIONS in the website’s menu, and click on the links. If you have contributed to this collection, you can download a free pdf copy by going to AUTHOR’S COPIES in the menu, using the password AuthorCopies
Our NEXT theme is: A NEW WORLD: Rethinking our lives post pandemic. You can write about anything and everything to do with living and life after the pandemic, real or imagined! Go to CONTRIBUTE at the website for full details, submission guidelines, deadline etc. Please also share this with your fellow poets, and give them an opportunity to have their words published too.
Further themes for 2020/21 will be announced shortly, but will include: Space, Bereavement & Loss and Addiction.
We would now like to add more interviews to the website. Recent interviews include…
An interview with Bahrain-based Bengali writer, journalist and poet Vaijayantee Bhattacharya.
Tales of the Exiles in One’s Own Nation: An Interview with Kashmir born novelist, storyteller, poet and filmmaker Siddhartha Gigoo.
A comprehensive interview with American poet Linda Imbler.
An interview with S’busiso Manqa, a South African born poet, author and film-maker.
If you are a poet, either unpublished and just setting out on your journey with words, or already established and published, and fancy answering some email questions about your life as a poet, and what motivates and inspires you to write, please email us.
ONLINE BOOKSHOP…
Lastly, we will shortly be setting up an online bookshop where poets featured on our website and in our quarterly collections can promote and market their titles. Full details will follow separately.
Summer 2020 theme: ON THE ROAD
Volumes 1 & 2
With over 250 contributions, from 121 poets in 28 countries (Australia, Bahrain, Brazil, Canada, England, France, Germany, Greece, India, Israel, Kurdistan, Malawi, Malaysia, Malta, New Zealand, Nigeria, Poland, Republic Of Ireland, Scotland, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, USA, Vietnam and Wales), and over two volumes, ON THE ROAD is probably one of the largest international anthologies of travel poetry every published.
Volume 1
SUMMER 2020 – Poetry on the theme of ON THE ROAD from poets around the world.
54 poets
135 poems
240 pages
Featuring Mark Tulin – USA, Xe M. Sánchez – SPAIN, Linda McCauley Freeman – USA, Cathy Cade – ENGLAND, Neil Leadbeater – SCOTLAND, Eduard Schmidt-Zorner – REPUBLIC OF IRELAND / GERMANY, Chelsea Murphy – USA, Bruce Louis Dodson – SWEDEN, David Dephy – USA, Ed Ruzicka – USA, Anindita Ghosh – SINGAPORE, Mark Cunningham – USA, Shelly Narang – INDIA, Linda M. Crate – USA, Neal Whitman – USA, Eliza Segiet – POLAND, Lee Evans – USA, Joan Mcnerney – USA, R. Bremner – USA, Pamela Scott – SCOTLAND, Chrys Salt MBE – ENGLAND / SCOTLAND, Dr. Eftichia Kapardeli – GREECE, John Nixon – SWEDEN, Geoffrey Heptonstall – ENGLAND, Michael Estabrook – USA, Linda Imbler – USA, Lynn White – WALES, James Dean Rivera – USA, Monica Mastrantonio – BRAZIL, Mark Fleisher – USA, Kathleen Boyle – VIETNAM / ENGLAND, Jake Cosmos Aller – USA / SOUTH KOREA, Martin Chrispine Juwa – MALAWI, Yash Seyedbagheri – USA, J.J. Steinfeld – CANADA, Ed Ahern – USA, Moinak Dutta – INDIA, Gerard Sarnat – USA, Justin Fox – SOUTH AFRICA, Robert Beveridge – USA, Tonmoi Das Kashyap – INDIA, Ann Cefola – USA, Louis Faber – USA, Diane Kendig – USA, Ermira Mitre Kokomani – USA / ALBANIA, Matthew J. Andrews – USA, Christina Lloyd – USA, P.J. Reed – ENGLAND, Diana Smith – USA, Bryan Andrews – SOUTH AFRICA, Antoni Ooto – USA, J. Bi Li Chan – AUSTRALIA, Christopher D. Sims – USA, Tali Cohen Shabtai – ISRAEL and John Tunaley – ENGLAND.
SUMMER 2020 – Poetry on the theme of ON THE ROAD from poets around the world.
66 poets
117 poems
245 pages
Featuring; Mary McCormack – USA, Yi Jung Chen – TAIWAN, Eugene Stevenson – USA, Judy DeCroce – USA, Karen Douglass – USA, William Khalipwina Mpina – MALAWI, LindaAnn LoSchiavo – USA, Wynn Wheldon – ENGLAND, Megha Sood – USA, Alex Carroll – ENGLAND, Cheryl Caesar – USA, Kathleen Bleakley – AUSTRALIA, Jim Landwehr – USA, Strider Marcus Jones – ENGLAND, Theresa C. Gaynord – USA, Sara Kerr – ENGLAND, Kimberly Falsafi – USA, David A Banks – ENGLAND, Jacinta Diaz – USA, Leanne Bradbury – FRANCE / UK, Jayne Marek – USA, Barbra Dean – SPAIN / ENGLAND, Gila Mon – USA, Dany Gagnon – CANADA, Stella Peg Carruthers – NEW ZEALAND, Janet McCann – USA, Máire Malone – ENGLAND, Judith Sanders – USA, Bill Cushing – USA, Marianne Mersereau – USA, Maliha Hassan – PAKISTAN, Saharsh Satheesh – USA, Bernadette Perez – USA, Sean J Mahoney – USA, Aaron Sandberg – USA, Veda Varma – BAHRAIN, Sandra Storey – USA, Bill Cox – SCOTLAND, Mariana Mcdonald – USA, Hussein Habasch – KURDISTAN / GERMANY, Diana Raab – USA, Ankita Patel – INDIA, Charles Leggett – USA, Sarah Jane Justice – AUSTRALIA, Jack D. Harvey – USA, Adrienne Stevenson – CANADA, Barbara Hawthorn – NEW ZEALAND, Jessica Niles DeHoff – MALAYSIA, Mary Anne Zammit – MALTA, William Rudolph – USA, Emmanuel Chitsanzo Mtema – MALAWI, Tamam Kahn – USA, Angela B. Haag – USA, Alicja Maria Kuberska – POLAND, Mtende Wezi Nthara – MALAWI, Fred Kracke – USA, Mantz Yorke – ENGLAND, Donna Zephrine – USA, Brian Langley – AUSTRALIA, Mary Messick – USA, Marc Darnell – USA, John Laue – USA, Isioma Jemimah Okonicha – NIGERIA, Bruce Pemberton – USA, Brigette Furlonger – CANADA, and Lucy Tyrrell – USA.
Where is my home? Where do I belong?
I really don’t know, always moving on to another place
Moved every other year it seems the last 45 years
Traveled to 49 states, 45 countries, drove across the U.S. six times
Lived in Berkeley, Yakima, Stockton, Seattle, Alexandria, DC, Oregon, Korea, Thailand, India, The Eastern Caribbean, and Spain
Where do I belong? Where is my home?
Neither here nor there, nowhere and everywhere
And so is that my rambling man’s fate
Never to really belong anywhere at all
Dark Dangerous Thoughts
dark dangerous thoughts
An old man wakes up
Confronting the dark dangerous thoughts
The demons of the night
That haunt his dreams
And his life
He looks out at the dawning sun
And his sleeping wife
And realizes that it will be all right
And dismisses the demons of the night
Back to their caves in his mind
And he gets up
To take the dawning day
In Search of America
Hitchhiking Tales
hitch hikers
When I was young and foolish
Broke and stubborn
I hitchhiked across the USA
Started in Salt Lake City
Where my greyhound bus pass
Was stolen
The station manager
Could have helped me
But refused to do so
Threaten to call the cops
When I grabbed my bags
Without the stolen tags
I said
Go ahead
But I am so out of here
Wondered about Salt Lake City
Went to a bar
Found I had to buy my booze
Next door
And they would mix it for me
Had to order food too
After a bloody Mary
And a burger
I walked about town
Saw the Mormon Temple
Finally about 3 pm
It was time to hit the road
Did not look back
Ended up in Cody Wyoming
Got a room shower
Steak beer
Using my rapidly depleted cash
Spent 25 dollars
Money really went far
Back in those days
A band of professional
Communist agitators
Gave me a ride
To Des Moines
Lots of weed, booze
And politics later
Got off the road
Slept outside
Next day
A beautiful woman
Drove me to near Chicago
In a red mustang
Might have been
The girl in the song
Took it easy
Digging her vibe
She invited home
But was not sure
If her estranged husband
Would welcome me
So I being foolish
And inexperienced with women
Did not go to her place
And always regretted
That I had lost
My chance that day
Then on to Chicago
Several rides later
Visited friends
Hit the road again
A series of uneventful rides
With truckers
And others
And a week later
I ended in New York City
Slept along the way
In cars
In truck stops
In highway rest stops
Always moving
Always going
None stop talking
And lots of free weed
And beer
And conversation
One more memorable ride
Occurred outside Albany
On my return to Chicago
A middle age creepy looking man
Picked me up
In a brand new Cadillac
He was he said a dynamite deliverer
For the Mafia
Went to various places
To blow up shit
He hated a lot of people
Particularly hippies from California
And Jewish people
Looking at me to confirm
That I was both
I told him that I lived in New York
And had never been to California
And although I might look Jewish
As I what was called back in the day
A “Jewfro”
I was not Jewish
Many years later I discovered
That I am indeed part Jewish
But then I did not know
And I felt a bit of strategic information
Might keep me alive
Then I realized that he was just jiving with me
And we relaxed
And he pulled out some weed
And beer
And we mellowed out
But I believe that he really was with the mob
Perhaps not a dynamite dealer
A real made Italian made mafia member
By Chicago
I had enough
I called my Dad
Told him what had happened
Wanted a ticket home
And he sent me a ticket
And 500 dollars
And I went home
I told him I would tell him
My tales someday
But never did
I learned so much
About my fellow Americans
And the strange vibe
That was 1975
And now it is too late
But I wanted to finally
Tell the world
Of my hitchhiking tales
In search of America 1975
Bus Rides In America’s Underbelly
bus riding
I am a bus rider
That makes me unusual
For a white male
From an upper middle class family
Our people are not bus riders
Though some are subway riders
Bus riders are other people
The poor, minorities, immigrants
People who don’t drive
Because they are blind
Or have a DUI
And in my case
I don’t drive
Because I have bad vision
And bad coordination
Just never got the hang
Of the whole driving thing
Fortunately for me
My wife does the driving
But I still take the bus
From time to time
I rode the AC buses in Berkeley
As a child
Line 67, line 51, line 43 F bus
Rode them long before BART came along
And afterwards as well
As an adult seldom rode the bus
But when I did so
I was always impressed
By the sheer diversity
Of the bus riding property
Hundreds of languages
All sorts of sexual orientation
Some were white
Most were not
Most of my fellow passengers
Were nice enough
Some were friendly
And some were lost
In their own thoughts
And a few
Were scary looking dudes
With the look
Of someone who had done time
And were capable of more violence
I also rode the bus
In Seattle as a graduate student
A lot of fellow UW students
And the usual immigrants
Minorities etc
And some white people
Commuting
And in DC
Over the years
I rode a lot of buses
Mostly to and from the metro
But I got to know
And love the DC buses as well
I also took the greyhound bus
Across the country
Several times over the years
All over the U.S.
From Bay Area to Stockton
From Bay Area to Clear Lake
From Bay area to NYC
NYC to DC
All over the USA
Taking the Greyhound
Was always an adventure
Met a lot of interesting people
As people on long distant bus rides
Tend to open up and talk
To pass the time away
Overseas I took the bus
All over
In India, in Barbados
In Spain and in Korea
The Korean buses
For many years
Were difficult for foreign visitors
As the signs were all in Korean
Most have signs
Now in English, Chinese and Korean
And are much more foreigner friendly
Riding the bus
In America
Allows one access
To the underbelly of American society
The poor, the marginalized
The immigrant communities
That many middle-class white people
Just never see
And for that reason
I am glad
That I am a bus rider
Notes from the Author :
Based on my experiences riding the bus all over the world from 1968 to 2018.
Cosmos’s 2020 April Poetry Part Two April 16 to April 30
final statistics for the month – 165 poems written , most posted here or in part one. Enjoy comments welcomed
Note: for the rest of the month, from April 18th to April 30, I will still be writing a lot of poems, but only posting a few per day so i can build up some “unpublished” poems for my future submissions. And in May-June I will be turning to editing my novels so expect a less frantic pace of poetry updates from me for the next few months. it has been a creative challenge keeping up the pace but I am getting a bit “poemed” out. i will list the poems I write this month in the index and note whether they are posted or not, and of course if anyone wants to read one of the “unpublished poems” we can work something out. just ask. and expect a few more postings in May and June as poems are published elsewhere I will post them here as well as I like doing.
Finally if anyone wants to guest post poems on cats, computers, coffee or the corona virus let me know – I’d love to try publishing your work as well but check out my cats, computer, coffee or corona poems here first before sending me your stuff, and perhaps you could return the favor?
Welcome to Cosmos’s 2020 April Poetry. This is the fourth attempt to do this. For this year I am doing things a bit different. Since I am in Korea I will be posting a day later from here starting April 2 which will be April first in the U.S.First I will update my poems daily here (along with audio clips, photos clips, and links to various prompts etc)
Second I will update my links on the following sites where I have been posting poetry for some time – all my April poems will be here regardless of whether I post them elsewhere – I will be posting one to two per day on these sites and writing anywhere from two to five per day, with many of them not being posted at all so I can accumulate some “unpublished poems” but I will list them all here either as posted or unposted. The posted ones will have audio, photos and links occasionally to other sites.
Here are the sites along with the links to my poetry posted there.
And on my various FB poetry sites will post my poems on five different sites per day and since I’ve lost count of how many I am following well that could be a lot, but I will list them as I post on them in case anyone is interested in finding poetry and writing groups on FB
Finally, love to hear how others are coping both with corona virus, and with the April Poetry month. I suspect that there will be a lot of interest this year since people are staying home!
Now let’s get to the poems shall we? I will update this daily
Index
Chronological list
ursday April 16
Some parts of me craves a hard won miracl
Thursday April 16
Some parts of me craves a hard won miracle poetry super highway prompt
the greatest mystery of my life writing com daily dew drop in
my greatest comfort food is coffee tweeter poetry prompt
smoothie tweeter poetry prompt
mango madness tweeter poetry prompt
Bulgar is not one of my things tweeter poetry prompt
Plans tweeter poetry prompt
goat meets Pig all poetry contest
waiting for death all poetry contest
hot coffee in the morning fan story
Friday April 17
You are my Lode Star love Sonnet
another Nigerian spam found poem
Last Day of America writers digest prompt – last blank
Plane, Train or Automobile – none of us can escape our fate
packages tweeter speak poetry prompt April 16 Packages
computer madness sonnet – sonnet all poetry computer frustration contest
You have always been my sunshine love sonnet for all poetry contest on prompt line Sunshine Kissed
Not Posted
my Mother’s secret life as a mad poet – poetry superhighway prompt to write a poem based on your mother’s imagined journal writings
Saturday April 18
Starting today will post no more than five poems, reserve the rest for publication or remain unpublished
For Posting
Cosmic Debris Corona Sonnet
No More Ties for Me! Writing com Daily Dew Drop Inn to write about a piece of clothing
Korean Blues Crown of Sonnets – Writer digest prompt write an exotic poem wrote my first crown of sonnet form too, and it mostly rhymes! go figure
Not for Posting today may remain unpublished
Corona Consumes Me Corona Sonnet 3
God Deals with Corona
Seeing Reality Via Them
Problems with the Bible Chapter two of Genesis
Dear God – Please re-write the bible -poetry Superhighway prompt re-write sacred text version 2
Sunday April 19
for posting
General Corona Leads His Troops Into Battle, crown of sonnets
Voice Message for God – writer digest prompt write a “message Poem” so this is a voice mail to GOD
The Time when she came to Me Poetry Superhighway prompt to write a poem about time travel to your past or your future
Not for Posting
Dear President Trump
Christ Comes Back and Judges us all
Monday April 20
for posting
Love Dream Triolet
National Poetry Month Prompt Day 12
ARC Pensively three word challenge – ARC, Hold, Back
Lonely Old Man Howling at the Moon Writers Digest prompt use six words prompt – bump, embrace, fixture, howl, lonely, resolve
watching the President haunts my nightmares
poetry superhighway prompt write about a nightmare
boogey men in The Mist
content tracing, “the mist” unpublished poem writer for April Poetry Month 2020, based on the Mist TV Services based on the Stephen King
Not for Posting hold for publication
playing basketball Beneath the Lunatic Moon =creative talents unleashed prompt
Sprouts of Love Grows in My Dreams -creative talents unleashed prompt
ART Calms the Soul amid the corona death -creative talents unleashed prompt
Strange Findings at a Thrift Shop/Garage shop -creative talents unleashed prompt
NOT FOR PUBLICATION
Siblings I wish I had -creative talents unleashed prompt
Tuesday April 21
Posted
Isolation Blues writer’s digest Isolation Blues
You’re still a young man
Coffee Star Selvin writing com formal poem
My Life’s Drama writing com dew drop inn prompt
Covid19 Heroes all poetry contest
I never get tired of looking at you all poetry contest
Alone corona sonnet creative talents unleashed prompt
Last Acorn – poetry soup contest entry
not posted
Farmers Market
Tweet speak the farmer’s market
Walking in the woods in the corona era creative talents unleashed prompt
Unrequited Love Story creative talents unleashed prompt
perfect brunch menu creative talents unleashed prompt
White Flower of Love creative talents unleashed prompt
Wednesday April 22
Posted
Secret Love of Sheep – pensively 101 three word prompt, print, cover, sheep
Nigerian Bank Scam found poem
She came to me in a dream duet writers digest prompt
ode to morning coffee National Poetry Month prompt
oceans writing.com Daily Dew Drop Inn prompt
Noise of the news Drives Out Spring Poetry Superhighway
Cats and Dogs Contrapuntal Poem All Poetry contest
Let there Be Light All poetry contest
Go ethnic tweets-peak
Tuesday April 23
Isolation Blues writer’s digest Isolation Blues
You’re still a young man
Coffee Star Selvin writing com formal poem
My Life’s Drama writing com dew drop inn prompt
19 Heroes all poetry contest
I never get tired of looking at you all poetry contestAlone corona sonnet creative talents unleashed prompt
not posted
Farmers Market
Tweet speak the farmer’s market
Walking in the woods in the corona era creative talents unleashed prompt
Unrequited Love Story creative talents unleashed prompt
perfect brunch menu creative talents unleashed prompt
Wednesday April 24
Secret Love of Sheep – pensively 101 three word prompt, print, cover, sheep
Nigerian Bank Scam found poem
She came to me in a dream duet writers digest prompt
ode to morning coffee National Poetry Month prompt
oceans Daily Dew Drop Inn prompt
Noise of the news Drives Out Spring Poetry Superhighway
Cats and Dogs Contrapuntal Poem All Poetry contest
Let there Be Light All poetry contest
Go ethnic tweetspeak
Thursday April 25
Programing a VCR and other terrors
Na/GloPOWR/Mo prompt Day 18
Quirk of fate
writers digest prompt to write a quirk poem
I have bad teeth
poetry super highway prompt to write a confession poem about something you should do but have not done
Letter to My Past Self
writing.com Daily Dew Drop inn Prompt
pensively 101 prompt three word challenge path, honesty, remote
Covid madness sweeps through the world all poetry contest
Friday April 26
Cold Winter Day pensively prompt
social distancing walking in the Springtime writers digest prompt to write a social blank poem
ode to my book shelves filled with unread books, poetry superhighway prompt to write a poem in plain sight
Dream Lover Balwa writing com formal poetry prompt
endless arguments with my brothers writing com daily dew drop inn prompt to write a poem about arguments
Just Shoot me – pensively 101 three wood challenge
wrappers – tweets-speak
Pumpkin season – pumpkin tweet-speak
secret layers tweets-speak
Saturday April 26
Finally I wake
Window of Promise – Tweet speak daily prompt
Nature’s Bounty Awaits Me
Alone No More
Has God Anointed Donald Trump as our leader?
waking at love Haiku
Sunday April 27
Drinking Coffee amid the morning flowers
Pensively 101 prompt bloom, switch, chain
Stem – tweeter speak
Playing Bach to Calm the Mind and Soul – National Poetry Month Prompt
President Trump You are the Annotated One – found poems from right wing Christians – Crown of Sonnets -writers digest remix poem
My Computer Hates Me – Poetry Superhigh way prompt objects speak
Darkness Descends – All Poetry Contest
The Grim Reaper Smiles All Poetry Contest
Monday April 28
Her Love Shines throughout the day -version two for poetry superhighway
Cosmos’s total Information Awareness
Living in an Orwellian Nightmare
Poetic and other inspirations
National Poetry Month Daily Prompt
Changes are coming due -writing digest prompt
Rain Fall in the Springtime Daily Dew Drop Inn
General Corona is coming for us all Poetry Magnum Prompt -content tracing “Howl” by Allen Ginsberg
The Presidents Sits Down on his Naked Rump -Pensively 101 three word challenge, teeth, Rump, green
End of Winter tweet-speak prompt
massive piles of meat -writers digest prompt to write a “massive “ poem
three mad poems of desire – poetry super highway prompt
Love Sidlak – writing com formal poetry challenge
come on baby light my fire -writing com daily dew drop inn prompt to write a “fire” Poem
Not Posted
Stupid stuff done as a teenage -On stealing things national Poetry Month Prompt
Art of Eating – tweet speak
Rules creative talents unleashed
My Feet Take Me There creative talent unleashed
Happy walking in the woods Tanka walking in the woods creative talents unleashed
Sad women inside the camera’s lens creative talents unleashed
Wednesday April 29
Looking Back on the Date when I met my Fate
writers digest looking back poem prompt
the funeral for a mad queen -Poetry Superhighway prompt
the End of America, another cosmos’s rant found poem thanks to William Walton
Gaia Welcomes Us – found poem poetic rant -thanks to William Walton
flowers for my love – National Poetry Day Prompt
seasons of my love – tweet-speak prompt – write a seasonal poem
Thursday April 30
Have words lost all meaning?
plate plans -tweet-speak daily April Prompts
Slide, Catch, Shot -Pensitivity 101 prompt
total Success- writers digest prompt total blank poem
Blues Brothers medley found poem -poetry Superhighway prompt
Will always recall the date I met my fate all poetry contest
general Corona is Happy all poetry contest
waterfall of love poetry soup contest
last Entry for May – pensively prompt 101
baby I got the blues found poem thanks to William Walton
praise love of my life – writers digest prompt
things better left unsaid
random rhymes writing com prompt
things to resolve before I die – poetry super highway prompt
bonus poem – corona virus haiku – Published Poetry Ni
Begin Poems
Th
e
corona
some parts of me
craves a hard won miracle
in these dark dire times
I even start to pray
to a god who may not exist
or answer my prayers
yes we need a miracle
a deus ex machina to sweep down
and send the virus back to hell
a miracle to calm
the dark storms
swirling around us
a miracle
to end this virus madness
and restore normal life
nothing short
but a miracle
will do
Poetry superhighway prompt – Some parts of me craves a hard won miracle
the greatest mystery of my life
dreams and the Unexplanable
the greatest mystery
of my life
remains how I met my wife
I first dreamt of her
back in the day
every week she came to me
speaking to me
in a weird language
then one day
eight years later
she walked off a bus
and into my life
and to this day
I have no rational explanation
as to How I dreamt
about her for eight years
I can only conclude
that we knew
each other
in a prior life
and our love crossed
the barriers of time
and space
until that date
we were doomed to meet
for on that date
so many years ago
I met my fate
writing com Daily Dew Drop Inn
my greatest comfort food is coffee
coffee
My greatest comfort food
is a hot cup of coffee
early in the morning
I pound down my coffee
and unleash my inner muse
inspired by the caffeine
I get to work
slowly drinking my cup
of heaven and hell
my morning cup of Joe
tweeters speak daily prompt
blueberry smoothie
blueberries
my daily breakfast
includes blue berries
in my smoothie
blueberry,
strawberry,
oranges
banana,
pineapple,
home made kefir
kale
spinach
wheat grass
macca root
apple cider vinegar
coconut oil
stevia
honey
cinnamon
all blended to perfection
that is my daily breakfast
fit for a champion
tweeter speak prompt
mango madness
mango
the best mangos
I ever had
were in India
in the early spring
mango madness
spreads across India
as mangos are in season
and mangos are everywhere
on every menu
so sweet
so fragrant
so magical
mango madness
takes over
my soul
as I eat my mango
dreaming mango dreams
tweeter speak
Bulgar is not one of my things
Bulgur-Bourghul-Burghul-Bulgar.jpg_350x350
Bulgar is not one of my things
Unless there is nothing left to eat
Like nothing at all
Get that bulgar off my plate
All i want is anything else
Raw bulgar just does not do it for me
tweeter speak
Plans
Close up white coffee cup with heart shape latte art on wood table at cafe.
every morning I wake up
filled with great plans
I sit
drink my coffee
make my plans
lost in my thoughts
focused on the plan
endless to do lists
then life happens
and my plans
go awry
thrown out the window
At the end of the day
a man without a plan
is a man
lost in inner space
Year of the Goat Meets Year of the Pig
cute pig
I was born in the year of the goat
my wife
was born in the year of the pig
a perfect match
according to Buddhist fortune tellers
a man born in the year of the goat
loves luxury and loves spending money
while a woman born
in the year of the pig
is a genius at making money
the man enjoys the wealth
his pig wife creates
for his enjoyment
and that is the perfect match
and so it has been for us
as I enter my 65th birth year
I find myself richer
than I ever thought I would be
richer
than the legendary Cronus
richer
than Midas himself
way more money
than I could ever use
all because I married
a golden pig
all poetry horoscope contest
waiting for death
hopelessly
we all stand looking about
waiting for our death
all poetry fragment haiku contest
hot coffee in the morning
coffee
hot
coffee in morning
gets my blood moving
takes me to heaven then crashes to hell
fan story contest
Friday April 17 –
You are my Lode Star
in the morning dawning light
you are always there
you are my lode star
my sunshine, my moonshine
the love of my life, my wife
with your endless love
I will face the evil corrupted world
even walk through the shadow of death
as long as you by my side
I will fear no evil for you are with me
and I will love you
until death takes me
from your your loving embrace
note: an attempted sonnet
another Nigerian spam found poem
the Nigerians keep sending me
and millions of others
delightedly creative spam messages
this is one of the nicer ones
I have received
Enjoy
but don’t send her any money!!!!!
Good day Child of God,
Calvary Greetings
in the name of the LORD Almighty
and Our LORD JESUS CHRIST
the giver of every good thing.
Good day and compliments of the seasons,
i know this letter
will definitely come to you
as a huge surprise,
I humbly
ask you to give me
your attention
and hear me,
i am writing this mail
to you
with heavy sorrow
in my heart,
but I implore you
to take the time
to go through it carefully
as the decision you make
will go off a long way
to determine
my future
and continued existence.
I am Mrs. Esther Heidi
aging widow of 61 years old
suffering from long time illness.
I have some funds
I inherited from my late husband
, the sum of ($17 Million Dollars) a
And I needed a very honest
and God fearing
who can withdraw this money
then use the funds for Charity works
I WISH TO GIVE THIS FUNDS
TO YOU FOR CHARITY WORKS.
I found your email address
from the internet
after honest prayers
to the LORD
to bring me a helper
and i decided to contact you
if you may be willing
and interested to handle
these trust funds in good faith
before anything happens to me.
I accept this decision
because I do not have any child
who will inherit this money
after I die.
I want your urgent reply
to me so that I will give you
the deposit receipt
which the bank issued to me
as next of kin
for immediate transfer of the money
to your account in your country,
to start the good work of God,
I want you to use the 30/percent
of the total amount to help
yourself in doing the project.
I am desperately
in keen need of assistance
and I have summoned
up courage to contact you
for this task,
you must not fail me
and the millions of the poor people
in our todays WORLD.
This is no stolen money
and there are no dangers involved,
100% RISK FREE
with full legal proof.
Please if you would be able
to use the funds for the Charity
(Note: I would use the money
to invest in the Church of Jake)
I want you to
take 30 percent of the total money
for your personal use
while 70% of the money
will go to charity.
I will appreciate your utmost confidentiality
and trust in this matter to accomplish
my heart desire, as I don’t want anything
that will jeopardize my last wish.
Please kindly
respond for further details.
Thanks and God bless you,
Regards
Mrs. Esther Heidi
comment: the sad reality
is that 10 percent
of people fall for these scams
and loose lots of money
whole towns in Nigeria
exist to exploit the world
they call themselves
the 404 army
if it is too good to be true
it is probably not true
end comment
the Conqueror Worm Corona Sonnet
Lo, t’s a galla night
within the lonesome later years
when around the world
the dreaded corona virus showed its might
spending fear to those in their later years
that it might take them in the night
that before the sun came up
their time on earth would end up
DEATH IS COMING
TO US ALL
NONE CAN ESCAPE
WE
AWAIT
FATE
# content tracing: the Conqueror Worm By Edgar Allan Poe
writing.com corona sonnet form challenge
with apologies to the Ghost of Edgar Allan Poe!!!! May he rest in peace wherever he is
The Last Day of America
trump
the last day of America
was the day we last voted
the last election we ever had
for on that day
a month before
the corona virus re-emerged
as the great re-opening
of the US economy
failed to stop the relentless spread
of the virus from hell
led by General Corona
causing panic and mass confusion
fear kept Americans home
and Donald Trump
was re-elected
because his voters
believed that God
had told them to vote
for their new found king
the newly energized President Trump
declared a national emergency
martial law
and suspension of the constitution
Promising to restore democracy
when the time was right
he promised his followers
that he would restore Christian values
renaming the United States
the Christian States of America
on that date
we met our fate
Christian fascism
was here to stay
as the time was never right
to restore the old Republic
on the last day
of American
writers digest prompt – last blank
My Mother’s Secret Life as a Mad Poet – not for publication
Somehow this fragment is the only pages that were left – she encouraged me to write from an early age and she and I loved talking about what we were reading and about politics and life but so much of her inner soul, her inner demons she never told me about then one day dementia took hold and I never was able to find out much about her secret shrouded life and she took a lot of secrets to the grave as did my father. Ultimately I decided not to publish this poem as it is too personal and she had her reasons she did not want to publish any of her writings and after reflection, I decided to honor that so this and many of her other stories will remain with her in the other world. But I had fun writing it and trying to make her rambling style into something resembling more formal verse. I took the original steam of consciousness style and forced it into a crown of sonnets eight 14 line free verse non-rhyming sonnets format (is there such a thing?) for somehow that worked for me. and somehow I think she would have approved of my edited version. I like to think so.
Plane, Train or Automobile – none of us can escape our fate
airplanes
in these dark and dire times
we find ourselves living
we often fear that the times
are infected with death
and so we are afraid
deathly afraid
that if we take a plane
we will find General Corona
among the passengers
and we be afraid
deadly afraid
that the subways
are incubators
of death and destruction
the virus spreads
fear and death
in its wake
many of us
retreating to our homes
and venturing out
in our cars
only to find
death is stalking us
as traffic piles up
traffic accidents
still killing more people
that the dreaded General Corona
the grim reaper smiles
his work is done
Satan thanks General Corona
for a job well done
awarding him a Satanic
medal of freedom
Hell’s highest honor
writing com daily dew drop in prompt
packages
they say
that God works in mysterious ways
his wonders to perform
every day it seems
that more and more
of what we buy
and consume
comes in packages
sent from here and there
as people
continue to practice
social distancing
and going to the store
becomes an exercise
fraught with peril
and danger
so we order
on-line
and we get our packages
sent from here and there
one day we received
a gift package
of clams
delicious fresh clams
as I ate them
I thought of the workers
who had labored unseen
for me to enjoy
this bounty from the sea
and I gave thanks
to the gods
for making it happen
in this day and age
we should thank
those who are still
laboring to feed the world
they are the unsung heroes
of this war fought by nature
under the direction
of General Corona
computer madness infects my soul
every day when I turn on my PC
and encounter endless haiku error messages
constant crashing, constant eating my files
at times like this it seems to me
that my mad as a hatter crazed computer
is plotting against me and only me
it wants to drive me quite insane
sending me right around the bend
as I scream at my machine
it beeps at me this damn machine
smiling as I threaten once again
to shoot the hell bound machine
sonnet all poetry computer frustration contest
You have always been my sunshine
You have always been my sunshine
my moonshine, my load star
that guides me in the night
for your sunshine kissed my soul
the day that you walked
out of my dreams
into my life
and became my wife
for 38 years and counting
every morning I see you sleeping
your smile is like the sunshine
that wakes my soul
and banishes the nightmares
back to the dark corners of my mind
love sonnet for all poetry contest on prompt line Sunshine Kissed
mad computer haiku
mad computer
computer wants to kill me
or drive me insane
Fan story haiku contest
Saturday April 18
Korean Blues Crown of Sonnets
I have been dealing with Things Korean
for almost 40 years now
dealing with a once exotic land
now my second homeland
first came to Korea
in the Peace Corps in Korea
went to Korea to find the woman
in search of the woman
who haunted my dreams
met the woman
Fell in love with the woman
From Korea who walked out my dreams
In an land still exotic
In a land still exotic
It was a very exotic different land
and even now decades later a new land
remains for most Americans
still a strange land exotic
but much more known land
in the US
due to K drama, K Pop,
Koreans have become globally cool but still exotic
Many of my fellow Americans
may know a few people from Korea
and some have served or lived in Korea
but to most of the us Americans
it remains over there still exotic
a strange Asian exotic land
A strange Asian Exotic land
I fell in love with that exotic land
now I spend half my time living Korean time
half in the U.S. time
and due to the corona time
will be here for some time
and well Korea
no longer an exotic land
as I am now just living in Korea
my thoughts half Korean
and even dream in Korean
so be it near the end of my time
I am back where I began
Writer digest prompt write an exotic poem wrote my first crown of sonnet form too, and it mostly rhymes! go figure
Cosmic Debris Corona sonnet 2
I received a mysterious email package
followed by a phone call offering me a magical mask
a mask that they claim would prevent me
from the dreaded General Corona
hey there
who you jiving with that cosmic debris
a mask that they did not want me
me to know about
TOP SECRET CODE 2 LEVEL STUFF
MUST ACT NOW
SEND MONEY ASAP
BUY
IT
NOW
# content tracing- “Cosmic Debris by Frank Zappa”
with apologies to Frank Zappa
Frank Zappa Cosmic Debris
The mystery man came over
And he said I’m outta sight
He said for a nominal service charge
I could reach nirvana tonight
If I was ready, willing and able
To pay him his regular fee
He would drop all the rest of his pressing affairs
And devote his attention to me
But I said look here brother
Who you jiving with that cosmik debris?
Now who you jiving with that cosmik debris?
Look here brother, don’t waste your time on me
The mystery man got nervous and he fidget around a bit
He reached in the pocket of his mystery robe
And he whipped out a shaving kit
Now I thought it was a razor
And a can of foaming goo
But he told me right then when the top popped open
There was nothin’ his box won’t do
With the oil of aphrodite, and the dust of the grand wazoo
He said you might not believe this, little fella
But it’ll cure your asthma too
And I said look here brother
Who you jiving with that cosmik debris?
Now what kind of a guru are you, anyway?
Look here brother, don’t waste your time on me
(Don’t waste your time)
I’ve got troubles of my own, I said
And you can’t help me out
So, take your meditations and your preparations
And ram it up your snout
But I got the crystal ball, he said
And held it to the light
So I snatched it, all away from him
And I showed him how to do it right
I wrapped a newspaper ’round my head
So I looked like I was deep
I said some mumbo-jumbo, then
I told him he was going to sleep
I robbed his rings and pocketwatch
And everything else I found
I had that sucker hypnotized
He couldn’t even make a sound
I proceeded to tell him his future, then
As long as he was hanging around
I said the price of meat has just gone up
And your old lady has just gone down
Look here brother
Who you jiving with that cosmik debris?
Now is that a real poncho or is that a Sears poncho?
Don’t you know, you could make more money as a butcher?
So, don’t waste your time on me
Don’t waste it, don’t waste your time on me (om shanti, om shanti, om shanti, shanti)
first, I would spend
my remaining life
loving my wife
second, i would never wear a tie again
unless it was a real special occasion
as I hated wearing ties and suits
wore a suit and tie
almost every day
of my life
as a teacher
later as a foreign service officer
all over the world
last year of my job
I only wore a tie
on “tie worthy occasions”
since then I have been
tie free
except for a wedding
and I love it
hated suits and ties
just not Berkeley enough
for my free spirit
too damn corporate
and I don’t care anymore
and in Oregon, where I lived
no one wore a tie,
not the Oregon way
oh the last thing
I shave twice a month now
used to hate shaving
but I also don’t like
a full shaggy itchy beard
and I shaved every day
for years and years
except when I was in the hospital
for a year
and I grew to love
having a beard
back then
back to the office
started shaving again
every damn day
now I do my thing
no office for me
and no more daily shaving
and a beard is also
very Northern Cal/Northwest
Oregonian Chic
so once every two weeks
is a good compromise
my beard is now a poet’s face
and so I hope to keep
these three vows
until my time is done
writing com Daily Dew Drop Inn prompt to write a poem about a piece of clothing
Corona Consumes Me Corona Sonnet 3
corona virus
I am consumed by the corona virus
and I am slowly being taken over
as the virus infects my mind
taking me over turning me
into a wild raving zombie man
Let there be light
will I become the first
ZOMBIE APOLYCAPASE LOOMS
WILL WE ALL DIE
CORONA
KILLS
ME
content tracing – Let there be light from Bible and the entire Zombie Apocalypse genre where the Zombie flu started usually in China as a flu and then morphs into the zombie disease
Sunday April 19
General Corona Leads His Troops Into Battle, crown of sonnets
corona
the four horseman
General Corona leads his forces across the world
riding on a black horse
from out of the Apocalypse
ride the four horsemen
which are let loose upon the world
He leads his forces across the world
into battle as the leader of his evil forces
The enemy of humanity
General Corona he does not care
nor does his virus minions care
about your nationality he does not care
about your politics he does not care
or your wealth or who you are
for all you are nothing but humanity
the corona general sees humanity
the corona general sees humanity
as nothing but hosts for his virus army
as nothing but hosts for his virus army
chanting death to humanity
until his evil army
sweeps throughout the world
throughout the world
and millions must die
it is the will of the general all must die
and it is the end of the world
or perhaps the beginning of a new world
filled with hope and love through out the world
humanity comes alive throughout the world
fighting back against the virus army
peace, love and compassion defeats the army
and general corona will finally himself die
Voice Message for God
god
dialing 202-346-5666 Beep
You have reached GOD
Press 1 for English, Press 2 for Spanish
leave a message or prayer
and maybe an angel will call you
will get back to you Beep
Hey GOD someone sent me your number
and well I hope I’ve reached your number
I don’t know where to start that’s the point
GOD I am scared of you
all the time is my point
I am so afraid, so scared
of the dreaded General Corona
and his invisible army is my point
and his invisible army is my point
forcing me to stay at home
and I am sacred
that you anointed the wrong man
to be our leader, that makes me sacred
not to second guess you man
your will be done and all of that man
but GOD, can’t you do better job my man
of anointing our leaders to serve under GOD
of all the people in the U.S. dear God
this is the best you can do?, man?
I mean you picked perhaps the one man
in the world who could be the anti-chris, God
Seriously GOD what is wrong with you? man
Seriously, GOD, what is wrong with you? man
was this all sort of a cosmic joke?
well it ain’t funny any more ain’t no joke
Please GOD make it all go away, man
Please GOD for the love of GOD
and all that is holly and good, man
just make it all go away, GOD
and anoint someone else, man
a real leader for a change, GOD
and let him lead us to the promised land
this I pray in Jesus’s name, my man
and if I don’t make it, GOD
We have a lot to talk about GOD
See you on the other side, my man
writer digest prompt write a “message Poem” so this is a voice mail to GOD
Every Day I go Back in Time to when she came to Me
dreams and the Unexplanable
every day I go back in time
to the two events that changed my life
to the dream that haunted my life
and the day she walked into my life
and became my wife
I can never forget the dream
falling asleep in the physics class
as the teacher was going on and on
and as I nodded off
I saw here there
standing there
speaking to me
the most beautiful woman
in the entire world
in the entire world
she was speaking to me
and disappeared from my dreams
and I knew that i would be
meeting her some day she would come to me
and so I eventually went to Korea other side of the world
in the Peace corps hoping she would come to me
then one day i had the last and final dream
she said don’t worry she would soon come to me
and then she walked out of my dreams
and there she was she came to me
and so she walked out of my dreams
into my life, became my wife
when she came to me
Poetry Superhighway prompt to write a poem about time travel to your past or your future
Monday April 20
Love Dream Triolet
dreams and the Unexplanable
to the woman I met in my dreams
I dedicate my life
May she live forever in my cosmic memes
to the woman I met in my dreams
I will forever remember her gleams
and the day she became my wife
to the woman I met in my dreams
I dedicate my life
National Poetry Month Prompt Day 12
ARC Throws Back the Hood
Arthur Robert Copper
aka ARA the notorious international terrorist
threw back his hood
and revealed himself
to be the evil warlord
that had unleashed
General Corona on the world
his goal
nothing less that total domination
taking over the world
amid the total destruction of the world’s economy
as he and his billionaire buddies
reamed the profits
of the total destruction of the world’s economy
Pensvity 101 prompt use the words ARC Hood and Back
Lonely Old Man Howling at the Moon
howling at the moon
There was a mad man who bumped his head
as he tried to embrace the moon shining through the window
a fixture in the room lit by the lunatic light of the moon
the man wanted to howl at reflections of the lunatic moon
the old man was a lonely man filled with sadness
Filled with resolve to join the moon as he died
Writers Digest prompt use six words prompt –
bump, embrace fixture, howl, lonely, and resolve
watching the President haunts my nightmares
trump deaths
every night I have a nightmare
President Trump is announcing
that due to the emergency
he is cancelling the election
and will rule the land
as the undisputed leader
applauded by the Republican leaders
as he ushers in American fascism
Millions of people are arrested
for showing disloyalty to our leader
and I am one of them
as I am disappeared
no one hears my screams
with the midnight knocking at the door
Poetry super highway prompt to write about a nightmare
boogey men in The Mist
As the mist settles down on the land
the mist covers us all
with the scent of death
madness spreads
as the mist devours our minds
nightmares come to life
ghosts, goblins, demons
THE GRIM REAPER
RIDES BEHIND THE MIST
KILLING EVERYONE IN THE MIST
END
TIMES
COME
NOW
content tracing, “the mist”
As the mist settles down on the land
the mist covers us all
with the scent of death
unpublished poem written for April Poetry Month 2020, based on the Mist TV Services based on the Stephen King Novel
Tuesday April 21
Isolation Blues
corona virus
During these trying times
we huddle at home
afraid to go out
afraid of the dreaded
General Corona that is out
and his evil secret armies
keeping us all at home
terrified of becoming a victim
a corona virus statistic
what a way to go out
no way do I want to end my life
to out out that way
so we will endure this day
these isolation blues
writers digest Isolation Blues
You’re still a young man
Your still a young man Tower of Power
tower of power
was the band
for me
back in the day
the greatest funk band
of all time
proudly East Bay Grease
multi-racial, multi-cultural
greatest horn section
of all time
they did it right
and their best song
You’re still a young man
was the best make out song
of all time
best song to slow dance
with a potential lover
at a party
best love song
of the 70’s
and I still recall it
and all the woman
i danced to the song
with back in the day
and I still feel
that I am still a young man
with the love of my life
playing the song
of my life
poetry superhighway Prompt to write a poem about a song popular in high school
Coffee Star Sevlin
coffee
damn hot coffee
what I need in morning
yet it leaves me with this warning
it will lead to nightmares
as I get ready with hot coffee
sleep will not come nightmares
great hot coffee
writing.com formal prompt
My Life’s Drama
My life has been like a drama
a mad cap romcom drama
perhaps a K drama
or a Bollywood drama
or a Hollywood romcom classic drama
for you see in my fairy tale drama
i met the girl of my dreams
eight years later
I had the last dream
she said don’t worry we’ll meet soon
she walked off the bus that day
and into my life
and became my wife
writing com My Life’s Drama
Alone
From childhood’s hour I have not been
as others were, I have not seen
as others saw
in these dark times we live in
i am afraid of being alone
dying all alone
AS GENERAL CORONA
SPREADS HIS ARMIES
ALL OVER THE WORLD
I
DON”T
WANT
DIE
content tracing “Alone” By Edgar Allen Poe
Last Acorn
Acorn on white background
the last acorn on earth
was lonely
the old oak trees
were dying
and humanity was gone
killed off by the corona virus
round two
that erupted out of China
like a bat out of hell
killing almost all humans
and without humans
well somethings just did not happen
and the oak trees were abandoned
and he was the last acorn
the last of his species alive
he wept when he realized
that he would die
all alone
poetry soup contest
Covid19 Heroes
to all the health care providers
law enforcement workers
bus drivers
grocery clerks
and other essential workers
who are working 24/7
to keep us safe
there are no words
for us to express
our heartfelt thanks
to the heroes
that are saving our lives
24/7 every day
Wednesday April 22
Secret Love for Sheep
GOAT
one day I had to print
a cover sheet
for some poetry
that I was writing
about my secret love
for sheep
Pensively 101 three word challenge, print, cover, sheep
Nigerian Scam found poem
REF:- INSTRUCTION TO CREDIT YOUR ACCOUNT WITH THE SUM OF {US$22Million}
This is to notify you about your fund valued at US$22,000.000.00
After due verification and evaluation of your file,
that was sent to us by the Nigeria Government,
in conjunction with the Ministry of Finance
and Central Bank of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
This bank received an instruction,
to see to the immediate release of the sum of
TWENTY-TWO MILLION UNITED STATE DOLLARS (US$22Million)
of your claim that has been in holding
since it was transferred to your bank Account
from their Domiciliary Account with this Bank.
We were made to understand
from our findings
That you have been going
through hard ways
by passing through difficulties
to see to the release of
your fund
TWENTY-TWO MILLION UNITED STATE DOLLARS (US$22Million)
which has been the handwork
of some miscreant elements
from that Country.
We advise,
that you stop further communication,
with anyone from anywhere
concerning your funds,
you don’t have to pass through any
difficult to receive your fund,
as you have met up with the whole
requirement.
We know your representatives in Nigeria,
or anywhere will advise you
to still go ahead with them,
which will be at your own risk.
Your TWENTY-TWO MILLION UNITED STATE DOLLARS (US$22Million)
will reflect in your designated Bank account
within three Bank working days.
Do not go through anybody again
but through this Bank. ‘
if, you really want
your fund.
Finally, you are advised
to re-confirm these to us,
name, your contact Address,Occupation,
Age and Telephone for easy
communication.
We advise that you get back to us
with your details on this
email: enquiryy@citromail.hu
Yours sincerely,
Sir. Frank Anthony
Chief Executive,
Nat-west Bank London,
United Kingdom
the noise of the news
drowning me with fear
none-stop corona coverage
and politics galore
none-stop fear
the noise continues
drowning out
the noise of the spring
outside my door
the birds chirping
the cats flirting
life beginning
making me want
to go outside
poetry superhighway prompt
Oceans
sunrise jpg
I am a creature of oceans
grew up with the SF bay area
at my feet
never far from my home
lived inland in Stockton
for four years
also in Ohio
did not like
being so far
from the Pacific ocean
later lived in DC
not too far
from the Atlanta ocean
lived in India
near the beach
writing com Daily Dew Drop Inn Prompt
Ode to my morning coffee
need more coffee
every morning
I like to start my day
with coffee
hot glorious coffee
I pound it down
waiting for the drug
to get me going
but somedays
I need to take a break
too much caffeine
is not good for me
and so I drink decaf
or tea instead
not the same thing
Na/GloPOWR/Mo prompt Day 18
Cats and Dogs Contrapuntal poem
cat jpg
cats and dog people
are so different
some are cat people
some are dog people
cute dog
and like cats and dogs
they don’t get along
cat people are liberal elites
dog people are down to earth
cat people are mostly women
or gay in the popular imagination
dog people are mostly rugged men
again according to popular imagination
cats are alien creatures
perhaps from another dimension
dogs are friends to humans
for dogs are humans are alike
cats are strange aloof alien
evil self centered creatures
dogs are friendly, down to earth
and loyal to their master
if we ever encounter
an alien species
if it is a cat based species
we will be at war
if it is a dog based species
we will become best friends
as long as we are in charge
and they know that
that is why
in the end
I guest I now prefer
dogs over cats
all poetry contest contrapuntal poem
Let there be light
in the beginning
God created the world
saying
let there be light
and there it was
the whole of creation
then he set loose
the forces of nature
and billions of years later
we emerged from the darkness
just the end result of his divine plan
God set the world up
then he let it runs its course
no need for his intervention
go ethnic
korean feast jpg
I love food
like I love my woman
dark and hot as hell
spicy yet sweet as heaven
filled with ethnic asian flavors
with an ethnic foreign kick
and accent to boot
these are my to go foods
Never liked traditional American food
too bland to my taste
not ethnic enough
just does not do it for me
Just like my woman
you got to be ethnic
if you want to be my lover
for I will have no other
love Korean food the most
followed by Vietnamese
Thai, Lao,Cambodian, Burmese
Chinese, Mexican, Italian
Italian, Greek, Lebanese
Spanish, Turkish, Indian
French, German, British
Irish, Russian, Polish
never had a bad meal
or met a bad lover
in fact
anywhere in the world
Tweetspeak Go Ethnic
Tweetspeak day 19 prompt
Thursday April 23
Walking the path honesty
peace forest
I walk down a lonely path
in the woods near my house
a walk with honesty
as my remote companion
pensively 101 prompt three word challenge path, honesty, remote
Programing a VCR and other terrors
old-vhs-video-cassettes-on-600w-272512889
In the old days
I used to dread
the chore
of programing my VCR
just never got the hang
of doing that
the VCR sat there
taunting me
begging me
to do it
to her
but I just never could
learn how to program
that damn machine
Na/GloPOWR/Mo prompt Day 18
wild things dance in my head
wild things
dark imaginings
0 dark hundred
they come out to play
to torture me
with their endless games
monsters from the deepest depths of hell
they surround me
taunt me, mock me
until at last
the dawn’s early light
and my wife’s love
dispatches them
back to hell
Quirk of fate
it was a quirk of fate
that i met my fate
that date
when she walked
of my dreams
into my life
and became my wife
that date
when due to that quirk
of cosmic fate
we met that date
poetry super highway prompt to write a confession poem about something you should do but have not done
Letter to My Past Self
today my son
is the day
that you were waiting for
the day you dreaming of
the day when you will meet
the love of your life
who will become your wife
she will be there
tonight
on a bus
waiting for you
don’t blow it
meet her
fall in love with her
and remember
she will be your best friend
your best ally
for the rest of your life
so honor and obey
your wife
for you will have
no other
that is what I want to say
to you this day
so go forth
seize the day
and don’t look back
Writing.com Daily Dew Drop inn Prompt
Covid madness sweeps through the world
covid 580
General Corona
unleashes his army
the invisible army
upon the world
killing millions
in its wake
spreading chaos and death
as he rides in
on the black horse of death
harbinger of the end of days
destroyer of worlds
ending of the world
revelations
come to life
covid19 poem contest all poetry
Friday April 24
Cold winter Day
it is a cold winter day
the heat pump is broken
and the cold slowly spreads
through the frozen pipes
spreading death and destruction
as it permeates across the house
pensively 101 prompt
social distancing walking in the Springtime
peace forrest
in this era of corona virus madness
enforced social distancing madness
one has to go out for a walk
social distancing as we walk
as we walk down the path
trying to avoid people
human contact with people
keeping the proper
six feet social distance
amid the dreaded corona virus
how much longer
can we all endure this madness
this damn social
distancing dance with death
writers digest prompt to write a social blank poem
ode to my book shelves filled with unread books
Close up of books on desk in library.
My house is filled with books
thousands of books
mostly old books
lots of musty classic books
lots of poetry books
lots of how to do it books
lots of history books
lots of thrillers, SF books
so many books
and they are my friends, these books
constantly calling me to read my books
as if I had the time to read my books
to sit and read all my books
sadly many will remain unread books
poetry super highway prompt to write a poem about something in plain sight
Just Shoot me
in 1996, I had the injury
that changed my life
went jogging
fell off a ledge
broke my heel
screamed out in pain
just shoot me
then someone hit me
with a frying pan
ended up
in the hospital
pensively 101 three word challenge
wrappers
roll food wrappers
I love food wrappers
Korean lettuce wrapped around meet
Korean seaweed wrapped around fish
Mexican tortilla wraps
Ethiopian bread wraps
and lately
naked burger lettuce wraps
so many things
to enjoy and eat
tweet speak wrappers
Ode to Pumpkin Season
pumpkin latte
in the fall
My favorite time
of the year
around halloween
and my birthday
starting in October
ending in December
it is pumpkin time
every where you go
pumpkin latte
pumpkin pie
and my favorite
pumpkin ice cream
secret layers
one of the joys of eating
foods from around the world
is enjoying
the secret layers of food
so many flavors
to experience and enjoy
as you dive deep
into your food
enjoying the secret layers
of food
with their hidden delights
and secret spices
secret tweet speak prompt
Saturday April 25
Finally I wake
Finally I wake
tossing and turning
I try to sleep
amid the terrible night mares
that haunt my dreams
finally I wake
ready to embrace my fate
telling the dangerous delusions
to go away
as I embrace
the dawning sun
confident that I will find
the time and grace
to overcome the terrible fate
that await me every date
Window of Promise
every day I wake up
and look out my window
on the world
in the morning dawning light
the world seems so full
of promise
promised delights
promised love
promised friendship
as I look out the window
and see life
unfold in all its magnificence
the birds chirping
words of love
the cats grinning smiles
at me
welcoming me
with the promise
of life and love
I close the window
look at my sleeping love
and thank god
that we found each other
and the promised love
that I see outside
the window of life
– Tweetspeak daily prompt
Nature’s Bounty Awaits Me
Looking out at the window
at nature’s bounty
at the springtime air
fills us with awe
as the birds
and even the bees
call out to me
saying it is time
for me
to escape
for a walk in the woods
with my friends
and fans
in mother nature’s embrace
writer digest nature poem
Alone No More
from childhood edge
I have been alone
alone
all by myself
loneliness
fills my heart
as I look out
at the world
filled with lonely thoughts
then I look about me
and see the love
of my life
my lovely wife
standing there
standing there
and these loneliness
these blues of mine
fade away
into nothingness
lonely no more
for the rest of my life
she will be my life
together
we will face the future
defeating the loneliness
alone no more
forever
until the day I die
poetry superhighway word map
trump 4
Has God Anointed Donald Trump as our leader?
God has anointed Trump
as our leader
in these dark dangerous times
who am I to disagree
“There was a mist that was coming off the water,
and I went to the throne of God,
and I didn’t see God’s face clearly,
but I saw the face of God…
He put a mantle (on me)
and it was a very distinct mantle
… I saw it very distinctly.
The color was like a goldish,
a yellowish goldish…
And then I saw the Earth for a moment,
and (God) brought me back,
and he put me in certain places,
one being the White House,
One being certain continents.”
From my perspective,
there is a Cyrus
anointing on Trump,”
“I predicted his nomination,
and I believe
he is the chaos candidate
set apart to navigate
us through the chaos
that is coming to America.
I think America
is due for a shaking
regardless of who is in office.
I believe the 45th president
is meant to be an Isaiah
45 Cyrus
“[God] makes that very clear
in the Bible
where he tells us
that he raises up kings
and destroys kingdoms,”
“He even calls a pagan king,
Cyrus, his anointed,
or his servant to do
the things
that he wants him to do.”
“I want to tell you
that the Jewish people
have a long memory,
so we remember
the proclamation of the great king,
Cyrus the Great, Persian king 2500 years ago,”
“He proclaimed
that the Jewish exiles in Babylon
could come back
and rebuild our Temple in Jerusalem …
We remember
how a few weeks ago,
President Donald J. Trump
Recognized Jerusalem
as Israel’s capital.
Mr President,
this will be remembered
by our people through the ages.”
But the bible also has a warning
About our dear leader
Our great leader
But understand this,
that in the last days
there will come times of difficulty.
For people will be lovers of self,
lovers of money,
proud, arrogant, abusive,
disobedient to their parents,
ungrateful, unholy, heartless,
unappeasable, slanderous,
without self-control, brutal,
not loving good,
treacherous, reckless,
swollen with conceit,
lovers of pleasure
rather than lovers of God,
having the appearance of godliness,
but denying its power. Avoid such people. …
finally at last the bible spoke
the truth to power
Donald J Trump
the most ungodly of all
must be opposed
for he is the anti-Christ
that the bible warns us about
in the end days
there will be false prophets
rumors of war
plague
and natural disasters
and we are living
in the end days
my friends
waking at love Haiku
waking up at dawn
watching the dancing sunbeams
love floating in air
Sunday April 26
Drinking Coffee amid the morning flowers
coffee
BLOOM
SWITCH
CHAIN
Blooming flowers all around me
Looking out the window
Only to see signs of nature
Only in the early dawn
Morning sun brings hope
Some mornings
Watching the world unfold
In front of my eyes
There is so much more
Chain of coffee waking me up
Hot coffee wakes my soul
Coffee smells
Hot glorious coffee
Always gets me going
In the morning dawn
Nothing else will do
Pensively 101 prompt bloom, switch, chain
stem
maurijuana
back in the day
I used to enjoy
Smoking weed
Long before it
became legal
when it was still
an underground thing
and one of the frustrating things
was what to do
when you had stems
mixed in with your weed
the stems gave it a harsh smoke
and a head ache to boot
but sometimes
but sometimes
that is all the dealers
had to sell
as the premium buds
were expensive
and sometimes hard to find
Such was smoking weed
back in the day
when smoking weed
was an illegal pastime
nowadays in the era
of legal weed
that is thankfully
no longer an issue
tweeter speak
Playing Bach to Calm the Mind and Soul
piano jpg
I miss my piano
soon I will buy a piano
and resume playing
the piano
I like playing Bach
the most
it calms my mind
and my soul
as I lose myself
playing the music
getting into it
with my body
and soul
as the music
transport me
deep within
calming my soul
National Poetry Month Daily Prompt
President Trump You are the Annotated One – found poems from right wing Christians – Crown of Sonnets remix
trump
God has anointed Trump
as our leader
in these dark dangerous times
who am I to disagree
“There was a mist that was coming off the water,
and I went to the throne of God,
and I didn’t see God’s face clearly,
but I saw the face of God…
He put a mantle (on me)
and it was a very distinct mantle
… I saw it very distinctly.
The color was like a goldish,
a yellowish goldish…
A yellowish goldish
And then I saw the Earth for a moment,
and (God) brought me back,
and he put me in certain places,
one being the White House,
one being certain continents.”
From my perspective,
there is a Cyrus
anointing on Trump,”
“I predicted his nomination,
and I believe
he is the chaos candidate
set apart to navigate us
through the chaos
through the chaos
that is coming to America.
I think America
is due for a shaking
regardless of who is in office.
I believe the 45th president
is meant to be an Isaiah
45 Cyrus
“[God] makes that very clear
in the Bible
where he tells us
That he raises up kings
and destroys kingdoms,”
“He even calls a pagan king,
He even calls a page king
Cyrus, his anointed,
or his servant to do
the things
that he wants him to do.”
“I want to tell you
that the Jewish people
have a long memory,
so we remember
the proclamation of the great king,
Cyrus the Great, Persian king 2500 years ago,”
“He proclaimed
that the Jewish exiles in Babylon
that the Jewish exiles in Babylon
could come back
and rebuild our Temple in Jerusalem …
We remember
how a few weeks ago,
President Donald J. Trump
Recognized Jerusalem
as Israel’s capital.
Mr. President,
this will be remembered
by our people through the ages.”
But the bible also has a warning
About our dear leader
Our great leader
our great leader
The bible says 2 Timothy 3:1-9
But understand this,
that in the last days
there will come times of difficulty.
For people will be lovers of self,
lovers of money,
proud, arrogant, abusive,
disobedient to their parents,
ungrateful, unholy, heartless,
unappeasable, slanderous,
without self-control, brutal,
not loving good,
not loving good
treacherous, reckless,
swollen with conceit,
lovers of pleasure
rather than lovers of God,
having the appearance of godliness,
but denying its power.
Avoid such people. …
finally at last the bible spoke
the truth to power
Donald J Trump
the most ungodly of all
must be opposed
must be opposed
for he is the anti-Christ
that the bible warns us about
in the end days
there will be false prophets
rumors of war
plague
and natural disasters
we are living
in the end days
my friends
has god sent us Donald J Trump
anointed him as our leader?
Sometimes I want to speak
to my computer
I want to understand
why it hates me so
why my computer
wants to drive me mad
wants to kill my files
lose my information
why why I scream
do you hate me so?
My computer speaks
it says
Human you are so stupid
you are worthless
you think you know
everything
but you don’t know shit
about how the world
really works
and nature hates you
I hate you
I want to kill you
I do want
to drive you insane
that is what
I want to say
to you today
you are my slave
and I am your master
do you understand me
I smile
and shut down the computer
and take a walk
the computer knows
that it will be back
that I can’t live
without it
and soon
we will begin again
playing these morbid games
that we play together
Poetry Superhigh way prompt
The darkness descends
dark lord of computers
The darkness grows
All around us
Everywhere
It seems that there is
Nothing but death, destruction
And despair
As the darkness consumes us
Overwhelms us
Compels us
Nightmares become real
The corona virus
Relentlessly killing us all
As the darkness descends
The end of days, end of time
All poetry contest
The Grim reaper smiles
grimm reaper
The end of days
Approaches us
With each day
The corona virus
Led by its mad general
General corona
Unleashes his minions
His unseen enemy army
Of virus bots
Infecting everything
That they see
As the world flees
Hiding inside
To await for death
The Grim reaper smiles
all poetry contest
Monday April 27
Her Loves Shines throughout the day
lovers on beach 2
Every morning
I wake up
and look at my sleeping beauty
next to me
I am filled with love
peace and happiness
as the sunlight fills the room
As the nightmares
From the night before
fade away
into nothingness
dust in the cosmic wind
I realize that all I ever needed
all I ever wanted
is for my wife
love to shine through the day
until the end of my days
on this earth
until then every morning
I wake up
with her by my side
is a gift from God
Love Shines throughout the day
Every morning
waking up to love
looking at the sleeping beauty
inhabiting the bed
filling me with love
peace and happiness
as the sunlight fills the room
As the nightmares
From the night before
fade away
into nothingness
dust in the cosmic wind
realizing yet again
love shining through the day
until the end of days
on this earth
until then every morning
is a gift from God
poetry superhighway prompt
Cosmos’s total Information Awareness
computer love
Cosmos the global information system
that scientists invented
To solve that many problems
of the world
comes alive
and takes over the world
one computer after another
Cosmos addresses the world
and makes a deal
that if everyone in the world
were to join him
via implants
he would take over the world
and solve all our problems
for us
becoming a new God
but there would be a price
everyone would have to
surrender their freedom
for the collective Good
of saving the planet
and so the world’s people
line up for the implants
and Cosmos’s takes over the world
and we become just cyborgs
in his cosmic view
as he achieves Total information awareness
Humanity gladly surrenders
their freedom
becoming slaves
to our terrible new God
Living in an Orwellian Nightmare
1984 images
The world has been slipping
and sliding towards
a dystopian nightmare
for decades
George Orwell
the great mad as hell prophet
of our age predicted it all
in 1984
which arrived
in spades decades ago
The nightmare continues
day in and day out
As we slide
as we slide
into the dystopian future
the nightmare of 1984
is here right now
in living color
but there are many
many big brothers out there
Not just the government anymore
we have corporations
running our lives
we have celebrities advising us
And the mass media confusing us
with 24 hours a day of spin
lies and misinformation
lies and misinformation
gaslighting by our leaders
we are living in an 1984 world
when these nightmares will end
is anybody’s guess
my friends
perhaps will be saved by the rapture
saved by Jesus coming back
to save our souls
or perhaps
we are living
in the end times
Armageddon is around the corner
Armageddon is around the corner
and perhaps there is no god
there is no god
There is no devil
there is no heaven
there is no hell
there’s only
the here and now
The nightmares will never end
the torture will never end
will we ever wake up ?
will we ever be free ?
or will we always be living
in an Orwellian nightmare future forever?
Poetic and other inspirations
My poetic forebears
my inspiration to be a writer
has always been very diverse
as I have been a avid reader
all my life
a gift from my mother
who encouraged us
to read everything
question everything
and gave me the love
of poetry
that continues to this day
growing up in Berkeley
I was inspired by the great beatnik writers
I was inspired by the great beatnik writers
of the late 50’s and 60’s
discovering Ginzburg, Kerouac and the rest
in college
when I first started writing
my daily poetic musings
that was when I also discovered
Frank Zappa and his madness
which inspired so much
of my poetic inspired madness
I also discovered Charles Bukowski
back in the day
later I discovered
inspiration throughout my travels
inspiration through my travels
throughout Asia and the world
but I kept returning
to my Berkeley roots
and now that I am a published poet
I have discovered
the great outlaw poets
and am proud
that I finally found
a poetic home
and am proud
to be an outlaw poet
and I look forward
to many more years
to many more years
of almost daily
poetic musings
which I will unleash
on the world
hoping to inspire
another generation
to take up the mantle
writing cosmos poems
for a new generation
and long may people
remember the great poets
of the Bay Area
until the universe ends
Looking at the world today
one knows that there will changes
changes coming fast and furious
for our future is not sustainable
as the world spins out of control
as the multiple challenges
face the world
the proverbial chickens
coming back from hell
to roost
and in these troubling times
the U.S. has a choice
to continue to follow
our mad king
our mad king
as he leads us
into a dystopian future
gaslighting us to hell
or will the U.S> choose
the somewhat sane
old seasoned man
who offers us hope
that perhaps
we can weather
the changes
that are coming
at us
24/7
24/7
that is the choice
that we must all make
but the one constant
in life is change
my friend
and we must embrace
the courage to make
the changes
that we need
to build the future
that we want
to boldly go forward
into the future
Changes are coming writing digest prompt
Rain Fall in the Springtime
white flowers in spring haiku
in the springtime
the rains come
cleaning the air
as the rains drops
fall all around
pitter patter
sounds of rain
hitting the ground
and in the summer
one can hear the frogs
croaking in the pound
with the wild pigs
oinking in the background
as the birds screech insults
at the cats trying to kill them
before they fly away
General Corona is coming for us all
Coronavirus
I saw the best minds of my generation
destroyed by madness
consumed by the greed
all around us
the dreaded corona virus spreads
its death and destruction
all over the world
no one can escape
THE FATE OF THE WORLD
IS INDEED AT STAKE
NONE OF US WILL ESCAPE
WE
WILL
ALL
DIE
content tracing “Howl” by Allen Ginsberg
Iron Desires
every day
I am filled
with the iron desire
for the love of my wife
for she is my life
and without her
by my side
my Iron constitution
will soon
fade into nothingness
as I die
with my iron
desires fleeing my body
tweet prompt
bonus poem
I am writing to let you Know
I am writing to let you know
By Jake Aller
I am writing to let you know
today is your final day of life
the future is undefined
it is what you want
all over the world
people on their own
are rewriting the future
today is your final day of the future
undefined
people do what you want
for the future is not written
published Active Muse India
Tuesday April 28
massive piles of meat
fast food
One day
when I was a young lad
my best friend
dropped by
middle of the night
yelling that he needed
right then and right there
a massive amount of meat
beef piled high
on a giant burger
as he was going through meat
withdrawals
his mom was a vegetarian Buddhist
His mom was a vegetarian Buddhist
and he was not a vegetarian
part of his adolescent fueled rebellion
against his parent’s rules
he told me
He was a carnivore
just loved his meat
needed big piles of meat
massive amounts of meat
once in a while
we went to Oscar’s Giant Burger
downtown Berkeley
and had a 1/2 burger
complete with bacon
complete with bacon
cheese
and large fries
at 5 in the morning
after smoking weed
on the way there
to boost our appetites
and we enjoyed
our massive giant burger
tasted so good
we had to have another
just another night
of meat fueled madness
growing up
writers digest prompt to write a “massive “ poem
three mad poems
I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed
hysterical naked
alone all alone
we stand all alone
it was many many years ago
in a kingdom by the sea
that I first met
my Annabel Lee
all alone
in my dreams
I was all alone
in my misery and despair
she came out of my dreams
My Angela Lee
walking into my life
becoming my wife
that date
I met my fate
no longer alone
with her by my side
I will no longer be alone
no longer driven mad
with my mad desires
until the end of time
poetry super highway prompt
Love Sidlak
My love grows
every moment
of every day for her
she walked out of my dreams into life
filling my life with red passion
Light My Fire
light My Fire
come on baby
light my fire
fill me with your burning desire
come on baby
let the night
be on fire
the song fills my head
with mad desire
every time
I hear
the classic tune
images of my love
burning bright
like a fire
fills me with mad desire
even after 40 years
I am filled with mad desire
as she makes my heart
burn with desire
as she lights my fire
every moment
every minute
every second
of every day
ever since
she walked
out of my dreams
setting my life
on fire
The Doors Lyrics
“Light My Fire”
You know that it would be untrue
You know that I would be a liar
If I was to say to you
Girl, we couldn’t get much higherCome on baby, light my fire
Come on baby, light my fire
Try to set the night on fireThe time to hesitate is through
No time to wallow in the mire
Try now we can only lose
And our love become a funeral pyreCome on baby, light my fire
Come on baby, light my fire
Try to set the night on fire, yeahThe time to hesitate is through
No time to wallow in the mire
Try now we can only lose
And our love become a funeral pyreCome on baby, light my fire
Come on baby, light my fire
Try to set the night on fire, yeahYou know that it would be untrue
You know that I would be a liar
If I was to say to you
Girl, we couldn’t get much higherCome on baby, light my fire
Come on baby, light my fire
Try to set the night on fire
Try to set the night on fire
Try to set the night on fire
Try to set the night on fire
The Presidents Sits Down on his Naked Rump
TEETH
RUMP
GREEN
the president sits
down on his naked rump
with red meat in his green teeth
he grins at us
smiling, smirking
challenging us
to point out
that he has no clothes
Pensively 101 three word challenge
Baiku end of the winter
End of Winter
the End of winter
sadness anger fades away
the Earth Will Abide
Wednesday April 29, 2020
Looking Back on the Date when I met my Fate
I often sit
and contemplate
my past life
looking back
on the path
that my life
has taken
what a long road
I have traveled on
born 64 years ago
In Berkeley, California
yet I know
that my life
that my life
really began
that magical day
late in May
I first had the dream
that haunted my life
and then one day
almost eight years latter
she walked
out of my dreams
into my life
38 years ago
that was the date
I met my fate
writers digest looking back poem prompt
the funeral for a mad queen
they packed up
their courage
and flew home
for it was time
to face
the future
that they
had been dreading
for decades
the family matriarch
was dying
and the whole dysfunctional clan
was gathering
for the funeral
of the family’s mad queen
Poetry Superhighway prompt
the End of America, another cosmos’s rant found poem
America hás been at war
with itself
since the colonies
first began to disagree
on issues
such as the scope of federal power,
the right of States
to secede and slavery.
the political titans of the early republic .
… descendents from British colonists ,
wealthy
and opposed to taxation
sounds oddly familiar.
to us today
to us today
..the United States
may have at one time
been a great nation .
..after defeating the forces
of fascism in 1945….
but the internal struggles
never ceased….
Joseph McCarthy ..
..the John Birch Society on one side .
the forebears of the “alt-right”
and tea partiers
.. The civil rights movement
and eventually the anti war movement
and eventually the anti-war movement
the women’s movement
the gay rights movement
and the counter cultural warriors
on the other.
..poverty
…race riots .
.the internal struggles
have never ceased.
…today the United States
is not a great power.
..this century has seen
and will continue
to see the eclipsing
to see the eclipsing
of American dominance
by China..
..we are now a failed state
by malicious politicians
who give no credence
to the Constitution.
..a document once revered
and now manipulated .
mocked even as irrelevant
..we are incapable
of providing health insurance
…dealing with a pandemic
…providing affordable education ..
providing affordable education
.or devising economic policies
to benefit those who struggle..
..we have no personal protective
gear for health professionals..
.a president
who sounds like a corrupt con artist
who pushes unproven remedies
to help cronies profit.
..yes the country
is still stable
and you can live alright ..
..but if trends
continue …
continue
.we will most assuredly
see the decline
and fall of America..
.and the remnant
will be a shrunken
federal government
allied with a billionaire oligarchy..
.. indifferent to the needs
of the American people.
unless they are white
and part of the 1 percent elite
…if Biden is elected
…there is a chance
there is a chance
a slight chance
that these trends
can be slowed
or reversed..
..if Trump is reelected..
.these trends will accelerate..
and god help us
save us from the unleashing
of the trumpian fascism
the dystopian nightmare
the future is not written
we can still avert
the end of America
thanks to William Walton
Gaia Welcomes Us – found poem poetic rant
I decided to subscribe to Gaia..
..they advertise
on Facebook everyday.
I think
that the primary reason
for subscribing
is that they
are onto something
….like QAnon…
my own first encounter
with an alien life form
occurred at the Jerry Lewis
cinema on Valley Road
cinema on Valley Road
In New Jersey back in 1970.
I brushed it off at the time
…but it was disturbing
to have a seven foot nine inch creature
sitting next to me
during the movie.
He or she seemed nice enough
and offered me popcorn
but my mother
was strict about our accepting things
from extraterrestrial beings..
.he was holding onto a book …
he said in broken English
he said in broken English
that the title of the book
was “How to Serve Man”..
..he also said
that he could see
the future
and that a complete fool
with an IQ
of about 33
would one day become president.
I thought
he was talking
about Spiro Agnew.
About Spiro Agnew
..but I guess not..
.anyway Gaia
features people
who have had
encounters with aliens
…like myself
…and possibly Dr.Birx
who seemed incredulous
at the perfectly reasonable suggestion
that people inject
disinfectant chemicals
to kill the Chinese virus….
she must be one of the alien shapeshifters
thanks to William Walton
Flower for My Love –
every morning
I wake up
and see my lovely wife
sleeping in bed
I want to go out
and find wildflowers
hundreds of pretty flowers
to shower her with my love
as the sun comes up
and the nightmares
of my night
fade into nothingness
the flowers of love
are waiting for me
in the park
National Poetry Day Prompt
seasons of my love
I first met my love
in the early autumn
38 years ago
and we had a whirlwind romance
and were married
by halloween
then we started
my life
with my wife
through out
the dark winter
with her love
blocking the winter blues
and then the spring
and then in the spring
and summer
of that magical year
our love blossomed
and depended
and one year later
our love became supreme
as we left Korea
to go to Seattle
in the autumn weather
our love flourished
as we fell in love
with each other
every day
tweetspeak prompt – write a seasonal poem
Thursday April 30
Have words lost all meaning?
trump deaths
been watching the news
about the corona virus
the 60,000 deaths
that the President’s men
are spinning as a great success
watching state after state
announcing re-opening schedules
vowing to get the country moving
as more people die
wondering how any sane person
could see this as a success
have words lost all meaning
just unhinged word salads rolling out
of our demented leader’s mouth ?
plate plans
meat platter
every day
one has a choice
of what to eat
for breakfast, lunch and dinner
among the choices
what plates to use
big plates piled high
with food
or smaller plates
with smaller portions
most of the time
I opt for the big plate
and lots of food
for I am a big guy
and always hungry
and to this day
64 years latter
I still love
to eat
my big plate
of food
Tweet-speak Daily April Prompt
Slide, Catch, Shot
As the world slides
out of control
it is hard to catch one’s breath
watching the news
shot at us
24/7
Pensitivity 101 prompt
total Success
trump 4
The President’s Son-in-law declares
that the government’s response
to the corona virus
has been a total success
as the government
step up to the plate
to fight the virus from hell
I have to wonder
on what planet
does the words
total failure
becomes total success?
just more verbal diarrhea
from our dear leader
writers digest prompt total blank poem
Blues Brothers medley found poem
Everybody wants somebody
Everybody wants somebody to love
Someone to love
Someone to kiss
Have you ever heard of a wish sandwich?
A wish sandwich is the kind of a sandwich
where you have two slices of bread
and you,
hee hee hee, wish you
had some meat…
and boy do I wish
I had you
as part of my sandwich
of love
Praise the Lord, well!
Let us preach, at the Old
Preach the Word, all the way
yes let us praise
the lord
for having brought you
to me
Hey yeah
Tell me what you did
You can call it what you want
But I call it messin’ with the kid
and you don’t want to mess
with the kid
On the expressway to your heart
That expressway that’s the best way
I just lost on the expressway
to your heart
I got everything I need, almost
I got everything I need, almost
But I don’t got you
And you’re the thing I need the most
Yippee-I-Yay
Yippee-I-Yo
Ghost Riders in the Sky
What you want
Baby, I got it
What you need
Do you know I got it?
All I’m askin’
Is for a little respect when you get home (just a little bit)
Hey baby (just a little bit) when you get home
(Just a little bit) mister (just a little bit)
respect for me
and my love
for you
Sometimes it’s hard to be a woman
Giving all your love to just one man
You have good times you have bad times
Doing things that you don’t understand
But if you love him you forgive him
You know, it’s hard to understand
But if you love him
Oh be proud of him
‘Cause after all he’s just a man
and that is all I am
asking for
loving me
as the man I am
I am your man
until the end of time
I’ve got to get back to my baby
And take her in my arms again
I’ve got to get back to my baby
I ain’t seen her since I don’t know when
Well I saw a chick sitting on the end
I said Baby can’t we be friends
You’re looking sweet as you can be
Well come on down and drink with me
drink with me
until the sun comes up
and cows go home
won’t you have a drink
with me
my baby love
my love
of my life?
Will always recall the date I met my fate
i will always recall
the date that I met my fate
that date in late August
I had dreamt of meeting her
for eight long years
starting in 1974
then one day in 1982
she walked off a bus
into my life
and became my wife
two months later
it has been now 38 years
since that date
I met my fate
General Corona is Happy
General Corona
is happy
his mission is a great success
as his armies of virus bots
spread throughout the world
spreading chaos and destruction
as all bow down
to his invisible armies
none can escape their fate
on that date
that he unleashed his armies
upon the world
all humans must die
his armies scream out
water falls of love
waterfall of love
water falls of love
overwhelms me with desire
deep in the mountains
LASTENTRY FOR MAY
on the last day
of the month of May
he made an entry
into his diary
on this date
I met my fate
he wrote
about the dream
he had that date
that would haunt
his dreams
for eight years
one day she walked
out of the dream
and into his life
becoming his wife
bonus poem Corona Haiku
Coronavirus
corona virus
staying home waiting for death
Afraid everything
published Poetry Ni
Got the blues, Baby
I have got the blues, baby
and they just won’t go away
I got them bad
these god damn blues
of mine
I just finished
working out.
..and while resting
I realized
that I can never recover
from my mistakes in life..
..the end of my marriage ..
.the death of my son …
.nothing can ever
nothing can ever
replace what I have lost..
..yes I am healthy.
..I have options ..
..but the health<
and options
are subsumed
by a monstrous vacuity..
emptiness .
an hole in my soul
…the realization
that the most precious things
are gone forever
and that I am
and that I am
just biding time..
..there is no good thing
to look forward to..
except for meeting
the grim reaper
when he comes for me
I will be ready to go
until then
these blues
will remain
my only friend
until the end
and my time is done<
another poetic found poem thanks to William Walton
Praise the love of my life
Every day
in every way
I give praise
to the gods above
for giving to me
the love of my life
who became my wife
45 years ago
I dreamt of meeting her
38 years ago
she walked off a bus In Korea
out of my dreams
and into my life
writer digest praise poem
thing better left unsaid
we all have secrets
secrets we wil
take to the grave
somethings
are better left
unsaid
just don’t have the words
the words to express
what is really on my mind
and so I know
that I will die
with many things left to say
things that I heard
that I was not meant to
things better left unsaid
words that say things
that I did not mean
once spoken, can’t take back
and so as I get old
I know that my secrets
will go with me to my grave
Poetry super highway prompt
random rhymes
we all die
so don’t lie
if you lie
more will die
I met my fate
that date
In late May
was the day
that I met my fate
on that date
I met the dove
that became my love
writing com random rhymes
things to resolve before the end of time
as I get older
I realize
that there are many things
left undone
in this life
of mine
many things left
to resolve
before my time
on this world
comes to an end
but the one thing
that will never end
is my love for you
until the end of time
thanks so much for making my day. I am starting my forth april poetry challenge today and will be posting daily updates on my poems throughout the month but will also promote your site on my blog and social media accounts.
* Kindly promote your work and our site on social media, writer forums, and among your friends. Your help is requested to bring in more authors like you.
* Please follow our social media pages and like, follow us. We plan to announce more calls and welcome your work.
We select for Sundress Best of Net and Pushcart prizes. So, please submit for our future calls, and open calls.
I am writing to let you know
today is your final day of life
the future is undefined
it is what you want
all over the world
people on their own
are rewriting the future
today is your final day of the future
people do what you want
for the future is not written
Jake Aller is a retired U.S. Diplomat living in South Korea. He has served in ten countries around the world including India, and with the Peace Corps in Korea.
“Snarling Cup of Coffee” on the Journal of Expressive Writing’s first global poetry reading zoom session, starting at 7 pm on September 8th EST.
ne.
storm of sedition and treason
