Joy Leftow's Blog, page 7
August 19, 2017
CATCH ME IF YOU CAN
If one was well enough to do everything one needed to do, to get relief one sought,then one wouldn’t need the help he needs in the first place, would he?Life is Catch 22 of the universeHe said, “I don’t understand why you insist on helping him,”“I want to,” I said, “It’s a feeling I have and want to.What difference does it make to you?”While we waste time on bullshit, Epiphany strikes suddenly, a new sight, an oversight The answer to the question to make evil disappearwarnings served years ago come into play with global warmingIgnoring criticism about forefathers back in the day of humanityHelps me glimpse the truth that we’ll never get awayNow technology makes it impossible to hide away Know our religion, know when we prayTracked by GPS, our cell phones, credit cards tracked, petition signingUsage tallied and compiled dailyThreats to control humanity Spread the word todayTrickle down abuse flourishes
Foster peace in a world of abuse Propagate hope, knowledge widens the scope,Many see trickle down abuse encompassing earthCome see, you know whom I mean!They ~ the big they, you know who they are,They will not give us back this glorious great land.They fight for coin and silver.Slowly we go to slaughter, Like pigs, goats and cows,We kill ourselves in their sham.Forced to pay more than our share of taxesIt’s only paper you know, No more gold in Fort Knox.
All the gold owned privatelyWho's in charge of our government?Symbols lurk every place you seeSmall, insidious, devious concerns surround us, Controlled by society, daily news, TV, our jobs families, forget our conscienceOur desires prevent our seeingFacebook and twitter rule you can’t seeEnough to spin your head, dizzy,
Can’t comprehend why FacebookWarns you not to add more friends,You can only add so many each nightIsn’t adding friends a boon to Facebook?Every day it becomes more difficultto understand the world I’m living in
They are not going to give our land backIf we don’t fight for our rights,if we don’t take earth back from the usurperswho have stolen our planet,We can’t inherit the earth by common assent,agree our land is not sold for gold,this land is god’s gift,is not ours to give or buy,but to love and care for like we do our children …
This land is your land,This land is my land
From California to the New York island
From the red wood forest to the Gulf Stream waters
This land was made for you and Me.
Foster peace in a world of abuse Propagate hope, knowledge widens the scope,Many see trickle down abuse encompassing earthCome see, you know whom I mean!They ~ the big they, you know who they are,They will not give us back this glorious great land.They fight for coin and silver.Slowly we go to slaughter, Like pigs, goats and cows,We kill ourselves in their sham.Forced to pay more than our share of taxesIt’s only paper you know, No more gold in Fort Knox.
All the gold owned privatelyWho's in charge of our government?Symbols lurk every place you seeSmall, insidious, devious concerns surround us, Controlled by society, daily news, TV, our jobs families, forget our conscienceOur desires prevent our seeingFacebook and twitter rule you can’t seeEnough to spin your head, dizzy,
Can’t comprehend why FacebookWarns you not to add more friends,You can only add so many each nightIsn’t adding friends a boon to Facebook?Every day it becomes more difficultto understand the world I’m living in
They are not going to give our land backIf we don’t fight for our rights,if we don’t take earth back from the usurperswho have stolen our planet,We can’t inherit the earth by common assent,agree our land is not sold for gold,this land is god’s gift,is not ours to give or buy,but to love and care for like we do our children …
This land is your land,This land is my land
From California to the New York island
From the red wood forest to the Gulf Stream waters
This land was made for you and Me.
August 3, 2017
Review by author, publisher, poet, writer, and musician, Thomas Hubbard
Book review by Thomas Hubbard
Tupelo Honey & other tales, by Joy Leftow Published by Aquillrelle, 2017
164 pages
ISBN 978-1-365-84019-7
Don’t stop with ”one more pill...”
Nearly everyone who writes poetry passes through a period of pure autobiographical poems, usually defining themselves as “isolated” because of gender, race, religion, appearance or some other personal trait. The first piece in Joy Leftow’s collection, Tupelo Honey & other tales, is such a poem. BUT, unlike most victim poetry, it is a well crafted, literate work incorporating “rap” that actually expresses cogent information.
So Joy Leftow has indeed been there, and may still revisit occasionally. She has also developed much farther, turning out poems that look into others’ lives. Leftow’s title poem for this collection is “Tupelo Honey,” a heart- wrenching glimpse into the troubled life of a methadone baby who is also HIV. It’s been said that good writing produces a “word picture.” This poem goes beyond “picture” to produce a photograph in words. Have a tissue handy.
In “American Train Trip,” Leftow touches on another poetry staple, a poets’ poem. She relates, with what must at the writing have been a quirky half-smile, a train ride that turns
into a poem about a train ride that turns into a poem. Careful now, don’t trip.
In this collection you will find poems of nearly every type, even a nature poem titled, “Summer Yields to Autumnal Equinox.” Another word photograph. What is really important about this collection and about its author is its range. Reading through these poems you will see most of the stops a developing poet makes on her way to mastery. And having finished your first reading of Tupelo Honey & other tales, you may well find yourself buying another copy, or two, for gifts to friends—because this is not a shelf book. It belongs on your bedside nightstand. You’ll wear it out.
~~#~~
Tupelo Honey & other tales, by Joy Leftow Published by Aquillrelle, 2017
164 pages
ISBN 978-1-365-84019-7
Don’t stop with ”one more pill...”
Nearly everyone who writes poetry passes through a period of pure autobiographical poems, usually defining themselves as “isolated” because of gender, race, religion, appearance or some other personal trait. The first piece in Joy Leftow’s collection, Tupelo Honey & other tales, is such a poem. BUT, unlike most victim poetry, it is a well crafted, literate work incorporating “rap” that actually expresses cogent information.
So Joy Leftow has indeed been there, and may still revisit occasionally. She has also developed much farther, turning out poems that look into others’ lives. Leftow’s title poem for this collection is “Tupelo Honey,” a heart- wrenching glimpse into the troubled life of a methadone baby who is also HIV. It’s been said that good writing produces a “word picture.” This poem goes beyond “picture” to produce a photograph in words. Have a tissue handy.
In “American Train Trip,” Leftow touches on another poetry staple, a poets’ poem. She relates, with what must at the writing have been a quirky half-smile, a train ride that turns
into a poem about a train ride that turns into a poem. Careful now, don’t trip.
In this collection you will find poems of nearly every type, even a nature poem titled, “Summer Yields to Autumnal Equinox.” Another word photograph. What is really important about this collection and about its author is its range. Reading through these poems you will see most of the stops a developing poet makes on her way to mastery. And having finished your first reading of Tupelo Honey & other tales, you may well find yourself buying another copy, or two, for gifts to friends—because this is not a shelf book. It belongs on your bedside nightstand. You’ll wear it out.
~~#~~
July 25, 2017
ON THE EDGE OF A PRECIPICE
You’re right, a moments’ delayed actionIt could happen just like you said, We could be dead in a split secondTo end your life in an accidentYour best friend holds last sacramentInadequate to explain what’s evidentNot playing devil’s advocate, There’s a precedentProving your point,Religious is as religious doesFeel like I’m stuck in a sound waveor a science fiction filmEven if you do what you’re supposed to
You can still end up dead or alive
You can still end up dead or alive
July 11, 2017
Desires Proliferate
Live in the closet of my love. Live together in loveLive alone in society Live in the lap of luxury. Live on the dark side of time Live in reality and live in a fantasy worldCreate regions of legions in my mind Dream conversations that never occur My mind is a blurAnticipate reversal, life’s controversialJune frost instead of blooms A foreboding sense of doom looms Casts a spell and dispels the gloom, Sweep the room of yesterdays away
Use a brand new red broom to chase away my blues
July 7, 2017
Freedom Rings Righteously
Make your own realityMake it more than fealtyGive you your guaranteeYou have my loyalityIt’s ok, we’re not royalityAnyone can be an appointee for all it’s valueBe absentee for all its worthStand there and set yourself freeWe all want to be free too See the world How many feel free, are free because we want to be freeHow can we be free?Do we leave society …Follow the whoremongers, degenerates and warmongers running societyIf you set yourself free and I can be me and you can be who you want to be as long as it’s safe Don’t want to go up against the law, stay within the law, be free inside of me ~ free to be the best me I can be I want world’s reality to be better than ever This song is a prayer to make our world better
May the lord above and spirits guide us to heal, be righteous with ourselves and others, order ourselves never to presuppose – truth is different to each of usI hear if I want to be free I can be but is it realityDo we each make our reality as advertised
Life makes reality daily Is reality chance or choice?Who has the answer? …Thoughts in my head run rampant with fever. We’re featured on life’s marquisWorried I won’t get to see the GangesI’m the new queen bee of poetryEvery day create new reality Live to createLeave the Dead Sea behindLive each day a new day to create carefree whims If you want to live free, live freeFree yourself be yourself we’ll live together free in a new land we create in the valley of our dreams
May the lord above and spirits guide us to heal, be righteous with ourselves and others, order ourselves never to presuppose – truth is different to each of usI hear if I want to be free I can be but is it realityDo we each make our reality as advertised
Life makes reality daily Is reality chance or choice?Who has the answer? …Thoughts in my head run rampant with fever. We’re featured on life’s marquisWorried I won’t get to see the GangesI’m the new queen bee of poetryEvery day create new reality Live to createLeave the Dead Sea behindLive each day a new day to create carefree whims If you want to live free, live freeFree yourself be yourself we’ll live together free in a new land we create in the valley of our dreams
June 26, 2017
I’VE GOT TROUBLE IN THIS LIFE
Life’s rife with strife, got my share of strifeimpossible to ignore life’s blightsnightlife trying to hide jive, strife despite gripes to denylife on test drive, clamoring to survive outlive the overdrive, contrive to connive to stay alivedon’t attempt to outlive the clouds into which we diveonly to insist our offspring live the lives we try to give themnine to five aint all life’s meant work all day & strive to surviveday after day, fill our lives with what we must do to surviveOur lives are not always such a pleasure drive I’d much rather do what I loveInstead of what I have to do
I’ve got double trouble in this life
I’ve got double trouble in this life
June 19, 2017
No Looking Back
No sorrow or regretsGet with the flowGet where u got to goGet where you want to beSounds pretty hip-hop to meBattery operated societyWords fade into the pastMeanings and connections lostLet the world know, it’s time to growLeap forward into a world we don’t knowTime to plough through the garbageQuid pro quo, it’s our planet hereMy words like music, fill your earsMy lips, soft like rose petals touch your lipsWords fill you with sounds I don’t hearRhymes I spout fill your heartBe political, keep making art!
June 17, 2017
No Looking back
No sorrow or regretsGet with the flowGet where u got to goGet where you want to beSounds pretty hip-hop to meBattery operated societyWords fade into the pastMeanings and connections lostLet the world know, it’s time to growLeap forward into a world we don’t knowTime to plough through the garbageQuid pro quo, it’s our planet hereMy words like music, fill your earsMy lips, soft like rose petals touch your lipsWords fill you with sounds I don’t hearRhymes I spout fill your heartBe political, keep making art!
No Looking back
No sorrow or regretsGet with the flowGet where u got to goGet where you want to beSounds pretty hip-hop to meBattery operated societyWords fade into the pastMeanings and connections lostLet the world know, it’s time to growLeap forward into a world we don’t knowTime to plough through the garbageQuid pro quo, it’s our planet hereMy words like music, fill your earsMy lips, soft like rose petals touch your lipsWords fill you with sounds I don’t hearRhymes I spout fill your heartBe political, keep making art!
No Looking back
No sorrow or regretsGet with the flowGet where u got to goGet where you want to beSounds pretty hip-hop to meBattery operated societyWords fade into the pastMeanings and connections lostLet the world know, it’s time to growLeap forward into a world we don’t knowTime to plough through the garbageQuid pro quo, it’s our planet hereMy words like music, fill your earsMy lips, soft like rose petals touch your lipsWords fill you with sounds I don’t hearRhymes I spout fill your heartBe political, keep making art!
