Mark Stratton's Blog: AGGASPLETCH, page 25
June 21, 2011
Fortune Cookies – Poem for One Shot Wednesday, Week 51
I am learning to find poetry everywhere. Actually, I am learning that poetry IS everywhere, what I am doing is being open to it. That learning lead to this, my offering for One Stop Poetry's One Shot Wednesday, Week 51
—-
Fortune Cookies
The fortune cookie paper, with
bits of baked sugar on it read:
"Today is a good day to
make a new friend"
and I wondered why yesterday
wasn't or what was wrong
with making new friends
tomorrow, because this psychic
paper was probably ginned up
three months...
June 19, 2011
Life Is a Bit Dimmer Today: The Death of Clarence Clemons
Clarence Clemons, knows to fans far and wide as "The Big Man" died June 18, 2011, his passing the result of complications of a stroke suffered less than a week earlier.
Clemons, an original member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, was more than just the sax player in the band. He was the heart and soul of the group. Springsteen may be the frontman, but the center of the magical rock 'n roll revival show that is The E Street Band was Clarence Clemons. That Springsteen himself felt this...
June 18, 2011
Signing the Dictionary
This past Thursday (6/16) I had the pleasure and slight terror of a book signing for my poetry collection Tender Mercies at Village Books in Columbia, Missouri. Becky and Doug, the co-owners, asked me immediately after I told them I'd put together and decided to release a poetry collection not if, but WHEN I would be free to do a book signing. This for a self-published poetry collection, Friends. These are special people, Becky & Doug.
Before anyone else arrived, my wife (who I dedicated...
June 16, 2011
Frank – Poem
This past Sunday during the Poet Party (follow on Twitter using the #poetparty hashtag on Sunday nights, 8 pm Central Time) the discussion was about Persona Poems. Discussions always get my mind to racing. Sometimes in circles, but at least it is moving about some. The following is one of the results.
========
Frank
It is no fun being dead,
even with twenty-five
practice.
I died a virgin of
cancer of alone of
trying to hard and
I'm dead.
And nobody
speaks about me except
in passing moments
followed by ...
June 14, 2011
Tender Mercy #21 – OneShotPoetry Week 50
Let's go throw all the songs we know
into the sea and
blend them with just out of reach
ocean rhythms and
time breaks singing in a resurgent
hiss and lap ebb
and flow as the songs we know
sliding off the sandbar
slowly float out to sea only to
return with the tides
—
I read the first line of this on a Last.fm page, and was inspired…Who knew it was a song by The Cure? Just an example of 'creative appropriation' at play…
This is another in the Tender Mercy series which grew into my first poetry...
June 7, 2011
Cling – Poem
Driving back home down the local Interstate highway last week, I spied a lone tree in the middle of a field. Pointing to the tree, I drew my wife's attention to it and asked her what she thought. Her response was, "There's a defiant tree."
Being the thief/poet I am, I tucked that notion away. Except it wouldn't stay put away, and I had to make a poem about it. This is actually the third (and a half, but that's a story for a day that won't come anytime soon) poem to arise from the notion...
June 3, 2011
Bad Dog – Poem
Despair hounds me,
a dog wagging
its tail begging for
attention.
Trotting along,
lolling tongue of lies
and misery thoughts.
Lithium
Biscuits only work
for a time. No Animal
Control for this bad
dog.
Food Collage
Food Collage. Just because.
Books in the Wild
Copies of 'Tender Mercies' at Village Books, where the book signing takes place later this month.
May 30, 2011
Accomplished – Poem
Accomplished
I don't need a girlfriend, I need an accomplice – Jim Ellison
we all seek more than
an ornament to drive home the
appearance of wholeness.
She drives my getaway car
laughing as the miles roll by.
I squeeze her hand.
