Wednesday, December 30, 2009

A Plea

So I thought I would use this space to make a plea to everyone. I may not be consistent at writing poems with people and posting them here, so I thought it would be nice to ask some/all of you to try this out! If you happen to do some collaborative poetry with anyone, please send it to me and I will post it here. I suggest you look at the types of poems I've done here, or try your own. If you are still stuck, I recommend the book Poetry Everywhere by Jack Collom. It contains a wide variety of poetry types to try, and you can just flip through it to get an idea of poems to try. For collaborative poetry, remember the following:

1. "First thought, best thought." -Allen Ginsberg (don't spent too long trying to think of the "perfect" line)
2. Never apologize for your work. (No matter how nonsensical the poem may seem, send it in! Someone reading over the blog may find something relevant in it.)
3. "You're a genius all the time." - Jack Kerouac (Anytime is a great time for writing poems)

When submitting your poems, please include the names (even if it happens to be just "lady in red hat" that helped you write a poem in the deli counter at the grocery store) of all contributors, so credit is given where credit is due.

Happy Collaborating!

Happy Holidays!

Greetings all!

During the Holiday Break, I spent some time in Somers, CT with my girlfriend Jana and some of her family and close friends. During a rousing game of 5 Crowns, a reader of Mont Busk suggested we write some poems, so we did. Contributors to some/all of these poems include the following people:

Ruth and Rachel Clark
Linda, Greg, Serena & Jana Bailey
Matt Benoit
Michael Avilés
Pennsylvania Dutch brand Eggnog

Enjoy!


Exquisite Corpse 1:

All around the bush we
red Cardinals outside the window
memories slightly fade
a yellow dawn breaks
zero now wow
the ice cubes are clinking, and to top it all off
until death do us part
today and everyday
swiftly running through the snow
family coming together
red roses shining blink
white flowers in a vase flow to green then back again.
smother open, fold in half out the door
Friday was the best day of the week
flask full of whiskey
and true victory comes when
they all fall down.

EC2:

The second day
spent the weekend kissing
sometimes i peak
it made sense
forever now the sky is blue tonight half empty
bloody feathers furiously fly
Italian Barry's Irish family
into the wee hours
solemnly
waiting dearly alone
I was thinking of you
baskets weave scott not honey bee sting up
when crowns fall like so
many blinking, leaking eyes
silver amethyst
downward in the spiral
and thus begins the speaking-fest

EC3:

Everybody tries the
sugar plum fairies dance in my bed
we will survive
silently the snow began to fall
trees don't often breath orange candies or readily running
chicken-shit covered chickens
yellow eyes line every roa
therefore when the
we don't even know
kitties sulking
sometimes ever never but
forced air induction
I won't surrender to a child's pity
through the night they all did sleep.

One-word 1:

Ravishing
laughter
with
grey
simple
showmanship
gnomes
shovel
growing
snarling
sweetness
with
words
flowing
quickly
carbon-copy
garbage
spitting
gravel
victory

OW2:

Simultaneously
blinking
violently
drinking
shampoo
VOMIT!
sometimes
I
love
frolicking
with
book
marks
in
libraries
secluded
prairies
romp
seeds
spreading
away

OW3:

Tangled
hair
short
gasping
obnoxiously
throwing
breaths
something
altered
grief
below
zero
saves
alters
sighs
shivers
place
alone.

OW4:

Magic
lamp
in
satin
throngs
entire
countries
unite
tomorrow
the
day
stars
um...
sometimes
salvation
strengthens
our souls.

OW5:

Thoroughly
thinking
about
a
face
full
single
ladies
put
your
drinks
curls
up
down
around
theology
brains
grow
fart.

Acrostic 1:
(With apologies, the spine word is EVAPORATE. Had trouble aligning the letters.)

silEntly sulking through
battles Victorious
voices rAttle in my head
the Popo is coming
ruin my day On christmas
oR not...
Absolutely
brighT siren lights signal
that the Eggnog saved christmas.

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Ice Cubes - 7 November 2009

Jana went to get ready, as she and Ruth were going to a concert that night. However, I thought the exquisite corpses went extremely well, so Ruth helped me write some ice cubes. Enjoy:

IC1:

Thinking
strongly
about
myself

and
only
singularly
then

weakly
quietly
in
awe

of
them
I
stand.


IC2:

Invariably
waiting
apprehension
anxiety

builds
towards
freedom
of

self
mind
conscience
thoughts

but
second-guessing
only
ruins.

Exquisite Corpse - 7 November 2009

Hi again. Jana's friend Ruth (of Ruth Writes fame) came to visit this weekend. I thought it would be interesting to write with her after a 4+ hour drive, so Jana, Ruth and I started with some Exquisite Corpses. Here they are:

EC1:

Hello, friend november
an addendum to the the fairy tale
a simple melody
finish isn't an option
briskly, crisply, fondly
rummaging through the trash
smaller and smaller my steps
slowly, sweetly, fondly,
shut the door when
significance - unimportant

EC2:

Wandering through the woods
silently sulking
as we watched the leaves sink through the air
an apple whisked away
wrapped in gauze and string
the sidewalk heaved with steps and leaves
endoplasmic reticulum
wicked, wicked child
alleluia
happiness when I choose to have it.

EC3:

Bagged up leaves that line the streets
the story rolls
a jail of gold and green
she told him, "shhh"
forever tomorrow, seldom yesterday
wearing a sheet
it came unannounced
invariably, involuntarily fighting fires
chrynacrodom magenta
she smiled, and turned

Monday, November 2, 2009

Lies - 1 November 2009

The final type of poem Melanie and Sean helped me write were Lies. These poems are exactly as the name implies - line after line of lies, ranging from the painfully overused to the absurdly hilarious. Enjoy!

Lies 1:

I kissed Richard Gere last night
he tried to get to second base, but I wouldn't let him
water is disgusting
please, I don't want you to leave
I climbed everest in 4-inch heels
I wish I was taller
I'm in love with your dog and we're running away together
You can find us in Alaska
It's warm there this time of year
It is highly overrated

Lies 2:

I mean it when I say "Excuse me"
God cares when you sneeze
I hate when you touch me
No, man, THIS is the best weed ever
I don't get high when I smoke
no, you don't look fat in that dress
but your sister looks fat in hers
Guiness, the dog, can keep his balls
I gave a dollar to a bum once, and I hope the food he bought with it tasted great.

Lies 3:

Helen Keller thinks I'm cute
she told me all about it with her lovely voice
I put quarters in the take a penny tray
I'm gay
I shot the sheriff
Go on, I'm listening
I don't feel rushed
This is my favorite food
I feel bad when I see commercials about Darfur
I don't care when I see commercials about abused animals.

Ice Cubes - 1 November 2009

Mel and Sean helped me write these Ice Cubes. Enjoy!

IC1:

If
sequestered,
answer
I

never
saw
even
tiles

ceiling
blocks
wisdom
honesty.

IC2:

Sometimes
always
hate
freedom

although
anarchy
seems
but

submarines
travel
planes
die.

IC3:

Peas
taste
oranges
fight

seldom
barely
faint
together

forever
young
and
old.

Theme Poems - 1 November 2009

These poems were begun with a theme, and limited to 4 words per line. Enjoy:

Theme 1: Getting Shot

I'm a bird now
going to fly to
this open space that
makes me remember when
I wasn't yet shot.
Having no holes is
such an exhilarated feeling
(not quite like flying)
flying without a ceiling
yet with those holes
I can almost see
right through my body
damn, i got shot.

Theme 2: People Falling:

Yo, watch your step
look! a banana peel!
why is everyone laughing
I lie in puke
I hope it's mine
that dude looks sick
it is definitely his
maybe something he ate.
I need a shower
or just a bath
should I stand up?
Nah, I'm too embarrassed.