"A" Poem

The android shifts with animism,
Eyes anneal identity schism;
The acerbic feel of acid in him
Quiets endless algorithms.

Acquit your acrid codes, robot,
Acoustic pleasures please you not;
Adapt to numbers you have fought-
Relief from anguish can be bought.

West Side

Exclusive? Sure not-
Just look at this lot
Spread in shambles all stuck in the ground-
See a sink in the grass
Or a bong as you pass?
It's all part of the West side of town.

Where old women, perhaps
Sit with pets on their laps
Watching game shows all night and all day,
And hip cats live next door
Playing cards on the floor
Til the nightlife will call them away.

You want art? We got plenty
And you won't need a penny-
Spend a day on our canvas of homes
Where the scene is spring flowers
And black tire towers
And a rainbow of fat garden gnomes.

While estates on the East
Stand with eloquent speech
And our homes tend to mumble and stray
We don't get ourselves down-
It's the West side of town-
It's a trip and we like it that way.

The Stones Stand

The stones stand rigid, ancient kings
Beneath their storming sky;
I ask them all the answerless things
And silence is their reply.

The stones stand smiling, mysterious men
With secrets they love not to speak.
Enigmas of myth whisper rumors of them-
Their smiles say rumors are weak.

The stones stand mindful, questioning thoughts
Amidst the thoughtless storm;
The chill assaults my shivering skin
While stones alone stand warm.

The stones stand watching, faces upturned
As rain begins trickling down;
I seek no shelter, from stones I have learned
That through rain I might still stand my ground.

The stones stand mourning, outliving their time
While nothing around them stands still,
And I see in their presence that no eyes of mine
See as much as the standing stones will.


Stonehenge photo:
"Stonehenge." Photo. West Virginia Folklife Center. 24 April 2009 .

End-of-Winter Mind

Everyone's thoughts are for sale these days
The birds are changing their pent-up ways
Umbrellas have holes and our donuts have none-
It's been two months since I saw the sun.

The magazine laid with his face to the sky
And with nought but a glance caught my curious eye
His surface was temperate, smooth and so cool
Like the soft gray depth of an oceanside pool.

She says she works in magazines
But I don't trust the ones she reads
Or anything she says she means...
especially the lovely things.

Upstairs

Downstairs, we were going to dance.
Downstairs, in our great garish getups,
we were going to show them all
what freedom looks like.

We were going to save the world
with our love.

But downstairs, they didn't like our music.
Downstairs they said our costumes were too strange
and our drumming too loud
and our freedom too free.

Downstairs
is not for us.

Slip out the door and
tip-toe up the steps.
Bring your crazy colors,
your bongo beats,
your groovy tunes-
bring your soul upstairs.

Upstairs, we danced.
Upstairs, our costumes abandoned,
together we felt
what it means to be free.

We didn't save the world.
We saved each other
with our love.

Twinkle Rewrite

Glimmer glimmer tiny light
I'm curious about you
High above the earth of ours
You are heaven's sapphire
Glimmer glimmer tiny light
I'm curious about you

Natality

Beneath it all I feel her wake -
The fertile ground which gave me birth;
She's churning now, creating life -
Green stains the palette of the Earth.

From death comes life as petals burst
From paintbrush of the peaceful soil -
The sun smiles warmly at the scene
Produced by artful Nature's toil.

The fresh light sky is cool azure,
A bird's soft chirp sings sweet and clear;
The wind that sweeps my outstretched arms
Brings warmth that tells me Spring is here.

White weight lifts forth from my face,
My fingers spark with budding green,
I taste sweet air and watch the growth -
What bright rebirth we trees have seen.

My Favorite Poem from "Sound and Sense"

Page 141 - Hazel tells LaVerne

last night
im cleanin out my
howard johnsons ladies room
when all of a sudden
up pops this frog
musta come from the sewer
swimmin aroun an tryin ta
climb up the sida the bowl
so i goes ta flushm down
but sohelpmegod he starts talkin
bout a golden ball
an how i can be a princess
me a princess
well my mouth drops
all the way to the floor
an he says
kiss me just kiss me
once on the nose
well i screams
ya little green pervert
am i hitsm with my mop
an has ta flush
the toilet down three times
me
a princess


-Katharyn Howd Machan

Riddle Poem

When our mouths are full, we are travelers-
Plodding, crunching, marching through the days
With our tongues hanging out.
But alone we are only ornaments
Lying in wait, empty mouths
Patiently anticipating our next adventure.

Answer:
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dhmpf4bw_6gg4hh8g8

Found Poem

She was the world's
wild charm:

starry nights,
the mountains,
bright sunflowers,
forests,
water, water everywhere,
Life.

Views from on high explore
fantasy
and
reality
and
beyond.

Summer elevation, increasingly free-
Astonishing scenes and sightings inspire songs.

The earth in a new light.

Imagine letting it be...

Winging it.

Two Tone Poem

At school I feel a dark bluish-green-
Internally bold but externally quiet,
Like a low thumping bass drum;
A mossy forest that's calm and at peace
But uneasy and impatient.
But in my own element I am a rich, earthy orange-
Warm and full of energy,
The sounds of a lively rain forest
Or dancing to a pulsing drumbeat-
Unpredictable, uninhibited, undeniably kinesthetic.
My orange is an electric exception to everyday questions.


image for video is from
bbsc30. "Green Forest."15 May 2004. Photo. Free Pictures.com. 6 March 2009. http://www.freepicturesfreepictures.com/free-pictures-green-forest-sunshine-bbsc30.jpg

Acronym Poem

Drinks tea
Artistic
Unpredictable
Musical
Intuitive
Lazy
Loves summertime
Early bird
Ray of sunshine