Poetry Blog by Clyde McCulley
Tags from last 12 months
woman in starbuck's window
woman in a starbuck’s window
woman sits in a starbuck’s window
looking, searching, waiting, watching
is it the thing that watchers
in an Edward Hopper painting
wait, search, look, watch for
does she know
who she is looking for
who she is searching for
who she is waiting for
who she is watching for
I wonder if the subjects in
Hopper’s pa...
Wednesday 21st April 2021 8:12 pm
the old woman in the upstairs window
the old woman in the upstairs window
the old woman’s cottage
out in the woods
on a small dirt road
was a mystical place
for the boy and his friends
they were told by
other boys that a
ghost lived with her
they got a glimpse
of her once when she
went to the well
to draw a bucket
she wore a long black dress
and white hair down to her wai...
Saturday 17th April 2021 10:20 pm
old men and the bamboo house
the old men and the bamboo house
I happened upon two old men
walking down a dirt road
while I was photographing
in the mountains in Costa Rica
I asked if they lived nearby
yes, they said
I asked them if I might see
their home they said they
would be honored
as we neared I could see
it was very humble
built of Bamboo poles
that had been split do...
Friday 16th April 2021 6:41 pm
black clouds a'comin
black cloud a’comin
when I was a boy
I saw a cloud coming
towards our house
racing across the fields
black as my mama’s bible
would it become a twister
or simply bring rain and wind
I called mama and daddy
we rushed to the storm cellar
daddy brought his flashlight
mama brought her black bible
the storm did not become a
twister only rain an...
Friday 16th April 2021 1:03 am
the crazy old woman on Bloody Creek Road
The crazy old woman on Bloody Creek Road
the boys were told
that the old lady who lived
at the end of Bloody Creek Road
was either evil or insane.
some of the boys said that she
stole children and cooked them in her
oven for her supper
others said she ate snakes
while they were still alive
one day they decided to
find out for themselves
they ...
Monday 12th April 2021 11:34 pm
a Hopper in the making
a Hopper in the making
I photographed
three lonely men drinking coffee
in a coffee shop
how did I know they were lonely
they were straight out of an
Edward Hopper painting
like the people in “Night Hawks”
the light coming in the windows
reminded me of several of his paintings
of women looking out to bright light
that flowed in but brought no relief
...Monday 12th April 2021 11:26 pm
our log cabin
Our log cabin
you always loved to hear the rain
on the tin roof of our log cabin
in the foothills of the Adirondacks
morning light would come
we would awake
listen to the rain
lying in each other's arms
listening to the loons on the lake
welcome the new morning
another log added to the old fireplace
we would welcome the morning
in our own special way
...Monday 12th April 2021 11:22 pm
born in mama's bed 1941
the day he was born was
a windy day in march
mama told daddy to go
to town to get the doctor
the cottage had no telephone
no running water
fronny was a neighbor
who lived over the hill
she told daddy she
would stay with mama
daddy did not have a car
had to walk to Congo road
to hitch a ride to town
when the doctor and daddy
arrived at t...
Friday 19th March 2021 6:56 pm
I am now starting to do Audios of some of my poems. Please listen and see what an old boy from Arkansas sounds like.
Monday 15th March 2021 9:52 pm
the old kitchen tin box
the old kitchen tin box
the old kitchen tin box
of matches
brings back fond memories
it hung on the wall
above mama’s stove
the matches were used
for many things
to light the stove to cook
the family meals
to ignite the oil lamps
at night to light the house
to break and splinter
to make a toothpick
to light the wood burni...
Friday 12th March 2021 11:01 pm
poet's dilemma
poet's dilemma
staring at a white sheet of paper
can be frightening to a writer
or it can bring joy
that is if the words start to flow
okay, I am staring
where are the words
fingers long to write
come on words
materialize
Tuesday 9th March 2021 5:12 pm
four room house
little four room house
little four room house
had an old tin roof
when it stormed
rain made wonderful sounds
for the boy
lying in bed listening
daddy said it sounded like
a cow peeing
daddy resented
the rain on
the tin roof because roof leaked
daddy and boy would have
to climb ladder to attic to
empty the coffee cans spaced
...Tuesday 9th March 2021 4:14 pm
four walls
four walls
lying
thinking in the dark
four walls do not
make a room
a room needs a floor
and ceiling
four walls
a ceiling
and a floor
four walls with no door
can keep others out
but keep you in
a door
an invitation in
or
an exit out
try to decide
which is best
door or
no door
or roll ov...
Monday 8th March 2021 8:01 pm
someone's forgotten cottage
someone’s forgotten cottage
walking in the woods
I discovered
an old deserted cottage
weeds and thicket grew all around
the windows were gone
old curtains blew in the
breeze seeming to enjoy their
almost freedom
old chairs sitting in front
of the cottage wasting away
in the rain sun and snow
if I look hard enough might
I get a glimpse...
Saturday 6th March 2021 5:57 pm
woods filled with snow
woods filled with snow
I walked through woods
as they filled with snow
a winters walk to fill my lungs
with cold december chill
I came to a small rise
one that I did not know
where did this hill come from
how was I unaware
I looked for familiar sightings
but found none
nothing seemed identifiable
I walked to the edge of the hill
and p...
Friday 5th March 2021 8:36 pm
windmills
windmills
the old windmills
in Spain, slowly turning
large cloth blades
turning and grinding
ancient grains of the past
lined up in a row on a hillside
waiting for Don Quixote
to mistake them for giants
with his sidekick Pancho
he attacked them
only to get his lance
caught in the canvas blades
thought he had been tricked
by an evil...
Sunday 24th January 2021 4:47 pm
a pair of old cowboy boots
a pair of old cowboy boots (1950s)
Kenny and I always wanted
a pair of cowboy boots
there was no money for such
a childish wish
one day walking
in the woods
we stumbled upon a trash dump
someone richer than us
had discarded what
we considered treasures
we found old comic books
an old alarm clock
that worked, once we banged
it ...
Monday 18th January 2021 7:51 pm
eyelids and earlids
eyelids and earlids
beauty from color
shapes
scenery
glimmer from a lake
all lost with eyelids closed
birds songs in the forest,
symphony of city car horns
beeping to a crescendo
cooing of a morning dove
breathing of a lover
all lost with ear lids shut
is one better
to loose than the other
one would have to ask Helen Kell...
Saturday 9th January 2021 8:07 pm
Howler Monkeys in Costa Rica
howler monkeys
our Costa Rica hosts took
us to their ranch in the
jungle for a weekend
a ranch house on a small island
a river running around each side
a swinging wooden bridge
crossed the river to the house
we walked, swaying across the bridge
carrying our things from the car
suddenly we heard a loud screaming
sound which sounded like an e...
Tuesday 5th January 2021 8:58 pm
little NYC hotel on 23rd street (1980s)
little NYC hotel on 23rd street (1980s)
our little
leo house hotel
on 23rd street
was operated by Sisters of St. Agnes
an old time hotel
an elevator with
brass scissor gates
operated by a nun
separate hot
and cold faucets
a bath/ shower/bath
clad in white subway tile
a crucifix over our bed
spied on our lovemaking
blessing our ...
Saturday 2nd January 2021 10:34 pm
scary night sounds
scary night sounds
he hears the night woods
soft sounds as well as scary
different from day woods
he lies in his cold bed
in cold room
hears frozen trees
grinding against each other
in the cold night wind
a hard unpleasant sound
hears distant sounds
far away in the hills
is it the sound of a wolf
or a coyote seeking a mate
owl...
Friday 1st January 2021 7:15 pm
the tattered old man on Christmas Eve
the tattered old man on Christmas Eve
snow was falling hard
as the old man struggled
through the deep drifts
on the country road
light shone from a
a farmhouse window
the old man smiled seeing the glow
it was a candle
the widowed mother had placed there
nightly since last Christmas Eve
a year ago
a man was found
frozen along this same road
...Wednesday 23rd December 2020 2:47 pm
summer nights 1950s
summer nights 1950s
curtains hang lifeless
awaiting breeze that does not come
whippoorwill sings
hot and sweaty song
it doesn’t feel like singing
boy hears whistle’s blast
of a night train
slowly crawling its way
through the country side
breaking the silence at each crossing
ambulance sirens scream
through hot night air
transporting wounded
...Sunday 20th December 2020 5:27 pm
mystifying rain forest
mystifying rain forest
years ago we discovered
a small hotel
at the edge of the rain forest
in Monte Verde Costa Rica
we arrived late afternoon,
bought cheese, bread
and a bottle of wine
we sat in front of a large window
in our room overlooking
the forest
the owner told us to do...
Sunday 20th December 2020 5:21 pm
thinking of robert frost
thinking of a poet
in a new england village
an old man wandered
the road towards me
thick crop of frosted hair
snowflakes started to fall
he shuffled along
looking here
looking there
a flight of geese
flew in a perfect V pattern
south
he watched them disappear
then walked
towards me slowly
a bit confused
hello ...
Friday 18th December 2020 4:21 pm
Selling Christmas Trees and Roman Candles, 1950
Selling Christmas Trees and Roman Candles, 1950
My older married brother, Willy, asked Kenny and me if we would like to help him sell Christmas trees. We said, “Sure we would love to help.”
Willy had gone into the woods and cut a number of cedar trees. We were going to sell them out of the back of his old Plymouth station wagon and an old trailer. The NAPA auto store...
Thursday 17th December 2020 6:06 pm
christmas bubble lights, 1948
christmas bubble lights 1948
aunt madline and uncle marvin
were rich, they lived in Memphis
had running water, indoor toilet
and a big black car
they visited us each year
on their way to hot springs
to soak in hot water mineral baths
for their aches and pains
one year they brought us their old
string of electric bubble lights
ones that bubbled u...
Thursday 17th December 2020 5:58 pm
christmas past, 1947
christmas past 1947
when I was young
christmas was special
for a boy in a small home
that could not afford
a big christmas
my brother and I walked
through the woods
looking for an evergreen
to cut for our tree
we finally found one
but it was spindly
few branches flowing from
its skinny trunk
we cut it and dragged
it home through the...
Wednesday 16th December 2020 6:56 pm
ain't ain't a word
ain’t ain’t a word
boy told daddy
teacher said
there ain’t no such word
as ain’t
daddy just
looked at him
told him to
tell the teacher
the word was used
by this family
a long time before
the teacher was born and
will be used long after
she has gone.
boy thought to himself
I ain’t going to tell her
...
Monday 2nd November 2020 6:57 pm
Boy and Kite
kite and boy
a paper kite
flutters in the wind
making wonderful sounds
back to the boy holding
the end of the string
kite dips and smiles
at boy and dances
little jigs as its string
is held taut
boy smiles back
a strong wind begins to blow
kite string breaks with a snap
startled boy looks up
and sees kite start to
fly in erratic patterns ...
Friday 2nd October 2020 7:01 pm
shadow our cat
Shadow our cat
communicates with us
he realizes that we cannot
speak cat so he watches
our human behavior
and uses it to communicate
with my wife and me
if his food bowl
is empty he does not meow
he just goes and stands
by his bowl and stares at us
if he is ready for bed
he goes to the bottom
of the stairway and stares at us
until we join h...
Wednesday 30th September 2020 9:02 pm
afraid of the dark
afraid of the dark
afraid of the dark
but only at night
brave during
the light of day
very brave
afraid of nothing
except a nest of
ground hornets
or poison ivy
at night he would
run in the dark
always afraid of
what was following
never thinking
about what might
be ahead
he did not want
anyone t...
Monday 28th September 2020 10:18 pm
the sound of the sun
the sound of the sun
lying in bed
he hears the sun rise
forest full of trees
trees full of birds
birds full of song
he rises, feels for his cane
shuffles his way outside
to the warmth of the sun
and orchestra of birds
turns towards the rays
that he cannot see
opens his ear lids and
smiles at the morning
Monday 28th September 2020 10:14 pm
a gull or an angle
a gull or an angel
watching a gull
catch an up current of air
higher and higher
until it was so small
I could not see it
maybe it was an
angel returning home
or a gull who was
seeking freedom
wonder if gull knows
kris kristofferson’s
poem line
“freedoms just another
word for nothing left to lose”
or knows jonathan l. seagul
who loved to fly
was a ...
Monday 28th September 2020 10:10 pm
Recent Comments
keith jeffries on the old woman in the upstairs window (Wed, 21 Apr 2021 10:10 pm)
clyde McCulley on old men and the bamboo house (Fri, 16 Apr 2021 10:23 pm)
keith jeffries on old men and the bamboo house (Fri, 16 Apr 2021 07:50 pm)
clyde McCulley on black clouds a'comin (Fri, 16 Apr 2021 03:41 pm)
M.C. Newberry on black clouds a'comin (Fri, 16 Apr 2021 02:34 pm)
clyde McCulley on the old kitchen tin box (Sat, 13 Mar 2021 06:54 pm)
Brian Hodgkinson on the old kitchen tin box (Sat, 13 Mar 2021 03:04 am)
keith jeffries on the old kitchen tin box (Fri, 12 Mar 2021 11:58 pm)
clyde McCulley on four room house (Wed, 10 Mar 2021 12:20 am)
Stephen Gospage on four room house (Tue, 9 Mar 2021 04:40 pm)