The ghosts of poets

roam the streets

in venues past

they used to meet

Up went the rent

it got too steep

all venues shuttered

closed for keeps

High rise apartments

crammed the streets

and poets shuddered

in defeat

All poets gone

hit alt delete

they don't belong

now closed for keeps.

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Trying to install an app

the app cannot load

until it sees the secret password

it returns me to a screen

enter your secret password here it says

I have no idea what the password is

that's why it's a secret

I try this

I try that

I click I swipe

then I curse

I wipe the tears from my eyes

as I call the emergency hotline

punch one for Desperate

and a reco...

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Life is full of characters

actors in the play of life

persons you have met

that left a lasting impression

some say they are of

good moral character but

most of them lie

I myself have been accused

of bring a character

or maybe just a caricature

although that's an exaggeration

people know my character

and are not surprised

the...

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There once was a man named Hugh

he was Him because he wasn't You-

As odd as it is, it is true

we're confused, knowing him, to be Hugh.

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Two things

I kinda like to do

is eat cheese and crackers

and write poems

I eat the cheese & crackers

sitting at the kitchen table

I write the poetry

sitting on the porch swing

both are basic

both are old habits

and both satisfy an appetite

one my stomach

two my soul

so it comes down to food

and poetry

one or the other

I hanker for...

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Poets are drawn to poetry

by some magnetic force

planets pulled toward the sun

an expression of their Self

lost souls in search of meaning

fulfillment

to watch words

dripping down the page like raindrops

each word a drop upon a window

to listen to

words play in arrangement

scored for the eye and ear

by the building

words bricked one b...

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Please read

our Policy statement

we cannot permit

what we cannot control

it is only right

we impose our opinion

although we welcome all

we are a private company

and consequently the sole arbiter

of what we think people should know

we do not allow the contrary

no differing opinions will be accepted

you may not agree

but we don't really care

we have an ...

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One time on a trip

my dad stopped at a convenience store

(we called them ice houses back then)

to get some drinks and gas

and there was a dog running around loose

looking for scraps and attention

I was just a kid

along for the ride but

I got to playing with that dog

and petting it and talking to it

It was such a friendly dog

When it came time to go

I b...

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The Harvest moon

means little now

there is no farm

nor brown bell cow

No tractors and

no steel disc plows

to work a farm

forgotten how

For all we know

all food comes canned

or packaged in

some distant land

It's prefab now

all rather bland

no fields no crops

no touch of man

In wonderment

we now explore

where comfort...

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They always say

step outside the box

I did not know

I had a box

but if in fact I do

then why must I

get outside it

any box

that I remember

was always fun

and inspired creativity

we made forts out of boxes

or slid down the hill in boxes

you cannot go wrong

with a box

the homeless

make homes in boxes

so do cats

so please

box me in

I lo...

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We tour the town

all retail shops

selling things I've never

seen before or knew existed

she brings me along

for logistical support

and to carry things

as she goes looking

door to door

for a woman the fun is in

the hunt

to find that perfect thing

that will fit

will express

will wow

the joy is not so much

in the purchase

as it is

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You can talk to a poet

but he will not always respond

he is absorbed

in himself

trying to think of

the next poem

he is going to write

in any conversation

he is listening for a cue

to put to paper

if you say

is it hot enough for you?

he may nod

but then

he's immediately thinking

of the words

that are in his head

and coming up with a poem

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When there was emptiness

I filled the void

When you were hungry

I fed you beans

when you sneezed

I brought you Kleenex

when you needed a home

we moved in with my folks

when you needed sympathy

I provided comedy

when you asked for an explanation

I beat around the bush

when you wanted to be serious

I provided sarcasm

when you needed someone to list...

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No words can say

nor best describe

the feeling when

I unsubscribe

who are these spies

who so connive

to sign me up

to see their side

what joy revives

to say goodbye

reject their views

their biased lies

one click Opt Out

and they are fried

revenge is mine

I unsubscribed. 

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That steak was once

a conscious cow

the cow was killed

unconscious now

If we had a conscience

we would vow

to eat no meat

nor holy cow.

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Finding fruit

or clouds

that look like something else

is always fun

since we can put a face

on anything

we imagine faces

on inanimate objects

it's a common experience

let's face it

now we have emoji's

to make faces for us

so many faces to choose from

our lives filled with faces

now we even have Face time

so we have to put on a good face

to ...

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After a rain

the grass grows

green and lush

and ant beds pop up

like miniature cities

built on raised hills and

defended to the death

by armies of untold millions

we wage war

with poison

and aerial bombardment

everything we have

we throw at the enemy

but they are resilient

they have planned ahead

they have their underground bunkers

their secret ...

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Age unfolds

year after year

Layer by layer

the truth appears

Little by little

our destiny

Reveals more than

we care to see.

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It was at that age

that poetry arrived

in search of me

that age when

confusion reigned

and I was lost

along the way

poetry arrived

but could not

come inside

I was too frightened

to answer

then She

came along

and all the restlessness

was quietened

with her

I finally found my purpose

and my poetry

and with these

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A Little man sits

in a little house

he's bored to death

there is no doubt

He watches folks

go in and out

he'll be home by 5

or thereabouts.

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The sound of rain

the sweetness left

after it lovingly falls

you can almost taste it

in the air

fresh

renewed

like a perfume

it saturates the senses

it rolls off the land

and you wake up to

birds singing

plants sighing

in joy

all is well

made right again

after a rain.

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on Facebook

it takes you to

an algorithm

which monitors

your speech

and records your transactions

to be used later

against you

the power is in the numbers

the data

the phone in your pocket

the GPS tracking device

recording every second of your day

they know who you are

and where you go

they know your conversations

it only follows that

someone...

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99% of all poets

live below the poverty line

the other 1%

have real jobs

75% of all poets

do not have a degree

they do however

have Facebook

97% of all poets

write for other poets

the only ones who

actually read poetry

99.5% of all poets

are ashamed

their mothers

wanted them to be doctors

93% of all poets

started writing i...

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Life's only alternative
we don't care to mention

Do everything possible
to ensure it's prevention

Life's only alternative
quite frankly is Death

We cling to the alternative
till our last dying breath.
 

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The drive home
pits us
against them
the furious drivers
who have weaponized their cars
intent on conquering
the road and those
who get in their way
they ride your bumper
they blink their lights
move over
move over
they run up your bumper
they change lanes
desperately dashing between cars
to get there first
ahead of YOU
no courtesy
no rules of the road
they push you out of...

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Who forced

the Fentanyl

upon these poor

forgotten souls

Who demanded

they park on street corners

waiting on dealers

in the dark of night

who spoke to them

in whispers

and asked them

if they wanted more

who made them seek it out

until death destroyed them

and who promoted addiction

as popular hip culture

needles litter the streets

bodies line ...

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Oh the gleam

the room assumes

when my wife cleans

the main bathroom

eat off the floor

bright as the moon

what sparkles shine

from clean bathroom

One gets a thrill

much like a groom

can't wait to try

the new bathroom

the music plays

rose petals bloom

how sweet the fumes

from clean bathroom.

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If I weren't me

I'd have to be

either you or them

quite comically

If I weren't me

I'd probably be

just a number

listed randomly

My I is me

I'm definitely

in favor of I

conceitedly

Don't want your I

I agree with me

I use my I

repeatedly

I love my I

affectionately

may it resound

eternally.

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I e-mail her

then wait for a response

it's better than talking

which involves time

and possible conflict

she has her own opinions

I have mine

the e-mails work

most of the time

if there is no response

I go to the living room

and ask her

what happened.

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