MASKED

Joanna McNally

You are New Orleans

and I am simple city

striving to be like you

I create my own mask

AUTUMN'S CLOTHES

Lisa Anne Ferguson

Autumn's leaves lie on the ground,

Wet, plastered to the shiny pavement,

Or crisp, crunching under walkers feet

- Nature is a litter bug.

A child,

Running, jumping, skipping,

Small feet liking the sound

Of the trees' clothes

Captured under their shoes.

He jumps higher,

And harder,

Landing.

Trying to get a larger crunch,

Testing his theories on each little pile.

His mother,

With cold, impatient feet,

Reaches out a gloved hand and calls.

Leaves forgotten, he runs.

As the dusk descends,

And Autumn's cold night begins.

David Kessel
                 

A GIRL'S PRAYER

HAIL MARY FULL OF GRACE

BLESS MY BOYFRIEND'S HANDS AND FACE

BLESS HIS HANDS SO BIG AND STRONG

PLEASE KEEP THEM WHERE THEY BELONG

BLESS HIS BODY I LOVE TO PINCH

BLESS HIS TONGUE I LOVE TO FRENCH

BLESS THIS GUY I HOPE TO MARRY

AND HIS BABY I HOPE TO CARRY

BLESS HIS ARMS THAT HOLD ME TIGHT

BLESS HIS BODY THAT FEELS SO RIGHT

AND IF HE IS TO READ THIS POEM OF MINE

BLESS THE THINGS THAT ENTER HIS MIND

AND IF HE SHOULD SMILE WHILE READING THIS

I'LL BE ENTITLED TO ONE FRENCH KISS!

The Inverted Tree
Professor Azar Hafeez

The dream of dreams I dreamed:

there was the tree in the heavens grown,

whose branches towards the Earth had spread,

with countless Flowers of Light of the colors unknown.

In the dream of dreams I saw:

the Flowers of Light upon the Earth fall,

and a host of children with faces glowing

in the unknown bliss and blessings and all

running and rioting and looting on every side

the Flowers of Light like severed , stray

colorful kites in a plain so wide.

In the dream of dreams then,

I saw on the other side:

the faceless crowd of the middle-aged men

'nd old women like witches ride

the black dogs of lust and greed,

(the vices they cherished indeed)

and could see neither the tree

nor the Flowers of Light falling free.

THE REASON OF THE LIGHT
Nihal Elahmadi

              

  She was alone in the darkness,

  but when she turned her face,

  she saw a far ray of light coming from some place,

  is it a candle a sun or a moon,

  no it was n't ,but it was you,

  only both of you,

  she didn't know who they were,

  they were different from other characters,

  they showed her the way to live,

  they taught her the meaning of life,

  they made her trust her self again

  she was searching for her lost soul

  and she found it with them,

  their love was her air to breath,

  and their heart was her shelter to live

  suddenly a smile was drawn on her face

  there was hope to light her life again

  her darkness stopped with the help of...

         those semi angels

  so, thank you mum and dad for being...

       the reason of the light

                 ~#~

Longing Lasts a Lifetime

Tasted touched

Never really mine

Who can say

What might have been

No that torture

Is better left for fools

Still sometimes, alone

Wonder is my guide

Universal verse.

You say if,

and tell me for me fantasy name,

the universe of no color

solid is... or not?

You say me,

get you car and run

on de road free,

the life, is your love?

I tell you my verses

in your soul,

and your cheek rose is,

good bye the universe

verse.

~#~

Laugh, cry

Hear the words good bye

Stay, leave

Find a reason to believe

Hope, lose

Decide I have to chose

Play, be played

Think of reasons I have stayed

I can do that by myself

I can mess up on my own

I don’t need someone beside me

Just so I can realize they’re gone

I’ve felt all the pain

I’ve trusted and lied

And every time you left me

I just died

All you did was hurt me

Jeopardized my health

Left me feeling lonely…

I can do that by myself.

SIXTEEN-SCAPE

 by Joe Duvernay

Stand, squat, shower and sit.

Angle sessions.

Of window;

Curtain blow with tree.

Glass barrier,

House; three surfaces and lower,

Stove-pipe,

Another roof,

Hills, the terrain below;

Five in slope.

Color blend;

Three atmospheres.

Falling Down
Ralph Ancil Joseph

01 17-02

I slipped, I fell, and I got up to find myself on the ground again.

To you I called, my mind stalls, my faith cannot be found. Where do I begin?

I look toward the heavens, my words are unsure, a familiar repetition.

To save my strength, I must pause this futile meditation.

Again I try with all my strength to pull together, as my world keeps falling apart.

I reach deep inside to utter prayers with meaningful words straight from my heart.

A glimmer of hope, my soul awoke, with love my heart is constantly erupting.

My soul grows content, as I reached to pull myself off the ground; I noticed I was already standing.

Please visit 1stbooks.com to view this book.

  
The Key of Independence

Life sometimes is like a caged bird with shackles around its ankles, standing alone in this dark and gloomy place, beating against the bars of pain and sorrow, while the tears of hatred come down your face. Thinking of all the things you could of avoided but chose not to, while holding the key of procrastination.

Searching for answers to all the questions floating around in your head. But there is no hope for you. Or is there? Is there a way out of this gloomy place? Can the shackles of defeat loosen? Could the tears of hatred turn to love? Or could the bars of pain and sorrow open up and free you? Only you know the answer, you have the key of procrastination but do you know how to get the key of Independence.

Can you put everything behind you and realize this confinement is only in your mind. Only a hoax. You have the tools of     knowledge, wisdom, intelligence, beauty, love, and ambition. Use them. Allow them to come into your heart, as you spread your wings and break free. Breaking free from this pain and sorrow as the bars of joy and happiness opens, and the shackles of defeat detaches from your ankles while triumph over comes you. You're flying. Flying away. Breaking free. You no longer look at life as a caged bird with shackles around its ankles, but as a bird who is free. And now you are the holder of the key of Independence.

They say because you have that ring I cant go to heaven

that if there are ten commandments

I've broken eleven

And that every time you kiss me

my lips absorb venom

you are my little angel

they think you are a demon

What the hell do they know about love?

I just want you and we cant get enough

They only talk because they can

they don't try to understand

Our love baby

They say cause you have that ring

you cant even hold me

think of me as poor cheated girl

ignoring you already told me

d_sponza

Olivia

Sanctify misting metamorphosis.

The lunar cycle has brought you to exercise

The art of inhalation.

You are in your left-over Bohemia; girl

And I loom on your growth from it.

And I watch as your omnipresence

drenches you in your century-too-late life.

~#~

~#~

Raul Santacruse

~#~

Leigh Stenhouse 

~#~
HIGH AND TIGHT, WET AND WISE

        by Rhonda G. Dunaway

If I should walk with happy slap stepping feet,

my breasts go - a-bounce.

When I strap rubber soles on never kicked up feet,

my breasts ride high, tight as a drum.

When my breasts long for welcomed exposure,

my feet crush softly, breasts sing low:

No longer so vulnerable,

but please fancy they be.

And if my feet are wet and wise,

bare and cherishing

my husband's fling with his bride,

my breasts will still age and sag:

he says he won't see that,

because of the contact high.

  Sean Hirschi

COLOR COLLISION

Kathleen

Tragically, you look at me

and even before I can catch your freezer burn stare,

color floods your face as you purposely disappear.

You'll push all this light and heat to the depths of your heart,

until the colors collide and you just blow apart.

The vibrancy of color always drove you away,

explaining your permanence in theses planes of gray.

I'm just begging for a simple redefinition,

trying to save your color collision,

radiant yellow mixed up in your insatiable blue,

leaves you with an envious green,

& a soul in hiding would rather not be seen.

And as your holding back,

your indifference burns my brain.

You can taste it in your mouth,

and desire is the one thing you cannot restrain.

To know that everything is locked inside you,

kills me every night.

Desire is the one thing that took away my sight.

I'm just begging for a simple redefinition,

trying to save your color collision.

I only see in dreams now,

what I wish is what I see.

I only feel in beams now,

what I want could never be.

Redefine this redefination once more,

unlock your double locked door.

What I want could never be.

IF ONE DAY

pamela jean wruck

if one day you feel like cryin,

call me.

i don't promise that i will make you laugh,

but i can cry with you.

If one day you want to run away,

don't be afraid to call me.

i don't promise to ask you to stop,

but i can run with you.

if one day you don't feel like of listening anymore

call me.

i promise to be there for you,

and i promise to be very quiet.

but if one day you call,

and there is no answer,

come to see me fast...

maybe i need you.

~#~

 

I feel a revolution coming on

Signs like a rebirth

Will you come along?

Follow me to the light...peace brings

There's a stirring in the air

It's thick in my lungs

My loins ache for it

Revolution

Evolution

A new day is rising

A new generation

Can you feel it?

I'll be there---will you take my hand?

By Jen Swan 2002

ME EDUCATED?
Yvette Williams

WHY SHOULD I BE EDUCATED?

WHY SHOULD I BE EDUCATED ABOUT ANYTHING?

WHEN I CAN HANG OUT WITH MY BUDDY ALL DAY!

WHAT YOU SAY?

STUDY?

STUDY WHAT?    STUDY WHO?    STUDY HOW?    I AIN’T NO WHIZ KID!

STUDY DON’T MAKE ME NO MONEY!

STUDY DON’T MAKE ME NO FRIENDS!

WHAT YOU SAY?      STUDY CHILD PSYCHOLOGY?

I’M NOT HAVING NO KIDS! THUMBS DOWN FOR THAT ONE! DID YOU HEAR ME!

WHY SHOULD “I” LEARN ABOUT WHAT CAN HARM MY FETUS, THE SWEETEST THING, GOD HAS GIVEN ME, “LIFE”!

T E R A T O G E N S AND B E H A V I O R A L TERATOGENS!

WHAT’S THAT? ALCOHOL, TOBACCO, MARIJUANA, HEROIN, METHADONE, COCAINE AND SOLVENTS!

MY FRIENDS TALK ABOUT SOME OF THAT! AND

WE TALK ABOUT THE JOHNSON’S

YOU KNOW!

HOW MRS. JOHNSON IS SLEEPIN WITH MR. KILES DOWN THE STREET!

YOU CAN’T BEAT THAT!

EDUCATION! CHILD PSYCHOLOGY!

WHY SHOULD I LEARN ABOUT AUTHORS LIKE LLOYD DEMAUSE?

HE SAID WHAT?

KIDS ARE BEING HARMED AND MOLESTED ALL OVER THE WORLD?

I’M NOT HAVING KIDS ANYWAY!

YOU CAN’T SWAY ME!

WHAT YOU SAY?

ACCOUNTING, CASH FLOW STATEMENTS, AND BALANCE SHEETS?

WHAT’S THAT?

I KNOW IT HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH CASH; YOU SAID CASH!

MY FRIENDS AND I CAN MAKE MONEY WITHOUT BEING EDUCATED!

EDUCATION IS OVER-RATED, OVER-ESTIMATED AND HYPED!

I’M NOT FALLEN FOR IT!

CRIMINAL JUSTICE!

WHAT DID YOU SAY?

IT’S JUST US!

OH!

CRIMINAL JUSTICE!

WHAT’S THAT?

STALKER’S ON CAMPUS, TELEPHONE HARASSMENT, UNWANTED GIFTS!

MY FRIENDS SHOPLIFT TO GET WHAT THEY WANT!

COMPUTER STALKERS? COMPUTER CRIMES?

WHAT’S THAT? I DON’T USE A COMPUTER ANYWAY, BUT MY MOM DOES!

THAT NEVER HAPPENED TO HER ANYWAY!

WHAT DO I CARE!

EDUCATION!

I DON’T WANT TO BE EDUCATED!

NONE OF MY FRIENDS ARE EDUCATED!

WHEN WE HANG OUT WE TALK ABOUT HOW ANTHONY AND FIVE OF HIS BOYS BEAT UP THAT ONE GUY!

YEAH!

THAT WAS WRONG, BUT IT WASN’T MY BROTHER!

WHAT DO I CARE!

I KNOW THE WORLD AIN’T ALWAYS FAIR!

WHAT DID YOU SAY?

FRACTIONS, INFINITE, FINITE, APPLICATIONS, RADICALS?

I’M NOT A RADICAL!

OH! MATH! I DON’T NEED NO MATH! I KNOW HOW TO COUNT!

I WILL AMOUNT TO SOMETHING, I JUST DON’T KNOW WHAT!

OH YEAH AND MY FRIEND SUSIE GOT ARRESTED!

SHE TRIED TO CASH A CHECK THAT BELONG TO SOMEONE ELSE!

CORRECTIONS? WHAT YOU SAY?

OH YEAH, SHE’S LOCKED UP!

WHAT TOUGH LUCK!

SHE’LL BE OUT SOON! IF MALCOLM X WENT TO JAIL AND CAME OUT POWERFUL, MY FRIEND CAN TOO! OH YEAH! THAT’S RIGHT!

MALCOLM X DID EDUCATE HIMSELF IN LOCKDOWN!

I ALMOST FORGOT ABOUT THAT!

H I S T O R Y?

YEAH, I REMEMBER HIS STORY! OH YOU SAID HISTORY?

YOU MEAN, ROSA PARKS, MARTIN LUTHER KING J.R., BOOKER T. WASHINGTON, JESSE OWENS, HAROLD WASHINGTON, SOJOURNER TRUTH, HARRIET TUBMAN, HANK AARON, THURGOOD MARSHALL AND JESUS?

YOU KNOW HIM? HOW? CAN I MEET HIM?

HE’S OUR SALVATION? HOW?

THRU EDUCATION, DEDICATION, AND MOTIVATION!

WILL HE BE MY FRIEND TILL THE END? CAUSE SUSIE GOT 5 YEARS AND SHE WAS IN TEARS!

AND I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO NOW, WHERE TO HANG NOW!

HE’LL SHOW ME WHAT TO DO AND WHERE TO HANG?

MAYBE, EDUCATION IS NOT SO BAD AFTER ALL!

CAUSE I DON’T WANT TO WAIT TILL I FALL!

AND I DON’T WANT TO BE ALONE!

THANK YOU! THANK GOD! AND THANK JESUS!

nick cronk

~#~  

      I am not what I have become

      My head fills up numb with the things I have done

      I am not what I have become

      I walk blind through doors that I cannot close

      Yet I am not what I have become

      My wrists burn from these restraints

      I can't break free to turn the key

      Still, I am not what I have become

      Today will not erase yesterday

      And yesterday will not set free today

      I am locked forever in a place that I did not intend

      And I am reminded of what I have become

      There is no hope

      For I cannot undo what has been done

      I am always free to walk the wrong way,

      But never allowed to put an end

      To what I have become

mandi vartenuk

You.

Your life is like a lonely star

It's shining in the darkness

You don't know even who you are

Surrounded by exclusive smartness

You walk to place you haven't been

Running away from yourself

You want to see something you haven't seen

Unwritten books stand on your shelf

You hide your face behind a mask

Nobody knows your real story

You always have a difficult task

Enjoy the power of glory

You should be strong in every weakness

Find sense in everything you do

You seek for cure from dangerous sickness

Explore the land you're going to

You break the walls that others build

Freedom is your only choice

You leave seeds on the neighbor's field

Your music's just a weird noise

You share the secrets with rain

It washes all your troubles

You find relief in own pain

Peace and worry live like couples

You suffer, cause it makes you stronger

Faith doesn't let you down

Limits won't be for you any longer

You want to have your own crown.

 

If you look hard,

You might see the pain and suffering,

in their heart,

If listen closely,

you might hear the true person

that they are,

I hope you will,

Look beyond what you see,

and i hope you will,

accept them for what is real,

Their hearts are good,

Just need a push in the direction,

to some sort of correction

The little bottle
Amanda Britt

A tear falls silently from my bloodshot eyes.

Red from tears flowing steadily, endlessly...

Yet you don't seem to care.

My eyes should be dry, but not because I'm okay,

But because I've cried so much, for you, for me, for us.

The game you play, I can't hide it anymore.

I can't let it go.

My little glass bottle

That holds what I feel and know

Just burst on the inside, and it hurts.

More now than ever before.

So I cry more now than I ever did.

But somehow you'll dry the tears

You'll pick up the broken pieces,

You'll give me another bottle,

And the cycle will start again.

But only something's different now.

Thanks for the new little bottle,

But I've already made up my mind.

I'll let someone else fill it this time.

A WORLD OF CHANGE

by ROXANNA COLDIRON

                    

            A chasm of difference

            a world of change

            i can see it through the flames

           

            and in the distance

            i can see

            a memory of who

            i used to be

             

            a year is past,

            one thousand years

            behind me in the

            distance

     

            what to keep

            and what to hide

            a world in which

            even the sky

            can weep.

CAT

By Dylan Z. Ross

I flinch at all the wonders and

sounds of the universe.

It squeals and it skwawks and it walks

while I walk.

In my head the bells ring of charity

yet sorrow.

It also haunts me. In my dreams, in the day.

I walk undetected, but it soon tracks me

down. I run, gracefully and fast. Hyena like.

Spotted and unstoppable.

It hides.

But me I just climb.

Nothing but endless flying circles of

sorrow.

(It's called cat cause it

was in the shape of a cat's head.)

Minutes of Rain
Patrycja Kwapisz

Listen to the ticking of

an influential clock,

musical rain the drops

crystals from the golden sky,

striking the colorful leaves.

Time never stops;

it flows at the same pace,

Unable to change,

impossible to predict.

Tasteful beauty makes

a tranquil grasshopper's sound.

Limpid minutes of rain drops,

forever.

The Chosen
Casey Haggerty

A growing confinement feeding on each passing morrow,

transforming to pain and eventually sorrow,

forever nourished by my anger and hate,

racing against time but unfortunately to late.

Each day a mere mirage of the last,

where the present and future seek no escape from the past,

in a world defied by evil hearted men,

abused and unloved, then left with no friends.

Secluding myself, avoiding my unavoidable fate,

closing my ears to the others, urging me to be great,

and secretly hoping this inner struggle will end before it's to late.

To deny my self potential, hide and run away,

may be best for me, though it's selfish to make others pay,

for my lack of faith and occasional evil ways,

which was my personal contribution to our numbering days.

The task begins by putting all doubts behind,

searching for the door we all must find,

to create a unbreakable and mutual bind,

of the earth our loving mother and her chosen's mind.

With this completed we may once again return,

this time unburdened by reason or concern,

seek out and teach those wishing to learn,

and those responsible may cower and hide, awaiting their turn.

Then in the end we Chosen will die,

healing her wounds, soothing her cries,

and through our death, we'll show them her way,

then prosperity and peace will rise with each following day.

Playing With...

Hey, i'm talking to you

Yeah you,

i saw how you played with that vagrant!

his backward legs and all.

And then that cute little girl

the one that always ambled down

my street, hand in hand with her mother?

Hey, now i'm walking with you

Yeah you.

i guess it's my turn now

So when you feel like playing

and it seems like you are,

i hope you know what you're doing.

You hear me?

Hey, i'm talking to you

i'm talking to you

mr. Death.

written 20 April, 1999

Where would i be in this

giant E G G if you were

  not

I

am listening

to the waves

as i savor the days

alone on this sea

just a premonition of

Me

The Serpent rises

then descends

within the whims

of All that Is

Take this Night

for Instance

who is it that

listens intently

flowing gently

b e t w e e n

worlds within the

essence of things

The Sun rises

the Shadows play

the visions of day

beneath the ray

I

am loving

in all my ways

as I wander my days

and plant my seeds

just a version of

Me

Who would I be in this

eternal E Y E if you were

not

  Free

Charleen Leah Johnston 

Jailhouse Mouse

I woke up last night as a mouse crept across my floor

He scampered to my commissary box where my food is stored

My friends I tell you this I didn't mind him sniffing with his nose

But that mouse committed a felony when he stole my Oreos

I chased him around my cell until I caught him in my fist

I called him many names the bastard knew that I was pissed

I looked at him and the funniest thing I saw

A little pair of Harley wings were tattooed on his paw

He spoke and said," Go ahead Mr. Convict and end my life of hell"

"But before you do please listen to my tale"

"I was born a jailhouse mouse in the hole at Solidad"

"I never knew my mom, nor did I know my dad"

"I've been in many prisons from level one to level five"

"I've been living off your crumbs just to stay alive"

"As for these Harley wings well that's another tale"

"I got them up in Folsem in a rowdy biker's cell"

Again he said," Go ahead Mr. Convict and end my life of hell"

"Then I won't have to creep around at night steeling from your cell"

My friends I tell you this I felt soft and set him free

He shot right out of the cell and flipped the bird at me

He laughed and yelled," You fell for my weakest drag"

"You must be a sissy punk and a big scumbag"

"Next time I see you will be at commissary call"

"I'll beat you down and take your shit with my tattooed little paw"

"Now we know you're a punk and I've nothing more to say"

One last time he flipped me the bird, turned, and stole away

Godmomma

In times of despair your there, for your love is willingly there to heal and repair.

Your arms, they're a willing source of comfort.

Your heart a jewel to  be admired.

Your strength a thing of awe.

You are a mother like no other and for that you are highly praised and I   am grateful that you have had a hand in my being raised.

In you I see no malice or greed. It seems you need only love, hope,f aith and a smile on which to feed your soul because your countence shows you know God is in control.

I thank God above for giving me you a wonderful godmom to love.

A Poem About A Man With A Long Nose And His Adventures With A Group Of Cows

Once upon a time there was a man with a long nose

But he didn't have any fingers and he didn't have any toes

Due to his lack of digits he had little to do

So he spent his time befriending cows and perfecting his moo

But one day a man with a stick poked one of his bovine friends

And hit her around the head with a bar held at both ends

So he charged the man, knocked him to the ground, all the cows went moo

And as the bad man was unconscious the covered him with poo

the first time

the sky was dark

the moon was high it was just u and i

her skin so soft

her legs so fine

i rubbed my hand down her spine

i wanted to give her the best

i wanted to touch her breast

i felt my beatin' heart

when she opened her legs more and more apart

then some milky white stuff came out

and she started to shout

and when i was finished

i was relieved now

that was the first time i milked a cow