Carnival Ride, In Our Own Words, 2010 (Print)
“Hi—My name is Martha” my cousin said
so sweetly southern-like to a carnie-boy running The Scrambler.
“Would you mind letting me and my cousins ride this ride
even though we’ve run out of tickets?”
Martha’s almost grown lean over the ride’s iron gate,
the soft breeze from her fluttering lashes and
the gently lulling country drawl worked on him.
So charmed was he—he didn’t reply. We walked past
the gate like three green-blue peacocks and climbed into
the red-white benched seat smallest to large. Laughing; feeling so fine.
He walked by—click click clank, click click clank—pushing
the bars down tight on our thighs. Our bench swayed
as the ride begun and we lurched like blown bluebonnets.
I closed my eyes; letting the wind peel them back open.
29 May 2011
"Dominoes In July", N.E. Avery
Dominoes in July, In Our own Words, 2010 (print)
“God gave me lemons and ain’t nothin’ sweeter
than this iced lemonade in my glass here!”
“Are you going to play, May’jo, before the good
Lord our savior comes back?”
“You better hush now Merl West Sims,” she said but laughed.
I listened to them talk as I rocked back on my heels
keeping score beneath the cool
shadowed shade of the porch stoop.
The hot hard heat beat on my granny and her sister.
They lifted their glasses—sucking the cold ice dry
when their lemonade was gone and
talked to each other while they played—“Ten stitches in your britches!”
“Put down twenty for the weak side, gran’ baby!”—
I scratched it down with an old pencil.
“God gave me lemons and ain’t nothin’ sweeter
than this iced lemonade in my glass here!”
“Are you going to play, May’jo, before the good
Lord our savior comes back?”
“You better hush now Merl West Sims,” she said but laughed.
I listened to them talk as I rocked back on my heels
keeping score beneath the cool
shadowed shade of the porch stoop.
The hot hard heat beat on my granny and her sister.
They lifted their glasses—sucking the cold ice dry
when their lemonade was gone and
talked to each other while they played—“Ten stitches in your britches!”
“Put down twenty for the weak side, gran’ baby!”—
I scratched it down with an old pencil.
Madam and the Rent man
Madam and the Rent Man
from The Selected Poems of
Langston Hughes
The rent man knocked.
He said, Howdy-do?
I said, What
Can I do for you?
He said, You know
Your rent is due.
I said, Listen,
Before I'd pay
I'd go to Hades
And rot away!
The sink is broke,
The water don't run,
And you ain't done a thing
You promised to've done.
Back window's cracked,
Kitchen floor squeaks,
There's rats in the cellar,
And the attic leaks.
He said, Madam,
It's not up to me.
I'm just the agent,
Don't you see?
I said, Naturally,
You pass the buck.
If it's money you want
You're out of luck.
He said, Madam,
I ain't pleased!
I said, Neither am I.
So we agrees!
from The Selected Poems of
Langston Hughes
The rent man knocked.
He said, Howdy-do?
I said, What
Can I do for you?
He said, You know
Your rent is due.
I said, Listen,
Before I'd pay
I'd go to Hades
And rot away!
The sink is broke,
The water don't run,
And you ain't done a thing
You promised to've done.
Back window's cracked,
Kitchen floor squeaks,
There's rats in the cellar,
And the attic leaks.
He said, Madam,
It's not up to me.
I'm just the agent,
Don't you see?
I said, Naturally,
You pass the buck.
If it's money you want
You're out of luck.
He said, Madam,
I ain't pleased!
I said, Neither am I.
So we agrees!
Madam's Past History
Madam's Past History
from The Selected Poems of
Langston Hughes
My name is Johnson--
Madam Alberta K.
The Madam stands for business.
I'm smart that way.
I had a
HAIR-DRESSING PARLOR
Before
The depression put
The prices lower.
Then I had a
BARBECUE STAND
Till I got mixed up
With a no-good man.
Cause I had a insurance
The WPA
Said, We can't use you
Wealthy that way.
I said,
DON'T WORRY 'BOUT ME!
Just like the song,
You WPA folks take care of yourself--
And I'll get along.
I do cooking,
Day's work, too!
Alberta K. Johnson--
Madam to you.
from The Selected Poems of
Langston Hughes
My name is Johnson--
Madam Alberta K.
The Madam stands for business.
I'm smart that way.
I had a
HAIR-DRESSING PARLOR
Before
The depression put
The prices lower.
Then I had a
BARBECUE STAND
Till I got mixed up
With a no-good man.
Cause I had a insurance
The WPA
Said, We can't use you
Wealthy that way.
I said,
DON'T WORRY 'BOUT ME!
Just like the song,
You WPA folks take care of yourself--
And I'll get along.
I do cooking,
Day's work, too!
Alberta K. Johnson--
Madam to you.
05 May 2011
01 May 2011
Trump, Rebecca Black, and Friday Oh my!
My birthday was this weekend and besides having too much tequila, which resulted in a heartburn that had me popping tums like I was pregnant, there were some interesting things going on this weekend on CNN and Twitter.
First, this whole Trump running for presented thing seems to be irritating both Republicans and Democrats and frankly I don't think he'll make it very far. Trump would run this country like a mob boss and even though I am immensely liberal I would much rather see one of the previous republican runners take the presidential throne than Donald Grump.
Think about it, he's so nasty to Obama. He goes to places no republican has ever gone before in their hate for the president. You didn't hear Bush talking badly about Obama, you know why? It's called respect. President respect other presidents because you know that they have a lot to deal with and being the president turns your hair white and makes you age.
Now, I do remember Obama criticizing the Bush Administration for the policies, but that's just politics. Trump is walking around NY like a rooster in a hen house. He brags about his success in getting Obama to release his birth certificate, when really he just another corporate bully. Now, he says he wants to see Obama's high-school transcripts because he doesn't believe he had good enough grades to get into Harvard....
Enough Donald Grump talk, (yes I'm doing that on purpose). His tactics are tactless and abrasive he better be careful he's acting very nouveau riche and that's not a title any businessman wants.
I've wasted a lot of space on D.T. so I'll quickly talk singing sensation Rebecca Black
There was a link posted to an article interview of Rebecca Black where she shares her realization that her debut song "Friday" will be "on the internet for forever". Yes. Yes it will. Black also tried to shrug off the whole single as being just a fun expensive gift from her parents that she though no one would ever see. Right. That's why you posted it on the worlds largest internet video website, right? No one ever goes to YouTube to troll on confident people with no talent...
-N
First, this whole Trump running for presented thing seems to be irritating both Republicans and Democrats and frankly I don't think he'll make it very far. Trump would run this country like a mob boss and even though I am immensely liberal I would much rather see one of the previous republican runners take the presidential throne than Donald Grump.
Think about it, he's so nasty to Obama. He goes to places no republican has ever gone before in their hate for the president. You didn't hear Bush talking badly about Obama, you know why? It's called respect. President respect other presidents because you know that they have a lot to deal with and being the president turns your hair white and makes you age.
Now, I do remember Obama criticizing the Bush Administration for the policies, but that's just politics. Trump is walking around NY like a rooster in a hen house. He brags about his success in getting Obama to release his birth certificate, when really he just another corporate bully. Now, he says he wants to see Obama's high-school transcripts because he doesn't believe he had good enough grades to get into Harvard....
Enough Donald Grump talk, (yes I'm doing that on purpose). His tactics are tactless and abrasive he better be careful he's acting very nouveau riche and that's not a title any businessman wants.
I've wasted a lot of space on D.T. so I'll quickly talk singing sensation Rebecca Black
There was a link posted to an article interview of Rebecca Black where she shares her realization that her debut song "Friday" will be "on the internet for forever". Yes. Yes it will. Black also tried to shrug off the whole single as being just a fun expensive gift from her parents that she though no one would ever see. Right. That's why you posted it on the worlds largest internet video website, right? No one ever goes to YouTube to troll on confident people with no talent...
-N
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)