he wanders the street in search of sleep sleep of the awake who need a respite a respite from the uncles and aunts the children the parents the dog the cat the man on the corner asking for money the woman on the corner offering to wash your car the news that tells him daily of all of the horrors the billboards that shout love for sale and food for sale that will eat away your heart and programs for sale to cure the disease the food creates and newspapers saying to simplify and magazines screaming about the new consumerism and politicians promising to provide health care if only you will hand over your first or first and second paycheck and the gated communities locking him out and those whose communities are repeatedly raided by the police even though they have nowhere else to go
he searches the streets for a place to belong to let down to cry for an hour or a day or more because as far as he can tell the only way out is not through but to sit still to be still still the thoughts let go the need to run let go the fear and pain still let go the suffering let go still
Put the baby to bed he says anger in his hot breath then get yourself in here
quick
her heart pounds limbs shake warning passion thrown against the wall pure fear, her last resort she enters the room head down, lights off counts to ten, ten thousand times and then ten thousand more
In another house another spouse asks will you drink with me will you agree not to know deny concern and rage will you take 12 steps from alanon
quick
to the corner liquor store and bring home one more bottle she shakes her head dismayed, ten thousand times and then ten thousand more
Down the road dad drags home, second shift to begin pulls a smile from his pocket a pizza, milk, a cake feed us scream his children
quick
mom's still in bed he coaxes her to the bath trys to wash away her haze tears and anxiety, he drops his head and prays ten thousand times and then ten thousand more
somewhere in the moonlight new night lovers twine bodies urged by ancient power and breath
quick
before we understand that love is not just this before our hearts take the jagged road let's swear our love ten thousand times and then ten thousand more
I have a submissions calendar page. These are culled from P&W, Duotrope, CRWOPPS, emails and friends. Feel free to add the Google calendar in its entirety to your calendar or add specific events.
3 comments:
still
by dot
he wanders the street in search of sleep
sleep of the awake who need a respite
a respite from the uncles and aunts
the children the parents the dog the cat
the man on the corner asking for money
the woman on the corner offering to wash your car
the news that tells him daily of all of the horrors
the billboards that shout love for sale and
food for sale that will eat away your heart and
programs for sale to cure the disease the food creates
and newspapers saying to simplify
and magazines screaming about the new consumerism
and politicians promising to provide health care if only
you will hand over your first or first and second paycheck
and the gated communities locking him out
and those whose communities are repeatedly raided by the police
even though they have nowhere else to go
he searches the streets for a place to belong
to let down
to cry for an hour or a day or more
because as far as he can tell
the only way out is not through but
to sit still
to be still
still
the thoughts
let go
the need to run
let go
the fear and pain
still
let go
the suffering
let go
still
not sleep
he realizes
stillness
noticing
a witness not overwhelmed
still
he sits
on the meridian
and watches
Wow Dot. Not much more one needs to say. Just Wow!
Put the baby to bed he says
anger in his hot breath
then get yourself in here
quick
her heart pounds
limbs shake warning
passion thrown against the wall
pure fear, her last resort
she enters the room
head down, lights off
counts to ten, ten thousand times
and then ten thousand more
In another house
another spouse
asks will you drink with me
will you agree not to know
deny concern and rage
will you take 12 steps from alanon
quick
to the corner liquor store
and bring home one more bottle
she shakes her head
dismayed, ten thousand times
and then ten thousand more
Down the road
dad drags home, second shift to begin
pulls a smile from his pocket
a pizza, milk, a cake
feed us scream his children
quick
mom's still in bed
he coaxes her to the bath
trys to wash away her haze
tears and anxiety, he drops his head
and prays ten thousand times
and then ten thousand more
somewhere in the
moonlight new
night lovers twine
bodies urged by ancient
power and breath
quick
before we understand
that love is not just this
before our hearts take
the jagged road
let's swear our love ten thousand times
and then ten thousand more
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