My friend calls me from Hawaii. He asks what I do for fun. To buy time, I ask him what he does for fun. He draws on the beach. He draws with a stick. The beach is a giant piece of paper. It is a hundred feet long. The ocean is his eraser. He dances …
The smiling turtle
The smiling turtle looks like he’s About to break into a laugh He’s been Waiting a long time for the punch-line But I am not smiling My mirror has misted up I feel the closeness of the swamp I think we are sinking Into the muck of our business We have to call off the …
There is a word for me and you
I am relieved to know Finally there is a word for me You too Aren’t you? I see you are On the list Of those who Will receive a word (Albeit a lower list) We could share If you are willing This relief of knowing That Out of the blue There is something To replace …
Back
I just got back From a beautiful requiem. I’m not sure what died But I’m back now. And I am remembering how, As a teenager I would come home late, Drunk as a skunk and, Quiet as a moth walking up the screen Toward the light, I would tiptoe up the stairs and Collapse on …
The swim hole
In the woods If you stop on the bridge And roll your window down You can hear a far off thunder That’s it and if you park Just off the shoulder And follow the path That will appear You will soon see A brightness through the trees Not the water hole itself But a patch …
How I got to be the greatest show on Earth
I did it by being a jerk, By not caring. By telling the truth, The real truth, which is That everything is a lie. Try it. It works. Truth? Lie? What’s the difference? Life is nothing but a foggy mirror. I just plowed ahead like china in a bull-shop. There was nothing sheepish about it. …
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Climate change
Remember those mischievous monkeys? They decided to begin dismantling civilization. They had the power because chaos was close. And all they had to do was help it a little. But first they decided to talk to a human being And ask a few questions. They found a man picking his nose And reading a book …
Tanks but no tanks
Tanks but no tanks Bells and whistles Flyovers and fireworks Blue-sky-blues and blowups How about anger and gray-dismay Marching bands floats and floaters The 4th followed by the 5th In DC PS TEAR HERE Fires raging Paris burning Hail in Mexico Spires bursting in air Ashes to ashes A seal is singing The theme to …
We know how it is
I will write this poem because I can or must or the words will rust maybe it’s not a poem or maybe it is we’ll see I’m going to do my best in the time I have You know how it is we all know how it is the roads fill with rain horizons shift …
New Poem by TCBH! poet:-in-residence Gary Lindorff
Traveling with a bee
You ask how I am doing Lousy There is no peace to be gained Until we figure out how to live Without bringing down the world Oh, and I’m tired I was even tired in my dream There were children living in the woods Under a plastic tarp They would come out of the woods …