Poetry Page – please respond

December 3/09

five-twenty a.m.

slow upbeat
softly the coffee cries dawn
human voices talk themselves silly
words over words
layer upon layer
slice through the noise
listen to emptiness

July 6/09

Steam Roller’d

vapours arise
release your sauna soulmates
undo the flat-iron building you’ve laid on my head
there must be a will, some way
why not jump an alp
let my inner forest rumble
no wilted mindforce inertia
ice cube crackdown
close-in

July 2/09

Somebody Left My Brain in the Sun

fear and loathing of sunburnt mind
blaming the weather,
the dog,
the early morning peacock
blaming the neighbour,
the flat tire,
the chlorinated water
the watermelon that isn’t yet cold
blaming the soup, the wilted lettuce
blaming the dying avocado,
the ficus that birthed a leaf
those poor wasps that simply had to leave
blaming the guilt of wasp denial
the horror of bites and stings past
blaming the mind that got left out in the sun
for sunburnt brain

January 5/09

Boom Cracka Cracka

Searching for buried treasure

rocket ploughs into earth,

alongside mouther ficus

her sweet tendrils caressing space

all safe, we cling to medusa overgrowth

all safe, we look into gaping hole.

all safe, we hope we have heard the last

boom cracka cracka clunk

till another rocket lands

Open Call for Peace and Understanding

Open Call For Peace & Understanding Duet, sing with me yeah, it’s open door’s wide open step in, step out all one roof, no roof look up and see blue sky yes, it’s us and it’s now step into the world as a quiet nurturing place where all we need exists where all we want is only what we need pure oxygen pure water basic food a look in the eye of another a heartfelt smile no one takes from another no need unless the other one needs to give accept the gesture open call now,  open for living peace is here if we want it come on now you know we want it i want it

Poem for December 19, after the Ceasefire ceased to be

hey, dream on,
now, later and whenever
gotta look towards that goal
while the shots whizz by heads
and politicians work out deals
the underground peaceniks
pass out food and blankets
continuing reality sandwiches
while the dream covers cracked panes
painting a new ink blot
spreading hot cider and cinnamon
pass it round
pass it on
brewing hot love in the backroom
pass it on
finding cold corners
warming cold fingers
pass it on

judih dec/19/08

There are bombs, there are victims of brainwash, there are mourners, wounded, there are sounds that do not cease

Cry Sis

tears of Yes
across waters
as I fill lakes
abandoned by deserters

I cry sis
in agony torn from
death defying dragonflies
clinging to grapevines

we
small rains
in the sea
of hope

I cry sis
with power fire honey
drenching passionate
soaking us all
beyond skin

cry sis
cry brother
weep catharsis
over the planet
anguish overload
cries of pain
for those who cannot cry

cry
sis
and watch the cried out
clouds
simmer softly
into mist flecked stanzas
of love

Ugly Sometimes

There are bombs, there are victims of brainwash, there are mourners, wounded, there are sounds that do not cease

ugly sometimes
ugly relentlessly ugly sometimes
mind can’t see over the smoke
head bombarded with blasts of rocketfire
eyes see worse than eyes can stand

& over there in a soundproof room
sipping espressos, cocktails, lies
it’s so sweet, life’s beautiful, fighting over the tip
life’s good, endless paychecks doing endless jobs
life’s waiting like a ripe olive on an ancient tree
always bearing fruit, a bowlful of promises

but back here it’s ugly
ugly with more to come

led zeppelin squeals 60’s hope
but it’s goddamn ugly

judih nov 9/2008

A massive bundle of compassion

by judih

how much compassion is enough?
how many gestures of selfless love will suffice?
when will giving be refused?
when will receiving be distasteful?

a massive bundle of loving kindness
passed from hand to hand
leaving traces of joy as it travels its path
forever moving, forever linking us all

2 Poems, May 2008

scraping out of tragedy

by judih

every word a blow
every look a shock
waking my sleepy mind

the roar of the war-planes
again fill the night
fear of tragedy
fear of being alone

news in the a.m.

by judih

had to do it
had to read the news
had to know who was the victim
who was traumatized
how much damage was doneand now it’s there
stuck in my mind
generations of children sent on their way
lost in a nightmare of anxious fear

that’s the story
a continuing saga
with bursts of pathos and dread

i used to read astrology
or pull my i ching
the days of messages from a bottle

but now, i’m the bad news
i share the bitter facts
on a morning ripe with potential

large wise humans
open my eyes
today is for the little chances
the speeding trains
and the slow-moving sheep
children ride horses
we smell the newly picked carrots
lush green fields feed our tomorrows

i do the japanese dance
i walk on, choose my pose
walk off

a moment is all i’ve got

november 9/07

ugly sometimes
ugly relentlessly ugly sometimes
mind can’t see over the smoke
head bombarded with blasts of rocketfire
eyes see worse than eyes can stand