BeThisBell

mY voiCE iS noT A coMPeTiTioN

(Listen to this Slam Poem here: https://bethisbell.bandcamp.com/track/bonus-my-voice-is-not-a-competition-slam-poem )

My voice is not a competition. 

Call it intuition, superstition, 
Fascination of intrepidation, 
The need to express myself 
Has deep roots and only 
the…

rEjEcTeD EveRY sTEp

I take my poetry out to the world, 
rejected every step, 
until it finds an ear to bend, 
a lonely teardrop kept. 

The sound of howl and fury, 
as I scream into this rye, 
and…

whY tHe TReeS siNG

In these mountains 
- the trees sing - 
  Within 
The rock's gray mood 
The owl's glowing eyes 
The cave bear's slumber 

The ohm rises, as a new moon 
Celestial light fills the valley 
And…

StEp uP
 

The ocean’s lungs 
Rock my four-thousand pound vehicle 
On a calm day, full of blessed light. 
Farther South, they’d set up a blanket. 
On the North Coast, our cars keep us 
Warm, protected from the bone winds, …

ThE muSES aRe dRiNkiNG aGaiN
 

Television is so boring, tonight, 
every night, I fall asleep to news 
of the world exploding, smiling 
while the pundits and politicians 
pile their deceptive dances of 
self-interest with cream cheese 
onto our collective…

mOOnLiGHt

I could never write black poems. 
Piano keystrokes play me, pink. 
Moonlight sounds. another drink. 
The sister's notes finding homes 
inside faint shimmers in my dress. 
I am glowing. From my distress. 
Shade elevated. 
Mood enhanced. 
In the…

ToWN wiTHin A toWN
 

Here, the mountains touch the sea 
    On the coast, in our two McDonald's town 
the water is cold, even in summer 
    fitted out with three X-Marts and a Mall 
with clean beaches, seldom used, 
    the…

tHe MoRNinG sHiP

Ah, the dance of the swelling seas upon her briny bow,
The tempest she wrought against the evening sun,
An epic battle, the catch now emptied from her belly,
She sits upon the stillness of the bay…

iF i NeVEr wRiTe tHiS pOEm

If I never write this poem 
I might never have met you 
been able to guess all your secrets 
or undressed you in my mind 
all before you finish 
    the next line 

…

dAnCE, wE muST

College, Fairfax to Virginia Beach 
fearless foursome, road tripping 
crashing on the sands dune 
baked lobsters by mid-noon 
with two freezers full of beer 
three crates of fresh crabs
cheering, faux minors league.

Professional party animals …