UncategorizedArchive

Mar 23

How To Dress Like A Scary Dyke (Barnes)

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How To Dress Like A Scary Dyke, by Jane Barnes (1943-) She said, Wear my leather jacket, a looser sweater.  Take off that lipstick, don’t fuss with your hair.  Wear jeans and boots. That ought to do it. I still had stockings stuffed like seaweed in packages, and nylon pants that made my crotch itch […]

Mar 22

The Sorrows of Werther (Thackeray)

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The Sorrows of Werther, by William Makepeace Thackeray (1811-1863) Werther had a love for Charlotte such as words could never utter Would you know how first he met her? She was cutting bread and butter.   Charlotte was a married lady, And a moral man was Werther, And for all the wealth of Indies, Would […]

Mar 21

Let the Boat Go… (Hatzopoulos)

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Let the Boat Go…, by Kostes Hatzopoulos (1869-1920) Let the boat go where it will on the wave, let the breeze steer rudder and sail. Spread the wings wide, the earth has no end; unknown shores are always beautiful. Life is a dew-drop, a wave, let the breeze carry the boat where it will, where […]

Mar 20

To a Baked Fish (Wells)

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To a Baked Fish, by Carolyn Wells (1862-1942) Preserve a respectful demeanor When you are brought into the room; Don’t stare at the guests while they’re eating No matter how much they consume.

Mar 19

A Further View (Mayo)

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A Further View, by E. L. (Edward Leslie) Mayo (1904-1979) There is no giggling in this classroom, Whispering, shuffling of books and papers, I’m Alone at my desk in front of empty chairs Where I have been for almost thirty years, Though there were times I thought a class attended. Now, thinking back, I know […]

Mar 18

Girl at Sixteen with Lightning (Sorrentino)

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Girl at Sixteen with Lightning, by Gilbert Sorrentino (1929-2006) The flash of lightning and we see enameled sitting in a chair her knees together Joanna Fulmine from Academy St. Clare shy and perfect in her uniform   O the despair of adolescent boys is mammoth can she know they worship her in navy blue they […]

Mar 17

A Ruin (Bailey)

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A Ruin, by P. J. (Phillip James) Bailey (1816-1902) In a cot-studded, fruity, green deep dale, There grows the ruin of an abbey old; And on the hillside, cut in rock, behold A sainted hermit’s cell; so goes the tale. What of that ruin? There is nothing left Save one sky-framing window arch, which climbs […]

Mar 16

Sestina for Three Voices (Brown)

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Sestina for Three Voices, by Rosellen Brown (1939-) He said, “We do not love by word alone,” And pulled the silence down around his voice As though a sound could hurt him.  Since those words Became their own perverse, inviting promise, She had to smile: “Then what is left to say That you will listen […]

Mar 15

The Bell Bird (Shepard)

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The Bell Bird, by Neil Shepard (1951-) (Matari Bay, New Zealand)   I smell lemon everywhere, lemon-air and lemon-earth and lemon-tees and long-leafed eucalyptus. When I arrive at the canyon’s rim and peer down a thousand   feet to the dusk-silent canopy of trees, suddenly the Bell Bird sings. Its song is almost human, a […]

Mar 14

While Watching “Young and Innocent” I Think Of My Mother (Sadoff)

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While Watching “Young and Innocent” I Think Of My Mother, by Ira Sadoff (1945-) Pull down the shades.  Those waifs and waitresses of the forties movies remind me of you.  Stood up again! So where was he now? Out on the town   with some hussy while you waited by the window in your nightgown, […]

Words That Burn