15 Poems & other stuff

Wow! 15 poems in one post? I have been writing my poem-a-day for 2010, but I didn't realize I was neglecting to share them that much. Apparently, this will be a chapbook-length post. But first, I wanted to share a few tunes from a band I'd never heard before last night. They're called the Mystery Jets, and I like these two songs from them: "Young Love" and "Two Doors Down."

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041-Love poem

Something in the way she turns everything off
before she exits the car; something in the way

she uses a hair dryer to warm her feet; something
in the way she sways from side to side when

she's being playful with me; something in the way
her eyes always seem to find mine in a crowded

room; something in the way she reads my words
and makes me feel that her world is on fire,

the flames licking the edges of her skin until
we find each other alone and filled with heat.


042-Black holes

Don't you worry about no
end of the world, no asteroid
hurtling through outer space or
a sun so hot it's ready to pop.


043-Witches

He's getting into everything spotted
& dangerous. They cast spells &
spin webs, stir potions in cauldrons.


044-Hold the handles

He's not happy he's dying,
but he knows he's dying
anyway like an abandoned
house swallowed by nature
he forgets how to fall
in love, but he can still
ride his bicycle around
town at night & pretend
the town needs him--without
me, what can be done--
though he is unhappy & dying.


045-Wanted: Your Heart

I am the can that you crush,
the plastic bottle you deflate,
the newspaper that you fold.


046-Gravity

The phone rings because
someone has to answer
or let it continue ringing.

The fog tells him he is
near a river, but the wind
can't whisper inside his heart.

She can call all she
wants; he will only
answer when he's ready.


047-Poets

Ultimately, we
only care about
the whispers of
our own voices
wondering how
they will carry.


048-Confectionery

In February, everyone wants candy hearts
or a heart-shaped box of varied chocolates,
but by Easter, it's all about those Peeps.
Of course, any time is good for a Hershey Kiss,
and I'm always searching out Appleheads.
Still, it's winter, the season of candy canes,

and I better eat better, or I'll bend my cane
in old age. Plus, who wants to give their heart
to a plus-sized candy eater? I put the Appleheads
down and get down to the sound of chocolate
going into the trash. I'll diet my way to mo' kisses
and late-night parties with my funky peeps

at the club & fall in love with a sweet peep,
because I'm still young & don't need a cane
to get around the dance floor. My soft kiss,
my fully full-fledged foolish and foolhardy heart
will seek out the deepest, darkest chocolate
smile as I lose my fragile, fractured head

for a little while. I'm not talking Appleheads
anymore, man. I'm not concerned with Peeps,
yo. If you don't know the appeal of chocolate,
then I ain't gonna melt it down with candy canes
and pretend I wasn't reaching out for your heart.
Tell me now, have you ever tasted a Hershey Kiss

that didn't make you want another sweet kiss
and then another? Don't bother with Lemonheads,
because they're too sour for anyone's heart.
Start with some marshmallow, a yellow Peep,
then sweep the room for a peppermint cane,
which would actually go well in a chocolate

milkshake. That's right, I said chocolate
is the route you take for a simple kiss,
and if you want more, have candy cane
breath and watch her lose her head.
If you want to talk, don't make a peep,
because words only disturb a beating heart.

So, take her candy hearts and heart-shaped chocolate
boxes, but don't make a peep about wanting a kiss,
because it'll come when her head swirls like a candy cane.


049-Crash

I am the piano
that fell on the crack
& splintered into music
that made everyone jump.


050-Flurries

My heart is a snow drift
collecting your smiles. My mind
is a plastic sled sliding for miles
upon the snowy hill of your
heart. Hold my hand and kiss
me for a start. My heart is
a snow drift collecting your smiles.


051-Poem

Not every poem
is a cardinal darting
through snow-covered
branches in February.


052-With me

You don't want to play
just because I make
the rules (It's cheating.)
& it still hurts (So?)
& you are still weird
(I'm rubber; you're glue.)
& I'm through with you.


053-Intentions

Think of bunnies (filled with good intentions)
or kangaroos (filled with good intentions)--
think of monkeys (filled with good intentions)
or real bad news (filled with good intentions).

Do you wonder (filled with good intentions)
if I'm thinking (filled with good intentions)
about plunder (filled with good intentions)
or your one thing (filled with good intentions)?

I only ask (filled with good intentions)
because I care (filled with good intentions)
about your ass (filled with good intentions)
in underwear (filled with good intentions).

Come now, baby (filled with good intentions),
let's make babies (filled with good intentions).


054-Oval teen sonnet

You say yes
when I ask
you a question.
You say no
when I don't
even mention--

(I want to be your poetic rock star
& deliver a sonnet to your heart.)

You can talk so fast
& I can walk slow
running out of gas
rambling through snow.

(I just want to be your magnetic guy
holding you to things as if you are mine.)

I know
you know
my eyes like to see you;
you know
I know
you kind of like it too.

So let's just wander
& ponder
our parts,
because February is burning us
& our bodies want to fumble & fuss,
but we won't let them
forget then
our hearts.


055-Obnoxious

"Stop being vile," she says and passes him
her coat, "or I won't stay." "Come now,"
he says as he opens the closet, "You act
as if I'm somehow revolting." She smiles
and says, "Well, there are times you are
completely odious, not to mention simply
objectionable." She sits on the couch, and
he takes a seat next to her before saying,
"I'm glad I'm not repugnant or repulsive."
She scoots closer to him as he puts his arm
around her shoulders. "No," she says. "You
are not unpalatable, but you can be abominable
and thoroughly awful." "Though you wouldn't
have it any other way," he says before they kiss.

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Yep, that's a lot of poems. I wonder how many people will actually read this entire post. If you are such a person (or if you're the type who jumps to the end of blog posts) and you want to follow me on Twitter, you can find me @robertleebrewer

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