Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Love Poem Put Together Before Reading Guidelines for Assembly

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Love Poem Put Together Before Reading Guidelines for Assembly


I love you very mulch. I mean much. I like
the way your berries ripen on your vines, baby,
and I don't mean literally.

I like your skin. Suddenly that doesn't
sound like a compliment.

Hey, the connection between laughter
and sexual attraction is something
I've often wanted to discuss with
strangers I'm standing in line with--
your thoughts?  Words can possibly

express how I feel about for you,
I mean feel about you. That's
what words do--they feel about
and then they express. Like:

I love you! Look how easy that was.
I vow to you that I will bake you an apple pie
as diligently as I would bake it for anybody
else.  But to me, you're not anybody else,

okay?  I wrap this poem up for you now.
Please take it. I don't want it back.  I'm
so fond of you I'd like to fondle you
right away.  In other words, totally
in love with you: me.


Copyright 2011 Hans Ostrom

Monday, November 21, 2011

Michelle Alexander: Is Mass Incarceration the New Jim Crow?

boxing poets

most people don't think
about poets. no reason to.
so many more urgent matters
to attend to.

some people who do think
about poets like to box
them up. this

poet's in the small-press
box, that one's in the gilded
box of anthologized fame,
this one is political, that
one performs, this one's
of the street, that one
from the colleges, this one
is Great, that one must
not be thought of as Great.

some boxes, history
made. we can keep
some of those, let others
of them go. we'll use
our judgment, our
experience. we mustn't
not own up to history--
that is the main thing.

the rest of the boxes,
we can throw out. a
person either writes
poetry, or doesn't,
and the most recent poem
is the kind of poetry
the person writes.

poems don't go to
college or teach there.
they don't drink wine
or work as fry-cooks or
go to war or lie down
for peace and get kicked.

of course, many poets
are only too eager to
jump in a box or push
another poet in a box
because poets are just as
stupid as other people
and often more so.

if you're a poet and
are eager to categorize
yourself and other poets,
you probably need to
settle down.

write a poem. or don't.
read one. or don't.

start from there. work
your way forward. take
your time. surprise yourself.

try this: write one word.
what kind of poet does that
word make you? really?

Copyright Hans Ostrom