I tumble over stormbad seasSandwiched betweenThe clouds and the deep.It’s been a terrible tripLasting foreverAnd I long for the safetyOf your harbor. Sweetly asleep I soon shall beAfloat on currents of wind and rainUntil the final sea-change. Weaving through the hazeWary gulls avoid my gaze.I wish they’d tell meWhat finally happenedTo dear old dirty Sinbad. Continue reading Sinbad’s Lament by Ron Kolm
Gertrude SteinWas known to drinkFrom time to timeA tall glassOf sparkling waterBecause there wasNo thereThere. Continue reading Absence Makes the Heart by Ron Kolm
One of my favorite booksIs Anne Sexton’sThe Awful Rowing Toward God. In the last poemShe plays a game of cardsWith GodAnd loses. Not too longAfter finishing that bookShe went to her garageStarted up her carAnd drove to HeavenPerhaps to challenge GodTo a rematch. Continue reading Going Home by Ron Kolm
Our daddy madly singingDances atop the tableWhile the universeSmolders outside the door.His naked prancingStunts our growth–But mommy’s gone away. Daddy keeps twistingThe night away, a note To mom taped to his chest:“Could you ever hopeTo have it as sweetAs when you were withThe kids and me?” Continue reading Our Father by Ron Kolm
What he really isIs a middle-aged guyWearing camo,Who reads a lot of booksOn military history and dreamsWhat the World would be likeIf Hitler had won the war.He sits in a neighborhood bar,Hunched over a White Russian,Watching TV.Every time he looksAt the screenSomething happens:Tornadoes slap Tennessee,Coronavirus erupts in China,Trump opens his mouth.He nods sagelyAnd sips his drinkAs these disasters occurIn real time.Even as he staresAt his … Continue reading Death Is A Soldier by Ron Kolm
I got a preview Of where we’re at now In this country Many years ago, Back in the 60s. I was going to school In Reading, Pennsylvania, Trying to finish off A college degree And, at the same time, Trying not to get drafted. Anyway, a good friend, Who lived his life for music, Had moved to Reading To hang out awhile And got a … Continue reading Jimi by Ron Kolm
