MAP 63

Featured Poetry - This week's theme: Games People Play

Upcoming Themes:

#64 - The Working Stiff

#65 - Poets Travel Advisory: When planning your Chinese holiday... (Political Commentary)

Thanks to all who have generously offered your poetry to the MAP.

1. From Zer Purvee, of Austin.

Best Friends

you said that I'm hard,

cold and mean

that there is something wrong with me

because I rarely cry

you said you know me better

than that

that I'm not the same person I was

you said I made the wrong choice,

and bitched to everyone

behind my back

you asked

if we were having a fight

I never answered you,

I pulled out thoughts

from the top of my head,

the kind that once they're said

I don't believe anymore

I altered

and changed

while you

you stayed the same,

I'm sorry

I'm not the warm clay you wanted

I'm sorry

I'm not a leader or a follower

I'm sorry

that you don't know me

and never will

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

2. From Andy Buck of Austin (yeehaw)

BUMMING A STOGIE

this girl

this "woman child"

asks me if she can bum a cigarette from me

it's late in the afternoon

sky's clear

I just bought a fresh pack of stogies so I'm thinkin':

ya know damnit .... just give the girl a cigarette

(it's the spirit of the holiday season I guess)

I pull one out of my pocket

and even though she's not too cute

and her breath is frightening

and she's got this crooked-tooth-thing (not cute like Jewel's)

in other words: even though I'm not attracted to this "woman child"

there's all this tension

some may even call it sexual

between She-Ra and He-Man

it's a very tribal moment

the hunter finds a blazing stick in the jungle

and is giving it to his gatherer-wife

She-Ra senses the stogie coming closer and makes eye contact

she cocks her head and smiles revealing the tooth-thing

and coos: thankkkkk yoooooooou gggguuuuuyyyyyy

and in the moment when she's holding the stogie and I'm holding the stogie

and the stogie is like chinese handcuffs linking our bodies

I'm thinking..........

what power I have

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

3. From Lori Smaltz of Ohio

Wormwood

the sun dial leavened the day

and later with your sanctified, ghastly

religious rites, you revealed the night.

Precipitous mental snow melted

upon heated skin.

Your eyes full of marital sin

storms ragin’ within every vessel

carrying off the detonation,

with vile cruel words of a man-beast.

A worm upon what we walk above

a bottom feeder of weakness prevails

to dose your narrow mind full.

Full - of yourself, and tomorrow

may you rise with the strength of

a dying tree.