Tag Archives: poetry

The Ballad of Ol’ Tom Rat, or The Man Who Lost His Shadow

Ol’ man Rat was a foul old man. His children, his grandchildren, his brother and his wife All told him so again and again. … His dog ran away again and again. The catcher caught that dog every single time. … Continue reading

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Non-poets are clueless

    “A book is not a thing of one sitting, like a poem…..” Patricia Highsmith: Brilliant, but clearly never wrote a poem

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Ghost

Ghost My grandmother wore a white sheet on Halloween. Black oxford stout-heeled shoes poked out from under the hem. She walked with her familiar rock to side to side. Her pale blue eyes glinted through the eye holes. She was … Continue reading

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Carnival Ride

Carnival Ride, Mid-West State Fair, 1949 A ride like never before seen! The Amazing Tiltawaki Racing Machine! Hold on, kiddies! Don’t fret, mother. For a ride, it’s as safe as any other. Let Tommy ride, he’s almost fourteen. There they … Continue reading

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Corn

Corn The dark roiling sky churns for hours, refusing to open. The sky flashes lightning, igniting a barn, but refusing to open. The hard earth shrinks, and like a web across the field, cracks open. The dust, the stalks lie … Continue reading

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Things Alleged

November 1, 2013, CBS News Police: Suspect LAX gunman sent “suicide text” to family Paul Anthony Ciancia texted a suicide wish. Or a suicide determination. Or a suicide fear. (Specifics have not yet been reported.) So he shot a man … Continue reading

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