Vision

Here's one I made up Friday during a work break. "What were you on?", I'm often asked...would probably apply to this poem as well. I have an unusually loose mind...that feels free to travel many directions. It's all me...with all the limber simplicity and complexity that follows. If I were to analyze my poem, perhaps the sandbox would represent a simpler more childlike life I yearn for. Yet I realize sometimes life plays games with us...messes with our vision...can be filled with nonsense...which is our adult life looking at present incongruities. Somehow nonsense has a way of tapping into my real world in ways I can't quite understand or comprehend. It's an odd comfort...

Vision

I looked out my window to the sandbox below
And saw two crickets tugging a hula hoop
Not believing what I saw, I cleaned my glasses
And looked again...
There were five pies playing a merry-go-round circus
Not believing what I saw, I closed my eyes, took off my glasses
And looked again...
There were five saws hammering wood into sheet metal
Putting my glasses back on I ran down the stairs
Out the door and grabbed one of the saws
Whispering in its ear...as it performed a quick and painless
I looked outside my window to the sandbox below
And saw two tadpoles tapping on a ferris wheel.

Denis Streeter 2/12/11

Alright

Some words about this poem... It's written like an algebraic equation. The 2, 4, or 1 after each parenthesis indicates number of times. Then I abbreviated each expression with the letter H, A, and J. Yes...there's lots of repetition...and no question marks. I leave that to you, the reader. Try reading it aloud and put your own expression and question marks where ever you like. Have fun...

Alright

(Hows it goin') 2
(Alright) 2
(H) 2
(A) 2
(H) 2
(A) 2
(H) 2
(A) 2
(Just alright) 2
(A) 2
(H) 2
(A) 2
(H) 2
(A) 2
(J) 4
(A) 2
(H) 1

Denis Streeter 2/9/11

Bald at work

At work,
I knew something was going to happen...
Standing in front of the personnel computer,
I had a sense that I would have to change my password...
And I did...to clock in.
Then it was crazy busy this morning cashiering and customer service...
We were short staffed, three of our cash registers locked up, a return went awry
It felt like me and my bald, sleep deprived head were struggling to keep the department afloat.
Then more help arrived and it got better.
It was still pretty busy all day and slightly crazy.
I blame the sand papery stubs on my bowling bowl head... ;-)

Two days later

It's nearly two days later...after shaving my head. It feels weird. Sometimes I touch my sideburns, expecting them to be there. I've gotten various comments from "I nearly didn't recognize you", to "you look good", to "you look about 10 years younger". My first bald outing was Monday night poetry. All looked surprised...although I reckon many didn't even notice...or just thought there was something different about me...and couldn't place why. That's probably what I would think....depending on where my head space was... It's weird...putting on my undershirt over my head felt like scratch paper...and of course my head gets colder. Now there's just a ghosting of white and grey across my head and face...like God decided as a joke to sprinkle salt and pepper from the sky and have it stick. Now to go outside again...with a knit cap...otherwise my head will be like a cold bowling ball.

Bald to beard

It's nearly 3 PM in the afternoon...and I imagine the Superbowl is going on. I just finished spending about an hour shaving my head. Just my eyebrows are intact...and those are trimmed back. My head feels different...colder but good. I think I'm just going to let my hair and beard grow out...for about a month...see what it looks and feels like. No more hair and bushy sideburns...yeah! I've shaved myself bald a few times before...usually when I'm drunk and it's my birthday...but this time I'm dead sober. I've never grown a beard before...so I want to see what that is like. It's like a grand new experiment. For those of you who see me, I'll be curious what you think... For those of you who don't see me much, I'll still be curious what you think. There are so many opinions running about the beard/no beard issue...or why it even matters. What do you think?

Given

When the rocks come in
I'll come tumbling down
Into the moorish wind of sound
Wind myself up, let myself down
And when the complete comes
I'll toss myself away
Leaving laughters loss
On its way far away
Dust in the dreams
Catapault awake
Away from me
Dust in my dreams
Caterpiller sleep
Lives met
When I'm awake
Tumbling down
Reaching out
Sent but not forgiven
Forest from my trees
Memory freeze
Tease thaw wake
Given.

Denis Streeter 1/6/11

Streets

The color of streets
When they walk at night
Twisted yellow gray
Obscure light.
The curve of streets
When they talk at night
Countenance untold
Rolled in tight.
The story of streets
Moonlit dry
Walk when they talk
Asking why.

Denis Streeter 1/5/11