Poetry Posts – Page 12

Janet Kuypers’ “Masquerading in Costumes & Personas” 10/1/16 poetry feature/show

February 12, 2019November 7, 2016 by Janet Kuypers

Janet Kuypers’ “Masquerading in Costumes & Personas” 10/1/16 poetry feature/show

Below are writing links and video links from a October 1^st 2016 (10/1/16, or 20161001) poetry performance (with costume changes for every poem reading) of Janet Kuypers’ Austin poetry feature through Expressions 2016: the Metaphor of Costumes at Austin’s the Bahá’í Center. The usual host for this event (Thom Woodruff) was out of town at another event in Waco TX, so he asked Janet to take over the reigns and host this evening, where she chose the theme of costumes (since for this monthly event, October ends with Halloween).

[tubepress mode=’playlist’ playlistValue=’PLYa-AZK78_hoIOh23UKvhRyi0x0bY-9_h’ ]

Before the show started she also released copies to most everyone there of a chapbook of the writings she was performing in her show (in the order they were performed), and all of the pieces from this reading were also released electronically in a “Masquerading in Costumes & Personas” chapbook, which you can download as a PDF file for free any time.

Read the poems and songs below:

before the show:
“Masquerade”

the show:
“Curium”
“This Halloween”
“This Halloween Again”
“Salesman”

after the show:
“On All Fours”
“Observations: Nine and Six”
“Vanishing Scars”

Enduring the anguish of thinking… A Poem by Richard Lloyd Cederberg

March 19, 2019October 30, 2016 by Robin Ouzman Hislop

“There was only the cemetery itself, spread out in the moonlight like a soft grey hallucination, a stony wilderness of Victorian melancholy.” (IN MEMORY)

How silently
And stern these
Straining days pass,
Where, at times, in open tyranny,
Scattered thoughts scramble
For measured application…

O dismay,
Each day
Embracing (the
Great word ‘WAIT’),
This (at times) tragic fate
Impelling the mind to reengage
With something other than
A wearied wide road
Worn smooth…
Another fluster putting glory on
[Hoping] to rediscover where
Newness is apparent, and where honest
Happiness is more than a shadow of things past…

Throughout life
(I’ve) known thinking
That piled-up (at times)
Like a day’s dead sanctities;
Thought-quakes pricked with panic –
Like vexed birds flailing on windowpanes –
Thoughts – in rising currents wild with leaves –
Trembling in trepidation at the tumults of the day,
But clinging to where Earth and Heaven meet crying:
O Burning Lion – Creator, from whom flows
The substance of all fresh thinking;
Help me bear this anguish…

(II) AN APPEAL…

O breath of life…
Breathe on this mind that broods
(At times) so helpless and unnerved…

…From the utmost corners,
O divine breath,
Command my lassitude
To drift from me like a whisper

Preserve me from these penumbras
Where despair shrieks in the belly of clouds;

And, where from all dark-lipped furrows,
Hubris strolls in chatoyant silk

…From the four winds come,
O breath,
To breathe upon
These outworn motivations,
That this slain heart could rise up
To write rather of life than of death

… From the uttermost parts,
O breath of life,
Breathe on me that I might suspire
As an Eagle stirring its nest;
Hovering over its young;
Spreading forth its majestic wings
To carry each of them up to the high-places;
For it is your breath (alone) O God that sustains me…

richard lloyd cederberg

10/16

“Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” Genesis 2:7

BIOGRAPHY (10/2016) – Richard Lloyd Cederberg

Richard is the progeny of Swedish and Norwegian immigrants. He was born in Chicago Illinois. Richard began his journey into the arts at age six. For twelve years he played classical trumpet. But then, the British incursion of music (Beatles and the Dave Clark Five) influenced him to put down the trumpet to take-up acoustic and electric guitar, and, to write songs and lyrics. He toured professionally for ten years. In 1995 Richard was privileged to design and build his own Midi-Centered Recording Studio ~ Taylor & Grace ~ where he worked diligently until 2002. During that time he composed and multi-track recorded over 500 compositions and has two CD’s (‘WHAT LOVE HAS DONE’ and ‘THE PATH’) to his personal credit.

Richard’s interest in writing continues. His poetic invention confluxes integrative elements: history, parlance, alliteration, metaphor, allegory, characterization, spirituality, faith, eschatology, art, and subtext. Avoiding the middle-road; he takes advantage of diverse poetic anatomies including: Rhythmical, Poetic/Prose, Triolets, Syllable formats, Story-Poems, Freeform, Haiku, Tanka, Haibun, and Acrostic. Richard’s work has been (and is) featured in a wide variety of anthologies, compendiums, and e-zines including: Poetry Life and Times, Artvilla, and Motherbird. Richard was nominated twice for the Pushcart Prize.

Published books include:

The Monumental Journey Series (adventure/mystery/historical fiction) 1. A MONUMENTAL JOURNEY… 2. IN SEARCH OF THE FIRST TRIBE… 3. THE UNDERGROUND RIVER… 4. BEYOND UNDERSTANDING. A new adventure/thriller, BETWEEN THE CRACKS has been published. A new eschatological drama – AFTER WE WERE HUMAN – is being written. Follow the lives of several friends as a new race of ageless multi-dimensional humans comes back to Earth with their Creator to rule and reign for 1000 years.

www.authorsden.com/richardlloydcederberg

www.richardlloydcederberg.com
www.christianstoryteller.com

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Key of Mist. Guadalupe Grande.Translated.Amparo Arróspide.Robin Ouzman Hislop

goodreads.com/author/show/Robin Ouzman Hislop
http://www.aquillrelle.com/authorrobin.htm
http://www.amazon.com. All the Babble of the Souk. Robin Ouzman Hislop
www.lulu.com. All the Babble of the Souk. Robin Ouzman Hislop
https://www.amazon.com/author/robinouzmanhislop
http://www.innerchildpress.com/robin-ouzman-hislop.All the Babble of the Souk

Janet Kuypers’ “How Music is Poetic” 9/3/16 song & poetry feature/show

October 13, 2016October 13, 2016 by Janet Kuypers

Below are video links from a September 3^rd 2016 (9/3/16, or 20160903) music&nbp;/ poetry performance (with accompanying guitar and percussion music by John) of Janet Kuypers’ Austin poetry feature through Expressions 2016: September Song! at Austin’s the Bahá’í Center (at 2215 E M Franklin Ave, Austin, TX 78723) that incorporated poetry into music. This is why they started the set with their song&nbp;/ poem that they previously performed at the sold out theater show from Beast Women Rising 9/21/14 of her original Mom’s Favorite Vase song “What We Need in Life”, with her poem “Fantastic Car Crash&^#8221; nestled between verses two and three. To break up the guitar, Janet then performed her Periodic Table poem “Tin” (with Chicago locations changed to Austin Texas downtown locations, of course). But in this set the ended their show with her poem (set to John’s original song) “Made Any Difference”.

[tubepress mode=’playlist’ playlistValue=’PLYa-AZK78_hpUC67BirGUxelBeVYMJRkI’ ]

Before the show started she also released copies to most everyone there of a chapbook of the writings she was performing in her show (in the order they were performed), and all of the pieces from this reading were also released electronically in a “How Music is Poetic” chapbook, which you can download as a PDF file for free any time.

Read the poems and songs below:

“What We Need In Life”
with “Fantastic Car Crash” between verses 2 & 3
“Tin”
“Made any Difference”

Plight. A Poem by Renee’ B. Drummond-Brown

October 4, 2016October 3, 2016 by Robin Ouzman Hislop

You don’t get that right

To understand our plight

Were you there?

When that slave girl

Was ‘KILLED’

The very day,

They stole her away

Were you there?

When that slave girl

Was bound

Shackled and chained

Cow bells on the neck

That ‘rang’

Were you there?

When she rode that vast ocean

On Noah’s waves

Of never ending rains

Were you there?

At ‘HER’ door of ‘NO RETURN’

Uneducated to your customs and ways

‘Wit’ an unfair playing ground while trying to learn

Were you there?

Standing on ‘dat’ Auction Block

At 14 years of age

As she watched

‘Dat’ Auctioneer’s gavel drop!!!

SOLD: TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER!

He’d say

To her dismay

ALL WAS AT LOST

Down to her family;

Just given away

‘FREE’ of cost

Were you there?

As she picked a bail,

O’ COTTON

Were you there?

When sorting out the bushel’s

That rotted

Were you there as she picked

All through her midnight

Were you there?

When she couldn’t give ‘Massa’

Any fight

Were you there?

When she warmed ‘Massa’

Anytime ‘HE’ wanted both day and/or night

Were you there?

When she ‘HAD’ to cast ‘ALL’ her cares

On a ‘god’

That she was ‘TOLD’ didn’t care

Were you there?

As she entered those back doors

Were you there?

When she was called a wench and then some more…

Were you there?

When she was kicked to the ground

Like Christ,

Got back up

And never made a sound

Were you there?

When she had to eat slime and hogs

Were you there?

To watch her treated less than a dog

Were you there?

When mixed babies came from her

Were you there?

When she begged ‘Massa’ to keep ‘do’s’ chillins’ in ‘dat’ dear dirt

Plus for ‘da’ one’s not belonging to her

Were you there?

As she watched

So many ‘HUNG ON HIGH’

Were you there?

When she stood tall

At it all

Never allowing to cry

Were you there?

While she couldn’t tire, sleep nor snore

Were you there?

When she polished silverware

Plucked string beans

While

Cleaning on hands and knees

O’ those ‘HATED’ hardwood floors

Were you there?

When Missy lied on her

Were you there?

At her foul treatment

Far less than dirt

Were you there?

At her rape(s), beatings and cries

Were you there?

As she wondered

‘IF’

God even cared

Let alone was alive

Were you there?

When she prayed to just die

Were you there?

When she ate

Humility pie

Were you there?

At worship

While sitting in ‘dat’ balcony

Asking permission

To use ‘BLACK ONLY’ facilities

Were you there?

When ‘dat’ slave girl

Was KILLED

The day they stole her away

And

You have nerve to wonder why???

You don’t get that right

To understand

‘Our’ plight

I’ve been there

‘CAUSE’ SHE LIVES’

In ‘da’ ‘STEAL’ of my nights!!!

Author: Renee’ B. Drummond-Brown

(Authored: Renee’s Poems with Wings are Words in Flight and

SOLD: TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER)

Dedicated To: Black History Month

All Rights Reserved@2016

No part of this poem may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without written permission from the author.

Biography

I, Renee’ B. Drummond-Brown, am the wife of Cardell Nino Brown Sr. and from our union came Cardell Jr., Renee and Raven Brown. I am the offspring of Mr. and Mrs. Peter C. Drummond of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. My siblings are Delbert D. Drummond and the late Pastor Shawn C. Drummond. I was born in North Carolina, at Camp Lejeune US Naval Hospital. I am a graduate of Geneva College of Pennsylvania, and my love for creative writing is undoubtedly displayed through my very unique style of poetry, which is viewed globally. My poetry is inspired by God and Dr. Maya Angelou. Because of them I pledge this: “Still I write, I write, and I’ll write!”

“Renee’s Poems with Wings are Words in Flight” is flown across the seas by God’s raven. There are several Scriptures that I love; however, this one speaks volumes during this ‘season’: “And he sent forth a raven, which went forth to and fro, until the waters were dried up from off the earth.” (Genesis 8:7 KJV)

www.facebook.com/PoetryLifeTimes
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goodreads.com/author/show/Robin Ouzman Hislop
http://www.aquillrelle.com/authorrobin.htm
http://www.amazon.com. All the Babble of the Souk. Robin Ouzman Hislop
www.lulu.com. All the Babble of the Souk. Robin Ouzman Hislop
https://www.amazon.com/author/robinouzmanhislop
http://www.innerchildpress.com/robin-ouzman-hislop.All the Babble of the Souk

EXCESS HUNGER. A Poem by Steve DeFrance

September 15, 2016 by Robin Ouzman Hislop

Early in the morning
the day after Thanksgiving,
I bleakly regard my fellow patrons,
squeezed from surrounding tract homes.

They had nudged out & stumbled away
from frightened lives.
They stand at the restaurant wall
looking at grease splattered
“Especials.”
These accidental victims of excess,
butts bulging, thighs dropping,
ruminate on pancakes or burritos
chorizo or bacon, tacos or tuna salad
eggs with hot chili. or coffee, tea, or Cerveza,

They order—filling an emptiness,
jockey for a seat overlooking a sea of hybrid
station wagons plastered with “baby on board” signs.
These folks dying of cancer, or filled with divorce,
or worse yet, homes infected with lies that kill,
homes of infidelity, homes of indifference,
homes one plots to leave,
homes with children without parents,
or worse yet–with twisted parents
looking ordinary—but living on rape,
or blood or tears on the mattress,
as suns come up & moons go down.

You don’t know how to love them,
or pity them. They simply are—and they leave
no apologies for their pain, your eyes glaze over,
as you too stare at the parking lot.

Steve DeFrance is a widely published poet, playwright and essayist both in America and in Great Britain. His work has appeared in literary publications in America, England, Canada, France, Ireland, Wales, Scotland, India, Australia, and New Zealand. He has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize in Poetry in both 2002 and 2003. Recent publications include The Wallace Stevens Journal, The Mid-American Poetry Review, Ambit, Atlantic, Clean Sheets, Poetrybay, Yellow Mama and The Sun. In England he won a Reader’s Award in Orbis Magazine for his poem “Hawks.” In the United States he won the Josh Samuels’ Annual Poetry Competition (2003) for his poem: “The Man Who Loved Mermaids.” His play THE KILLER had it’s world premier at the GARAGE THEATRE in Long Beach, California (Sept-October 2006). He has received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from Chapman University for his writing. Most recently his poem “Gregor’s Wings” has been nominated for The Best of The Net by Poetic Diversity. for further work by Steve De France see Poetry Life & Times & www.motherbird.com