my old legs with gimpy knees and gait
don’t allow me to move freely
because they ache
but it doesn’t stop me
from dancing in my mind
where I’m free
of earthly constraints
and physical limitations
that bring complaints
but I hear rock and roll
and keep on dancing
to please my soul!
when they came and took away his Irish whiskey
he stood up to them and said you can’t do this to me
when they came to take his driver’s license away
he warned them and said I’ll get it back someday
when they came after his ’49 Chevrolet one night
he was waiting for them and they got into a fight
when they came after his marijuana field
he made a deal to share the harvest’s yield
when his freedom was subject to a bogus law
the pending injustice was the last straw
he withdrew from civilization
and went into hibernation
a generation of spoiled little creatures
the bane of teachers
the result of helicopter parents
coddling their adolescents
breaking rules to benefit their child
parents allowing their kids to go wild
our school systems now a joke
underpaid teachers going broke
respect for public education
is lacking in our great nation
city lights shinning so bright they light up the night, exposing activities you see in all cities. The harsh glow illuminates endless alleys and trash cans waiting for the morning light when they’ll be emptied of their rotten secrets and given new life.
skyscrapers stretch into the night sky like beacons burning brightly from a thousand rooms. Lights glowing like luminous ribbons on countless streets seeking to chase away stubborn shadows that escape the view of endless car’s headlights.
days turns into neon nights that defy the dark skies. People walking under an artificial glow in disguise. Petty thieves and gangsters clinging to the shadows like wraiths, waiting to catch unwary souls who venture beyond the incandescent safety of the radiant light.
tourists walking by glaring marquees that tease numerous delights in the always busy nights. So many things to see in the lucent city.
it’s been used for at least 5,000 years
around the time people first drank beers
used in China and Egypt to heal
ingesting pot was no big deal
cultures worldwide harvest weed
with hemp and flower they succeed
what was once illegal in the USA
a green market now here to stay
people use weed to fight depression
and PTSD regression
then there’s one of the best reasons why
people really like to get pleasantly high!
he captured the average American experience
with words woven with activism and skepticism
an insurgent in the literary world with no allegiance
to traditional poetry and using abstract expressionism
he confesses to being an anarchist at heart
encouraging poets to write about political and cultural
aspects of their country like laws and local art
Lawrence Ferlinghetti who turned 100 the other day
still burns brightly in the world of poetry
an icon with plenty left to say
about the world and our society
there’s no time to stop or hesitate
or to contemplate your fate
the line must keep moving along
no sense of right or wrong
the line keeps moving everyday
never making any headway
in a society of strangers
afraid of dangers
lines are crossed and people die
not even knowing why
everyone keeps moving the line
looking for a sign
a guiding light
through the dark night
for inspiration
and salvation
do you ever get criticized for what you eat?
or dressing sloppy and not being neat?
then you’re probably feeling the heat
from the critics in your life and on the street
our hopes and our desires are fragile things
that need nurturing, not a critics barbed stings
using words like weapons and their voices like slings
critics treat your ideals and habits like verbal playthings
but you can make sure the your critics don’t succeed
when they talk trash about you, pay them no heed
be the master of your own ship and don’t concede
to naysayers and enemies who only want to mislead
we’re all going to feel heat along our chosen way
how we stand up to our detractors determines our day
we’re all different and have a variety of games we play
in essence, life is too damn short not to have your say!
the comedian who gave us the seven dirty words you can’t say on TV
was George Carlin, whose brutal honesty appealed to me
attacks by the FCC for use of expletives were thrown out of court
a victory for freedom of speech which the FCC tried to distort
while George is no longer on this earth his words are still alive
he made millions laugh about the absurdity of many things
yet there was a serious message to his acts that still clings
to our memories like fall leaves holding on until the last breeze
stubbornly clinging to his mastery of words and sly journalese
Essay – 1 minute read
The traditional gatekeepers of poetry, professors and such, have longed considered themselves quality control experts. Their narrow interpretation of what constitutes worthy works comes with constrictions and different restrictions.
Examples include:, Haiku, Ballad, Stev, Ode, Free verse, Blank verse, thematic, limerick and nursery rhymes. Spoken out loud, they provide powerful images within the confines of each style. A feat many writers haven’t bothered to try, poetry, was once deemed elitist and a byproduct of scholarly snobbery.
But The Beat Generation came along in my time and showed that not all poems have to rhyme and that provocative word pictures could be painted without formal meter or stanza standing in the way. A revolution that is still happening today.
Even more important to me, is that everyone can feel free to write poetry on their own websites or social platforms without conventional publishers dictating terms to them.
This, because of the growing poet population online, is the new Golden Age of Expression
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