New Poem

A while back, I posted some info on my (then) upcoming participation in the trolley readings, as part of the "Imagining The Green Line" segment of this year's Somerville Open Studios. Well, the readings happened, and I was glad I participated. Whereas fellow participant Ian Thal took pictures and notes in order to help him write a detailed and insightful post on his blog, I could only focus my energies on writing haikus to help mark the couple of hours I spent reading, riding around, and tormenting the driver (a tremendous sport, she was). This resulted in the poem below, which I print here as a way of saying thanks to Cervena Barva Press' Gloria Mindock, who organized and oversaw the event in spite of illness.


Trolley Haiku
Sommerville Open Studios, Trolley Poet Reading
For Gloria Mindock

1.

Imagined Green Line
Poets asked to christen path
in lieu of budget.

2.

I, rambling madman
of public transportation?
Counselor was right!

3.

Driver slips off-route.
Poetry’s about new paths,
but where are we man?

4.

Clang clang clang went the
trolley, ding ding ding went the—
I’M TRYING TO READ!

5.

Bump-induced stutters.
Even the haikus I read
sound like s-s-s-sestinas.

6.

For accuracy
pseudo-T’s fight earliness
with random stopping.

7.

Theoretically,
the first poetry slammers:
subway pulpiteers.

8.

For accuracy,
if people aren't listening,
we bellow, make them.

9.

For accuracy,
people briefly remember
our public forums.

10.

For accuracy,
nobody has to admit
that their listening.