Stone Soup Croutons, 2-8-18, In It Now

Stone Soup Croutons is a weekly poem I write using lines and impressions butchered picked up from poems overheard from Stone Soup's open mic readers and features. I figure out a title (and sometimes the rest of the poem) later. You can read the other ones I've done since 2015 here. To paraphrase Lorne Michaels, this poem doesn't go up because it's ready, it goes up because it's Friday morning.

Skoot totally killed it last night to an eager audience. A perfect night to finally get the mic stand. I'm grateful for the turn outs these past few weeks, new and old faces joining us. When I get used to this new regiment, hopefully the poem will come easier, I'm sure. As it stands, I had to ask one of the poets to send me the poem they just read. Too busy dealing with computer equipment not working (thanks, Alfred). Here's another hot mess of a piece.


In It Now

The section eight housing
you cross the street to avoid
as though infectious
has people smart enough to know
when to bundle for the cold,
as knowing as President Madison
coming to visit and rescue
his wayward son.
Celebrate your failings,
your unfinished business,
your working title,
with more alibis than
a bratty sister
listening to you
from behind a thin wall,
her face of eternity
printed into the plaster.
This is how children really learn
to become soldiers, infiltrate,
wayward offspring in waiting.
By foot or force,
they will be conquerors,
learning to cry
once disbanded,
tumble on how
to come together
without the need to invade,
without turning in friends
with noncompliant hair
for a position of officer
in the race war,
or parents for their medicines
that fend off a lifetime
of war wounds, not covered
by any leader.

Stone Soup Poetry: Now hands free!

Skoot and the new mic get along very well.

Signature not seen: James Van Looy, late because of the post-storm MBTA.

Special Thanks to Jan Rowe, Martha Boss, Bil Lewis (as President James Madison), Alfred Zuniga, Nancy Messom, Michael Igoe, Tichaona Munhamo Chinyelu, Ryan "Rat" Travis, Dexter Roberts, Toni Bee, Skoot and James Van Looy.