Friday, December 31, 2021

SAFE DISTANCE EDITION - Stone Soup Croutons, 12-29-21: Christmas Wars 2021 (Never Forget)


Stone Soup Croutons is a weekly poem I write using lines and impressions picked from Stone Soup Poetry'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.
 
I also have a book collecting the best of my first year of poems. Click here to purchase it.

Wednesday was our last ope mic of 2021. A nice What a year. I'm still trying to break down my time in 2011 on my blog. Everything leading up to the holidays left me a little numb. No wonder I'm still stuck in Christmas mode with these poems. At least you're smart enough to ignore my mood and do your own thing. I hope this is the last one for now (after tomorrow, there's no excuse). 
 
I want to thank everyone who made 2021 a little more bearable as Stone Soup continued from a safe distance. We're on our fiftieth year of existing as an open mic since Jack Powers started us off in 1971. Where we'll go from here is still unclear to me, but I'm glad you're all following along. Thanks for reading.


Christmas Wars 2021 (Never Forget)

A duchess and a harlot
walk into a bar to drink
to Bishop Tutu while 
the outside burns.

Somehow, temple bells
ring through own fire
as mobs scramble to save
conglomerate Christmas trees.

All purport to have
phoenix eggs ready to hatch
in hope we can bit and bridle
our pride to their backs.

Not as specters but as 
guiding lights. We search
for sparks everywhere,
ignore where they're already lit.

We're dying, but at least
we still have our attitude, 
our dirty talk too low 
for the police to hear.

Our pride is a tame bear,
paw mutiliated, forced 
to dance. We blame Disney
for creating an outlet.

Right hand scuffles left's
research, claims hurricane,
checks if those who rule 
above are still safe. 

New Jesus hightails out
of city in his brand new
sports wagon, renounces 
his tired commute.

He forgoes healing those
freed from the psych ward,
leaves them to the bootstraps
of their laceless shoes.
 
And the once again homeless,
drunk off their last bath,
reclaim their favorite spots,
ready for what's coming next.




Special thanks to Chris Fitzgerald, Jan Rowe, Nancy Dodson, Patricia Carragon, Carol Weston, Ethan Mackler, Ari Whipple, Bil Lewis and James Van Looy.
 


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