StarPoet Newsletter Vol. XIII, No. XXV

A South Korean, a German and a Nepali-born Canadian are
Climbing Mountain Everest
When there is a traffic jam of climbers on their way to the summit
Late in the day on Saturday;
A wind came up, Everest did what Everest does,
There's one death for every ten successful attempts,
Which does not seem to inhibit the enthusiasts,
Three Hundred or more have season permits.
Do the math and do not weep for those who would climb a mountain.

Is the Internet hurting our children,
Is Rock and Roll destroying our youth?
The big cities will be the end of us
If universities don't get us first

Science is crucifying our traditions,
The Industrial Revolution enslaved us,
The end is near, Harlequin repent,
We cannot survive our destruction.

Our children love luxury and bad manners,
Disrespecting their elders and parents,
They ignore the law and riot in the streets,
We see no hope for the future.

Impatient of restraint, restless beyond any words,
This generation is uneducated and barbaric,
They no longer rise when we enter the room,
All humanity is doomed to extinction.

There are only so many body parts one can use
-- Lips, fingers, tongue and teeth,
                   Flesh, cock and vagina --
Before a poem-- or soft porn for that matter --
Soon resembles a repetitious assembly of flash cards
For a high school biology class
Than something designed to get a rise out of you;
The limp line between lust and distraction
Disappears in a style moment of artistic ineptitude:
The brain must not notice the infrastructure
If one is to keep their focus on fucking.

— Lisa Jain Thompson (June 2012)

I didn't think
The hole would be this big,
This vast emptiness inside me
Even as I cling to Sharon,
Even as Sharon clings to me.

We are adrift,
Caught on a receding tide
We struggle to escape
Before the tidal wave
Overwhelms us.

1.

Suck it up, suck it up,
The dingo took the baby,
Sorry 'bout that jail time,
The system isn't perfect.

2.

As I was a-walking last night in Los Angeles,
As I walked out on the streets of L. A.
I spied a set of lungs on the sidewalk before me,
No body, no drum beat, no heart to oxygenate.

3.

Children with older fathers live longer:
So do children with older grandparents.

4.

The coach walk up to me and he asked me if I wanted to dance,
He could cut me from the team so I said I might take a chance,
He asked me if I had a girlfriend, treating me like I was his best girl,
Shared a shower then dried me off and then he kissed me.

5.

The town of Middleborough, Massachusetts,
Deep in the heart of Christian morality,
Don't like no cussin' or fucking profanity,
They'll fine you in a flash for your foul-mouthed bitchin'
So please don't read this poem on the streets out loud.

The Army is 237 today,
They've fought our wars,
Eaten our shit when we've
Changed our collective mind;
200,000 are overseas on
Every continent but Antarctica,
1.1 Million American Citizens
Serve in the Guard, the Reserves
And the Active Army, all of them
Waiting for the moment they'll be
Told to defend our homeland,
Defeat our enemies, or combat
Some natural disaster.

Army Coda:

The strength of our Nation is our Army,
The strength of our Army is our Soldiers,
The strength of our soldiers is our Families,
This is what makes us "Army Strong!"

1.

I didn't know it was going to be this tough,
That the hole in my life would be this wide
With Cedar not here anymore.
This is going to take a while
Before my tears stop completely.

2.

Who will lick my boo-boos,
Watch over me when I am ill,
Check out the sounds outside the door,
Warn me that someone unsafe is near?
I've lost so much more than a border collie,
A member of my pack has died.

The Empty Blanket

St. John's Passion clashes with the loud road of semis
As I sit on the back patio, struggling back the tears,
Everywhere I look a part of me sees Cedar,
Every breath I take breathes molecules that Cedar breathed.
His scent still fills our house,
His hair still clings to my good black pants,
Hair balls in the corners and beneath tables and chairs;
I hear a sound and turn to see if Cedar's there.

I took our walk tonight after dinner,
Visiting trees and bushes that Cedar frequented,
Touched the fire hydrant without learning
The neighborhood news that Cedar would have read;
The clouds drift by overhead, the sun continues setting,
But this singular pain continues. It's been twenty-four hours
Since I said goodbye and watched Cedar die,
If only he would greet me at the door when I go back inside,
I might be able to sleep tonight..

For The Good Times