Poem Eating

CALL TO POETS
Original poetry with strong imagery; poems of cultural flux and interactions; personal translation of favorite works from the world's verse---these can be submitted to
Alan Young at alyguy@hotmail.com. As can commentary on poem eating. So folks, send it on in.

Alan Young is a Big Island caterer and literary enthusiast. He describes himself as "an art loving, food gobbling caterer with catholic literary delusions that I'm willing to inflict on an unsuspecting public."

read past poems:
LOLA HASKINS VACANA POETRY THREE ARAB POETS ELISAVIETTA RITCHIE RAY FREED TIA BALLANTINE BARRY ROHRBACH

ALEKSANDAR RISTOVIC CHOICE CUTS

While We've Still Got Feet, David Budbill

Dear slurpers of verse, readers and eaters of word, this set of poems, inspired by Chinese hermit-poets, found me of divided enthusiasms. First I liked it, then I didn't then I came back and read some more, examining my reactions to the unpleasing ones, thought of the hermit-poets, my perceptions of honesty, ego pretension and clarity and I changed my mind some more. Glib, sincere, simplistic and annoying, self deprecating, a bit maddening but still informing the human space, I'll set a selection down now so you guys get to chew and think too.

Gamma Sennin

Gut hangin' out,
Stick on shoulder.
Toad up on me
head.

Singin' me song
on Red Dust Road
headed toward
dead.

Drink a Cup of Loneliness

Looking for a place to hide?
Judevine Mountain will keep

you safe. Here's the place to
lose yourself and forget about

the world. Just wind through
pines and the sound of rain.

The longer you stay, the more
withdrawn you get, the better

you'll like it here. Drink a cup
of loneliness, and see what I

mean. There's a gray-haired
guy upt there who spends his

days playing flutes and writing
poems. He can tell you more.

It's Different Now

Chuang Tzu refused the offer of jade and gold
to come to the capital and advise the emperor.

Han Shan says he did the same thing. Those guys had iron wills.
Nothing could get them out of their woods and mountains.

I don't need to be so resolute since no emperor of mine
would ever imagine inviting me to town.

What It Takes

Enough
of a house
to keep
the bugs and rain
out
in the summer,
stay warm in the winter.

Books,
a few
musical instruments,
a garden,
silence,
some mountains,

maybe a cat.

Green Mountain Woodchuck Landscape Haiku

Dirt roads, power lines,
chicken coop, dead cars, trailer --
mountains all around

What We Need

The Emperor,
his bullies
and henchmen
terrorize the world
every day,

which is why
every day

we need

a little poem
of kindness,

a small song
of peace

a brief moment
of joy.

Original poetry with strong imagery; poems of cultural flux and interactions; personal translation of favorite works from the world's verse---these can be submitted at alyguy@hotmail.com. As can commentary on poem eating.