Comic Books and Candy - A Poem by Donal Mahoney - Dive into the Depths of Contemporary Voices

Comic Books and Candy – A Poem by Donal Mahoney

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Fred brought his old comic books
and some hard candy to a food pantry
and didn’t think much about it.
Just a different kind of donation.
Maybe somebody would want them.

When Fred visited the pantry again
Molly behind the counter raved
about the comics and candy
how much they meant
to the children who came in
with mothers looking for food.

Molly said the children were
happy to have something
they could call their own.
They took their comics
and candy home smiling
proving little things mean a lot
to little people who have nothing.

More at http://booksonblog12.blogspot.com.

Agnes - A Poem by Diane Woodward Dorff - Dive into the Depths of Contemporary Voices

Agnes – A Poem by Diane Woodward Dorff

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I remember

a Monday
grey darkness outside
your little apartment
home to a husband
a son
a daughter
and you

here while
the rest of your family starves and shudders
and cries in Liberia
battling the unspeakable evil
called Ebola

we watch the video
on your phone
the people in the street
deciding the best answer to fear
would be a parade

bright colors moving through
the streets before
walking home for the quarantine

your family
far from the city streets
in a tiny village

less chance to meet
the virus
but so much more helpless
without a hospital
should the enemy strike

Agnes

I think of you when
I see calling birds
careening
through the darkening sky

Crayon Hearts - A Poem by JD DeHart - Dive into the Depths of Contemporary Voices

Crayon Hearts – A Poem by JD DeHart

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With only the precision
a crayon-infused curlicue
can manage,
I have outlined my loves
on the leaking
watercolor portrait, using
my viewfinder to blot out
those images I don’t want
to persist.

More at https://jddehartpoetry.blogspot.com.

Brave Enough to Love Again - A Poem by Paul Tristram - Dive into the Depths of Contemporary Voices

Brave Enough to Love Again – A Poem by Paul Tristram

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‘Wow!’ Where did all of the oranges,
yellows and reds come from?
It’s been greys, blues and greens
for so long now…
I had forgotten that Spring actually exists.
Lopsided, tumbling, skyscraper piles
of ‘Saved for a Special Occasion’ clothes,
it just has to be as perfect as I can alchemize it.
‘First Impressions’ are exactly what the word
‘Everything’ was invented for.
Eight hours and thirty six minutes to go…
and I could simply scream… Again!
Derailed locomotive ‘Heartbeat’
‘Mind’ twirling cartwheels of giddiness
and if I entered my ‘Pulse’
into the Olympic Games
they would have to award me Platinum.
‘Tender yet Sophisticated’
she keeps mantra-ing to herself
as she runs a hot bubble bath
for the fourth time this very morning.
Singing gaily like Doris Day
on day release from the Looney Bin.
She dances theatrically with McArthur the cat
in between sighing and smiling
her dazzling way through the fantastic day.

More at http://paultristram.blogspot.co.uk/.

Soak - A Poem by JD DeHart - Dive into the Depths of Contemporary Voices

Soak – A Poem by JD DeHart

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We watched the rain-drenched
couple from a safe location
in a dry spot, sipping almond-flavored
coffees at a small shop.

Both of us love the stone work
at this particular haunt, little nooks
and crannies among buildings to explore,
the sound of shoes on cobblestones.

In this moment, we are grateful for
each other, grateful for the chance
to chat about life, and grateful also
for an umbrella and a warm seat.

More at http://jddehartpoetry.blogspot.com/.

Hoodie - A Poem by Gareth Culshaw - Dive into the Depths of Contemporary Voices

Hoodie – A Poem by Gareth Culshaw

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He hid under a hood
his face
caged in plastic.

Feet unwary, as if they
belonged to someone

else.

His eyes were metal detectors
looking for pennies

his hands ached to pick up
fag ends.
People gingerly watched

like he was walking a tight
rope.

Fingernails held last week.
Tongue soaked in yeast.
Pockets empty of tomorrow.

He just walked with his face
in a plastic cage, keeping
the world away, in case

they saw who he was

Connection Redux - A Poem by G. S. Katz - Dive into the Depths of Contemporary Voices

Connection Redux – A Poem by G. S. Katz

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People ask me where the poems come from
I tell everyone the same thing
They just appear, a word, a fragment, a feeling
Then I always say, “I’ve got to write that,”
Hence a poem is born

We fall out of touch for a long time
It was many years ago when we knew the glory
Lovers can go away though for years
Only to reconnect again with the passion of self
That allows real friendship to evolve

I love drinking alcohol
Not wine, though I enjoy an occasional glass
Not beer, though with spicy food what could be better
I love spirits, this past year has been bourbon
I never get drunk, it’s about the burn and the glow

There are other things going on
I won’t go into details at the moment
Spring is around the corner
Morning light wakes me up early
Rebirth my old friend, extending my hand and heart

Friends in America 2/22/17 - A Poem by Lee Rusch - Dive into the Depths of Contemporary Voices

Friends in America 2/22/17 – A Poem by Lee Rusch

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We talked and laughed for a while
then grew serious
Abruptly.
Things had changed
We could not leave the surface
Feared what lay below
Though portraying some kind of strength
A nonchalance almost
We kept on
Knowing no exit
No end
But, you know, the end

And the past lay back there
Diminished
Not a prologue of anything really
Non-linear, random
It seemed
Considering where we all were now.

And Then - A Poem by J.K. Durick - Dive into the Depths of Contemporary Voices

And Then – A Poem by J.K. Durick

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We fall through the cracks,
disappear; invisible folks,
our story becomes so thin
it slides between the pages
of the book they’re writing,
marginal at best, fading away
drifting, jetsam afloat, adrift,
some derelict debris, down,
forgotten, so forgettable,
and then we blur, we become
background, some shadows,
we’re easy enough to forget,
we recede, weaken, dwindle,
we wilt, wither, shrivel away,
fail expectations, diminishing
returns, get to play out, pay out,
live this quietly, out of their way,
and then, and then, finally, we…

Grades, Keeping 2-S - A Poem by J.K. Durick - Dive into the Depths of Contemporary Voices

Grades, Keeping 2-S – A Poem by J.K. Durick

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I remember when grades were posted
on the wall outside the dean’s office

sometimes typed up, others filled in ink
a bit hard to read, always hard to take

just a letter up by our initials or number
alphabetical order was easy to figure out

we knew how we all did, comparison was
built into it, an easy way to measure us

nothing inflated, nothing debated, roll of
the dice, had to roll with the punches

too often we’d limp away, some shaken, in
the late sixties, we still had ‘Nam going on

grades kept us safe or shook us lose, kept us
around, watching a war, fighting off boredom

grades waited outside the dean’s office, land mines
firefights, we learned the words, fearing our turn.

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