the poetry knook :: the poetry of stephen m. james :: indianapolis, indiana » heaven https://www.tpkpoetry.com the poetry of stephen m. james Fri, 28 Mar 2014 01:04:39 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.8.3 White-faced https://www.tpkpoetry.com/poetry/white-faced/ https://www.tpkpoetry.com/poetry/white-faced/#comments Mon, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 face peeled, skin on asphalt,
defaulted in this holy of holies
rip the curtain,
cross the altar,
sacrifice the scarred,
keep Caesar out, You have no place here,
Heaven, iconically, confesses to keep going despite this
blizzard whipped, blinding snow.
the warm tropical water scrapes the scales
needling another pilgrim to confess.

]]> https://www.tpkpoetry.com/poetry/white-faced/feed/ 0 When the strings and co come to town https://www.tpkpoetry.com/poetry/when-the-strings-and-co-come-to-town/ https://www.tpkpoetry.com/poetry/when-the-strings-and-co-come-to-town/#comments Mon, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 No wonder the 19th century poets were ope’ addicts.
No television,
And it took an orchestra from Vienna to reach earthly heaven
Death knolls were entertainment,
kinda grabs you by the neck, no?
but no-bells (Prizes) for imagination
Can’t wait for my dream sequel,
if death were dreaming, there’d be no Hell
“Oh, I’ll fly away, dear Jesus,”
when the strings and co. come to town
swooping in and out of appreciation
between epiphany
and wonder transcending

]]> https://www.tpkpoetry.com/poetry/when-the-strings-and-co-come-to-town/feed/ 0 In the case of the life of the mother https://www.tpkpoetry.com/poetry/in-the-case-of-the-life-of-the-mother/ https://www.tpkpoetry.com/poetry/in-the-case-of-the-life-of-the-mother/#comments Mon, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 “I guarantee! or your friendship back”
he promises
lay down your problems and back IN my paper tray,
I’ll journal, write now
and male them OUT next Wednesday’s
child is full of Roe, love is murder?
choosing some
aborting hundreds of little verses
and I consented to everyone, every time,
“Did it hurt when you fell from Heaven?” Trying to pick up
the paper whispers in my ear
that my pen is running up and down the page–
just like men, no commit,
my uterus expands for another and
halts its periodic ink
for my beautiful child.

]]> https://www.tpkpoetry.com/poetry/in-the-case-of-the-life-of-the-mother/feed/ 0 She’s all down here, all up there https://www.tpkpoetry.com/poetry/shes-all-down-here-all-up-there/ https://www.tpkpoetry.com/poetry/shes-all-down-here-all-up-there/#comments Mon, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 Can’t decide
between the friend
and the idea of
crossing the bridge of action–
misunderstood always
like the use of English,
complicated, because there’s no way else to live–
I mean to analyze:
parsing desires and relationships
like grammar.

She’s all down here, all up there
in a heaven where they don’t wear white, but red
and don’t have it all together
and we love tension
because it refines
and that’s fine with me
as we pray for fortitude from the gurgle inside
and the pride that bubbles over
into the glass blown gods of creativity
reflecting second thoughts and shadows of fear in our minds’ eye
of what freedom from our common sense might have rung in our ears–
For all I have now are eyes and ears(–letters and sounds).

]]> https://www.tpkpoetry.com/poetry/shes-all-down-here-all-up-there/feed/ 0 Up There Someday https://www.tpkpoetry.com/poetry/up-there-someday/ https://www.tpkpoetry.com/poetry/up-there-someday/#comments Mon, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 Moments like these
When I see need up to my knees
When I sadly say,
“Can’t wait be up there someday.”
Because I won’t have to worry about those down there
Because there’s nothing I could do anyway for those that fell.
Every chance that had to help was yesterday,
And my sins, forgiven, I hate to say.
regret about heaven

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