Disposable Poetry

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poems written on the fly

pretty girl moves a room

she notices
the men who
turn their heads
just in time

the ones who look
but don’t want
to be obvious

trying to be
cool
but she
catches them
anyway

often sees
heads moving
to the left
or right

as if
they were
only observing
the room

the one
they’ve been
sitting in
for hours now

funny
how that
keeps happening

(D. James)

Filed under: art, bad sex and bad breath, d. james, literature, overweight champions, poem, poetry, writing , , , ,

1950 style

where are
the hula girls
and the umbrella drinks

the smoke-filled
club
with the little
tables
and white linen

it already happened
born too late
the party moved on

damn I hate that

(D. James)

Filed under: art, bad sex and bad breath, d. james, literature, overweight champions, poem, poetry, writing , , , , ,

better get to it

waiting
for the keys
to speak

why don’t they
type something

must I do
everything
around here

I thought
this writing thing
would be easier

people talk about
poems that write
themselves

where can I
get me
one of those

they promised
life would be
more fun
on a Mac

but I still
have to do
all the damn thinking

(D. James)

Filed under: art, bad sex and bad breath, d. james, literature, overweight champions, poem, poetry, writing , , , , , ,

life bends

autumn …
things begin
to die

the start
before the start
of next spring

the end
of this
the beginning
of that

life
is
a
circle

a cycle,
there are
no straight lines

which may be why
it feels as if
we’ve been here before

(D. James)

Filed under: art, d. james, literature, overweight champions, poem, poetry, writing , , , , , , , , , ,

at the end

We said
“you don’t
understand”
to each other

until we didn’t

then we weren’t
anymore

(D. James)

Filed under: art, d. james, literature, overweight champions, poem, poetry, writing , , , , , , , , ,

let me just say this

whatever I take
to bed

I wake up with

whatever is in
my head

I deal with

whatever it is
I’ve said

I have to
live with

and whatever happens
after I’m dead

I will have to
end with

(D. James)

Filed under: art, d. james, literature, overweight champions, poem, poetry, writing , , , , , , , ,

everything

Another time
in another city
when I was
someone else

And she
she asked me
“what do you want?”

And I
I had no answer

Now here
in this town
I being me
and all things equal

She asks me
“what do you want?”

And I
I answer
“everything”

To which she
she has no reply

And I
I am left
wondering
why this question
keeps coming up

(D. James)

Filed under: art, d. james, literature, poem, poetry, writing , , , , , , ,

do something

exhausted
by talk

empty words
without action

said again
and again

until there is
nothing
but sound

like shadows
in fog

smoke and mirrors

leaving us
nowhere
with nothing

(D. James)

Filed under: art, d. james, literature, poem, poetry, writing , , , , , , , ,

broken heart, broken head

piece of wood
in hand

broken chair
broken heart

throat
raw
screaming

glass
everywhere

must have been
some fucking point

I was trying
to make

(D. James)

Filed under: art, d. james, literature, poem, poetry, writing , , , , ,

we ride when the sun sets

And I will
rip up the night

raise hell
for the hell of it

ride until the
road rolls up
behind me

until my tires
burn off the rims

and the sun
comes up to
stop me

dead
in my tracks

(D. James)

Filed under: art, d. james, literature, overweight champions, poem, poetry, writing , , , , ,

give it a try

why
is the word
try
in poetry

is it because
it is
at times
a trying task

or because
we try
and try again
to write
a good one

perhaps
you should try
and let me know
what you find

(D. James)

Filed under: art, d. james, literature, overweight champions, poem, poetry, writing , , ,

under the water line

crushing waves
of sadness
crash over me

and I am afraid
of being sucked in
by the undertow

and though
I know
this is temporary

I wonder
if this time
I won’t survive

(D. James)

Filed under: art, d. james, literature, poem, poetry, writing , , ,

own it

moments of
overwhelming
sadness

unwilling
to go forward

unable
to go back

I sit here
in this pain
of my own
making

wondering
how to fix
what I’ve broken

(D. James)

Filed under: art, d. james, literature, poem, poetry, writing , , , ,

no winner

we retreat
to opposing
corners

lick our
wounds

meet again
somewhere
in the middle

fight it out
all over again

both of us
defensive
trying to be
right

both of us
losing
looking
for a way
out

(D. James)

Filed under: art, d. james, literature, overweight champions, poem, poetry, writing , , , ,

black wave of frustration

this night passes
through me

like a black
knife

no way
around it

I must
stay up

’til dawn
breaks me

only then
will I fall
to sleep

(D. James)

Filed under: art, d. james, literature, overweight champions, poem, poetry, writing , , , , ,

the one they call by no name

I hold tight
the reigns
and like Atlas
with the world
on his shoulders

I struggle
and raise hell
above my head

to find my
flat blackened soul
laid bare

would if I could
pick it up
but I’ve not
a hand to spare

(D. James)

Filed under: art, d. james, literature, overweight champions, poem, poetry, writing , , ,

it all amounts to nothing in the end

when we were young
we talked, naively
about being older
because that’s
all we wanted

when we were older
we talked, longingly
about being young
because that’s
all we wanted

when we’re
dead
will we talk, knowingly
about being alive?

or will we finally
be content
with where we are?

(D. James)

Filed under: art, d. james, literature, overweight champions, poem, poetry, writing , , , , ,

why a poet writes so many poems

to write something
of import

just once

a line
truer
than the truth

that makes
someone
think twice
pierces
their heart

it may be
in me yet
have to keep
searching
keep writing

to find that phrase
that stops the world
from spinning
if only for a moment

(D. James)

Filed under: art, d. james, literature, overweight champions, poem, poetry, writing , , , , , , , ,

little messes

a mess here
a mess there

little piles
of my life

laid out
on the floor

and I wonder
sometimes
what is it
all for?

(D. James)

Filed under: art, d. james, literature, overweight champions, poem, poetry, writing , , , , , ,

this is why I’m alone

spent the night
on the surface
of sleep

worrying about
my own
self interest

come the morning
hungry, ornery
horny, and angry

there was
nothing to do
but fight

maybe I’m not
cut out
for this
relationship thing

(D. James)

Filed under: art, bad sex and bad breath, d. james, literature, overweight champions, poem, poetry, writing , , , , , , , , ,

defenses down

come to me now
in the dead
of night

so that I might
hold you tight

come to me now
let me whisper
in your ear

and feel you near
knowing no fear

come to me now
so I can touch
your skin

let me drink
you in like raw gin

make me believe
in a god
and heaven
and all the angels
who sing

crush me
with your look
silence me
in a kiss

hold me
until the sun rises
and tomorrow comes
like sweet pain

(D. James)

Filed under: art, d. james, literature, overweight champions, poem, poetry, writing , , , , , , , , ,

alley of deceit

I told lies
hiding
in your shadows

crept along
your fetid blacktop

lost my soul
and almost
my mind

but come
the morning

I found myself
on the other side

(D. James)

Filed under: art, d. james, literature, poem, poetry, writing , , , , , , ,

did you say something?

you want
to say
something

but like a dog
with limited language
all you do is bark

of all the words
of all the sounds
of all the languages
in the world

you bark

because you realize
if every word
of every language
were known to you

they would all amount
to the nothing more
than barking

so go on
you dogs
make your statement
sing your song

bark your fucking
ass off

it’s all the same
in the end

(D. James)

Filed under: art, d. james, literature, overweight champions, poem, poetry, writing , , , ,

worn weary

sat up
half the night
with unhappy thoughts

come morning
they were still there
in a chair
by the bed

pulled them on
with my jeans
wore them
all damn day

till they
wore me out

sat up
half the night
with unhappy thought

determined that
in the morning
they’d be gone

moved the chair
into the kitchen
just in case

(D. James)

Filed under: art, d. james, literature, overweight champions, poem, poetry, writing , , , , , , , , ,

what if I said I knew it all?

Stayed online
all night long

Wrote down a few
words

But can’t tell me
a damn thing

Cause I
know it all
and nothing
nothing
nothing

at the same
time

(D. James)

Filed under: art, bad sex and bad breath, d. james, literature, overweight champions, poem, poetry, writing , , , , , ,

talk to me

lonely
I am not

lost
I am not

broke
I am not

though I have been
all of those and more

what about you?

(D. James)

Filed under: art, d. james, literature, poem, poetry, writing , , , , ,

whatif

what if
what is
isn’t

what if
what’s there
isn’t

what if
what you see
isn’t there

what if
you weren’t
reading this

would it still
exist

(D. James)

Filed under: art, d. james, literature, overweight champions, poem, poetry, writing , , , , ,

can you have more answers than questions?

There is the road
and then there is
the trip we take
on it

There is the sky
and the bird
that flies

There is the water
and the whale

There is fire
and smoke

Those who live
and them
that die

Questions
and even
some answers

(D. James)

Filed under: art, d. james, literature, poem, poetry, writing , , , , , , , ,

conscious contact

can’t write my way
out of this

tomorrow
brings more
of the same

like a rat
on a wheel

being aware
doesn’t seem
to make it
any easier

though I keep
hope alive

(D. James)

Filed under: art, d. james, literature, poem, poetry, writing , , , , , , ,

a way out

In a struggle
of the mind

wanting to make
it out to be more
than it is

just a bunch
of thought
none of it
true

or all that
powerful

except when
I make it so
and so often
I do

more thought
doesn’t solve
anything

only action
gets me
out of my head
and into
the world

(D. James)

Filed under: art, d. james, literature, overweight champions, poem, poetry, writing , , , , ,

mind fuck

having thoughts
about thoughts
that I thought up
last night

thoughts I’ve thought
a long time

new thoughts think
the old ones should
make room

but the old thoughts
think they know best

then there’s the thought
that all this thinking
isn’t getting us anywhere

I don’t even know
what to think
about that

(D. James)

Filed under: art, d. james, literature, overweight champions, poem, poetry, writing , , , , , , , , , ,