Here It Is, Your Moment of Zen... - A New Poem

Sometimes,
staring at ducks in the middle of a pond,
in the middle of a park,
in the middle of a busy intersection,
in the middle of a very busy city,
while eating lunch,
made by a woman who loves you
more than words can say,
is the closest to a moment of peace
that you're ever going to get.


© 2014 Joseph Powell

To Be Middle-aged, Gifted, And Black--A New Poem

I am not one to brag or boast,

But I think it’s time to make a toast,

To a brother who,

likes to,

write the double truth,

Ruth;

I have come too far

and

seen too much

to stop now.

If nothing else,

my life

depends on it;

a gift,

that should not be squandered;

for those who’ve come before me,

and those who may

and will

follow after,

need to know,

that what they’ve done,

or

will do,

was not,

has not,

and

will not

be in vain.

My desire

to be a writer,

stems

from a child’s dream,

a best friend’s dream;

and now,

that I’m about to begin

the midpoint of my life,

I want to see it

through

to the end.

Not for fame,

not

for vainglory;

but to,

hopefully be,

the fulfillment

of prayers prayed

and blood shed,

in my own

small way

and

through my own

humble

contributions

to what has,

thus far,

been done,

and what continues to

guide me now

into the future.

© 2014 Joseph Powell

An Honest Man, A Good Writer--A New Poem

Like Baldwin before me,

Like Bukowski even,

I want to be

an honest man

and a good writer.

Like Hemingway,

I want to bleed on the page;

I want the truth

to be laid bare;

quoting Ginsburg,

hysterical naked;

no bullshit,

no chaser;

what you read

is what you get;

I might

and can

create fiction,

but,

if you don’t see yourself

in it,

then I’ve wasted my time

and yours;

because,

the world has enough lies

and liars,

and,

in my opinion,

not enough

with the courage

to say

what needs to be said

in the way

that it needs to be said.

Let the politicians

and false prophets

shut up for a change,

and let the poets

have the floor;

wonder how much more

earthly good,

let alone,

heavenly,

can be done

if the artists

were able to call the shots.

I want to be

an honest man

and

a good writer--

two things

that I will always

want to strive towards,

rather than

achieve,

because,

if I attain that,

if I arrive there,

where else

is there to go?

© 2014 Joseph Powell