So I Slowly Whisper I Love you 32 and a 3rd Times

My love is halfway across the world this Valentine's Day, so I can especially relate to this super sweet poem. It speaks of long distance love in a world where people are only allotted 167 words, each day. Tweet Tweet :)

It's in one of my fav poetry compilations - The Last American Valentine from Write Bloody Books. Perfect VDay present for yourself!!

The Quite World
BY Jeffrey McDaniel

In an effort to get people to look
into each other’s eyes more,
the government has decided to allot
each person exactly one hundred
and sixty-seven words, per day.

When the phone rings, I put it
to my ear without saying hello.
In the restaurant I point
at chicken noodle soup. I am
adjusting well to the new way.

Late at night, I call my long
distance lover and proudly say
I only used fifty-nine today.
I saved the rest for you.

When she doesn’t respond, I know
she’s used up all her words
so I slowly whisper I love you,
thirty-two and a third times.
After that, we just sit on the line
and listen to each other breathe.

Speckled Poets Rock!!

Hello good people

Hope you don't mind if I get all touchy feely for just a bit!!

I have to talk about the awesome community of poets I got to hang out with last night. I was asked to read a few of my pieces and some poems written by other artists at the Speckled Bird Cafe's Monthly Poetry Night and it was an absolute treat! I got to hang out with some truly talented poets, soak up the creative energy and bask in the good vibrations.

Honestly, it was one of the most fun nights I've had in a while. Thanks to the entire Speckled Bird crew for being gracious enough to let me share my work. We artists are pretty "sensitive about our ish," :) but the crowd was great. I discovered some new poets, who I'm sure will be fast favorites, and even read a few of my new to the world pieces...thankfully, no one boo-ed...whew!!

:)

Check out one of the new poems I read below. It shows how much of a hopeless romantic I really am. Ha!! Also, if you're interested in finding out what other hopping events are happening at this Cafe, find them on Facebook or Wordpress!! You won't be disappointed. I promise!!

Love Riot
BY Susan Baba

He only loves me loudly
If there were a mountain,
he would shout his love a million times from its highest peak
If there were a water tower,
He would deface it in my name
With my face
Adorn it anew with words of adoration

But in this city of concrete and glass, there is neither mountain nor water tower in sight
So he settled for the subway station
Taps the man sitting beside him sheepishly and points
“that’s my woman”
With the sincerity and gentleness of a man overwhelmed by his good fortune

Sometimes, if I am lucky,
Only if I am lucky
My eyes will catch him first,
His pursed lips prepared to shout “I love you” at full force
And my kiss will intercede
Capture his words like a willing prisoner
Breathe deep his elation
His giddy innocence

I always play shy and surprised when I don’t catch him in time
I nuzzle into him and shield my sly giggles from the disapproving faces of our fellow passengers

I love you
I love you
I love you
He whispers into my ear
Lifts my face to look into it
And although I already know,
It’s always nice to hear
those words
again

Happy Birthday to Freddy!

15 minutes left of Fred's birthday. (1hr 15mins, if you're on Central Time)

Wowzers!! Over the past two decades, he's been almost like a brother to me...ok...he's been exactly like a brother to me:) It seems like only yesterday, he was the short little squirt I was picking on in the back seat, during our family road trips. Now he's taller than me, practically a full grown man of 22, and rocks in every way imaginable. Love this guy!

If you haven't done so already, wish my "baby" bro Happy Birthday!! Don't know him? No worries. Send him warm thoughts and wishes. They'll get to him. I promise:)

In honor of the 22nd anniversary of his relationship with this life, check out this Anis Mojgani poem. It has become a mutual favorite of ours!!

Here I Am

"Will I be something?
Am I something? And the answer comes
Already am,
Always was,
and I still have time to be."
- Anis Mojgan

Dhani the Poet?

I am not one to crush on fictitious, mythical creatures like unicorns, magicians and professional athletes. I prefer to shower my unspoken adoration on everyday souls like the cute boy on my floor or the quite man that waits at the bus stop with me every morning.

Recently, though, I took a temporary liking to one of our very own Cincinnati Bengals. I saw him in the flesh at last week's TedXCincy Conference and was pretty impressed by this Renaissance Man. Dhani Jones brings the fury on the field, always rocks a bowtie and also has a poetic side. ::swoon:: Corny, I know!! Though this weekend's abysmally game has caused my crush to wane a bit, I wanted to share his poem anyway. It's amazing what you can find on the Google:)

He's no Daddy Shakes, but it's an interesting piece.

enjoy!

The Punch
BY Dhani Jones

I begin with a journey a magnificent tourney around the globe to stop and see the sights ...
An inviting aroma of new things to discover a world to uncover never turning off the lights ...
It’s a challenge I tell you, to step
I beg you, into the ring I go, for the first not the last but the beginning it is for forty some odd days I will live ...
It’s the first some might say the last others might insist ...
It’s just that time ...
It’s that movement that caught you that spirit that bought you for me to unwind ...
Time and time again I just bob and weave, bob and weave and use what was given a chance to prove what was inside ...
Here’s a man
Here’s a man with the thoughts of a man that I am
Here’s a man living in a heartbeat of time trying to escape the breath and design
Up elbow, right elbow, left elbow, right kick ...
Down elbow, left kick, right punch, left hit ...
A plethora of ideas of power it takes, to control and direct to the right space it must not break ...
It must not disgrace, it must not let down for the eyes are watching me from all around ...
I’ve heard my name spoken not once not twice but the third time around ...
I heard my name ringing in my head when I looked around ...
I realized it was me repeating it time and time again ...
I realize it was me who was getting punched not them ...
On to the bell with great strides I took and put forth all the effort and with pride I was not shook ...
It was my time to use all that I was taught and leverage my voice and my mind for the ultimate thought ...
I must conquer ...
I must live ...
I must set forth to understand and give ...
Of myself and those around me ...
And if one punch I must take, I will take and not break but he who gives shall receive and with ease I decree that this moment ...
I will stand and deliver, bend not fold, yet tell the stories untold ...
I will finish what I started and finish I did ...

A Clever Battle for Mike's Soul

Watch this hilarious poem of the Angel of Death getting the Mighty Mike McGee treatment. In this great piece, McGee cleverly challenges the Angel to a food eating contest - winner takes his SOUL! A little sacrilegious, but way too funny to miss!!

Because (Sometimes) Boys are Better

"You are my favorite stick of dynamite
You are the opposite of a rubber ban
There are so many things that I would tell you
If I thought that you would listen
And so many more you’d tell me
If you believed I would understand
But I hope you know
You were never meant to wear this shadow"
- Sarah Kay

Like many little girls, I spent my younger days wishing for a little sister...a fellow female with hair that I could braid and clothes for me to borrow. At first I was very hopeful. I mean, my parents had gotten the job done once with me, so why not another? But, as my mother's belly grew big and then returned to normal size (once, twice, thrice) sans a baby girl, I began to realize that I would probably be the single girl child forever.

It was not easy, but I eventually got over the fantasy of having my own little sis. And today, my brothers mean the absolute world to me. They have taught me so much about beauty and love and laughter. In fact, I've learned to cherish my special role as the head femme of the Baba offspring.

So, in honor of these little knuckelheads:), check out the video of Sarah Kay reading her poem "Brother." Fantastic piece!

Happy V Day

Today, remember that somebody loves you. You are precious and cherished and wonderful...even if you're a little on the slutty side..jk:-)

Love you all...more than a fat kid loves cake!

Love a Good Scandal!

Nothing like a steamy, secret love affair to get your week started off right:-)

The Cook and the Lady
BY David Bruzina

The cook and the lady must be more than friends.
Notice he keeps glancing through the swinging double doors?
Notice how his Chicken Curry Special makes her grin?

Later, at her house, he’ll slip off her dress, whispering
something in her ear about her complicated breath—
for which she’ll credit (in part) him and his spices.

Already, she’s anticipating the sixteen paradises.
And how she’ll fall asleep at last, beneath the wet silk covers,
her body indistinguishable from her lover’s.

If I could, I’d release the cook from his kitchen.
I’d let the lady take him home. I’d cook our chicken.
But my chicken always lacks precisely that necessary something.

hungry for more?

Slightly Stalkerish, but Still Lovely

I Crave Your Mouth, Your Voice, Your Hair
BY Pablo Neruda

Don't go far off, not even for a day, because --
because -- I don't know how to say it: a day is long
and I will be waiting for you, as in an empty station
when the trains are parked off somewhere else, asleep.

Don't leave me, even for an hour, because
then the little drops of anguish will all run together,
the smoke that roams looking for a home will drift
into me, choking my lost heart.

Oh, may your silhouette never dissolve on the beach;
may your eyelids never flutter into the empty distance.
Don't leave me for a second, my dearest,

because in that moment you'll have gone so far
I'll wander mazily over all the earth, asking,
Will you come back? Will you leave me here, dying?

I Like You Like Frat Boys and Pirates Like Booty!!

You know I couldn't go more than a few days without a love poem:-)

Mike McGee's Like is another one of those oldie but goodies that really embody the slam movement. Engaging, well-delivered and, with the exception of the Muppets fisting line, very thoughtful. Yeah. He actually said "Like Muppets like fisting." LOL. That line still makes me blush, even after hearing it so many times. Good stuff, though. An all around fabulous piece.

For you know who:-)

"I like you a whole bunch of a lot.
you're a pocket full of awesome.
I like you similar to the way that frat boys and pirates like booty."

::Hilarity::

America - This is Why You're Fat

KFC "Double Down" Sandwich Replaces Bread With Fried Chicken



KFC (AKA the reason why we're fat) is test marketing a new sandwich that has two pieces of fried chicken (instead of buns), and includes bacon, two kinds of cheeses and "special sauce." I love my fried chicken, but this is redic! I must admit, though...I am intrigued.

For all you fat kids in Rhode Island and Nebraska, let me know how