OPEN MIC ENCORE II
November, 2003

 
"Different Strokes"
Michael Baumann
A short, seductive, dress of black,
Down only to the thighs.
The curvature of hips and waist
Excite a crowd of guys.
Brown hair done up in a bow
And piercing eyes of blue,
There's boxers sticking out the end-
The wearer is a dude.
 
He licks his luscious pinkish lips
And strokes his thick mustache
Flirtatious feet in black high heels
With slender legs attached.
Waist too slim to be a man's.
And hair combed with panache.
He stands on legs like iron bars
With a figure like a battleaxe.
 
To prejudge him would be unfair.
Perhaps he lost a bet.
His friends may be the sort who lack
A normal man's regrets.
For all that hair, he's not so bad.
I'd think he was a chick.
Save for the tent pole in his dress.
You can't disguise a -------

=0=

COME TO TERMS
 Michael D. Sutton
   Hungry whispers feed on gossip and mayhem
to feed their empty brains
   Even though we are only humans
in one we are the same
   Trying to please ourselves, souls on fire, I'm so sorry
 
    Why don't you just relax and try to take it easy
 in the end you'll see it's all the same
    It's all in how you fake it
 
  Now hear I am alive again, I'm so sorry
so take the step to break the mold and come to terms with yourself

=0=
30
Melissa Dalman 
Thirty is here, rusty
ghost, dumb thumb sucker
fish old maid card
in a losing game.
                           I am mad.  (no
really mad        gone for the longest hike
screws falling out        dark scary elevator      marbles
long gone blood      curdles skin creeps)
         Already thirty and still alone, wasted roadkill lies
like time behind me.
                              A promising young woman at nineteen becomes
                  the lumpy old hag at thirty.
                                                        Becomes a wasteland
of old toys and memorabilia
that should have been chucked at twenty-five.
 
I fight strange urges every day,
to rainbow stripe my hair
or break my leg.  I’ve had two concussions this year
though I hardly think they are to be blamed
for this walking horror show zombie doll
tired and also dumb.  And sad
 
blowing out candles on an imaginary birthday cake decorated with stars.
                                    

=0=

 
alienation and broken minds
see all the ones who try to find that
peace you archive when you go to sleep
its hard to sleep in a fucked up dream about counting sheep
over and over
til they start to beat one another
with the thoughts i bleed
turned into weapons
rocks and teeth
my ammunition
they all star a war
and they can't decide who is the enemy
the one to kill
now one is up on a hill
gaining a thrill
falling down
into his guilt

daniel foster

=0=

Belief Mislead
rob smits 
Compassion rising
destroying the hatred within
feeling no reward
Once I enjoyed all the sin
Yet I was trapped in a void
looking for god and falling into
the disguise of manipulated dreams
 
Met the ones who cried in unison
who are we and why
Dying many times, everyday
and yet I played a part
destroying purity
by consuming the rage and guilt
never letting it out
 
Will we walk from the within
to find life without
screaming mad and enticing insanity
God must weep for he never knew
the sadness that would prevail
and the many we would hail
until the day we found ourselves 

=0=
NEVER
Kelsi Bartz
Never make promises
that you can't keep
because you'll be in debt
forever deep
 
never tell someone
you love them when you don't
cause when you really mean it
maybe they won't
 
never let someone get to you
don't give them the satisfaction
of bringing you down
it will only further their actions
 
but when of if you do open your heart
to tell someone who cares
and someone you love
you will hopefully know that they will be there

=0=

Intertwine
Michelle Whiteley
 
The whirl of the wheel
  the kiss of steel
The darkness calls
  a soldier falls
 
Patterns weaved
 the masses deceived
Actions are taken
  lives forsaken
 
Not for naught
  or so we are taught
Many were saved
  how many enslaved
 
So the circle goes
  as history shows
Fate and chance intertwine
  fashioned by The Divine

=0=

 You have no idea
Stephanie Sanders
 How can you say you love someone
 And hurt them the way you do
 You say you don't mean it
 But the only one to blame is you
 
 You always do whatever you want
 I guess you feel you don't have to listen
 But when they leave you, they'll be gone
 And from your life they'll be missing
 
 So you better fix whatever your problem is
 If not it don't look like they'll be coming back
 Because all the times you've done wrong
 You've always been cut some kind of slack
 
 So if you want them in your life
 Then you better try to do what's right
 Because maybe, just maybe
 They'll still be with you after tonight.

=0=

 BELIEVERS
Prince odimegwu Onwumere

In the Islam
In the christaindom
In the hindus today
Believers are hobbies.
There are believers and doers
But your believe, hobby,
Does it affect humanity positively?
You might disagree with creation
And imbibe (ZEN) self-believes,
Let your words others trusts!
Whether in hell or heaven you believe,
Account is to be given
On how you transacted
When here on earth, CYCOPHANTS!

=0=

i'm alone
and it's al right
it feels just fine
being all alone
 
i can hear myself breathe
my heart beat
to the music
that only i can hear
 
this is my sanctuary
away from reality-
so harsh, too loud
it overwhelms
 
this is my solitude
where it's easier to breathe
easier to live
easier to just be.
 
i'm alone
and it's all right
in isolation,
everything's fine
 
i may be alone
but here;
with only myself
i am complete

-iZ.z

=0=

Innuendo
michal black
I thrust in, fast and rough.
She made no sound during the insertion.
I felt the rich, thick fluid ooze out.
I felt so good, so happy.
Worry left me and I new it could only get better now.
This feeling in my chest, so unlike anything else,
It must be love.
And yet not what I had expected love to be.
I thrust in again, changing the angle slightly. Still she made no sound.
I felt faint, dizzy.
It was as though my heart stopped beating.
I had never known how much love hurt.
Behind me I heard a scream,
Someone has found me, found us.
I pulled out, and gazed at her.
The fluids from the opening dripped slowly down, staining the carpet.
I licked them off her, such a taste,
Cast her roughly to the ground, my chest still burning with desire.
She stuck in blade first.
I fell over.

=0=

I'M SCARED INSIDE
By: Edward F. Neller
 
I'm scared inside
My mind wanders from thought to thought
Sometimes I feel crazy
Like I wanna scream
At the top of my lungs
But I'm scared inside
 
What would they think
The people around me
They would think I was crazy
Or am I crazy for thinking that?
I'm not crazy
I'm just scared inside
 
I feel so alone in my dark lonely hole
No one to talk to
No one to hold
Nothing to look forward to
Because I'm scared inside
 
How do I find the way into the light
Where I can escape from my fright
And free my mind so I can rest
And finally sleep through the night.

=0=

I am cold
I am lonely
The air I breathe
Has become a fallen path.
 
I don't care about this air.
Its as if it's a barrier,
Baring me from all;
No one matters anymore.
 
Yet I do not know what I want:
My home,
My love, peace, family?
I ache to see to them?
 
I listen to no one.
I am hating them,
Just for awhile.
Their help seems tragic.
 
Consciously I know
What will happen:
I'll still be cold
I'll still be lonely.

Hebron Priscila Williams

=0=

the trueness of pain
guest

no need to disguise for pain is felt from within
as i recall the times you've said to me
don't fret my friend
happiness is livin here
as we listen to the beating of the drum
that plays a soft load melody
don't forget the times that we share to that soft sweet wind
and know that the abundance of life is
but of a tiny seed planted into the soil
as i sit
i think back
to a time when i was just a little kid
roaming around
not knowing what or who lies ahead
now that my vision is resolved and
i see what i never would of dreamed of
if only i had a dream
i'd dream forever
and the uncertainties in my mind would be made clear
i am free
free of pain
free to remain
to be myself
because only the one who sees into themselves
as a unique gesture
may stand tall through the aches
and through the pains that this world throws at you

=0=

 
"Close"
Charlemagne

close your eyes
the black drop to your dreams
both day and night
for, as any critic will say,
theater, is always better than reality TV

=0=

"Chanda"
Aamer.

saw a dream last night, wasn't pleasant so it seems,
wasn't holding you tight, like i used to every night,
your bed was unslept in, the pillows were wept in,
you left the door wide open, and shut locked my heart,
 
i looked here, looked there, looked every where around,
i saw no sight heard no sound, you were no where to be found.
as i bled my self to sleep, i saw another dream,
you were talking to me, you were angry so it seems,
you said i had done a crime, which couldn't be solved by time,
so i am leaving you today...and i am going far far away.
 
now that i am lone, without flesh or a bone,
i wish you could stay, to set me on my way,
i could put my head to sleep, beside you is where'll be,
never when i'll wake cuz i want to...
see another dream!

=0=

 
Hurt them first, before they display their hate to you
All you want is love and so you add that spell to your stew
Jezebel
why won't you tell
Us how it feels to be so very beautiful and how satisfying life is when you get your way
Spreading the cure for their thirsts and making them hunger for every sweet word that you say
You've gotten what you wanted but somehow sacrificed so much respect
Who would have conceived that your desires would have this type of effect
As you walk the high wire in the sky based on whether someone loves you too much or not enough
Intelligence reminds you that you have to be tough
But still the selfishness of your own individuality bids you to make a pilgrimage of sacrifice
Some act that will prove that deep down inside you are quite nice
The struggle is about pleasing another while at the same time pleasing yourself
Fear or respect at your discretion
Is it Obsession or protection
How does one interpret loves symbolic tug of war nature correctly
Or is it only meant to be a mystery dissected and discussed respectfully
As is hides behind a wall
Eluding us all

melissa charity wilson

=0=

Psy
mindie kinsey
To see what I see
You must be
Clear to the mind
So that you may find
A time for peace
A time to cease
A time for war
A time to soar
With thee you'll see
A time for me
A time for you
Is what you do
What really counts
For in the end it really mounts

=0=

~In Dreams She Comes~
Forest Thompson
Faceless, colorless, and visually transparent.
She visits my dreams nearly every night.
Haunting my soul with a cloud of perfection.
This woman who is the one for me.
Never introduced to her, knowing her forever and a little bit longer than that, I search.
 
Every stranger I meet only bricks of lead fly between us.
The sparks never igniting for me is how it always seems.
 
Awakening in a panic because I know she is gone.
The dream never visiting again.
So I lie here in the darkness, still with no identity for my soul mate I met in dreams.

=0=

always you try to live by rule and by law,
so caught up in perfection you trip and you fall.
 
you'll never forgive me for all I have done,
because what you say is sin I know is just fun.
 
I have the strength to remain steady and fast,
because I live each moment as though its my last.....

Ryan

=0=

Lucky Me
Chris Jensen
Crumbling, Falling Apart
Hoping for a brand new start
Fearing that, which that i shouldn't
Not knowing what to say, Even if i did, I wouldn't
Never having the right amount of tolerance
Always feeling the need to distance
 
Wishing to find that special place
Wanting to find that healing grace
Yearning for that special someone
Only knowing that i have no one
Sometimes i feel so overtaken
Thinking of that dream, where i do not awaken

=0=

"Excalibur"          
By Felix Sloman
 
I froze your tears and made a dagger,
And stabbed it in my heart
I christened it 'Excalibur'
Are you my Arthur?
Say you are.
 
Take this cool, dark, steeled blade,
Steal it, sheath it, in your lake.
I'd drown with you to be together,
Must I stay?
Because I need Heaven.

=0=

 
God give me the wings to soar through the sky
Give me some wind so I can climb high
 
Give me the strength like the eagles above
Let me have grace like the wings of a dove
 
And when I touch down and my missions complete
Give me my blessings when I'm on my feet
 
For each day I fly and each day I land
God give me the strength and take me by the hand.

Ginger Dorsey

=0=

Flowers
james

         Flower of my heart
Flower of my eye
Flower of my mind
Yet you still dinie
 
         I love you knots
I hate you lots
These things that you decide
 
         These people stop
These people clock
The times I'm by your side
 
         These hugs we share
So cold; No care
That mucks me up inside

=0=

Its a Choice...Take a Step or Walk away..
Kim Radcliff
Will I ever have a chance, just a minute without confusion.
Is there such a thing as a life that is unmasked and not hiding behind some illusion.
Two full days with more turmoil and fear and I've spent a lifetime searching just only to end up close but only near.
I know he exists and he holds a love that is  waiting for me.
I see so many frantically looking but they forget it can only be found if you look with your heart,  the truth is what is sees.
If I'm offered the chance I've prayed so long for.  Then I too will offer a love that is proof of the pure my heart holds.
Will this wait slowly take my hope, and leave me dreaming of all the "what ifs" alone replaying the scenes of the chances I didnt take so many times.
No, not this time, I'll step up and walk out this guarded door I've been living behind.  When you see a dream start to come true it will what decision will your heart make.

=0=

LOVE AND PEACE
White angel
Why is there so much hunger in the world
So much hatred and abused being hurled
Why not peace and goodwill to all mankind
People in power are they in their right mind
 
Egalitarianism now that is a word to swallow
Some believe in god some the temple of Apollo
Why do beliefs lead to hatred and destruction
Love thy neighbour as thyself, no more abduction
 
Terrorism what does it solve the innocent hurt
So many countries fighting some always on alert
Racism why do people hate the colour of skin
We all believe in something all got a christ within
 
Bob Marley a mixed raced man that reached hearts
Touched the minds of many people songs in the charts
His words transcended the barriers of culture and race
One love one heart lets get together, lets embrace
 
Ghandi that skinny bald headed Asian man what a guy
Wearing nothing but a bedsheet, taught others to fly
Martin Luther king one need only mention his name
Their names will be hung up in the hall of fame
 
What is this whole racism trip where did we all descend
Is there an analogy that is between us and them my friend
Hope this poem gives us food for thought maybe discussion
In a nice world there would be no sorrow pain or repercussions

=0=

'ON THE UPSWING'
All rights reserved, © M. Dianne Berry (CookieZeal)
I still swing
on that small plate,
in gleeful wonder
hands burn and
squeeze the dual ropes
grasped to be held
with hopes,
in the bough's arms-
a high embrace
up, uP
somewhere
to Someone
like
You.
 

=0=

SHINING BRIGHTLY
By, Pamela Rachel Santini
 
Tell me,
Why does his presence brighten so there?
A dimly lit tenant with naught fore to spare.
 
He draws from the fountain of youth, said she,
'tis the well of abundance, evident to see.
His mother is nature, from fetters he's free.
 
Gathering raw essence is his devise,
To heat, boil, simmer 'till mists surely rise,
Up from his murkiest depths despised.
 
Night after day and day after night,
He seeks out his mission with candid delight,
Taming the mountain, reaching great height.
 
He purges and filters, cultivating to grow,
tempering, refining the essence, just so,
A heart clean and pure can not but aglow.

=0=

 
Thoughts
!Tabatha A.Smith

      When the sun is shining so bright, Why does it feel so dark.
    Is there a reason for this emptiness, that longs inside my heart?
   People think that I have it so perfect. That I am what every mother
 wants her daughter to be. But I must not see what they see, because I am not even sure of me. I don’t know who I am, but I am sure of who I want to
                                be.
  When I lay on my bed, and my pillow is soaking wet, from all the tears
      I’ve cried, I wonder why it is so hard when all I do is try.
 I try to be the best, at everything I do. I try to impress everyone, all
                         the people like you.
 I want them to adore me, to praise me for who I am, to see me do good in
                   this world, knowing where I stand.
       I want people to trust that I can make the right choices,
    Yet still guide me when I do wrong. For life is one big lesson,
                   Just like all those country songs.
     Why can’t everyone understand me? Or at least let myself do so.
                    For I want this world to know,
                       I am just a little girl,
                      I still have time to grow!

 

Poems copyright © designated authors 2003.
Page Copyright © AHApoetry.com 2003.

Go check out the AHA Archives for more poetry.
If you would like to send in your poem to Open Mic.