Angie’s Song

At no point does her music adhere to one specific genre or mode
And her lyrics seem to dance around in western wear
Careful not to step on the raw, bluesy pace of the bassline
The steely whine of the electric guitar penetrates the song
Her sound, as she describes it, is “Urban Cowgirl,”
But none of the urban cowgirls that I have heard
Who can get down on dirty blues riffs quite like Angie does.
If you were to close your eyes and imagine the neon lights of a bar sign,
That is Angie Atkinson’s music.

The lyrics and her vocal range elevate the sound out of the bar
And reintroduce it to the mainstream in a way that suggests
That it was never really all that far away to begin with.
Her words create not only an emotional landscape
but a physical landscape, as well
Complete with sounds, sights, and smells.
Wordplay streams from her lips like ewers overflowing
With expressions of self-doubt and vulnerability,
Which by their very admission only reinforce
The strength and the resilience of their author

Attempts to direct the listener, she taunts you with her success
And her ability to focus on astounding poetry and a powerful voice
Presented in such a passionate and progressive dialect,
That is both familiar and foreign at the same time
Her prose is rampant with subtext and backstory
Adding that extra dimension.

She creates a shadow box through which her music shines.
The shadows cast on the walls of the listener’s mind
And stir deeply in their hearts.
At no point does Angie miss a beat
Or an opportunity to make an emotional connection
With you, me, we, the audience, at Large.
Her edgy, provocative words seem carefully selected
As perhaps only the daughter of a Reverend could,
There is no other gem to have ever inspired me
To create and let my passion go free
Because she is a perfect example
Of strength, and vulnerability, and talent

Poem #22

Thoughts are flitting carelessly through my mind.
Memories brought on by a chuckled word or a passed-along tale.
If I let it, the stream will continue flowing for hours,
thoughts and feelings from years ago pouring forth from every corner of my mind.
Isn’t it funny,
the directions that our minds take?
They will hop the tracks that were layed out for our trains of thought,
and blaze out into uncharted territory,
creating connections in their wake.
There are so many different paths to tread,
that our minds can travel. So many, that it truly is unlimited.
The only things holding our minds back from exploring new, uncharted worlds,
are our own hesitations and insecurities.

Isabel Allende

The Story ISABEL ALLENDE

is a tale of two unfortunate lovers

they lived in another time;

another place,

in a small Chilean town


two brothers battled each other

fighting for Eleanor’s favor and love

one brother, proud an jealous

and the other, pure of heart


one day the jealous brother told Eleanor a nefarious lie

that his brother had run off with another

Eleanor felt as if she would die


she ran away,

to another town

to live out the rest of her years,

where she could roam

and make a home,

to be left alone with her tears


then one day she returned

to the house her family owned,

and the haughty brother summoned her

for he was ill and near death

he wanted to make wrong a right

and finally confessed

he told poor Eleanor that everything was a lie


his brother too, pined for her

and had spent his years in wait

only sorrow and a broken heart to pass the days

then she ran out into the garden

and there the second brother was

they ran toward another

with tears filling their eyes


By: KMH 2015


Love Poem

Oh how I love thee

Let me count the ways

Well there’s that sense of humor

The way you yell at your computer

I could list your stylish good looks

Or your beautiful blue eyes

Traditionally I would swoon

Tell you how virile you are

how ruggedly handsome you are

But you know that already

I could list your admirable qualities

How you would sacrifice your life for your cat

And a friend too I suppose

You would go to the ends of the earth for cheesecake

But then so would I

I could share how cuddly you are

How domestic you aren’t

How brilliant your poetry and

political interpretations are

Yes my love, I can count the ways

The poem would be endless

The hour grows late

So in an untraditional

Traditional way

I guess I just have to say

I love you and let it go at that.

Farewell

You cannot remember my name.

I believe it is best for me to bid thee farewell.

by Karen Sullivan

Form: Landays

Hour 22 – An effing love pome

‘ere’s my effing pome

about love and all o’ that

I wish I ‘ad an effing beer

and a bloody awful  ‘at

 

so I could ‘ide behind my world

and dream about the time

when I was effing single

and I didn’t ‘ave to rhyme.

 

But yeah, I guess I luv ya

but please don’t tell me mate

or I will have to stuff ya

behind a storm-drain grate.

 

 

 

 

Twenty second poem

To my future babies.
I can’t believe how lucky you are.
I learned the hard way what love should be,
I’ve faltered and fallen,
I’m covered in flaws,
But she fills in the pieces,
As I fill in hers.
We’re partners in love
And we’ve made you a home.

Motive

I want to be nice

Give you things

Make you happy

 

Your life will be better

But is that all?

What, if anything do I expect?

 

Does it benefit me for you to be happy?

Will it positively affect me?

Will I gain from it somehow?

 

Are my motives pure?

Is there such a thing?

I once thought there was

 

But now I wonder