Christmas Sells
Dashing through the mall
the last day’s sale parade
Through the stores we charge
spending all the way
Bells on counters ring
credit cards a’flight
Oh what fun to laugh and spend
we’ll shop into the night
Jingle bells Christmas sells
tingle all the way
Oh what fun it is to hide
the cost on lay-away
Christmas sells nothing quells
For opulence we’ll pay
Oh what fun to slide into
financial disarray
poem by Tom Courtney
Added by Poetry Lover
Comment! | Vote! | Copy!
and the Rain
and the rain came
sprinkled on my window pain
came to touch my heart again
when I met you
You were there babe
clutching at my soul again
hoping you could be my friend
and I love you
Rain, rain
come again another day
go and give your dance a play
but far away from me
Rain, rain
come and see the garden grow
come and dance, put on your show
your two-faced way
[...] Read more
poem by Tom Courtney
Added by Poetry Lover
Comment! | Vote! | Copy!
Trout
High mountains
cold and dark against night
Shuffling feet
along heavy planks of pier
Pulling ropes of bow and stern
Tiny boat undulating
to currents of moon-lit waters
Fishing tackle stowed
poles boxes bait
livelings wriggling in sawdust
cheese balls in oil
and dancing metal lures
to sparkle feint and run
Casting off by oar
Pulling at the tiny motor
Rope and crank rope and crank
Choke and rope
Chug sputter chug adjust
sputter whirr
Clanking of metal against metal
[...] Read more
poem by Tom Courtney
Added by Poetry Lover
Comment! | Vote! | Copy!
Goodnight Mr. Oliver
The sun settles into the hills
behind the hospital compound
And the long shadows fade
into the dimness of the evening
The old man moves slightly
shifting in the chair
lifting one hand
placing it over the other
The hands now like dry leaves
rustled by a waft of the air
more sensitive to the cold now
So funny he thinks
alone again
I always knew
it would be this way
So many times
and in so many ways
Always captive to my heart
a tear on my cheek old fool
Oh fool yes and over and over
[...] Read more
poem by Tom Courtney
Added by Poetry Lover
Comment! | Vote! | Copy!
Butterfly and Bee
Once bee buzzed by the lilting butterfly
tiny wings afire with his speed
aiming for his garden target
rifling along in his usual haste
Butterfly was darting up down and sideways
as if suspended on a string
and pulled about by a drunken puppeteer
Bee had thought of speaking a warning
to local pedestrians those operating
in a different time frame than he
He had tried to say watch out move over I’m coming
but he got no farther than waa
waa and by that time he had come and gone
and all that someone like butterfly
would hear was waa nnnnnn, and so
Bee wondered about his early warning system
perhaps he’d buzz louder – one of these times
there’d be some collision – traveling ninety
leaves per moon dropp is a very very fast pace
And butterfly always slow to take notice
[...] Read more
poem by Tom Courtney
Added by Poetry Lover
Comment! | Vote! | Copy!
We Didn't Choose the Book
I came to see you better
in those final days because
you are my mother and
it's hard to get that in
perspective because
it's just a little bit too big
although we try
every chance we get
to tell mom
hey Mom, you're the greatest
love you Mom
my mom is my best friend
and mom's rule
But mom in the final days
although we didn't really know
that you would slip away from us
quite so suddenly
that one Sunday morning
it was afternoon when I got the call
[...] Read more
poem by Tom Courtney
Added by Poetry Lover
Comment! | Vote! | Copy!
Come Little Sister
This is the age of the electric transaction
Come on little sister, let me show you around
This is the age of the impersonal inquiry
This is the age of the manwomanman
This is the age of the newnude discovery
of the highways and low-ways and byways of life
This is the age of the instant impaction
and the ever-pervasive highlowhigh
Come little sister
and let me show you the cheap tricks
Let me show you the way that I got mine
Come little sister and we’ll survive
We’ll survive the upcoming nuclear blast
Come on my sister
Let’s ride the fast train
Muse with commuters and grin at our sin
Leave this busted city in the rust and our dust
[...] Read more
poem by Tom Courtney
Added by Poetry Lover
Comment! | Vote! | Copy!
Best way to keep a secret is tell it, just like that – mixes in with all the other palaver – nobody’s gonna listen, believe you or even care: the Secret
told the lady behind the counter
at the deli that I’m crazy and she just laughed and said no! But it’s true I really am crazy
And she said you don't look crazy
And I said no I don't suppose I do
That's part of my problem though I look normalwhateverthatis but I’m not
I walk around in a world of normal people and every once in a while I have to poke someone and tell them I’m not in the same world as they are and then they don't think I’m crazy
but that I am crazy for saying so
And she leaned over at me finally and said
What is it you are crazy weeth? And I said
I’m bi-polar. You know, manic-depressive?
And her eyes glazed over like the hams and salami
You don't know what that is do you? I said
And she said
No I don't know. What is that? And I said
That's what I am, I’m manic-depressive
Andshesaid in hersweetest sleepy-eyed droopy-eyelid limpid voice
[...] Read more
poem by Tom Courtney
Added by Poetry Lover
Comment! | Vote! | Copy!