Poem Hunter: Poems - Poets - Poetry

A trusting little leaf of green,
A bold audacious frost;
A rendezvous, a kiss or two,
And youth for ever lost.
Ah, me!
The bitter, bitter cost.

A flaunting patch of vivid red,
That quivers in the sun;
A windy gust, a grave of dust,
The little race is run.
Ah, me!
Were that the only one.
...

I am leading a quiet life
in Mike’s Place every day
watching the champs
of the Dante Billiard Parlor
and the French pinball addicts.
I am leading a quiet life
on lower East Broadway.
I am an American.
I was an American boy.
I read the American Boy Magazine

...

Something pierces my heart
‘tis sharper than a sword, and
Spear of any knight…

Through the eight ribs, it pierc'd
In the dark corner of my loneliness
It quickens my soul from adversity

But sometimes, put me in tears
Of true tenderness emotion…

...

Laughs the happy April morn
Thro' my grimy, little window,
And a shaft of sunshine pushes
Thro' the shadows in the square.

Dogs are tracing thro' the grass,
Crows are cawing round the chimneys,
In and out among the washing
Goes the West at hide-and-seek.

Loud and cheerful clangs the bell.
Here the nurses troop to breakfast.
Handsome, ugly, all are women . . .
O, the Spring-the Spring-the Spring!
...

Love is not a profession
genteel or otherwise

sex is not dentistry
the slick filling of aches and cavities

you are not my doctor
you are not my cure,

nobody has that

...

Parallel colors go on forever, others swirling and merging,
Hued rainbows and smoky sunsets, from a chaos surging!
Hanging from the Christmas tree, ruby peppermint candy,
And circus clowns entertain us, attired so gaily and badly.

Often seen on animals, birds, leaves and even mountains,
Coloring all the days of our lives, from mystical fountains!
Arrayed all in purple stripes, the mischievous joker is wild,
Sharing this streaked world where very nature has smiled.
...

Let those who're fond of idle tricks,
Of throwing stones, and hurling bricks,
And all that sort of fun,
Now hear a tale of idle Jim,
That warning they may take by him,
Nor do as he has done.

In harmless sport or healthful play
He did not pass his time away,
Nor took his pleasure in it;
For mischief was his only joy:
No book, or work, or even toy,
Could please him for a minute.

A neighbour's house he'd slyly pass,
And throw a stone to break the glass,
And then enjoy the joke!
Or, if a window open stood,
He'd throw in stones, or bits of wood,
To frighten all the folk.

If travellers passing chanced to stay,
Of idle Jim to ask the way,
He never told them right;
And then, quite harden'd in his sin,
Rejoiced to see them taken in,
And laugh'd with all his might.

He'd tie a string across the street,
Just to entangle people's feet,

...

Expect nothing. Live frugally
On surprise.
become a stranger
To need of pity
Or, if compassion be freely
Given out
Take only enough
Stop short of urge to plead
Then purge away the need.


...

at dawn

when a misfortune knocks
on your front door
'welcome it'
instead of 'kicking out'
so that we have breakfast
together
to stay freely
in sweet home

...