tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9257795918362240812024-03-13T15:19:34.506-07:00PoetryDarrellRobertParkerPoetryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12198974031867804812noreply@blogger.comBlogger81125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925779591836224081.post-8938767972308007472021-02-16T21:40:00.002-08:002021-02-16T21:41:46.205-08:00Canaries in a Coal Mine<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
Mother spent many
years trying to socialize the masculine fruit of her womb; giving to two
scrapping boys the gift of the graces that never manifested in their boorish
absent father, possibly foreseeing a disastrous demise for her progeny should
they follow in the bastard's footsteps. The first attempt came in the guise of
a pet bird, a green and yellow ball of feathers flitting around in a white
enameled cage of no real aesthetic consequence, connected to the ground by a white
enameled cast iron stand.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
"What
shall we name him?"<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
"Tweety!"
we chimed.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
"Hardly
a unique nomenclature from such intelligently creative young men." she
scowled; we were four and three years of age, I being the eldest.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
Our
shoulders slumped forward.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
"I
think we should name him Perky, he does have that air of infinite energy about
him." Our heads drooped even further.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
"Right,
so we're in agreement, Perky it is. Michael", looking towards my brother,
"you feed and water as needed." <o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
Placing her hand
on my head and moving it so that her serious gaze met my eyes, "You have
the most important job of all, changing the paper at the bottom of the cage
daily, so that the house does not begin to smell like a nasty aviary." <o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
Nodding in the affirmative
she continued, “You do understand me, correct?” I nodded in agreement; though I
wasn't completely convinced I understood her reference, since I had never been
acquainted with word aviary or the smell of unkempt chickens.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="background: white; color: #252525;">****</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<i><span style="background: white; color: #252525;">Canaries were first bred in </span>captivity</i><i><span style="background: white; color: #252525;"> in the 17th century. They were
brought over by Spanish </span>sailors</i><i><span style="background: white; color: #252525;"> to Europe. This bird became expensive and fashionable
to breeding in courts of Spanish and English kings. Monks started breeding
them and only sold the males (which sing). This kept the birds in short supply
and drove the price up.</span></i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="background: white; color: #252525;">****</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
Following
in my father's flighty footsteps, Perky One, made his escape the second time I
cleaned the cage; less emotion emanated from the keeper than from the giver of
this gift. My brother also sought to escape our less than harmonious life
before reaching puberty, once through childhood pneumonia at age two and
then by catching spinal meningitis at the age of six.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
Perky
Two came and went with minimal fanfare, meeting its demise at the hands of a
ghostly figure, who I later suspected was one of my mother’s many gentlemen
callers suffering from the consequences of a long evening of alcohol fueled revelry and was not very appreciative of the morning thrushes and twittering.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">
****<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<i><span style="background: white; color: #252525;">Canaries were iconically used in </span>coal
mines</i><i><span style="background: white; color: #252525;"> to detect the
presence of </span>carbon monoxide</i><i><span style="background: white; color: #252525;">. The bird's rapid breathing rate, small size, and high
metabolism, compared to the miners, led birds in dangerous mines to succumb
before the miners, thereby giving them time to take action. The use of
miners' canaries in </span>British</i><i><span style="background: white; color: #252525;"> mines was phased out in 1987, how unfortunate that
such a joyful thrush should endure such a horrible life condition.</span></i><o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="background: white; color: #252525;">****</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
Perkys Three and
Four seemed to have fared better during their stay, though I am not sure it was
a consequence of our more diligent efforts or the fact they were given away to
lonely old church ladies that lived in the various apartment complexes we found
ourselves in as mother migrated us from one hamlet to another in her effort the
bring meaningful change to her life. Nonetheless they were better off and at times I
wished I had been in that cage with them. My mother's adventure found us at a rather conservative congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses, whose ideas of biblical discipline led to my mother's more draconian methods of correction.</div>
<div align="center" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">
****<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<i><span style="color: #252525;">Canaries have been extensively used in research to study neurogenesis,
or the birth of new neurons in the adult brain, and also for basic research in
order to understand how songbirds encode and produce song. Thus, canaries have
served as model species for discovering how the vertebrate brain learns,
consolidates memories, and recalls coordinated motor movements. Fernando
Nottebohm, a professor at the Rockefeller University in New York
City, New York, detailed the brain structures and pathways that are involved in
the production of bird song.</span></i><span style="color: #252525;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">
****<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
Perky Five was the
final effigy of my mother's experiment in male socialization before she gave us
up to the teenage bacchanalian gods of post pubescent adolescents. Through her new faith, she came into possession of a new husband, the father of my sister and the
daughter that she always wished she had given birth to first. At age thirteen
when my sister and Perky 5 made their entrance into my life, the promise of a
male figure that would lead me into adult life was in the guise of a twenty-two
year old surfer with a mean streak as long as the Jeffrey’s Bay break. Now I
not only had the responsibility of keeping a feathered beast safe, I became the live in babysitter for my mother's latest offspring and the greater part of
my teenage years were defined by these constraints.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">
****<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="background: white; color: #252525;">Canaries have been depicted in </span>cartoons</i><i><span style="background: white; color: #252525;"> from the mid-20th century as being
harassed by domestic </span>cats</i><i><span style="background: white; color: #252525;">; the most famous cartoon canary is </span>Warner
Brothers</i><i><span style="background: white; color: #252525;">' "</span>Tweety
Bird</i><i><span style="background: white; color: #252525;">", who always
seemed to get the better of Sylvester, despite this tormentor being of a greater size and much more devious intent.</span></i><o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">
****<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
Perky Five found
the simplest means to end his pain by starting a fight with himself in the tile
mirrored living room. For months I suspected that he was suffering from some severe mental
distress, somewhat akin to my own, but for him it was the apparition that lay in the depths of the gold veined and smoked glass that represented my mother's eccentric view of
the world. This reflection of his trapped self, the lack of culturally significant interaction and the lack of peers equal to himself in song and heart, helped to fuel a madness, much like that experienced by a pubescent boy without direction that could relieve the angst caused by buckets of hormones coursing through his veins. Daily, at each dawn, my mother would pull the sleeping covers off his cage and there the scoundrel would be, without tongue or heart, signalling the willingness to do battle over the territory of a prison made from wire. Daily my mother would send me out into a world where I would have to "Suck it up!" as my stepfather would put it whilst racing to and from school, with a pack of witless teens in pursuit, all bent upon my early demise. Perky Five found a much more self-destructive end his torment, though in a way that would be much quicker and painless than mine. As usual, I moved his cage to a space far from his antagonist and removed its bottom in order to clean it. However, this time Perky Five chose not to remain resting on his perch, but instead dropped through the bottom and
flew like a crazed mallard, not for the open door, but for the mirrored wraith that
was his nemesis. A thud, a puff of feathers and a disturbingly comical moment later, Perky
laid at the base of the wall, no sign of life emanating from his colorful form.
I gathered him up in my palms, placed him in a small wooden box; a trifle of my
stepfather's attempt at woodworking, and buried him in the backyard along with my juvenile sense of fairplay. The pain from the beating I received from
my stepdad outlasted the pain I felt for the demise of my pet or the pain that the vicious packs of rabid teen hooligans endured at my hands from that day forward. </div>
<div align="center" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">
****<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<i>Norwich
City</i><i><span style="background: white; color: #252525;">, an </span>English</i><i><span style="background: white; color: #252525;"> </span>football</i><i><span style="background: white; color: #252525;"> team, is nicknamed "The
Canaries" due to the city once being a famous centre for breeding and
export of the birds. The club adopted the colours of yellow and green in
homage. Jacob Mackley, of Norwich, won many prizes with birds of the local
variety and shipped about 10,000 Norwich to New York every year. In the early
1900s, he opened his aviaries to the public for three days and 10,000 people
turned up.</span></i><o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">
****<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
With the loss of the final
feathered pest, the eviction of the surfer husband and his subsequently being
tasked with caring for his own daughter, my responsibilities in life became
narrowed down to more menial things like working two jobs and educating myself.
Since I had a flare for getting tasks done efficiently and in much less time
than most, I had more time to indulge in my hobbies of surfing, dancing,
theatre and teenage birds, not necessarily in that order. Though I didn't have much
success with girls my age, I did seem to attract the attention of their divorcee
mothers, especially since dancing and surfing had sculpted my physique in such
a way that certain features became more pronounced than others. It was at this point that the "Nice Ass" comments coming from my mother's thirty something girlfriends heralded a much greater threat to my amour propre, for it was under their direct tutelage that I discovered my true value to the birds that flocked below the steeple, many of whom are less straight-laced than some would have some believe.</div>
DarrellRobertParkerPoetryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12198974031867804812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925779591836224081.post-67715967018502748072019-07-31T11:43:00.000-07:002019-07-31T11:43:44.080-07:00The only thing I have is the skin I was born in.Reflections on being a straight white male in a multi-gendered, ethnocentric, racially charged society. This is not about feeling sorry for yourself or feeling picked on because you are white, its about learning to accept yourself, other people and having sympathy for their status in society as a consequence of an ever changing ethos.<br />
<br />
"Your a horrible person"<br />
Condemnation over expectations<br />
"My anxiety is your fault, you yelled"<br />
Concern over lack of post college motivation thrown back in my face<br />
"You made my life hell"<br />
Birthday parties, Halloween parties, Christmases, sleep overs, music camp, private school, music lessons, kittens, puppies, lambs, Barbies, vacations with grandparents, trips overseas, snow days, unconditional love.<br />
<br />
Privilege.<br />
<br />DarrellRobertParkerPoetryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12198974031867804812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925779591836224081.post-13720082579752387242019-01-16T14:26:00.004-08:002019-07-30T10:46:51.396-07:00California Casual<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimz6hx5_hq0L2wrcO2Num4W4-J5_nSUlOXQIBCXS0fLRx8tuV7irnTXz-FYknjhRDQ_XTxWQvMxidx_sObZd02k67DrtQeYaR5miOweyEwHvi3nmxE7Kgps3SwgqsnK8akkgy4W-daj84M/s1600/cat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="623" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimz6hx5_hq0L2wrcO2Num4W4-J5_nSUlOXQIBCXS0fLRx8tuV7irnTXz-FYknjhRDQ_XTxWQvMxidx_sObZd02k67DrtQeYaR5miOweyEwHvi3nmxE7Kgps3SwgqsnK8akkgy4W-daj84M/s320/cat.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Much can be <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
said<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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About a black <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
cat<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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Lounging on a white<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Windowsill <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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In the blazing yellow<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Sunshine<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />DarrellRobertParkerPoetryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12198974031867804812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925779591836224081.post-85541150252691356522019-01-16T14:16:00.001-08:002019-01-16T14:24:49.767-08:00Hoots mon! It's a braw, bricht, moonlicht nicht<div class="WordSection1">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%;">It certainly would be nice if I could get these cataracts removed.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHs1P3iS862LJLwipBeDsL0d9Qc93vGJF06lz20O_mwTYpaWTR1b95vTrWgWMiwWaqCCChx_SKRITu_GQt7VmDg3RkkvBPuuYlJUjHEl2JOYdsAKU3UUCNOX15P3KUp-TK4quD3qfQuSK_/s1600/moon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="486" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHs1P3iS862LJLwipBeDsL0d9Qc93vGJF06lz20O_mwTYpaWTR1b95vTrWgWMiwWaqCCChx_SKRITu_GQt7VmDg3RkkvBPuuYlJUjHEl2JOYdsAKU3UUCNOX15P3KUp-TK4quD3qfQuSK_/s320/moon.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br clear="all" style="mso-break-type: section-break; page-break-before: always;" /></span>DarrellRobertParkerPoetryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12198974031867804812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925779591836224081.post-70193018338681500812019-01-16T14:15:00.003-08:002021-02-16T21:42:56.804-08:00Lunam Impiarum Animarum<br />
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Storm ridden skies, beat<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Upon the midnight lantern<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Till days turn blood red<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />DarrellRobertParkerPoetryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12198974031867804812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925779591836224081.post-65936765516642749022019-01-16T14:14:00.001-08:002019-01-16T14:40:58.040-08:00A Tree Dies in Sacramento<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
When a tree falls in this city, does anyone care about its
screams?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUdTq2M0c4ngKrBp03oexlC5ef67YnPZAxRSDZzpsJxCKmNrBt03k30KXiERPJMK_JckdKRRGHXnYiZvSL7yfiD6ogARacSJF8drzmu9eyJHE-jrPs80eNKm24QrV5lr-7BiYvQ-1EFUdj/s1600/tree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="623" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUdTq2M0c4ngKrBp03oexlC5ef67YnPZAxRSDZzpsJxCKmNrBt03k30KXiERPJMK_JckdKRRGHXnYiZvSL7yfiD6ogARacSJF8drzmu9eyJHE-jrPs80eNKm24QrV5lr-7BiYvQ-1EFUdj/s400/tree.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />DarrellRobertParkerPoetryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12198974031867804812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925779591836224081.post-21183573290462289172019-01-16T14:13:00.001-08:002019-07-31T11:42:18.448-07:00Homeless Squirrels<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: center;">
Stretched across the roadway, this life, shed too easily;
anything helps,<br />
but thoughts and prayers.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSPI94Pl9cFCo6IdY35dBhNGcLFh2mrBeatJcqMJ16QY4G8MrxzQxkg1Gy7UCn09tLU_9mbsdmmIZCboSYmu5DlFGE5Hb95IlMyER23y7YD5N_4BeBIU4-ceYKt8z1RLyJ5tqKvxnahTWx/s1600/1024px-Dead_squirrel_Jyv%25C3%25A4skyl%25C3%25A4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="760" data-original-width="1024" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSPI94Pl9cFCo6IdY35dBhNGcLFh2mrBeatJcqMJ16QY4G8MrxzQxkg1Gy7UCn09tLU_9mbsdmmIZCboSYmu5DlFGE5Hb95IlMyER23y7YD5N_4BeBIU4-ceYKt8z1RLyJ5tqKvxnahTWx/s320/1024px-Dead_squirrel_Jyv%25C3%25A4skyl%25C3%25A4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />DarrellRobertParkerPoetryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12198974031867804812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925779591836224081.post-42707682831205216822019-01-16T14:11:00.004-08:002019-01-16T14:31:15.178-08:00Web of Reality<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: center;">
A mind for eight legs<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
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A body for making eggs<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
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A desire for more<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<br /></div>
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<br />DarrellRobertParkerPoetryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12198974031867804812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925779591836224081.post-70112672489511063812019-01-16T14:11:00.002-08:002019-01-16T19:50:22.794-08:00Smells Like …<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
A flower by any other name would taste like ketchup and
mustard.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">AUGOCHLOROPSIS
METALLICA<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><br /></i></div>
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I saved this flower for you, that one day you will save the
world for me.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZnr8Yk-dAW1XDuqNmbGLXtmfL1Eme1coGcXT9fSOCXqtzcBh9uKtwOlIO68eYwvicSyoyklq6NAAfryWzY1L3TyrHU7Va1Zxmn-7VLVO_ngc9y1aWxPUEl_Br4lDSoQQGtGuzcmp1Uvke/s1600/bee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="831" data-original-width="623" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZnr8Yk-dAW1XDuqNmbGLXtmfL1Eme1coGcXT9fSOCXqtzcBh9uKtwOlIO68eYwvicSyoyklq6NAAfryWzY1L3TyrHU7Va1Zxmn-7VLVO_ngc9y1aWxPUEl_Br4lDSoQQGtGuzcmp1Uvke/s320/bee.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
<br />DarrellRobertParkerPoetryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12198974031867804812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925779591836224081.post-36263726514471793232019-01-16T14:10:00.001-08:002019-01-16T14:20:47.439-08:00Raspberry Vodka<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
I pray each day that I shed you easily, like snake skin
pajamas.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-QCwK430YZNphgykGLrNkhyphenhyphenvA1JHx4VRgUOhOJNZI4cuJv_TXDEtayJiQY_87w-5e4L_TdsX5EwqfuwRULJT2MnhbzeuoYOAs9jnDkl0toZlZvGSHLGyf1UMWjqHvNtxdSfaWMdiJVaTm/s1600/raspberry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="832" data-original-width="624" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-QCwK430YZNphgykGLrNkhyphenhyphenvA1JHx4VRgUOhOJNZI4cuJv_TXDEtayJiQY_87w-5e4L_TdsX5EwqfuwRULJT2MnhbzeuoYOAs9jnDkl0toZlZvGSHLGyf1UMWjqHvNtxdSfaWMdiJVaTm/s320/raspberry.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />DarrellRobertParkerPoetryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12198974031867804812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925779591836224081.post-63817119289280922922019-01-16T14:07:00.000-08:002019-01-16T14:20:14.425-08:00Zappa Speaks<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Frank, no single sentence can match the genius of your raucous rhythms.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgorWUgeVpQdBKaktOk890Xf-NjudYfm0P6sosUVolan-JaX2KYVsj5BdxEigQiNfwe7PL76Y5rxpUPODmJfu3X8GB35GGMSGtJkJycAv0FXLKAGyKIQhCE0y81KW5F8t878frrgLAiOCt_/s1600/zappa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="869" data-original-width="489" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgorWUgeVpQdBKaktOk890Xf-NjudYfm0P6sosUVolan-JaX2KYVsj5BdxEigQiNfwe7PL76Y5rxpUPODmJfu3X8GB35GGMSGtJkJycAv0FXLKAGyKIQhCE0y81KW5F8t878frrgLAiOCt_/s320/zappa.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>DarrellRobertParkerPoetryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12198974031867804812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925779591836224081.post-91756168004979784612018-12-30T19:45:00.001-08:002019-01-16T19:49:16.185-08:00Know Love<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
You only know what you have, </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
You only know what you’ve touched</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Heard -- Seen -- Tasted -- Smelled</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Loved</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrps3ktkia5O5rNRE8Jckq9nA_eAuCeeU8JKJBJKIWytqvtJx2A5pBbTmz7hV3kGOf9dFxBl38jy9Pl47EImwxdRUEJe790vu8sR89zgHbbKLMpjc1AljVsEfJXYT0UMJRDVQBN9kh0w3Z/s1600/Is-Toyota-Doing-Anything-for-Those-Affected-by-Hurricane-Florence-a_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="375" data-original-width="1075" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrps3ktkia5O5rNRE8Jckq9nA_eAuCeeU8JKJBJKIWytqvtJx2A5pBbTmz7hV3kGOf9dFxBl38jy9Pl47EImwxdRUEJe790vu8sR89zgHbbKLMpjc1AljVsEfJXYT0UMJRDVQBN9kh0w3Z/s320/Is-Toyota-Doing-Anything-for-Those-Affected-by-Hurricane-Florence-a_b.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />DarrellRobertParkerPoetryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12198974031867804812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925779591836224081.post-85337668357688404552018-12-04T09:03:00.003-08:002018-12-04T09:03:43.012-08:00Joy Springs Eternal<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Like the Spring Sun rising in the North<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Your tireless mirth <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Melts the frozen shackles of melancholy<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Releasing our hearts to the warmth of eternal joy<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />DarrellRobertParkerPoetryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12198974031867804812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925779591836224081.post-52150161334638062682018-08-25T20:36:00.000-07:002018-09-15T15:20:10.260-07:00McCain<div class="MsoNormal">
He was a War Hero you know, </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
this true red, white and blue American boy.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Like his father and grandfather before him, </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
he would grow to serve his country.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This true red, white and blue American boy</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He went into the Navy to serve his country</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Like his father and grandfather before him, </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He would carry that service into war.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He went into the Navy to serve his country</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
His true character showed in how he helped his comrades</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He would carry that service into war,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Staking life and limb to save another aviator on the <i>U.S.S. Forrestal</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
His true character showed in how he helped his comrades</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
With bomb bursting and fires raging</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Staking life and limb to save another aviator on the <i>U.S.S. Forrestal</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He was wounded in the legs and chest</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
With bomb bursting and fires raging</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He was shot down as he flew over <st1:city w:st="on">Hanoi</st1:city></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He was wounded in the legs and chest</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He was beaten for serving his country</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He was shot down as he flew over <st1:city w:st="on">Hanoi</st1:city></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And he would suffer for it</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He was beaten for serving his country</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This made him an American Hero.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And he would suffer for it</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Like his father and grandfather before him, </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
he would grow to serve his country</div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">He was a War Hero you know</span>DarrellRobertParkerPoetryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12198974031867804812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925779591836224081.post-1804342465874629092017-07-15T14:02:00.003-07:002021-02-16T21:44:10.357-08:00Tribute to Lee Hernandez - US Army<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">His
name is Lee Hernandez – American Hero<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">He is
an American Hero you know,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">this true red, white and blue boy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Like the men that came before him,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">he would grow to serve his country.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">This true red, white and blue boy<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">He went into the ARMY to serve his country<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Like the men that came before him,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">He would carry that service into war.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">He
went into the ARMY to serve his country<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">His
true character showed in how he served his comrades<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">He
would carry that service into war,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Staking
life and limb to protect others whose names are endless<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">His
true character showed in how he served his comrades<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">With
bomb bursting and fires raging<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Staking
life and limb to protect others whose names are endless<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">He is
wounded to his very core, but his soul is whole and strong<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">With
bomb bursting and fires raging<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">He
was wounded in his prime<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">He is
wounded to his very core, but his soul is whole and strong<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">His
spirit will not be beaten, for he served his country well<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">He
was wounded in his prime<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">And
he would suffer for it, but<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">His
spirit will not be beaten, for he served his country well<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">This
makes him an American Hero.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">And
he would suffer for it<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Like
the men that came before him,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Who
would grow to serve their country<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">They
are American Heroes you know.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br /></div>
DarrellRobertParkerPoetryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12198974031867804812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925779591836224081.post-8313922576570920502017-06-21T16:35:00.002-07:002018-12-04T09:02:34.906-08:00Love Is<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px;">
</span>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Why do people think they know what Love is?</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px;"></span>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Writers muse for endless eternities, </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px;"></span>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">describing all of the conduits</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px;"></span>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Yet rarely scrape the surface of </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px;"></span>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Love’s resolute nature.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px;"></span>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Love is recognition of </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px;"></span>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">that of yourself that you worship</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px;"></span>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Measured in another soul.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px;"></span>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Love is someone who kisses as good as you do</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px;"></span>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">And yet you could learn a few tricks from.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px;"></span>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Love is afternoons swinging in a hammock</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px;"></span>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Playing with your lover’s hair.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px;"></span>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Love is touching them just SO</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px;"></span>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">And watching them gasp with excitement.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px;"></span>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Love is getting up, to make them a cup of coffee,</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px;"></span>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">At 530am, when its your day off.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px;"></span>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Love is the warm tongue of </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px;"></span>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">“thank you” kissing your ear before </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px;"></span>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">They depart, leaving you wanting them more.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px;"></span>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Love is a quickie in the shower </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px;"></span>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Before heading off to work</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px;"></span>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">And at lunch</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px;"></span>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">And while driving home after work</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px;"></span>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">And before making dinner</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px;"></span>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">And while watching TV</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px;"></span>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">And just before you pass out for the night</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px;"></span>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">And thinking your dreaming only to wake up </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px;"></span>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Wrapped in each other’s arms.</span> </div>
</td>
<td>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Love is holding their hair while they puke</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px;"></span>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Cleaning up the mess</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px;"></span>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Never complaining about it</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px;"></span>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Even after they try to kiss you</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px;"></span>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Before brushing their teeth.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px;"></span>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Love is never measuring their faults</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px;"></span>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">According to your gauges</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px;"></span>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Because you know you are as broken as they.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px;"></span>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Love is being wicked together</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px;"></span>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Philanthropic together</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px;"></span>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Rebellious together</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px;"></span>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Complacent together</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px;"></span>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Together.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px;"></span>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Love is never having to say you’re sorry</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px;"></span>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">But doing it anyway, right or wrong!</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px;"></span>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Love is a Demi and Patrick moment</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px;"></span>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">A Jennifer and Patrick moment</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px;"></span>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">An Ellen and Patrick moment</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px;"></span>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">A Gates McFadden and Patrick moment</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px;"></span>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">An Alice and Patrick moment </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px;"></span>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">A David and Neil Patrick moment.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px;"></span>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Love is not revealing the losers </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px;"></span>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Of the next Game of Thrones Death Match</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px;"></span>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Love is sticking it out for three more months</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px;"></span>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">To let that emotion Pass</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px;"></span>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">And finding the Passion </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px;"></span>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">To Renew the Love that is.</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px;">
</span>DarrellRobertParkerPoetryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12198974031867804812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925779591836224081.post-34501370956438681892017-06-18T13:11:00.003-07:002018-12-04T09:02:32.637-08:00Lost Words<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://static1.squarespace.com/static/54d3a62be4b068e9347ca880/t/566a048869a91a506fec43ee/1449788556521/?format=1500w" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="535" data-original-width="800" height="266" src="https://static1.squarespace.com/static/54d3a62be4b068e9347ca880/t/566a048869a91a506fec43ee/1449788556521/?format=1500w" width="400" /></a><br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
like a Sea Turtle choking on the plastic </div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: right;">
bags of human Selfishness,
</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: right;">
my wealth of words </div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: right;">
is Submerged</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: right;">
under the dubious Constraints </div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: right;">
of Self-Appointed judges.
</div>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: right;">
Perfection of thought </div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: right;">
seems no longer Attainable </div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: right;">
when Supposition is </div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: right;">
presumed Evil</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: right;">
Purely as a Consequence</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: right;">
of its Origin.</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
like Frenzied scavengers</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
feeding on the Bloated carcasses<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://luckypuppy.net/BLOG/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/shark-eating-whale.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="180" src="https://luckypuppy.net/BLOG/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/shark-eating-whale.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
of Majestic blue giants,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Addle minded cretins</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
tear away the Fleshy</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Conjugations swimming in</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
the Lagoons of my mind.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Fragmented narratives</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
drift hapless, useless</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
into a Murky abyss,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
the Hell of lost aspirations.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqDT0unnSGrCs2aRwIqvJUXdB_vbAXVmqn4dSIexHPxZJNB6q7NmZaozrY3sxIxqFkudh9qXtR51fmjaW56lMN0reNQfsDVPin2TPJPMa9lYHFBk2b_itagmhIOxiOUHkKPqFdwl1afTkh/s1600/The_Sirens_and_Ulysses_by_William_Etty%252C_1837.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="632" data-original-width="944" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqDT0unnSGrCs2aRwIqvJUXdB_vbAXVmqn4dSIexHPxZJNB6q7NmZaozrY3sxIxqFkudh9qXtR51fmjaW56lMN0reNQfsDVPin2TPJPMa9lYHFBk2b_itagmhIOxiOUHkKPqFdwl1afTkh/s400/The_Sirens_and_Ulysses_by_William_Etty%252C_1837.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
like Screaming sea nymphs,</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: right;">
Purposeless souls lure</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: right;">
Wretched wandering pundits</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: right;">
into Deadly shoals</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: right;">
made more Dangerous</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: right;">
by infinite Whirlpools </div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: right;">
of circular Reasoning,</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: right;">
I am therefore </div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: right;">
i am Wrong. </div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: right;">
Like playful Denizens</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: right;">
dancing through the Waves,</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: right;">
my Mind should be free</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: right;">
to spin Yarns</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: right;">
of fleeting Wanderlust</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: right;">
or unceasing Lamentations. </div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<br />
but like an ocean of Jelly Fish </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0fj5zAjDG332alIveB0D0x9IBEtN1RyIJKgO0eb_pdsrPvJriBLwIJmryDHJjoFjguEYdVZlpTyqjx1MospxZxbXOdcBq_-UEYQXjQtmS_KY8SX64sdjgOzAvSVS5wK7szPmiwFXuGKW3/s1600/anaphylactic-shock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0fj5zAjDG332alIveB0D0x9IBEtN1RyIJKgO0eb_pdsrPvJriBLwIJmryDHJjoFjguEYdVZlpTyqjx1MospxZxbXOdcBq_-UEYQXjQtmS_KY8SX64sdjgOzAvSVS5wK7szPmiwFXuGKW3/s320/anaphylactic-shock.jpg" width="320" /></a>Stinging my psyche,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
good Intentions become</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
floating Obstructions</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
to my unique Candor.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Thoughts are </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
the Heart of words,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
real or imagined.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I cannot make Vocabulary useful</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
once Appropriated.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Thoughtless, frayed minds</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
build parapets of Hate,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Obscuring my Convictions.</div>
DarrellRobertParkerPoetryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12198974031867804812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925779591836224081.post-61061184572219283362016-09-26T23:02:00.002-07:002018-12-04T09:02:34.055-08:00The Perfect Green Food - A Recipe for Love<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> For this recipe you will need</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
One bunch of collard greens carefully coiffured</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
One bunch of wild mustard greens of a whimsical nature </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
One bunch of Chinese mustard greens</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
One bunch of turnip greens endowed enough to make the
Jolly Green Giant blush</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
One bunch of hurricane kale blown to a leaf</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
Two bunches of spinach green as a sea sick sailor</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
all grown in your organic backyard garden and tended as if to serve a
Queen. There is also the</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
One pound of unsalted butter churned from the milk of a honey brown
jersey that races for the barn to be milked by warm hands and dances back to
the lush green pasture when she is satisfied. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
One or two cups of extra virgin olive oil from the trees
of your favorite orchard owned by your best friend whose family came from Italy,
picked on cool days, mashed into paste on cool evenings so that the crushed
olive paste does not spoil then spread over grass mats and pressed into vats of
liquid treasure like the molten gold used to build the Catholic empire. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
One pound of home cured pork belly from your least
favorite swine who spent his days lounging about in the mud and sun never ever
contemplating life nor death and snorting his thanks to you whenever you
dropped by with a bucket of the leftovers from your last effort at brewing an oatmeal
stout that all your friends raved about at the winter solstice party you
invited them to.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
Then you must also include</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
Two multilayered purple red onions whose personalities
are sweet yet robust and always complementary with the </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
Four or five cloves of the stinking Rose that are grown
by that family from Gilroy who never ever smell of anything else. Then pour
into a waiting glass</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
One cup of deep
red wine that is dry as the June desert air and smells of rosemary, thyme and
oak, pressed from grapes of ancient vines tended by darkly tanned and smiling peóns
who are managed by a kind and elderly vintner whose love for his craft is only
surpassed by the love for his family and friends. Be sure to save one glass for
yourself. After which you need to pack</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
One quarter cup of
raw brown sugar from cane grown as tall as trees then charred ferociously in the
fields of a Kauai and squeezed till every ounce of sweetness has been extracted
from its being.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 2.4pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: 33.6pt;">
Once
you have gathered these fine culinary ingredients about you, you will need to
heat the huge blackened cast iron skillet with the cymbal sized lid until it
smokes just a bit. And while that skillet warms up you will need to wash the
leaves of all your greens tenderly yet thoroughly so that none of the
fertilizer from your seven Alpine Nubian crossbred goats, who willingly give
you buckets of milk from which you make feta cheese or sell to the neighbor
with the lactose intolerant child for a minuscule sum or trade for her special
blood oranges, makes its way into your perfect food. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 2.4pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: 33.6pt;">
Next
you will spread out the leaves to dry, inspecting them for bugs or bad spots so
your family knows you care about their aesthetic issues. You will then, using a
knife as sharp as the tongue of your shrewish ex-wife or your sassy gay
brother-in-law, remove the leaves from the stalks of all your greens except
that of the spinach, with swift and exact coulés, setting the stalks aside for the two lambs you are growing
for a barbecue on the Fourth of July and to make curried lamb for your new
friends from India that will soon be taking the oath of citizenship after
immigrating to the United States over ten years ago.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
Knowing how difficult it is for your grandparents to
chew food with their outdated dentures, you take your tenderizing hammer and
pound the kale, mustard, turnip and collard greens so the cut bits will be
easier to masticate and digest. And while doing so you stuff a couple of leaves
of the fresh picked spinach into your mouth and revel at the taste you would
have never have otherwise known if you had continued to eat it from a can, a
frozen package or the store after sitting for a week on the shelf. You take
your knife and chop the leaves vigorously into bite size pieces and lift them
into a large mixing bowl setting it to the side while you cut up the pork belly
into quarter inch cubes and toss them into the hot skillet listening for the
sizzle and waiting in eager anticipation for the smell of apple wood smoke to
fill the room. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Already the sounds and smells of your morning endeavors have signaled
your family that it is time to rise from their deep Saturday slumber and gather
themselves at the table where fresh made juices and hot coffee with a vicious
kick awaits.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
As the meat of your honored banquet guest dances around
the skillet, finely chop your red onions and their white garlic compatriots and
place them into a bowl. Once the pig has been rendered crispy but not burnt,
pour off half of the liquid fat into the jar of cold congealed bacon leavings
that you store in the freezer for times when you need a bit of flavoring in
your cooking. Remove the pieces of meat and place them into a bowl. Pour a
generous portion of your extra virgin olive oil into the hot skillet careful
not to splash any on yourself and quickly follow it with half the creamy butter
and the mixture of onions and garlic. Once the onions are clarified but not
entirely enlightened, pour the rest of the olive oil in to the skillet and then
scoop the leafy green bits from the bowl into the pan, spreading them equally
about the bottom on top of the onions and garlic. Immediately, so that the
onions and garlic do not char, fold the greens into the mixture making sure
that each and every piece is well oiled and the whole mess is thoroughly
desegregated. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
Blend the mixture, trying not to stir up any
controversy, about every three minutes so as not to scorch the green leaves,
otherwise keeping it covered so that the H2O in them is evaporated by the heat.
Once the water has been completely expunged from the batch, sprinkle the meat
about the top and rouse in order to give your swine equal time and
consideration with each spoonful that your family will savor. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
Now take that wonderfully scarlet wine and pour it all
over the mountain of greens, bulbs and pork stirring gently and sprinkle in the
brown sugar so that the entire concoction is smothered in its bold engaging
flavor. Add a couple of gentle pinches of deep blue sea salt or a handful of
crushed crispy seaweed to enhance the flavor even more, cover the pan before
all the wine evaporates and leave on low while you whip up a batch of extremely
fluffy scrambled eggs from your well fed, feathered friends, Snowball, Snow
White and Fiona using that wonderful butter from your happy California cow.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
And as you sit down with
your beloved family and consume this wonderful repast made possible by your
hard work and the sacrifices of your backyard friends, remember to tip your hat
to the deacon of bacon.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
Bon
Appétit!</div>
DarrellRobertParkerPoetryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12198974031867804812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925779591836224081.post-29087729393699087972016-04-13T11:30:00.000-07:002019-02-06T12:21:14.340-08:00Disconnect<br />
<br />
Lover, blind as a saintly musician, who<br />
<br />
<br />
Gave unto me through glorious union<br />
<br />
<br />
Three gifts of life, muses of adoration.<br />
<br />
<br />
First a gracious offering of a man, humble,<br />
<br />
<br />
From the owner of the universe,<br />
<br />
<br />
Second, a butterfly anointed by the same,<br />
<br />
<br />
Lastly, one whose genius enslaves all <br />
<br />
<br />
And smile lights the way of love.<br />
<br />
<br />
Oh angelic sightless aulos,<br />
<br />
<br />
For whom I have wounded so deeply<br />
<br />
<br />
Return to me that which you gave and seized<br />
<br />
<br />
So I may find peace and grace<br />
<br />
<br />
In the arms of posterity. DarrellRobertParkerPoetryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12198974031867804812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925779591836224081.post-61395781900555085012015-12-16T12:16:00.002-08:002018-12-04T09:02:34.150-08:00Sweet Ass CandyI'm sitting on a pocket full of Starbursts, making sweet ass candy.<br />
<br />
Remembering nights of love like warm chocolate<br />
<br />
Memories of your flavors mixed with mine<br />
<br />
Warm chewy mouthfuls of my fiery muse.DarrellRobertParkerPoetryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12198974031867804812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925779591836224081.post-60222832132347494932015-12-16T10:40:00.000-08:002018-12-04T09:02:33.960-08:00Mother's HaikuI stop shaving for<br />
My wife, my mother's face now<br />
Hidden by my beard.DarrellRobertParkerPoetryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12198974031867804812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925779591836224081.post-73017972791166939982015-12-12T18:54:00.001-08:002018-12-04T09:02:34.624-08:00Holiday Spirit<div dir="ltr">
Alone again for<br />
Christmas and New Years Eve<br />
Are We ... getting .. drunk?<br />
</div>
DarrellRobertParkerPoetryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12198974031867804812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925779591836224081.post-25276134256470637332015-12-08T10:42:00.001-08:002018-12-04T09:02:31.691-08:00Nubian Mother<div dir="ltr">
Oh Africa’s child, gleaming smile</div>
<div dir="ltr">
Rich darkness of mother Earth</div>
<div dir="ltr">
Glows like a Nubian moon in</div>
<div dir="ltr">
Littered sky, stars sparkling</div>
<div dir="ltr">
From lustful eyes and wild hips</div>
<div dir="ltr">
That bore the race of man</div>
<div dir="ltr">
Which loses sight too easily!</div>
<div dir="ltr">
Raise up this goddess</div>
<div dir="ltr">
The mother of all</div>
<div dir="ltr">
So potentates are forced</div>
<div dir="ltr">
To bended knee that they may</div>
<div dir="ltr">
Beg forgiveness for</div>
<div dir="ltr">
Graceless designs and hapless deeds</div>
<div dir="ltr">
Supplicate before your true God</div>
<div dir="ltr">
Not man but woman who</div>
<div dir="ltr">
Bears the chattel of your sins. </div>
DarrellRobertParkerPoetryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12198974031867804812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925779591836224081.post-82896561612539774632015-12-07T23:40:00.000-08:002018-09-15T15:18:35.881-07:00You are my Grace, I am your Monster<div class="MsoNormal">
I remember the day when your mother told me she was pregnant</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
They were difficult times meshed with moments of joy</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We had just celebrated our one year anniversary</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sean was just ten months old</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And I knew you would be a girl as I knew your brother was
going to be a boy</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I dreamt of you, your hair color, your name, your destiny</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And I cherished every thought of you until you were born</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The dream came in your guise, I was there</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When they tore you from your mother, a handful of ginger
plump</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Soft downy red, light hazel eyes and a soft mew of a
cry</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I loved you even more.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yet you came into a world of upheaval, loss, </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Anger, frustration over life and I got to hold
you</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
You comforted me and made me whole, I was your father</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And you were my cherished ginger princess</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yet my world was cruel and it created a cruel man</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
You grew to watch me strike out at your mother </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And my booming anger damaged your gentle heart</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Each angry word, each heated moment burnt a mark </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Upon your kind soul</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Until at seven you could no longer bear it</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
You found your voice, my anger returned to me</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
You screamed “I hate you”, I knew it and it
destroyed me.</div>
DarrellRobertParkerPoetryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12198974031867804812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925779591836224081.post-26281004067391956162015-12-07T23:30:00.000-08:002018-12-04T09:02:31.879-08:00Across from Fremont Park<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
Sitting across from Fremont Park in the Sun & Soul,
the taste of a Jamie Garcia special reserve cigar marching through my mouth
like fire ant hordes, I await eagerly for a French press of Kenyan Nyeri so
that the equally stout flavors can compete for attentions of my taste buds as my
mind fashions a Nicaraguan wet dream. My taste buds transports me to
a large patio of a 19<sup>th</sup> century Central American plantation house close
to the edge of an equatorial rain forest, overlooking vast tobacco fields
swamped with the fruits of a midday rain. Sweating like a field hand, I sip a
frozen Macuá while I blaze a fresh made cigar of perfectly aged leaf tobacco rolled
by the hands of artisans, its Capa soft and supple to the touch; its scent
spicy and oscuro coloring bespeaking its robust essence. The flavors swim and
mix in my mouth, simmering like nature’s soup.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
My afternoon demitasse is delivered by a cute barista in
gray, wearing black net stockings with a fantastical pattern, engaging
as her bright smile. Her aura sparkles of gold and turquoise and I desire to
wear her like a favored piece of jewelry. The earthen colored mug she delivers looks deceptively cool, like wet clay in an artist’s hands, but my burnt lips
reveals the true nature of its contents, a brew searing like volcanic mud.
But the aroma, oh that delicious perfume, of roasted tree fruit, screams out to
my olfactories, forcing me to tempt fate again, at least until my lips and
tongue can withstand the punishment; piping hot pleasing pain. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
Across the street in the park, dressed in a skimpy black
something, a transgender woman (I can only tell because she had not tucked her
package securely between her skinny thighs) works methodically with a large
stroller full of her world. Every one of her possessions neatly folded and
packed in its place, bungied tightly to avoid any loss, she looks up to see me
gazing in her direction, “Have you been watching me this whole time?” Though I
wasn’t, I admit to no less. “How did I do?” I exclaim my envy at her methodical
touch and efficiency, admitting to my own failings and my desire of her skills.
The smile on her face speaks volumes of her pride and the positive recognition ads
a joyous lilt to her walk as she makes her way to the other side of the park in
black stiletto heels.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
She passes several people, two-legged and four-legged
alike, some sleeping while others play fervent games of fetch with ragged green
balls; all are sweating profusely. Only the slight breeze from speeding traffic
made notable by the waving branches of youthful trees breaks the dead calm on
16<sup>th</sup> street.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
Two brown ladies break into the picture
window of my thoughts, sitting on the near empty patio directly in front of me,
as if to purposefully take my attention away from the performance across the
street. Shinny pearls for teeth, a sharp contrast to the delicious cocoa flavor
of their fleshy wrap. Sipping lattes and chatting over incidentals, occasionally
they glimpse in my direction to gauge my attentiveness; their feminine egos
stroked like the back of a silky black kitten. I imagine myself getting lost in
their dark forever eyes, luxurious as a midnight swim on a tropical beach.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
The cheerful scream of a child at the apex of their
grounded flight pulls me away for a moment; the playground abounds with joyful
minions, each seeking to reach that invisible point in their pendulous arc that
will forever make them the bold adventurer. The coffee has reached its apex as
well, its piquancy close to perfection.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
Glancing down towards my technological fetters, my eyes
catch the perfectly proportioned toes of Latina numero uno, painted cherry red like
candy Red Hots, the fantasize that they might taste the same invades my brain. My eyes wander her
sumptuousness, soaking in every nuance of her body, the lay of her red dress
across her curves, the near perfection of her calves and thighs, the amplitude
of her peaks, the supple lobes of her ears, eyes that smile without wrinkles
and her dark hair shining in the noon sun like the wings of a Raven in flight.
She catches me but I don’t look away, instead I stare into her eyes more
intently as if to say “I can see your thoughts and hear your soul” then grin proudly
and return to my coffee which has reached the perfect pitch.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
Looking up through my eye lashes, I can see she has
returned to her tête-à-tête, the lilt in her voice telling of her satisfaction
with her effect on me, one more mollified customer. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
The image of me softly kissing her red painted toes and
sucking the cinnamon flavor from her Red Hots invades my aboriginal soul, epodic
measures stream in my mind as I strive to find the idyllic connotations that
will lead her to my Pantheon of lust, where I will attend her in a licentious Eucharist
and hear her cry my name in heavenly release, giving the angels something more
to be jealous of.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
The last measure of my drink is tepid and lush with the
matter of the fruit whence it came. Grit fills my mouth, passion fills my jeans
and sounds of joy fill my ears like rushing waves, whilst my eyes glaze over<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
Across from Fremont Park.<o:p></o:p></div>
DarrellRobertParkerPoetryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12198974031867804812noreply@blogger.com0