PONGO

image

coffee and rain by ozlm on Flickr

PONGO
JCD Kerwin

the image
of a cup of java
(black-brown,
a hint of vanilla,
and steaming in just
the right
kind of swirls)
might seem
rather cliché,
but it’s the best way
i spend an afternoon,
hidden deep
in couch cushions,
and tapping my foot
to Frank Wes
and Miles Davis.

the water droplets
on my windowpanes
agree:
nothing cliché
about jazz rain.

(April, 2014)

Mulligan!

This is actually poorly written, but I thought I should be relevant for once.

Mulligan!
JCD Kerwin

Gas masks and bullet stings;
surrounded by police raids,
24-hour protests in the streets.
But stop for a break
so we
can sing an Olympic song,
full of World Peace and cheer.
(Your throat gets cut
the moment
you turn your back.)

Cry-me-a-river for
YouKnowWhere and
OverThere, and
don’t forget
Egypt and Syria,
and do you remember North Korea?
(Are they making boys cut their hair,
or was that a plot twist on Reality TV?
Well,
just don’t tell Old Ringo and Paul.)
And let’s give Africa a break
now that
the greatest man
who ever gave a damn
is dead.

We can’t seem to lose
this greedy weight,
in the west;
yet others can’t get skin
to stick to bones
with the mud from homes,
in deserts.

Wave hello, tell a joke,
to this company; to this corporation—
It’s a person, just like you!
(It’s got a heart and can feel pain!)
So let it loose from the Accountability Noose.

Silicon Valley’s a fancy place
for all the techy kids who want
to hide out in the future,
pretending it’s somehow better
where the grass is deader.
(But you can’t have Tomorrow, kids,
without fixing up Today.)

Watch out!
There’s a drone overhead;
it can read the pizza order on your cell phone.

Make no excuses for the abuses
to the freedoms of our brethren.
Recite the data we’ve memorized when we close our eyes:
“Inside we’re all the same color, but
on the outside I don’t like
the way you say ‘hi,’ and
I don’t like how you tan;
the fact you love another man.
And by the way,
fuck your religion.”

Hail to this land, this earth,
this world; we are all of us damned.
Wait, I have an idea! Take my hand and I’ll lead you to the stars.
We’ll pretend we never happened.

Hallelujah.

(April, 2014)

Transparent

Transparent
JCD Kerwin

What would it be like
to float,
effortlessly,
above their heads;
smooth and pristine,
like a transparent, little bubble?
Up and up,
far and away;
without a care…
Then POP!
I am gone.

(April, 2014)

Peddling into Hurricanes

This is not [just] about childhood.

Peddling into Hurricanes
JCD Kerwin

At twelve,
you biked faster than
wind storms;
made twisters
turn up in your wake

you turned blacktop
into neverlands and
neverwases just because
you made believe
it was far from here

Now,
you’re made to think
you’re a fool ‘cos you
only want
to feel your heart
beat in your throat
again;
maybe feel the stars
again.

because you went to Jupiter,
once.
don’t ever let them tell you
it isn’t true;
that it was a game;
that it was all just
play, pretend…

I want to feel
that wind
again,
and scare them all
when i laugh
at hurricanes.

people should
run from
super storms, but i
want to make history
in rain clouds.

i want to hold my hands
high above handlebars
again;
make the wind
jealous of my might
again;
and hear the whole world
move.

Maybe i can believe,
(once again)
that having all these dreams
is still worth peddling
into hurricanes.

(January, 2014)

Rush Hour

 

Cracked pavement–photo from Shutterstock

Rush Hour
JCD Kerwin

My ear to the pavement;
palms down;
eyes closed;
I hold my breath
and wait
for the roar
of a hundred screeching tires.

(Oct. 2013)