The John Cotter/Shafer Hall Poetry Making Machine

Monday, December 25, 2006

A Christmas Limerick!

There's something outside in the yard
The swimming pool water is hard
Everything's white
In the Christmas moonlight
A JOLLY CHRISTMAS INVADER -- EN GARDE!

Wednesday, December 20, 2006

Rounds

Downstreet from OM we opened
A bar called AMEN, where the noise
complaints came from above,
where our choir howl swept
up the dust. Ask the Jehovists:
they're slow to trust the dark, corroding
our confidence in warm blankets
and flashlights -- our faith
in the warm beer of blackouts,
and they LIGHT candles to make wishes
and we DARKEN OUR DOORS
with mezuzahs, our floors with mandalas,
but "catch you on the flipside"
never meant anything to me.
Waking from nights out, dawn
long gone seems so religious.
Our pains are answers to our prayers.

Thursday, December 14, 2006

When I gather the gravy together
And wint'ry gray is the weather
We can spoon out our wishes
Along with traditional dishes
Delicious and minus their feathers

Her teeth this era
Are always wide as meadows
her lashes burning