Best Seein Poems
Oh don't think that I ain't seein'
As you roll those purty eyes,'
And my man stands there a gawkin'
Like he'd won some sort of prize.
My ma taught me how to keep em
And to cut you down to size.
For there ain't no man worth havin'
Can resist my apple pies.
*Secret Garden*
Go back to natural beauty, unwind
Bury and soak into this, I unsigh
Seein' a landscape, large and high
Seasonal flowers, anywhere so wild
Garden hums with life, colors lyin'
Beyond my reaching, my eyes blinded
Ties of scent flowers, let time flies
Fascinated and exotic, much that I cry
Beauty in flowers, awakes my mind
Even briefly, it's significant prize
In one's innermost, all men can find
True nature of being, vigor of mankind
The secret garden, greatest is the mind
There's a sacred place, where true beauty lies.
Gunshots be leavin 'em children alone
they gotta find a way all on they own
kids screamin out sets for hope
then run around with a crew slangin dope
can't forget that they saw they fathers go
witness to earth the bloodiest show
to young to truly understand
despite what ya heard God won't hold your hand
It seems to me that we've been forlorn
destined death after death to mourn
lookin at the future of us all
death to brothas come at a sudden call
little children begin to see the light
keep on killin knowin that it ain't right
but desperation sets in hopin for death
because it's to painful to take another breath
How many of my brotha's died last week
an an answer given not for the weak
life like this shoulda made us sick
creepin in streets tryin not to get licked
time again are numbers start to dwindle
hopein for knew life in this race to be kindled
but all we ever do is disappear
it's funny that are lives are consumed by fear
and are youngstas reproduce fast
more brothas get shot lives endin in head casts
why do we gotta die at such a rate
a brotha feel cold heat as if it's fate
and as my brothas always seem to die
my race got another reason to cry
little niggas is our only men
no more elders in my dearest black kin
Now we got kids runnin da street
that means, the judge and jury da heat
the boys in blue pilein up da dead
crackas in th oval office shakein da head
the ghettos so lost can we find a way
it seem's that the only hope we got is to pray
and children already learn how god do
give to those who take so we take with a 22
now we gotta cope, sippin' on brew
gettin faded thinkin bout the dirt we do
and that just make a brotha think
why we be born livin on da brink
seein bodies fallin fast in packs
cause it be like we forced to fire back
so thelast thing is to put bodies in bags
at da funeral drapin our brothas with rags
I saw you with him
and him kissin’ you.
Ain’t that my clue darlin’,
ain’t that my clue?
Your eye and my eye
ain’t seein’ the same
Ain’t that a shame darlin’,
ain’t that a shame?
I’m not fallin’ for your bawlin’ this time.
This time you’ll find you’re way over the line.
You made me yours
with your lovin’ lies,
Ain’t I the prize darlin’,
Ain’t I the prize?
The love you gave me
didn’t scratch my itch.
Ain’t that a b* darlin’,
ain’t that a b*?
I’m not fallin’ for your bawlin’ this time
This time you’ll find you’re way over the line.
Get out of my life,
this time I’m sure.
Ain’t that the cure darlin’,
Ain’t that the cure?
Goodbye and adieu,
I’m through with you.
That'd be your cue darlin’,
that'd be your cue!
I’m not fallin’ for your bawlin’ this time
This time you’ll find you’re way over the line.
You come into my dreams - From out of the blue
Every night it seems - I lay thinking of you
Words can sometimes get in the way
So I say - no words at all
I just let your heart beat
Set the rhythm as I fall
And everything's all - all - alright
I’m seein’ star - star - starlight
There is a cosmic shine - From your beautiful eyes
It goes straight to my head - And throws my love into overdrive overdrive
Words can sometimes get in the way
So I say - no words at all
I just let your heart beat
Set the rhythm as i fall
And everything's all - all - alright
I’m seein’ star - star - starlight
Yeh it plays out every night - the same way in my mind
I don’t wanna wake up again - cause I don’t want the dream to end
Cause right now everything's all - all - alright
I’m seein’ star - star - starlight
And everything's all - all - alright
You got me seein’ seein’ star - star - starlight
You come into my dreams - From out of the blue
Every night it seems - I lay thinking of you
This is a song about nothin’
‘Cause I don’t have nothin’ to say
And now’s not the time to not say it
That’s why I’m here singin’ today
The new days lay so far behind us
The past stretches out up ahead
The ancient prophets have spoken
But we ain’t heard a word that they said
You can’t tell nobody nothin’
‘Cause that’s all that anyone knows
But you love to hear what you’re made of
That’s why you’re at all of my shows
Believin’ and seein’ ain’t knowin’
Knowledge ain’t necessarily so’s
But I believe that I know that I love you
‘Cause that’s just the way the song goes
I wrote this song about nothin’
‘Cause nothin’ is somethin’ to most
And that’s why we’re singin’ and dancin’
This waltz with the Philosopher’s ghost
July 18, 2020
Jumped on a ship in Boston
Set sail for the open seas,
Give my lady one last kiss
It'll be awhile she'll be seein me.
I said, "dont worry darlin,
I'll carry you right here in my heart;"
I watched her wave with a tear in her eye,
You know it tore my soul apart.
Been travelin now bout four months
Or maybe a little while more;
Sent off a letter to my lady-love
The day we first made shore.
Told her how much i missed her,
And how i longed to hold her so;
Please know im thinkin of you baby,
But for now love i have to go.
Boson handed me a letter,
When we made the next Port of Call,
Tore it open like a kid at Christmas,
Now i wished i didnt touch it at all,
She said she was so lonely,
And she met a man who loved her so;
She said," sorry it had to be this way,
but its for the best you know."
Time seems to moves so slowly,
When the sea becomes your home;
Loves will come and go with the wind,
And you still wind up all alone.
Now the sea has become my lady,
She gently rocks me to sleep at night;
And though i miss a womans touch,
My soul will be with the sea tonite.
Yo, Hoboken Bars and a couple cat fights,
Yo, takin’ the path to the Palledium and Limelight,
Giants games,
Getting drunk and goin’ insane,
Never stressin, just professin’, Wu Tang Lyrics and a little Smith and Wessin’,
Yo, I hung Irish, Italian, Black, and Puerto Rican,
Weekend trips to Spanish Harlem, girl watchin’ and sight seein’,
Visitin’ fam in Flat Bush Brooklyn, and a quick stop to the Bronx,
Playin’ a little b-ball back when I had less junk in my trunks,
Liftin’ at the Y, and hangin’ tough in Parsippany,
Are you hangin’ with me?
Shot out to the Randolph Crew,
Hangin’ with Asians and Jewish cats too,
With dreds on my head, ladies sweatin’ the phat do,
Winnin’ state championships and duckin’ bauer Junia,
Sportin’ my Miata with shiny Rims, and a boomin’ tuner,
Rollin’ through Montclair and scopin’ females on the upswing,
Showin’ off my letters and #1 rings,
Though I’ve lived all over, I still claim Randolph and Dover,
I still claim, West Orange, Lauren Hill, and Fushiknins never sober,
Jersey, baby Jersey, there is no other,
With Red Alert on the horn kickin’ the overweight lova,
And yeah, we kind of dirty,
True dat,
I’ll grant you that,
But there is none like Jersey,
The Garden lounge of adventure,
And when you visit the homestead,
Just tell em Woody sent ya,
So shot out to the Jersey Crew,
It’s been a while,
Lost my style,
And my pants are a little bigga,
But yo, it don’t matter, cause Jersey yeah I miss ya!!
Used car salesman didn’t blink:
“None better!” said he with-a-wink
- With the hood open wide
- I'm seein’ inside:
Said: “Be better with an engine … don’t cha’ think?”
The Camp Cooky’s singin again outa tune,
about turnin 60 today around noon
"What good is there in it?" I hear him say,
and it got me to thinkin . . . seein it was his birthday
It seems bein 60’s got two spins to that tale,
one frittered and wrinkled, the other covered in shale
The one who’s 60 if truth be told,
is still younger than all those 61—to real old
In the campfire’s crackle of light I can see,
how everyone younger, is likely dumber than me
So if my hands struggle with the knots and riggin fer sure,
the knowin and the tellin to those younger’s worth more
Havin outlived many a cow horse, while lovin them all,
the awnry and skitterish, the short and the tall
The summers ridin drag, and the worst winters mendin fence,
with a slicker full a holes, and that ol dog with no sense
And while the cuttin and the brandin seems boring to some,
it’s the importance of their nature and gettin things done
When the hats and the spurs and even the saddles are all gone,
and the sun sinks over that last mountain, like in Dusty’s ol song
I’ll remember the good times, lettin go of the bad,
and think back on the pards and the ladies I’ve had
Because just like for Cooky, it happened last year to me,
and turnin 60 seemed ranker than any bronc could ever be
But like that new Visalia saddle the boss man said was now mine,
I've found somethin that’s different, somethin gentler and kind
The speed and the strength ain’t been traded for free,
and somethin woke up that I guess was sleepin in me
And as I yell to the wrangler “Cut me one gentle and nice”
without loosin too much pride I ask, “Can you help Ol Jim
cinch his riggin real tight”
Then once more in the dark I ride off in search of the herd,
singin that one favorite cow song every real hand has heard
And as I inch up on the lead steer whisperin mellow and low,
“Yippee ki yay, Ol Fella; you ready to go”
For maybe one last time we push North thru the dark,
the sun still two hours off to the right of our mark
While in the distance a wolf howls, as that lead steer catches my eye,
and in that instant I know I’m still needed—a long ways from g’bye
(Dewey Montana: Circa 1990) Read In Elko Nevada, 1993
Lost in my head, where'd I get my point of view?
parents? friends? the news? muse's interviews?
The more places I go the more I'm confused
About what's wrong, right and ultimately the truth
What things mean to me don't mean that to them
Religion, ethics, values, all from a manger in Bethlehem
God must've been bored to have so many pseudonyms
Everything's arbitrary like a dream deep inside of REM
Open your eyes, can't you see it's all just a game
Oh to see through it all is sweeter than aspartame
go ahead, tell me, I'd love to know your stage name?
And how you cope with your self-inflicted shame?
tell me more, tell me who you'd like to become
let me guess, it's based on making an income?
I already graduated but I'm far from an alum
one thing I know is there are few rules of thumb
No sir no, mostly just rules of succumb
Motivations rooted in whispered expectations
Force fed sedations disguised as occupations
Answers to questions with no explanations
Confirmation biases, no need for citations
You're scared to die? I thought you had salvation?
So reincarnate me into anything's offspring
I'll make figure 8's thru infinity like tying shoe strings
Because it's hard goin' home after seein' some things
Like so many people without homes or any things
Or students who walk an hour round trip to school
While we argue over who can use whose stool
Maybe it's Groundhog Day or always April Fools'
I just wish we hadn't forgot Preschool's Golden Rule
I'm withdrew yet in tune, I'm pro-world view
I'm anti-GoPro, pro-Go, just choose and do
Because literally you have nothing to lose
Maybe this is just a case of a realist's blues
Regardless, I'll be smilin' on this amusing cruise
Heeey! Heey! Black, black woman
Run, Black Woman Run,Run for your
So called husband is about to Beat
you and hit. You again, Black
Woman Run,Run for he has Made
Another child somwhere and you are
about to Bear the Pain for his
Eraction.
Heeey! Black Woman Run, Run for
he did not Go to Work the whole
Week and yet he will want food on
the Table. Black woman Run Run for
He is drunk again and yes he will
force to have sex with you even
though he knows that you know He
is sleeping around and Only God
knows if he uses prottection, oh! I
feel the pain you feel Woman but
still you have a chance to escape
such pain and suffering, Black
woman Run, For this is so sad for
you.
Black Woman didn't He promised
you to love you until his last Breath?
Was he not the one who said till
death do you Part not till he putts
you to Death, Woman I have seein
your suffering and pain now Run b4
He bruse you myb he may kill you
this time, look at that deep scare
above your eye, look at your swalen
arm oh! What about that internal
bleeding you had the other day ey
Run Woman you shining Armour is
turning into something else Run,
Run Run its getting worse
We constantly find ourselves regretting
These tainted situations we invest in
Regressing
Our walk toward perfection
So my reflection
Cast shadows in different directions
Daily were expecting
Unearned blessings
bottled up feelings
longing for confession
Shoulder width stretching
The weight of unanswered questions
So this is something like my dedication
To uniqueness in a flawed presentation
Seein as a perpetual flawless score
Leaves nothing for the ambitious to strive for
Would michaelangelo be adored
if his canvas never left the floor
L-O-V-E
by Amy Swanson (c) May, 1998
(dedicated to every woman who's ever had one of these!)
Hey now Mr. Satin Sheets, you think you're so fine...
wouldn't give you the time of day, here's the reason why:
You're a womanizer, pulverizer, think you're so sly,
but let me tell you something honey - your heart is like ice.
You try so hard to hide, but it's easy to see,
there's one little word you need to learn... it's L-O-V-E.
Now I don't care how sweet you talk, but honey it's your walk
that would make me come around, and give you my heart,
but lately, what I'm seein' just ain't lookin' too good...
it's evident to me, that your soul is like wood.
You think you've got my number, but you still need the dime;
gotta know for certain boy, you'll never be mine.
You try so hard to hide, but it's easy to see,
there's one little word you need to learn... it's L-O-V-E.
Now, I'll admit, you had me in circles for a little while,
and all it took, was just one look, and a sweet... smile.
But, baby, I've been down this road before;
I took the scenic route... but I'm not taking it anymore!
So baby...
take your velvet talk and groovy lines too....
I ain't playin' anymore, cause it ain't cool.
Said you'd give me the world, all I got was a lie -
You gotta know, there's just some things that money don't buy.
I was looking for love, but instead I found you
It's my opinion honey, you don't have a clue.
You try so hard to hide, but it's easy to see,
there's one little word you need to learn... it's L-O-V-E.
Yeah, you'll be cryin' baby, that's easy to see
til you learn about that little word, L-O-V-E.
go on back to school, learn a few things
don't come back to me.
A Stormy Christmas Eve
It had been snowing all day and
the skies were looking glum.
My mama started crying when
the mailman didn’t come.
Tomorrow would be Christmas Day;
Dad said, “I’ll ride to town.”
He put his warm raccoon coat on
and pulled his big hat down.
Then my mama began to fret.
I saw her fingers drumming.
“Do you think that you really should?
I fear a storm is coming”.
My daddy said, “I’ll be okay
if I am riding Dan.
You know that horse will find the way.
He’s smarter than a man.”
Then Mama gave him a big kiss
and said, “Now do take care.”
She waved him off into the storm
and wiped away her tear.
My mama plucked the turkey and
kept looking at the clock
while little brother prattled on
about his Christmas sock.
The storm was growing stronger and
the light turned into dark,
while I was just a wishing I
would hear old Ringo bark.
Mama lit the kerosene lamp
and started slicing bread.
“I should have told him Christmas could be late.”
I think she said.
About then I heard Ringo bark
and saw my mama smile.
I knew I’d hear my daddy at
the back door in a while.
That horse of Daddy’s brought him
safely home through blowing storm.
He said that he was glad to be
back home where it was warm.
Then he said he’d met a stranger
while on his homeward way.
He recognized old Santa Claus
with reindeer and red sleigh.
Santa said he would be happy
to lighten up his pack
and be obliged if Daddy would
relieve him of plump sack.
So little brother went to bed
to wake to a surprise
from Santa Claus whom our Daddy
had seen with his own eyes.
By Joyce Johnson
(inspired by “Seein’ Santa” picture)