Best Stein Poems
-- Re: Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas, Rue de Fleurus #27, Paris --
What would Gertrude. What, Gertrude.What, Gertie?Have thought.Have thought what thought?Thought thought driving,forward,remorselessly.Remorseless Remorse? Forward.Never reverse;no reverse.No.No remorse.
Remorseless,spurning reverse,seated.High!Seated high in Auntie.Then in Godiva seated. Looming.Enormous.
Looming enormous.Unsinister presence. Certain presence.Definite.Definitely not sinister. Positively looming;enormous in brown. Brown,
in brown corduroy,driving Paris.
In Paris,through Paris.Looming high in Paris in Godiva.With Alice,
quiet beside her. Quiet; always, Alice. Alice always.
And zipping, about -- coming to Rue de Fleurus 27.
Zipping to Rue de Fleurus.To 27. And Alice so able.
Able Alice, each a.m. transcribing.Able Alice typing.Automatic Gertrude.
Typing Gertrude.Great Gertrude.GeniusGertrude.Talking Gertrude.
Genius talking.Great brown Gertrude; Gertie, to Alice.
Absorbing, talking, buying art --- buying Matisse.
Absorbing Matisse.Showing Matisse.Banishing Matisse.
Selling Matisse,collecting Picasso.Great Gertrude -- genius Gertrude
at court, holding court at Rue de Fleurus 27.
And Leo.Gone Leo.No Leo at Rue de Fleurus. Not at 27
After Leo, after Mr. Stein, after brother Leo. But there was Alice.
Alice was there Among Braques.And Cezanne.
(Not Matisse.)No longer Matisse, but Picasso.
And Picassos, Picassos, Picassos!
And Alice; alongside, was Alice.Next to, was Alice.
Alice next Gertrude,Gertie, G. --- Gertrude, Miss Stein.
Genius Gertrude Stein Quiet Alice always.
And a great Gertrude. A great brown Gertrude. A leviathan.
A passing ship; a great leviathan.Gertie, a genius.
A hugeness.A shibboleth.But to Alice,
just Gertie.
not not
do do
Gertrude Stein
A stein filled with sparkling water
It is Pineapple Sparkling water
I enjoy Pineapple sparkling water
Poured cold into my stein
Sipping it with a meal
Then the stein put aside
On the counter by dirty dishes
The stein was empty out
Without thought until it was done
A good laugh was heard
Then poured another drink
My stein is also used for beer
Binomial Stein
a rose
a rose is a rose
a rose & a rose is 2 roses is a
rose & a rose
a rose & 2 roses is 3 roses & 3
roses is 2 roses & a rose
a rose & 3 roses is 4 roses & 3
roses & 3 roses is 6 roses & 4
roses is 3 roses & a rose
a rose & 4 roses is 5 roses & 10
is 4 roses & 6 roses & 10 is 6
roses & 4 roses & 5 is 4 roses &
a rose
Frank N. Stein began to whine,
He'd been accused of awful crime,
Scaring little kids in their bed,
Setting off metal detectors with his head,
He just may need a re-design.
ON THE TOUR BUS IN SAN MAR-ANDORRA-STEIN
“We are older than your George Washington;
We have the tallest fields of cotton
West of the Volga; and our castles are small
But all guaranteed to enthrall.......”
It appears this swing-a-cat country
With its pipsqueak army
Of skirt-swinging, fur-slippered,
Medieval-style soldiers carrying a halbard
Has a National Income less, if you please,
Than most big western companies.
Oil comes not in a pipelines, but a tube’ll do
(Costing many hundreds of roubles too.)
“McDonalds came here five years ago -
Their first restaurant east of the Po.
KFC will be coming next year -
It will be a national holiday here......”
I climb wearily back aboard
Our tour bus here abroad.
I don’t wish to seem quirky
But I’d rather be home in Albuquerque.
.....................................................................................
Note
Verses in quotes are the tour guide voice. Other verses are the tourist’s
thoughts.
Frank N. Stein began to whine,
No one ever asked him out to dine,
Dracula said, " You can come with me,
I know where some good neck might be,"
But Frank thought he should decline.
Stomping
Stomping
Stomping
Stop,
Please
No control,
Vehicle lurches
But I’m just a
Passenger on this
Road of life
To soothe the soul
To vent
A release
An escape
To share my words
To create stories
Learning myself
And the characters I build
I write because
Its who I am
A writer
A worldbuilder
A character creator
An author
Are those thoughts you put in
what I once valued more
Or would what I put out
be the end winning score
Did I need your ears
for my voice to become whole
Or would I rather them deafened
words deep in my soul
In my twenties your opinion
carried some weight
In my thirties I listened
but asked you to wait
In my forties I turned
and walked slowly away
Now alone in the twilight
—to carry the day
(Villanova Pennsylvania: April, 2015)
Take a seat
Any seat
Twiddle your thumbs
And
Don’t wait on me
My life
Is full,
Not revolving around you
Are you surprised?
Shouldn’t be, because
I live my life
Not waiting
On you
Wine
is fine
when I dine.
Some in the stein
can be very fine.
It is time to resign
when I can’t walk a straight line.
It comes from the Rhone or the Rhine.
The California stuff is most fine.
Sitting here
Typing away
I’m brought back
To the days,
Ones long ago
When I brought you
Into this world,
Nineteen hours
Of labor,
Emergency surgery,
Exhaustion beyond
Anything I’ve
Ever experienced
Though…
It all disappeared
The moment
I held you
Striking blue eyes,
A gorgeous smile
Showing a set
Of dimples, which
Lit up
Your face, and
Made my day
Those same feelings
Took hold,
The second
I realized
You’ve changed
Drastically, from
My young boy, to
A young man
An adult,
Ready to
Spread his wings
And take flight,
Soaring into
The world,
Eighteen years of
Love, laughter, and
Guidance
Has proven
Your determination,
And inquisitive nature
Will assist you
In life,
This world
Is challenging,
But, deep inside, I know
You’ll prevail
Letting you go
Is possibly one
Of the hardest things
I ever had to do, but
Just know,
No matter what
Obstacles you face
I’m here,
Putting pen to page,
Rooting for you, and
For your future
My son,
Understand,
You and your sister,
Hold a special place,
In my heart,
Fills me to the core,
Brightens my day, and
Never goes away
Because
I LOVE YOU
He dreams
Of eyes, and
Hair of blonde
Special
A diamond
A twilight
In the night
hidden
and kept
from others
like skeletons
inside of
a closet
a conundrum
tears down
relationships
burden on minds
emotional pain
stress and anxiety
physical consequences
trust
and honestly
relieves you of
the deepest, darkest of
SECRETS