Best Tori Poems
Pipe Dreams
Though I have a woman’s heart; it pounds with
dragon’s fire. Curled about the core of self,
I have lain in wait for Asia with claw, and horn.
Linked-locks and keys have spined beneath my hand
upon the tourist’s rails of China’s Great Wall where
builder’s bones rattle for redress upon the wind.
It is not China’s Long but Ryu ’s heart which pounds.
This was no place, no place for me.
Paper boats zhezhi have blessed my dreams. The
Divine Wind eases my way across a sea of longing
to Nippon. My two-chambered
heart can have but one loyalty—
I say no to the soldiers,
strident in beige and red—
Senkaku’s waves buoy me.
Buddhist temples waver mirage-like in
a gray-white haze of frankincense, the scent
of ever after, lays about me.
For links of love and family, are stronger,
than those of coercion and the gun—I will
island shelter—refine remnants—separate myself
from clay become porcelain—
beneath tori arches; I walk.
A stream in Kyoto
a bronze statue of a ballerina
dancing on point
within a circle
of gnats—
First Published in the Spring of 2017 by Illumen
"Snapdragons and Dandy Lions - Part 2"
The day was cooling down
pressing itself close into
the amythest and musk pink early eve
as the eggshell pale blue sky rolled over into
Astor Purple to get ready for sleep.
The Ostrich Ferns rustled,
We’d frightened the Blue Tongue, he’d run back to his lair.
Coming in from the Ocean now
there came a light breeze.
I was looking for four leaf clovers
and Skink eggs but they were to be found nowhere
while she knelt in her rock garden planting
Agapanthas, Gladiolus, Calla Lillies,
Daffodils, Fresias and Pansies -
there were loose bulbs everywhere
and packets of Tulip
and Blue-Eyed Susan seeds.
Sooty, the Black cat sat
and watched with knowing sly eyes
twitched his whiskers, licked a paw on ‘his’ Window Sill,
he looked very wise.
We’d been making Daisy Chains,
she’d placed on our hair like Crowns.
Of course,
3’s always a bad number, it's never neat,
there’d been fights in between – still,
we were her adoring subjects, her princesses and
SHE our beautiful and kind QUEEN.
“Do you know why I love Snapdragons the best?” the QUEEN declared,
“They’re the knights of this garden –
they get a bad rap because of their name.
Look at their faces though,
they’re ferocious not frightened of anything,
great courage they always stand firm.
It’s the blasted Dandy Lions,
well they scare easy,
blow away every time
there’s a storm
and they leave a damned mess”.
She looked at us, and said,
“You’re like those Snapdragons my beautiful girls.
Always stand together.
Always stand firm”.
(Lovejoy-Burton/2017 Dec)
(1)
"Under the Ivy"/Kate Bush
https://youtu.be/NvKNzyO4wk0
(2)
"Datura"/Tori Amos
https://youtu.be/WX_dwuF-6oY
Things to do:
AM:
Don’t wake up early!
Spend an hour for breakfast, sip coffee , savor the flavor
Open the TV, look for TFC (The Filipino Channel)
Inspect Tori (my dog) for any fleas.
Haul neighbor’s free wood for winter’s heat.
Clean up the garden of drying dead daisies.
Organize closet, set aside old clothing
Call services for the blind for donation pick up
Plan on organizing picture albums.
Open poetry soup .com
PM:
Don’t cook! Buy a ready-made lunch!
After lunch, nap. Put the carbohydrates to work.
Wake up, blink, repeat!
Stare at the clock on the mantle
Plan on hitting the shopping mall
Hit Ross, browse, don’t buy ( tight in budget now)
Hit the thrift store , browse, don’t buy ( space is saturated)
Hit the high end store, don’t buy (too expensive)
Evening:
Plan A: text my available friend until I run out of topic
Plan B: Watch TFC: Walang Hanggan (Till Eternity) , A Tagalog drama series in TFC
I wonder if the routine is worth repeating the following day!! EEEK help me!
Ode to A Monster in disguise: The Ocean
the ocean, a glistening substance that
rules over the world like an emperor
capturing land to achieve more power
the more she gains
the more dominant she seems
she hides secrets that is blind
to the naked eye and covers it all with
A distraction
of a
vibrant color
of blue and
sparkles that shimmer in sunlight
With beauty as rare as hers
she pulls you into
a trance with her waves dancing through
the rhythm of the wind
as a melody is being played by the sounds of living creatures
who are trapped within her
your hands
glide and move with the water
deep
deepper
deepper
until you're so deep, you’ve realized you have
been swallowed by the depths of her manipulation
she moves your body like a puppet
swaying
back and
forth
up and
down
until she has full
control
the ocean starts to capture your breathe
as for her own
takes away the vision that you once had
the monster forces power to push you
further
into the depths of her satisfaction
till all that's left is a frail figure
that has now
became
one with the
water
she smiles in deception and waves
back and forth on the land
searching for her new target
waiting
patiently
beauty can be noticed by different
variations
it is better to ignore the
temptations by
searching for the
intentions
of the
heart
-Tori G.
“Swords in My Hands”
War paths fade
when she says
Play Misty for Me
It’s so very easy
hold two swords
drop the Ball and glass slippers
The smile is full freedom
he says, do it again
Victory dance and mean it
Taken in this moment
one sword
cuts the zumanity ropes
some strange romance;
he says, do it again
I’ll watch you win
begin
Victory dance
begin
she is calling It in,
ALL in,
by Her Self
LIFE
body in full flight
against Blue Sky
(LadyLabyrinth / 2021)
"Take to The Sky", Tori Amos
https://youtu.be/__i-CccPdmk
“This house is like Russia,
with eyes cold and gray.
You got me movin' in a circle.
I dyed my hair red today.
I just want a little passion
to hold me in the dark.
I know I've got some magic buried,
buried deep in my heart, yeah….
But my priest says,
You aint saving no souls…
My father says,
"You ain't making any money."
My doctor says,
"You just took it to the limit.
And here I stand,
with this sword in my hand...
You can say it one more time
What you don't like
Let me hear it one more time
Then have a seat
while I take to the sky,
take to the sky...
...
This house is like Russia
with eyes cold and gray"
LYRICS/ “Take to the Sky”, Tori Amos
https://genius.com/Tori-amos-take-to-the-sky-russia-lyrics
Those Awesome Folks on Facebook
By Elton Camp
Many Facebook profiles are only a joke
For nobody seems to be an ordinary bloke
Such fascinating lives all of them live
At least based on the information they give
“It’s a gated community where I reside”
The trailer park has a gate to let ‘em inside
They are a professional, they let you know
But don’t tell that they’re a professional hobo
“I drive a long, black Cadillac,” he’ll aver
But he’s actually a hearse driver, I hear
“It’s direct public service that I do”
But she works at McDonald’s is true
“Retail inventory control is my game”
Shoplifter catcher he is, just the same
“I work hours in the gym every day”
That he’s the janitor, he doesn’t say
If pictures are genuine, there’s no telling
That one looks a lot like Tori Spelling
Just once, this is what I’d like to see
“Old, fat and bald well describes me”
Peter in the summer morning sun
his cool smile shaded by shadows run
his voice as soothing as coffee’s scent
tell me he wasn’t heaven sent
Peter of Malibu moss and Spanish rose
his lips like light-coral, in kissable repose
his legs slouched akimbo, like a tiger’s limbs
how I long to re-entangle myself in them.
Peter’s quick caress, on windy Tropez beaches
aren’t men the most delightful, of nature's invasive species?
I miss the jeweler’s precision, of his warm and playful hands
and how the sun slowly gifted him, with a model’s golden tan.
Peter sipping coffee under a brittle, New Haven sun,
his rough laugh following something silly I’d done.
There’s no cryptic, localized pathology, happening at the beach,
when the two of us are together, our worlds just seem complete.
.
.
Songs for this:
What the World Needs Now by Tori Holub & James Wilkas
be mine by strongboi
You came into my life
You were vulnerable I can tell
One shout leads you under the table
Shaking like an abuse child.
Tori Toto
I brought you to my care
So happy to give me company
Now, I can see the difference!
Your ears stand up like a leaf
So funny and so delightful
Now you turn around dancing
Like you have won a mega million dollars!
Tori Toto
Never will you find another home again
My home is your home.
Note: Tori Toto is a terrier dog. She looks exactly like TOTO in the Wizard’s of OZ movie.
Her moves want to be famous
She tells her love while she moves.
She sings like Tori Amos
Lost in peace as she grooves.
Subconsciously trying to prove.
Her heart is pure as water
When she dances her bodies less hotter.
Like a landscape of calming green
Surrounded by crystal blue water
Her soul reborn and clean.
by kristen bruni for Let dance
a little bundle of fur
when she came to live with us
now she chases ice cubes and
sink gazes all night
E be like say e wan tel me anoda tori
I no know why e dey talk about polotiks
Wetin I wan hear be the songs Him glory
Devul , spare me of dis terrible triiks
E be like say e wan to sing anoda songi
I see say e dey dance cuni, cuni dance
But inside me I no where my hearti belong
Devul, I no mind any terrible trance
E be like like say he wan do anoda movie
He wan fiture me but I no send am
Oh, my heart, soul and spirit is for God my lovie:
Devul no be for you, but for the I AM dat I AM
This poem is wriiten in Pidgin English, spoken by certain tribes in Nigeria… it is written as an
entry for Deborah’s contest ‘Dialect make the world go round’
anoda tori means another story
Zesty zippy zombie sat checking out the Yummy yuppie Yankee that was wiggly
wishy washy but wealthy as he could be. And even so vary vainly vaguely unfree.
Till one day, a Tuesday I believe, the tiny twiggy twenty year old named Tracy Tori
Tory was watching the toothy toughie trickster zombie sitting under the thistly
thorny thickly ugly tree, watching our Yankee. Now strangely she was a strongly
sturdy sweetie, and sweetly but swiftly suavely went to see the Yankee to let him
know of the scummy squirmy spooky zombie checking him out under the seedy
shaggy shabby little tree. Now to show his appreciation he was really ready to
rarely ask this queenly quirky quaintly lady to promptly go purely proudly puddle
popping on their way to a preppy peachy pearly pastry bar with oddly the only
oldie oozy pastries in the nutty nightly nearly neatly town of Nietzsche where
monthly a mystery mushy movie played. Since they were both loony lofty lefty
laddie and lady and lastly the lengthy lively lovely movie was about to play, he
keenly kindly knightly ask her in a jolly jiggly juicy way if she was iffy itchy
interested in this imaginatively happy haughty history movie. Well in her giggly
giddy goofy funny funky flirty easy earthy earthly duly dizzy ducky cutely cuddly crazy
bubbly briskly bravely aussie arty amply way, said …….. NO!
did Picasso dream up Guernica
while taking a *****& did Van Gogh
fantasize about Starry Night whilst
draining the lizard? how about
Pollack---though we have been
told via Ed Harris’ film (the only
art history anybody has anymore)
that he came upon the splatter by
accident, but how do we really know?
coulda’ been when he was
pinching a loaf---
coulda’ been
coulda’ been.
insert the name of your favorite
painter here:
_________________ &
ask yourself if s/he really got all
their inspiration from long walks
at night, heavy alcoholism, endless
orgies into the morning, a good
smack habit, brushing one’s teeth
with Absinthe, or, if in fact,
it may of just been an amazing idea
which revealed itself while
said artist was in deep potty
meditation.
saw in an interview with Tori Amos
once, that she got the idea for many of
her songs while she was sur les toilettes,
but then again, she believes in fairies...
the point is, all those ideas that come out
when you’re pissing,
just might be the next Sistine Chapel,
the next Notre Dame or the next
piece of brilliant architecture that our
species brings into being---
hopefully without said artist(s) being on
the goddamned church payroll.
A Frozen Life Without A Chance
Make It Stop, Please Stop The Bleeding
Please Wake Up, Please Just Breath
A Frozen Heart Before It Could Beat
A Frozen Life Before It Began
***To my good friends Tori and Ray.
You've become like sisters to me and I'm sorry for what you've lost.
Love always.***
Salute my life through the day
I'm a strong woman and humble.
A soldier was born years ago
"I will never slip or stumble."
My future unknown, yet I carry on
Full of light everyday.
Searching for beauty everywhere
"With a smile that won't wash away."
"But there's nothing to do but believe"
In the fate that God created.
One more night to get through
I'm free and understated.
"Why do we crucify ourselves"
to be perfection in this life?
Sarah Mclachlan says build yourself
And then it will be right.
Eminem raps from his heart
Tori Amos from her soul
We breathe in Telepopmusik
And believe ourselves to whole.