The blue waves smack the shore
Outlined by the oaken door.
Stand beside the cypress tree
Throw your arms out to the sea
On a mossy cliffside you can spy
The wheeling curlew, hear it cry.
Smell the cedar in the grove
See grass wave where rover's rove.
Hear the sea gull, feel the wild
White sails on silver, be beguiled.
So far from madness of the city
Cell phone rings, no longer free.
You run inside the cottage door
Find your backpack on the floor
Dig the phone out, as it plays
A ringtone singing "yesterday"
Its Chase bank, with a suspect charge
Ten thousand, that's awful large.
Text message comes from your landlord
Rats with fleas came in a horde
Your boss says he's needs you back soon
Work has come like a monsoon.
You leave the cottage bitterly
But you can't eat the scenery:
Can't throw the cell phone in the sea.
At least you have the memory...
Candlelight leans against ancient stones, a single flame steadying the dim.
My breath circles the quiet room—slow orbit returning to its center.
In that small, unwavering glow, I learn how emptiness becomes peace.
HOPE
HOPE
thin light
gracile flame
27 years in stone
cold air danced on the floor
he smiled through broken prison glass
"hope survives even in the smallest cell"
Florence wakes up startled
was that a car door slam?
she looks at her digital clock
2:37 a.m.
silence
her heart beats fast
she hears glass breaking downstairs
where is her cell phone?
she puts on her glasses
there are footsteps in her house
she is too terrified to move
where is her phone?
the intruder has already found it
charging in the kitchen
one more thing not to worry about
rubbed my eyes out of any light
small specks of flickering haze
tears were torn dry
focus long and hard on nothingness
Instead of the belligerent screen.
they call it a scrying mirror
that implants visions of darkness
no courage could muster
the beautiful dense earth
absorbs the remaining attention span.
I gently washed my breakthrough.
Blood drained out. Colour faded.
Every single cell dissolved away, becoming
the architectural skeleton of a heart.
Every single cell dissolved away—
put up no fight, no rejection,
no more life of drugs needed.
Perfect.
Every single cell
waiting, waiting, waiting to become
“the most important medical breakthrough of our lifetime”:
the architectural skeleton of a heart.
Beating with no fight.
Pantoum Part 1
A stranger calls me everyday,
Makes me nervous to get the phone.
She keeps on calling anyways
When I am---or I am not---at home.
Makes me nervous to get the phone.
At times, he or she's a robot.
Calling me when I'm all alone.
And I've told them they must not.
At times, he or she's a robot.
And I do not say a word.
But they want me to sign the dot.
Saying yes to contracts unheard of.
And I do not say a word.
To them when I haven't much to say.
Giving them money is absurd.
These strangers call me everyday.
Rhyme Part 2
Spamela is her name.
With me she plays a game.
Morning, noon, and night.
Any hour is alright.
Her voice is very sweet.
'Cause she's a goal to meet.
She needs to hear me say yes.
To verbal contracts and the rest.
She sells electricity.
And phone plans for liberty.
She will sell me gas.
With friendly sales math.
And seek to earn my cash!
Without her, my day would be lonely.
She's my one and only!
My love on the telephone line.
Spamela uses mobile data all the time!
disaster waiting to happen
carload of teenagers
only two have fresh licenses
little experience but lots of confidence
they are celebrating the end of another school year
being silly
thriving on youthful antics
rejoicing with loud rock music
feeling invincible
exuding enthusiasm and energy
taking sneaky peeks at their cell phones
which would have worked
if the driver had not been looking at his too
Trapped in a cell
No hope in my eyes I know I am blind
Monster without light
In the dark I sit
Cold empty no fear of death
Hell bound no light coming my way
Empty trash and rats
Monster in God's eyes
I hurt the sky In My blindness I pray to die
In a distant thought, hear the murmur, the call
Rich colors of gray, indistinct shadows write
Black words, sting of grief, against a solid wall
While the darkness pours out a warning, the fight
Between hope and despair, a desperate fear
Rises in souls of those who know frantic fright
There is a nagging dread, calling with each tear
Anxiety climbs through those who understand
Tempting souls to doubt the truth of each prayer
Cancer’s rhythm can sometimes feel like sinking sand
What of those moments before cells multiplied?
This is a disease where nothing goes as planned
A curse word, a struggle, darkness will abide
muddle of cancer silences hearts who’ve cried
I’ve left it on rock ledges
elevators and bars
Taxicabs, backpacks
and motorcycles far
It sat on the Great Wall
as I walked away
And fell out of the raft
in Wyoming that day
It flew on the airplane
after I’d gotten off
Spending two days in Key West
Fedex as the cost
It’s kept me in touch
that’s important I know
But the voice it records into words
— much more so
(Villanova Pennsylvania: March, 2018)
My Cell Phone Voice Recorder
his phone
live with rings, text incoming....
silent
One couple of days I sat in Strangways
Whilst I was out in a downpour of rain
I found a wild cat, sat it on my lap
That amazing dam cat scratched me and spat.
I walked back and then re-entered my cell
To find that I could feel an awful smell
Curry had been pasted on every wall
My partner in crime's a super oddball.
I was arrested,
Locked in a prison I call my mind
Battling with thoughts.
When did life stop being kind?
As a kid I knew no pain
Didn't know it won't remain the same.
I was taught not to cry,
No matter how hard life hits.
Blossom Monyei
These hand sized gadgets is something we use to communicate
We use these devices to relate good news that can't wait
We take pictures and create memories of our experiences
Also to record a conversation or video criminal offenses
Many addictions have been created as technology evolves
Different social medias and games to keep everyone involved
One phone seems to vary in cost from another
With apps such as FaceTime to help distant lovers
Those are the advantages but there's also disadvantages
Those that causes you to put your neighbor in bandages.
A conversation full of joy or an argument that's perplexed
You end up taking someone's life while sending a message in a text
You can't drive and focus while someone is screaming in your ear
Attempting to do so is like jumping rope after having a few beers
Know when and how a cell phone should be used
A topic that this current generation has confused
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