Long Elastic Poems

[Well, ShallowMan’s ne’er at a loss
for voicing shallow thoughts that gloss.
With trenchant wit he reaps the dross
when seeking sense in applesauce.

But to his aid flies FactoidMan
who always has a Fact at hand;
with him, who needs...

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Two, perhaps three miles out to sea, beyond the reef to Zapatillas,
Bocas’ dual sand-edged footprint jewels with jungle centre trees, 
Francesco’s outboard boat heads out to Caribbean’s deeper blue.

Where sun burns softer gringo skin, but...

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The finite contemplating the infinite
The stardust male and female still flush with light
From exploding stars, seeding new possibilities, our true progenitors.
So that even God Himself must take note of our passing (in its season),
Such elemental...

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That soft-spoken Sovereign commands a big stick, 
runs the world into ruins, once our bailiwick.
If asked why, He grins grimly, pale lips slightly pursed:
"Vindication? Straightforward: It's Me and Me First" 

(To mesmerise people He needed...

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Some people wind up with twisted knickers
When they get insulted by nitpickers
Words are sticks and stones
Causing moans and groans
When they hear heckling whispers and snickers

Women used to call knickers 'underpants'
They'd get them twisted with tauntings...

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THE CHAMELEONS
by
JOHN M. ARRIBAS


Give credit to the chameleons, they blend right in 
A simple maneuver, changes the color of their skin
No matter the surroundings, one thing is clear
You may not see him, despite him being...

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Simulations and Symphonies

Discussing life inside a simulation
Amalgamating strife with signs of humiliation
Confronting life with positive configurations
An enchanting wife that doesn’t need invitations

Caring for what others naturally overlook
A watchful parent, a well written book 
Beauty that...

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You toss them to the ground, they don’t beckon or call,
They’re a pair of jeans, and to the ground they fall,
They stay as long as you threw them,
Yet they could stand tall,
When they’re on you...

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ALL YOU CAN EAT

by

JOHN M. ARRIBAS


I never subscribed to an unusual idea
That aliens are among us and thriving here
I now question my stand on that theory
Cause I’ve noticed some bodies quite eerie
I see gigantic beings...

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When silver waves of crystalline crescent
     emanate rhapsodies glazed in
        Jupiter light.. reflections
       of bejeweled June comes 
...

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Clemency is a quality that I never understood
until after I crucified the Cilician pirates on Pergamus,
amusing isn't it, that I see mercy where brutality stood,
Death has a heartbeat for all of us,
there's no greater mystery...

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Direct clay was turned into required elements
parts, sections, groups, classes in proportion
to set in every function in as pottery style,
osteoblasts turned into bones to form the cage,
limes were to join each point of the body...

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I quite enjoyed writing these two line poems for the Bantu contest - the idea of the call and response with two different statements but the same sensory response to each line. A bit like...

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WinWin Balloon EcoPolitics
for growing community health,
said the EarthBalloon economist,
is most effectively improved
by focusing on the bottom
of Earth's sacred communal balloon,
accepting shared responsibility
for those stuck in ground floor economies
of chronic survival issues,
perpetually repeating despairing depressed circles,

Rather...

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The Inflated Nation!

Americans growing wider by the minute!
Is there  a Russian collusion behind this illusion?
(Now, there's a breaking news headline
with real meat in it)

(Mashed potatoes, ah,don't forget, 
drowning in a greasy, gravy pit?)
Served at your table,...

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An elastic band
Held between two fingers.
His index, and mine.
He takes a few steps backwards,
Gently stretching the fragile ring between us,
Testing its strength from either direction.
Two forces, working together
And against each other, at the same time.

The...

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~JSLambert does not (currently:) use, or encourage hallucinogenic drug use.

    Telepathic psilocybin prescription erasing elastic depression. Competition 
wanes, just when nocturnal emission drains. Lifted poetic wing clipping. This 
party only makes sense...

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Part 22

how can there be any absolutes
with the clock ticking like it does
it's hard to tell if you'll come to your senses
when it's one thing to be short on the rent
another thing to stay short...

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Larry was the oldest,  seemed every day he grew 
Bubbling with mischief,   like a cackling witches brew 
At the time just  10  or so,  but that’s a long way...

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The world is so mechanical
It is so scientific 
It's getting to be so-so difficult
Everything works at a fingers touch
Everything is speeded up too much
Neon lights the night
Smog darkens the sunlight
Time is to the seconds
While details...

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This was inspired by Georgette Johnson’s poem “Savouring Another Day”
***

One cold day whilst I was out in the snow 
I went into a cafe for a Joe
I slipped across floor 
And got an encore
Me and...

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Hell 

The place of safety was dirty and cold 
The building smelt musty, damp and old 
Place of safety in which I was to roam 
Was, in fact, a children's home 
They clothed and fed...

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Already in the bar at about 7:45pm,
as weak as a 'just fed' serpent
my body movements, so slow,
like a turtle, walking in caution of danger,
feeling so stiff like a concrete block,
and even my heart beat, I...

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My grandparents lived on farms – both sides of my family.
My mother’s parents and my father’s parents.
Overalls and button down shirts with pockets
Work boots for grandpas

Except my single grandpa did get dressed up fancy
For Saturday...

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I’m sitting in a dark, nothing but a T.V. on.
I’m watching horror movies, or am I watching paint dry.
I see people, I see faces, but I still can’t shake the feeling I’m being watched.
A scream...

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