Long Iowan Poems

Preface:
Earlier today May 28th, 2021,
the 12-member jury unanimously
found Cristhian Bahena Rivera guilty
of first-degree murder in brutal stabbing death
sentenced to life in prison 
without the possibility of parole
of Mollie Tibbetts remembered as then friendly
20-year-old who was...

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Another Senseless Killing...

IOWA CITY, Iowa
     (killingly, jarringly inexplicable,
     horribly, gruesomely, and forlornly),
     the found exhumed decayed corpse
     belonging to...

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"In a land full of corn, you've got to just laugh a little."

The gravel flies out from beneath,
The hicks smile with half their teeth.
The corn grows,
The horses have shows.
Flat paths and lanes lead,
All starting with...

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Recalling        Laughing          Reading               Learning ...

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David Morris

1840-1914

I was indeed a rich man!

A lucky man, a family man,

A man firmly ensconced in the faith

Of the Nazarene.

It is written my friends

That to live for Christ

Is the summit of wisdom,

For wise men still...

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THE SULLIVANS, 1942
by
JOHN M. ARRIBAS




It was a cold  blustery day in Waterloo
An Iowan winter with not much to do
A silent military mission was underway
Three warriors  here with a chilling say

Can you point the...

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I’ve got a girl in Kalamazoo,
sing Miller, Swing Miller, Ding Miller doo…
Moonlight cocktail anyone?
Glenn’s orchestra is on the run.
come on down. Let’s have some fun!
boogie Doogie Moogie Hoogie. Choo Choo Choo
Chattanooga if you want to...

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He’s somebody’s grandpa I bet, we all said.
He had wandered into our family reunion around nine.
Grandma rolled her eyes and set him in front of the TV.

He smelled like chew, his flannel shirt was a...

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I once lived in an Iowan county called Appanoose.
Yes, there were women and babies, called the little Papoose.
We drank lemonade, coffee, tea, and some carrot juice
Nothing exotic like escargot, or salmon mousse

Our lives were so...

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The pastel flower was gorgeous; I was fascinated by it. What do you call it?We call it Christmas cactus. I stare at my aunt. There is no red or green. No dazzling white or frothy...

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Tulip festival in Pella 
An Iowan Dutch town
Tulip Queen and King, the highlight of parade
Insanely young, possibly high school

Dutch costumes all over the place
Windmills spinning throughout the town
May festival with much excitement
Everyone has a hundred...

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