Long Provoked Poems

Dad hit me only once, an upper cut to the solar plexus. It nearly lifted me off my feet. I was 17 then and already fairly tall, 6’1.” He was 48 and of medium height,...

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An old Greek word, ecclesia,
is often translated as church,
but could also be thought of as a civilization
acting civilly,
as a citizenry
acting as responsible citizens.

The noun side of Ecclesia
casts residents as consumers
of democratic and economic cooperative systems,
while...

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Note to Readers of Previous Versions:
There are so many new vignettes scattered throughout the poem that I hope you will reread the whole thing! There are many new GEMS, improvements to previous verses and improved...

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I shall resolve to leave this
Place now...
And steadfastly search out,
Nestling between ridge and bluff
Amidst the folds of a foreign 
Land,
Several acres of unkempt ground
Fallow and rough;
Upon which stands...
Crumbled stone walls
With an exposed slate roof in
Some...

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Unquotable quotes: The Janitor, Gardienne, Landlady, Housekeeper, Portero, the Sereno and the Hausgast – XXXI  Part One

Be they so named or not in these here parts, visions of shrieking furies with Gorgon heads and...

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Resistance On The Iberian Peninsula

“Liberté, égalité, fraternité (Liberty, Equality, Fraternity),”
Scream French revolutionists as they guillotine monarchists heads, 1
Then crown Napoleon Bonaparte Emperor of France, 2
Who commands the French forces in wars raged across Europe.

The Grande...

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   Symbols cry in dry ice theater -
the expanse of aesthetic visa-
drawn-
from the romance of the silvery eye -
as it golden advances the lid of covenance 
in dynamic enzyme.
Open faced type interpreted-
interpreter-embossed embol-
in...

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Introduction: once again I incorporate 
my trademark penchant 
to fabricate fictitiously
portions of the following poetic endeavor
can you care to 
discern fact from fiction?

Attempts at lifelong friendships and holy matrimony...

Shot thru with figuratively cankerous nub,
cuz yours...

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On the night before Christmas, alone in my house, 
Sorrow gnawed at my soul, like a ravenous mouse.
Entombed in my blankets, I struggled to sleep,
Ready to snap if I counted more sheep.

I rose at the...

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There are actual people
half woman half man
running mornings and
dream people in movies
half language half light.
Tomorrow is John’s funeral.

		*			*			*

This is my minute
my moment
Oops, gone!

Anything can happen
if you don’t resist
Resist!

		*			*			*

But who am I? You think bullets won’t
kill?...

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A piece of me has been torn apart
All of you have broken my heart
The tears are still coming and going
And I can still feel my heart burning
I know that this was coming
But I pretended and...

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LIFE IN ETERNITY*


1.

The cheerful trumpet of miraculous life, imperatively sounded in 
My mother’s life-giving womb,
Heralding with its melodic tune another animation: MINE!
And as my innocent infantile heart was provoked by
The challenging divine call, 
Started beating...

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"Angel Eyes" 

that dark angel
standing in the corner
observing the shadows of man 
pass him by -

he has angel eyes

that shine high beam
bright bushfires that light 
the entire transparent 
padded room parade

dance cards lit 
he’s biding...

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MY FIRST FRENCH KISSES
by
JOHN M. ARRIBAS

My first french kiss; I was lanky, skinny, barely fifteen
I had the hots for the popcorn girl, she was eighteen
She made and sold the popcorn at the Strand Theater
Our mutual...

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Walking through the cornfields of  memory with glee reminiscing about self-journeys and the laws of love and care how life has provoked the mind to think of love as the guest of free earth...

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      In the purple shadows of the black's monoliths, where an ancient echo calls forth, at the blurry forge of "Ralkon Dis",
a salient dragon from mystery's petra cliffs drifts you...

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I was in the dumps; but as of right this instant, I'm flabbergasted by my brother's random actions and my weird interactions to be exact...great - messages have stimulated my phone...

Zzzzzzz the buzz was coming...

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I was out of work in thirty-three and forced to take the road,
not really looking forward toward the tramping swaggy code,
and as luck had it, just by chance, I no longer had to hike,
‘cause parked...

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Out of all the words in the world 
I have a pure hatred for one 
Four letters that can change a life
Four letters that can lead up to death 
Four letters which will never sound...

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I have an inside Mother Eartha Voice
which She would prefer
to keep hidden
given any cooperatively healthy
democracy choice.

Mother Eartha
does not necessarily trust
the sexy grace
and beauty
of all Her StraightWhiteMale
potential Allies

College educated
but RightBrain contextually
environmentally 
straight white privileged
tone deaf

Unaware of...

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As a youngster he had dreamt of moving to a potato farm in Ireland

To escape from the brown rot of German post-world war II contamination

Just another plot on the map to sufficient existence and to...

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~The Unpredictable~
The view enlivened her imagination by remembering how 
she escaped her long past history of abuse by being judged 
over the years she had nightmares as it was not her fault their
eyes were all...

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The Foe

With strong arms, the warrior raises his crimson stained sword against the mighty Foe.
Death for the cause emboldens me in a strong clear voice he shouts.
The Foe peers down with its fierce coal colored...

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I’ve painted a picture
High yellows and deep purple. 
Erasing the blues.
Though I can’t hide from them, because inside of them,
 Lies context clues.
They keep popping up on my canvas, as if it’s some news
I owe...

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Albert Nolan
"Abtract Gospel"
God in
"Picture" out
current problems
shoved aside
preach good
Feel good
do apartheid

II - Part 2
In his book, God in South Africa The Challenge of the Gospel," Albert Nolan ends his work quoting passages from Isaiah that convict...

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