Long Twangy Poems

Inferiority complex as a kid, adolescent and emerging adult

Yours truly (an amazingly,
gracefully, and markedly modest
passively aging baby boomer -
formerly introverted long haired
pencil necked geek),
prattling wordsmith doth behold
nostalgic memories regarding father
(Boyce Brandon Harris)
long ago lapsed decades

during...

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Old Zack Adams sits a slouch’n so sloppy drunk on a bar-room stool,
Wear’n his cheap-threaded cowboy suit and a stained satin shirt.
All the while a peek’n and a leer’n at women like an old poor...

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The light is low but the music loud,
blaring from fiddles and steel guitars.
The bar is filled with a moderate crowd,
could be anywhere, but here they are,
drinking and two-stepping in this bar.
But the sight of them...

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Inferiority Complex As A Kid And Adult!

I recall father, (now behold
at near ninety years old - maintains stronghold
on life, cuz born of sturdy mettle -
rumor claims bullion – ne'er did buckle nar fold
meaning bull +...

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timid, meek, and demure (effeminate) me,
essentially ruled the roost
regarding Harris household
sole son characterized vis a vis
presented passive resistant
outward nonestablishmentarian mold
worst case scenario
would witness Matthew Scott Harris
spending longevity old and feeble minded
at 324 Level Road

outliving parents,...

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Written: January 2nd, 2023, For Ink Empress Contest

Rumi verse" Sing to me in the silence of your heart and I will rise up to hear your triumphant song"
       ...

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Once there was a country boy called Chester,
     he came from the rural Appalachians;
got himself a farming job not far from a big city,
       ...

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I think I'll write a country song
about the weasel that 'done me wrong'
We'd have been married thirty years today
if he hadn't had a penchant to stray.

I got the pickup truck, so we'll leave that part...

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Every time I tune the radio I hear a feller's plaintive song,
About his achin' heart and how his womans "done him wrong!"
How he nurses his plight at the neighborhood saloon,
Wallowin' in commiseration with those he...

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We have an assortment of clocks collected over the years.
Some chime melodically, others are odious to the ears!
Some rest on mantels, others hang upon the walls,
Each emitting their dings, bongs or ear-splitting squalls!

One squawks John...

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Making him argue with me about something silly, so we can make-up.
Stealing his pencil so he has to put his arms around me to get it.
Walking to class a different way, because I know I’ll...

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Brother and sister crickets please recognize grasshoppers, 
katydids, and locusts as part of well schooled, politely 
ordered named league known as Orthoptera, (pronounced 
or th hop tara), which means 'straight wings'), and make 
sounds of...

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Late 1940s England

the square
   was packed
& the high street full
meat&veg seemed plentiful

market barkers
  drew the queues
with jokes
         impromptu

shoppers filed
     neat&...

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the square
   was packed
& the high street full
meat&veg seemed plentiful

market barkers
  drew the queues
with jokes
         impromptu

shoppers filed
     neat& formal
in sainsburys...

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Like Root Beer Diamonds

smokestack lightning on the pomona freeway
plays their twangy sound brimming with desire
tan mexican cheerleader rides in a ’46 chevy
passing neon hamburger stands in walnut city
passing the silver taco trucks parked on main
they...

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The in-store music is country-slow,
the vibes twangy.
I pick through the tack and tinsel,
dig for rough diamonds.
Squeezing past other consumers,
sharp showers of oven scourers.
A toilet brush, a candy bar,
a plastic encrusted necklace –
pink or blue, all...

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He plays a steel guitar and serenades the stars.  
Electric tears turn into notes that play across the moon.

They speak of a lonely man, though women chase him.
He sees only her and when they...

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Black & white cars 
slink slowly beside you
in cool, carnivore evening – jazz
curling sleepily in silence.

Traffic lights nod 
As huge gas wings rise
& you fly, suspended
in winking night air.

Brooding drones
& ancient beasts
crawl toward you &
anger...

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