Short Tenured Poems

     publish or perish

       no sham tenured tradition…

         whispers ~ perdition
...

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Thoughts once spoken
the bottle open
Genie tenured
—reentry closed

(Dreamsleep: August, 2022)...

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School

This notion falls on
through:
Every traffic light.
Every petty fight.
Every lonely night.
Every petty fool
Every lapsing rule.
Every pistol premise,
True.
Every laughing,
Gapped tooth fool.
Every me,’
Every you,
Even landlords,
Priests and tools
Are each a tenured
part of school....

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You can’t make a deal
with a Judas 
As tenured
they govern on high

Like the British
who sought our indenture
With graft and self-interest
they lie

You can’t play the game
any longer
When rules only favor
the few

Where freedom is held
as a hostage
And verity’s fairness
— askew

(The New Room: March, 2025)
...

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Lest we forget
WE ARE ALL “TEACHERS”
In a classroom without windows
Exposed
In truth and lies
Tenured in memories
Tinged by the angst of youth
Measured
By times melancholic muse

BEWARE
For children watch
Mimic, replay moments
Repeat/repost words
Hold us to our “truths”
Challenge our “lies”
Love us 
Because of who we are

So, let us do the same....

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Not an academic
Poet
Not a tenement 
Poet
Not a beat or a blues
or a church Poet
Not a famous or infamous
or celebrity Poet
Not an Irish or Basque
or Welsh Poet

Not a formal
Poet
Not a casual
Poet
Not the kind that takes
to the stage Poet
Not a tenured or membered
or club Poet
Not a for profit or glory
or fame Poet

… just a Poet

(The County Line: April, 2024) 
...

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A Tenured Friend
Written: by Tom Wright
December 2014

This week we summoned
To our home, a tenured friend,
Being shackled to need,

Her faith had given her hope
That in some heart, God,
Would plant a seed,

Being quite unaware 
That God, our hearts, of late 
Was troubling, 

Forthcoming temporary help,
Was counted by us, as seeing
Our blessings doubling,
...

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That big, elusive doctorate degree,
pretty much like an emperor's decree;

         a kind of fetish that academes require,
         sort of survival kit one must acquire;


within the realm of the university,
part of the myth of tenured security;


         its twin is the rule: "publish or perish,"
         a choice most faculty hate to cherish;

and yet they churn out books with little rest,
paperwork enough to clear a rain forest!...

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You ever wondered mindlessly
as you take in the scenery
then all of a sudden
you spot the one

That tenured man
staring into the silence
reminiscing on life
and all he's done

Questions come to mind
would he go back
change his steps
venture dim streets
or the great unknown
and see what he may find

What if
he was asking the same
question about you
would you stay on course
of your present journey
if you knew the results
just to see it through

What if?...

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