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Best Poems Written by John Coffman

Below are the all-time best John Coffman poems as chosen by PoetrySoup members

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Prom Queen

Prom Queen

i remember simple moments
long ago when life
consisted of cruising down Dump Raod,
a car load of friends
and a case of bootleg beer.
getting high
and parking through the night
behind the mounds of garbage
that never reached the height...
of the trash we talked
of all the girls we wanted,
but conquered only in our minds.
when my turn came
i simply spoke your name,
everybody's beauty queen.
an angels face
crowned by long brown hair.
the boys would simply smile and sigh
with nothing to be said, 
then sit in silence and of of you
until the morning called
and we stole back to town
as heroes to surrender 
to the queen.

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Simile

Simile
my love is like
old men strumming
fingers on table
to ancient tunes
at VFW Friday nights;
between tales of old wars
in forgotten places.

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Painting You

#Painting You
If I were an artist, I would use the warmth
Of a thousand blazing suns to paint your smile. I would blend the depth
Of some peaceful island sea
With a million midnight stars to show your eyes. I would combine the softness 
Of satin cirrus clouds with the petals of a rose to tint your skin.
If I were an artist, I would do all of this and then I’d steal the tears an angel cried
And the laughter from a child,
Mix a touch of courage
Into this tenderness to form your heart.
But I am no master of this art
So all I see and feel will never be defined
Except in portraits hanging
 In the hallways of my heart
And on the murals of my mind.#

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Christi's Chicken

Christi’s Chicken
In the event you may want
Something more before
I can return,
There’s some of my famous chicken
Here somewhere
Behind the milk, (in the yellow Tupperware).
Remember how Christi
Would beg and plead
“Make your chicken please!”
The rare times I came home?
I thought of that this morning
When I turned the fryer on.
The chicken is here,
The recipe is still the same,
Although I’ve tried a time or two
To take something out, add something new,
I always find that I come back
To the way I made it just for you.
The chicken is here.
Should you prefer something else,
There’s lunch meat on the second shelf.
You’ll have to thaw the bread.
I regret that it’s not fresh
But I rarely use enough 
To keep it here that way.
In the event you find
That you get bored 
Before I can return,
There are some of my old poems
In the parlor by the chair
(You’ll find the shoe box there).
Remember how you used to plead
“Write something for me please!”
When I would call each day?
I think of that each time
I put my pen away.
The poems are here
And the style is still the same,
Although I’ve tried a time or two
To take something out,
Add something new
I always find that I come back
To the way I wrote them just for you.
The poems are here.
Should you prefer something else
There are pictures on the second shelf;
Moments frozen like the bread
From better times when love was fresh.
We did not use it quite enough
To keep it here that way.
Enjoy the chicken.

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Youth

#Youth (My Favorite) 
It seems I’m always looking back
On the youth I left behind,
A part time job and a ’54 Chevy
That didn’t run half the time.
It wasn’t much to look at
But that car and the world were mine.
I was always going somewhere
Running headlong down the road
Dreaming of the time I’d leave my youth behind
Never knowing I would leave my soul
Parked in a small town alley
In a rusted out Chevrolet
Sitting there alone still close to home
But planning how to break away.
Those were the days when I had it made,
All I had to do was dream and drive
And think about
A long legged girl named Connie
Who didn’t know I was alive.
Those were the days when I had it made,
But they’re days I’ll never go back to.
I wish I was smart enough back then
To see that dreams just don’t come true.
I guess I’ll always search
For the youth I left behind,
I scan all the ads for a ’54 Chevy
But they are so hard to find.
Do I really want one
Or is it only in my mind?
When I sit behind the wheel will I finally feel
That those dreams were never mine.
And still I’m always going somewhere
Running headlong down the road
Forever trying to find
What I left behind
And wondering why I left my soul
Parked in a small town alley
In a rusted out Chevrolet
Knowing all along that you can’t go home
Once you finally run away.
Gone are the days when I had it made
So all I ever do is drive
And think about
My long legged wife named Connie
Who wonders if I’m still alive.
Gone are the days when I had it made,
The days I’ll never go back to,
But at least I’m smart enough to know
That dreams never do come true.#

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Down To the Valley

#Down to the Valley
I went down to the valley
Of lust and damnation
A beautiful woman was there
Her dress was a mixture of rubies and sequins
There was a rose in her hair.
I said I have longed for someone like you
To sweeten my bed and bring joy to my nights.
She said sir you don’t know me
Don’t let my clothes fool you
I’m waiting here for the love of my life
He said he’d return from that terrible war 
And he would make me his wife.
Just one more battle, one dangerous battle
On a beach called Omaha.
I’ve been waiting here for two months now. 
Wondering if he’ll come at all.
I was more than curious now,
And I had to implore
Dear lady, do you know the date?
Of course, it’s August, 1944.
But seventy years have passed since then!
I know, kind sir, I know.
She turned to mist and disappeared
Into the morning air she left me there
Not knowing what was real.
Not knowing what to feel 
I turned to walk away
But something made me turned around
And there upon the ground lay a single rose.

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Gravel Roads

Gravel Roads
 To me, America can be found 
On calloused hands and gravel roads
Where weathered faces
See life through honest eyes
Laboring from sunrise 
Until driven from the fields 
By evening’s fading light
Walking from the fields 
As the moon and stars illuminate the night  
Peaceful and content 
Knowing the world was right
Sore but satisfied  
There was nothing left undone
At the end of this long day.
Up and down the gravel roads
The calloused hands still hold
The spirit that made this country strong.