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Best Poems Written by Ian Be

Below are the all-time best Ian Be poems as chosen by PoetrySoup members

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12
Details | Ian Be Poem

I Never Know Where To Put My Eyes When I Am In the Walmart

blueberries are not an option
oversize strawberries, maybe.
16 pack
of pop-tarts

the workers look worried
or weary
worn down by the woman who taps on her wrist-watch
with her forefinger
her painted mask forms a frown
her eyebrows are more aggressive

flashing lights
spilled onto the glossy floor tiles
the shelves are soaked in strange

i am invisible
avoiding intentional eye-contact
content to be
a casual observer
unnoticed by an acquaintance
out of context
unaccustomed to our bodies without barriers
beside the cereal boxes i wonder
if i look different behind bullet-proof glass

fat-free or chocolate 2%
there is no middle-ground
but i prefer the color blue to brown
so the choice is made easier
by arbitrary affections

this is where college students
collect the contents of their refrigerators

this is where bananas
are available after midnight
on a thursday
or is it friday?

all i can say is that it doesn’t matter much
in this fluorescent fantasy land
everything is affordable
especially time
because wages are waning
and the hunger will never cease.

Copyright © Ian Be | Year Posted 2016



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She Is Beautiful

SHE IS BEAUTIFUL

when she walked in
I didn't look up

when I turned to my right
she appeared

the first thing I noticed
was her left cheek

and in that small glimpse
I saw her in psychic fantasy

vibrant waves flowing toward me
and I knew

SHE IS BEAUTIFUL

when I looked again
she was dancing

and
I stared at her

the second thing I noticed
was her face

wearing the wealth of years
and I thought

she is not as young
as I had imagined

when I looked again
she was staring at me

the third thing I noticed
was her mind

spilling insecurity
across the bar

and I thought
how sad it is

to listen to her doubts
wounding her natural grace

so I told her
that I knew

SHE IS BEAUTIFUL

the next thing I noticed
was my body

rising flush
with blood warm skin

and I felt desire
tempered by prudence

confidence
blended with anxiety

she asked for a glass of wine
and I gave it to her

she asked for my name
and I gave it to her

she asked for my name again
but I had no more to give

when she said goodnight
I kissed her left cheek

she seemed confused
and I wonder

what story
she will tell

to herself
to others

but I hope
she will know

SHE IS BEAUTIFUL

Copyright © Ian Be | Year Posted 2016

Details | Ian Be Poem

Spent So Much Time Trying To Build a Bridge, I Forgot That I Could Fly

dust off these weary wings
leave the hungry faces to fall empty and howling
all the fear
and frightened men groping for a fist
something to make you appear to them
desperate for anything
just some way to push a ghost
to convince themselves
because they know
when they turn around
the mirror is laughing
hollow men smile so well
but i refuse to be
involved in that scene
it doesn't stop them
faster, they insist
waving their arms
enter my world
intruders
the walls are hollow
and the floors and ceilings
and the mirror is still laughing.

6 NOV 2010
1:27 AM
BFLO NY

Copyright © Ian Be | Year Posted 2016

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Love Songs To My Future Wife - 2

glassy eyed wonder
I see you wasted because this world
is not what we were promised
you are a mirror
and I am a black veil
seeking a flame to guide me
somber night song
your voice is a mist among the trees
unknowing nurturer
unseen and held close
I am the root blindly begging
to be drowned when you descend
so we may be joined forever
and together free from waiting
hand in hand we pull each pebble
and walk until the desert ends
your touch is autumn
turning strength to gold
and I am only here
to strike the wind against your grace

Copyright © Ian Be | Year Posted 2016

Details | Ian Be Poem

One Day Down River

dreaming the poets dream of purity
dissolving civilized rituals of society
into the light of pure being
unifying all humanity in truth
which is a timeless retelling of ancient knowledge
only reflected separately as identity
viewing life through a peculiar lens
which honors the glorious balance
of undisturbed country
curiosity driving the poet 
to sing with the rarest bird
unseen in the wild night
and though he renders all in loving detail
he finds his world swiftly disappearing
and so driven he drives his pen
to catch a draught of time
offering to future generations
a sincere survey of their origins

Copyright © Ian Be | Year Posted 2016



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Oak Trees

i found this place by accident
a little bird told me without telling me
but sang a song of such singing that the melody moved me
and so there i was
here i am
sitting in a state of bliss
content to soak in the joy of all that is
while the oak trees watch over me

society may not be at peace like unto the living wood
but that peace is a goal to be kept internally
that peace means you are the oak tree growing continuously
regardless of the flag hoisted above your branches

and if a man can master himself
the whole world may crumble
and the rabid gangs of hatred may tear his flesh
and he will remain as strong as his serenity

these oak trees inspire me to weep
because they survive a span of human history
accepting the obvious truth that war is not won or lost
only pursued
or abandoned

because the man of clay falls back into the earth
and the glittering things he collected will scatter
into the hands of another who will suffer the same fate

and the old oak tree sits at peace
unconcerned with creatures who believe
they can conquer and enslave the soil

Copyright © Ian Be | Year Posted 2016

Details | Ian Be Poem

Possibility Wave

speaking to a dark current
in my own rhythm
the droning wash of tones
calling to all anxiety as kindred
collected here
to revel in exceptional acceptance
a rare platform for difficult emotions
fingering the feelings which words
are inadequate to describe

in this space
i am free to roam
unashamed
there are no wrong answers
because there are no questions

no questioner

only the endurance
of the un-involved observer

25 MAR 2016
PCOLA FL

Copyright © Ian Be | Year Posted 2016

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5 Dec 2015

streaks of pale yellow
a hollow chuckle
what to do
what to say
tremolo hummingbird
sounds redundant
too many
too few
observing a picture painted

shards of green
porcelain fast cracking
into dust powder
underfoot altitude
compressed into silence
uncertain mystery
is safer than
what?

nothing is mysterious
judging the judgments
fearing the best case scenario
telling the same story
endless listening
hearing little

rocks in a foamy wave of noise
standing up and recognizing
puddles instead of oceans
placing pinholes into
blue black
frame fitted for discomfort
infinite identification

purple window
to grain mountain
hill crest
spattered with honey
crumpled newspaper
tumbling down
then up
then down

whistle the circus song
pretend
it will all be over soon

pensacola fl
5 dec 2015

Copyright © Ian Be | Year Posted 2016

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6 Jan 2011

watching snow fall in the city
i think about the soldiers
  that fought in world war two
         dying every day.
i think about the homeless
   and where they might find warmth.
i think about death, slowly
                 with calculation.
i think about greed, insulated excess.
           about subliminal messages.
                 a wave of soaking paranoia.
                 anxious.
                 fear.
                            unnecessary.
i think jazz piano fingers speak
             with dynamic voice of god.
         jack kerouac was right
             to believe what he saw.
i think these stories are all true.
i think about listening closely.
                  can you hear it?
     raging silent.
                silence.
                science.
                vibrant.
                smiling.

Copyright © Ian Be | Year Posted 2016

Details | Ian Be Poem

I Have Eaten Kings and Bishops

I have eaten kings and bishops
washed them down with blackened waves

I have knelt among the vines of passion
found them twined with crawling thorns

I have held the rain inside my feet
walking slow with tender grace

I have embraced friends and strangers
knowing them as unacknowledged kin

I have spoken to the mountains
felt their laughter in my heart

I have whistled with the songbird
shining humble as the dawn

I have swallowed timeless oceans
flowing swiftly in the flood

I have journeyed to the sunset
and found myself as everyone

Copyright © Ian Be | Year Posted 2016

12

Book: Reflection on the Important Things