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Best Poems Written by John Hanson

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

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Refreshing

They aim for simplicity
to purge memories
of political uncertainty
poison relationships
with no escape hatches
the characteristic relaxed
easy-going atmosphere
blurred pages unread
self-help books
chasing primary designs
brands to be mobbed
twenty-eight percent faster

*A found poem. I Googled 'refresh', took phrases from the titles and content of about six returned news articles, lined them up, and modified as I thought necessary.

Copyright © John Hanson | Year Posted 2017



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Dreams

Without dreams we are empty hulls, 
shells of humanity, the stripping away of the body
to live our reality.

Seeing ourselves from the top side of a magnifier,
picking up the specimen, squeezing its girth,
turning it over, seeing what happens
when you throw it against a brick wall,
what it’s really worth.

Nobody wants to see who they really are,
but we can’t lock ourselves in,
cannot change the channel and watch, mindless shows.
The day we discover the remote control, for our dreams
is the day of never-ending screams.

Copyright © John Hanson | Year Posted 2017

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A New Word

A new word is a woman
you’ve just met,
beautiful and wondrous
until you try to make her fit
snugly into your sentence.

A new word is a restaurant just opened, hoping
your eyes will get used to the light,
they know how to do steak,
their horseradish is homemade,
and they too dislike pickles.

A new word is a song
breaking into the top ten.
Either the girls like it
or the boys, but seldom
both, tapping their fingers.

A new word is a surprise
party thrown by your lover, where
your friends threaten to carouse and debauch
before settling into understandings
and face-to-face interaction.

Copyright © John Hanson | Year Posted 2017

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Down To Earth Music

Good evening boys.
We’re here to play not to pray. Oh God
That’s an unsuitable predicament for a garage band. Let’s
play some down to earth music
not some praise the Lord too high for your voice whining
music. Your hands belong on necks, not on books
your fingers should press strings,
not brandish gold rings..

Copyright © John Hanson | Year Posted 2016

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Goodbye Jesus

I’ve said goodbye to Jesus
rolled him back in his tomb
strolled the nights alone
and closed the doors behind us

He was heavy baggage, nobody wins
not when their story
their power and their glory
are all contained within

I live freely and do not pray
the devil in my ear
no longer speaks of fear
but lives for the next day

Copyright © John Hanson | Year Posted 2017



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Reconnecting

Spoken words are as cryptic
as Chinese restaurant menus.
Combo fifteen please
hold the rice and cashews.

Music is music, so I thought
belting those hymns with enormous
volume, lest God be disappointed
and walk out on the performance. 

Silence, a useless treasure
when trying to reconnect.
with friends, it’s always easy
as nothing, is written in cement.

Copyright © John Hanson | Year Posted 2017

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Think Or Sink

As the days turn to nights
The lights fade to shadows
So the truth changes
For those who think
About as broadly as
Fishing line of light gauges

As rain turns to snow
And water freezes solid
So convictions firm
For those who think
The other side of the coin is as faraway as
The next presidential term

As a roar is silenced
The microphones turned off
So the communal life drifts
For those who sink
Into loneliness as silent as
The reason for their philanthropic gifts

Copyright © John Hanson | Year Posted 2017


Book: Reflection on the Important Things