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Vagabond in passing

Submitted by Simon Smythe on Sun, 2014-11-16 00:55

a slovenly man down the road
looked like he could use an abode
his beard was rank
on the sidewalk he stank
but his smile was what really showed

Editing stage: 
Editing - rough draft

Comments

Esker

Tue, 2014-11-18 20:27

Esker's picture

dug this one greatly!
I remember Stinking Jesus..and the Tan Man
the Slinky Sniffer on her corner at the church

patrons of madness like a Goya painting and sketch

and sometimes its our naked smiles that we
love to see most...
chesire moments
when we fall down the rabbit whole

Thank U!

Simon Smythe

Wed, 2014-11-19 13:59

Simon Smythe's picture

you got it good Esker, the individual destruction
and sadness so few are concerned with.
the broken souls we're encouraged to fear
the social program that got us there
walk on down the hall

author comment

wesley snow

Wed, 2014-11-19 17:39

wesley snow's picture
Volunteer badge

Not this time.
My comments are in order of importance:
A belated welcome to NeoPoet. Forgive me for not finding you and dragging you over those coals you mentioned. I will try to rectify that and see if I can offer some constructive critiques.
I wish you would have posted this to Weirdelf's Limerick Workshop. He has had stellar involvement and produced some of the best limericks I've ever read.
Glad I found you at last.

W. H. Snow

A poet is a nightingale, who sits in darkness and sings to cheer its own solitude with sweet sounds. Percy Bysshe Shelley

Learn how, teach others.
The NeoPoet Mentor Program
http://www.neopoet.com/mentor/about

Ian.T

Wed, 2014-11-19 18:28

Ian.T's picture
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You should enter this one for Weirdelf's Limerick WS, if you latch onto the workshops space on the stream you will see on the dropdown a list of the Workshops to enter, he is offering one of his unwashed "T" shirts to the winner or winer that is the best lol,
Good write,
Yours Ian.T

.
There are a million reasons to believe in yourself,
So find more reasons to believe in others..

Simon Smythe

Thu, 2014-11-20 04:54

Simon Smythe's picture

but where a list might drop down there was none
no matter . . . the fun has been in the doing

thank you for saying anyway

author comment

weirdelf

Sun, 2016-12-25 00:11

weirdelf's picture
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This would have made a fine entry.

Any suggestions for a workshop you would like to see?

cheers,
Jess
A new workshop on the most important element of poetry-
'Rhythm and Meter in Poetry'
https://www.neopoet.com/workshop/rhythm-and-meter-poetry

Esker

Wed, 2014-11-19 18:56

Esker's picture

and he came to a door...and he went inside
He poured himself a Frappucino flavoured Keurig..

a bag of donuts and riffling through the smoke shop
trash found an almost full pack of Cohibas..small
ladies cigars...Those were the days..
taking shifts waking from the screams of those
with night terrors under a tree where we were in
the shadows from the far street..

didnt live it long..long enough to know..
and the foodbank volunteers whom were angels
as long as one didnt mind walking the many miles
across the hood beats

Social fears.....they are there..
but now anyone can pick your pocket
and run off with your purse..not just
the conditioned visual mythology and
archetypes...
My money..all one hundred twenty blew
down a winter street once..or fall was it..
and an addict picked it up before it got
far..handed it all back
On in North Bay he said.
and his partners caught up
the look on their eyes
as they followed the money
but followed their leader
I could not spare any of it
my own demons had to be
paid.......But there are good
moments shinning
the "Hit" is not just the "Hit"
somedays...

still a great poem

Thank You!

Ian.T

Wed, 2014-11-19 19:03

Ian.T's picture
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Some great men come in many guises, it is for us to find.
It is not the appearance or smell, it is the spirit that inside does dwell.
The one that gave you your money back, he will live with you always, as he always lives.
He was there to give you teaching and he didn't fail.
Take care young Wolf we have many people to meet still, Yours Ian.T

.
There are a million reasons to believe in yourself,
So find more reasons to believe in others..

Simon Smythe

Thu, 2014-11-20 04:13

Simon Smythe's picture

the more I pursue
obscure ideas of happiness
the less I remember to
breathe.
when there are no guarantees
it makes the real hits
that much sweeter.

I do like the cut of your gib

author comment

Esker

Wed, 2014-11-19 19:09

Esker's picture

I was ready to lunge after him and run down the street
but my deparate eyes must have told him I needed
it as much....and the locality of others would have not
paid it heed but stay out of it because they were of the
higher order....I was of mid order and he was or course
on the existance order....perhaps even he had a better
instruct of values but for whatever reason there he was
asking for his reward which was my thanks and appreciation
that I valued his gift of help and charity in not skinning me
a twenty as he could have and I would have let him
but not.....He gave the full back...

and as you say my lesson ...because I did count it when they
turned a corner hunting what they needed to keep them
going in their world...and the glass window where the wealthy
were working out and the dude in the car..the expensive
suv..watched me look upward and slump against the hydro
pole and shakily have a cigarette..
I was rushing about clomping down the street
and then there I was...helpless
literal at the winds of fate...

and the Hero blew in...

we cannot let judgments cloud ourselves
at times of need....
for true the soul and spirit can arrive
but so too the decievers so its hard..

but in that case I had no case
the lesson learned

Or maybe he just thought I was
bigger...no thats not it..
he was faster....
it was the eye contact
we both knew hustle
and moves

Thank You Ian for keeping the
story true!

Simon Smythe

Thu, 2014-11-20 04:46

Simon Smythe's picture

though the shifty desperate fiends perceived
are not untrue
there are always more facets.
if this bloke was anything like I was
the Idea of being seen
as a low down thief just like the world always suspected
(however factual the possibility might be in more shaded circumstances)
is as abhorrent as flushing
good shit down the loo.

what mana from heaven
for a child of the damned to
to stumble on the opportunity
to play the honourable card

that's the kind of high
that makes getting high feel good

author comment

Esker

Thu, 2014-11-20 11:10

Esker's picture

and we are not different
I chase my demons with my ghosts
sluiced swallowed...
women booze...pills..
turn off the madness
which creates its own

burn the life at ends
and leap when it hits
the middle but wear
..
ending up back
somewhere again..
what we have
what some do

not everyone

honesty..
last night I left my key in my bike
at the library
an older model mountian bike
that everyone knows is mine
my spot..my bike
my lock my key
and when I came out half
an hour later it was still
there..late in the evening
mind you so maybe no
one notices.but maybe
someone did....
there are good moments..

Everyone checks my money
and grabs their purses
checks their wallets
double checks the car
locked...pull their sweaters
and shirts down and across..

like closing the hatches
my eyes are intense
im tall....look like i will
spring forth
..
an excitement for some
aha...Ere Goes a Gamer
and others react
physically
an attraction
I have seen this in
the bar...a pretty pool
shark come alive..

From the Damned
but with a brilliance
to shine in that dark
and lead others with
the light...
then lead others
to their dark

that is the resilient
and sharp edged
thing
a tool
an implement
as crude
for all its finite
detail

You have shed much
light this morning
for me...

Thank You!
Your Friend Mr Esker!

Simon Smythe

Thu, 2014-11-20 14:37

Simon Smythe's picture

I bet he Knew
you didn't withhold
that reward lightly
and subsequently
remembers accepting
that fact with pride.
after all
who remembers
the $20 they did get?
he had a fair heart
under there
and you fed it.

I reckon we recognise
and appreciate deeply
the freedom
of a bad deed
not exacted upon us
as it goes against
the very grain
of our experience.

some people hear
about the terrible things
we know of.
they don't hear it from us
and can't know it
like we do
thank the stars
who hears us?
those that do
become miraculous
in the cold shadow
of a sharp
and shapely world.
I reckon that
glow of interest
could gracefully pass me by
had I not earlier
been drowned
in the full capability
of Man's obligatory
individualist progressive stains.
the invented
puerile and twisted
need to occupy success
against all other comers'
as is drummed in
from the early days.
you can do anything!
fuck anyone else
you can do anything!
you better do something
you can do anything!
but you can't do that.

from the ashes
of that experience we
derive understanding
without which
this cuppa tea
would be meaningless.

when I can't commune,
instead I consume
and I like to bite hard
on the gristle
and read auguries
in the spat out remains
to divine contrived meaning
from the non conversation
of a blank stare
delivered yet again
on a trial basis.

I want to slap that face
and kiss it!
- there in lies the trouble

it's good to talk to you Esker

author comment
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