'from one stream'

'From one stream' timothy r gates, 6/27/2010

From one stream
to another waterway,
i pray,
stream of consciousness
without another's conscience
copulating with flows
into another flow,
from atop cupolas –
copulas between nouns.
finding no end
genesis' cadence,
i pray,
interweave
entwine,
stop, catch our breath
breathe –
glad you know the value of a
coda.

'no more Poetry'

'No more Poetry' timothy r gates, 6/24/2010

Slapped
capped
mapped
slip a line,
rhymed refrain
in the place of
one's-story
contextualized metaphor
subtle euphemism.
Tapped
zapped
crapped
skip a rope,
woven hemp
tied to spacial
minimalist-stories
in your face
no need to micromanage.
minimize
people
logos
words
syntax
commas,
period –
no more semi-colons, or
Poetry.

'wondering, wandering'

'wondering, wandering' timothy r gates, 6/24/2010

Wondering
over these paths,
wandering
no quantum leaps
supposed black hole
or, time space continuum

Breathing
inhale, exhale
breathless
prayless prayers
Tao Te Ching
way, truth, life

Intoning
chants to hymns
entombing
quagmire's trail
expected loss
or, expected delight

Pause
no salvation needed
clauses
no reconstruction sought
into the night
into the day

'fathers, not without others'*

'fathers, not without others'* timothy r gates, 6/20/2010

many ways,
today,
i've heard, 'happy father's day.'
my heart jumps
questions
pauses
antiquated words come to mind:
guileless
romantic
fidelity
dear
sweet
faith
nurture
hope
loveliness
beautiful –
i'm reminded,
there are no fathers without
children
grandchildren
godchildren,
and yes – mothers, grandmothers, godmothers and sisters.
(now to be a little more sentimental:
there's no happy day without others).

*Also my youngest son's 13th birthday today. I adore him.

'charity, with condition' *

'charity, with condition' * timothy r gates, 6/17/2010

'i wonder if he's going
to spend my money for drugs?'
charity,
with the condition of 'you're worth it!'
prostitute, whore monger
street merchant, peddler
gambler, stock broker
pray, prey
dervish or dirge –
when will money for a sandwich
buy dope for a syringe?
Maybe you can see,
look into the reasonings of another's heart –
show me your intents, if you can see so clearly?
From a hill side,
'Blessed are the merciful....'
in the place of,
'turn the other cheek,'
in fear of being fucked.
I wonder,
'is that number on her wrist is
from prison?'
I wonder,
'do they fear that i'll
roll them?'
I wonder,
'if i was them
would they not toss me two bucks?'
Auschwitz is before my face always,
though i only see my own
holocausts on most days.
I wonder,
'in the camps,
would i share my cup?'

*For another unique perspective on 'being' and 'personhood' look at the beginning of this poeme, by Thich Nhat Hahn, http://www.quietspaces.com/poemHanh.html or http://www.earthlight.org/earthsaint26.html , or for more, http://www.mindfulnessnyc.org/index_files/poems.htm

'Beautiful Sadness'

'Beautiful Sadness' timothy r gates, 6/16/2010

he hit me first
she gave me the fruit
you gave me her
that damn hiss,
'they're your children!'

the maypole
ashes, ashes
too many fall down
wish it were only
baby doll heads severed

her dove eyes
his ebony frets
joining the not allowable,
where children
know no enemies

words are lost
epiphany's silence
still eclipsed
by Rachel's sleeping children
beautiful sadness

'Peace'

'Peace' timothy r gates, 6/15/2010

Peace,
carry those signs
throw those fists up into the air.
Buy all the
peace stuff.
Commerce.
war stuff
anti-war stuff,
then go home
play net war games.
(should be a peace net game,
still would be about killing,
only adding the peaceful to the till.)
Peace,
presidents and kings
promise it.
Fascists don't.
“We shall overcome some day,”
not able to wear out this
refrain.
Peace commerce,
raise funds
lobby warmongers in D.C.
employ more to
hold the signs,
throw the fists into the air,
then banquet with them all,
giving awards for effort.
When will the lamb
cuddle the lion?
I want to, still, believe
some day.

'what about deep, dark Africa?'

'what about deep, dark Africa?' * Timothy r gates, 6/13/210

Mother would say,
'Better be glad to eat this,
you could be like those in China...'
Preachers would say,
'You have the bible (or whatever),
you could be like those in Africa,'
better, they'd say,
'those in deep, dark Africa'
as a boy, it was easily heard:
chink for Chinese
jap for Japanese
nigger for former African slaves in America
wop for Italians
spic for Hispanics
mick for Irish
kike for Jews,
and still can be heard when bargaining,
'don't Jew me down!'
towel heads for Arabs
indians for those here when the Mayflower arrived.
I wonder, if now, somewhere,
children are cautioned,
'Better be glad to eat this,
you could be like those in America?'

*It might be protested that these words were used then, and now is now. Fine, but only
other pejoratives have been found to better euphemistically say what one
lacks the courage, morally or immorally, to say. The pretense of the 1950's colorblind north,
today, as been replaced by the ever present awareness of economic prejudice of the north
and the south. One could call this a 'United States of America!'

'why write poetry'

'why write poetry' timothy r gates, 6/13/2010

why calculus for engineers
physics for physical or occupational therapists
snap-on tools for auto-mechanics
computers for osha techs
policy manuals for health care providers
legislation for legislators,
who happen to litigate the same
who, what, why for philosophers
photosynthesis for all
beauty for beholders,
ugliness for unseeing
pigments for painters
scales for musicians
muse for lyricists
sentence construction for writers
prisms for insight
galaxies for speculations
hues for lovers,
morose for haters
why kiss
why hug
why sex
why friends
why enemies?
– enthusiasm cares not, so,
why write poetry?



'If there is to be any peace it will come through being not having.' + Henry Miller 'Wars are poor chisels for carving out peaceful tomorrows.' + Martin Luther King Jr. 'The search for Truth is the search for God.' + Gandhi

'Need my Petro-le-um'

'Need my Petro-le-um' timothy r gates, 6/07/2010

Another species
weathered by our species
Need my MTV! – antiquarian.
Petroleum by the billions
EPA legislation,
just enough to be insufficient
Blame the President
Blame the companies
most certainly, who's ultimately blamed?
The People!
More taxes will be assessed
More jobs will be lost
More people will wonder
Just as long as we get what we want,
those in D.C.
those at heads of companies
those who want stock dividends
those who want another corporate absorption
those who want yet another toy.
The want for wants,
not considered antiquarian
by our species:
Need my Petro-le-um!

'Selah סֶלָה'

'Selah סֶלָה' timothy r gates, 6/07/2010, inspired by Jane's Museletter

Cantors pause
choirs hesitate
an intoned refrain
eternity's breath
knows no genesis
adolescence waits for direction
modernity pretends to know better
psalmist smiles,
rests in the moment's silence –
pregnant joy,
Selah סֶלָה.

'she sleeps' & 'gender jumping'

6/15/2010, timothy r gates

Asleep
sleep walking
talking
balking
she turns, and smiles,
reminding me of her sleep –
only alone if you're not sleeping too.


Gender jumping
told to not wear pastels,
certainly no pink
(still love pink, and shades of gray)
black on white
white on black
pages give way
to pages giving to pages
Real men, we were told:
'Play football, basketball and baseball
only wear jewelry where required
(mythical mobsters permitted an exemption)
don't play with dolls
don't cry
don't allow others to see them do any of the above.'
Only thought,
other than an expletive,
and with a grin:
'Real men read.'

'Freedom of choice'

'Freedom of choice' timothy r gates, 6/02/2010

Freedom of choice
freedom of choices
telling others what is honest
what is volition
'turn your head and cough,'
in the place of the silver moon
rape, incest –
abdication of choice
no birth control –
presumption, arrogant
a-gender adolescent side-step.
'it's their job!' fixes nothing
'it's my job!' knows that it's never only about the sex.
Only the free are able to
freely choose
there's way too many crucifixes,
way too many claiming to be nailed upon them –
then, there's no whisper,
learning to not identify with the hiss,
just a loud,
'Heh! Let's go get a pizza!'