| Cracker Jack Box Poem I don’t wear my pocket watch anymore it reminds me of my age, 73, soon more, outdated gadget, time hanging where moving parts below don’t belong nor work anymore. I don’t like to think about endings. Age is a Cracker Jack box with no face, modern speed dial, no toy inside, when it stops, no salute, just pops. Lesson: “What young men want to do all night takes older men all night to do.” South Chicago Night Night is drifters, sugar rats, street walkers, pickpockets, pimps,insects, Lake Michigan perch, neon signs blinking half the bulbs burned out. Young Couple-@ Heart Attack Greasy Grill I was a little boy, tad hillbilly son, patterned then in present tense, hardly old enough tall enough to work nor notice if I had pubic hair -large or small endowment growing up self-conscious about short comings narrow chest. Just a teen aged nighttime boy looking 4 a part-time hook up-little girl play, with a five-card stud. Preacher daddy raised me, back-seat Christian boy low on faith high on doobie rolled cigarettes. I took my 1st job, pancake flipper@ Heart Attack–Greasy Grill, 24-7pocket coins 4 tips, a few greasy dollars, pancake short stack, secret menu was that boss’s daughter, blood on hands,my bun busted now stale, stained, & baked. Eliminate lines unessential: waitress injected me some spice old time recipe. Unknown Poet from Rue Montpelier I warned you darts with advice strong words tripping over emotions like an imbecile- so you think you’re Leonard Cohen loving some naked Nancy in a cluttered matchbox apartment overlooking European culture simulated, above some obscure narrow Montreal street? For your information, straight poetics from insanities Almanac, Leonard Cohen died years ago in a twisted pickle poem he entitled “Narcissism.” Do you and your welfare lover desire to be the 2nd generation, deceased, unnoticed, unheard of, unwarranted for failure artists inside this thin, onion-skinned wall dingy with your dreams? I warned you darts with advice,tapering off with your impotence. Michael Lee Johnson lived 10 years in Canada during the Vietnam era and is a dual citizen of the United States and Canada. Today he is a poet, freelance writer, amateur photographer, and small business owner in Itasca, Illinois. Mr. Johnson published in more than 1092 new publications, his poems have appeared in 39 countries, he edits, publishes 10 poetry sites. Michael Lee Johnson, has been nominated for 2 Pushcart Prize awards poetry 2015/1 Best of the Net 2016/2 Best of the Net 2017, 2 Best of the Net 2018. 194 poetry videos are now on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/user/poetrymanusa/videos. Editor-in-chief poetry anthology, Moonlight Dreamers of Yellow Haze: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1530456762; editor-in-chief poetry anthology, Dandelion in a Vase of Roses available here https://www.amazon.com/dp/1545352089. Editor-in-chief Warriors with Wings: the Best in Contemporary Poetry, http://www.amazon.com/dp/1722130717. |