Why I Like Fall

The air grown dry,
smelling of Sherwood
and of the wood
to grandma's
full of wolves

shy trees blooming
bright redgold and tender
so many lovestruck girls

apples
crisp
like laughter
and as sweet

oyster

Should i so liquid naked be--

An oyster on the halfshell
stone skin ripped off
no sturdy meat
a raw, translucent gleam --

So quivering defenseless
to be sipped and dissolved upon your tongue?

Footsore Blues

Got a long long road to travel
before I reach my home

I got a long long road ahead of me
before I reach my home

Heart broken on my shoulder
is heavy like a stone.



My feet they get so weary
The walking is so slow

My feet get so damn heavy
and I got so far to go

It's a long long road ahead of me
before I reach my home.



Devil waiting at the corner
he says lay your burden down

Oh that devil at the corner
says lay your burden down

Says come and sleep my honey
lay your head upon the ground



You're footsore and heartbroken
you still got far to go

You're footsore and heartbroken
and you got so far to go

Devil says, Sleep my darling
you will not reach your home.



It's a long long road ahead of me
before I reach my home

A long long road to travel
before I reach my home

Heart broken on my shoulder
heavy like a stone.

Oh it's a long long road ahead of me,
a long long way to go.

blues II

So to get you started, here are some blues poems that more or less follow traditional blues music structure (sort of a call-and-response rhythm ... Read 'em out loud; imagine a rhythm guitar and harmonica playing behind you).

"Po' Boy Blues" - Langston Hughes
"Madam and her Madam" - Langston Hughes
"Hard-time Blues" - William Waring Cuney

And then there are the poems that are blues all the way through but sound a little different:

"Walking, Blues" - Jane Mead
"Immigrant Blues" - Li Young-Lee
"Inside the Blues Whale" - Afaa Michael Weaver
"The Blues Don't Change" - Al Young
"Eternity Blues" - Hayden Carruth

"Sugar" and "Blue" are both blues poems by ME you can find here - look under the label "blues."