The storm had red wings
bigger than Colorado.
It grabbed one poet.
Character training's
good for kids. Lying's OK
only at the top.
We disdain the Cuban poet
not because he saw the world's signs
peeling, because we see them
peeling too, nor because he dressed up
and prayed for us. Really we hate him
because in a culture of hypocrisy,
stupidity, and social stratification
he stayed alive and wrote.
Jim says, "I write training manuals for a living and have been writing poetry for a while. I've had poems published in several small mags (Pig Iron, Tryst, Comstock Review, Kaleidoscope Review, Zillah, Red Owl, Lake Effect, Lilliput Review). I love poetry of many different styles, political and non-political and in-between, and from many different eras and cultures. I suppose my favorite poets at this point are Thomas McGrath, Sharon Olds, Tomas Transtromer, Adelia Prado, and William Stafford."