Poems

Life and Death

Note that most of the poems here are taken from my membership days as a poet at the PoetryBoard. It was a chatboard where we converse in poetry and hiakus. It was a real challenge because some of the members were really good. I've tried to put a name to the poems although there were many that I couldn't remember. Most do not have titles, as like I've said, they were our conversations and conversations do not come with titles. I've tried giving them one but still some are better without. : ) See if you can guess which ones were written by me.

Grandpa Died

He left me with his roses
and his black dirt garden with his tomatoes and lettuce
but he forgot to take our evenings in the kitchen together
and he forgot to take the smell of his jacket
and the sound of my name, the way he said it

He left me with his catfishing and his care of tools
and a set of deer antlers on the wall
but he forgot to take his glass of wine and ginger ale
and his big hands around mine.

He left a grey tackle box
a handmade knife and some homemade sinkers
but he left his hat on the rack
and his glasses by the bed
but he forgot to take his name,
forgot to take his smile.

He left his cruficix on the wall,
the statue of the Virgin on his dresser
and the braid of garlic
he loved so well.

Jeff Curtis