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Best Poems From
LAURENCE OVERMIRE
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77.
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Elusive
For every *drop* of truth
there is a bucketful of fiction.
(Previously published in Spilled Ink, July 2000.)
Laurence Overmire
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78.
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Excerpts from The Really Old Testament (as translated from The Dead Sea Scrolls)
God said, “Let there be light.”
And the devil said, “Hey man, turn that thing off, I’m trying to catch some zee’s.”
God said, “Adam, give me thy rib and I shall create for thee a woman.”
And the devil said, “Hot damn! Adam, give him another rib. I want to see that again! ”
God said, “Adam, do not eat the fruit that grows on yonder tree.”
And the devil said, “If you don’t want it, I’ll take it.”
God said, “Go forth, be fruitful and multiply.”
And the devil said, “Now you’re talking.”
God said, “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife.”
And the devil said, “Okay, I’ll go to a different neighborhood.”
God said, “Thou shalt have no other Gods before me.”
And the devil said, “Does that include Elvis? ”
God said, “Noah, build me an ark. And on this ark, two of every kind shalt thou bring. Male and female shalt thou bring them.”
And the devil said, “Whoa, Noah. Do you really need those two mosquitoes? ”
God said, “If any man should slap thy cheek, offer him the other one.”
And the devil said, “I didn’t know you were into that kinky stuff.”
God said, “Thou shalt find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.”
And the devil said, “Thanks for the tip, man. Swaddling clothes! Ooh, that’s hot. Does she take Mastercard? ”
(Previously published in Brain Candy, Summer 2000, Issue 6)
Laurence Overmire
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79.
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Faust on a Cell Phone
The corporate BigBoy
Bribed me with a
Sport Utility Vehicle
Sure, I can drive around on Sundays
And impress the chicks
At the Laundromat
But for sixty, seventy hours a week
I have no will of my own
I’m just a spineless snake-oiled salesman
With a vicious appetite for
Dupes
The kind of guy even I don’t want to associate with.
But if I quit
There’s alimony and child support and—
Oh, hell
Excuse me, but I’ve got to make some more cold calls.
(Previously published in Main Street Rag Poetry Journal, Vol 5, No 1 Spring 2000)
Laurence Overmire
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80.
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Fireside Flicker
The warmth of the fire
Makes me think of home
A place I once belonged
A time when dreams were
Still hanging on the mantle
Every Christmas Eve.
We were happy then weren’t we?
Before we understood
What was happening to us
All.
How could we see
In the soft pillow and blind of youth
The future would turn against us?
Warm fires were made
For moms and dads
Brothers and sisters
Hot chocolate and marshmallows
Quilts that wrap around lovers
The orange glow reflecting and reminding
An artificial light
The crack of broken wood
Leaving a stir of ash to wait
In silence
Till morning.
(Previously published in Joey And The Black Boots, #38, June 2002)
Laurence Overmire
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