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Best Poems From
LAURENCE OVERMIRE
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289.
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Killer Groceries
Mommy and Daddy take the little children
Almost dutifully
To the big-chain super-market
Packed and stacked with fantastic poisons of every kind
Chemicals, additives, waxes, fillers
Potent adversaries to bodily function
Carcinogenic criminals lurking in fine print
Too difficult to see
A glut of fat and cholesterol-laden
Goodies with bad intentions
Sweet-sappy-saccharine liars to
Tempt, cajole, and seduce
The unsuspecting, ill-informed
Prey
Tutored persistently
With unrelenting glee by a money-grubbing color box
That squats boldly in the living room, the den
The kitchen, garage and even in
The nursery
Drilling its insistent silly-sweet jingles, ditties and nonsense rhymes into
Dulled brains too tired to think
Or question the motives of a friendly smiling face
Who looks an awful lot like someone you know.
(Previously published in Courtship of Winds, Issue 1, January 2000)
Laurence Overmire
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290.
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Kitten
I see two eyes
peering out at me from the corner of the couch
and a little pink nose
nestled in the middle
of bewhiskered, white marshmallow cheeks.
Uh oh.
Whats this?
Two ears approach
(twice too large for that adorable face)
and gold and black eyes are wide
in mischievous anticipation.
Oh mortals, take heed,
such a slow methodical stalk
hath this monstrous, tigrous beastie.
See how he takes his position
on a twitching haunch
poised for the merciless kill.
Aha!
He springs
completely surprising my defenseless hand.
Little pink paw pads
are choking my index finger
but my defiant digit wrestles to the death!
Oh fearsome proposition
what horrible teeth you have grandma
those mighty molars strike terror to my heart
pray dont gum me to dea-Aaaaaaagggghhhhh! ! !
(Damn cat.)
(Previously published in The Short North Gazette, Nov.1998)
Laurence Overmire
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291.
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Lady In The Window
High up there
About halfway up the building
You can see her in the window
She sits there for hours
Searching the faces, the people in the street below
Wondering
Does anybody care?
Moving with purpose in their oblivious way
Making their appointments happily on time
Clocking the minutes of a prosperous day
Does anybody care?
In her sad eyes
She knows the secret
The terrible truth we hide in our lies
We are
All of us
Alone.
Does anybody care?
(Previously published in Ascent Magazine, Winter 2000)
Laurence Overmire
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292.
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Ladybug (haiku)
Ladybug linger
Good fortune bring the wand'rer
A flow'r blooms for you
Laurence Overmire
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