After the Turkey – v2

We sat sated in the den

ready for pie; but not quite,

needing to sit a bit, to settle our

bloated tummies, because

it was after the turkey,

after the rolls, after the potatoes,

the gravy, cranberries,

the vegetables, the stuffing,

the bounty of the feast we call

Thanksgiving, when seconds

become thirds, and the eye is

bigger than the stomach,

and eating is expected,

Because cooking is love

and love is eating all of it

and we sit quietly, letting

the tryptophan do its thing

slowly easing the day

and making us ready

for dessert, and

seconds that follow

-----

edited November 27, 2014

After the Turkey – v2

Thanksgiving Day

November 23, 2006 18:27

After the Turkey

http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2006/11/after-turkey.html

All of my poems are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014. All rights reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss for usage. See all 33,930+ of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

A Beat in Concord – v6

I was sitting there in the traffic, waiting for the light

the heat and humidity building in her van,

one window open to the moist air after the flooding

Only there for a moment, in shadows, but enough to remember

caught by that sight, his movements, with a purpose

under the highway, waiting for the light

I saw a character, a caricature, a man out of time

a frozen specter, a cartoon character,

on the sidewalk, under the underpass, half in shadow

He was a Beat, a throwback, caught in time

not a Ginsberg, no he wouldn’t Howl,

a modern day Kerouac, or someone who aspired to be

It was his affect, his walk, his gait, his hair, his clothes

a slouched walk, bath sandals that had been worn outside too long

hunched shoulders, time spent in dimly lit libraries,

Before glowing computer screens, shaded lamps

an oversized blazer from the thrift store, elbows patched

over a frock prom shirt, frilled and with cranberry edging

I could sense the latte on his breath

smell of clove cigarettes in the wool of the coat

too warm for the day around him, swelter

A mop of coarse black hair

that hadn’t seen a brush in days

sunken eyes, and a certainty, a knowing

He’d written lines far darker than these

in journey, in notebooks, dog-eared from use

words that would confuse and provoke

Unfairness of the mundane, inertia

the bleakness of his bourgeois existence

unaware of his place, his role in the intelligentsia

A yawn at the coffee house, or maybe a demigod

hard to say across the street, as I was

driving by his path for those few seconds

Before my light went green and I went on down the road

away from the college-aged, but no-longer-in-college Beat

walking, on the street in Concord

Edited October 19, 2013

“A Beat in Concord – v6”

Edited July 2, 2013

“A Beat in Concord – v5”

http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2013/07/a-beat-in-concord-v5.html

based on original version

further edits June 30, 2012

http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2012/06/beat-in-concord-v4.html

(turning the poem to the present tense)

further edits June 30, 2012

http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2012/06/beat-in-concord-v3.html

further edited June 6, 2012 (with edited by Elisha and Marshall Burns)

http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2012/06/beat-in-concord-v2-2.html

edited June 6, 2012

http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2012/06/beat-in-concord-v2.html

written May 18, 2006 5:59pm

http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2006/05/beat-in-concord.html

written about someone I saw under the Exit 14 underpass, Concord, NH

All of my poems are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013. All rights reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss for usage. See all 26,080+ of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

A Beat in Concord – v5

I was sitting there in the traffic, waiting for the light

the heat and humidity building in the van,

one window open to the moist air after the flooding

only there for a moment, in shadows,

under the highway, waiting for the light

I saw a character, a caricature, a man out of time

on the sidewalk, under the underpass, half in shadow

He was a beat, a throwback, caught in time

not a Ginsberg, no he wouldn’t Howl,

a modern day Kerouac, or someone who aspired to be

It was his walk, his gait, his hair, his clothes

a slouched walk, bath sandals that had been worn outside too long

hunched shoulders, time spent in dim lit libraries,

before glowing computer screens, shaded lamps

an oversized blazer from the thrift store, elbows patched

over a frock prom shirt, frilled and with cranberry edging

I could sense the latte on his breath

smell of clove cigarettes in the wool of the coat

too warm for the day around him, swelter

a mop of coarse black hair

that hadn’t seen a brush in days

sunken eyes, and a certainty, a knowing

he’d written lines far darker than these

words that would confuse and provoke

unfairness of the mundane, inertia

the bleakness of his bourgeois existence

unaware of his place, his role in the intelligentsia

A yawn at the coffee house, or maybe a demigod

hard to say across the street, as I was

driving by his path for those few seconds

before my light went green and I went on down the road

away from the college-aged, but no-longer-in-college beat

on the street in Concord

Edited July 2, 2013

“A Beat in Concord – v5”

based on original version

further edits June 30, 2012

http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2012/06/beat-in-concord-v4.html

(turning the poem to the present tense)

further edits June 30, 2012

http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2012/06/beat-in-concord-v3.html

further edited June 6, 2012 (with edited by Elisha and Marshall Burns)

http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2012/06/beat-in-concord-v2-2.html

edited June 6, 2012

http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2012/06/beat-in-concord-v2.html

written May 18, 2006 5:59pm

http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2006/05/beat-in-concord.html

written about someone I saw under the Exit 14 underpass, Concord, NH

All of my poems are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013. All rights reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss for usage. See all 26,040+ of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

A Beat in Concord – v4

Sitting in traffic, waiting for the light
heat and humidity building in the van,
one window open to moist air after flooding
only there for a moment, in shadows
under the highway, waiting for light

A character, a caricature,
a man out of time on the sidewalk,
below the underpass, half in shadow
A beat, a throwback, caught in time
not a Ginsberg, no he wouldn’t Howl,
a modern day Kerouac, or one who aspired to be

Drawn to him, his gait, a slouched walk, tousled hair
his clothes, how he carried himself
bath sandals worn outside too long
oversized thrift store blazer, elbows patched
over a frock prom shirt, frilled, cranberry edging
hunched shoulders, time spent in dimly lit libraries,
before glowing computer screens, shaded lamps

A sense of the latte on his breath
languid scent of clove cigarettes in the wool of his coat
too warm for the day around him, sweltering
a mop of coarse black hair
that hadn’t seen a brush in days
sunken eyes, and a certainty, a deep knowing
oh, he’d written lines far darker than these
words that would confuse and provoke
unfairness of the mundane, inertia
bleakness of his bourgeois existence
unaware of his place, his role in the intelligentsia

A yawn at the coffee house, or maybe a demigod
reading urgent, sharp lines he might have written
(or so it certainly seemed, looking at him)
hard to say from across the street, fleetingly
driving by his path, for these few brief seconds
before my light turns green and I go down the road
away from the college-aged, but no-longer-in-college beat
on this humid Concord street

====

edited April 16, 2015

A Beat in Concord – v7

http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2015/04/a-beat-in-concord-v7.html

(editing version 4)

Edited October 19, 2013

“A Beat in Concord – v6”

http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2013/10/a-beat-in-concord-v6.html

Edited July 2, 2013

“A Beat in Concord – v5”

http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2013/07/a-beat-in-concord-v5.html

based on original version

further edits June 30, 2012

A Beat in Concord – v4

http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2012/06/beat-in-concord-v4.html

(turning the poem to the present tense)

further edits June 30, 2012

A Beat in Concord – v3

http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2012/06/beat-in-concord-v3.html

further edited June 6, 2012 (with edited by Elisha and Marshall Burns)

A Beat in Concord – v2 - 2

http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2012/06/beat-in-concord-v2-2.html

edited June 6, 2012

A Beat in Concord – v2

http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2012/06/beat-in-concord-v2.html

written May 18, 2006 5:59pm

A Beat in Concord

http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2006/05/beat-in-concord.html

written about someone I saw under the Exit 14 underpass, Concord, NH

All of my poems, photographs, and videos are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017. All rights are reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss (raymondafoss@gmail.com) for usage. See all 42,950 of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

air, breath, coffee, colors, Concord NH, cranberry, driving, eyes, house, light, love, path, Poetry Where You Live, Raymond A. Foss, sandals, senses, smells, walking, memories, depression, college,

#breath #coffee #colors #ConcordNH #driving #eyes #light #path #poetry #senses #smells #walking #memories #depression

A Beat in Concord – v3

I was sitting in traffic, waiting for the light
heat and humidity building in the van,
one window open to moist air after flooding
only there for a moment, in shadows
under the highway, waiting for light

I saw a character, a caricature,
a man out of time on the sidewalk,
below the underpass, half in shadow
He was a beat, a throwback, caught in time
not a Ginsberg, no he wouldn’t Howl,
a modern day Kerouac, or one who aspired to be

It was his gait, a slouched walk, tousled hair
his clothes, how he carried himself
bath sandals worn outside too long
oversized thrift store blazer, elbows patched
over a frock prom shirt, frilled, cranberry edging
hunched shoulders, time spent in dimly lit libraries,
before glowing computer screens, shaded lamps

I could sense the latte on his breath
languid scent of clove cigarettes in the wool of his coat
too warm for the day around him, sweltering
a mop of coarse black hair
hadn’t seen a brush in days
sunken eyes, and a certainty, a deep knowing
he’d written lines far darker than these
words that would confuse and provoke
unfairness of the mundane, inertia
bleakness of his bourgeois existence
unaware of his place, his role in the intelligentsia

A yawn at the coffee house, or maybe a demigod
reading the urgent lines he might have written
(or so it certainly seemed, looking at him)
hard to say from across the street, as I was, fleeting
driving by his path, for those few brief seconds
before my light went green and I went down the road
away from the college-aged, but no-longer-in-college beat
there, on that Concord street

====

edited April 16, 2015

A Beat in Concord – v7

http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2015/04/a-beat-in-concord-v7.html

(editing version 4)

Edited October 19, 2013

“A Beat in Concord – v6”

http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2013/10/a-beat-in-concord-v6.html

Edited July 2, 2013

“A Beat in Concord – v5”

http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2013/07/a-beat-in-concord-v5.html

based on original version

further edits June 30, 2012

A Beat in Concord – v4

http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2012/06/beat-in-concord-v4.html

(turning the poem to the present tense)

further edits June 30, 2012

A Beat in Concord – v3

http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2012/06/beat-in-concord-v3.html

further edited June 6, 2012 (with edited by Elisha and Marshall Burns)

A Beat in Concord – v2 - 2

http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2012/06/beat-in-concord-v2-2.html

edited June 6, 2012

A Beat in Concord – v2

http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2012/06/beat-in-concord-v2.html

written May 18, 2006 5:59pm

A Beat in Concord

http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2006/05/beat-in-concord.html

written about someone I saw under the Exit 14 underpass, Concord, NH

All of my poems, photographs, and videos are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017. All rights are reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss (raymondafoss@gmail.com) for usage. See all 42,950 of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

air, breath, coffee, colors, Concord NH, cranberry, driving, eyes, house, light, love, path, Poetry Where You Live, Raymond A. Foss, sandals, senses, smells, walking, memories, depression, college,

#breath #coffee #colors #ConcordNH #driving #eyes #light #path #poetry #senses #smells #walking #memories #depression