i took
a step
as if
to change
the world
but was
arrested by
the reflection
in the mirror
calling for
me to
go first
Tag Archive: brett fish poetry
i dial
your number
hoping
this time
will be different
but that
elevator music
is playing
once more
i have been well inspired by my new friend Original Dante who has an exceptional gift at writing Micropoetry to try put together some of my own.
i have no idea how he manages to fit SO MUCH into so few words which has clearly always been a problem of mine and so maybe tackling some Micropoetry will help me in general to write more using less.
So here goes – these are the Micropoems i have published this year – i hope you will enjoy them:
closed – people who have to tell you how open-minded they are often aren’t
coffee – the truth behind the addiction
good intentions – does my desire to help you outweigh my present comfort?
hypocoffeecracy – one of my wrestles at the moment
idiots – this one inspired by my wife, tbV
in competence [an ode to Telkom phone assistance operators]
racist – the words we use betray us
robbed – my best friend lost the battle to cancer this year
stop the noise! – If you have nothing good to say online…
the alchemist – watching a man turn my trash into gold
their pain – when someone else is going through grief and you have no words
triple threat [three poems to different audiences in the wake of #IfIDieInPoliceCustody and Sandy Bland death]
as the sun goes down
casting ominous shadows beneath an ever-pinkening sky
so the battle lines are drawn
and the protagonists determinedly take their places
facing off with brutal expressions of intent
the people passionate about all things cat
are huddled together, talking strategy
ready to throw absolutely everything they have
at the mass of bodies and faces across from them
collectively known as those with a deep care for the environment
who compile and distribute petitions at will
and boycott companies who dare not be green enough
those who care so deeply about the children being sold into slavery
prepare for combat by sharpening the axes they brought to grind
every now and then pausing for a moment
to peer over the tops of their spectacles at their opposition
the-artists-with-a-tendency-of-posting-graphic-pictures-of-horribly-slaughtered-poached-animals
on your social media wall
nestled safely in between baby photos and engagement announcements
at some point someone fires a gun…
or perhaps it was a whistle?
i’m thinking some form of signal was possibly given
to launch the different groups screaming like rabid dogs at one another
and begin tearing each other apart
[the people who care about dogs suffering from the effects of rabies are at the judges table
loudly arguing about the insensitivity of using such a descriptive phrase]
turns out the ‘tearing’ was metaphorical
or virtual or something
but tearing was done
or at the very least, insinuated
as one group with a cause
sized up another group “with a cause”
[“but not as important as our cause” each whispered in hushed tones]
[only amongst themselves of course]
the fall out
that inevitably ensued
was that “your worthy cause isn’t as worthy as my worthy cause
your guilt is too hip
and you clearly don’t speak for everyone, so your perspective is meaningless”
in the midst of all the uproar,
the accusations and the posturings,
the video clips and the event sharings
not to mention time out for the trolling of the comments sections [a group event]
the clouds gathered
the sky opened
the rain came down
and washed them all away
[or at the very least sent them scurrying back to the safety of their computer keyboards]
and a lone child was left standing
making the most of some unsupervised time in the mud and puddles that had formed
when suddenly a moment of significance passed
in which an idea seemed to swoop in from far up high in the sky
and lodge itself deep into the brain part of this innocent
who paused for a whole long sixty second minute
as she sought to take it in
looked up
and exclaimed, as if the most natural exclamation in the world,
“What if, I was able to view your cause as different to mine, but of equal value and importance?”
it was as if a mighty thunderbolt had struck at that precise moment
causing an immediate wave of
lightbulb after lightbulb blinking into existence
as each and every individual in the crowd
marvelled at this ingenious yet ever-so-simple piece of wisdom
or at least, it would have
had any of them remained.
but alas, there was no-one else to be seen.
as the activists and fanatics,
the poster wavers and the bearers of truth,
all those who championed a cause
at the exclusion of all others
were safely locked away
in the comfort of their lonely rooms
readying their next missive,
this one which would be the one
that would finally get them to realise why they need to climb on board…
my friend Michael Toy gave me a copy of his poetry book with some classic gems in it: Blame it on the Huehuetenango
The Twitterer Poem: Lying on my bed with a phone and this happened
Cause Wars – what happens when all the people with causes they support don’t play nice?
Gratitude – a poem written from a space of desert but in a vineyard
The space between death and resurrection [part of Lent observance]
Gazing toward a new year – technically written in 2013 but people only got to read it in 2014 as it was written in a worship space as the New Year was approaching
March of the Ants – because the world doesn’t have nearly enough pomes about ants fighting each other yet
Done 40 – reflections on an incredible party night
Who Reigns? – a poem written in the moment of being trapped outdoors in the rain with no house key
Sound of a Brain Exploding – sometimes in intense work meetings you have to scribe poetry just to prevent this from actually happening
Keep it to yourself – on the things we allow others to say to us and the things we allow ourselves to say to them aka accountability
Irresistibly Fish 