My poems “French for Bread” and “The Way of All Poets” are live at Eclectica Magazine. Thank you, Christine Potter, for taking these two.
Poems Up at Eclectica
19
Tag Archives: humor
Poem Up at Amsterdam Review
My poem, “Awake, I Listen to My Bones Argue” is live at the Amsterdam Review. Many thanks to editors Daniel and Priscilla for taking this sonnet, which was written before my cancer diagnosis.
Ode to Bacon (with recording)
Ode to Bacon
How you lend
yourself
to others,
enhancing even
the sweetest fig
in your embrace
over coals,
or consider
your rendered
self, how it
deepens flavor
with piggish
essence, coating
or absorbed,
blended or
sopped. O belly
of delight, o wonder
of tongues,
how could I not
love you
and your infinite
charms, even
when you resist
my efforts and
shoot sizzling bits
of yourself
onto my naked
hands? I pay
this toll
gladly,
today and
next year
and all those
days to follow,
till the last piece
is swallowed
and our sun
goes dark.
Hyperbole
becomes you,
smoked beauty,
salted love,
and I shall never
put you down
or leave you
behind
on a plate
to be discarded
or forgotten,
unloved.
“Ode to Bacon” first appeared here in July 2017, thanks to T.S. Wright’s challenge. Chemotherapy has wrecked (temporarily, I hope) my sense of taste. The other day I fried a few pieces of bacon because I wanted a bacon and egg sandwich. The egg was fine, but alas, the bacon was off. Still, I love the thought of munching on a crisp piece…
Your Armpits Smell Like Heaven
Your Armpits Smell Like Heaven
But your breath could melt a glacier at three
miles, she says, and then we might consider
the dirt under your nails, the way you slur
your sibilants, and how you seldom see
the cracked eggs in a carton, a downed tree
branch in front of you, the ripened blister
of paint in the bedroom, or your sister
lying drunk on the floor in her own pee.
Back to your armpits. Do you realize
we could bottle that aroma and make
a fortune? I inhale it and forgive
your many faults. The odor provokes sighs
and tingles, blushes I could never fake.
Ain’t love grand? Elevate those arms. Let’s live!
I thought it was time to post something for fun, a poem that might elicit a few chuckles. Note that this is in the Petrarchan sonnet form (or should I say Pitrarchan). Thanks Plain Jane!
Never in my wildest dreams did I envision writing a poem about armpits. But the August 2015 Tupelo Press 30-30 challenge/fund raiser, and Plain Jane, the title sponsor, provided that opportunity. This first appeared here in April 2016, and was subsequently published in Algebra of Owls. Many thanks to editor Paul Vaughan for taking it.
Poem Up at One Art
My poem “In Praise of Gravity” has been published at https://oneartpoetry.com/2024/07/20/in-praise-of-gravity-by-robert-okaji/. Thank you, Mark Danowsky, for accepting this poem.
Poem Live at The Candid Review
My poem “Can’t I’m Booked” is live at https://thecandidreview.org/cant-im-booked/. I am grateful to the editors for taking this piece, and to Joanna Drake for providing the title way back in 2016. It took a while to find a home for this poem…
Poem Up at Panoply
My poem “Upon discovering that my cat moves through multiple worlds leaving a trail of tumbled objects in significant patterns” is live at Panoply. Of particular note in this issue is an in-titled poem by Stephanie L. Harper (in-titled poems are composed exclusively of the letters appearing in the title) which happens also to be a Petrarchan sonnet. The level of masochism required to produce such a poem is, well, high, to say the least. But then she married me, so… Many thanks to editors Andrea, Clara, and Jeff for taking this poem, and to Sun Hesper Jansen for providing the title during a fundraiser several years ago.
Link for Zoom Reading on February 10, 2024
I will be the featured reader at the ZOOM SALOON hosted by Anna Marie Sewell on February 10, at 1 PM MDT (3 PM Eastern). I’m excited about this. Last year, on February 10 (!!!), I lost my voice. For months I could barely speak. But it’s back now!
Here’s the link:
Join Zoom Meeting
Zoom Reading on February 10, 2024
I will be the featured reader at the ZOOM SALOON hosted by Anna Marie Sewell on February 10, at 1 PM MDT (3 PM Eastern). I’m excited about this. Last year, on February 10 (!!!), I lost my voice. For months I could barely speak. But it’s back now!
No need to RSVP. I’ll post the link later in the week (or email me, and I’ll get it to you). I’ve been following Anna Marie Sewell for many years, and I love and admire her work and dedication to the arts. If you’re not familiar with her writing, you must visit Prairiepomes.
Poem Published at Poem Alone
My poem “I’ll Have the Body Sandwich, and Hold the “Me,” Please” is live at Poem Alone. I am grateful to editor Colin Dardis for taking this piece, and to artist Ron Throop for providing the title during a fundraiser for Brick Street Poetry a couple of years ago.
O at the Edges 