This Poem was Submitted By: Thomas Edward Wright On Date: 2004-04-11 00:06:12 . . . Click Here To Mail this Poem to a Friend!To Listen to Music While Reading this Poem, just Click Here!
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What Old Men Struggle with at Times Like This
It is Easter Eve.
The television is filled with terror.
The one in the basement,
The old one from the eighties,
Is dead, scared to death I am certain.
It died with that slow discoloration of its face.
The little green lights along the top tell the story.
I was searching for something.
The History Channel ran a Passion narrative.
The Discovery Channel was bleeding on my rug, with
The unfettered breast of Christianity swinging in my face.
The news – Iraq. What a hell.
It is Easter Eve.
I am hiding eggs.
I have children who are believers.
I am a flower, a two-lipped red one. Or an ass.
The Jews are Passover-ing.
The Christians are Resurrecting.
The Atheists are blatantly planting chocolate bunnies in plastic grass.
I worry about them.
Especially the bunnies.
What do they believe? That they are subjugated victims?
I look around my back yard.
Several rabbits are eating the spring sprouts.
They are copulating in the hedges and under the deck.
Inside, the blood is thick on the carpet.
In St. Jewish Park I’ve heard the
Sheep are dead and lintels red.
My rabbits are carelessly reproducing.
It is Easter Eve.
I am in red plaid pajamas and slippers.
The moon is bright in the southern sky.
I have the ear of a bunny between my teeth.
And I can hear the crickets calling.
And I can hear the frogs croaking.
Easter Eve.
I love the black jelly beans best.
And for me it’s easy to see
Whose god makes the most sense.
I swallow a handful of warm sugar
And return to the slaughter.
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Copyright © April 2004 Thomas Edward Wright
Additional Notes:
Happy Easter to all, and to all a good night.
And Passover Blessings to anyone who needs them.
This Poem was Critiqued By: Joanne M Uppendahl On Date: 2004-05-05 00:04:29
Critiquer Rating During Critique: 9.97727
Tom:
Read this one a while ago - well, close to the time you submitted it. It was
kind of difficult to respond to - quite honestly, as I definitely am a believer
in Christianity - of the orthodox kind. This year was an unusual year in that
I partook of all of the Easter celebrations including some new ones, at least
for me. I am also, in my soul (please, no offense to anyone of the Jewish
faith) a Jew, and a Buddhist, as well as a past-life agnostic and devourer
of chocolate bunnies. I know it's not possible to be all these things, but
I am. When it comes to religion, I can't rule anyone's out. And you aptly
point out in this poem that the world is smashing to bits, and there's
blood on the rug by my TV too - the replacement one for the 80's that
sits like an Orwellian observer.
Here's the part in this poem I love best:
It is Easter Eve.
I am in red plaid pajamas and slippers.
The moon is bright in the southern sky.
I have the ear of a bunny between my teeth.
And I can hear the crickets calling.
And I can hear the frogs croaking.
It's a comforting thought, you and the bunny ear, and crickets calling
and frogs croaking. (I'd not take offense if I thought you were making fun
of me and my frequent elation over such things.) Anyone who can appreciate
all of the things so dear to my own heart cannot deserve anything less
than approbation. Or probation -- whichever comes first. ;)
Ever fondly,
Joanne
This Poem was Critiqued By: Wayne R. Leach On Date: 2004-04-19 11:37:06
Critiquer Rating During Critique: 9.72222
Beautifully done, my poet.
The Discovery Channel was bleeding on my rug, with - [just wonder if comma is needed]
I am a flower, a two-lipped red one. Or an ass. - [maybe a hyphen to replace the 1st period?][Good line!]
I worry about them. - [maybe a comma instead?]
Especially the bunnies.
I have the ear of a bunny between my teeth. - [Nice line, but is comma more appropriate maybe?]
And I can hear the crickets calling. - [...and here, too?]
And I can hear the frogs croaking. - [or delete the "And"s?][Also, do both lines need "And I can hear", or could they be shortened, esp. the last one? Just a suggestion/thought.]
Now, this is one powerful and beautiful transitional stanza. Excellent!
Easter Eve.
I love the black jelly beans best.
And for me it’s easy to see
Whose god makes the most sense.
Thanks for submitting this. It was a great read.
I hope your Easter was a fine one, too.
Wayne
This Poem was Critiqued By: DeniMari Z. On Date: 2004-04-15 20:30:04
Critiquer Rating During Critique: 9.66667
Dear Tom,
What a great read, very pleasant, comprehendable, giving a warm feeling of comfort to the reader; even though you touch on some disconcerting topics - the expression is laughable. Your 4th verse is hysterical -worrying about the bunnies - I laughed out loud at that line.
Your interpretation of this holiday was an open-minded observation and and in the midst of it all, you were content to just enjoy those black jelly beans, which I absolutely detest. They leave my tongue black, but I know a lot of people that love them just like you do.
I'm confident you'll get back a good response to this piece, with readers being able to easily relate to the theme.
I really enjoyed this.
Sincerely,
DeniMari
This Poem was Critiqued By: G. Donald Cribbs On Date: 2004-04-13 22:09:40
Critiquer Rating During Critique: 9.84615
Thomas,
I get the sense you're intoxicated while musing about the holidays here. Not a bad thing, I might add, but it's rather revealing overall. I was quite amused by the whole, "what about the chocolate bunnies? They're friggin' people too!" sentiment. Quite a unique and different approach here which I enjoyed immensely. I'm guessing you're not one to go be first in line to see Gibson's movie, eh? Well, I think, all the same, you're still getting the gist of this holy day anyway, no matter what you're thinking about while rabbits get jiggy wit it in your back yard. Hey, at least you've got the free entertainment...don't think you're TV's doing much of that with all that blood.
Regards,
Don
This Poem was Critiqued By: Rachel F. Spinoza On Date: 2004-04-12 09:45:12
Critiquer Rating During Critique: 8.40000
. yes...both my televisions are filled with terror
i worry about the world also... yes, especially the bunnies
[what a hell indeed]
incredible poem tom-tom
This Poem was Critiqued By: marilyn terwilleger On Date: 2004-04-11 18:06:50
Critiquer Rating During Critique: 9.88889
Dear Funny Tom (that is a compliment..you know funny, funny, not "funny")
This poem was slipping and sliding down my list and even though I am so tired of
critiquing and my brain has begun to atrophy I must comment. First of all it is not
fair to make me laugh until I fall off my chair...I could hurt myself..you know. Your
description of surfing the T.V. in the second stanza is priceless....'the discovery channel
was bleeding on my rug with the unfettered breast of Christianity swinging in my face'..
..how funny is that??...the unfettered breast...perfect...funny I should say that as I
went to church this morning! I get a clear image of you in your red plaid pagamas and
slippers hiding eggs for children who still believe..you were probably thinking...'How
long can this go on!' The answer is until someone verifies that there is no Easter Bunny
and who is cruel enough to do that?...'The Jews are Passover-ing..the Christians are
Resurrecting...Atheists are blatanly planting chocolate bunnies in plastic grass...I worry
about them especially the bunnies' these lines are hillarious...I wonder why you became
a Physcian when you could easily be a well paid comedian?...probably a money thingy. Then
you don't give up but hit us with..rabbits eating spring sprouts..copulating in the hedges
and under the deck'...at this point I am laughing out loud...no kidding!...'sheep are
dead and lintels red....my rabbits are carelessly reproducing'..but just think of the fun
they are having...spoil sport!....'I have a bunny between my teeth and hear crickets
calling..hear frogs croaking'..all this in your red plaid jammies! Guess what? I like the
black jelly beans the best too. Well I was happy that the warm sugar gave you enough
strength or perhaps a high so you could return to the slaughter. You need to publish this
somewhere....don't ask me where as I have wondered about doing that myself but don't know
how. Anyway thanks for making my Easter full of cheer.
Peace...Marilyn
This Poem was Critiqued By: Marcia McCaslin On Date: 2004-04-11 00:42:47
Critiquer Rating During Critique: 10.00000
Tom--these "Norman Rockwell" scenes (can't help but use it again!) are your long suit. We
are inside your head the whole time, and we see you being a smart man who knows the "slaughter" to
use your word going on in the world (on every channel)--the irresponsibility of the rabbits--what a
hoot that one is! Meanwhile, you are a man with children (believers teehee) and they believe in
your hiding the eggs.
The Jews are Passover-ing.
The Christians are Resurrecting.
The Atheists are blatantly planting chocolate bunnies in plastic grass.
I worry about them.
Especially the bunnies.
At the same time, we have this unassuming assessment of the different religions--and I love what the
Atheists do--and I love that you worry about "them" and mean the bunnies! Humor is alive and well
in this piece.
I will always see you, Tom, in red plaid pajamas--sorry, but you started it, and that's just the way
my mind works--it may forget the rest, but not the red plaids. Everytime I read this it strikes me
funnier until I am laughing out loud and my husband thinks I've lost it. He looks a little 'worried'
and asks--what is it? I say--it's this poem--it is so funny and I break down laughing again. I don't
know. But there's this Royal Chaos going on, and bless your heart, you are just relishing the black
jelly beans and paying tribute to the aetheist god. (Don't forget the God of Israel--O see and taste
that the Lord is good)-I'm paraphrasing, because it's been awhile.
I can't resist copying these next two lines, because they are so good:
It died with that slow discoloration of its face.
The little green lights along the top tell the story.
I can't say enough--I shall read this again and again. (I'm waiting for a commercial to read it to my
husband--the savages are spearing the tigers right now). Marcia
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