A Counter in Van Nuys on Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve alone in the Valley. I spent it at a Norms cafe, writing poerty, my escape from the solitude of the holidays.....

A Counter in Van Nuys on Christmas Eve

 

 

I am a galactic warrior

Screaming Coptic Christian tunes

From the alleys of Istanbul

 

I am the immortal traveler

Chanting short prose on top

Of oak table in Scotland

 

I am the hesitant peacemaker

Yelling rally cries

From the skies above

Addis Abba, hoping the hopeless

Get the message

 

I am the shotgun kid

Giving warning shots

At the border of Arizona

Saying Ellis Island is closed

 

I ride in a modern wagon train

I hang glide with the skins of the opulent

I no longer see the world as round

It’s flat like the ancients said

Man can only see his own side

 

Even in moments of happiness

And those moments are fleeting

You whisper softly

In my naked ears

Self-loathing and hate

I want to laugh on the outside

I am terrorized on the inside

I want to scream

Yet I laugh

I giggle like a fool.

 

The world moved in slow motion

My eyes barely open

I can’t feel my face

Again I hear whispers of shortcomings

I laugh

Yet I kiss you again.

 

I am a gypsy

Aimless traveler chasing a vision

That stays planted in my head

Since the days of my youth

On the swing set

In that yard

At that house

In that state

That state of mind

Where fantasy wrestles reality to a stand still

And throws us on our fragile spines

 

I fight for my freedom

Seems like destiny has another idea

 

I stroll in parks

Recline in coffee shops

And avoid dive bars

As I continue on my-California dream

 

 

Author's Note

Comment welcome...

Reviews

[Aidz]

Quite enjoyed this :)

[.]

I loved the opening..the first four stanza's where electric..I kinda understand why you went where you did.but would have liked to see the first part as it's own poem..at the moment it feels like two stuck together..the second half is just as strong but not in the context it stands in..

[MS. BABy]

I love poems of self declaration....and i just loved the ending...whom we are inside of ourselves as we are who we are, regular average people...avoiding dive bars...awesome write Hammer.....

[Max]

I like this. A lot. Fantastic imagery and a great flow.

The ending, though, is a bit abrupt and kind of ruins it for me. It just seems out of place in this poem, and kind of like being woken up after a wonderful dream, which might be the point, but I think there might be a way of executing it better. Just a suggestion :P

[Chris]

"barley"? and the last line has a cut paste format error.

I liked where the work began and its initial flow.

Chris

[patricia]

This poem is right up my street, it has all the things I love the most in it...coptic, ancient, travelling...loved the oak table the theme is superb. Brilliant! Thanks.

[Everson Taveras]

"It’s flat like the ancients said
Man can only see his own side" Powerful, powerful line full of wisdom!
And, "Where fantasy wrestles reality to a stand still
And throws us on our fragile spines" That is truly poetic. Your imagery in this poem is breath-taking. Great write.