TheAcademyofAmericanPoetsPrize10Poems
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Transcript of TheAcademyofAmericanPoetsPrize10Poems
Poems of Proud Hunger by
Mary Archer
722 University Avenue APT B Honolulu, HI 96826 (808) 7564675
[email protected] UH ID # 22525631
Page 1 of 5
GEARED I mean to gear My pain one racket And ring the bell of the next level I mean to mark My cheeks with coal And crack the neck Of a gray fowl I mean to piece My armor entire All beside my aim Steer clear CROWDED The children are dying Each time I feed them They choke on my sweat and blood As much upon smoke and dust I drain each day and night My joy and life In the crowd of crowing words.
Page 2 of 5
SIGHT I’ve aged Who knows how much These forty days I tried To burn my eyes Repenting to the sun I mistook Vultures for angels In the heaven of my delirium I’ve grown so much Thinner now, starved of tangible food I’ve aged So much These countless days And will die to myself, soon. MY TENT Surround My tent With yellow tape Caution beyond this point A wrecker of streets A disturber of peace Here lies the reason You should go to school Tread softly past my hell Keep your smiles They make your eyes hurt more Don’t ask me for my charity I cannot answer Your pain
Page 3 of 5
NO ONE COME NEAR No one Come near Just leave me To enjoy My quaint Hour of silence Just go Before I ask you Stay DOMES Away From my grasp Stretches Limitless sky My fist would Fasten its blue To my ceiling And fit the incredible To a bound If only my dome knew Above it were a sky Of untouchable blue
Page 4 of 5
CRUNCH Demons Talk in my ear And whisper “You should crawl out through the back door” But instead I eat them I crunch their soulless shells Like hollow easter bunnies Until Their feet furnish mine And I walk wherever I please JUST TRY Don’t fling a paperclip at me You nasty knucklehead I have more cojones Than you’ll ever need To stuff your mouth with Just try roughing up on me When I’ve shot two Macchiatos up my bloodstream I’ve got PTSD From a jammedup stapler And I’m red for the jugular Just make my day I’m tired of ties and belts And I’ll make a trial of you Like I do Windows 8
Page 5 of 5
CARRY ON I’ve detailed the things to do after I’ve gone You must sing out of tune on your walks You must smile, sometimes at least, a weak uncertain grin You must write two hours one email You must check your hair three times You must pour just enough soy milk in your cereal
To save some for the others You must fling each shirt by your bed You must forget to wash your hands sometimes You must read books until all you do is move eyes And you must wish tomorrow rains
To see the bluer sky I MAKE NEW I end fear I take wind When fire is eating vessel I crack whip Into broken halves I smother tunes Of despair with lips of warm affection I burden heavy Shoulders strong to carry bags their weight in gold I wreck marriages Of greed and envy, pride and scorn I make new Young lost and weary souls I downtrod all doubt Into wine of fullest flavor I decay precious fruit Into dark and loamy soil If you forget my name Look only To the light that walks with you