December 2016

E. Martin Pedersen
martinpedersen1255@gmail.com

I left my hometown of San Francisco, California, in 1978 for a long hitch-hiking trip around the Mediterranean, ending up in Messina, Sicily, where I still live. I teach English at the local university. My poetry has appeared in Frigg, Strong Verse, Ink Sweat & Tears and others. To relax, i play the banjo, follow baseball, take summer walks on the PCT and blog at www.emartinpedersen.com.

Camping with Charlie

​
I like to go camping with Charlie
There are maybe five or six people I can stand to go camping with
But Charlie's my favorite
He doesn't talk much during the day but he's just right around the campfire
Never whines, that good cheer I'm envious of
We toss on our packs and we're off and up
The trail is clear and we don't need much rest
We like to get away from complications
Telephone holsters, mall music and sports bars
If he knows the name of a new flower he tells me.

In rivers and lakes we go skinny-dipping
When I see Charlie naked I think 
He's just like me, handsome as hell
We meet people on the trail
I usually nod; Charlie sometimes chats in his friendly way
He sets up camp while I cook dinner, we pack up our food so the critters won't get it
After telling raunchy tales of glory, we wriggle into our mummy bags
Lie on our backs and stare at the dark tent
Then we say g'night and sleep dead tired
It's okay, we both snore.

I have done enough and am ready to go
My nieces and nephews will be left with pleasant memories
So I would gladly take Charlie's place lying there
Please let me take Charlie's place
Please.
If I can't take Charlie's place
At least let me lie next to him
Let me lie beside Charlie like we do when we go camping
Quiet in the dark, content like two cocoons
As I lie there I may feel jealous again
Because Charlie gets to be born first
And fly off in 
fields of green.

(published in Frigg, Spring 2014)


Call for Prayer


Layla, you got me on my knees
I heard your call for prayer
Don’t have a recurrence, please

My heart would grip and seize
Because it isn’t fair
Layla, you got me on my knees

Layla, you deserve this the least
You had such lovely hair
Don’t have a recurrence, please

Always healthy, fighting the beast
They say we get what we can bear
Layla, you got me on my knees

You’re an artist, someone we need
I wish your pain I could share
Don’t have a recurrence, please

Always loving, not consumed by greed
I don’t want you to go anywhere
Layla, you got me on my knees
Don’t have a recurrence, please
Layla.

©2016 E. Martin Pedersen