January 2018
Gary Glauber
gigwords@gmail.com
gigwords@gmail.com
I am a teacher and a poet. I am frustrated by politics, appalled by this rise in lying, and moved by music. I have two collections, Small Consolations (Aldrich Press) and Worth the Candle (Five Oaks Press), as well as a chapbook, Memory Meets Desire (Finishing Line Press). All of these can be found on Amazon. I also took part in the 7th annual NYC Poetry Festival this past summer on Governor's Island.
Dear Board of Descriptors
In reference to your recent cease & desist missive
regarding said terms sexy and inviting, I regretfully
offer my compliance, noting the unlikely scenario
when either of these might find their way
into any salvo of normal casual conversation.
As the years go by, and my hair turns thinner & grayer,
smiles of flirtation transform to smirks
of kindly tolerance, the kind of grandfatherly
wisdom that says a nod is the latter day equivalent
of a come hither wink, and the ego thrives yet
on the idea of an older, distinguished presence
as handsome, beguiling, rather than worrying
about some errant stain or food stuck in teeth surprises.
Aging is a process of gaining solitude & your curb
on acceptable terms helps ease that slow cruise
into eventual silence where sexy and inviting
used to live alongside moxie, panache, & razzamatazz.
Dear Invisible Oppressors
First off, thanks for keeping things so competitive.
We blame it on karma, on mercury’s retrograde,
on bad luck & errant wrong beliefs, but I know
you’re hard at work, doing your unsung tasks,
preventing & debilitating honest efforts like
clockwork, getting regular results in a
highly professional manner. What do you get
in return? Lambasting invective & anger.
Don’t they realize that sometimes
prevention is the cure? Disappointment
is a lifestyle choice, thanks to you.
It’s been a privilege to see your subtle
insinuation, your negative nuance,
your way of putting reward at a safe &
unapproachable distance. Genius.
Not all downtrodden get defeated.
We who persist must be challenged anew,
time & again. It’s not just a simple
accumulation of 10,000 hours,
as Malcolm suggests. Not when such
unseen forces are working Newton’s
equal & opposite. Know that there’s
at least one admirer, appreciating
how you keep achievement at bay.
Kudos to you; keeping up the forever
quicksand struggle, it’s been something
being stuck like this, moving in circles
that always bring us back to square one.
Conversion
He would recall conversations
in joy & anguish, knowing how
the trivial destroys hope.
Days he would feign indifference
to the prospect of encounters,
but nights he would summon
trembling romance to his dreams.
She became his secret obsession,
a focal point on which to model desire.
She only spoke his praises once,
yet he was transformed.
Small matters became monumental,
& much thought transpired to determine
precision of meanings & intentions.
Casual conversations
replayed over & over
as the most exquisite suffering,
igniting his troubled spirit,
emblazoned into memories
he was obliged to admit
had changed him forever.
Now the tension & fear
of her growing weary
challenged him to present
his best self always,
& this accidental circumstance
engendered a dreary world
full of fresh sudden interests.
Dear Board of Descriptors
In reference to your recent cease & desist missive
regarding said terms sexy and inviting, I regretfully
offer my compliance, noting the unlikely scenario
when either of these might find their way
into any salvo of normal casual conversation.
As the years go by, and my hair turns thinner & grayer,
smiles of flirtation transform to smirks
of kindly tolerance, the kind of grandfatherly
wisdom that says a nod is the latter day equivalent
of a come hither wink, and the ego thrives yet
on the idea of an older, distinguished presence
as handsome, beguiling, rather than worrying
about some errant stain or food stuck in teeth surprises.
Aging is a process of gaining solitude & your curb
on acceptable terms helps ease that slow cruise
into eventual silence where sexy and inviting
used to live alongside moxie, panache, & razzamatazz.
Dear Invisible Oppressors
First off, thanks for keeping things so competitive.
We blame it on karma, on mercury’s retrograde,
on bad luck & errant wrong beliefs, but I know
you’re hard at work, doing your unsung tasks,
preventing & debilitating honest efforts like
clockwork, getting regular results in a
highly professional manner. What do you get
in return? Lambasting invective & anger.
Don’t they realize that sometimes
prevention is the cure? Disappointment
is a lifestyle choice, thanks to you.
It’s been a privilege to see your subtle
insinuation, your negative nuance,
your way of putting reward at a safe &
unapproachable distance. Genius.
Not all downtrodden get defeated.
We who persist must be challenged anew,
time & again. It’s not just a simple
accumulation of 10,000 hours,
as Malcolm suggests. Not when such
unseen forces are working Newton’s
equal & opposite. Know that there’s
at least one admirer, appreciating
how you keep achievement at bay.
Kudos to you; keeping up the forever
quicksand struggle, it’s been something
being stuck like this, moving in circles
that always bring us back to square one.
Conversion
He would recall conversations
in joy & anguish, knowing how
the trivial destroys hope.
Days he would feign indifference
to the prospect of encounters,
but nights he would summon
trembling romance to his dreams.
She became his secret obsession,
a focal point on which to model desire.
She only spoke his praises once,
yet he was transformed.
Small matters became monumental,
& much thought transpired to determine
precision of meanings & intentions.
Casual conversations
replayed over & over
as the most exquisite suffering,
igniting his troubled spirit,
emblazoned into memories
he was obliged to admit
had changed him forever.
Now the tension & fear
of her growing weary
challenged him to present
his best self always,
& this accidental circumstance
engendered a dreary world
full of fresh sudden interests.
2018 Gary Glauber
Editor's Note: If this poem(s) moves you please consider writing to the author (email address above) to tell him or her. You might say what it is about the poem that moves you. Writing to the author is the beginning of community at Verse Virtual. It is very important. -FF