New Year's Eve traffic

New Year’s Eve traffic —
the sign says
“seek alternate route”

last day of the year

last day of the year —
a dog pees
on what’s left of a snowman

13th Floor Elevator

taking the elevator
to the thirteenth floor —
a faint scent of jasmine

thought dropping

My Employer is one of many organizations that raised an eyebrow or two by designating its year-end celebration as a “Holiday Party” instead of a “Christmas Party”. Speaking for myself, I’m delighted to see the implied inclusion of Hannukah, Kwanza and various Solstice celebrations in the late-December holiday sweepstakes. Others, however, don’t share my enthusiasm.

I ask them—and like-minded individuals—to chose between the two following greetings:

Happy Holidays!

Have a Miserable Fucking Christmas!

smouldering

smouldering —
the lipstick on her cigarette
drop-dead red

day after Christmas

day after Christmas —
a metal basket filled
with rejected toys

Christmas rain

Christmas rain —
an unopened gift
under the tree

Christmas morning

Christmas morning —
how soon can we play
in the fresh snow?

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve —
Santa breaks
for a cigarette

snowmelt

snowmelt —
a last-minute list
of gift ideas

first day of winter

first day of winter —
I explain to my mother
that “wicked” means “good”

solstice

solstice —
my teenaged son
turns twenty

5 Weird Habits about Myself

Frankie didn’t tag me explicitly, but how could I resist? Finding 5 weird habits is like shooting five very large fish in a very small barrel.

Every morning at 5:52 I wake up to the sound of “Wake Up Boo” by the Boo Radleys blaring on my CD player alarm. I hit the snooze button exactly once, and then get up to begin my day in earnest at 7:00.

Once I’m up, I’m so pleasant, cheerful and affectionate that I often want to strangle myself.

I have been wearing the same $15 Timex watch since 1986.

I try to write at least one haiku each morning on the way into work. I almost never write on the way home.

I never leave the house without kissing my wife and telling her that I love her. Pretty twisted, eh?

gibbous moon

gibbous moon —
the dog’s eyes
widen

home for the holidays

home for the holidays —
my son’s duffle bag filled
with dirty laundry

freezing rain

freezing rain —
I microwave my coffee
a second time

full moon

full moon —
the little boy thinks
I’m walking a wolf

by popular demand

the photo. I’m the one in the shades.

extra special bitter goes global!

our “gig” on Saturday morning just made it into the Boston Globe! The paper edition even features a photo taken by Mrs. Bitter.

december snowmelt

december snowmelt —
my daughter moves
back in with us

single-digit temperatures

single-digit temperatures —
a distant car alarm

walking the dog

walking the dog
on a cold winter night
I remember all my sins

winter sunrise

winter sunrise —
the shuffle
of the conductor’s feet

black ice

black ice —
a nightmare
minutes before the alarm

winter moon

winter moon —
a hawk’s nest
in the old oak

Shameless Self-Promotion

For those of you in the Boston area who wish for a brief respite from Christmas shopping, there’s this instead...

What do Japanese poetry, Delta Blues, and Jack Kerouac have in common?

They’ll all be part of the program in the December performances of the
Metro West Renku Association, a trio of poets featuring Brett Peruzzi of
Saxonville, Raffael DeGruttola of Natick, and Paul David Mena of Wayland.
And you’ll have TWO chances to catch this show, one on a weekday evening
and the other on a Saturday morning.

The Metro West Renku Association started out in 1999 writing traditional
Japanese renku, a linked verse form that foreshadowed haiku, and written
by groups of poets in Japan for hundreds of years. Over the years the group
has adapted renku to American sensibilities by creating a companion form
that came to be called “bluenotes”, based on the 12-bar blues tempo and
taking its subject matter from various aspects of the blues. In time,
other ancient Japanese rules about subject matter were also set aside,
resulting in a series based on the life and writings of Jack Kerouac.

These performances will not be your High School English teachers’ idea
of a poetry reading. In addition to reading our poems, there will be a
simultaneous slide show of original photography by Mary Melodee Mena.
The blues-related poems will be accompanied by blues recordings in the
background, and will feature the live blues harmonica of Brett Peruzzi
in between verses.

Both are preceded by an open mike, so you can get on stage to read
something yourself if you’re so inclined, or you can just listen to
other talented writers.

Here are the particulars on where we’ll be and when:

****Saturday, December 17, 10:30 a.m.****

Cafe' Espresso
108 Mechanic St.
Route 140
Bellingham, MA

Poetry in a coffee house! Great cappucino; finger snapping and berets are
optional.

Check out the web site for directions and other information:

http://www.cafe-espresso.org/special-events.htm


****Wednesday, December 21, 7:30 p.m.****

Amazing Things Arts Center
55 Nicholas Road
Framingham, MA

Check out the web site for directions and other information:

http://www.amazingthings.org/

ice dam

ice dam —
a Christmas card from someone
I don’t know

after the storm

after the storm —
the warmth
of a half-empty beer bottle

waiting room

waiting room —
the crossword puzzle
all filled in

cold snap

cold snap —
steam rises
from a manhole cover

Christmas shopping

Christmas shopping —
a giant snowflake
above the sausage vendor

holiday spirit(s)

who says I lack
the holiday spirit?
I open a Christmas ale

snow in the forecast

snow in the forecast —
a racoon crosses
a busy highway

deepening snow

deepening snow —
my mother struggles to remember
the names of my children

winter dog walk

winter dog walk —
wondering what she sees
behind the shadows

conversations with X

“Who are you?”
“I am x in an indeterminate equation.”
“I’m familiar with that reference from Dostoevsky. Are you saying that you’re the Devil then?”
“I don’t believe in the Devil.”
“You don’t? Who do you think motivates you to do the things you do?”
“Who says I need motivation?”
“Someone or something must inspire you.”
“Nothing inspires me.”
“Really. Somehow you consider yourself original and unique.”
“I am not God’s special snowflake.”
“No, but you are exasperating. Can’t you see that I’m trying to help you?”
“By asking stupid questions?”
“Were you acting alone, or did someone put you up to this?”
“We are all acting alone.”
“Existentialist double-talk!”
“The Equation sanctions double-talk in that all conclusions are valid.”
“The Equation is just a literary device, a figure of speech.”
“As you wish.”

away on business

away on business —
I sleep
on her side of the bed

away on business —
my daughter’s toy hair dryer
in my garment bag