Tag Archives: Barlette

TIRADE (More Crap Made in China)

May 29, 2013

TIRADE (More Crap Made in China)

New egg timer, like my mom’s
Worked well two times; third time bombs
(more crap made in China)

Coffee pots are always new
‘cause last year’s just went ker-phloo
(more crap made in China)

Got our broken toilet fixed
One week later, handle sticks
(more crap made in China)

Used to be American-made
Goods that lasted, made the grade
(no more crap from China)

Give our people back their jobs
Screw the greedy corporate slobs
(no more crap from China)

I mean, really. Is it too much to ask, things that work? Why haven’t we gone to Congress, to the White House lawn, and thrown ALL our crap over the fence in protest? Why aren’t we speaking out about OUR OLD JOBS vs. retraining for “new industry”? This is not the fault of the Chinese PEOPLE – it’s the American multinationals, providing “deep discounts” that people snap up without giving a thought to the enslaved children and underpaid workers who toil for pennies, while the manufacturer makes millions. Think of Bangladesh, too.

We have enough kids graduating to fill the “new industry” jobs… let’s put folks back to work, doing what they already know how to do.

This is my own form, the barlette, which has two or three lines followed by (a comment in parentheses). For ABC Wednesday, which is on the letter “T” for trash… trade… trust???!! Also at my poetic pond, Imaginary Garden With Real Toads, and my hangout for all things pencil: Poets United. Peace, Amy

Posted by Sharp Little Pencil in Activism, Humor, News, Social Justice Tags: ABC Weds., Bad Business, Barlette, CAFTA, Chinese Crap, Manufacturing, Poets United, Real Toads, Tirade

20 Comments

Mama Needs a Brand New Bag (a barlette)

March 15, 2013

Mama Needs a Brand-New Bag (a barlette*)

Reached deep in paisley purse
Pulled out six feet of handsome man
(Must’ve been Mary Poppins’ old bag)

Cleaned him up, schooled him on manners
Hoped he’d make good decisions
(Naïve, but her heart was in the right place)

Purse hung on door knob
They coupled and created new life
(It’s easy – leave The Pill on the shelf)

From the depths of her own inner purse
Emerged the most precious gift
(She’s still giving)

Man tired of being lugged around
Purse too heavy for both dad and baby
(Women have lots of baggage)

Baby grew too big for bag’s confines
Dad grew too big to carry
(Was he used to being the only child?)

Now purse is set aside in favor of
concentrating on contents, now a 5’9” woman
(How she once fit in that purse, I dunno)

* The barlette is my own form: Three-line stanzas; the final line is in parentheses and usually comments on the first two lines. Subject matter, rhyme or free verse, syllable count… none of that matters at all! It’s my nonconformist form. (“Barlette” is taken from my middle name, “Barlow.”)

For Imaginary Garden With Real Toads, where dedicated, prolific poet Mary Kling is taking a leave of absence after months and months of wonderful prompts. The new doyen of Mixed Bag Friday, the incomparable Kerry O’Connor, asked us to identify two items in our real, imagined, or psychic purses. Her use of an actual bag/purse put a fun twist on what is normally a free-for-all. Mary, thank you for your efforts; Kerry, welcome to the fray!

Also at my poetic luxuries shop, Poets United. Peace and beaded bags, Amy

Posted by Sharp Little Pencil in POETRY Tags: Babies, Barlette, Kerry O'Connor, Marriage, Mary Kling, Poets United, Priorities, Purses, Real Toads, responsibility

26 Comments

HIATUS… but first, a little chi-chi!

January 3, 2012

Friends, please don’t abandon me as I take a few weeks off to sort out our move to another home in Madison. This one will have a proper workroom, space for breathing, and sunshine pouring through our windows. I shall post “two for the road”; one sad, one about the work of the poet… for dverse, Sunday Scribblings, Poetic Bloomings, and Poets United.

If you comment on these, please be patient for a response, as I probably won’t be back until late January. And, as always, if you leave a comment, I will visit your blog in return! Blessings and peace for the New Year, Amy

At a Loss

At a loss, plum outta new thoughts
except those that drift:
first letters, then stop-start words
weave down the path to form
phrases (stitches awkwardly
frayed, signs of wear)

When I’m at a standstill…

I think on my friends
the quirks and catch-phrases
the confidences that
make the circle ever stronger

How we shoveled the shit back in the day
I smile, pick up my pencil
and suddenly, the absentee-brainer
becomes a no-sweater

Beginning to end
the heartbeat of the blend

A Brave One, 1985 (a barlette)

She’s a brave one
Bopping down the street
(after spending all night in the ER)

Smiles for strangers
and a hello for every telephone pole
(hitching down her skirt to cover bruises)

Nowhere special to go
Sunny, warm, a day to be spent in the park
(but not THAT park, never again)

Destination, the pier, downtown
near the Fulton Fish Market
(covers the smell of him that wouldn’t shower away)

Good thing she wore flip-flops
Sneakers would be too tight now
(his boots crushed her toes to bloody)

The doctor said come back
for a post-traumatic thing, at the hospital
(where strangers looked at her like she was garbage)

No, much better to take a dip
Water will heal her wounds
(Suddenly glad she never learned to swim)

Just a few minutes floating
in the gleaming sludge of the East River
(and his brutality will be gone forever)

© 2012 Amy Barlow Liberatore/Sharp Little Pencil
(Process notes: The barlette is my own form – two short lines with (a commentary revealing truth).

Posted by Sharp Little Pencil in POETRY Tags: Barlette, Beginnings, Drowning, Endings, Friends, Sexual Abuse, The Work of the Poet

57 Comments

Tag Archives: Barlette

Mama Needs a Brand New Bag (a barlette)

HIATUS… but first, a little chi-chi!

Wage Peace. Sow Love. Never run out of words.

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