translated to ASCII on October 11, 1996

translated to ASCII on October 11, 1996
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dedicated to the art of the written word

volume 2, number 2
February 1996

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POETRY INK 2.02 / ISSN 1091-0999
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presents
volume 2, number 2
February 1996
Issue 9

>From The Editor's Desktop...
----------------------------
First and foremost, An Announcement:

The next issue of POETRY INK will not appear until after April 15,
1996. No, it's not because I have to work on my taxes (been there,
done that, owed the government money for the first time in my life);
it is just that POETRY INK is making a transition of sorts.

Starting with the next issue (Issue 10 or Volume 2, Number 3, for
those of you keeping score), POETRY INK will appear on a bi-monthly
basis--that is, every other month. The reason for this is two-fold:
first, I need more time between issues so we aren't as rushed =
putting
an issue "to bed," and second, I am redesigning the look and feel of
POETRY INK (yet again). While I am still dedicated to the eDOC(tm)
format (after all , I paid the shareware fee), it has finally dawned
on me that I need to seriously re-vamp the format of POETRY INK ; a
sort of Spring Cleaning, so to speak. As a regular reader of eZines
such as "About This Particular Macintosh", "The Real MACoy" (an APTM
rip-off), and "Planet Magazine", and many others as well, I am =
envious
of the clarity of format in their design. Of course, the above
mentioned eZines all use the DocMaker format, and hence have some
multi-media features that eDOC(tm) doesn't.

However, despite the differences in presentation engines, I find =
that
Poetry Ink is, quite frankly, lacking something in the looks
department. So I am going to pump some zest into this baby and
hopefully bring it up to par. And that goes for our submission
guidelines as well (yes, they are rather dense at this point and =
they
do delve into a lot of legal mumbo-jumbo that is relevant but =
probably
doesn't need to appear in each issue).
Also in this issue are the Winners and Honorable Mentions of the
POETRY INK Writing Contest: An Exercise in Writing. Although we had
over 300 entries from around the world (even one written in
Sanskrit!), it will probably be no surprise to our regular readers
that John Freemyer took First Place. John is a regular contributor =
to
POETRY INK (he's had poems appear in almost every issue to date) and
his poem _Papa's Photo Chronology_ was far and away the best entry.
Michaele Benedict took Second Place with her poem
_On A Modest Table..._ and W. Luther Jett rounded out the top three
(Third Place for you mathematicians out there) with his piece
_O, Salvador!_ Prize packages containing Award Certificates and
semi-valuable prizes were mailed out the final week of January.
Congratulations to the winners, and for the record, the prizes were:

* 1st Place: an acrylic note pad holder (with note pad ) and a few
GreenBacks (funny-money)

* 2nd Place: a small container of sandalwood-scented bath oil and a
month-at-a-glance calendar

* 3rd Place: a mouse pad from a leading telephone long-distance
provider and a sheet of Apple Computer logo stickers

And I am doing this whole contest thing again: look for the rules =
for
the second **POETRY INK Writing Contest: Formulaic Expression** =
later
on in this issue.

Finally, and most importantly, our eMail address will be changing =
with
the debut of the next issue. With our home base -- eWorld(tm) -- =
being
dissolved /changed/erased from existence before the end of the year,
it is time for POETRY INK to either sink or swim. So, we will either
pop up on America Online(tm) or jump to a local Internet provider,
which means we will need volunteers to upload each issue to the
commercial online services [America Online(tm) & eWorld(tm) don't
charge you for the time you are connected while uploading files]. We
will receive eMail at the <[email protected]> address until we =
decide
which service to go with; we will eMail all our contributors and
subscribers to keep you abreast of the situation, and also upload
appropriate notification to the places where POETRY INK can usually =
be
found.

So keep reading, keep writing, keep sending in submissions, Spill =
the
Ink, and May the Muse be Kind!

Matthew W. Schmeer, editor
<[email protected]>

POETRY INK
----------
**Editor**
Matthew W. Schmeer

**e-mail**
<[email protected]>

**snail mail**
Matthew W. Schmeer
POETRY INK PRODUCTIONS
6711-A Mitchell Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63139-3647 U.S.A.

Official OneNetBBS Network distribution by
Ben Judson <[email protected]>

Official America On-Line(tm) distribution by
Dick Steinbach <[email protected]>

Official WWW Web Page maintained by
Wayne Brissette <[email protected]>

Official Logo and Icons designed by
Geoffrey Hamilton <[email protected]>

POETRY INK is a regular, erratically published E-zine (electronic
magazine). Anyone interested in submitting poetry, short fiction, or
essays should see the last few pages of this document for submission
instructions. If writing via snail mail, please include a #10-sized
self-addressed stamped envelope so that we may respond to you.
Donations of food, money, software, and hardware are gracefully
accepted.

Legal Stuff
-----------
POETRY INK is copyrighted 1996 by POETRY INK PRODUCTIONS, a wholly
owned subsidiary of the imagination of Matthew W. Schmeer. POETRY =
INK
can be freely distributed, provided it is not modified in any way,
shape, or form. Specifically:

* All commercial on-line services, such as eWorld(tm), America
On-Line(tm), and CompuServe(tm), and local BBSs may distribute =
POETRY
INK at no charge.

* All non-profit user groups may distribute POETRY INK at no charge.

* All CD-ROM shareware collections and CD-ROM magazines may not
include POETRY INK without prior written consent.

* All redistribution companies such as Educorp may not distribute
POETRY INK without express written consent.

POETRY INK PRODUCTIONS retains one-time rights and the right to
reprint this issue, either printed or electronic. All other rights =
to
works appearing in POETRY INK written by authors other than Matthew =
W.
Schmeer revert to said authors upon publication.

POETRY INK is produced on an Apple Macintosh(tm) Color Classic(tm)
running System Software 7.1. POETRY INK is initially uploaded to
eWorld(tm), with further Internet distribution by our readers. We =
use
Global Village Teleport Gold(tm) II Fax/Modems. POETRY INK is =
produced
using MicroFrontier's ColorIt!(tm) 2.3.4, Novell Corp.'s
WordPerfect(tm) 3.1, and Michel & Francois Touchot's eDOC 1.1.1. We
encourage others to support these fine hardware manufacturers and
software programmers.

Belles Lettres
---------------
This is a new section where we publish eMail we receive from our
readers. Got a question or comment about writing, reading, or POETRY
INK? Then send it in! We will attempt to answer any questions sent =
in
and also provide a place for our readers to voice their opinion. So
onto the letters!

**Error Correction**

> Just to let you know, my e-mail address was incorrectly published =
in
> issue #7. My correct e-mail address is <[email protected]>, not
> <[email protected]> as was published.

Tristan Li Tom
<[email protected]>

ARGGGHHH!! I hate it when we make mistakes here at POETRY INK ! I
regret that we screwed up your eMail address, Tristan. If anybody
finds any errors in POETRY INK, please point them out--we only get
better if people read us with a critical eye.

**No More OneNet :-(**

> I can't manage the OneNet distribution anymore. The =
administrator of
> the conference I was uploading POETRY INK to notified me that the
> file was too big. The reason I could do it before is that it's =
not a
> physical restraint, but the way OneNet works is to actually send =
each
> individual file via long-distance [in most cases] call. So a file
> the size of yours causes a major expense for the BBS's. If you =
could
> compile a text-only version, I could distribute that, but I don't
> know how important the OneNet market is to you.

Ben Judson
<[email protected]>

Damn! I knew that "file bloat" would hit POETRY INK sometime soon!
With all the graphics and styled text, the average size of an
uncompressed issue of POETRY INK is around 450k in its eDOC format,
and around 200k in PDF format (Don't ask me why there is this
disparity in file size. Neither Wayne Brissette--who translates each
issue into PDF format--nor myself can explain it). Is there a need =
for
a Text-Only version of POETRY INK ? Should we abandon eDOC and stick
with PDF? What do you think? Drop us a line an let us know. We will
keep you abreast of the vote.

**POETRY INK in ZDNet Libraries**

> POETRY INK Issue 8 has been released into the Software Exchange =
and
> I'll make sure we have any missing issues placed in the Editor's
> Choice libraries. (Currently, we only have issues 1 through 5 =
there.)
> Also, please sign me up for a subscription at my America =
Online(tm)
> address. Although I'll have a subscription, please continue
> uploading your magazine to eWorld(tm) as long as possible. After
> eWorld(tm) disappears, I'll do my best to include current issues =
of
> POETRY INK in the ZD Net reviewed file libraries.

P.S.: I loved the voice instructions in Issue 8's Read Me!

George Louie
Senior Sysop, ZD Net/Mac
Library Manager, Software Exchange
<[email protected]>

We are more than happy to send POETRY INK to ZDNet's AOL libraries =
and
to have us posted on it's Netlibraries. As for the remaining issues,
look no more for I shall upload them forthwith. And as for the voice
instructions in the Read Me file: they are in every issue's Read Me
file. And yes, that is my real voice!

P.S.: Is there anyway we could get a free MacUser subscription out =
of
this <grin>?

State Of Our Web...
-------------------
**Poetry Ink...Now On the World Wide Web!**

Wayne Brissette, a technical writer for Apple Computer, has linked
POETRY INK to his Web site on one of Apple's servers in Austin, =
Texas,
USA*.

Wayne generously donates his time and resources to provide POETRY =
INK
a home on the Web. To reach the POETRY INK Web site, point your WWW
Browser to this URL:

=
<http://atlantis.austin.apple.com/people.pages/wayneb/PoetryInk.html>

The Web site contains links to download POETRY INK's back issues in
both the original Macintosh eDOC format and Adobe Acrobat(tm) PDF
format (for those of you on DOS, Windows, and Unix systems). Check =
out
the site and let us know what you think!

Also, we received two important announcements regarding our web =
site.
They follow in their entirety (except for any header or footer
information, which is not really that important).

**Yahoo Addition**
Date: Fri, Jan 19, 1996 3:04 PM CST
From: <[email protected]>

Hi,

The URL you submitted --
=
<http://atlantis.austin.apple.com/people.pages/wayneb/PoetryInk.html>
-- has been added to Yahoo!

It will appear after our next update which will probably occur =
within
the next 24 hours. You can find your listing at that time by looking
through the "What's New" listing or by doing a keyword search.

Thank you for taking the time to add your site. We rely on users =
like
yourself to make Yahoo! complete and comprehensive. In order to =
keep
Yahoo! accurate as well, please let us know of changes to your =
listing
in the future.

Thanks again,
The Yahoo Team

**Art On The Net**
Date:1/16/96 3:23
From: <[email protected]>

Greetings! Art on the Net is a non-profit, multimedia web site
dedicated to the various disciplines of art. We receive over 1500
visitors per day and are constantly looking for new artists.
Currently, we are compiling a list of literature-related links. Your
site is scheduled to appear under "Links to other Art Sites/Online
Literature References." This page is currently available at
<http://www.art.net/Links/litref.html>

First, please review your entry. If necessary, submit a description
of your site (not to exceed 3-4 lines) along with any other changes
you would like. If you prefer not to be listed, you can notify us as
well. Send email to <[email protected]> If you do not
reply, we will review your site in more detail and write a brief
summary.

Second, feel free to check out our site at <http://www.art.net/>.
Although we're currently just budding in our literary aspect, we are
working to expand in that direction. If you like what you see so =
far,
please put a link to us in your page.

Thanks!
Sincerely,
Jennifer Chien
Art on the Net Poet

POETRY INK is looking into the Art On The Net site and we will keep
our readers informed as to our findings. Spill The Ink!

*Views and information stated in POETRY INK and on its Internet Web
Page may not necessarily represent the views or products of Apple
Computer, Inc.

The Free Stuff Count...
-----------------------
**We Want Free Stuff!**

Okay, we admit it. We are making a desperate plea for free things =
from
you, our readers, who receive each issue absolutely free, no strings
attached (feel guilty yet?). But lest you think less of us, here's =
the
Free Stuff Catch:

We want Free Stuff we can either use to produce POETRY INK, review =
for
future issues, or award as prizes in our writing contests!

Here's a few examples of free things we have received from various
on-line folks. Most of these items will be used as contest prizes:

* An Extra-Large T-Shirt from MacMillian Digital Publishing

* A CD Sampler from the Windham Hill Record Label

* A Shell Oil Company "You Make The Difference " Watch

* A Schwan Stabilo Conference Marker 141

* 3-pair package of men's Hanes(r) brand socks

* A mouse pad from J.C. Penney

These are just a few of the interesting things we have received. We
are always looking for things to review--such as books, magazines, =
and
CDs--that have a literary bent. Or you can send us things we can use
to produce POETRY INK, such as new or used hard drives, keyboards, =
Mac
CPUs, and so forth that are in good working condition. While we =
regret
that your contribution is not tax deductible, we won't tell the IRS =
if
you don't.

So send us some free stuff and we'll let you know what happens from
there!

News & Views From The Literate World
------------------------------------
This is a another new section in POETRY INK where we will attempt to
bring you up-to-date on literary happenings OFF the online world. We
will also use this space to review software, CD-ROMs, books, and =
other
electronic magazines, and anything else related to the art and craft
of the Written Word. If you would like to contribute items for =
review
or inclusion in this section, please send them to one of the =
addresses
listed on the Masthead. If you would like to write reviews for =
POETRY
INK, please contact us via eMail.

**The United States Of Poetry**
The Independent Television Service (a subsidiary of the Public
Broadcasting System ) is gearing up to air a five-part series on
public television on the state of poetry in America. Entitled The
United States of Poetry , the series takes a sometimes meaningful,
sometimes meandering look at how poetry is coming to the forefront =
as
both a written craft and performed art. Featuring readings from both
the unknown and the renowned, this is a series not to be missed. =
ITVS
has also set up a web site to compliment broadcast of the series,
which can be reached at the URL:

<http://www.itvs.org/ITVS/programs/UsofP>.

The site contains links to hundred of writing-related web pages and
also a detailed list of broadcast dates and stations which will air
the show (but check with your local PBS affiliate to see if they are
going to air the series). There's also a communal poem called The
Great American Poem to which you can add your own lines if you are =
so
inspired!

**Writer's Digest Contests**
May 31, 1996 is the deadline for next year's Writer's Digest Writing
Competition. Grand prize is an expenses-paid three-day trip to New
York City to meet with editors and agents who handle work similar to
your own. New this year, contestants can enter as many manuscripts =
as
they'd like in the following categories: Personal Essay, Feature
Article, Literary Short Story, Mainstream/Genre Short Story, Rhyming
Poem, Non-Rhyming Poem, Stage Play, Television/Movie Script.

For complete rules and an official entry form, send a =
self-addressed,
stamped envelope to:

Writer's Digest 1996 Writing Competition
1507 Dana Ave.
Cincinnati, OH 45207
STORY Magazine Contest

May 1, 1996 is the deadline for next year's STORY's Naked Fiction
Competition . The top award is $1,000 cold,hard cash. For complete
rules and an official entry form, send a self-addressed, stamped
envelope to:

STORY's Naked Fiction Competition
1507 Dana Ave.
Cincinnati, OH 45207

**Coming Next Issue**
Next issue, this space will feature reviews of two excellent poetry
CD-ROMs--Voyager's "Poetry In Motion" and "Poetry In Motion II". =
While
both of these CD-ROM's have been available for a while, they've
received little fanfare. So it's time to shed some light on these
shining gems. Also, maybe I'll throw in a book review for good
measure.

POETRY INK Contest Winners
--------------------------

Following are the winners and honorable mentions from the first =
POETRY
INK Writing Contest.

First Place Winner
------------------
John Freemyer
<[email protected]>

_Papa's Photo Chronology_

1957_
It was here in the Iron Briton bank vault at lunch where beery old
Hemingway, smelling of bedroom bough, eucalyptus and cheese, read to
us from Mother Goose, Hopi mythology and the Tao Te Ching.

1958_
On this afternoon we were watching Papa thumbing
through his thesaurus, casually leaning back against the wall,
when his chair caught the breeze and he was thrown
sideways behind a two ton mountain of cash.
With his pink plastic pigskin wallet dangling from his teeth,
Hem's shirt was accidentally twisted into the stapler.
It clicked and fastened his belly flesh to the calico table cloth.
Papa just winked, like he'd meant to staple himself all along.

1959_
In this picture he'd just staggered to the table,
licked a postage stamp, and asked, "Which one of you girls
wants to be Ms. Safe-Deposit Box
at the Oktoberfest with me this year?"
Then added, "I'm short, so I'll have to mail you to Munich."
Unfortunately, no one here wanted him or cared.
It had been a long time since anyone had.

1938_
Secret mouths once sucked measles
from his chest with obsidian purity.

1960_
But, as you can see in this photo, now only literate lounge
plebes cleaved themselves to this artifact Hemingway of old,
this wasted Stars & Stripes hairdo Hemingway,
this Hemingway, damp & dumpy & radiating helplessness.

1961_
And here, as the orchestra played on,
he hid behind a stack of cash
with a shotgun in his hands and cried,
"Baby,
without passion
this volcano would just be a friggin' mountain."

Second Place Winner
-------------------
Michaele Benedict
<[email protected]>

_On The Modest Table..._

On the modest table, a volume of Hemingway
Sits at precise right angles to a thesaurus, a stapler,
A roll of postage stamps, a pigskin-covered diary.
The Tao Te Ching is open to Verse Forty-One:
The perfect square has no corners.
Great talents ripen late.
Outside the window, a calico spattering
Of bough, leaf and shadow
Separates light from obsidian dark
And casts a mottled pattern
On the frown of the small woman.
"I am my own historian," she slowly writes.
"I am the creator of my own mythology.
"I am the screen upon whose surface
"This vision is projected."
The great late-ripening secret
Seems to withdraw into the play of light
Beyond the trees' Oktoberfest.

Third Place Winner
------------------
W. Luther Jett
<[email protected]>

_O, Salvador!_

Under the gleam of your
obsidian secrets,
I am broken as
the calico thesaurus weeps
for Oktoberfests forgotten,
tossing a lost
coin for the Tao
Te Ching--his pigskin
mythology upended and I without
a postage stamp for memory.

Hemingway never needed
a stapler, preferring
to use his teeth.

Honorable Mention
-----------------
Richard Parnell
<[email protected]>

_Myths and Secrets in a Post-Logicalico Age_
by Te Tao

O, Human,
Pig's kin,
obtuse simian with Id,
the Bragosaurus:
itChing &
stamping &
Hemming & hawing your way,
ravaging our staples.
Bough down!
Its not OK to be first while we fester.

Honorable Mention
-----------------
Ben Judson
<[email protected]>

_Ideals_

Toss the pigskin, become an american dream
Lose yourself in paperwork, postage stamps, staplers
Find yourself in mythological secrets:
Hemingway (old man & the sea)
Lao-Tzu (tao te ching)
Rip out the pages of your thesaurus,
Never miss oktoberfest
Wear rings of obsidian, clothes of calico
Deck the walls w/boughs of holly
Listen to dead rock stars
And never visit home

All out of principle.

Honorable Mention
-----------------
Jeff Waters
<jeff.waters@glandis+gyr.sprint.com>

_The Voice of Mission Control_

My fingers poise over the keyboard
This desktop plateau has launched a thousand spaceships.
"Astronaut ants, proceed from postage stamp ready room to stapler =
gantry. All systems are go."
Bullfinch's Mythology microwaves the countdown to Webster's =
Unabridged.
Tao Te Ching completes a data feed to Roget's Thesaurus:
The pigskin perched on the calico photo album is really Emperor =
Ming's cruiser.

Tapping the window pane, a bough breaks my concentration.
The late afternoon sun spills melancholy all over the carpet.

"We have a hold at T minus 45 seconds."
Newborn analogies fall screaming into the obsidian depths of =
oblivion
An Oktoberfest of protagonists evaporate like vampires in sunlight
This Hemingway will give up no secrets

The Old Man is forever at Sea.

"Today's launch is scrubbed."

Honorable Mention
-----------------
Ainsley Moffitt
<[email protected]>

_An Exercise in Writing_

Typing, spinning, coloring,
in calico-print.

Blind to the ringing telephone.
Deaf to the open-faced,
waiting,
half-read Hemingway.

Christmas boughs sagging
from children's tugs.
In your worn-out, mother's room.
Now rhythmically worded
in red and green.

Pigskin thrown by
Christmas-given little boys.
Hurrying pages to the floor,
to be returned to the pile,
just after this chapter.

Authoring somewhere between
Tao Te Ching
and the Bible.
With the thesaurus in front,
the writers written word.

The stapler to your left,
on a roll-top desk.
With Grandma's antique
postage stamp holder,
obsidian paperweight.
All meaningless compared
to the depth of the growing character.

Heroes of Mythology, those authors
of our inspiration.
Humans creating humans
that never knew Oktoberfests, lawn chairs,
Super Bowls, or writer's block.

All of us enthralled in
self-created utopia.
The keys transforming
into vessels, releasing
humanity.

Secrets told in
volumes,
chapters,
pages,
paragraphs,
sentences,
words,
letters,
commas,
periods,
spaces.

Call For Entries #2...Another Contest!
--------------------------------------
**Announcing POETRY INK Writing Contest #2**

**Contest #2: Formulaic Expression**
Most of us are familiar with so-called"poetic forms;" whether we =
love
them or hate them depends on our exposure to them. Sonnets, of =
course,
have been shoved down our throats ever since we were introduced to
Shakespeare. But other forms, like the ballade, the villanelle, the
sestina and the troilet were just as popular during The Bard's day =
as
they are today. As writers, it is important for us to remember that
while free verse is the modern standard, we need to have a =
fundamental
knowledge of poetry's history. So here's the deal for the second
POETRY INK Writing Contest.

**The Pitch**
Write a formulaic poem on the subject of streetlights. That's right.
Streetlights, those things that hang over streets and light the way =
at
night. It can be a sonnet, a troilet, a sestina, whatever=80just not
free verse.

**The Hint**
If you are looking for a good reference to the different poetic =
forms,
I recommend "Rhyme's Reason: A Guide To English Verse" by John
Hollander (New Haven, MA, U.S.A.,Yale University Press: 1981). It
cover price is roughly $8.00, and it will serve you well. Mine is
tattered and torn!

**The Deadline**
The deadline for entries is April 15, 1996. All entries must be
postmarked by this date to be considered eligible for consideration.
Entries cannot be returned. We will report late entries to the IRS.

**Where to Send Your Entry**
Poems may be sent by SNAIL MAIL to the following address:

Matthew W. Schmeer
POETRY INK PRODUCTIONS
ATTN: Contest #2
6711-A Mitchell Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63139-3647

Or by eMail to <[email protected]>

If submitting by eMail, please title the subject line "YOUR NAME
Contest 2" (no quotes), where "YOUR NAME" is your actual name and =
not
your eMail address. It should look like this:

JOHN Q. PUBLIC Contest 2

**The Prize (This Is What You Really Wanted To Know, Right?)**
Prestige and the knowledge that you were the best. No, really, the
people who submit the top three entries will get some really cool =
free
stuff. Plus, they'll each receive a certificate proclaiming their
greatness (suitable for framing) so that they can impress their
friends and family. Not only that, but the top three (3) poems will =
be
published in the May 1996 issue.

So what are you waiting for? Get those entries in! Mail yours today!
Don't delay! Limited time offer!

Richard Epstein
---------------
<[email protected]>
1 poem

_Seed Comfort_

Fidgety newspapers gladly tell you who
is wrong and why; the effort is exhausting,
if you want to collate what you read with what
the Masters urged impersonally.

A schoolbus turned turtle in east New Jersey,
the Messiah expected shortly in Spokane,
the cuckoo countenance of high statesmanship,
all await innocent connoisseurs,

if your tastes run that way. If the wind is right.
If the calendar shows no real rendezvous
with destiny, the dentist, or your mother.
Then there's always your wife, who has just

announced at 6 a.m. she thinks she's pregnant.
She feels sick. Her period is late. She waits
to see if you are mad or disbelieving.
Will you go back to bed and ponder

the European umbrella of defense
or the expansion of the money supply?
Will you review the Masters' cadenced precepts
(in time of passion Wise Men take stock)?

Or will you jump before you measure? Comfort
her with seed as she has you and shuffle
the deck you are given, cut past The Thinker,
draw Reverser, feel along the flow.

Jeanne Gil
----------
<[email protected]>
1 poem

_Deli Love_

An intact heart,
trembling under glass.
Waiting for the time,
When it belongs to one,
who cherishes it.

Customers enter the deli,
the heart silently trembles.
Each eyeing up the heart,
but choosing only a piece.

Shaved, shredded,
the heart takes each assault in stride.
Waiting for the one to take it whole,
healing it's wounds.

Yet it waits in vain,
'till all that remains ,
is the hard, discarded heel.

John L. Arnold
--------------
<[email protected]>
2 poems

_An Educated Man_

I saw a car the other day,
out on the Interstate.
pulling a U-Haul,
piled high with household goods.
A lawnmower,
with no grass to cut,
A dollhouse,
with no fantasy to fulfill.
Wheeled toys,
with no place to roll.
A rug, with no place to lie.

And in the car,
the faces of children with no joy.
The car was neither old or new,
sort of in-between.
As with its occupants,
it had once been well cared for.
The couple in the front seat looked,
confused, stunned, hurt.
Trying to understand what had happened.
He was, after all,
an Educated Man,
a College Man.
Not like his father, no sir.
Started out in Accounting,
well on his way,
up the ladder.
White collar all the way.
She held a responsible job,
until the new baby came.
Planning for a bigger house,
maybe a new car,
next year.

Then the bottom fell out.
First a rumor,
talk around the water cooler.
Then came the Bad Day,
the letter said,
Re-evaluate, Downsize, Maximize Profits.
We regret.
Who the hell is we?
The Company cleaned out,
You have two weeks.
Get out!
You thought the guards were to protect you,
Now you see,
they guard the Boardroom door.

You see the Chairman laughing at you,
as he floats gently to earth,
on his golden parachute.
The little people crash and burn.

It happened fast after that,
savings went,
Unemployment ran out,
Dreams died.
The letters from creditors
started with,
We regret.
The resumes came back unopened,
there are no jobs.
The men from the Sheriff's office
had nervous eyes and carried
large caliber weapons
when they took away the little house.
And you thought they were,
on your side.
You were wrong about a lot of things,
Loyalty, integrity, honor,
the American dream,
a lot of things.

What happened?
They played by the rules.
Said no to drugs.
Voted Republican.
Church on Sunday.
Loyalty, pride, morality,
respect for law.

Now the papers say the Economy
is on the rebound,
things are looking up.
Burger King may hire next year.
Minimum wage, of course.

The Educated Man
is on the road now.
Trying to regain the Dream,
searching for Hope.
But, it will never be the same,
the trust is broken now.

Alongside the road ahead,
the Educated Man sees an
a old hippie,
ragged and tie-dyed,
grey of beard and bare of feet.
He is holding up a sign,
and as the car draws closer,
The couple can see
that the sign says,
in bold letters,

How does it feel now?
Sucker

_A California Kind Of Woman_

First image is of sunlight,
the Ocean, white beaches.
slight breeze blowing,
perfect long golden hair.
Long skirt, tank top, feet bare.
No make-up,
no jewelry.
No need.
She wears the Sun perfectly.
Heavy eyebrows, arched naturally.
Skin tanned, coffee with cream color.
White teeth on tan,
dazzling in the sun.
Her eyes mirror her soul,
no coy glances,
no words with double meaning,
no flirting for the sake of flirting,
no reason for it.
Total honesty,
right there, out front.
Her eyes look directly into your heart.
Beauty and wisdom together.
And as you see her, know her.
The word suddenly comes to you.
This woman is totally free.
Free of sexist stereotypes,
free to love.
free of the straight jacket,
of roles to be played.
Natural, easy, flowing.
And when she is with you,
it is as if you are,
the only other person on earth.
Her smile is as if sunlight,
had fallen on a dark place,
for the first time.
Lips: large, expressive, petulant.
No lies,
no cute little deceptions.
No behind the back comments.
Only truth spoken here.
This woman is of a new breed,
a product of true liberation.
Stereotyped roles for women,
are cast out in the light of reason.
New ways of thinking,
new ways of living.
Real revolution.
Strong,
the impression is that of strength.
Both Strong and Free.
Beauty, strength, intellect.
Young in attitude,
old in wisdom.
Physical and spiritual beauty,
a new kind of woman,
Barefoot Goddess.
A California Kind of Woman.

Marianne Zopp
-------------
<[email protected]>
2 poems

_The Mind's Eye_

The shell of human existence surpasses the
realm of virtual flesh and blood.

Believe in the consonant of life and
dreams shall strum a different tune.

Release yourself from this premature, imperfect world
and you shall beckon to your external beauty.

Time can injure a restless spirit awaiting to evolve.

_Crossroads_

Tempered steel and radiant impulses torments
yet comfort a child like barrier.

The nucleus splits in two.

Dreams swallowed and fantasies digested conquer all
that is temptation and all that could become reality.

The blind soldier that stands in the shadows would defend his honor =
of love.
While she navigates her visions of truth.

Matthew W. Schmeer
------------------
<[email protected]>
1 poem

_the glamour of travel_

the old man next to me
on the greyhound bus
is travelling from
stockton to st. claire.
his daughter lives in audaboun,
outside st. claire,
and she will greet
him at the bus terminal.

i am going from
culverton to mount rose,
and the hours pass like a haunting.
the turgid midwestern skies
do not break for thunder
and the trees have no leaves.
the drone of the bus engine
lulls us to sleeping,
and the headlights of cars
pass without tracing.
the driver listens to a soft radio signal
pulsing from somewhere outside of lafayette,
and his company transceiver crackles
with updates of new stops and traffic reports.
there is no rain or snow--the roads are clean
for our sweeping.

there is nothing to do but read and write letters
and play penny poker with the people sitting close to me.
the seats will now and again be empty or filled
with a new face looking to whittle away the between hours.
I too will be gone, my bags unpacked and belongings stowed
in some hotel bureau drawer,
tickets for another stop in my coat pocket.

when the old man faded to sleep, the whisper
of a greyhound blanket covered his soft-snoring frame.
I saw the paled blue tatoos on his forearms;
the mermaids no longer dance when he flexes his muscles,
and the anchors have slid from their moorings.

About The Contributors...
-------------------------
John Freemyer lives in Los Angeles, California with his wife Jane =
and
their two children, Marie and Claire. A frequent contributor to =
POETRY
INK, his poems and prose have appeared in almost every issue of this
magazine to date. We are thinking about making him an Honorary =
Editor
Emeritus, but we don't want it to go to his head.

Michaele Benedict lives in the San Francisco Bay Area and teaches at
Skyline College in San Bruno, California. She is the author of the
music method book "A Workbook for Organic Piano Playing", a volume =
of
poetry entitled "The Phoenician Sailor", and an unpublished novel,
"The Dioscuri", which resides at the Brautigan Library in =
Burlington,
Vermont. Her poems _Travois_ and _Nasturtiums_ appeared in Issue 4 =
of
POETRY INK.

W. Luther Jett hails from Washington Grove, Maryland. He is the =
author
of two electronic poetry chapbooks, "Gallery 1" and "Gallery 2", =
which
were produced using the Museum shareware electronic text package. =
You
can view more of his poems at this URL:
<http://www.silcom.com/~timber/poems.html>, which is the URL for
"AfterNoon", an Internet WebZine.

Richard Parnell resides in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He creates
textual/sculptural pieces using hand letterpress printing, pulp
casting, and wood & metal working in his studio and at the Minnesota
Center for Book Arts. A recent edition entitled "A Letter to My
Daughter from Prison", created in collaboration with poet and human
rights activist Alicia Partnoy, was exhibited and collected =
nationally
in the United States. His poem _Otherwise_ appeared in Issue 4 of
POETRY INK.

Ben Judson lives outside of San Antonio, Texas. He is the
Editor-In-Chief of Eat Worms Publishing, which is devoted to
publishing works by teenage authors. Until recently, he was also
POETRY INK's official OneNet BBS distributor.

Jeff Waters lives in Arlington Heights, Illinois. He had made his
living as a welder, submarine reactor operator, and technical =
writer,
but never as a poet. He has written feature articles for local
newspapers and arts & entertainment magazines, and his poetry has
appeared in "Proof Rock" and "Midwest Poetry Review". He was the
Featured Writer in POETRY INK Issue 5.

Ainsley Moffitt calls Wrightwood, California home. Ainsley will =
attend
San Francisco State University in the fall, where he plans to major =
in
Journalism and other creative arts. He writes for three local 'zines
and his poems _Eye brows_ and _Love Poem_ appeared in POETRY INK =
Issue
8.

Richard Epstein hails from Denver, Colorado. A frequent contributor =
to
POETRY INK, one of his poems was recently nominated for The Forward
Prize in Great Britain (it didn't win). He also has a collection of
poems, "The Missouri Shores and Other Poems", looking for a =
publisher.
If any of POETRY INK's readers are also editors or publishers who
would like to link their names to immortality, Richard asks that you
contact him.

Jeanne Gil lives in Robbinsville, New Jersey. She works with special
needs children in the public schools as an Occupational Therapist.
Being fairly new to writing, any and all comments would be greatly
appreciated. This is her third appearance in POETRY INK.

John L. Arnold lives in San Francisco, California and works as a =
Tour
Guide for the Great Pacific Tour Company. His poems and prose have
appeared in Issue 7 and Issue 8 of POETRY INK.

Marianne Zopp resides in Shrewsbury, Pennsylvania. She currently is
employed with Chesapeake Advertising in Baltimore, Maryland. Her
hobbies include fine art, art history, and graphic art. This is her
second appearance in POETRY INK.

Matthew W. Schmeer is the editor of POETRY INK. His hobbies include
annoying his cat, drinking coffee, and snuggling with his wife.

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---------------------
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