Submissions by oskar
POEMS AND SHORT STORIES
cleanliness and whores
Cleanliness and Whores
The ship was old once it had been a big ship now it was small
it had been overtaking by time, its shower system had sea water
which was nice enough to cool off when it was hot.
After having a shower, you needed a bucket of fresh water to rinse
the salt away if not you would scratch all night have irritated skin
For month we did not have a proper wash when our ship docked in
Bremerhaven for repairs and we got fresh water found I had
an extra pair of socks I didn’t know about
it was wonderful having a hot shower I...
The ship was old once it had been a big ship now it was small
it had been overtaking by time, its shower system had sea water
which was nice enough to cool off when it was hot.
After having a shower, you needed a bucket of fresh water to rinse
the salt away if not you would scratch all night have irritated skin
For month we did not have a proper wash when our ship docked in
Bremerhaven for repairs and we got fresh water found I had
an extra pair of socks I didn’t know about
it was wonderful having a hot shower I...
605 reads
4 Comments
winter poem
Winter poem
This is a cold day overcast there is snow in the air
dogs are curled up in barns too chilly to howl at strangers
and unusual scents or noise, stillness hangs
as a shabby grey carpet of cobwebs on a stage abandoned
whispers of humanity are dust on floor boards
shuttered windows, roads unused we shuffle indoor
from room to room draped in blankets caught in the grip
of winter the time when the old dies.
There is hope on elevated sites that catch the sun
the almond tree blossom the bride of spring tells us it
will...
This is a cold day overcast there is snow in the air
dogs are curled up in barns too chilly to howl at strangers
and unusual scents or noise, stillness hangs
as a shabby grey carpet of cobwebs on a stage abandoned
whispers of humanity are dust on floor boards
shuttered windows, roads unused we shuffle indoor
from room to room draped in blankets caught in the grip
of winter the time when the old dies.
There is hope on elevated sites that catch the sun
the almond tree blossom the bride of spring tells us it
will...
644 reads
2 Comments
the kismet
The kismet
From sea to ocean
Has been you denied
No giant breaker be
But settle
For the second best
A ripple on
A summer lake
From sea to ocean
Has been you denied
No giant breaker be
But settle
For the second best
A ripple on
A summer lake
659 reads
2 Comments
summer island
The summer Island
On the island in the fjord where we use to go bathing
there is now a bridge over, a parking lot and you have to pay.
There are toilets- no peeing behind a bush- and kiosk selling
soft drinks and cigarettes, asphalted lanes to walk on and
signs, plenty of them, telling you what you cannot do
Last time I was here with my aunt and her lover the island
had bunkers and rusty iron bits from a long bitterly cold war.
A marina had been built and had a restaurant but you needed
to be a member and wear a blazer with golden buttons...
On the island in the fjord where we use to go bathing
there is now a bridge over, a parking lot and you have to pay.
There are toilets- no peeing behind a bush- and kiosk selling
soft drinks and cigarettes, asphalted lanes to walk on and
signs, plenty of them, telling you what you cannot do
Last time I was here with my aunt and her lover the island
had bunkers and rusty iron bits from a long bitterly cold war.
A marina had been built and had a restaurant but you needed
to be a member and wear a blazer with golden buttons...
623 reads
1 Comment
ringing phone
Ringing phone
It is a perfectly quiet winter day I listen to distant noise
dogs bark -can`t avoid that in Algarve- smoke from chimneys
goes straight up before disbursing and disappearing.
A few clouds drifts about like wedding dresses of the unmarried
the sun is a golden coin captain Hook would kill for.
I smell grilled sardines, the opening and closing of doors and
a cat sits on a wall watching me.
I sternly tell myself to go for a walk before it gets afternoon and
cold again, but I blithely ignore the voice I feel so wonderfully ...
It is a perfectly quiet winter day I listen to distant noise
dogs bark -can`t avoid that in Algarve- smoke from chimneys
goes straight up before disbursing and disappearing.
A few clouds drifts about like wedding dresses of the unmarried
the sun is a golden coin captain Hook would kill for.
I smell grilled sardines, the opening and closing of doors and
a cat sits on a wall watching me.
I sternly tell myself to go for a walk before it gets afternoon and
cold again, but I blithely ignore the voice I feel so wonderfully ...
423 reads
1 Comment
stavanger communist party
Stavanger Communist Party
The local communist party of my youth was a fun place
they had frequent parties with music and dance and
illegal booze in the bushes, in the dark unpainted years
after the war when entertainment was tambourine and
bible thumping. My uncle spoke at meetings he painted
a picture of utopia for the workers a short working week
and jobs for the wheelchair bound, like other members he
lived in a naïve cocoon that had little to do with real life.
As the country shook off the grimness of the gloomy years ...
The local communist party of my youth was a fun place
they had frequent parties with music and dance and
illegal booze in the bushes, in the dark unpainted years
after the war when entertainment was tambourine and
bible thumping. My uncle spoke at meetings he painted
a picture of utopia for the workers a short working week
and jobs for the wheelchair bound, like other members he
lived in a naïve cocoon that had little to do with real life.
As the country shook off the grimness of the gloomy years ...
568 reads
1 Comment
a day in a market town
A day in a Market Town
The café had a big window facing the street, it was almost empty
except for three scientists, they were talking about trees
I noticed a dog running up and down apparently it was lost and
tired of listening to the- none of my business- I walked out spoke to
the dog, come with me to the park plenty of trees there it followed
Me at a distance. In the park I sat down, I had biscuits in my pocket
gave them to the dog, it was thirsty, so I lifted it up so it could
drink water from the fountain, quite happy it ran around and...
The café had a big window facing the street, it was almost empty
except for three scientists, they were talking about trees
I noticed a dog running up and down apparently it was lost and
tired of listening to the- none of my business- I walked out spoke to
the dog, come with me to the park plenty of trees there it followed
Me at a distance. In the park I sat down, I had biscuits in my pocket
gave them to the dog, it was thirsty, so I lifted it up so it could
drink water from the fountain, quite happy it ran around and...
585 reads
0 Comments
humour
Every Day Philosophy
I`m not a thinker deep as the ocean more
like the depth of a puddle, but then again
seen from the stratosphere an ocean is
nothing more than a shallow puddle it has
to do with perspective
The tiny ant that walks across my desk is big
compared with gnat they are mostly obscure
except when they walk across the computer
screen and leave behind a minuscule bit of shit
And that was the lesson for today
I`m not a thinker deep as the ocean more
like the depth of a puddle, but then again
seen from the stratosphere an ocean is
nothing more than a shallow puddle it has
to do with perspective
The tiny ant that walks across my desk is big
compared with gnat they are mostly obscure
except when they walk across the computer
screen and leave behind a minuscule bit of shit
And that was the lesson for today
596 reads
2 Comments
Sunday evening
Sunday Evening
It is getting dark but in the west the sky is pink
The setting sun is beautiful to look at
I sit outside the church waiting for someone
For whom the mass is important, a father is coming
Out with his little daughter, she couldn`t sit still
She sees the sky and asks her father why the sky is
Like this, he says something, and she giggles
It is six o`clock more people are coming out of church
A couple of beggars wait by the door
And there she is her African face smiles she wears
Bright colours as always
I...
It is getting dark but in the west the sky is pink
The setting sun is beautiful to look at
I sit outside the church waiting for someone
For whom the mass is important, a father is coming
Out with his little daughter, she couldn`t sit still
She sees the sky and asks her father why the sky is
Like this, he says something, and she giggles
It is six o`clock more people are coming out of church
A couple of beggars wait by the door
And there she is her African face smiles she wears
Bright colours as always
I...
578 reads
2 Comments
let the bear sleep
Let the bear sleep
On the sunny side of the road going down the hill
An almond tree dressed as a bride and I thought what will
Happened to you when the frost from Siberia comes
The bridegroom will not arrive in time, and you will be left
In a cold church a vicar with a cold, and shivering guests
Fortitude I say the wedding cake will last to spring
Living in the corner of everything we hoped winter somehow
Had forgotten us but its rage encompasses the best
The nicest person and the apple thief with an ulcer
We are entering a new world that is...
On the sunny side of the road going down the hill
An almond tree dressed as a bride and I thought what will
Happened to you when the frost from Siberia comes
The bridegroom will not arrive in time, and you will be left
In a cold church a vicar with a cold, and shivering guests
Fortitude I say the wedding cake will last to spring
Living in the corner of everything we hoped winter somehow
Had forgotten us but its rage encompasses the best
The nicest person and the apple thief with an ulcer
We are entering a new world that is...
586 reads
1 Comment
evning light
The Evening Light
I ought to take an interest in death
But I no longer find it an interesting subject
It has to do with acceptance
Which I find comforting since I’m not religious
But has a strong spiritual streak
I believe in the mystic
What we fail to understand in normal life
I have second sight
I can see the near future only I suspect it is
Caused by experience
I believe in ghost by those who have not
Accepted death they are generally unhappy
And totally powerless they can`t call up
The devil since he does not exist
I...
I ought to take an interest in death
But I no longer find it an interesting subject
It has to do with acceptance
Which I find comforting since I’m not religious
But has a strong spiritual streak
I believe in the mystic
What we fail to understand in normal life
I have second sight
I can see the near future only I suspect it is
Caused by experience
I believe in ghost by those who have not
Accepted death they are generally unhappy
And totally powerless they can`t call up
The devil since he does not exist
I...
553 reads
2 Comments
the hummock
The Hummock
There is a hill behind the houses rounded and soft
I call it a -mother hill- and it welcome you and softly
Murmur, how do you do and leave you alone to sit
On a boulder and think how incredible life is.
If you sit there too long enjoying your sentimentality
It wakes you up the rock get cold and the northerly
Blow that has a fragrance of Siberia, reindeer and vodka
So you walk about to keep warm and see wildflowers
Hiding behind stones, but pick them you cannot they
Are not yours will wizen in your hands and bring rain
Walk softly...
There is a hill behind the houses rounded and soft
I call it a -mother hill- and it welcome you and softly
Murmur, how do you do and leave you alone to sit
On a boulder and think how incredible life is.
If you sit there too long enjoying your sentimentality
It wakes you up the rock get cold and the northerly
Blow that has a fragrance of Siberia, reindeer and vodka
So you walk about to keep warm and see wildflowers
Hiding behind stones, but pick them you cannot they
Are not yours will wizen in your hands and bring rain
Walk softly...
615 reads
1 Comment
DU Poetry : Submissions by oskar