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Warm Bahaman Breeze
| Open Poetry #9 |
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Warm Bahaman Breeze |
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Martie
Moderator
Member Empyrean
since 1999-09-21
Posts 28049California 
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Warm Bahaman Breeze.......repost for Sudhir and others In a rat-trap of boards and rain drip, dripping, Sweet William sat on a newspaper whistlin’ a tune, not a gloom tune, but a light, high and winsome like a warm Bahaman breeze tune. Beside him were two bananas splotched black mostly, but still hinting of the yellow of the place where they grew sun-ripe and sturdy. They were cast-offs now, like himself, Picked almost rotten from the dumpster behind the grocery store. He already ate the curled lettuce, and expired jar of Gerber’s pureed chicken, washed it down with some rain water. He was saving the bananas for last. While he whistled he imagined the slick sweet white and his pink tongue rolling it back and forth in his mouth, afraid that it would be gone to soon, before he was ready, knew it would be gone for sure once he started eating. So he waited, whistlen’ a tune, not a gloom tune, but a light, high and winsome like a warm Bahaman breeze tune. Of course, he had never been there, didn’t know a Bahaman breeze from arctic wind chill. He knew the length and breadth of many places he had never been, so he could taste these bananas now, while he was whistlen’ and they tasted sweet. |
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| © Copyright 2000 Martie Odell Ingebretsen - All Rights Reserved | |||
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wayoutwalt Member Elite
since 1999-06-22
Posts 4870TEXAS (it's all big) |
makes me wish i had a coast near by for inspiration..good job martie |
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Paula Finn Member Ascendant
since 2000-06-17
Posts 5546missouri |
I can taste those bananas and hear that tune...and see this sweet homeless soul |
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Marge Tindal 
since 1999-11-06
Posts 42384Florida's Foreverly Shores |
Martie~ *sob* How tenderly you've touched the life of the down and out ... the homeless ... the outcast. Necessary to know that those unfortunate souls exist ... not thrive ... just exist, So unnecessary in this society of abundance in abundance ! And did you know that in some communities in our nation - it's against the law for people to take food from garbage dumpsters ????? And MOST of the grocery store outlets sell the 'throw-away' food to farmers to feed their livestock. Heaven forbid they should DONATE it to homeless shelters ! Oh, sorry .... here I got off on one of my tangents and didn't mean to. Wonderful work, Martie. Sweet William lives down the street from all of us. 'There but for the grace of God .... ' Love ya', hon !  ~*Marge*~ ~*The pen of the poet never runs out of ink, as long as we breathe.*~ [email protected] |
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Mike Member Elite
since 1999-06-19
Posts 2462 |
How is the novel doing? wonderful poetry by the way... |
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Martie
Moderator
Member Empyrean
since 1999-09-21
Posts 28049California |
Walt--The coast is inspirational...wish I could actually get there more often. Paula...thanks for seeing the sweet Marge--You are a good person...wish there were more like you. Mike...you know that scrunched up face...I've got it...how does 120 pages sound. |
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JamesMichael Member Empyrean
since 1999-11-16
Posts 33336Kapolei, Hawaii, USA |
Martie a beautiful message within the words of your tender poem...James |
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Sudhir Iyer Member Ascendant
since 2000-04-26
Posts 6943Mumbai, India : now in Belgium |
Oh Martie... How fortunate I am to have loving parents and a brother, money to afford fresh food, two warm meals a day and clean water and fruit juices to drink... How lucky I am not to feel impoverished and scorned as good for nothings and cast-off... I can feel deep pangs of something cracking up in my heart... but then I get more angry for I can do nothing much for this as a singular entity except donate an X amount of money to charity and lead my life in the false belief that I have done my bit... Thanks for evoking all these and more emotions. Yet I believe that not all the homeless exist because of society itself. Quite a few of them literally waste their facilities and chances and thus waste themselves. Seeing them as perfect examples of being good-for-nothing, many people form incorrect and at most times incomplete impressions of the poor. This probably results in a long term scorn... This is the other facet ... Ok, I must stop rambling now.... thanks for the repost, Martie... The lines that captured my eyes most... In a rat-trap of boards and rain drip, dripping, Sweet William sat on a newspaper ... They were cast-offs now, like himself, ... He was saving the bananas for last. ... afraid that it would be gone to soon, ... and they tasted sweet. ------- All in all, a very tenderly written, compassionate poem looking at a harsh reality of life... Thanks once again.... Many regards, sudhir |
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Kit McCallum
Administrator
Member Laureate
since 2000-04-30
Posts 14774Ontario, Canada |
Oh Martie ... my senses were heightened in this poem, from taste, to sight, to smell and beyond. I was there beside this young person. Beautifully and tenderly written! Best wishes, /Kit |
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Mark Bohannan Member Rara Avis
since 2000-06-21
Posts 7269In the winds of Cherokee song |
In a rat-trap of boards and rain drip, dripping, Sweet William sat on a newspaper whistlin’ a tune, not a gloom tune, but a light, high and winsome like a warm Bahaman breeze tune. Of course, he had never been there, didn’t know a Bahaman breeze from arctic wind chill. He knew the length and breadth of many places he had never been, so he could taste these bananas now, while he was whistlen’ and they tasted sweet. Martie-this is so wonderful.....your view into the world is so caring and for you to be able to see what most people ignore speaks highly of your heart. Now tell me more about this book....PLEASE |
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Martie
Moderator
Member Empyrean
since 1999-09-21
Posts 28049California |
James--thank you for your kind words. sudhir--Thanks for writing from your heart and for your wonderful reply... Kit--thank you for feeling this poem Mark--The book...sheesh...working on it, yes, it's about a homeless man and hope and love....love wins out in the end. thanks for asking |
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Parker Member Elite
since 2000-01-06
Posts 3129ON |
Martie, you sure brought to live some vivid images here, and taste. You gave me a big smile today. Thank you. Parker |
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Rex Allen McCoy Member Elite
since 2000-01-30
Posts 2863Sippin a Timmy's in London |
Martie ... Sweet William is a name that suits this person well ... I love it as a flower ... grows in such profusion with a multitude of colors ... and seems to turn up everywhere we look ... 'if we look' The Sweet William you describe here is growing in great profusion ... comes in all colors and 'if we look' he's there a gleaming look a reality you've penned Rex [This message has been edited by Rex Allen McCoy (edited 08-09-2000).] |
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Martie
Moderator
Member Empyrean
since 1999-09-21
Posts 28049California |
Parker--sure glad I gave you a smile. Rex--I hadn't thought of it that way until you said it...what a wonderful thought...thank you. |
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Wilfred Yeats Member Elite
since 2000-08-04
Posts 2704Wilmington, Delaware |
Could picture this - no - more- I could feel it, and smell it and taste it. WQonderful write Martie When i worked in Detroit - my office window overlooked a McDonald's parking lot - all too often I saw indigents scouring their outdoor waste recepticles for unfinished food - and the images came back like a flood. |
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Corinne Member Ascendant
since 1999-10-28
Posts 5167state of confusion |
A great reminder of how fortunate we are and of the simplicity of joy. corinne |
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Martie
Moderator
Member Empyrean
since 1999-09-21
Posts 28049California |
Wil...Thanks for the read and for the picture from your life...it's sad with all the food that is thrown away, so many go hungry. Corinne--Yes...Joy...sometimes it doesn't take much...thank you for saying that. |
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