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<channel>
	<title>LACUNA &#187; Poetry</title>
	<atom:link href="http://www.onlinegcc.org/lacuna/category/poetry/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
	<link>http://www.onlinegcc.org/lacuna</link>
	<description>Prose, poetry and art by the students of Greenfield Community College</description>
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			<item>
		<title>The Beggar and the Beast</title>
		<link>http://www.onlinegcc.org/lacuna/2008/05/12/the-beggar-and-the-beast/</link>
		<comments>http://www.onlinegcc.org/lacuna/2008/05/12/the-beggar-and-the-beast/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 12 May 2008 13:11:52 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Christine Jones Monahan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Poetry]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.onlinegcc.org/lacuna/2008/05/12/the-beggar-and-the-beast/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[ By fire&#8217;s incandescence, a ragged beggar warded himself from the cold of the night.
No sounds carried on the wind, save for a horse&#8217;s neigh and an alley cat fight.
He sipped gingerly of a cheap wine and roasted mysterious meat on a spit,
while rats watched from the shadows, weighing the odds of stealing it.
From those shadows [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p> By fire&#8217;s incandescence, a ragged beggar warded himself from the cold of the night.<br />
No sounds carried on the wind, save for a horse&#8217;s neigh and an alley cat fight.</p>
<p>He sipped gingerly of a cheap wine and roasted mysterious meat on a spit,<br />
while rats watched from the shadows, weighing the odds of stealing it.</p>
<p>From those shadows stepped an imposing figure of copious girth and lofty height.<br />
The beggar remained composed while the vermin chattered and retreated in flight.</p>
<p>&#8220;Greetings,&#8221; said the beggar. &#8220;Come share my fire, cheap wine, and a portion of meat.&#8221;<br />
&#8220;Well enough you offer me what I could surely take,&#8221; replied the stranger, taking a seat.</p>
<p>&#8220;It is my custom to be hospitable to all, although I haven&#8217;t much to give.&#8221;<br />
&#8220;Very wise,&#8221; the stranger responded.  &#8220;I accept, and have decided to let you live.&#8221;</p>
<p>The beggar seemed unaffected by such callous threats and offered him the wine.<br />
The gesture was beneficent and sincere; his voice was not unduly kind.</p>
<p>The beggar eyed the stranger patiently, curious to see if he would defer.<br />
His guest reached for the flask with a large hand, clawed and covered with fur.</p>
<p>&#8220;Do you hail from these parts?&#8221; the beggar asked it as it took a long draught.<br />
The beast-as such its host surmised-wiped a dribble of liquor from its chin and laughed.</p>
<p>&#8220;Does it matter to you, old derelict?&#8221; it barked, finding the question quite profound.<br />
The beggar shrugged nonchalantly; &#8220;I&#8217;m just a vagabond making my rounds.&#8221;</p>
<p>The beast leaned forward, intent upon its host; &#8220;So you&#8217;ve sworn no fealty to the throne?&#8221;<br />
&#8220;I serve no other man,&#8221; the beggar divulged, &#8220;And answer to none but myself alone.&#8221;</p>
<p>From the ebon shadows of its cowl, the beast betrayed a gleam of ivory fang in its smile.<br />
The beggar offered it half the meat without betraying any guile.</p>
<p>&#8220;Do you know why I visit this kingdom, old man?&#8221; the beast inquired, quite sincere.<br />
&#8220;I shall kill the king and usurp the crown, and rule a people wrought with fear.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;How do you intend to slay him?&#8221; the beggar asked, feeling the tension across the space.<br />
The beast stood up and thundered; &#8220;The king hasn&#8217;t the valor to contest my animal grace!</p>
<p>&#8220;I am not enthralled to the fear of man, for not one has yet opposed my might.<br />
I am great and terrible, and I&#8217;ve made widows and orphans of many a hapless knight.&#8221;</p>
<p>With grunts and growls, it ravenously devoured the meat like it was a fresh kill,<br />
while casting rapacious glares at the castle perched prodigiously atop the hill.</p>
<p>The beggar reached for the flask; &#8220;Let me drink to a deed of which bards will surely sing.&#8221;<br />
And on his young hand the beast espied a ring bearing the insignia of the king.</p>
<p>With a bestial roar, the usurper lunged for his throat; over the fire it soared.<br />
Claws and fangs bared with intent to rend its foe, it was impaled upon the royal sword.</p>
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		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Cheeto</title>
		<link>http://www.onlinegcc.org/lacuna/2008/05/12/cheeto/</link>
		<comments>http://www.onlinegcc.org/lacuna/2008/05/12/cheeto/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 12 May 2008 12:52:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Christine Jones Monahan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Poetry]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.onlinegcc.org/lacuna/2008/05/12/cheeto/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[ 
CHEETO
cheeto, cheeto
tiny curved delight
whenever i am down
you&#8217;re there to make it right
for cheeto, you are cheezy
yet i am much the same
but for America&#8217;s obesity
i feel you are to blame.
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p> </p>
<p align="center">CHEETO</p>
<p align="center">cheeto, cheeto<br />
tiny curved delight</p>
<p align="center">whenever i am down<br />
you&#8217;re there to make it right</p>
<p align="center">for cheeto, you are cheezy<br />
yet i am much the same</p>
<p align="center">but for America&#8217;s obesity<br />
i feel you are to blame.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Toaster</title>
		<link>http://www.onlinegcc.org/lacuna/2008/05/12/toaster/</link>
		<comments>http://www.onlinegcc.org/lacuna/2008/05/12/toaster/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 12 May 2008 12:18:22 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Christine Jones Monahan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Poetry]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.onlinegcc.org/lacuna/2008/05/12/toaster/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[TOASTER
small metal box
with artificial heat
fits all my bread
wholegrain, white and wheat
small metal box
made an inferno for my bread
leaving only remnants
in your crumb collecting bed.
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p align="center">TOASTER</p>
<p align="center">small metal box<br />
with artificial heat</p>
<p align="center">fits all my bread<br />
wholegrain, white and wheat</p>
<p align="center">small metal box<br />
made an inferno for my bread</p>
<p align="center">leaving only remnants<br />
in your crumb collecting bed.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>What Happened to Hollywood</title>
		<link>http://www.onlinegcc.org/lacuna/2008/05/12/what-happened-to-hollywood/</link>
		<comments>http://www.onlinegcc.org/lacuna/2008/05/12/what-happened-to-hollywood/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 12 May 2008 12:01:52 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Christine Jones Monahan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Poetry]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.onlinegcc.org/lacuna/2008/05/12/what-happened-to-hollywood/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The lights in the city went out
On the street roamed a sunken movie star
No place to call home but a sour trash can
Roaming until he found a rusty waterfall
At which he stared into pools of still water
And loved his face
And wondered where all who once loved it went to
So he found comfort in the flirty [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The lights in the city went out<br />
On the street roamed a sunken movie star<br />
No place to call home but a sour trash can<br />
Roaming until he found a rusty waterfall<br />
At which he stared into pools of still water<br />
And loved his face<br />
And wondered where all who once loved it went to<br />
So he found comfort in the flirty mud<br />
When you don&#8217;t have much anything will do<br />
In despair he cursed the moon night after night<br />
It sat lazily in the sky like a darkened ornament<br />
He&#8217;d give anything for some abandoned alcohol<br />
He&#8217;d even take old pepper<br />
Starving to nothing but brittle bones<br />
He ate sticks and dirty lilac<br />
Whimpering and wishing for his city<br />
So he took his last happy belt from his pants<br />
He wrapped it around a giant tree branch<br />
And hung himself above the falls<br />
And swung to and fro like a dusty clothespin on the line<br />
With pretty chainsaws and sad race-cars in his eyes<br />
He howled to the moon, I apologize!</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Facts, Factors, and Fiction</title>
		<link>http://www.onlinegcc.org/lacuna/2008/05/12/facts-factors-and-fiction/</link>
		<comments>http://www.onlinegcc.org/lacuna/2008/05/12/facts-factors-and-fiction/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 12 May 2008 11:27:02 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Christine Jones Monahan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Poetry]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.onlinegcc.org/lacuna/2008/05/12/facts-factors-and-fiction/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Fact:
My skin adores Ra,
Some say I´m cursed
But I call it a blessing.
I am not black for black is a color
 The sprits within me raise and set on Ra´s command.
Who am I if I&#8217;m a reflection of him?
 I am Son
Factor:
 Ra shines life unto the earth and dominates the skies
He gives consul to the bird that flies [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p align="center">Fact:</p>
<p align="center">My skin adores Ra,</p>
<p align="center">Some say I´m cursed</p>
<p align="center">But I call it a blessing.</p>
<p align="center">I am not black for black is a color</p>
<p align="center"> The sprits within me raise and set on Ra´s command.</p>
<p align="center">Who am I if I&#8217;m a reflection of him?</p>
<p align="center"> I am Son</p>
<p align="center">Factor:</p>
<p align="center"> Ra shines life unto the earth and dominates the skies</p>
<p align="center">He gives consul to the bird that flies on a lonely path.</p>
<p align="center">The falcon was black and prestigious inside the Nubian comfort zone.</p>
<p align="center">Long time since he&#8217;d been brought, stolen, raped and</p>
<p align="center">Reduced to savage peasants in the West.</p>
<p align="center">Betrayed and diseased!</p>
<p align="center">Broken Hearted!</p>
<p align="center">Experience is a good teacher</p>
<p align="center">There the last lecture</p>
<p align="center">I am not black for black is a color.</p>
<p align="center">&nbsp;</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Distracted</title>
		<link>http://www.onlinegcc.org/lacuna/2008/05/09/distracted-by-tyler-smith/</link>
		<comments>http://www.onlinegcc.org/lacuna/2008/05/09/distracted-by-tyler-smith/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 09 May 2008 17:30:36 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Christine Jones Monahan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Poetry]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tyler Smith]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.onlinegcc.org/lacuna/2008/05/09/distracted-by-tyler-smith/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[These words are therapy.
They help me,
To forget the,
Things that live inside my mind.
The nightmares I find,
Of distant memories,
Of things I&#8217;ve seen,
And wish would not be,
But unfortunately,
I&#8217;m brought back to reality,
With harsh ferocity,
And unforgiving hostility.
You&#8217;d be shocked,
At the scenes I&#8217;ve blocked,
From the view of you,
And those who knew,
The truth but choose,
To lose themselves,
In their own comfort [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>These words are therapy.</p>
<p>They help me,</p>
<p>To forget the,</p>
<p>Things that live inside my mind.</p>
<p>The nightmares I find,</p>
<p>Of distant memories,</p>
<p>Of things I&#8217;ve seen,</p>
<p>And wish would not be,</p>
<p>But unfortunately,</p>
<p>I&#8217;m brought back to reality,</p>
<p>With harsh ferocity,</p>
<p>And unforgiving hostility.</p>
<p>You&#8217;d be shocked,</p>
<p>At the scenes I&#8217;ve blocked,</p>
<p>From the view of you,</p>
<p>And those who knew,</p>
<p>The truth but choose,</p>
<p>To lose themselves,</p>
<p>In their own comfort zone.</p>
<p>Now I&#8217;m left alone,</p>
<p>To hone my abilities,</p>
<p>And practice the futility,</p>
<p>Of working melodies,</p>
<p>Into sensible stories.</p>
<p>Time slips by slowly,</p>
<p>So I drink profusely,</p>
<p>And smoke heavily.</p>
<p>Everything is blurry,</p>
<p>I&#8217;m in some kind of hurry,</p>
<p>People start to worry,</p>
<p>I&#8217;m purely,</p>
<p>Trying to maintain control,</p>
<p>You don&#8217;t need to patrol,</p>
<p>This misguided soul,</p>
<p>After all you haven&#8217;t been told,</p>
<p>Of the things that have made me cold and bold,</p>
<p>And cause me to fold,</p>
<p>Under the pressure,</p>
<p>Of all these constant stressors.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Eternal Love</title>
		<link>http://www.onlinegcc.org/lacuna/2008/05/05/eternal-love/</link>
		<comments>http://www.onlinegcc.org/lacuna/2008/05/05/eternal-love/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 05 May 2008 21:10:45 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Christine Jones Monahan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Poetry]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Assan Sarr]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.onlinegcc.org/lacuna/2008/05/05/eternal-love/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Let your skin caress mine. 
Let us bathe in our eternal love. Let us forever be young. Let our minds mold into one. Never before have I known such a beauty. Shall I never again know such a love? Let me place the gift of eternity on your hand &#8212; 
And embrace you with a kiss.


Let us [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span style="font-size: 12pt">Let your skin caress mine. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt"><o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-size: 12pt">Let us bathe in our eternal love. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt"></span><span style="font-size: 12pt"></span><span style="font-size: 12pt"></span><span style="font-size: 12pt"></span><span style="font-size: 12pt"><o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-size: 12pt">Let us forever be young. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt"></span><span style="font-size: 12pt"></span><span style="font-size: 12pt"><o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-size: 12pt">Let our minds mold into one. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt"></span><span style="font-size: 12pt"></span><span style="font-size: 12pt"></span><span style="font-size: 12pt"></span><span style="font-size: 12pt"><o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-size: 12pt">Never before have I known such a beauty. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt"></span><span style="font-size: 12pt"></span><span style="font-size: 12pt"></span><span style="font-size: 12pt"></span><span style="font-size: 12pt"><o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-size: 12pt">Shall I never again know such a love?<o:p></o:p></span> <span style="font-size: 12pt">Let me place the gift of eternity on your hand &#8212; </span><span style="font-size: 12pt"></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt"></span><span style="font-size: 12pt"></span><span style="font-size: 12pt">And embrace you with a kiss.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt"></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt"></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt"><o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-size: 12pt">Let us be woman and man: f</span><span style="font-size: 12pt">or only in your heart I shall exist!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		</item>
		<item>
		<title>I Wonder</title>
		<link>http://www.onlinegcc.org/lacuna/2008/02/25/i-wonder/</link>
		<comments>http://www.onlinegcc.org/lacuna/2008/02/25/i-wonder/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 25 Feb 2008 15:32:36 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Poetry]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.onlinegcc.org/lacuna/2008/02/25/i-wonder/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I wonder what life’s about
I wonder why the lights are out
I wonder why the door opens after I leave
when I come back closes right in front of me
no key or solution
left to walk back to the world of pollution
I wonder what heaven’s like
and I wonder about the rebirth of life
I wonder why there&#8217;s so many [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I wonder what life’s about<br />
I wonder why the lights are out<br />
I wonder why the door opens after I leave<br />
when I come back closes right in front of me<br />
no key or solution<br />
left to walk back to the world of pollution<br />
I wonder what heaven’s like<br />
and I wonder about the rebirth of life<br />
I wonder why there&#8217;s so many innocent people dying<br />
and left with parents crying<br />
I wonder about the justice system<br />
and the killer is in there smiling<br />
I wonder about my unborn baby girl<br />
I know you’re out there somewhere<br />
I love you always and forever</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		</item>
		<item>
		<title>To My Home</title>
		<link>http://www.onlinegcc.org/lacuna/2008/02/06/to-my-home/</link>
		<comments>http://www.onlinegcc.org/lacuna/2008/02/06/to-my-home/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 06 Feb 2008 18:00:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Poetry]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.onlinegcc.org/lacuna/2008/02/06/to-my-home/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[reeling, moving
                      forward as the strangeness of my fingers
compliments my ambitions and this ice dance frolic
                   [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<pre><font size="+0"><font size="2" face="Times New Roman, Times, serif">reeling, moving
                      forward as the strangeness of my fingers
compliments my ambitions and this ice dance frolic
                                          circles around, round,
                                                                          into an atmospheric haze
to come upon my crucifixion in a blank room
That is my home
                     i color her in, green and blue
my underwater scene where it is too dark to even see me staring right back at you
Boy, if you only knew on how to get
                     To my home
here
         up on the hill, underground
dirt is my womb of choice, y' know
                                            so start digging if you really want me to be your bride
cause it won't come easily to either of us
and I am almost there,
                    as people crowd in the restaurant
                                      lights humming, moving too fast for me to see
that you are staring right back at me
                                                    and I know what you know
         cause that innocent, child love still cradles its hand in your heart
Once upon a time in the backwoods of my home
                            it was there on that muddy dirt road we just knew
and here we are again
                            on that very road
                                                     next to the home within my heart
where you come in without asking
denying myself to be true
but you even said that I am not a ghost of myself
here inside of
my only home. </font></font></pre>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<item>
		<title>Untitled</title>
		<link>http://www.onlinegcc.org/lacuna/2008/02/06/untitled-2/</link>
		<comments>http://www.onlinegcc.org/lacuna/2008/02/06/untitled-2/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 06 Feb 2008 17:59:13 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Poetry]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.onlinegcc.org/lacuna/2008/02/06/untitled-2/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[He cried out to me in that dark night behind the porch and sidewalk. Just a sweet lullaby
of a man lost on a sweet fairytale trip. So, I guess I should walk down to visit him. To be
cordial.
I guess. But the dream, he forgot to mention contained three babies and two mothers.
Everyone else but me.
A [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>He cried out to me in that dark night behind the porch and sidewalk. Just a sweet lullaby<br />
of a man lost on a sweet fairytale trip. So, I guess I should walk down to visit him. To be<br />
cordial.<br />
I guess. But the dream, he forgot to mention contained three babies and two mothers.<br />
Everyone else but me.<br />
A cryptic tip to my mind connections; to who else might I question?<br />
He,<br />
oh fuck it.<br />
So a little bird sat in the cage and sang with no voice.<br />
But why should he father and leave me naïve to it all?<br />
<em>Sioux, please</em>, echoed into my kitchen window. I had it shut.<br />
What would my sister say?<br />
I told you so. I told you so.<br />
Horny son of a bitch, deadbeat dad with too many histories.<br />
I don’t have a history, boy, so just stay and try.<br />
<em>Sioux, are you home?</em><br />
The echo fell in love away from his vanity, and he cried,<br />
<em>Bitch.</em></p>
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