Excerpt for Six-Line Stanza: Volume One by Jake Sullivan, available in its entirety at Smashwords



SIX-LINE STANZA:

VOLUME ONE

BY:

Jake Sullivan


SMASHWORDS EDITION


* * * * * *


PUBLISHED BY:

Jake Sullivan on Smashwords



Six-Line Stanza:

Volume One

Copyright 2010 by Jake Sullivan



Smashwords Edition License Notes


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strawberry


in my mind she dances free and full

in my heart she glides with tenderness

delicate

gentle

ethereal angel

of loving warmth that captured me



courage


it's easy to walk downtown with your eyes

cast at the ground

it's easy to look through someone as if they

do not exist

but to look forward and become engaging

takes the courage most do not have



through the gauntlet


through the gauntlet thy cometh

all to heavy are the stakes

and the burden trod upon this weary chest

of treachery and laden breath

with these words alone I do strive

our love shan't fail nor ever die



endurance


when the cold rain arrives

catching you off guard

without your umbrella

you will just have to continue

in the direction you are headed

and wait for the sun



another lost poem


tried to write a poem about something grand

but first the modem needed resetting

then the browser needed flushing

and finally the system needed restarting

by then the idea had perished

yet I never had this problem with the typewriter



romance


heed my warning poet

she said

your work is beautiful

but I am not a worthy subject

is what she thinks

but I sincerely disagree



oneiric


again I see her

a requiem in my reverie

delicate precious gem

pure refinement

enveloping my soul

never-ending



her


like a dream she pierced my core

pure and perfect

she only spoke to me through my pen

until now

when the letter arrived

my chest became light and lovely



the little things


it is easy to become angered and annoyed

at the halfwits who pleasantly suck at your soul

but those heavy weights anchoring you down

do not pose as much of a threat to your sanity

as when your door key suddenly snaps

with a single delicate turn



new


this is the first of many I shall write

an approach to something old

with new beginnings attached

to just write the word as it comes

without concern for consequence

but still adhering to format



the days stream as if dying


boredom sneaks upon you with blasé indifference

as the days drift into one another

the sounds of the days meld together forming one

melancholy thoughts sneak into the mind

suffocating the body

while the days stream as if dying



lovely dutch girl


by the water fountain we did sit

casual and alone

for she was prompt and I was late

typical for a man to lose his way

but I did find her waiting for me

a heavenly night just to be with her



blank-Zen


exploratory dimensional word progression

#$%!.., [around the basic grammatical conversion] *&$^%!!!

utilizing fallacious misguided syntax

?????? pondering the magnitudes of expressive humanity

giving way to blank-Zen

(!#@^*^%#@@!$<>) = 0



for Lee


these poems for you ole friend

original pieces from thine pen

small packet on napkin

written genuinely from thy heart

a thank you for a friendship

that shall not part



for Darwin


thank you for your daring

w/o men like you

others could not muster the courage

in your time of grief

and utter despair

you sir did persevere



me


do we think of ourselves too much

does the question always end with me

how much of life is consumed with I

can we learn to overcome ourselves

or do we not care for anyone else

but me



believe


we all want someone

to give love as we give

and to guide us as we guide them

to embrace with passion

and cherish our every fiber

as we believe in them believing in us



mouth with poison tongue


yes we're all familiar with the stories

how grand the tales told

through mouth with poison tongue

a noose rightly strung

the only way to rid the teller

is so duly hung



if life


if life seems pointless

then find a point

if life bears fruit

then enjoy it

if life becomes dull

then sharpen it



inspiration


when inspiration strikes

you must grab it

hold onto it

work with it

mold and shape it

lest it dissipate as the morning mist



once upon a time


when I was young I had everything

youth gave me conquering strength

the inner-poet danced as drift wood in the sea

love seemed a grand exciting adventure

then age descended and life took hold

soon all that remained were memories



who are me


don't look back when life throws that curve

just move and hide from the past

it is not the right time for confrontation

it is never the right time for anything

so I keep walking

hoping to discover the person inside



people of japan


your culture has always fascinated me

I have studied much of it but not enough

the strength in you I envy

through the centuries of war and turmoil

you have triumphed and conquered

and in this new battle you shall again prevail



style


style speaks of character

intrepidity and balls

such as if you move with a hitch in your step

while running renegade from this stir-crazy society

with shotgun belting phrases like

I killed the pope on sabbath with the scrawl of my mighty pen



there comes a time


there comes a time when you want to turn-back time

there comes a time when your time is not the right time

there comes a time when you hate time

there comes a time when your moment needs more time

there comes a time when you love time

there comes a time when your luck has run out of time



living openly vehemently eternal


living only for one

openly giving your heart

vehemently bearing your soul

eternal passion

life's ultimate gift

is the fulfillment of love



there is no doctor


if there is one thing that I've learned

it is that when the heart is hurt

it aches and pains in agony

broken bones heal with a splint

but for the wounded heart

there is no doctor



out with the old


and that is that my friends

toss out the old garbage

empty the bin for new

as the world spins on its delicate axis

I ponder the next move of life

attempting to figure what is best



in our contentment


we gaze the Black Sea

none is more lovely

or more fair than thee

sipping our black tea

just one lump for me

and you always three



cafe con leche


my old friend drinks a lot of those rancid energy drinks

he recently asked me about something else besides those things

he then answered his own question with black coffee

I suggested cafe con leche--half milk/half coffee w/Splenda

he says no that he is lactose intolerant and Splenda makes him sick

I then suggested he use soy milk and quit complaining



thoughts on the road


out and about the other day

driving along on the highway

cruising at an easy pace when a thought crossed my mind

what if I ran over the bitch

just slammed the car directly into her abdomen

and kept on going



all along the dreary


gazing out the window pondering the weary

laden with disheartened sorrow and countenance as dreary

and as the heart begins to sink and inner-peace has fled

nothing more o' sullen being as mood wanes with dread

here I am a broken man clutching a chest so hollow

grasping firm to everything that I did dearly follow



the end of me


the hour arrived

sleep has told me to end it

the eyelids laden and heavy

no more for tonight

sensual love I bid thee adieu

until the morning



all out of tea


there is not much to say about this

the cupboards are bare

and the moths have nested in my wallet

for lunch, I found 2 slices of uncontaminated bread

the typewriter needs ink but the moths ate my loot

and to top it off--I'm all out of tea



boredom


I woke up late today

not caring too much about anything

the day dragged along with pathetic effortlessness

I watched a bird dive bomb the window and drop to the earth

he stayed there a moment, stunned and lifeless

then he got up, shook it off and skedaddled



ode to a girl


she always remained dear to me

but our timing never matched

when I was single she was taken

and when she was single I was taken

for many years our hearts ached with regret

until now



listening to Bird


as the day lingers into night

and the drab dullness continues to eat me alive

I find some solace in that crazy cat

the cat they call Bird

the Alto King and wild-man of the jazz scene

yeah-yeah Charlie right-on brother right-on



a-lot-a messin around


okay, I had to pretty-up my blogs & make them cute

why? well, because certain things just bother me

if I don't like the look of something, I change it

it took me a couple of hours to get it right,

all that time to get the look & feel just the way I want it

I still prefer the typewriter...a lot less messin around



revision


revising your work is a necessary thing

to go back and add to a completed work

is an annoying chore

after all editing & filtering completed the 1st time around

I just want to end the project & move forward

but that inner voice screams to make it better



empty hands


I look down at the keyboard and wonder

I wonder about those hands that move across it

to what good are those hands

for they sit atop those keys moving moving moving

they never hold anything

yet they continually produce something



lost in this world of this


the ambulance barreled down the freeway at 90 mph

sirens blaring horns blaring everything a blur

cars and trucks and motorcycles swerved to the side

up ahead in the distance lay the scene

police surrounded a few mangled vehicles and corpses

I passed by with deep regret and empathetic concern



getting late


the twinge in my back will not disperse

yet I must sit here and continue

the clock ticks its minutes to hours

and the numbing void of despair persists

my eyelids are laden heavy with fatigue

as that little voice inside of me will not cease



contemptible


he sat there on the couch pissy and annoyed

looking for an argument about anything

and with one contemptuous remark

the father incited his son with anger

but the son knew all too well

and keeping silent got up and walked away



surreality


the operetta resonated through the air

with gaiety and romance

as she slipped from the edge

and at the height of the crescendo

right before she met her dark lonely bitter end

I had awakened



this maddening craft


sitting for hours at this typer

at this keyboard

working away at these various writing machines

the back aches in furious agony

from the slumped position

this craft forces upon me



general anxiety


slow days ahead of me

crawling as the tortoise on its descent home

with this fidgeting behavior

and nothing or no one for conversation

I mull over ideas of things productive

but melancholy stands strong and resolute



night


it makes me wonder

when I gaze into the night

with all of it's beauty and splendor

those majestic hues of dazzling color

bring tears of joy

and heartfelt delight



time


in the melody of madness

harmony escapes

lapping at the dredges prepared in thought

weaving silken love

draped over thine heart

waiting...waiting...waiting



by chance


to peer deep into those eyes

to wade in her ocean of allure

to envision the touch

the kiss

the embrace of the fluttering heart

to meet by chance forever



bluebird


he is in there

way down deep

sometimes I think he is dead

but then he surprises me with a song

it's not always a happy tune or even in key

but it reminds me to keep going



if only to write


to sit for hours with arched back and aching feet

fingers moving in endless procession

eyes burning with red glaze

mind racing faster than a cheetah

stomach growling in starving emptiness

yet this writer does persist



desperation


body:

for it aches with exhaustion.

mind:

for it gallops harder than the horses.

spirit:

for it paces in its restlessness.



oh me


oh me

this wretch that does not jibe

this wretch that feasts on gloomy vibe

oh me

the being that yearns to burst in delight

the being that screams malady at the night



woes of love


where are those lips that had upon my flesh did kiss?

drifted away to touch another.

for it is those moments that I surely miss,

and despise those lips upon the other.

by now that love has surely passed,

as our hearts immerse in regret.



simply you


it is not the old you that I miss

it is not the younger you that I desire

it is not the other you that I need

it is not a different you that I want

it is not gentler or rougher you that I yearn for

it is simply you that I cherish, however you are



the heart is a silent thunder


I fight not for the grace of a government

I fight not for the institution that shadows us

I fight not for the tears of the thousands who have lost

I fight not for the precious moments of our memory

I fight not for the history of mankind

I fight only to hear the beat of your heart



dear Amélie


to be free

as Blubber is free

with sorrowing eyes you see

a world in captivity

dreaming of escape

yet awaking inside a fantasy



depravation


in a world where the eyes reign supreme

it is sometimes best to close them

without proper sleep the mind will spin

the eyes remain the key to good mental health

in a world where the eyes reign supreme

it is best to obey the commands of sight



the hours


the hours have clicked and ticked with weary

the days and months languidly progress

loneliness creeps within these bones

as the heart pumps erratic beats

many nights lost without sleep

as the hours plod along indifferently





# # # # # #



About the author: Jake Sullivan


I am a struggling writer attempting to defeat my dead heroes. Throughout this challenge, I realize the high possibility of non compos mentis but shall persist despite the obstacles ahead of me. I am sure to die alone of starvation and madness...an old fool whom battled and lost however, I am dedicated to producing Literary Art and refuse to fuel The Machine anymore than necessary.


Note From the Author – Jake Sullivan:


These poems are my own creation. There are fifty-eight original pieces in this first volume. I am not sure how many poems will be included in each volume however; I will keep the amount set to at a minimum of fifty-fifty. Writing poetry in this manner, adhering to six lines per stanza, I have found, at first, difficult, but no so much anymore. If done correctly, this style of poetry should produce a powerful effect, or as a friend of mine once described it, “It’s like a shot in the face.”



Connect with me online:


http://jakesullivanspen.weebly.com

https://twitter.com/JakeSullivan77




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