December 29

for Susan

It's the very idea Detroit
Made something other
Than the occasional okay
Cadillac, or gave
Aretha a chance to sing
"A Change is Gonna Come"
Into the closed hearts
Of an angry public
In cities not that distant:
Los Angeles, Pittsburgh,
Or Hoboken, New Jersey,
Where, God knows, they don't
Give up Sinatra easily.
So Detroit made you,
And the change did come.
I wake up this morning
In awe and in love; turn
In the direction I know
Leads to you, and whisper
This isn't a Cadillac, not
In a million haunted dreams,
But we're cruising. We're
Cruising, and I'm telling you
All the stoplights are planted
In some other place.
Remember? We had coffee
There and sighed a bit over
Something, perhaps
A birthday. There is always
Someone singing to our souls.

Copyright © 2005 by Sam Pereira

Brian Leary and the fine folks at 42opus recently published this poem, which I link to here in the hopes of sharing with the regular viewers of this site. Many fine works there by others, so check them all out.

The Holy Waters of Penzance

A somewhat belated, but well-intentioned welcome into the world for our new dog, Sonny, who has the obligatory Bishon Frise soul, coupled with just enough of a sense of poetics to make the romps in the backyard scholarly and joyous.

Many years ago, I was lucky enough to have a friend named Ernesto Trejo. He was a truly gentle soul, with an amazing gift. I was pleased to see that, even though the man is no longer among us, his work is. The Internet has its saving graces!

Author Ernesto Trejo, from the Oldpoetry Poetry Archive

Not that this has anything to do with Poetry, although it just might...today we are going sailing. I once wrote a poem about sailing. A good poem, taken by a big deal magazine. But today I am going sailing with the love of my life. No magazine on the face of the planet can top that.

A somewhat old (1998) interview with one of my former teachers and a truly genteel soul, poet Charles Wright. Audio here, too, for those of you who wish to listen.

Online NewsHour: Pulitzer Prize Winner-- April 15, 1998

Just a little clip of the late John Engman, reading his poem "The Building I Live In Is Tipping Over."

Augsburg College - Augsburg Now

So, after a longer than anticipated hiatus, here we go again!

This will be an ongoing mixture of current work, thoughts and ideas as they occur, an occasional quotation or two from minds better than this one, as well as various links that you might find of interest, relating to the world of Poetry.

For now, a toast to the spirits of folks like John Berryman, Larry Levis, all the other Johns (Engman, Bowie, Keats, etc.), as well as a toast to the living, breathing folks out there who still believe in this, the most invigorating of the arts.

Respectfully submitted on this 30th day of May, 2005.

Sam Pereira