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Heron Clan: June 5, 2022, Spring Came, Daddy Dentist
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Heron Clan Readings Sunday Zoom Spring Came Regardless
I am digging in soil right now,
Planting plants I bought months ago.
Months ago, when I had enthusiasm for spring,
I bought plants with my granddaughter.
On a sunny day in March
She picked out the prettiest ones
not suited
For my sandy soiled landscape of no sun.
But we bought them,
Brought them home
Placed them near a bright window
Per the gardener’s instruction,
And waited for the warmth, but,
Then it got cold
then I went on a cruise
then I said hell they will die anyway
then they didn’t
so I’m planting them,
Bless their little green hearts,
well into Spring, nearly summer,
In my sunless, sandy patio garden.
There is a bird’s nest in one of my pots.
Spring came regardless.
The Daddy the Dentist
The Daddy, the dentist, said,
“I’ll just take a look,"
The dangling tooth now
in his hand.
A screech and a run
To mommy she cried, “He’s done it.
“He’s done it, he's done it,
“Again.”
And the time as a child
Of three, dangling, as she did, from the
May pole swing,
Daddy stitched her up
When her small hands failed
“Like a doll. Like a doll,
He stitched me up like a doll.”
Not speaking to him for a week.
(hummph)
The earache at eight
Daddy soothed with warm air
Channeled from his breath.
And the tugboat horn he would
Sound
to keep her from crying,
All night he would repeat,
Till she fell fast asleep.
(hooo, hooo)
And the worse of it all
When red candy she sought,
She found instead, The Vitamin Bottle,
sugar coated and tasty,
The tattle tell brother, the
Trip to the hospital,
They ask you a question, then
shove water through your nose.
(gulp)
"Don’t you know these are poisionous?"
"Don’t you know you could die?"
"No, I’m only seven, tell me what is die?"
The cracked head
On the nightstand,
A round of murder in the dark
And the fountain of blood
When the light switch is found.
The daughter of the dentist
Scars, bumps, bruises and lumps
Born on a Tuesday
Grace seemed to forget.
But Daddy was there
To stitch and to kiss
Except for one furrow
Right there, between the brow.
Thank God for Daddies.
This is the next best thing
This is the next best thing to attending one of your readings. It takes a special kind of skill to write spoken word poetry—the kind of free-flowing, emotion-packed, engaging lines that lend themselves to the oral tradition that is the root of poetry itself.
As I imagine these wonderful compositions being spoken with tone, inflection and feeling, I'm experiencing the poems on a new level.
It was a pleasure to read your very relatable, spontaneous and satisfying "Spring Came Regardless". This is the ordinary made meaningful and beautiful. You make it look easy, but this type of down-to-earth inspiration is actually difficult to pull off in a way that truly moves the reader. And I was moved and delighted. Precious words.
"Daddy the Dentist" seems perfectly tailored for performance poetry. It generates emotion with a heart-gripping story and soundwork to underscore the memories. Profound simplicity.
Applauding your presentation.
Thank you
your comment is right on time with what's happening today. I am planning on reciting the poem the daddy the dentist at a live event we are holding at a Coffee Roastery, Larrys Coffee, here in Raleigh. If you're on Facebook check out Freshly Brewed Poems . We're planning a live event at 3 o'clock till about five. I'm hoping the Live feed from the event will also be available to look at later.
A lot of the younger poets are good at the spoken performances aspect of poetry. We have a number of very talented poets that attend our live events.
Heron Clan is a zoom meeting of poets from an anthology thst I am in
thank you for all your words of encouragement.
I admire your ability to
I admire your ability to recite your poems to an audience. I panic and freeze for some reason. I could give you examples, but I'd rather just forget about them.
I'm afraid I'm one of the few people who are not on Facebook. Deleted my account for personal security reasons.
But thanks for the invite. I'm sure you were amazing.