The Pen Virtuosa

Salvation

2008-09-10T12:28:00.000-07:00

the smell of a crimson rose
forever beneath my nose.

Shawn

2008-08-04T09:16:00.000-07:00

He said, "A beer with a hamburger
is heaven."

I smiled and
rolled with laughter.

Anytime

2008-07-21T08:32:00.001-07:00

You have a permanent
bed in my heart.
Lay down anytime
you like.

The Need

2008-07-21T08:18:00.000-07:00

The need is
so powerful
it turns Jews
into gentiles,
Christians
into athiests,
Muslims
into dust.

The Book Seller

2008-07-18T13:59:00.000-07:00

The swirl and swing
of his words
were nice---
all greens
and blues and yellows.

I wonder
what his reds
are like---
all warm and
plump and
mellow?

Bells

2008-07-17T22:27:00.000-07:00

Tuck and Patti?
Rings bells,
sweetens memories.

Things I Remember

2008-07-17T21:37:00.000-07:00

He pulled up.
Driving her car.
Cool as a cucumber.
No long explanations.
I got in the back seat.
We went to his dad's place.
He put a record on.
Smiled at me.
Softened his eyes.
I froze with desire.
Stared at his lips.
The jazz was good.
Horns filled my ears.
The second hand paused.
Moments too short.
He left the room.
Now time to go.
Hurt and confused.
Still wanting more.
My heart sank fast.
It waxed the floor.

Lonely

2008-07-17T21:22:00.000-07:00

Lonely tucks me
in each night,
rubs my feet,
bares my thighs,
makes me blush,
wells my eyes,
rolls me over,
tends my lines,
feeds me fruit,
straight from the vine.

Lonely keeps me
satisfied.

Like

2008-07-17T21:21:00.000-07:00

Hearts are like paper.
They tear so easily.

Gabby

2008-07-17T21:13:00.001-07:00

She smiled, and
God appeared.

Jazz

2008-07-16T14:54:00.000-07:00

I heard some jazz the other day, and
it reminded me of Hoke.

I should listen to jazz
more often.

Wishing

2008-07-08T21:30:00.000-07:00

She eased
in

talking
smiling
wishing

gently
sat upon
his desk
crossed
her legs
took a
deep breath

he never
knew
the sun
had come

she sweat
herself
to death.

Silence

2008-06-26T10:52:00.000-07:00

Some words
have no
womb.

Waking Up

2008-06-06T09:06:00.000-07:00

The greatest thing
is waking up
brushing teeth
washing up
not feeling crazy
not feeling blue
not feeling hazy
without you.
no butterflies
no late night cries
no over-eating
apple pies.
no sipping tea
to calm my nerves
no living like
I'm on the verge.
no watching re-runs
in the bed
no counting sheep
inside my head.
The bottom line?
I'm over you.
I'm riding waves
in Honnolu!

by Linette Marie Allen, Copyright 2008

She

2008-05-23T05:50:00.000-07:00

Never mind
The corpse you see
Strapped to my back;
She’s been with me
Since I was about Four.

Though she stinks
Something awful,
She’s really quite lovely...
Cherokee cheekbones,
Ripe apple lines,
Cinnabar skin,
Warm cocoa irises
And a watercolor smile
That took her places
Around the world!

She’s had tea with kings
In England, Italy, China
Liberia, Turkey, Serbia
And even Mars.
Birds still sing
Her praises!
“Ti voligio bene!”
“Nup nola!”
“čokoláda dèvōjka!”
The geishas have nothing
Over her.

She’s played pianos, flutes
And horns of various sizes
---And oh, not to mention
Her skills in art;
She could make a man
Stand still
---for hours.

Though she doesn’t look it now,
She was quite an
Impressionist
In her day.
“Intelligence senza
Arrogance”---ah!
This made her canvas
So Matisse!
So Rothko!
So O’Keefe!

Let me stop on that note;
She always hated
Rambling---even still,
I really miss her,
My pitiful little bird.

She spoke a million languages
Yet never said a...
Word.

Linette Marie Allen, Copyright 2008

You

2008-05-23T05:10:00.000-07:00

You put your hands
around my throat,
locked me out,
with just my coat,
threw me down,
beat me silly,
told the cops
---"It's nothing,
Really."

You...

by Linette Marie Allen, Copyright 2008

The Question

2008-05-14T16:20:00.000-07:00

What do you do
When you lie
To your
Self?

Do you make
Like a book
---Run fast
To the
Shelf?

by Linette Marie Allen, Copyright 2008

Cynicism

2008-05-14T12:16:00.000-07:00

Negative
Sarcastic
Distrustful
Bombastic
Arrogant
Suspicious
Wholly
Dismissive
Sneering
Derisive
Scornful
--Oh,
This is
Simply
The doctrine
Of fools
Who blow
Kisses.

By Linette Marie Allen, Copyright 2008

Made of Still

2008-05-14T10:34:00.000-07:00

While we were still
hookin’ up
shackin’ up
crookin’ up
rackin’ up
cuttin’ up
jackin’ up
tippin’ up
crackin’up
bumpin’ up
shootin’up
jumpin’ up
lootin’ up
drinkin’ up
throwin’ up
freakin’ up
ho-in’ up
smokin’ up
chewin’ up
dopin’ up &
screwin’up…

Awesome
hung Beautiful
To save
Ugly.

by Linette Marie Allen, Copyright 2008

Good

2008-05-07T10:13:00.000-07:00

Are you a good person
in the eyes of man
doing good things
taking stands
always being kind
right on time
helping old ladies
in the grocery line?

Are you a good person
in the eyes of most
never give lip
never drink or smoke
never talk hate
or stay up late
eat every bite
left on your plate?

Are you a good person?

Click the link below and find out.

The Way of the Master

by Linette Marie Allen, Copyright 2008

The Sound

2008-05-06T07:23:00.000-07:00

The shutting of elevator doors.
This is the sound of exhausted.

Rice Crispies popping in a bowl of milk.
This is the sound of lonely.

A honking horn at 2:06 a.m.
This is the sound of furious.

Rain dripping through the roof.
This is the sound of broke.

A fist punching the pillow.
This is the sound of crushed.

The scrawling of signatures.
This is the sound of it's over.

High heels striking the pavement.
This is the sound of moving on.

by Linette Marie Allen, Copyright 2008

The Apology

2008-05-05T09:42:00.000-07:00

What can I say that
has yet to be said
Jesus is not
The Lord of the dead

Jesus is not
The sun or the moon
Jesus is not
A ritual at noon

Jesus is not
A melodious Greek
Jesus is not
A religious freak

Jesus is not
A trance in summer
Jesus is not
A mathematical number

Jesus is not
A prophet alone
Jesus is not
A tree or a stone

Jesus is not
A cool bumper sticker
Jesus is not
A holy nit-picker

Jesus is not
A monk in a cave
Jesus is not
A punk in the grave

Jesus is not
A sect or a cult
Jesus is not
A book in a vault

Jesus is not
A cross made of gold
Jesus is not
A rumor of Old

Jesus is not
An ox or an ass
Jesus is not
A stained piece of glass

Jesus is not
A drink of libation
Jesus is not
A yogic sensation

Jesus is not
A grape or a wafer
Jesus is not
A thesis on paper

Jesus is God
The Giver of Life
Jesus is Lord,
The Savior, the Christ!

Jesus was beaten
Black and blue;
Whipped and crushed
To bring you through!

Jesus was nailed
to take your place;
spilling his blood
To give you grace

Jesus is good
He loves the poor;
The Door, The Gate!
And that's for sure

Jesus is holy
The Son of God;
A friend and brother
Who knows it's hard

Jesus is real
I beg you, please;
Repent and fall
Down on your knees

So what can I say
That has yet to be said
Let Jesus be King
Of your heart and your head!

by Linette Marie Allen, Copyright 2008

Bike

2008-05-03T15:37:00.000-07:00

She took my bike.

Leaves were blowing,
kites were flying,
soccer balls were hitting goalies.

She took my bike.

Tears were flowing,
teeth were clinching,
sweaty palms were hitting walls.

She took my bike.

by Linette Marie Allen, Copyright 2008

The Hypothesis

2008-05-02T10:52:00.000-07:00

If my mind
is just a warehouse
of knowledge
and my knowledge
is just a book
and my book
is just a word
and my word
is just...
an alphabet,

then my alphabets
are just rehearsal
and my words
are just cliches
and my books
are just plaigarized
and my knowledge
is just a script
and my mind
is just...
a microphone.

by Linette Marie Allen, 2008

Enough is Enough

2008-05-02T04:08:00.000-07:00

O Lord,
I no longer want
the counterfeit things
of this world.

I’ve sipped,
and tasted,
eaten,
thrown up,
been wasted,
and now I’m done.

Please pass me a trash bag.

Rest Assured

2008-05-01T09:13:00.000-07:00

In all hopes
in all dreams
in all ways
in all things
in all thoughts
in all gain
regrets
and all pain

remember
that I am
is always
with you.

by Linette Marie Allen, Copyright 2008

Meet Always

2008-04-29T13:42:00.000-07:00

Always learning, never knowing
always moving, never going
always seeking, never finding
always loosing, never binding

Always listening, never hearing
always jiving, never fearing
always talking, never teaching
always laughing, never preaching

Always crying, never repenting
always lying, never relenting
always interpreting, never believing
always imagining, never reading

Always leaving, never staying
always gossiping, never praying
always planting, never producing
always trying, never doing.

Always makes me sick.

by Linette Marie Allen, Copyright 2008

This Summer

2008-04-10T12:43:00.000-07:00

This summer
was born in a land
where hot weather
was in love with the rain
and blue/white/sometimes grey skies
knew no pollution this summer

This summer
was walking in a land
where the cure for hunger
could be picked from a tree
and just lookin' at sun-tanned palms
was good healing this summer

This summer
was laughing in a land
where the belly of time
was quite ticklish
and marigolds were the only flowers
to reproduce themselves this summer

This summer
was bathing in a land
where the sun's heat
was my only towel
and the ocean water was so clean
I could see the corns on my feet this summer

This summer
was dancing in a land
where my soul could
do the tango with the wind
and the smell of a hand-made drum
was makin' me wanna go back again
next summer...

by Linette Marie Allen, Copyright 2008

Does Love Have a Heart?

2008-04-10T11:40:00.000-07:00

Does love have a heart
like anger, a temper
and happiness, a smile?

Does love have a heart
like the desert, heat
and the amazon, rain?

Does love have a heart
like a rastaman, dreads
and watermelons, seeds?

Does love have a heart
like a fool, regrets
and cocoa beach, too many hotels?

Does love have a heart
like grandma, bad nerves
and single parents, really hard?

Does love have a heart
like the beginning, an end
and Bush, lots of explaining to do?

Does love have a heart?
by Linette Marie Allen, Copyright 2008

What's the Use?

2008-04-08T12:34:00.000-07:00

What's the use of writing words
if the words are never read

what's the use of saying things
if the meaning is never said

what's the use of living life
if your life is never real

what's the use of having money
if it can not save or heal

what's the use of being human
if you do not have a heart

what's the use of telling stories
if you can not tell the plot

what's the use of playing music
if the sound is never clear

what's the use of having intelligence
if your mind is never here

what's the use of painting pictures
if the art is never seen

what's the use of doing anything
if you never have a dream

what's the use of having feelings
if never have a hope

what's the use of having trophies
if your veins are full of dope

what's the use of being holy
if your words are still obscene

what's the use of making love
if the act is just routine

what's the use of having power
if your power will never anoint

what's the use of getting to know me
if you will never get...

--my point?

by Linette Marie Allen, Copyright 2008