After visiting an attempted suicide
from 6-28-86 from 6-26-86
If I would ever take my life
I would know to do it right
and not have silver plastic tubes
protruding
into where and from where
my body
used to be
my body?
it wouldn’t be
my body anymore
it couldn’t be
my body anymore
pocked
like some nation where war
must be fought
No, this would be a body
now owned
by doctors and nurses
kept alive
to show their skills
at this particular
game
2 How are we today, Mr. small
Are you feeling any better
knowing
I’d have no more voice means
to give an
swer
Your parents are coming to see you
and I’d desperately want to scream
NO!!!
not in this condition
not in this perdition
not in this suspension
of all but my mind,
which lies here
in hope of a falsely promised resurrection
Then, of course,
various and divers
lovers
of different persuasions
my last duchess, of course
my first countess, perhaps, after all
though I was one of her men
it was only for a
briefling
and various men
who were young and sweet
back in the day, back in that day
when I was young and fierce
and various and driven women
who knew of being young
but nothing of sweet,
back in the night, that early night
when I was young and sought
sought the hardest way through the night
There would be a parade of my life
twenty years
of the madnesses and obsessions
even my daughter
might venture in
would realize, then,
it was now too late
to answer
her
questions
a twenty year parade
of madnesses and obsessions
of sadnesses and posessions
and as this damn parade continued
ad in sane um
would noone have the grace
to unplug me
or would it be years of
my silence unwillingly greeting
And how are we today, Mr. Small
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About bobsmall1
Bob Small has read at Bacchanal, Barnes and Noble, Borders,
The Booksource (Swarthmore), The Clark Park Festivals,Community College of Philadelphia
Highwire Gallery, The Mad Poets Annual Food Fest Reading,
The Middle East Restaurant, Nexus GalleryThe Painted Bride Arts Center,
The Philadelphia Ethical Society, Robin's Bookstore
The University of Pennsylvania and also in New York City,
Trenton, NJ, Washington, DC, and in many Delaware Valley Venues.
He is the author of numerous chapbooks, including
El Otro Lado (with Maralyn Lois Polak), On watching America Die,
Small Steps and Toes (with Lamont B. Steptoe), and The Unapoet.
This is his first Reading in over a year.
Bob Small was Founder and President of the
two decades old Poets and Prophets,
which presented Poetry Readings
in both Delaware County and Philadelphia.
Bob was the Chair of The Delaware County Green Party and was the
First Green Party Candidate in Delaware County (2005).
He was also a Green Party National Delegate, among other duties.
He is the Founder and Facilitator of
The Pennsylvania Ballot Access Coalition (PaBac),
which is a Coalition of both Independents and Third Parties.,
seeking to legislatively improve Pennsylvania's Ballot Access Laws. (Facebook)
Bob is also a founding member and
Facilitator of Democracy Unplugged, and Delco Debates,
which has presented Independent and Third Party Forums in Delaware County since 2004. Facebook)
He was formerly involved with Cinema Resistance, and Delco Pledge of Resistance.
Bob currently lives in Swarthmore with his wife
and their menagerie of animals.
He is currently focused on writing a Novel and organizing his Poetry, which he posts on his Blog (Bob Small1). He is retired from most of the above activities, except Delco Debates and Poets and Prophets, which he may return to.
robertthesmall 