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There is a Sadness


by Darryl Price


now I cannot shake. I am only one person. There
is a sadness I cannot understand. Fathom. Control. Manipulate. Detonate.
I used to kiss her tenderly. Do you think this 
sadness is wise to us? Don't point that gun at 
me! There is a sadness. There is another war. I
am only one person.There is a sadness I cannot 
shake. Comes another nasty rain. I used to kiss her 
tenderly. There's a sadness walking through the gardens of the 
whole world now. I am only a person. There is 
a sadness on the window pane. I hear it knock. 

I used to kiss her. The sun shone on her 
bare bottom. I don't understand. Is there a sadness now
I cannot shake? I am only one person. There is 
a sadness in the mists over the river. The whole 
world is coagulating, in the quiet leaves, in the forgotten 
forests, trying to shrink itself in utter silence, too. I'm  
this person. I'm not that person. I used to kiss 
her tenderly. I am only one. There's a drab sadness
like nothing I've ever felt before. A sadness like moonlight
pulled down over our ears. A sadness like dark buildings.  

Sadness as if I opened my eyes and felt a 
dagger put to my side. I used to kiss her  
tenderly. There is a sadness, but I suppose you've already
heard too much about that yourself. A raging world, like  
nightly getting washed away with serious tears. She was more 
beautiful to me than God sitting in His sunsets having 
a long ice packed drink of  mystery Coke. I used 
to kiss her on the inside leg of her journey.  
But now, now there is this sadness like we've all 
fallen asleep where we stand. I am only one person. 

Like you I wish to see another day. There is 
a grey sadness now I cannot shake. I am only 
one person who doesn't matter. But I know there is 
a sadness like a plea for some better understanding between 
peoples everywhere. A sadness like little white carefree country flowers 
trying to grow inside a vast blue sky, but having  
a really hard time doing it. I used to kiss 
her mouth so tenderly. I am only here. This sadness
is nothing short of disgusting. I cannot shake it. There
is this sadness now fixed on destroying what heart I 

have left, with its propensity for starvation, and murder of
true affection. I am only one person. Her eyes were 
soft to look at, to gaze in, to take on. 
Now there is a sadness that puts all of my 
thoughts and dreams in a hospital sling. There is a 
sadness, but also a courage, like a bird I didn't 
know I had, singing in my tree, asking me to 
see new light as it flies to the north sea 
of my emotions. There is sadness, but a small hope  
also remains, determined to leap high and deep with joy.  



First, an old dp poem:



 
We Wore Our Hair Long

by Darryl Price



 

You don't have to push back so hard. We wore our hair long.

We wanted the animals to trust us in their wild open spaces.

Everything will come undone. We wore our hair long because we wanted to

 

Be able to find our way home in the dark moonlight. It'll be

All right. We wore our hair long because we walked among your tethered

 

Horses and they seemed to think it was the right thing to

Do. You can't take these cosmic things too lightly. We wore our

Hair long because there was no future left. And because the bullshit night

 

Was beginning to pile up and over our heads like an avalanche

Of thick grey clouds. They offered us nothing, nothing in return for our broken

Hearts. This is the world, they said. We wore our hair long

 

In spite of robot armies with falling bombs tattooed on their metal


Encased brains. You don't have to push. We wore our hair long

Because we were so in love. It's as simple as that. We were

 

Able to see all free creatures breathing in every blade of grass. We

Wore our hair long to magnify their tears. You don't have to

 

Push us so hard. We wanted the animals to not be afraid

To let us touch them in our dreams. We wore our hair long to show

The ancient dragons that we still respected them. Put your arms around

 

Me now. We were deeply in love. We wore our hair long as

Long as we were together. After that, the poems came on us like rain.




Bonus poems: 5 teeth set in a pumpkin's grinning mouth


Only My Hand

by Darryl Price


Now is so important to say I love 
you. To not choose hate or fear to rule us 
but impossible hope, even with our 
red eyes full of soft sorrow. I'm glad you're 
here with me. I am always with you. That 
is not just a nice little saying, it 
is the absolute truth of my being. 
It is my choice. My freedom cast with true 
love and a small grin, but on purpose. This 
is no time to pretend our souls are not 

in any real mortal danger. The world 
has become a criminal enterprise. 
As one people it's time to sing a song 
of endless courage together. For the 
whole bluegreen planet. For all size beings 
everywhere. From fizzy atoms and sparkling 
stardust cities to major elephant 
herds and graceful billowing whales, mountains 
in deep meditation and colorful 
coral reefs, to blowing birds and humming 

bees. We make up everything and everything 
makes up us. We belong together. And 
now is no time to trust the people with 
all the stupid guns aimed between the eyes 
of every citizen. We can't allow 
unnecessary violence to become 
the only street playing dialogue that's 
available to us. It isn't. Use 
the most universal languages to 
communicate, to find meaning again, 

and to remember ourselves: there's all kinds 
of cool, amazing music being made, 
and gut wrenching laughter to be had, and 
dance, dance, dance. You have the right to feel  a 
joyful happiness. Ironically, that 
also means right now we must fight, for a
visible justice for all, with the one 
precious thing we've always had, our lives with 
each other. I like you. I want you to 
know that no matter what happens, it's true.   dp




I'm Floating

by Darryl Price


I have no idea how I got here. I 
don't mean here. I mean here. Where I'm floating 
in helpless disappointment once again. The beautiful world below 
me is full of strange people I'll never know, 
I'll never say hello to. They don't seem to 
see me floating right over their heads in my 

little poetry bus. Keeping it simple though, I'm floating, 
but it could be walking on rain water as 
much as standing up flying through air like a 
vacuum cleaner.. It doesn't feel too bad. I'm floating 
just like a ghost. I'm floating, but it's me 
that's feeling gone down the rabbit hole. I have 

no idea how I'm floating when I should be 
falling into a deeper sleep. I'm floating in the 
empty fireplace. I'm floating in the river's brown eyes, 
banging my head against the exposed roots, whistling for 
an end to all this entrenched ancient madness, for 
it to go away, please. I'll float on. That's 

what I do for you. It's nothing you care 
about. That's who I am. Either the air will 
be slowly let out of me by the piratical 
rascal winds or quickly punctured out on the horns 
of a curious deer like creature made of glow 
in the dark leaves. I'm floating in my soul.


I Will Return to the Sea

by Darryl Price


" Some dance to remember. Some 
dance to forget."--The Eagles

my heart, but you may not want
to participate. I get
that. I will return to the 
sea, my pockets full of the 
heavy stones you piled there with
indifference. I'll return 

to the sea, first as blue foam  
then as green light then as some 
new thing weighed down by its own 
drinking weightlessness. Cracking 
skies will continue to chip 
their way into the world, while

clouds mushroom up and down the
coasts, opening new night like 
a secret bottle of wine 
shared with someone you love. It 
doesn't make it any less 
true. To the sea I'll return

in my lover's shirt to the 
wreckage, the graveyard below 
all feelings and any thoughts 
of growing feelings among 
the seaweed. I will return
to the sea shivering and 

turning to sand. But I will 
not stay there for you. This you 
must allow me to say, as
I rise from the dark stairs of 
glowing stars to become dry
again. And even though we are 

still here the stars do not look 
the same to me. I took your 
advice and met the sea on 
its own terms, the sea refused 
to tender my offer with 
anything more than cheekbones.



Please Don't Ruin This Poem

by Darryl Price


for me. I'm sorry it's
not what you wanted. You
don't have to be unkind.
Don't ruin it. Take it easy.
It's not what you want.
But you withheld the truth

from your kiss. You wanted
me to watch the betrayal
like it was a soap
job. You didn't have to 
be so unkind. Don't ruin
this. He was the same sideways 

as frontways, so there 
was no real point in the 
window being cross-haired
for my sake. You looked remarkably
unsuited
for each other, except 

as an excuse to rut
around in the dirt and
be pinned to pleasure like
a dead butterfly.So
please don'r ruin this poem 
for me on my account. 

It's not what you want to 
do. Although the unkindness 
is something you gladly 
chose as a weapon,
I choose poetry--I
guess we're both wrong when it 

comes to love. A beautiful 
thing dies when there is 
no compromise, so as 
far as that is concerned 
it's already ruined. The 
unkindness you can keep.



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