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Best Poems From
LAURENCE OVERMIRE
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401.
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The Bug Spray Excuse
Good wife, said I
Someone sprayed your relatives with insect repellent
And now, bee that I am
Aye
Cannot possibly go near them.
(Previously published in Pleasant Unicorn, Feb.2001)
Laurence Overmire
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402.
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The Burning of Alexandria
I look for people who bear and bore
Witness to the truth
Century upon century
Time upon once forgotten time
So hard to find
But once found, well
Thats why I sit
Pen in hand
And see, feel, dream
Maybe someone, someday will find me
If a word can survive
Passing through the shade of one short
Dark burning night
To some clear, distant morning
And in the finding, understand.
(Previously published in Boloji, Apr.2003; Other Voices International Project, Apr.2006)
Laurence Overmire
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403.
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The Christmas Form Letter
Dear So and So Whoever You Are and No One Really Cares Anyway or You Wouldnt Be Getting a Completely Impersonal Form Letter Like This,
Its a new millennium and high time to turn over a new leaf and be honest, so no more of the usual happy b.s. about how wonderful life has been this past year for our perfect little family.
Frankly, this year sucked. Were all just another year older and one step closer to death.
My back has been killing me, my gout is a real pain, and Ive got an ingrown toenail thats driving me crazy. I still hate my job, my boss is an idiot, Im underpaid and I work way too many hours. I wish I had followed my boyhood dream and become a Glee Club Conductor.
Ethel has an assortment of ailments of her own including hay fever, rheumatism, and asthma. She goes to church every Sunday and tries to sing in the choir with a lot of other old ladies who cant sing either. She still hates my football and I hate her Bridge Club. We have nothing to talk about and nothing much to look forward to except more of the same.
Bobby, our eldest, is a successful businessman who makes a lot of money and has a big house which he never spends any time in. This year his wife Carol, the hand model, went on Prozac to celebrate her 35th birthday.
Molly continues to see her therapist twice a week. She claims shes a changed woman and has a new hairstyle to prove it. Her third husband, George, sold us more insurance that we dont need again this year.
Michael, the last we heard, is starving somewhere in Alaska writing poetry, weaving baskets and God knows what all.
Penny, our youngest, is on a new weight loss program. She cooked tofurkey when we all got together for Thanksgiving. The grandkids gave it to the dog. Her husband Darryl is a successful accountant for the prestigious law firm of Balder, Rimmelstein, and Dash. He attended a Star Trek convention this past summer dressed as a near-sighted Klingon.
So there you have it. Life goes on. Another year, another Christmas, another form letter. We cant wait to get yours. Whoever you are.
Wishing you a wonderful holiday
and a terrific New Year
for a change,
Bob and Ethel Blick
(Previously published in The Hold, Dec.2003)
Laurence Overmire
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404.
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The Closed Mind
No battering ram can penetrate
Walls that have no logic
Make no sense to common
Knowledge.
Why waste the energy
In siege against a fortress
Hot oil and arrows
When the war is not worth winning?
(Previously published in The Poet's Porch, Oct.2000, winner of The Poet's Porch Award for excellence)
Laurence Overmire
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