Category Archives: Revolutionary ImproVerse Poetry

Helping His Mommy At Christmas Time: Revolutionary ImproVerse Free Verse Lament

Somewhere tonight,
a son stayed home,
helping his mommy.

The elderly lady moved
through her house,
finding recycled gifts
which she gleefully packaged
to give to her friends.

Her son followed behind,
lifting boxes of lights
and ornaments
and bows
and presents
to help her.

He had friends
laughing
and singing
and looking at
the bright lights of the city.
His eyes sometimes brimmed
with tears
as he thought
of them
and the fun
he could have had.

They asked him
to go.
They offered him
a ride.
He had, at first,
said yes.
But then,
sadly,
he turned
them
down.

He wanted to go.
He wanted to be
with good folk,
like himself.

He wanted to look at
the nativities
and twinkling trees,
and hear the laughter of children
and adults
and the quiet whisper
of people
reflecting
on the gift of the Savior.

He wanted to get to know
more people,
and feel their friendship
and the joy of the season
and give them friendship
and comfort
and joy,
as he knew
he could.
As he knew
he had.

Instead, he did
what he was asked.
He didn’t ever want
to hurt anybody.
He didn’t want anyone
to feel rejected.

He wept
at the thought
that he bruised tender hearts.

Still,
he knew
and knows
he followed his heart.
Still,
given the choice,
this boy
will
always
try to help
his mommy.

Especially
at Christmas.

Trying To Listen, Trying To Be: Revolutionary ImproVerse Free Verse

It has been a very
long
time
since I have tried
to listen
to the Spirit
in everything
I do.

I’ve spent the last
lost
several years
lost,
just doing
my own thing,
not
having the Spirit
with me at
all.

That is a difficult habit
to get out of,
making your own decisions
and just doing
whatever
you want.
I don’t hear him
very well
yet.
I don’t even ask him
as much as
I should.

I am learning.
I’m very sorry
that you get caught
in the crossfire
of my ignorance.

And my mother and I
sing “I’m trying to be
like Jesus,”
and I cry because
so often
I fail
and
so often
I hurt others.
I don’t want to.

It Could Be Worse: Revolutionary ImproVerse Free Verse Poem Lament

Death
of my
battery.

When your mother
keeps the car trunk light
on
for 2 days,
that’s what happens.

And what Chrysler engineer
had the idiot idea
to put the battery
in the driver’s-side
wheel well,
behind a splash guard,
with no easily-accessible
screws?

Stupidhead.

I was furious.
45 minutes
and 2 screws out,
6 to go,
I was worse.

I walked home.
I was cold.
I was angry.

Then I met the guy
who was a few blocks away
from getting on the freeway.

He stopped at a stop sign,
and his axle on his old van
broke,
and his front wheel
fell off.

And he was grateful.

“It could have been
so much worse.
I was blessed.”

He was right.
And now I’m grateful
and blessed.