Reflection on Hawkfeather A’s Love My Whole
she is earth goddess sitting in flower bed,
round as egg,
mystic symbol on forehead,
no mating-dance clothes on body,
just a pendant around her neck.
she is loving herself,
smiling the prettiest smile.
i want to reach out to her
hug her
kiss her
love her
kneel before her and say
“Ma’am, I will do anything
in the world you ask just
please allow me to gaze
upon your beauty for a
moment longer!”
but all she needs is herself
and the flowers that grow from the earth’s womb.
she is perfect.
complete.
she is frightening.
Listen to Benjamin read Reflection on Hawkfeather A's Love My Whole HEREUnderstanding Depression, Excerpt No. 3
Depression may be hard to spot. If you experience any of these symptoms, you may want
to speak to your doctor:
• Unexplained back pain.
• Feeling helpless.
• Neglecting to feed your cat.
• No longer enjoying playing with your cat.
• Writing depressing poetry and reading it to your cat.
• Feeling like you’re not as worthy of love as your cat.
• Attempting to forget everything by spending all night doing shots of tequila with
your friends, then throwing up in your friend’s car and coming home to no one
but your cat.
• Wishing you were your cat.
• Standing on a chair and tying one end of a rope around a ceiling rafter and the
other around your neck, deciding to live at the last minute and going to sleep
crying and cradling your cat.
Reflection on Ruary Allan’s Hermaphrodiliac
A piece of fruit lies discarded on the ground
while the serpent slithers around Eve’s naked body,
his shadow casting infinite possibilities of knowledge.
She stares for the first time at the beautiful universe,
its stars and ringed planets stretching as far she can see.
A bear gazes up at this woman
who seconds ago was just like it
but is now unlimited by her potential.
Her face remains hidden. I wonder what its expression is.
How did she look when she tasted that fruit
and saw the truth naked in front of her?
Adam finishes ejaculating
and reaches out to Eve
but she keeps gazing.
The serpent eyes a grasshopper
and gets ready to strike.
From the depths of the universe
a watchful eye observes.
Trivium #1
Fun fact: the average trust fund kid will go to India one and a half times, where he will attempt to show that he’s “street-smart” and “just like a real Indian” by haggling over 40 rupees (less than $1 American) with a rickshaw driver named Mani, who grew up on the streets of Mysore where he got his first job at the age of 6 running errands for a shopkeeper, who let him into his home every night to drink whisky and watch films from the United States, allowing him to pick up their way of speaking English, move to Delhi and spend a few golden years working in a call center until his drinking habit got the best of him and he found himself back on the streets, 2200 kilometers from home, managing to get a loan for an auto-rickshaw so he could earn some small amount of money driving people around and hoping for the occasional non-Indian to give him enough money to pay down his loan and afford food and gutkha.
Reflection on Salvador Dali’s The Face of War
Shriveled, brown,
ridden with wrinkles,
alone in the desert,
it screams a horrible, twisted scream.
The same gruesome face
echoes in its eyes,
its mouth.
It sees and tastes only war,
feels only the snakes biting its skin.
It is evil,
the very image
of Paul Wolfowitz’s soul.
It is almost beyond pity.
Listen to Benjamin read Reflection on Salvador Dali's The Face of War HERE
Trivium #2
Fun fact: Adolf Hitler’s body was found in the mid-1970s in Pennsylvania, where it was discovered that he loved the television series Bewitched, especially the 200 episodes in which Endora gets mad at Darren and puts some kind of spell on him that messes up his day at work, a premise he described as “comedy gold.”
Casual Friday
He dresses up on casual Friday. He owns five pairs of work pants, ten dress shirts and twenty-two different ties. He doesn’t have enough time. He takes prescription cream for his receding hairline but looks down on people with psychiatrists. He has nightmares about missing work.
Trivium #2
Fun fact: Adolf Hitler’s body was found in the mid-1970s in Pennsylvania, where it was discovered that he loved the television series Bewitched, especially the 200 episodes in which Endora gets mad at Darren and puts some kind of spell on him that messes up his day at work, a premise he described as “comedy gold.”
Casual Friday
He dresses up on casual Friday. He owns five pairs of work pants, ten dress shirts and twenty-two different ties. He doesn’t have enough time. He takes prescription cream for his receding hairline but looks down on people with psychiatrists. He has nightmares about missing work.
Listen to Benjamin read Casual Friday HERE
Trivium #3
Fun fact: numerous studies have shown that people who regularly visit shopping malls are immune to the effects of LSD.
Trivium #3
Fun fact: numerous studies have shown that people who regularly visit shopping malls are immune to the effects of LSD.
Ironic Prose Poem
This poem is awesome! It’s written in prose instead of verse; how avant garde is that? Not only that; it appears to say one thing but actually signifies something else, which is just great! I can’t wait to see what these wacky poets will think of next!
Trivium #4
Fun fact: the seventh leading cause of heart attack is the sudden realization that you can no longer stand another day at that job you got that made you so comfortable because despite their Bachelor’s Degrees your co-workers can barely string sentences together let alone get anything done and they make stupid corny jokes regarding the latest gossip about celebrities or politicians every time you’re in earshot and when you’re not in earshot they still send you email forwards containing even worse jokes and your 401k is good but the thought of being there until you’re sixty-five is too crushing for your poor heart to take.
This poem is awesome! It’s written in prose instead of verse; how avant garde is that? Not only that; it appears to say one thing but actually signifies something else, which is just great! I can’t wait to see what these wacky poets will think of next!
Trivium #4
Fun fact: the seventh leading cause of heart attack is the sudden realization that you can no longer stand another day at that job you got that made you so comfortable because despite their Bachelor’s Degrees your co-workers can barely string sentences together let alone get anything done and they make stupid corny jokes regarding the latest gossip about celebrities or politicians every time you’re in earshot and when you’re not in earshot they still send you email forwards containing even worse jokes and your 401k is good but the thought of being there until you’re sixty-five is too crushing for your poor heart to take.
Listen to Benjamin read Trivium #4 HERE
Benjamin C. Krause is a recovering software engineer and the author of Classifieds, erbacce-press 2010. His writings have appeared in numerous online and print magazines, including Tipton Poetry Journal, The Literary Bohemian, Foundling Review, ken*again, and Children, Churches & Daddies. In 2010 his poem "Scene from a Pharmacy" was selected for The Best of Foliate Oake 2009-2010 Edition print anthology, and he has an interview forthcoming in Leaf Garden Magazine. He started his own literary publishing company in 2009 called Diamond Point Press, which publishes the literary magazines Liebamour and Muscle & Blood and will soon be putting out a series of e-chapbooks. Diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder in 2006, he believes the best treatment for his condition is to stay active and write often.
