Poems, Penny each

[MarieDelta]

Here is one of my favorites, I hope that you enjoy it as well( please feel free to add yours)

deconstructive surgery - Julia Serano (http://www.juliaserano.com/drawblood.html#deconstructive)
being an out trans-woman
there is one question
that follows me around where ever i go
inquiring minds want to know
have i "gone all the way"
you know, have i had “the surgery”

and to me, it feels like a no-win inquisition
if i tell the truth: “no, not yet”
then i get to deal
with everybody else's emotional baggage
because nothing makes people more paranoid
than a real life female with a phallus
straight men shake in their boots
at the possibility
that they might accidentally
become attracted to me
and those who patrol
the gates of women-only spaces
are often dead-set on discriminating against me
driven by the ridiculous belief
that my girly little estrogenized penis
is somehow still pulsating
with hyper-masculine energy

on the other hand
having the operation
has its own stigma attached to it
no medical methodology
induces as much fear and anxiety as SRS
sex reassignment surgery
a friend told me that he once saw SRS
on the video "faces of death"
sandwiched in between
real life shark attacks and murder attempts
some people go so far
as to call SRS a form of self-mutilation
conveniently ignoring the fact
that more common procedures
such as nose jobs and liposuction
also involve the removal
of a small amount
of non-essential tissue

most people are surprised when i tell them
that the surgeons don't really cut the penis off
they just turn it inside out
and move the nerve endings around
to make a functional and realistic looking
clitoris and vagina
at that point, i am invariably asked if i want SRS
so that i can have sex with a man
and you should see the blank stares i get
when i reply: "no, but i’m really looking forward
to having my wife fuck me
with a strap-on dildo"

see, we live in a phallic-obsessed culture
where we're all trained to believe
that everything having to do
with gender and sexuality
somehow revolves around the penis
that's why so many clueless straight guys
come on to dykes
with pick-up lines like
"once you've had the real thing baby
you won't ever go back"
they actually buy into that crap
and it is also why most people can't even talk
about transsexual women or SRS
without centering the discussion
around "the penis"

but the thing that nobody seems to get
is that my desire to have SRS
has absolutely nothing to do with my penis
this is about me wanting to have
a clitoris and vagina
but we don’t even have the language
to describe this desire
it's the ultimate freudian slipwe naturally assume
that all young girls suffer from penis envy
but we can’t imagine that any boy
could possibly have its polar opposite
it’s all in the words we use
when someone is bold or brave
we say they have “balls”
while words like "pussy" and "cunt"
are only ever spoken as insults
and while everyone seems to understand
how the penis works
we treat female genitalia
like they’re a mysterious black box
most young women aren't even taught
the names of all their body parts
many people are unaware
that the clitoris even exists
and as for the vagina
well aren’t we all taught
to see that as simply the hole
where the penis is supposed to go?

so it’s no wonder that most people assume
that i must be mentally ill
because in this culture
wanting to be a woman
is something most people find literally unimaginable
and when i do have SRS
my surgically deconstructed genitals
will no doubt be seen by some
to be an abomination or blasphemy
because my cunt
will be the ultimate question mark
asking how powerful can the penis really be
if a sane and smart person like me
decides that she can do without it?

and if the world supposedly revolves around the penis
then my SRS will knock it off its axis
and phallic symbols everywhere
will come crashing down
like nothing more than a house of cards
after all, a cigar is always just a cigar
and i am simply me
and i refuse to let anyone project
their penis obsessions onto my body
as far as i’m concerned
if they can't fathom
why i might want to trade in my penis
for a clitoris and vagina
then they're the ones
who have the gender disorder

[rissababynta]

That was great Marie. I really enjoyed reading that. Very insightful. Since you said to share, I will share my favorite poem. It's not as interesting as yours but, you know lol.

The Road Not Taken [by Robert Frost]

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference

[onewhocares]

That was great Marie. I really enjoyed reading that. Very insightful. Since you said to share, I will share my favorite poem. It's not as interesting as yours but, you know lol.

The Road Not Taken [by Robert Frost]

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference


Rissa,

This too is my favoirte poem..it has become the backbone of my life and my anthem for the future.

Belle


Marie,

Beautiful...inside and out.

[darkeyes]

Poetry.. food for the soul..me luffs it... an of all poets, spose it mite b cos me Scottish, there is no 1 compare 2 Rabbie..Robert Burns. This year on 25th January we celebrated the 250th anniversary of The Bard's birth. Me wos raised on Burns, an me dad used 2 read 'im 2 me wen e wos 'ome fore me went 2 sleep.

One has always stuk in the memory..an me has always found eva so touchin.. soz.. its not ritten in English..not even in Fran..but in the Ayrshire Scots a the time.. is wivout doubt me fave poem in the world..an this is me fave version of it ('e rote sevral..)... its English title is "Address To an Illegitimate Child".. an ther r English translations ifya wonna look 'em up.... but it loses much a the true feelin if ya read it in English... 2 me ne way.. so me has always preferred the Scots title an the Scots words.. they convey the true feelins a the man 2 ward a child 'e loved..

Welcome To A Bastart Wean - Robert Burns (1759-1796)

1.
Thou's welcome, wean! Mishanter fa' me,
If thoughts o' thee or yet thy mammie
Shall ever daunton me or awe me,
My sweet, wee lady,
Or if I blush when thou shalt ca' me
Tyta or daddie!

2.
What tho' they ca' me fornicator,
An' tease my name in kintra clatter?
The mair they talk, I'm kend the better;
E'en let them clash!
An auld wife's tongue's a feckless matter
To gie ane fash.

3.
Welcome, my bonie, sweet, wee dochter!
Tho' ye come here a wee unsought for,
And tho' your comin I hae fought for
Baith kirk and queir;
Yet, by my faith, ye're no unwrought for ---
That I shall swear!

4.
Sweet fruit o' monie a merry dint,
My funny toil is no a' tint:
Tho' thou cam to the warl' asklent,
Which fools may scoff at,
In my last plack thy part's be in't
The better half o't.

5.
Tho' I should be the waur bestead,
Thou's be as braw and bienly clad,
And thy young years as nicely bred
Wi' education,
As onie brat o' wedlock's bed
In a' thy station.

6.
Wee image o' my bonie Betty,
As fatherly I kiss and daut thee,
As dear and near my heart I set thee,
Wi' as guid will,
As a' the priests had seen me get thee
That's out o' Hell.

7.
Gude grant that thou may ay inherit
Thy mither's looks an' gracefu' merit,
An' thy poor, worthless daddie's spirit
Without his failins!
'Twill please me mair to see thee heir it
Than stocket mailins.

8.
And if thou be what I wad hae thee,
An' tak the counsel I shall gie thee,
I'll never rue my trouble wi' thee ---
The cost nor shame o't ---
But be a loving father to thee,
And brag the name o't.

[csrakate]

Fran, it took me a few minutes to get past the language but once I did, what a LOVELY poem and so fitting for it to be such a favorite of such a Daddy's girl. It reminds me of one of my very favorite Broadway songs..."Soliloquy" from Carousel....the song starts out very light....in a joking manner, talking about raising a boy...but when the character realizes that his child might be a girl, it takes on a more serious tone....and with the right singer, is delivered in such a heart wrenching manner. For those so inclined, here's a link to the incredible John Raitt singing this song (it's a long song so scan to 4:35 to find this part LOL) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKCUapUEFkY and below are the lyrics that remind me of your poem. I know it's not a poem, but it's close LOL! and here's the part I am referring to:

Hey, why am I talkin' on like this?
My kid ain't even been born, yet!
I can see him when he's seventeen or so,
And startin' to go with a girl
I can give him lots of pointers, very sound
On the way to get 'round any girl
I can tell him ...
Wait a minute!
Could it be?
What the hell!
What if he is a girl?
What would I do with her?
What could I do for her?
A bum with no money!
You can have fun with a son
But you gotta be a father to a girl
She mightn't be so bad at that
A kid with ribbons in her hair!
A kind o' sweett and petite
Little tin-type of her mother!
What a pair!

My little girl
Pink and white
As peaches and cream is she
My little girl
Is half again as bright
As girls are meant to be!
Dozens of boys pursue her
Many a likely lad does what he can to woo her
From her faithful dad
She has a few
Pink and white young fellers of two or three
But my little girl
Gets hungry ev'ry night and she comes home to me!

I-I got to get ready before she comes!
I got to make certain that she
Won't be dragged up in slums
With a lot o' bums like me
She's got to be sheltered
In a fair hand dressed
In the best that money can buy!
I never knew how to get money,
But, I'll try, I'll try! I'll try!
I'll go out and make it or steal it
Or take it or die!

[rissababynta]

Oh my God...Broadway was just mentioned around the wrong chick! lol! I am such a Broadway buff! I named a cat Mr. Mistoffelees once hehe. I've grown up with Broadway in my life. Can't get enough of it. Andrew Lloyd Webber is the best by the way. His songs just hit you right in the heart. One of my favorite songs is Music of the Night. Everyone loves that song! And damn, you guys should here me sing Christine's part in Phantom of the Opera ;-) Even BARRY MANILOW has a Broadway show now, as if Broadway couldn't get any better for me!


Ok, now that I've made myself sound like a total dork, I'll shut up now...

[usedbear1950]

Where do I begin? Might as well at the beginning.
Maria your thoughts touched me deeply. I have always contended that Freud was 180 degrees out of kilter. And I confess that my use of the term balls extended to many women I have known in my life. In the 1960's my father told me to watch a program about Milicent Fenwick, a Congresswoman from NJ, telling me that she had more balls than all the men in congress. I have always contended that cunt is an acronym, C.U.N.T., can't understand normal thinking...and further contend that there are more men who fit this description than women. No matter what some may say, words are important. You have given me a task to review my use of language with respect to those words. As for the penis, well more men have penis envy than women. My dick is bigger than your dick is the battle cry of all juveniles, boys and men.
I have never given thought to replacing the penis with a vagina. I admit to wondering what it would be like to be woman for the day. But I don't think I have the intestinal fortitude to take it on for more than one day.
Darkyes, I have read that poem many years ago and in the Scottish. I also read Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations in the original. Not easy reading but worth the effort.
The Road Not Taken...come on...can you get better than that...NO. There are equals but no better.
Kate my love, you hit the nail on the head. The day my daughter was born, just as we were preparing to leave for the hospital Frank Sinatra was singing that very song on the radio. Of all the Rodgers & Hammerstein musicals, that one deals with all the base emotions and experiences that are common to every man and woman who walk the earth.
A favorite rhyme of mine is:
As I was walking up the stairs
I met a man who wasn't there.
I met the man again today.
I wish that man would go away.
Marie, I wish that any choice you make is the one to make you happy.
ur ever luvin
usedbear

[Lonewolf76]

Here's one I wrote for my neice;

IF A BUTTERFLY

If a Butterfly lands on your finger
what does it mean, do you suppose?
Does it carry a deeper meaning
than when it lands on your toes?

If a butterfly lands on your noggin
Is it hitchin a ride? Only heaven knows.
Is it whispering the universes secrets
when a butterfly stands on your nose?

If a butterfly in a green field
aimlessly flutters and zips.
If you listen quite intently
Is that laughter escaping its lips?

If a butterfly chooses to use you
As a safe, soft landing space.
Look closely it may amaze you
at the smile on the butterfly’s face.

If a butterfly floats about you.
Dancing on a wave of gentle air.
Never let the doubt consume you.
You were blessed while it was there.

LW

[rissababynta]

Here's one I wrote for my neice;

IF A BUTTERFLY

If a Butterfly lands on your finger
what does it mean, do you suppose?
Does it carry a deeper meaning
than when it lands on your toes?

If a butterfly lands on your noggin
Is it hitchin a ride? Only heaven knows.
Is it whispering the universes secrets
when a butterfly stands on your nose?

If a butterfly in a green field
aimlessly flutters and zips.
If you listen quite intently
Is that laughter escaping its lips?

If a butterfly chooses to use you
As a safe, soft landing space.
Look closely it may amaze you
at the smile on the butterfly’s face.

If a butterfly floats about you.
Dancing on a wave of gentle air.
Never let the doubt consume you.
You were blessed while it was there.

LW

That was beautiful Wolf!

[Lonewolf76]

That was beautiful Wolf!

Thanks Rissa! (Blushing Wolf!) LW

[Cherokee_Mountaincat]

Regretful Passage


I regret so many things in the name of pride, and yes, mortal fear.
I should have pulled you close and told you how dear you were to me.
I should have let go my hard heart and dropped the shield that beheld my wounded soul.

I should have told you what you mean to me, I should have taken a stand and held out my hand, and if you had, I would have never let go.
Instead of being entangled in fear and self-doubt, I should have faced the truth and told you that I loved you. Second to none were you, excepting to my own family.

Pride and hesitation lost you to me forever, and my heart again is cold, empty, and alone where it was once warmed by your mere smile, and set ablaze by your softest of touches.
So I will love you from afar, and be glad for you in no matter what you do.


You will forever be held in a special place within my heart, but it cries because you aren’t mine. It cries because I wasn’t brave enough to tell you that I loved you, and that I Still do, and always Shall…and for that, I will always have a regretful passage.

TLK 2007

[Laken]

"everything having to do
with gender and sexuality
somehow revolves around the penis"

This is soooooooo true!

And usedbear, as a psych major I must say, Frued wasn't completely off. A lot of his ideas were completely crazy...but he was also ahead of his time on a lot of stuff!

[alegrias]

Wow. When I started reading that poem, Marie, I didn't see at first that you were quoting it. I thought that you had written it. I've tried writing poetry before but I've never come close to writing anything that emotionally charged . . . or enlightening.

The Robert Frost poem is one of my favorite poems too. I also like the Prayer of St. Francis, which to me is like a poem.
___________________________

Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury,pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen
____________________________

I'm not an especially religious person. I think that some people use religion as an excuse to discriminate against others, and worse. But I believe in what this prayer says.

[darkeyes]

Fran, it took me a few minutes to get past the language but once I did, what a LOVELY poem and so fitting for it to be such a favorite of such a Daddy's girl. It reminds me of one of my very favorite Broadway songs..."Soliloquy" from Carousel....the song starts out very light....in a joking manner, talking about raising a boy...but when the character realizes that his child might be a girl, it takes on a more serious tone....and with the right singer, is delivered in such a heart wrenching manner. For those so inclined, here's a link to the incredible John Raitt singing this song (it's a long song so scan to 4:35 to find this part LOL) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKCUapUEFkY and below are the lyrics that remind me of your poem. I know it's not a poem, but it's close LOL! and here's the part I am referring to:

Hey, why am I talkin' on like this?
My kid ain't even been born, yet!
I can see him when he's seventeen or so,
And startin' to go with a girl
I can give him lots of pointers, very sound
On the way to get 'round any girl
I can tell him ...
Wait a minute!
Could it be?
What the hell!
What if he is a girl?
What would I do with her?
What could I do for her?
A bum with no money!
You can have fun with a son
But you gotta be a father to a girl
She mightn't be so bad at that
A kid with ribbons in her hair!
A kind o' sweett and petite
Little tin-type of her mother!
What a pair!

My little girl
Pink and white
As peaches and cream is she
My little girl
Is half again as bright
As girls are meant to be!
Dozens of boys pursue her
Many a likely lad does what he can to woo her
From her faithful dad
She has a few
Pink and white young fellers of two or three
But my little girl
Gets hungry ev'ry night and she comes home to me!

I-I got to get ready before she comes!
I got to make certain that she
Won't be dragged up in slums
With a lot o' bums like me
She's got to be sheltered
In a fair hand dressed
In the best that money can buy!
I never knew how to get money,
But, I'll try, I'll try! I'll try!
I'll go out and make it or steal it
Or take it or die!

awwww can c wotya means mumsie.. dunno it tho me mum wud...musicals r 'er big thing..funny how daddies r so soppy bout ther lil girls..tee hee..glad mine is ne way..

...an talkin a mums.. wen me wos bout 7 me dad wos readin me "Bastart Wean" an me mum wandered inta me bedroom..an did 'er nut cos she didn think it appropriate.. didn stop 'im..an rite glad me has always been an all...:)

..an fore ne 1 aks..no..me wos not 1..am 3rd a 3 an me mum an dad got married a gud long time fore ne of us wer born.. now ifyas askin bout me nature an personality..of that..me sayin nowt...:tong:;)

[MarieDelta]

The Red Wheelbarrow
by William Carlos Williams (http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15537)


so much depends
upon

a red wheel
barrow

glazed with rain
water

beside the white
chickens.

[MarieDelta]

Subtle Sister - Alix Olson (http://www.lyricstime.com/alix-olson-subtle-sister-lyrics.html)


So we’ve learned karate,
carry knives on our runs
wield words like weapons
prepare glares-like hidden guns,
we’ve deconstructed, demystified
tried retribution, remythologized,
we’ve been diagnosed with your diseases,
and still tried pleases, tried tears, tried Jesus.

You wanna see what it’s like down here
in this pool of someone else’s rules, well
jump in, take a swim or just sit in this pit
squishing bare toes in someone else’s bullshit,
we do it all the time.

Still we’ve tried being patient,
collected, calm, nice
trying praying, tried laying you
paying the price,
we’ve learned to scream
until our throats throbbed
what else do you do
while your cunt’s being robbed.

And they say “you’ve made progress, girls,
take a rest in-between”
but see while you’re resting,
someone else is progressing,
it’s what i’ve seen.
So i take back the whispers,
the cute mute act,
and the high pitched giggles, yeah
i take them back,
i won’t avoid your stare, evade your step,
nothing of that kind,
won’t help you help me victimize
the only space that’s mine.

See now I’d put my life on the line just to see them trip,
frown and say “funny love, i never saw you slip.”
i say, “my life on the line-”
you say “man, she’s jaded.”
i say, “maybe control’s overrated.”
like when we cackled, they called us witches,
now we don’t giggle they call us bitches
well I’m cacklin loud, taking it back, full of hiss,
cacklin loud, cackling proud now.

And they’re getting nervous with this kissing each other,
scratching their heads,
whats going on brother
and they yell feed your husband, stop feeding the fire!
and we just cackle,
we’re a fuckin witches choir.
and we sing “sharpen your knives, sharpen your daughters
steam up the mirrors, bake us some dreams,
cook up some riots, fry up some screams,
and when you’re sick of your skirts
slice open the seams
cause they want domestics,
theyll give us needle and thread
for patching their egos.
we’ll sow revolution instead.”

And i hear you saying
“subtle, sister,
less bite, more bark
you can make your point without leaving such a mark.
subtle, sister,
stop your seething,
i think we got it, i think we’re even:”

subtle like a penis pounding its target?
subtle like your hissing from across the street?

subtle like the binding on my sisters’ feet?
subtle like her belly raped with his semen,
draped in his fuck, funny,
doesn’t seem even.

See, sometimes anger’s subtle, stocked in metaphor
full of finesse and dressed in allure
yes, sometimes anger’s subtle, less rage than sad
leaking slow through spigots you didn’t know you had.
and sometimes it’s just

fuck you.
fuck you.
you see, and to me,

That’s poetry too.

[MarieDelta]

Educated Guess - Ani DiFranco (http://www.musicsonglyrics.com/A/anidifrancolyrics/anidifrancoeducatedguesslyrics.htm)
looks like my crazy family
is down one crazy daughter cuz
i'm shipwrecked in a desert that
once was underwater just
looking for a swift turn of phrase
some colors to fly
as i float by
in the parade
plus i dream in skin scented sentences
of a stronger faster fiercer you
and to each noun, verb and predicate
i dedicate a vivid hue
but you ain't done too well
getting past your permanent pastel
have you now?
yes, the desert seemed so promising
and then it paled somehow
so school is in session
get your chin off your desk
now pick up your pencil
and turn over your test
use your education
and take an educated guess
about me
i've got a slot at eye level like
a speakeasy door
and i know you know the password
cuz i've seen you here before
and i've got something sweet for you
and i don't care if it is more than you deserve
i've got a lot of love and a lot of nerve
so watch me while i take this curve
yes school is in session
get your chin off your desk
now pick up your pencil
and turn over your test
use your education
and take an educated guess
about me
:bigrin:plus i have this whole new family
and i'm in love with each of them
and i'm on this list called lucky
whenever i'm in reach of them:bigrin:
and i'm learning how to say
that i'd be happy either way
with your love
i'm calling on the stars above
school is in session
get your chin off your desk
now pick up your pencil
turn over your test
use your education
and take an educated guess
about me

Emphasis mine