Thursday, October 16, 2014

The Critic - Art & Poetry - by Bob Atkinson

The Critic - Art and Poetry
(c)2014 Bob Atkinson
'tis always easier to criticize
than is to do it yourself
although in truth the latter
contains far more fun and mirth


my point lies somewhere in between
good and bad of poetry
adjustment for the mainstream
how we absorb ideas


to see this in a different light
with crystal covers on the lens
we can, with open eyes
love writers with sharp pens

those who look beyond the fluff
and understand good meaning
divest themselves of constraints
and pursue a different dreaming

they see a world with tearfulness
not holding on to chains
which produce establishments
that grate and agitate

my desire in this arena
carries to all a simple message
don't let the future be determined
by past usage and direction

what you see is fabricated
a reality far from real
poo pooing things that matter
holds their only zeal

me, I've grown accustomed
to my meaning zipping by
heads of those who look
only at the surface side

doesn't mean I'm disheartened
to try is not hard at all
when you feel compunction
to rearrange it all

Monday, September 29, 2014

Beaux Arts - by Bob Atkinson

Beaux Arts
(c)2014 Bob Atkinson
fine art permeates our lives
what we see's therein derived
some good, some bad, some forced
some sickly made in due course

definitions retrograde
or definitions purpose made
to put forward broad extremes
of subtle formations gleaned

culled from inadequate stock
of pompous airs trending upon
an overview of situations
brought on by purchase of station

for us to present a finite goal
in determination, what's overloaded
bombastic open ended remarks by some
who view the process, not what's loved

works this way in all we do
arts, science, construction, food
experts pontificate, nothing else to do
skills so meager in producing good

Sunday, September 28, 2014

The Tempest of Poetry - by Bob Atkinson

The Tempest of Poetry
(c)2014 Bob Atkinson

there blows in stiff wind
created by the word
an everlasting frozen
collection of nouns and verbs

like a whirlwind of change
these letters spell the thoughts
of minds evolved to think
and report facts back to boss

here, in an open world
where flies the dust of change
we find restitution
in words thus re-arranged

cannot give to the giver
much more than we have done
for in an underlying thought
he knows what we have spun

stories of our past
tales of our future deeds
garnishment of life
on all we can agree

freeze emotions for all time
let thoughts be translated then
into a world evolved from us
as simple mortal men

let them know all we were
let them like us some
let them know we tried our best
as we from danger run

let them see what we were
back when we were young
and how we gathered wisdom
when older we'd become

trade our sincerity
for that truth of which we knew
let them see our tears of pain
when success we couldn't view

hopefully they will exist
if we don't destroy their seed
for if we continue on this path
we'll be devolved by greed

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Statesmanship - by Bob Atkinson

Statesmanship
(c)2014 Bob Atkinson
"... we hold it to be the first task of statesmanship to develop the stength that will deter the forces of aggression and promote the conditions of peace ..."
Dwight D. Eisenhower

here in that time of crisis
those wayward days of mud
when those who would be powerful
gain fashion with use of gun

not seeds of perfect charity
no love do they possess
just overriding purpose
by thumping of their chests

here in our development
nature has our crossroads made
do we digress to the point
where progress reverses trend

back to a time when people lived
a life so badly blessed
with slavery, toil and pestilence
given to their masters' whims

or do we define the nature
of progress to be made
a simple organizing statement
which carries to the grave

all we seek of accomplishment
all love grown for our friends
no enemies designated
we're all just mortal men

so first we can define
the void of useful souls
that underlying demon
we can't allow to grow

when some seek to gain power
by force or use of gun
intimidation, recklessness
they need to understand

society cannot fathom
such willful negligence
needs of the many for peace
herein takes precedence

Love Is Lost by Bob Atkinson

"Love Is Lost"

(c) 2009 Bob Atkinson


it doesn't matter
how long I must wait
how many tears my eyes see
before my day breaks

love is lost
but not the pain

it doesn't matter
I'll wait for you
to come and caress me
and say you love me too

love is lost
but not the pain

give me that smile
bring me some red wine
sitting there at my feet
when I'm tired and beat

love is lost
in my heart's domain
love is lost
but not the pain



Thursday, July 24, 2014

Sound Turned to Silence - by Bob Atkinson

Sound Turned to Silence
(c)2014 Bob Atkinson
we all, in our own way
struggle through pursuit deranged
broadcasting our thought processes
in that in life of little gain

how much snaps your memory
to where you hear my tune
and sift your own experience
to drive home my good moods

how much of who I am
rubs right off on you
am I just noise in your cabin
as you ignore my attitude

silence knifes the book pages
as if cutting sentences in half
spewing waste out through a gate
and pulling shards of glass

silence feeds the open echoes
trundles through my past
and forms that open crust
of my ocean as I laugh

silence fills my need for clarity
non-ambiguous in its tone
the world defined by nature
or total lack thereof

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

The Art of Poetry vs The Discipline of Poetry - by Bob Atkinson

The Art of Poetry
vs
The Discipline of Poetry
(c)2013 Bob Atkinson

Fine Art has its alter ego
Art D'cor which also breaks
these two ideas into factions
one primitive, one more staid

Fine Art means something learned
art constructed from the past
having trained in master's techniques
meaning that will ever last

Art D'cor lies more transitory
fills merely a momentary need
more for pleasant decoration than
further advancement of the breed

in literature begins an era bold
of truly differentiated tastes
in a time of new beginnings
of newness that will rage

Poetry as an art leans
toward the wispy, mindless tripe
thoughts without complex emotions
guided by throttled emptiness

no purpose in its dreaming
no research done for its themes
no imparting information gathered
beyond simple illusion of mindless motif

Discipline of Poetry
on the other hand
takes our minds into a world
of culture broadly expanded

always purpose in those words
always thought deep in what seems
complex exploration of existence
researched flowing through watered streams

that tell us what we didn't know
what a writer knew not too
when he began his assemblage
of words that wanted to

expand our understanding
of this, that, or the other
setting us on a journey to
correctness, not toward blunder

he sets out to explore a point
be it theory or merely fact
and takes us on a journey meaty
never wanting to look back

he opens books of reference
gives those notes there for our usage
to let us quickly acclimate toward
understanding an idea's currency

here we've gotten something good
what pushes on our hearts
total construction of our world
observed at least until we're dust

Saturday, March 27, 2010

"the Turn Around" by Bob Atkinson


"the Turn Around"


"the Turn Around"
(c)2010 Bob Atkinson


Wasn't an extra ordinary day
sky was blue
my heart was thin
couldn't laugh
but I could grin

wasn't aware of love
coming my way
wasn't looking for what I found
when the sweet lady came around

a perky lass 
with blue-green eyes
willing smile, no frowns

she carried with her
a serious air
of sweet confidence
although blond of hair

she carried also
the promise of
an ever ever 
lasting love

didn't have a clue
of the new direction
what was happening to me
didn't know at all
had found perfection

when the pretty lady
of Ohio state
looked for a photo
and passed my gate

if the future holds
half of what I have found
my head and heart will
be hers from now on

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Cathy's Cold in Minnesota by Bob Atkinson

Cathy's Cold in Minnesota
(c)2006 Bob Atkinson


Cathy's cold in Minnesota
she left me for her kin
said that I did treat her bad
didn't know I did

cold in Minnesota
I'm lyin' in the sand
cold in Minnesota
and I'm doin' what I can

my friend came by to see me
and make me feel alright
didn't know that she would want to
warm me all the night

cold in Minnesota 
I'm lyin' in the sand
cold in Minnesota
and I'm doin' all I can

had lunch with April Jones
she looks right
her skin fits tight
like last month's centerfold

asked me to come by her place
about half past eight
said her husband's doing business
somewhere out of state

cold in Minnesota 
I'm lyin' in the sand
cold in Minnesota
and I'm doin' the best I can

Sunday, February 28, 2010

Love is Lost by Bob Atkinson


"Love is Lost"

(c)2009 Bob Atkinson

it doesn't matter
how long I must wait
how many tears my eyes see
before my day breaks

love is lost
but not the pain

it doesn't matter
I'll wait for you
to come and caress me
and say you love me too

love is lost
but not the pain

give me that smile
bring me some red wine
sitting there at my feet
when I'm tired and beat

love is lost 
in my heart's domain
love is lost
but not the pain


Contact Bob Atkinson

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Play Me a Song of Nogales by Bob Atkinson

"PLAY ME A SONG OF
NOGALES"
(c) 2007 Bob Atkinson
ALONE.....CERVEZA GOING DOWN
CANTINA ..ON THE EDGE OF TOWN
NOT THINKING OF THE HEART
OR WONDERING OF TOMORROW
FREE OF FEAR AND SORROW
IN NOGALES
IN WALKS A SENIORITA
SHE GLIDES AND SWAYS
UP TO THE MARIACHI LEADER
WONDER WHAT SHE SAID
ASKED HIM LATER
AND HE TOLD ME,
I REMEMBER TO THIS DAY
“PLAY ME A SONG OF NOGALES
PLAY ME A SONG OF NOGALES
PLAY ME A SONG JOSE”
MAKE MY HEART BEGIN TO HEAL
MY LOVER HAS GONE TODAY
I’M ALONE IN THIS WORLD
MY EMOTIONS ARE ON DISPLAY
PLAY ME A SONG OF NOGALES
PLAY ME A SONG
TO HEAL ALL THE WRONGS
PLAY ME SOME MELODIES
TO SWAY AND DANCE ALONE
GIVE ME THE STRENGTH
TO FIND NEW ROMANCE
PLAY ME A SONG OF NOGALES
PLAY ME A SONG JOSE
PLAY ME A SONG OF THE HEART
GIVE MY SADNESS SUPPORT
HEALING HURT THAT HAS COME
TURN TEAR FILLED EYES TOWARD FUN
PLAY ME A SONG OF NOGALES
PLAY ME A SONG JOSE

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

It's Only Me by Bob Atkinson


"It's Only Me"

(c)2008 Bob Atkinson




It's only me
the one who loves you
it's only me
the one who cares
it's only me
and my frustrations
it's only me
who gives a damn
you set your sights on
someone else
you feel I'm not 
the one for you
you leave me
when I need you
and don't see my tears
when I'm alone

only me who gives a damn
only me who loves to see you
when and where I can
it's only me who loves without return
only me who can't understand
why you leave me when you want to
why you go and leave me alone
you feel I'm not 
so right for you
you leave me for others who
don't need you the way I do
because........it's only me

Saturday, February 20, 2010

"GOODBYE COWBOYS" by Bob Atkinson

"Goodbye Cowboys"

(c) 2008 Bob Atkinson

Goodbye Cowboys
goodbye Cowgirls
goodbye Bikers
goodbye Biker Girls

goodbye all you good time cowboys
who ain't gotta steer to brand
goodbye all you drunken ponies
who can't carry your man

goodbye to all you weak and weary
tall and short and sometimes teary
goodbye to all you fellow scoundrels
it's from you I get a laugh

goodbye to the men I hung with
drinking beer with vodka kicks
giving life to bravado stories
which may or may not stand

yes I do, and yes I don't
hear you say within the "quotes"
things you will and things you won't
it's you I try to comprehend

time is short my lady waits
it's domestic, not a date
will she "give" or will she "hate"
the alcohol on my breath


goodbye to all you weak and weary
tall and short and sometimes teary
goodbye to all you fellow scoundrels
it's you I understand
so it's to you I tip my hat

Bob Atkinson - Arizona Poet

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Planet Parasite by Bob Atkinson


Planet Parasite
(c)2010 Bob Atkinson

in all the world's configurations
things that seem to be notations
of status put upon our fate
help us view one's place

upon this small sphere
are we why? or are we
what is useful here?


one needs to step aside
and hear the calls of outbacks
places primitive and stark, or
ocean depths where sharks attack



are we ones that can succeed?
for which our world was made?
or, is our importance mind created?
soon to be obliterated


is the plan to test our smarts and guile?
like other living things somehow
or are we like those parasites?
who outlast the bodies
that give them light


no way for this mortal man
to answer if there's divine plan
but given facts of which I hold
the question seems, 
to me
something akin to gold

Stop the Metaphors by Bob Atkinson


"STOP THE METAPHORS"
(c)2010 Bob Atkinson

when I was young
before my prime
my grade school teacher
was Miss Similie

she told me to watch
for words contrary
“don't do to the metaphor
what forests do to canaries”

"don't breed them like rabbits
don't make them a habit
or think using them
makes your words grab it"

lately I saw a poet of awe
brag of his powers
to make his words tower

so I looked and I looked
but on metaphors he was hooked
giving his poems that awful look
of what I wrote when ten
igniting the temper 
of Miss Similie
and her learned friends

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

I'll Never See Your Love Again

"I'LL NEVER SEE YOUR LOVE AGAIN"

(c)2005 Bob Atkinson

In my life
I'll never see your love again

I watched you sweetly
turn away from me

your honesty in telling me
was quite a shock

love, I wonder if
I'll ever be as warm
as when I kissed you
and held you tightly
in my arms

in my life
I'll never be
your love again

I breathe deeply
but no more willingly

yes, I'll survive
but not see love
light my heart again
as I know you'll never
be loved as much
by him

tender moments
of looking in your eyes
told me of your passions
and desires

you were tired 
of living free
said you wanted
only me


now hurt
is the only thing I see
love you're gone
and my world 
closes down on me

in my life
I'll never see
your love again

bob_saltzer@yahoo.com 

Monday, February 1, 2010

Not This Time by Bob Atkinson

Contact Bob Atkinson
"Not This Time” 
 (c)2007 Bob Atkinson 
and it happened to you
this thing of lost love
I was feelin’ sorry
for all the above

sat to think
with a cold cold drink
pondered over you
and all of your moans

what I should feel
and if I should hold you
how I came to deal with it
and if I was cold fish

can I take you home
and give you some love?
make you smile
with a wiggle and a hug?

bring you peace of mind?
no
not this time

bring you peace of mind?
oh no 
not this time

not this time
don't really care
have other problems
that I'm aware

no need to bother
with others' despair
not that I don't love you
I just won't care


said I should try
to give you a hand
gettin' over sorrow
of some other man

doesn't interest me
what caused you this pain
tuff lucky honey
it's not my game

sat to think 
with a cold cold cold drink
pondered over you
and all of your moans

what I should feel 
and if I should hold you
how I came to deal with it
and if I was cold fish

can I take you home
and give you some love?
make you smile 
with a wiggle and a hug?

bring you peace of mind?
oh no 
not this time

bring you peace of mind?
no 
not this time

A Fool and His Hunny by Bob Atkinson

“A FOOL AND HIS HUNNY”
  (c) 2007 Bob Atkinson 
   
Hunny went to town today  
to see a man she paid  
to leave my life in shambles  
and take my kids away 
 
said she couldn’t take no more 
 it was time to leave  
move away from this old town  
where she could hardly breathe
  
a fool and his hunny 
are soon parted  
a life once loved is gone  
the road of love is filled  
 with holes and bumps
and I just fell off  

 says I was bad to her  
didn’t care for her needs 
 and give her things 
to make her smile  
or treat her tenderly   

a fool and his hunny   
are soon parted  
a life once loved is gone 
the road of love  
 is filled with holes and bumps  
and I just fell off 

Hunny went to town today 
 to see a man she paid 
 to leave my life in shambles  
and take my kids away  

 told me it was time to go  
and left me on the porch  
to thank the lord  
with a great big smile   
for that thing called “divorce ” 

Hunny went to town today 
 to see a man she paid  
to leave my life in shambles  
and take my kids away
   
Contact Bob Atkinson