This website and awareness
for Poettes is a work in progress.
Poettes™ are simple little poems of the read-once-and-understand genre, skewering Trump, finding spirituality on the beach and the in the desert, parading through mid-life, family, lovers, religion and America. A cocktail of sensitivity and irreverence, with a splash of grace.
Sample Poettes are provided below. Trump Separation Anxiety is, well, just that. The Sea I Live With psychoanalyzes the Sea of Cortez, where I spend much of my time. And Vietnam Veterans Memorial reflects on this somber monument and my teen years trying to understand America.
Sample Poettes
Trump Separation Anxiety
Republican Party in perpetual slump
Unhinged from the truth to lie with Trump
And lie he did, and lie again
Wallowing in mortal sin
No ethical dilemma rose
No run in the Party’s panty hose
Sanctimony blind to rot
Deployed, a useful idiot
Spewing tweets of fear and hate
A nation’s wounds exacerbate
Divide and conquer, separate
Fox’s zombies masturbate
Grievance snowflakes, dumb and bold
Glaze over when the facts are told
Fake News whines avert the eyes
Greedy talking heads patronize
Rich get richer… poor trickle, wait
Climate science… don’t cogitate
Gunviolence… constitutional right
Caucasian Christ done picked a fight
Take a Right just past Democracy
Right again at Street Hypocrisy
Traveling backwards now in MAGA
Deplorables embrace their saga
Republicans, in Trump they trust
A monster fed by inbred lust
Godzilla knocking structure down
White privilege seeking higher ground
Republicans backed him, and back him still
Witness Flimsy Graham as shill
Perverted interests swirled in anger
Rally round Failure’s doppelganger
Declining Party, knows the score
Can’t win a popular vote no more
Suppress and cheat to win elections
Slog into courts, spur insurrections
Our Vote prevailed – chaos unleashed
Armed with losing, our Capitol breached
Swarm of locust, swarming lies,
Sold their souls before our eyes
America stepped in it, true
Now scrape the Trump off of our shoe
Take the field good Democrats
The other side can keep their hats
The Sea I Live With
The Sea does not change its underwear.
Sure, it changes top colors,
blushing teal in the hot sun,
fresh waves and tips and tides,
distant boats it buoys.
But its deep body,
heaving, heavy, verdant, vibrant, sweaty,
undulates, undulates, undulates,
stirring that salty stew.
Seaweed skid marks
contour the shore this morning,
swaying, staining, stinking
as raunchy waves slap its sandy ass.
Vietnam Veterans Memorial
A shadow of the flag
flies upon the ground
before our darkest monument
and neither makes a sound.
Tugged coldly by the wind
now pulls against the pole,
close end with height and edge straight
its length succumbs to roll.
Flag roll and snap and roil,
Shadow flailing for its shape,
the Wall unmoved before them,
shiny dead in jaws agape.
Jan. 6, 2000
Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial
About Poettes
Poettes are poems for you and me. Light on art. A little rhyme. Rhythm, occasionally. Digestible. Distractions. Disruptions. I invented Poettes when I realized that’s all I can write at this time. It would be lovely if it turns out that’s all you can read. Serendipity.
Poems, even Poettes, are hard candy. You have to suck on them, at least until they’re ready to be bitten and chewed. But you shouldn’t have to suck too much. I subscribe to Poem-a-Day at Poets.org. As a daily ritual I review each day’s offering. Sometimes my day is lifted up by a wonderful poem. Many times the daily poem is too obscure and I give up. Often its uneven page layout or title turns me off and I don’t read it at all. It’s like a dating site experience, with a single swipe left or reading of the bio experience each day. My goal is that you won’t swipe left on most of my Poettes.
About The Author
Steve Irons is a father, partner, entrepreneur, brother, friend. He lives in Phoenix and Mexico. He is a 1979 Magna Cum Laude graduate of Northern Arizona University. Steve continues to learn self-awareness, the pursuit of grace, and health. It took his entire life to write this book of poems. He is a late bloomer.
Why Poettes
Why do people read poetry?
People read poetry for a multitude of reasons, as poetry offers a unique and often profound way of expressing thoughts, emotions, and experiences. Here are a few reasons why people are drawn to poetry:
Emotional resonance: Poetry has a remarkable ability to evoke emotions in readers. Whether it’s joy, sadness, love, or nostalgia, poetry can capture and express feelings in a way that resonates deeply with readers.
Aesthetic appreciation: Many people appreciate poetry for its beauty and artistry. The use of language in poetry often involves intricate wordplay, metaphor, and symbolism, which can be aesthetically pleasing and intellectually stimulating.
Insight and reflection: Poetry often explores universal themes and questions about life, humanity, and the world around us. Reading poetry can provide insight into different perspectives and provoke deep reflection on existential or philosophical matters.
Connection and empathy: Poetry can create a sense of connection and empathy between the writer and the reader. When readers encounter poems that reflect their own experiences or emotions, they may feel understood and less alone in their thoughts and feelings.
Escape and imagination: Poetry has the power to transport readers to other worlds, times, and realities. Poets often use vivid imagery and vivid language to create immersive experiences that allow readers to escape from their everyday lives and explore new realms of imagination.
Personal growth: Reading poetry can be a form of personal growth and self-discovery. Poems can challenge readers to think differently, expand their perspectives, and deepen their understanding of themselves and the world around them.
Overall, people read poetry for the same reasons they engage with any form of art: to experience beauty, gain insight, connect with others, and explore the depths of the human experience.
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