Wayland Bryant Jackson
- Home
- Poetry
Poetry
A Portrait Artist
Do not marry for love
Introduction
On Poetry
When they see poetry coming, some people lock their hearts, their minds, and their wallets. They
are confident they will not understand it, but if they do, they are just as sure it will…
Searching for GWD
“I Corinthians
If I preached like Peter at Pentecost, but without love,
It means about the same as the noise of tin cans
Dragging behind the newlywed’s car.
If I tell people about God,….
De Nada
A wall says
A not boring Preface with a bizarre Offer
Mandela
David Was Only 19
(indent once)
The Drive Up
Like a speeded-up movie,
Swaying to a tune played on his nerves
By rushing, wild winds,
Dazzled by his own daring,
Eyes a-twinkle,….
Can a pig his sty make neat
Will he tidy up the floor? Must he wallow in the muck unheeding of the oozing stench?
After I die
After my body is lowered into the grave,
Burnt into ashes,
Or fed to wild dogs,
If I return,
May it be as a bird……
Emmanuel
On An Early Cloudless Morning
On an Early Cloudless Morning,
Passing Bullard, nearing Shaw,
In my windshield’s orange glare,
High in heaven’s canvas blue,
Gone
the roof over my head, a car in the driveway, Parents, spouse, children, grandchildren. No more evenings watching TV in the den, No vacation, pension, or trips….
Give me a song
Gimme a song that tells a story and touches my heart, a song about Mama makin’ herself a dress outta flower sacks, and one for Rose t’wear to school.
Fresno, the Symphony
The Musical
Musicians take their places,
The oboe tunes the orchestra,
Lights dim, and Mother Nature
Strides to the podium, raises her …..
Every God Known to Man
Not every god has a golden head with fiery eyes, A raised fist gripping thunderbolts and lightning, Or a quiver full of never-failing arrows …..
King of the Hill
When I was a boy, we played a game called “King of the Hill.” Standing on any small rise, one
boy declared himself “King,” and the rest of us fought to push him …
Just Like Me
Maybe God doesn’t have arms or legs,
A belly button or a big toe,
But you can bet He’s got personality.
He likes good things and doesn’t like bad things—
Just like me….
An Old Man
Ode to Silence
Hush!
Elizabeth Taylor has died.
Escorted by white, stretch limos that seat twenty,
In an intimate, private ceremony,
She was interred at Forest Lawn Cemetery
Alongside other stars
No voice speaks
The Empty House “No voice speaks; no ear to hear:” “Come to breakfast.” “I love you a bushel and a peck.” “Dessert is for kids who eat their peas.” “Is your homework done?” “Sleep tight. Don’t let the bedbugs bite.”..
Love, Truth, and Justice
We make much of Love—
A hospital visit, a shared ride,
A neighborhood barbeque.
But if you’re down on your luck,
Tough Love takes control
And decides what’s best for you….
On the ISLE OF CERTITUDE
Citizens with Answers display an omnipresent scarlet “A”
On class rings, tie-dyed T-shirts, and baseball caps,
On amulets, billboards, and street signs….
On the Hottest Day
In Oklahoma history,
With no shade or air conditioning,
In the grip of a cruel sun,
Shoes cast off—it wasn’t Sunday—
Shirt, unnecessary baggage,
In cutoffs we called short pants,
I lay on my ….
On a Warm Summer Day
Sorting darks from whites,
Jane added brighteners,
Making sure the load was full,
Drying on GENTLE on a hot summer day,
As I, holding back the tears, lay dying….
Puns with ESL Names
It’s a joy teaching ESL students
Whose names reflect various cultures,
But what Americans do to foreigners’ names
Is normally done by vultures…
Proverbs 31
In honor of my wife and my mother
Can you spot a good woman,
One you wouldn’t trade for “all the tea in China?”
Her mate trusts her
And is never disappointed.
She’s a valued partner for ….
Polliwog
My life began in a small, watery world,
Mostly head, with a wriggling tail.
I swam, but not by choice.
I couldn’t help it. It’s my nature.
Any bully or predator
Could take me out in a single gulp….
Remembering Shakespeare
Humpty-Dumpty
Humpty-Dumpty sat on a wall
Of a refrigerator
Humpty-Dumpty had a great fall
Into the frying pan
All the king’s horses and all the king’s men
Who rushed into the royal kitchen….
Spring Juices
bid buds come out to play
With comrades along the branches.
Leaves play tug-of-war with March’s gusting winds,
Bathe in sweet April showers,
Block the onslaught of summer sun….
The Daisy
She looks at me expressionless.
If only she would smile or wink or nod—
She does none of those.
She sits straight.
If she leans toward me, or shifts in her seat—
She does neither….
Seize the Moment
light fully banished,
Thunderheads clash in heaven’s arena.
The firmament splits and atoms explode
Like a master magician lighting up the Earth….
The Cow
An Oreo Cow at the helm
Hiked up her boots
And advanced the throttle—
Full speed toward the sunrise,
Sun dancing on the water,
Waves slapping against the prow,
….
The Birth of an Idea
Like a fetus in utero,
IDEA runs a maze
From synapse to synapse,
In search of light and days,
An amorphous figure
In a darkened room
Longing for release
….
Teardrops
A single teardrop—
For a peach-tree switch
That stung my legs,
And for the dear heart
Who wielded it.
A rivulet of regret—
For time in academia,
Completing the courses
But not knowing….
The Poet and the Musician
God will not sit for a painting,
Nor spring from a sculptor’s hand,
But the Poet makes God a King, a shepherd,
A Lamb, a lion, light, darkness, garden and gardener….
The New Year
A ball descends,
While a million bits
Of white and colored confetti,
Tossed from roofs of skyscrapers,
Tumble helter-skelter, pell-mell,
Prancing madly in mid-air
Like comic clowns,
…..
23rd Psalm
The Lord is my shepherd;
He takes good care of me.
He helps me find food and shelter,
He gives me peace within,
He makes me feel alive again,
He helps me to do the right thing….
To Hell With You
Dedicated to my friend, Bob Jones. After Bob died, an autopsy determined he did not have a
single prejudiced bone in his entire body….
There is no darkness so dark
As the darkness of a mind that is closed.
No window permits a sliver of …..
The Weight of a Word
Eager and anxious are heavy,
One with seeds of joy,
the other, clouds of doubt.
Hate is heavy, like its brutish brothers,…..
When I Was 19
Twenty looked like an endless party,
Fun, with few responsibilities.
I could vote, be legal in a bar,
Afford a snazzy car.
When I was 29,
Thirty looked like a doomsday book: …
What to Wear
Two Men and a Fish
A certain man rose early,
took his son to holy worship
where anthems filled a vaulted dome.
White-robed clerics pointed skyward,
unraveling God and mysteries,
while in the attic of his restless mind,….
A wall says
“You’re not welcome.”
“You have no seat on the board.”
“This land is posted: Keep Out.”
Walls never say,
“There’s plenty for all.”
“Color doesn’t…..
Sweet William
In the middle of the Great Depression,
William and his mom
moved into the house on the corner
to take care of Mr. French.
William’s clear blue, pre-teen eyes
smiled as he gave us rides in my …
Who you sleeping with
Tonight?
Hey, Buddy! How’s it going?
Pretty good for a Monday.
Do any business today?
Yeah. Pretty good day at the mall.
Their security people get dumber every year…..
Remembering Shakespeare
Humpty-Dumpty
sat on a wall
Of a refrigerator
Humpty-Dumpty had a great fall
Into the frying pan
All the king’s horses and all the king’s men
Who rushed into the royal kitchen….
Remembering Shakespeare
Humpty-Dumpty
Humpty-Dumpty sat on a wall
Of a refrigerator
Humpty-Dumpty had a great fall
Into the frying pan
All the king’s horses and all the king’s men
Who rushed into the royal kitchen….