Coffee Houses and Anemic Sheets



Amber lights glowing on the walls,
throwing shadows on beatnik Kerouac
ghosts who sit among the unsuspecting
patrons of sort who frequent the coffee
house imbibing on espresso and vintage
wine expounding on anti-establishment
philosophy which gets thrown into the air,
like a ball waiting to be caught and then
thrown again and recaught.

Expressive hands adorned with jeweled
college rings wave excitedly during the
 free-for-all conversations while bobbing
beret heads laugh at a joke or two;
the poet of the hour steps onto the rickety and
scratched stage----his platform is for rhetoric he can
only understand; his goatee is narrow, but not
his philosophy according to him. Clearing his throat
he begins:

Man, I'm like a white sheet hanging on the line----
tossed around by the wind, waiting to be dried
by the warm breath of the wind god and vitamin C
from the sun.  Bugs are crawling all over me,
and wooden clothespins pinch my bleached
nerves.  Man, I'm tired of hanging around
and being a parachute for creepy, crawling
creatures who are parasites on my being.  Like I
wanna be free----free of 100 percent cotton,
hospital corners, quarter folds, and stuffed in
some drawer with matching anemic pillow cases.
Man, call me a bongo drum beating to the
rhythm off graffiti on brick walls, facing
over-flowing dumpsters, and fat rats stuffing
their mouths with garbage food.

Man, call me a cloud, rising above automatic
washing machines, and like drifting away from
push-button conveniences.  Call me a fly-away
sheet, like I can be any where, any time because
of my liberty.  I'm soaring like a glider, riding
 on air, like teasing  the birds on their treetops,
 climbing higher and higher until everything
 looks like a patchwork quilt.  

 Man, like sheets can dream, can't they?
Font size:
Collection  PDF     
 

Submitted by Sonny68 on January 25, 2016

Modified on March 14, 2023

1:30 min read
74

Quick analysis:

Scheme XXABXCXXC CDAXXXXXX XXBBXXAXXXXDAAX XXEXAXAX E
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 1,754
Words 296
Stanzas 5
Stanza Lengths 9, 9, 15, 8, 1

Sonia Walker

I have been writing poetry, short stories and articles of interest for over thirty years. Most of my writing has been published in small presses, journals and weekly community newspapers. It is enjoyable to receive positive feedback on my writing. Before retirement, I was an editor and co-publisher for a quarterly journal and monthly newsletter from Anchorage, Alaska. My philosophy is to write something everyday to keep the cobwebs away. more…

All Sonia Walker poems | Sonia Walker Books

0 fans

Discuss the poem Coffee Houses and Anemic Sheets with the community...

0 Comments

    Translation

    Find a translation for this poem in other languages:

    Select another language:

    • - Select -
    • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
    • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
    • Español (Spanish)
    • Esperanto (Esperanto)
    • 日本語 (Japanese)
    • Português (Portuguese)
    • Deutsch (German)
    • العربية (Arabic)
    • Français (French)
    • Русский (Russian)
    • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
    • 한국어 (Korean)
    • עברית (Hebrew)
    • Gaeilge (Irish)
    • Українська (Ukrainian)
    • اردو (Urdu)
    • Magyar (Hungarian)
    • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
    • Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Italiano (Italian)
    • தமிழ் (Tamil)
    • Türkçe (Turkish)
    • తెలుగు (Telugu)
    • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
    • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
    • Čeština (Czech)
    • Polski (Polish)
    • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Românește (Romanian)
    • Nederlands (Dutch)
    • Ελληνικά (Greek)
    • Latinum (Latin)
    • Svenska (Swedish)
    • Dansk (Danish)
    • Suomi (Finnish)
    • فارسی (Persian)
    • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
    • հայերեն (Armenian)
    • Norsk (Norwegian)
    • English (English)

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Coffee Houses and Anemic Sheets" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/44327/coffee-houses-and-anemic-sheets>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    March 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    3
    days
    19
    hours
    3
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    Poet George McDonald wrote a two-word poem that reads _____ _____?
    A Good Bye.
    B Come Home.
    C Let's Go.
    D See You!