Thursday, May 1, 2014

poems by chocolate waters





here i am at 60 


my arms are sagging
just like mom's
like grand mom's
like the hanging gardens of
babylon
sadness underneath
my eyes
stayed there
turned
into these squashy pillows
unappealing my
tummy needs
a lot of tucks
there are days
i want to put my head
inside a paper bag
and what the hell is that
beneath my chin
a chicken neck
heck
i got the whole
damn chicken
yet
i can see you
kinder than i ever did
i can give you
softer than i ever have
i can see you honest i
can choose you i can
dare i say it
love
you i
can i
can



--







narcissist


i think about myself
about myself
about my beautiful self 
and my dog
my beautiful dog 
my beautiful selfless dog
and my son
and my son my 
beautiful
-what’s-his-name son
who’s not as beautiful
as my dog 
my beautiful dog
my beautiful sunny dog
and my ex who’s
now much less 
beautiful
than my dog
or my son
oh my 
beautiful dog
my beautiful dog    god
i love my
dog





Chocolate Waters has been writing and publishing poetry for over four decades. During the second wave of feminism she was one of the first openly lesbian poets to publish, and her contribution has recently been documented in Feminists Who Changed America 1963-1975 (edited by Barbara Love). Her first three collections: To the man reporter from the Denver Post, Take Me Like A Photograph and Charting New Waters sold nearly 10,000 copies and are considered classics of the early women’s movement.

In addition to her work as a writer, Waters was also a founding mother of the early feminist newspaper, Big Mama Rag, which was produced in Denver, Colorado from 1972-1982.

Currently hailed as the "Poet Laureate of Hell’s Kitchen,” Waters has also been a pioneer in the art of performance poetry since 1974. She has toured throughout the United States, but makes her home in Manhattan where she teaches poetry workshops, runs a submission service for poets, tutors individual clients and is often a participant in the New York City poetry circuit.

Waters' latest venture, the woman who wouldn't shake hands, was released by Poets Wear Prada (Hoboken, NJ) in November 2011 and is available at Amazon.







2 comments:

  1. Wow this is some of the best fucking stuff I have ever read. Love it! Gotta read more of her work.

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  2. The first poem makes me teary every time I hear it!! Love it so much. Thanks for sharing them Choc!

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