Zachary Taylor State Park, Key West: Ilse of Man (Reflections of an Aging Poet)

 

The tide is low,

sea bed is rocky;

feeling youthful,

and somewhat cocky.

The rock slab isle

beckons to this soul.

I swim out slow

to lessen the toll.

Catching my breath,

I bask in the sun;

surrounded now

by boys having fun.

Thoughts drift back to

Baiting Hollow Beach:

days of my youth,

now so far from reach.

Bleached blond hair,

body chiseled and tan,

fantasizing

becoming a man;

Sketching seascapes,

or writing a poem;

just enjoying life

before leaving home.

No going back.

God, those were the days:

innocence lost

in a purple haze.

So  boys,

Enjoy your fun!

If you only knew,

what manhood brings;

what aging will do.

~gj dürrschmidt

Hooked on Facebook

You have an addiction

if you can’t go one 

day without:

selfie pics and covers,

political comments

here and there;

words of inspiration,

words of despair;

videos of stupid people

doing unbelievably

stupid things:

dogs driving cars,

cats that can sing;

personal promiscuity:

if not pornographic,

then real lewd;

pics of Throw back Thursdays,

pics of others' food;

that Inbox, Notifications,

Friend Requests

red shield high:

if none there at sign on,

then you want to die;

your pseudo social network,

personal confessions

gossip rag;

that recreational narcotic;

that Facebook nickel bag.

~gj dürrschmidt

Writer's Bitch

 It’s hard to
write
when I cannot
think.

It’s hard to
think
when I cannot
sleep.

It’s hard to
sleep
in a world gone
mad.

~gj dürrschmidt

Oh Beautiful, Bodacious Skies (or Redneck 4th of July)

Burly

bad ass

buds in

beater T’s;

with

big arms

and

bigger trucks,

bangin’ down

brewskies,

belchin'

burnt

burgers ‘n

barbeque sauce;

braggin' of 
baggin'

bleach

blonde

bimbos with

big

boobs ‘n

bubble

butts; 

brainlessly
bullshittin'

beneath the

bright,

burnin' sun;

workin' on keepin’

their necks

RED,

 

their country

WHITE,

and

their truck nuts

BLUE.

Happy birthday, A‘merca!

~gj dürrschmidt

Like Vinegar for Coffee (A Little Ditty on Aging )

I was in the throes of making potato salad,

when I realized there was no vinegar.

Out of vinegar? I’m NEVER out of vinegar!

How could I be completely out of vinegar?

Oh yeah, I used it to clean the coffee pot.

But, if I knew good and well it was gone,

why didn’t I add it to the grocery list?

THAT question, I haven’t an answer for.

I’d like believe it was stress, or something.

Certainly, it cannot be some precursor

for the hideousness of advancing age.

I’m sorry, what were we talking about?

Oh well, never mind. It doesn’t matter.

Mmmm. The coffee tastes great today.

Must be the clean pot. That reminds me…

I need to buy more vinegar.

~gj dürrschmidt


For more by this writer, please visit:
The Orangenous Zone 

Jindal, Jesus, and Jihad: On Separation of Church and State

Shia-Sunni sects of the Islam religion believe everything the same with one exception: who should have rightfully succeeded the prophet Mohammed following his death 1400 years ago. Their disagreement has been based upon interpretation of their holy scriptures. Watching the news recently makes what’s happening in the Middle East sound all too familiar here at home.

Two major political groups exist in the United States today: the Left, and the Right. And, surprisingly, just like the Sunnis and Shias, they believe very much alike when it comes to saluting the same flag, defending the same constitution, sharing the same history. Yet they vehemently disagree over the issue of separation of church and state. 

The Left, predominantly Democratic, recognizes the right of all religions to peacefully coexist in this country, and staunchly supports separation of church and state when it comes to governance of its citizens. The Right, predominantly Republican, has evolved into a proponent of Christian fundamentalism, and defends its right to bring God, as they believe Him to be, and His teachings, into matters of state.

Now, a point has been reached in this country where we have a state governor saying that the time is right for Americans (the Republican right) to rise up in holy Jihad and “violently” seize control of Washington, D.C.

Governor Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, making a keynote address at the annual conference hosted by the Faith and Freedom Coalition this week, announced, “I can sense right now a rebellion brewing amongst these United States where people are ready for a hostile takeover of Washington, D.C., to preserve the American Dream for our children and grandchildren.” The open-minded and enlightened will bear in mind his audience.

The Republican party is relying heavily upon the religious fundamental right for political survival, and will stoop to no lows in order to court them, and win votes for the upcoming 2014 midterm and 2016 Presidential elections. And rest assured, it’s not in the name of the future and stability of a strong United States of America, but in Jesus’ name, and the right to have Christian teachings and Bible touted on the House and Senate floors, dictating laws, and directing a diverse nation of many peoples and religions into a very narrow-minded, religious fundamentalist future.

One nation under God was how this nation was founded. One nation under one and only one religious dogma, was not. When one political party aggressively seeks to blur the lines separating church and state, and essentially promote one national religion, how are they any different than the Sunnis seeking to dominate the Shias, or vice verse, seeking to beat one another into submission, or to death?

Bringing religion into the political arena in America can only end the same way - in bloodshed. It’s been 1400 years, and still blood is being spilled over religion mixed with governance in the Middle East. America is quickly being sucked into the age old destructive vortex of religious fanaticism - a vortex resembling the water in a toilet that’s been flushed.

Apropos, because down the toilet is where this great nation is headed if left up to the religious fanatics who seem to be growing in numbers out of fear of no longer being a majority, selective ignorance, and willful intolerance.

 It’s time to wake up, fellow Americans, and smell the coffee, before it’s too late…before it’s overpowered by the smell of tear gas, ammonia from exploded ordnance, and napalm! Can't happen here? How soon we forget. 

If not vigilant and proactive, I fear we will soon become as a nation, that which we have despised about many nations in the Middle East for so long. We are not immune to the chaos and anarchy historically fueled by religious fanaticism and discord.

God bless America. And, oh yes...Allahu Akbar!

~gj dürrschmidt

My Key West Muse

Perhaps,

it’s because

you’re such a

bright ray of

sunshine,

such a welcomed

breath of fresh

air;

the friend

I never had in

high school

(yeah, I know…

there’s no going

back there).

Perhaps,

it’s because of

your brilliance,

your sweet spirit,

or being as easy 
on the eye

one can be.

More importantly

you energize,

enliven, 
and inspire,
and

I cherish

your friendship

with me.

~gj dürrschmidt

For more by this writer, please visit:

The Orangenous Zone

Smoke Alarm (or, Having a Crappy Day)

I’m having a

crappy cup of

coffee,

and having a

crappy kind of

a day.

I’m writing

some crappy

ass poem,

because shit’s

just not going

my way.

Where are all

the crappy

people,

when you need

crappy friends

the most?

Oh crap! I

forgot about the

oven,

and have burned

the cinnamon

toast!

~gj dürrschmidt

For more by this writer, please visit:

The Orangenous Zone

Key West Sundae

Take a great big, heapin’ scoop

of dat island sunshine, mon,

‘n slap it down in a bowl.

Drizzle over some of dat crystal

clear, teal blue water, mon.

Mmm, now you on a roll!

Add lotsa fruits, nuts, ‘n flakes,

talkin’ freaky granola, mon:

peeps dat make life fillin’.

Last, not least, a splash of rum

‘n steel drum music, mon.

Enjoy ‘n jus’ be chillin’!

~gj dürrschmidt

For more by this writer, please visit:

The Orangenous Zone

Key West: The Cantankerous Citrus (A Poem)

Lenny the Key lime tree

is most always a prick;

insists I call him Leonard,

when being a dick.

He’s skinny and scrawny,

thorny and lean;

grotesquely anti-social,

he even looks mean.

“If you expect,” he says,

“to get some of these,

then prune me, water me;

I’ll give what I please.”

“Hey, come move me!

I need lots of light!”

the thorny bastard barks,

till I get it just right.

What the hell, Leonard?

Why always so dour?

“Duh, dumb ass. It’s how

I make the limes sour.”

~gj dürrschmidt

For more by this writer, please visit:

The Orangenous Zone