Blue Tears

Possibly continuing on my theme of my failed 3 week relationship in 9th grade, I crafted this incredible love letter to nowhere. Yes I know, it's wonderfully profound. Created April 3, 1998.

The O.P.

The optimistic positivist
Never looked below his lips
And never had more than a tryst
With the things less than great

He turned his former sunken eyes
So he'd only see the bluest skies
And said all of his last goodbyes
To those things that brought him down

He laced up his most comfy shoes
So he could sidestep the heavy blues
Hearing only happy news
In his newest of new lives

He did say goodbye to several friends
The ones which he could not make amends
And though he would have chosen better ends
He did not let it own him

-RTB

Oh The King

"Another one boy!

"Another one" he cried

"Give us your laughter boy,

Give us your tears!

We are hungry for your stories

And thirsty for your tales"

The King shouted

And the Knights echoed his call

And the Queen smiled at her husband

And the Ladies in waiting smiled at their Queen

And the court swelled with applause

And the floor shook with their stomps

So the boy went on

Telling yarns of lands afar

Weaving wonders all had never heard

And he went on until the king was out of breath

And they slept

And the knights and ladies had found other places to be

None of them knew

That not a single thing they'd heard

Was true

-RTB

Direct/Local

Those emails
Like Trains
Arriving at the station
You hope
Every time
This one will take me some place far far away
But every train a local
To Here
Never any where else
Yet everyday
I show up at the station
Hoping for something new
Surprise me this time
Shock me this time
Wow me this time
The same this time
Are there even trains to other places?
Do they even come to this station?
If I stop here once a day or once a year
Would any of it matter?
Why must any of it matter?
What am I even doing here without a ticket?
Who am I wishing will whisk me away?
Who could possibly stoke my fire and push me forward?
How long can I stand in wait before...
Before...
Before I can even realize
What it is I am so afraid of?

-RTB

Spotlight

Featured: Richard T. Boehmcke

Photo: Emily J. Krasner

Paper House

Of the dimensions of time and space
Our shared versions and those undone
Spoken fallacies and shattered imageries
And a phone call cut too short

When the shine came off the apple
The curtain fell off the stage
And tempers flared red
And the seemingly unlightable fuse, was lit

With forgotten courtesies and an eclipsed view
They battled semi consciously
Doing battle
Mostly with their fears

And they singed each others ears
They broke into each others hearts
Pulling paper from the walls
And leaving shards where glass had been

-RTB

Of the Fountain

I sleep and I doze
And I wake and rose
From that place where I had been thinking about prose

Of thoughts in my head
And thoughts that I’ve said
And thousands of books that I wish I had read

So I stand here and gawk
At those people who walk
And always always do nothing but talk

So I think, what is it that’s in me
That’s better than thee
Or is it just something impossible to see

Things that are better than prose written thoughts
Actions much bigger than wouldn’t and oughts

And people much nicer that those that I know
And actions much kinder than those that I show

There are things that are out there that I’ve yet to see
And the only possibility to know what they’ll be
Is to just wait and see
Just
Wait and see.

~RTB in Padova 3/14/04