The Poetry of
pansy bradshaw
My dear friend pansy bradshaw is a
widely published poet, co-author of the best-selling travel guide ("Betty
and Pansy's Severe Queer Review of San Francisco"), notorious queer
activist, highly regarded child-care professional (walking literally, in the
footsteps of Sacagawea), preacher and hospice chaplain.
He is a native of Miami, Florida but lives now in Dillon, Montana. We have collaborated on several pieces and there is more to come......
Choose the poem you want to read:
5 domestic
poems, | hymn to the virgin,
| 4 sex werks
| tending fire
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domestik 1
a poem lyke a house
a home
a cave
& a wall
a poem
lyke the wall of a house
lyke red ochre
lyke the print of a
childs palm
dimmly lit by fire
reflektid
in the eyes
of animals
& of people
who live there...
-p.b. copyright, 4.march.2001 by pansy bradshaw
domestik 2
there are eggs in the house
gatherd frum the store
& not stolen frum a hen
as in the olden tymes
the eggs come home
in the bak of the car
after shopping
the mother
makes pancakes with the eggs
& the flour
& the milk
all bought frum the store
& not harvestd frum
the field
& not milked
frum a cow
as in olden tymes
as in olden tymes
the mother
makes pancakes
& a small boy eats them
with syrup
& a fork
& the nanny wonders
the nanny always wonders
through it all
how many pancakes did our
ancestors
drop into the fire
how many pancakes
burned in the fire
be4 understanding
they needed
an iron pan
& that gas flames
were better than
cave fires
made from anything
that might burn
-p.b. copyright 5.march.2001 by
pansy bradshaw
domestik 3
& wat of the animals
are there animals in the house
are there animals in the field
sometymes
there is a dog
there are horses too
& in the warm wet spring
you can smell the horses
& the wooly mammoth
which used to roam
in the field
outside the entrance to
the cave
though the dog
which is only there
sometymes
stays in the mudroom
except during parties
when the dog
& not the horses
is permitted to
socialize
but never
never ever
the wooly mammoth
-p.b. copyright 5.march.2001 by
pansy bradshaw
domestik 4
there is always musik
there
in the house
there is a piano
though we did not have
a piano
when we lived
in the cave
there are guitars
which were not
in the cave
there is a stereo too
& none of these were
in the cave
& people in the house
are always
singing
always
singing
the same as when we were
in the cave
& the wild beast
which lurked outside
the caves entrance
was that the wooly mammoth
with fire reflektd
in its eyes
& even the door of the house
makes musik
when the people kome home
& when the people go out
even the door
makes musik
-p.b. copyright 5.march.2001 by
pansy bradshaw
domestik 5
saying gudbye in the house
was hard enough
saying gudbye in the house
was painful enough
after the lights
went out
when his light
went out
lyke a shooting star
wich the nanny saw
frum the caves entrance
the boys mother
bathed the man
with warm water
in a large glass bowl
& a soft cloth
after the shooting star
arched across
the midnight sky
& the men drank
their koffee blak
& the men were somber
& then
she sed gudbye
& the baby too
sed gudbye
& we stood in the yard
& on the steps
& on the drive
& we sed
gudbye together
& we sang songs
together
& the wooly mammoth
lumberd away
singing
sad sorrowful songs
-p.b. copyright 5.march.2001 by
pansy bradshaw
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00.035 hymn
to the virgin |
hymn
to the virgin
( after romanos )
bethlehem
becomes
a new garden
here is the secret place
come
take hold
the joy of
creation
-within the void
here
a new seed
sprouts
forgiveness
here
a new fountain
from which
our ancestors
dreamed to drink
from the
cave
flows
immortality
relieving
the dryness
of our
souls
& those of eve & adam
come
here is the
place
where
christ is born
void
before time
p.b. copyrigh t
2001 by
pansy bradshaw
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tending fire
i get the feeling
its going to be
a longer night than most
tending fire…
tending fire
like tending love…
is a sacred thing…
extreme & wonderful
so i think about you
& about letting go
but thats not my way
like the boy i wuz
fanning red hot coals
for the incense offering
i must keep the flame
alive i must keep
the fire burning
& all the time…
asking the gods
for courage & strength
to endure
this long loneliness…
& praying
you will help
p.b copyright. 26.may.1999 by pansy bradshaw |

03.055 tending fire |
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