Tex Norman

Two Short Poems by texxnorman



Posted: Monday, October 06, 2008

by

MIXED METAPHOR 

He mixed his metaphors
like a bartender-
the words were Jamaican Rum-
the syntax was syrup-
the grammar was juice-
and the little plastic sword
that pierced a wedge of lime,
and the tiny red paper umbrella,
and the glass
and the slivers of ice
and the coaster
were punctuation marks-
some of it needed-
much of it unnecessary
and used for show.
All together
it was hard to swallow.
 
 
To The Bus Stop 

I watch them walking.  Clearly  

they're together, they're a group.
Even from this distance I
can see that something isn't
right.  To me they look like kids
forced to walk on mattresses.
As they get closer I can
see their bodies are confused.
One rising shoulder is
shocked that the left one has gone
south.  Each elbow has a mind
of its own.  Some feet step high,
and proud, and purposefully
as if they were supporting
a trumpet player in a
marching band.  The other feet
are baffled, because the toes
are locked in this hot debate
and every ballot ends with a
tie.  On each and every vote
the little piggy abstains.
One word passes through my mind.
From here they're easy to love
and difficult to care for.
Tex Norman is a social worker, currently working at the Oklahoma DHS Abuse and Neglect hotline. He interviews people reporting abuse and/or neglect of children and vulnerable adults and writes a narrative. The narratives (and demographics) are used to initiate investigations of the allegations. He says it is like writing 8 to 10 stories a day. In August 2012, he will have been married to Kathie for 40 years. He has a son Ryan who earned a PhD from Princeton and he is now a scientist doing research in molecular biology. Tex spends his free time working as an artist and writer. He has one art site, and a blog that might be of interest: http://tex-norman.artistwebsites.com/ and http://collagepoetrybytex.blogspot.com/
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