30 May 2009

Sometimes...

Sometimes...

Sometimes I feel silly,
And I need to dance and sing.
Sometimes I feel thoughtful,
And just focus on one thing.

Sometimes I am joyful,
All the world’s a happy place.
Sometimes I’m unhappy,
And wear my frowny face.

Sometimes I’m confused,
Can’t seem to get from a to b.
But no matter how I feel,
I know I’m always me.

©2009-Art Belliveau

29 May 2009

Back Seat Boredom

Back Seat Boredom

I was riding in the back seat,
As bored as I could be,
Wishing the car ride wasn't so long,
Wishing for something to see.

Outside the car was boring,
Nothing to see for miles.
Except, of course, for the unicorns,
And the purple crocodiles.

The lollipop trees were in full bloom;
Every color was shining bright.
The chocolate rivers flowed next to the road,
On both the left and the right.

The flying pigs and wombats,
Were dancing an aerial ballet.
And I just sat there bored to tears,
Another ho-hum day.

©2009-Art Belliveau

28 May 2009

Light Traveler

Light Traveler


I packed up all my shoes.

I packed up all my clothes.

I packed up all of my toiletries.

I packed up the garden hose.


I packed my computer and printer.

I packed up some paper and ink.

I packed up my umbrella stand.

I packed up the kitchen sink.


I packed up the rose bush.

I packed up the tire swing.

I packed up the TV set.

I packed up my favorite ring.


I would have packed up lots more stuff,

But I thought it wouldn’t be right.

How much more stuff could I need?

I would just be gone one night.


©2009-Art Belliveau

27 May 2009

Billy Had a Great Big Squid

Billy Had a Great Big Squid


Billy had a great big squid

Great big squid

Great big squid

Billy had a great big squid

'Cause he was one weird kid


It followed him to school one day

School one day

School one day

It followed him to school one day

Then it dried out and died


The kids all had some calimari

Calimari

Calimari

The kids all had some calimari

’Cept Billy who was sad



©2009-Art Belliveau

26 May 2009

The Night the Palm Trees Walked

The Night the Palm Trees Walked

The night the palm trees walked
The woke me from bed.
Then they headed to my room,
And I thought that I was dead.

There root scootched 'cross the ground,
Man they were moving fast.
As they drew closer to me,
I prayed that they'd go past.

All that junk food that I ate
Before I went to bed,
Was jumping in my stomach,
Like ten monkeys on a bed.

I moaned and groaned and ran,
Well, at least I tried.
Palm tree arms reached out to grab me,
And real soon I was tied.

And as the trees decided,
To see how many rings I had,
I was suddenly awakened
By my momma and my dad.

I never will again,
Eat so much junk food before bed.
Apparently all that stuff
Really messes with my head.

©2009-Art Belliveau

25 May 2009

Claudia Skye

Claudia Skye

My name is Claudia Skye
and I shape clouds all day.
I can make scary dragons or
cute little bunnies at play.

If you are feeling sad,
A little blue or down,
I will try to cheer you up
With a smiley-faced cloud clown.

If you are ready for a nap,
But cannot go to sleep,
I will make a cloud fence for you,
And over it jump cloud sheep.

I make castles, trees, and cars
Up in the sky for you.
It gives you something fun to see
When you've nothing else to do.


©2009-Art Belliveau

24 May 2009

There’s a Rhinoceros in My Spaghetti

There’s a Rhinoceros in My Spaghetti


There’s a rhinoceros in my spaghetti!
What am I going to do?
It’s slurping up all of my pasta,
And gobbling the meatballs up, too.

It’s rolling ’round in the tomato sauce,
It’s really making a mess.
The tablecloth’s getting all gooey,
And there’s dribbles all over my dress.

My mother will never believe me,
She’ll say her kitchen isn’t a zoo.
But there’s a rhinoceros in my spaghetti,
And I swear what I’m saying is true.

©2009-Art Belliveau

23 May 2009

senryu 5/23/09

through rolled down windows
"Life in the Fast Lane" blares out
the irony stings

haiku 5/23/09

low hanging grey clouds
spitting warm drops of water
empty streets below

©2009-Art Belliveau

senryu 5/23/09

I have often found
days filled with doing nothing
the most exhausting

©2009-Art Belliveau

senryu 5/23/09

my mind is empty
my body weary, and yet
peacefulness fills me

©2009-Art Belliveau

22 May 2009

In the Kitchen, Late at Night

In the Kitchen, Late at Night

everyone is sleeping
in this house certainly
in the world outside seemingly
all, of course, except me

as the night transforms 
into early morning
I cannot sleep
I am compelled to work

not by anyone else
only by myself and
my obsession with
not facing the next day

in the kitchen are dishes
pots and pans and silverware too
from the dinner you made
and we all here ate

and I find that 
before I can allow myself
to lay down next to you
and drift into slumber beside you

I must empty the dishwasher
last night's dishes now clean if not all dry
run the hot water in the sink
into a pot full of knives and forks and spoons

I rinse each dish 
I scrub some that will be a problem
and I  put them in the dishwasher
add the Dawn close the door and start it up

and as the dishes are doused with water
I am doused with sleepiness 
that now feel a satisfaction 
and can join you at last

©2009-Art Belliveau

21 May 2009

Speed of Life

Speed of Life


some things in life

happen so fast
they are finished 
almost before they begin:

lightning
an eye blink
a single flick of a hummingbird's wing
your first five years

©2009-Art Belliveau

20 May 2009

05/20/09

in the quiet of the night
I sit
I wait
I no longer know why
since you
are gone

©2009-Art Belliveau

19 May 2009

Unaccustomed Silence

there is an unaccustomed silence

that blaringly announces 

the presence of your absence


as the phone declines to chime

and the door stubbornly stays unknocked

I am well aware that it is you


and my loneliness and I

share a toast to you

and wish you all the best


©2009-Art Belliveau

18 May 2009

The Meaning of Meaning


I sit down with the intention
to write a poem
this poem, actually

I want a poem to capture for myself
and any who may read it
my take on the essence of the world 

I drift off, eyes slightly unfocused
jaw starting to hang down
maybe in a creative fog
maybe just trying to stay awake

I stare at the clouds through 
the open windows behind the tv
looking for metaphors 
searching for meaning

My thoughts are obliterated
concentration destroyed
the well ordered words I was constructing
fall to ruin

Molly, my daughter, 
all of five years old
runs into the room looking for me
talking at full volume
with gusts of up to 100 words a minute

She misses me and wants me
to come with her and visit the
tent in her playroom
to see how well decorated it is

She also has to let me know
all about the three-legged dog 
she just saw on Animal Planet
and how it had lost its right front leg
holding out her own right arm
and making cutting motions with the left

Mometarilty annoyance rushes through me
my budding creation of words and phrases
dissolved into nothingness
not even remembering where I had planned 
to start--all gone

But then it hits me hard
that poetical epiphany
where before I was searching for meaning
by looking outside my window
and attempting to construct it on my own

I now had that meaning
rush into the room on her own
for the lines I could have created
based on my observation of clouds
cannot compare to the actual living
of life with my family

©2009-Art Belliveau

17 May 2009

05/17/09

outside the gray clouds

hide the blue sky and sun

but not the sun’s light which

though diffuse

works its way past them

to the Earth below


the greens of the trees 

and bushes are all still

waiting 

waiting for what isn’t certain

waiting for who, perhaps?


inside I sit 

a gray funk wrapped around me

obscuring the light that

you provide for me

obscuring it, but not blocking it

completely out

and your warmth, reaches me


reaches me as I sit here

still in the room

looking out the window 

seeing the tableau before me

waiting 

waiting for something very certain

waiting for your return


©2009-Art Belliveau

16 May 2009

05/16/09

after the storm passed

sun shined, clouds cleared and rain fell

from the windblown leaves


©2009-Art Belliveau

15 May 2009

05/15/09

I AM

I am a caring teacher and loving father
I wonder about the world today’s kids will inherit
I hear doomcriers and naysayers
I see opportunutues ahead disguised challanges
I want their world to be better than this one
I am a caring teacher and loving father

I pretend that I can make a positive impact on the world
I feel that is the first step towards doing so
I touch the future
I worry that I do not do enough
I cry for the needlessly dead and dying children
I am a caring teacher and loving father

I understand that the struggle never stops
I say that means there is always a chance to improve
I dream that the world will eventually be healed
I try to do my part in that healing
I hope the younger ones will carry on the fight
I am a caring teacher and loving father



14 May 2009

05/14/09

Art
determined, hard-working, gruff, creative
eldest son of Barbara
likes reading, sleeping, and the Internet
feels ready for something new but
afraid of change
would like to see everyting work out for the best
Belliveau

©2009-Art Belliveau

13 May 2009

Portrait Poem 05/13/09

Picture me, Art,
someone who likes science fiction, social justice, and writing poetry,
someone who loves his family and friends,
a person who wants the capicity to handle complications
and needs to work on acceptance,
a man who remembers his first true love
and wishes it will never end.
Picture me, Art.

©2009-Art Belliveau

12 May 2009

senryu 5/12/09

Forty-five times now,
I have travelled 'round the sun.
What have I learned, though?


©2009-Art Belliveau

11 May 2009

haiku 5/11/09

stars shining brightly
haze in the sky scrubbed away
by a summer storm


©2009-Art Belliveau

10 May 2009

Happy Mother's Day

You do so much every day
Cook and clean, read and play
You doctor ouchies when they hurt
You wash away the sweat and dirt
You show your love in every way
And now’s your very special day

We love you hope your day is great
Even though you couldn’t sleep too late
Relax, enjoy, and take a rest
You absolutely are the best
Let us take care of the rest today
And have a Happy Mother’s Day

09 May 2009

reality 5/09/09

reality
is not
it lies often

only in 
my dreams
can i
sometimes
find 
truth

you
are in 
my dreams

©2009-Art Belliveau

08 May 2009

senryu 5/08/09

quiet evening out
pierced by a scream--who ordered
the crying baby?

©2009-Art Belliveau

haiku 5/08/09

the silent, still woods
on the wall--contrasts with the
bustling restaurant


©2009-Art Belliveau

07 May 2009

tanka 5/07/09

a storm is coming
sky darkens, cool breeze stirs up
animals are still
slowly the rain strengthens 'til
its fury is all that's heard

©2009-Art Belliveau


06 May 2009

For Louise M. Rosenblatt

For Louise M. Rosenblatt

Together in class
We read a story

It is the same story
Printed in every copy
Of every book
In the classroom

Yet—and this is what
I love about reading—

It is a slightly different tale
Inside every head

As the words on the page
Collide and combine
With the life experience
Of each person
Reading the story



©2009-Art Belliveau

05 May 2009

senryu 5/05/09

looking in your eyes 

I see more stars than ever

I saw in night’s sky


©2009-Art Belliveau

haiku 5/05/09

one day the heater

next day: air conditioner

Alabama’s Spring


©2009-Art Belliveau

haiku 5/05/09

rain in the morning

blossomed into warm sunshine

and children’s laughter


©2009-Art Belliveau

04 May 2009

Perfect Day?

what I hate most

is a perfect day

the sun shining

cool breeze blowing

fun with family

and friends


not the day itself

not the company

but the wall

the invisible wall

that stands between the day

and my enjoyment of it


on my side of the wall

it is a gray and rainy day

the hot, humid air

clogs in my lungs

my family and friends

too far away to touch


and the worst part is

from my side

I can see them having fun

see them loving life

and can only

pretend

I am with them


©2009-Art Belliveau

03 May 2009

Papa’s Paradox

Papa’s Paradox


you have moved me

in ways I never expected

never imagined

never thought I could be moved


you depend on me 

so completely

sometimes it’s a little scary

but i wouldn’t change it


whether I would or not though

it will change

as you grow older and develop

into your own person


and i know that is good

it is right 

it is proper

it is also painful for me


pride and loss are intertwined

at every advance you make

as you read and write

and think your own thoughts


all too soon I will be nothing more

than a specator of your life

as you live it as you see fit

still moved, but removed as well


©2009-Art Belliveau

02 May 2009

haiku 5/02/09

the roar of thunder
vibrates the store--rain cascades
I am safe inside

©2009-Art Belliveau

01 May 2009

rhymed verse 5/01/09

So Much for Planning

I was going to give a test today
On Greek and Latin roots
I was going to ask for final drafts
Of my students’ movie reviews
I was going to accomplish things
But my plans, reality outstrips
All my plans are junked today
Because of five field trips
This class now is half empty
The next two look much the same
But I’ll just bend like a reed in the wind
I know how to play the game
Those here today will have the chance
To make up work they’ve missed
Or maybe even to get ahead
With me here to assist
The end of the year is coming fast
(It’s in three weeks—right to the day)
And here we are just kicking back
Another wasted day

©2009-Art Belliveau