POETRY

This is a page dedicated to poetry. It contains a few of Joe's favorite links and an anthology of some of his recent attempts at original poetry. Please have fun and enjoy the page.

One of my favorite sites and poets is Robert Service who wrote of the Alaska, Canada, and Yukon areas during the gold rush at the turn of the century.

Another favorite link is to the collection of Poems right here in Geocities.

If you are an Alfred Lloyd Tennyson fan, you will enjoy this site of quotations also. They are taken from a publication of Columbia University from John Bartlett's Familiar Quotations.

Another link with various Irish poetry and other links is contained in Nua Ltd.'s compilation of poetry links.

Still another interesting location is Poet's Corner here on Geocities, which has nearly 200 authors works on-line.

For a great number of poems and literature, please go to the Internet Public Library. I found this interesting listing of the "Bard's" works there.

Finally, a wonderful site for kids is Kellie Vaughn's Positively Poetry. This is a site compiled and maintained by Kellie a 14 year old, for other kids. It is a lot of fun.

Please read the Anthology below for some of Joe's attempts at poetry.

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An Anthology

The Sea Lion

(Draft written by J. Donahue in Brookings, Oregon December 2000)
I watched, ere he rode the waves,
grabbing salmon, herring & pieces.
And down again, the churn enslaves.
An eating, playing swimming species

He comes and goes often out to sea,
But usually, plays & swims in fun
Built to enjoy, I wish I were he
there dodging the rocks, surfing in sun.

Riding, dodging, timing, swimming thus
Now surfacing and diving, he goes
As the tides, never ceasing, no fuss
That Sea Lion bows, roars & blows.

A Man's Importance

(this draft also written by J. Donahue at Brookings, December 2000)

Though not famous, rich, nor
politically potent.
Rather, a common man,
who simply did his thing.

Served the school board, youth,
and community too.
Attended Church, tithed,
though not regularly.

He was normal and nice,
Average, of little note.
Hist'ry won't recall him,
nor libraries display.

Few friends, family too,
remember him well, but-
for a few hours he had
import beyond compare!

With grandson on his knee,
tales he wove of suspense,
Adventure, mystery,
of history and love.

He was a knight, a lord,
Gallant & true. With a
little embellishment,
a ready audience---

And suddenly, he was
transformed to the most
important man of all.
A young boy's grandfather.

Rubber Band Poetry

by J. Donahue [author's note: this was written when all searches on the computer failed to provide any poetry about rubber bands. It has been published in the National Library of Poetry's Isle of View, 1997]

I searched the net through and through in need,
Using Lycos, Yahoo, searchers galore
A poem about rubber bands, oh to read.
Alas, alack no such poem did I find!

It appears instead, many sites with poems,
1001 uses for a rubber band, and ways for
elderly to use these little bands in homes.
Alas, alack no such poem did I find!!

We had a friendly dessert party there to go,
I intended a poem, about these little gems to bring
The youngsters there to please with the flow
Alas, alack no such poem did I find!!!

When this poem is through, and on the web exposed,
No one else need look so hard to find a verse about
The little rubber bands we use--nor will it be said
Alas, alack no such poem did I find!!!!

The Rubber Band Game

by: J. Donahue [author's note: written to explain a rubber band game that my wife intended to teach a family we were visiting]

Put it over your head, what the heck?
Then pull it down and around your neck.
Up under your ears and nose
and over your chin it goes.

You think its silly and funny too
Specially when told what next to do.
With no hands nor help at all,
Take it down-it is a ball!

Getting the rubber band down
Makes each one look like a clown
Before you are done, or win
Getting it below the chin.

Flat Andy

By: J. Donahue [author's note: This was written to tell a school class that their project (a mailable flattened boy) had arrived]

Flat Andy arrived today.
He is watching me at the computer play.
We'd like to send an e-mail to say
To Miss Bauman's class that he is OK
Do you know of someone there today
with e-mail to pass the message that way
So they could see what we have to say!

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Technology

By: J. Donahue [author's note: written when frustrated over a computer problem]

First they drew on rock
Left their story in caves
Petroglyths and hieroglyths
a tale did tell

When paprus was born, languages too,
charcoal, ink and great tools anew
writing became the way to communicate
a tale to tell

Meanwhile, others tried
their story to communicate
Runners & smoke signals
their tale to tell

Then came Morris and Bell
with mechanical means
telegraph & telephone
instant tales to tell

There followed other sound
and means to spread the word
with radio and short wave
came new tales to tell

If that were not enough
Soon light waves sent
Movies, talkies, TV too
more tales to tell

Now we are getting there
More ways to send in the air
Teletype first, then telefax
Our tales to tell

Come we now to where we are
Today we send things direct
Via computer, e-mail & Net
Sad tales to tell

With so many things to say
What means or method
Will work for me today
No tales to tell

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