You

It wasn't anyone
any different than you

who started that last
revolution,

who fell in love,

who was remembered
    for thousands of years.


-Jim DuBois
2006

Fat Little Birds

Fat little birds,
  in the dirt and sand by the roadside

Fat little birds,
  in the dry leaves under the car

Fat little birds,
  my hands are cold
    as I zip up my coat


-Jim DuBois
Oct 30, 2002

40 Short Poems

I put together a book of some short poems (many of which aren't on this blog). Now you can get a printed version of my work.

40 Short Poems

Dirty Old Windows

Dirty old windows -
you still let the light through.


-Jim DuBois
Feb 23, 2005

* Five Special Colors *

This poem
now comes in five special colors
and is suitable for use
on fourteen different
    special occasions.

Wherever you see an asterisk,
substitute the name of a loved one,
or a touching word from the list
    at the end.

Don't worry too much
about meaning --
or originality --
what matters most
is that you bought it
    from us.


-Jim DuBois
March 19, 2005

The Scent of my Childhood

Sometimes
I catch the scent
of my childhood,

in the swampy air
from the stream
down the hill,

in the rotting leaves
on the bike path
through the woods.

Sometimes
I catch the scent
of my childhood,

of the magic
that I had forgotten,

of the goodness
I used to know more about.


-Jim DuBois
Oct 22, 2009

Half an Hour

Half an hour
between one thing

and the next.

How can I
live these moments well?


-Jim DuBois
Oct 22, 2009

The World is Mine

I like to go downtown
get a 33 cent pad of paper
and $1 pen
and sit on a bench
and draw
and write
and feel like
    the world is mine


-Jim DuBois
Oct 22, 2009

(Sorting) Laundry

Shirt,
Shirt,
Shirt,

Socks, pants, shirt,

Why do I have so many shirts?

shirt,
long-sleeved shirt,
pants,
pajamas,

I wonder how other people categorize their laundry?

I have the most categories for shirts,

shirt,
long-sleeved shirt,
shirt I need to hang on a hanger,
Oh! this shirt's not really dry yet...

Maybe I'll do more laundry tomorrow.


-Jim DuBois
Jan 22, 1998

Summer, anyway

Bird, hopping on a gravestone

Bird perched on a tomb

The green green grass

Sweat standing on my neck



-Jim DuBois
July 20, 2003

Running Around Eastworks

Running around Eastworks
after Mama's birthday dinner,
we saw the bear!
we ran around the little shack
  with all the poems,
we ran up and down the big hallways.

Watching you reminded me
that it's ok to love.


-Jim DuBois
March 2009

Great themes in poetry

1. Quit procrastinating,
         you’ll be dead soon


2. Flower = vagina,
         please have sex with me


3. This government sucks,
         but I can’t say that directly


4. I am lonely, angry,
         (fill-in the blank), etc.


5. This poem
         is a self-reflective poem


6. I’m a fairly clever intellectual


7. I actually love you,
         and could tell you over and over


8. It’s spring,
         life is filled with beauty, possibility and newness


9. It’s autumn,
         life is rich but impermanent

-Jim DuBois
March 20, 2005

Because of You (Make Another Poem)

Two summers ago I was trying to make up a simple poetry form. I wanted something simple, positive, and rhythmic. An easy form and way to remind other people that they matter to us and the world.

Here is the result of it. Please make up one or two and post them!

The rules:

1. The whole poem is to someone in particular who has made a positive impact on your life. You pick who.
2. Three lines, each starting with "Because of you"
3. One of the lines (you pick which one) has nothing else on it.
4. The other two lines have concrete details of what is better in your life and the world because of the person. Try to be as sincere as you can. And be positive.
5. When the poem is done, post it on their profile, or send them an email of it, or send a copy in the actual mail, or recite it to them, or something friendly like that. (Also, post it here in a comment, so we can see it too!)

Here's a recent one:

(To Kara)

Because of you.
Because of you
    there's a lot more love
    in my life these days.
Because of you
    there's a lot more love
    in the world.


Here are my two, from that summer. (I also posted them on their Facebook walls):

(To Phoebe)

Because of you I'm sleeping better lately
Because of you I sang part of a song as I walked along
Because of you


(To Kristen)

Because of you
Because of you I'm happily reading the last Harry Potter
Because of you the lives of my friend and her child are better

My Dance Shoes ( + Make a poem )

I wrote a poem a year or so ago, and then invented a poetic form from it. Here's the poem:

---
My dance shoes,
black,
slightly worn,
resting after a night of lindy hopping.

Meanwhile,
the milky way
hurtles along its billion year journey.
---

Now here is how you can use the same form, and make a poem, which I really really hope you will do, and post in a comment on this blog. Just follow the directions below.
(the numbers are what line it is, and anything in ( ) is a direction about what to write on that line. Anything besides numbers and directions should be written in the poem, like punctuation and "meanwhile".)

---
1. (concrete, knowable everyday object(s) ),
2. (adjective describing the object(s) ),
3. (a short phrase describing the object(s) ),
4. (an 'ing' phrase [resting, running, reading, etc] about what the object(s) are doing at the moment).

5. Meanwhile,
6. (a very large almost ungraspable concrete object. Meaning something that exists, rather than an entirely abstract concept, but one that is hard to comprehend entirely)
7. (what that object does right now, using a present tense verb [runs, eats, sleeps, hurtles, etc] ).
---

Previously posted on my MySpace blog, with poems after it by other people

Many Words on a List

Red
Car
Music
Pizza
love
Day
Pretty
Sky
Blue
Cloud
Dirt
Grass
Run
Run
Run!!!


-Jim DuBois
1999ish

List

Poetry
is
more
than
a
list
of
words
red
it
is
an
art
form
art
form
dog
car
stereo


-Jim DuBois
1999ish

Jeremiah

I remember that time
we were walking
along the Holyoke ridge
and you said,
"It looks like these
are basalt columns
that thrust up
through the earth
about 200 million years ago,"
and I thought,
"he just wants to sound
like he's smart,"
but the plaque
at the end of the trail
said almost exactly
what you had.

Another time
we were talking on the phone
and you mentioned
that some days
you only try to have
as much motivation
as is needed
to do the immediate
next thing,
such as reach the doorknob
and leave a room,
and I thought,
"he's just trying
to sound inspirational,"
but many many years later
I still think about
what a helpful perspective
you offered me.

Now, I'm glad
that despite my momentary cynicisms
I got to see your mind
functioning well.


-Jim DuBois
Sep 10, 2009

When You Were Almost Two

When you were almost two,
you and me and Shahana
ran around in Eastworks
while our other people
talked after dinner
at the Apollo Grill.

There was this huge plastic bear
in one of the windows
and I lifted you up
so you could get a better view.
Shahana wanted to see too,
so I picked her up with my other arm
and we looked at the bear together.

We laughed and talked and pointed
and I felt peaceful and happy and content.

I held you guys for as long as I could,
until my arms got tired,
but if I could, I'd be there still,
holding you up to see the bear.


-Jim DuBois
March + Aug 2009

Summer Musings

I. The Mountain

On the trip up the mountain,
I think about how, in life,
as opposed to in stories,
there are a lot of loose ends
and characters you meet briefly
that seem interesting
but play no further part.

I wonder about the people I met today.
Do they figure prominently?
Are they major or minor figures
in this mini-drama?


II. Skinny-Dipping

Sometimes, seeing girls naked is relaxing
because there are no longer any secret hidden mysteries
that they might have.
They are just people with bodies.
And boobs become just,
well, boobs.


III. The Neighborhood

Walking around the neighborhood,
I am amazed by the community and closeness
people could have, but don't.
There is so much quietness and distance
packed into a small area.
It's as if everyone is holed-up
in their own castle,
waiting out the siege.


-Jim DuBois
June, 2007

I Have This

I have this pen
and I have this brain
and I have a world to live in

this pen
this brain
and a world to live in


-Jim DuBois
July 11, 2008