Various Atmospheres by Alex Caldiero

various atmospheres

various atmospheres
can make you & me wholesome
more than the luminous
clouds that never bring rain.

This is not the time to think about

This is not the time to think about
growing a beard. You just
got laid off and your're in
Utah and your're a minority and
you're a little weird and your'sr
in a movie about a space feminist's
revenge and your'e so ready
to sing and you love to dance
and you like comic books and
you're 45 years old and you
don't know god personally
and you're in love with the
wrong woman who is the right
woman and you're makin
believe which if you got
paied would be callind acting
and you're dreaming of being
a stand-up comedian and your'e
realizing more and more how
uninteresting your list of your
accomplishments is and your postive
mental attitude is shot to hell
and you want to stop writing with
this kinda pen because it forces
you to go up and down to much
and to fast.

What I wouldn't do to

What I wouldnt do to
remember the poem I
jsut forgot. It had a
rare and curious rhyme.
two lines long, each
line with two phrases,
the last word of the first
phrase of the first line
rhymed with the last
word of the first phrase
in the sedond line, and
the last word of the first
line with the last word
of the sedond line, both
lines with all their rhymes
made a pattern that was
descernible of the page.

almost stopped writing ...

almost stoped writing poetry—I was too pious—good
thing I preayed for the Holy Ghost, that old-time ancient
Muse Mother stirrer of words in the tongue holy spirit
lover of freedom God who comes into the breast hot &
fiery—good thing I fell on my knees and called the light
back into my eyes & the word back into my breath & I
wrote & got over my piety, the worst sickness o' the soul,
makes you a stranger to your brothers & sisters and to every
thing that lives and walks the same ground ans you.

Bonzo and Elvis

Bonzo and Elvis
are exactly the same age--

That's the answer
I received when I enquired
as to the best course of action
to take in my life.

You would never know by the looks ...

You would never know by the looks
0' me that my left hand
has been substituted for my
right hand & my right hand
for my left. You would never guess in a million
years that my eyes, my legs,
my feet--that everything
that comes in pairs
has been switched around.

Whenever I'm near a mirror,
I stop and stare.

The Post Master General issued ...

The Post Master General issued a series of stamps
commemorating events on other planets and dimensions.
When you put one 0' these stamps on an envelope, you
dont have to include a letter or an address. And that
explains my apprehensions about life on this or on other
worlds.

Some people pick their noses

Some people pick their noses.
Some people pick their ears.

I pick my belly button
& remove the ancient lint

careful not to unfasten
the knot that unravels all.

it is plain and simple

it is plain and simple like the solitary loaf of bread on the
table and we come in after a whole day outdoors and
grandma cuts it just right and it's still warm and the olive
oil seeps into the soft part which has a name in the Sicilian
language that is proper to this inner portion the crust protects
and holds dear and which we construe as something
wonderful because it is good to eat just as it is.

If you count long enuf ...

If you count long enuf, you'll reach the number that first
makes you stutter then fall silent altogether.

After the silence you start to speak another language; you
start to move a different body. You can count the stars
and not get warts. You can calculate endings and not get
sad. You and I can kiss and be kissed on every count of
three.

SHNO

The shaman cowboy
always had a cup 0' coffee
for breakfast and
a hamburger & fries
for lunch. He
smoked one cigarette
after another, rolling
each one in his fingers
before lighting up.
His drawl was un-
mistakable when
he spoke & he
moseyed when he
walked. He said
he had been
Jesus, Empedocles &
Walt Whitman in previous
lives. Once he described
how as Empedocles he
went up and leaped into Mount Etna.
As he spoke, the temperature in the room
got so hot & his face
so ruddy that I could not
take it & had to ask him
to cut short his story. Other times, if
I commented on what a beautiful
day it was or how wonderful
the sky looked, he'd respond
with "thank you," as if I
had complimented his
handiwork. He taught
me how to see thru my fingertips, and
how to break up clouds
with my mind (a game I
still play now & then). One day,
he announced
that the chemical composition
of his blood was changing, and that once
the transformation was complete he would
never die. Then
he gave away his only possessions, and took
off for the holy grounds of Hawaii. --From
time to time I write about him
to keep his memory alive & to
say to him (wherever he may be)
that he's part of my life.

One moment reciting ...

One moment reciting psalms exclaiming in plainness and in
need how my enemies have closed in about me how I'm
abandoned by everyone and plead unto the Lord
himself to intervene on my behalf lest I be utterly ruined
and vanish from among the living, when I realize it's just
me talking.

I miss my computer

I miss my computer.
Without it I think and feel differently.
I start touch-typing on my tongue.

I realize how much of what I write
is already on the keyboard waiting
for me to unscramble into words.

Now that my computer is gone
(its cyclops eye closed and dreamless,
all our telepathies disconnected)

Who's going to look at me
with such single vision
as the one with the bright blue eye?

SONGPRAYER

Let something grow, Lord
Let something good grow, Lord
Let something good grow in me
Let something good grow in her
Let something real be, Lord
Let something real be there
Let something real be there when I go greet her
Let something matter, Lord
Let something matter to her
Let something matter to me
Let something come, Lord
Let something come across the air we move & breathe
Let something come, Lord
Let something come across the air we move & breathe
'Cause I cant hold on forever, Lord
'Cause I cant hold on forever
Let something lift me up, Lord
Let something lift me up & hold me closer close
Let something lift me up, Lord, & change me into something
Something that can fly & glide
'Cause I wanna go over that wall
'Cause I wanna go over that wall that surrounds me, Lord
'Cause I'm no stone taken & thrown
I'm no feather blown in the weather
I'm no door left ajar
I'm not some thing that dont need spring
Let something happen, Lord
Let something joyful happen to me
Let something joyful happen to her
Let something happen, Lord
Let something happen soon, Lord
Let something happen soon to lift the gloom
Let something happen soon, Lord
'Cause my music's ending
'Cause my step's faIt'ring
'Cause my beat's failing
Let something come
Let something lift
Let something real turn the wheel
And let me go fast or slow
But let me fly like a sigh
That goes to sea when it leaves me, Lord
'Cause my words are stutt'ring
'Cause my hands are aching
'Cause my eyes are slipping
Slipping slowly into sleep
Sliding slowly ever deep, Lord
Let us into your Keep.

he wonders if it was worth while ...

he wonders if it was worth while making a good impression
on the beautiful lifeguard who invited him out to where
the waves were tall and the undertow unforgiving.

she swam and he followed. by the time he decided to turn
back, his arms and legs had stopped working. yelling
for help wouldve been embarrassing.

suddenly somehow the salt tasted sweet and the sky was no
longer out of reach.

When I wanna write ...

When I wanna write exactly what
I'm feeling or exactly what I'm
seeing or exactly what I want to
say, I'm glad to get a phone
call from a friend asking if
he can come right over.

I want to be a tree

I want to be a tree
said my body to me
this morning.

I dont want to hurry
any more or flee
the way the two-legged do.

My body said to me:
clean out your stomach
clear out your brain.

Being a tree is being pure
Being a tree is being reborn
Being a tree's not a small thing.

So what's stopping you?
asked my body-
So whatchew waiting for?

But where & how do I begin?
I said to my body
when it insisted.

Begin with me.
Begin by not saying:
My body.

More Poetry

	Various Atmospheres: Poems and Drawings by Alex Caldiero Signature Books Salt Lake City © 1998 Table of Contents various atmospheres This is not the time to think about What I wouldnt do to almost stopped writing ... Bonzo and Elvis You would never know by the looks The Post Master General issued ... Some people pick their noses it is plain and simple ... If you count long enuf ... SHNO One Mom net reciting ... I miss my computer SONGPRAYER he wonders if it was worth while ... When I wanna write ... I want to be a tree Searching for food had become the other side ... Under the desk there is another room ... TO HARPO MARX, IN HEAVEN A man kneeling can be The gorilla dressed as a bellhop ALIEN SCHOOLING THE SPIRIT Every week I read my horoscope ... I ran from my death I enjoy reading the biographies of suicides No one knew exactly how ... "I don't ever want to die ..." I want to ask my mother for a sign ... If I were powerful When I first saw fingers ... FUNERARY INSTRUCTIONS Every fifth word It walks into your If I get close ... the sudden knowledge ... from you to me We could try our The past creates the feeling ... Before they mean We always speak in possessives the only man No one will know Your hair Cover


	various atmospheres various atmospheres can make you & me wholesome more than the luminous clouds that never bring rain. This is not the time to think about This is not the time to think about growing a beard. You just got laid off and your're in Utah and your're a minority and you're a little weird and your'sr in a movie about a space feminist's revenge and your'e so ready to sing and you love to dance and you like comic books and you're 45 years old and you don't know god personally and you're in love with the wrong woman who is the right woman and you're makin believe which if you got paied would be callind acting and you're dreaming of being a stand-up comedian and your'e realizing more and more how uninteresting your list of your accomplishments is and your postive mental attitude is shot to hell and you want to stop writing with this kinda pen because it forces you to go up and down to much and to fast. What I wouldn't do to What I wouldnt do to remember the poem I jsut forgot. It had a rare and curious rhyme. two lines long, each line with two phrases, the last word of the first phrase of the first line rhymed with the last word of the first phrase in the sedond line, and the last word of the first line with the last word of the sedond line, both lines with all their rhymes made a pattern that was descernible of the page. almost stopped writing ... almost stoped writing poetry—I was too pious—good thing I preayed for the Holy Ghost, that old-time ancient Muse Mother stirrer of words in the tongue holy spirit lover of freedom God who comes into the breast hot & fiery—good thing I fell on my knees and called the light back into my eyes & the word back into my breath & I wrote & got over my piety, the worst sickness o' the soul, makes you a stranger to your brothers & sisters and to every thing that lives and walks the same ground ans you. Bonzo and Elvis Bonzo and Elvis are exactly the same age-- That's the answer I received when I enquired as to the best course of action to take in my life. You would never know by the looks ... You would never know by the looks 0' me that my left hand has been substituted for my right hand & my right hand for my left. You would never guess in a million years that my eyes, my legs, my feet--that everything that comes in pairs has been switched around. Whenever I'm near a mirror, I stop and stare. The Post Master General issued ... The Post Master General issued a series of stamps commemorating events on other planets and dimensions. When you put one 0' these stamps on an envelope, you dont have to include a letter or an address. And that explains my apprehensions about life on this or on other worlds. Some people pick their noses Some people pick their noses. Some people pick their ears. I pick my belly button & remove the ancient lint careful not to unfasten the knot that unravels all. it is plain and simple it is plain and simple like the solitary loaf of bread on the table and we come in after a whole day outdoors and grandma cuts it just right and it's still warm and the olive oil seeps into the soft part which has a name in the Sicilian language that is proper to this inner portion the crust protects and holds dear and which we construe as something wonderful because it is good to eat just as it is. If you count long enuf ... If you count long enuf, you'll reach the number that first makes you stutter then fall silent altogether. After the silence you start to speak another language; you start to move a different body. You can count the stars and not get warts. You can calculate endings and not get sad. You and I can kiss and be kissed on every count of three. SHNO The shaman cowboy always had a cup 0' coffee for breakfast and a hamburger & fries for lunch. He smoked one cigarette after another, rolling each one in his fingers before lighting up. His drawl was un- mistakable when he spoke & he moseyed when he walked. He said he had been Jesus, Empedocles & Walt Whitman in previous lives. Once he described how as Empedocles he went up and leaped into Mount Etna. As he spoke, the temperature in the room got so hot & his face so ruddy that I could not take it & had to ask him to cut short his story. Other times, if I commented on what a beautiful day it was or how wonderful the sky looked, he'd respond with "thank you," as if I had complimented his handiwork. He taught me how to see thru my fingertips, and how to break up clouds with my mind (a game I still play now & then). One day, he announced that the chemical composition of his blood was changing, and that once the transformation was complete he would never die. Then he gave away his only possessions, and took off for the holy grounds of Hawaii. --From time to time I write about him to keep his memory alive & to say to him (wherever he may be) that he's part of my life. One moment reciting ... One moment reciting psalms exclaiming in plainness and in need how my enemies have closed in about me how I'm abandoned by everyone and plead unto the Lord himself to intervene on my behalf lest I be utterly ruined and vanish from among the living, when I realize it's just me talking. I miss my computer I miss my computer. Without it I think and feel differently. I start touch-typing on my tongue. I realize how much of what I write is already on the keyboard waiting for me to unscramble into words. Now that my computer is gone (its cyclops eye closed and dreamless, all our telepathies disconnected) Who's going to look at me with such single vision as the one with the bright blue eye? SONGPRAYER Let something grow, Lord Let something good grow, Lord Let something good grow in me Let something good grow in her Let something real be, Lord Let something real be there Let something real be there when I go greet her Let something matter, Lord Let something matter to her Let something matter to me Let something come, Lord Let something come across the air we move & breathe Let something come, Lord Let something come across the air we move & breathe 'Cause I cant hold on forever, Lord 'Cause I cant hold on forever Let something lift me up, Lord Let something lift me up & hold me closer close Let something lift me up, Lord, & change me into something Something that can fly & glide 'Cause I wanna go over that wall 'Cause I wanna go over that wall that surrounds me, Lord 'Cause I'm no stone taken & thrown I'm no feather blown in the weather I'm no door left ajar I'm not some thing that dont need spring Let something happen, Lord Let something joyful happen to me Let something joyful happen to her Let something happen, Lord Let something happen soon, Lord Let something happen soon to lift the gloom Let something happen soon, Lord 'Cause my music's ending 'Cause my step's faIt'ring 'Cause my beat's failing Let something come Let something lift Let something real turn the wheel And let me go fast or slow But let me fly like a sigh That goes to sea when it leaves me, Lord 'Cause my words are stutt'ring 'Cause my hands are aching 'Cause my eyes are slipping Slipping slowly into sleep Sliding slowly ever deep, Lord Let us into your Keep. he wonders if it was worth while ... he wonders if it was worth while making a good impression on the beautiful lifeguard who invited him out to where the waves were tall and the undertow unforgiving. she swam and he followed. by the time he decided to turn back, his arms and legs had stopped working. yelling for help wouldve been embarrassing. suddenly somehow the salt tasted sweet and the sky was no longer out of reach. When I wanna write ... When I wanna write exactly what I'm feeling or exactly what I'm seeing or exactly what I want to say, I'm glad to get a phone call from a friend asking if he can come right over. I want to be a tree I want to be a tree said my body to me this morning. I dont want to hurry any more or flee the way the two-legged do. My body said to me: clean out your stomach clear out your brain. Being a tree is being pure Being a tree is being reborn Being a tree's not a small thing. So what's stopping you? asked my body- So whatchew waiting for? But where & how do I begin? I said to my body when it insisted. Begin with me. Begin by not saying: My body. More Poetry