Escape Clause
©2013 Susan Noyes Anderson
Image: The Promenade by Marc Chagall
Hold me down when I feel flighty.
Lift me up when I’m earthbound.
When in doubt, just take a chance and
swing this partner round and round.
General-Literary Poems
Posting these literary poems where people can enjoy them pleases me. Even poems that have landed in books, magazines, or anthologies will find a wider audience here, while poems used to the quiet solitude of my desk drawer will get to see the light of day and meet readers like you! (Art fans: Look for literary poems inspired by the work of well-known photographers and painters.) Please request permission by email, including full copyright information on each copy made. For internet use, a link back to this website is required.
FINDING THE POEM YOU WANT: As you scroll through this section, simply read each snippet sample (usually the first four lines) to get a feel for the poem. When you find something you like, click “CONTINUE READING” to view the entire poem.
Kitchen Confessional
©2013 Susan Noyes Anderson
Image: Between Heaven and Hell by Jacek Yerka
My kitchen is perched between heaven and hell,
but it leans in the latter direction.
The dishes I’m cooking are don’t ask, don’t tell
with abstaining the only protection.
Library Lib
©2013 Susan Noyes Anderson
Photo by Shunya Koide on Unsplash
Photo by Take a whiff of joy-in-store,
of silent tomes that sing.
Ride your neurotransmitters
from Boston to Beijing.
taking up arms
©2012 Susan Noyes Anderson
Verdun, by Felix Vallotton
then and now, war is the same
guts and glory, brawn and blame
rage, remorse, and alibis
searing truth and crushing lies
in the breach
©2012 Susan Noyes Anderson
Image: Venus and the Sailor by Salvador Dali
call me from the sea to meet you
in the breach of dawn and dusk
shapes and angles flow to greet you
midnight masses, morning musk
The Sage Speaks
©2012 Susan Noyes Anderson (poem only)
You hold forth in your wisdom
as if truth began with you,
each argument refuted by
your “worthy” point of view.
The Philanthropist
©2012 Susan Noyes Anderson (poem only)
Unflinching resolution is
a phrase that always conjures you.
Your war cry is “Snap out of it.”
And “Seize the day” is your world view.
Farewell the King of Spoons
©2012 Susan Noyes Anderson
Image: It Must Be Time For Lunch Now by Francesca Woodman
It must be time for lunch now,
but I think I’ll take a pass.
It seems the king of spoons just tried
to knock me on my ass.