Words & Music

by Mike Power

latest

  • November Third

    Bending neither to the rain Nor to the wind Nor to snow nor to summer heat, Firm in body, yet Without greed, without anger, Always smiling serenely. Eating his four cups of rough rice a day With bean paste and a few vegetables, Never taking himself into account But seeing and hearing everything, Understanding And Read more

  • Tripping

    A funny thing or two happened on my way home from a reading last week. After spending the evening with two of my favorite people in the world, having dinner and listening to poetry and music at the Bowery Poetry Club, I got on the train to go home and looked at my phone. An Read more

  • A Reading

    Last Sunday I fell on my face. Not figuratively, which would have been worse, but literally. I was taking the stage at Bowery Poetry when I tripped on the stairs and fell down, my glasses skittering off into the shadows. That might explain the slightly stricken look on my face. Here is the poem I Read more

  • When you’re gone

    Your flashing eyes and squeaky laugh have left their impression on my heart Not terribly deep and perfectly impermanent Still I know I’ll miss them when you’re gone Read more

  • The Impossible Piece

    The Stoics say, “the obstacle is the path” and that is a good observation for writers to learn. Sometimes a story is just a pile of pieces that don’t fit together, or more like a puzzle that you know fits together – because you trust the people who manufacture the product – but you can’t Read more

  • Waiting

    I’m waiting again but this time it’s good. This time it’s fine. This time it’s like I planned it all along. Waiting around gives me some time to think. To think about what I might like to drink but other things too, other than you. Other than you and what you put me through. I Read more