Ralph E. Martin
Richmond, Virginia
Ralph E. MartinRichmond, Virginia | |
 Ralph was raised in Bangor, Maine, is a World War II Vet, graduated from George Washington University and worked for the U.S. Railroad Retirement Board until his retirement several years ago. He enjoys traveling, exercising, gardening and is an avid tennis fan. Ralph has had his poetry published in many poetry journals some of which are : Echoes Magazine, Elk River Review, Explorations, Feelings, Fox Cry, The Iconoclast, Lone Stars, Manna, Parnassus, Pegasus, Poetic Page, Timberline, Riverrun, Silhouette, Skylark and The National Library of Poetry. Ralph says, "Writing poetry keeps my old mind active and to some extent youthful." |
MoonlightThe shadowy silken glance of the moonCreeps in on yellow slippers secretly. But for faint fickled cry of far-off loon And some crickets chirping unceasingly Wigwam's still as the moon man arises, Golden autumn captured in maiden's arms. Dumbly in stark anger Brave despises Moonbeams bestirring the blood of her charms By dancing on her lips and touching breast In a burlesque of his jealous protest. Feathers and snake oil decorate her hair Though moonlight subdues effect of array While phantoms of Indians dance on air Waving tomahawks in fiery soiree And she with lover walk Iroquois trail Over scalped Yankees and deep buried gold. Her name's Dark Pony and He's Tall Tall Quail And their genes forming souls grow in one mold. Then troops confiscate arms to discipline And one more way of life goes with the wind. | BossIn dining room smelling of rooks' wet wingHot coals burn in place of her eyes As she crunches small birds for lunch And yells, "Worthless, accursed idler: The taste for play when one is grown Lays hold of empty hearts and heads." I look at portraits of old men On walls, their eyeballs expanding Like flowers as they regard me. Speak up! Speak up! they seem to say As she rants on, "You hate me because I'm Your superior, a woman. I felt it when you kissed my hand And wished to bite it off!" An arch is formed over doorway Of elephants' tusks placed upright And meeting together at point. Her fiery tongue nods ceaselessly As if in one body she were Ajax And Aphrodite waging war. | A Rare VisitWhen father made a rare visitHis odor of booze could kill a cockroach! And I recalled past beastly, drunken fits Vividly to my mind. But in spite of all I came from his loins And if he had remained somewhat sober I would have given him hug of welcome. I asked, "How long can you visit?" In hall mirror we saw ourselves And believed in its empty reflection. |