Heads talking at us through a box,
Trying to tell us what to think,
What to like, what to buy
And how we should feel…
Head talking at us through a box,
Quick, find the remote,
Turn it OFF!

~ Heads Talking…
by Annyash B. Arriffe
©2010 Annyash760

“Cure your insanity, before it is too late,”
My Grandmother said to me one day,
Pointing at a man in the street, bend with age,
At a woman wheezing from excess weight,
“You will be old before your time and heavy with doubt,
If you wait too long to listen.
Look into yourself and find out who you are,
Find a reason for your existence.”
I looked at my mother, “Listen,” she said.
I looked at my father, “Truth,” he said.
In my Grandmother’s face I beheld the spark of youth,
Glittering eyes still full of wonder, skin smooth and dark,
Limbs still firm and sure, that I had so taken for granted,
She turned to me and smiling said:
“Cure your insanity and you may have a chance in this world
To do that which most believe they will achieve in the next,
Do not allow your youth to betray you,
It is but so temporary a thing, so transitory in nature,
That you will awaken one day and find it gone,
Lost like a memory, just out of reach,
Like a town to which you are traveling, but never arrive,
And you will forever be searching for that town called Youth
For the things it allowed you to do,
But which in your insanity you overlooked,
Cure yourself, before it is too late...”

~ Listen…
Free Verse Poem - Excerpt
By Annyash B. Arriffe

© 2010 Annyash760. All Rights Reserved.

I sing on the stage
It’s what I do.
I play guitar in a band,
It’s what I do.
I flip burgers,
It’s what I do.
I write books,
It’s what I do.
I build skyscrapers,
It’s what I do.
I feed the homeless,
It’s what I do.
I care for the sick,
It’s what I do.
I dig big holes in the ground,
It’s what I do.
I make components for computers,
It’s what I do.
I invent new aromas,
It’s what I do.
I make toxic chemicals,
It’s what I do.
I paint on canvases,
It’s what I do.
I collect your trash,
It’s what I do.
I pick fruit from trees,
It’s what I do.
I dance on videos,
It’s what I do.
I create music for my fans,
It’s what I do.
I make furniture,
It’s what I do.
I give technical support
It’s what I do.
I sell handbags on the corner
It’s what I do.
I serve you at the checkout,
It’s what I do.
I groom your cats and dogs,
It’s what I do.
I give massages,
It’s what I do.
I wait tables,
It’s what I do.
I sell my body,
It’s what I do.
I put out fires,
It’s what I do.
I hold out my cap to collect coppers,
It’s what I do.
I fix your hair,
It’s what I do.
I design clothes
It’s what I do.
I sleep all day,
It’s what I do.
I work a printer,
It’s what I do.
I buy and sell stocks,
It’s what I do.
I arrest people,
It’s what I do.
I answer the phone,
It’s what I do.
I instruct my students
It’s what I do.
I make shoes,
It’s what I do.
I deliver your packages,
It’s what I do.
I fight wars,
It’s what I do.
I cook and clean,
It’s what I do.
I tow your car,
It’s what I do.
I raise children,
It’s what I do.
I hear your confession
It’s what I do.
I gossip about celebrities
It’s what I do.
But does anything I do make a difference?
Maybe the answer is up to you.

And so the question is… What do you do?

~ “It’s What I Do”
By Annyash760


© Annyash760. All Rights Reserved.

They’re sitting on the steps outside the church again,
The three, getting high and speaking in a language
That I can’t understand.
The words are there, but they don’t make sense,
No separation between vowel and consonant,
Syllables are blurred and slurred into a continuous drone,
Sometimes rising, sometimes falling,
But unknown in substance to my ears...

~ The Phantom Three
Free Verse Poem (excerpt)
by Annyash B. Arriffe

© 2010 Annyash760. All Rights Reserved.

She’s called Savvy Granny, who bakes her own bread,
And sits up at night to blog in bed,
With digital player earphones attached to her head,
About Savvy Granny there’s much to be said.

Savvy Granny uses her powers for good,
What with organizing and teaching kids in her ‘hood,
She’s strong-willed and so often misunderstood,
But Savvy Granny says simply, “If we can, we should!”

“Celebrating Savvy Granny”
By Annyash760
© 2010 Annyash760. All Rights Reserved..

If you want to be a writer,
You must first read.
If you want to be a singer,
You must first listen.
If you want to be an artist,
You must first observe.
If you want to break the rules,
You must first learn the principles.
Do you disagree?

~ Disparity
by Annyash760

©2010 Annyash760.

In reaching for my cel to text u a msg I hesitate… I don’t know what to say… the feelings are there but not the words… How to convey what’s lodged in my brain, in my heart… Silly nonsense spews out like molten rock from an erupting volcano, but the serious stuff… hmm… that’s hard… the right words… finding the right words is like a quest for something long lost… wandering the arid desert of my mind searching for an oasis, a lush grove ripe with syntax… the words are hidden, veiled from me…

~ The Message (excerpt)
by Annyash760

Copyright ©2010 Annyash760. All Rights Reserved.

Communication is complicated. Language… coded signals… inflections missing in the written form. The wrong word… the right word. A compliment misunderstood, leading to further misunderstandings… Explanation means filling in the gaps with more words…

~ Communication
by Annyash760

Copyright ©2010 Annyash760. All Rights Reserved.