Last Call For New Poems

Jack Henry Markowitz releases a collection of ‘new poems’

‘Last Call for New Poems’ is a testament to the diversity of human experience 

PHILADELPHIA – Storytelling is a well-loved tradition that has accompanied human civilization throughout the ages. As a storyteller, Jack Henry Markowitz is familiar with the magic that is inherent to stories. In his book, “Last Call for New Poems,” he narrates a story of life using the mesmerizing medium of poetry.  

“Last Call for New Poems” is a collection of the author’s original poems. It is a cornucopia of pleasures, life lessons, experiences and essential wisdom. It dazzles in the range of subjects that it explores, some poems are personal in nature while others explore more topical and universal subjects but Markowitz’ distinctive literary voice makes each poem immediate and emotionally accessible. The author has once again succeeded in demonstrating the power of poetry to touch the heart, uplift the spirit and even transform lives.  

Personally valuable and universally significant, “Last Call for New Poems” is a testament to the vast and colorful diversity of human experience. Most of all it reveals how human experience can be shared and celebrated together through the powerful medium of poetry.

 

For more information on this book, interested parties may log on to www.Xlibris.com.

 

ONE

One heart
One soul
One world
One love

jhmarkowitz
philadelephia, pa. 2014

The Kool Aid Drinkers & Other Poems

‘The Kool Aid Drinkers and Other Poems’

by Jack Henry Markowitz

This book is a compilation of relatable poetries about life and its intricacies 

PHILADELPHIA – Author Jack Henry Markowitz reveals a collection of his recent poems in “The Kool Aid Drinkers & Other Poems.” This book provides a wide array of poetries that are topical and personal in nature, painting a vivid and relatable picture of life.
 

His works vary from his day to day experiences to simple musings about the intricacies of life. Some chronicles his days as a teenager who tries to fit in into a fast-moving world, bewitched by girls and the allure of love. Others tell about the difficult days when he has to take any job to provide a roof on his head and food in the table. Several of them voice out political leanings and liberating thoughts about society and freedom. A few talks about the beauty of nature and the simple joys it brings to man.
 

Mostly written in free verse, Markowitz’s compilation of poems are insightful and filled with lessons that one can get out of a hard life. His experiences are mirrored in his works – from growing up to overcoming difficult odds. Candid, thought-provoking and often humorous, “The Kool Aid Drinkers & Other Poems” will let readers glimpse the life of an ordinary man who leads an extraordinary life.

For more information on this book, interested parties may log on to www.Xlibris.com.

 

A Family Recipe For Mayhem

first take a pinch of
space-time
then add a spoonful of
gravity
scramble up
two sticks of
the weak force
with half a stick of
the strong force and
pan fry until brown

then chop up
a portion of
the up force while
stirring in
several ounces of
the down force
then add a beaker
of electro-magnetism
and bring to a boil

add to the mix
a jigger of gin

shake well
and pour
then wait patiently
for the party to begin

jhmarkowitz
Philadelphia, PA. 2014

I Caught A Shark

It was late in October and
I was vacationing
down the Jersey Shore
when I found myself driving
to one of my favorite
fishing spots at the far end
of the Long Port pier

I had gone on impluse
having poorly
planned the day
and I did not have any
bait for my hook
and all of the local
bait and tackle shops
had already closed
for the season

There were
other fishermen
on the pier
already at work
trying their luck
so I thought
I would ask them
to share their bait
with one of their own

No such luck
they said as
they all jealously guarded
their individual stash while
laughing at me for thinking
I could go fishing with no bait

I said that Jesus
would provide me with bait
(after all he had a fondness for
men who fished the seas
or so I have been told)

The day wore on
and I fished with an empty hook
yet not even a nibble
(well what did you expect
mocked my fellow
fishermen apostles)
when suddenly
the Chinese man
next to me
pulled up a
baby sand shark
(not much of a catch
to men who
were intent on catching
a more edible fish)
Throw him back
they warned
before he takes a finger

I had a better idea
Why not cut up the
shark for bait
and we could all share
the spoils
a suggestion that was
quickly approved by the others
and I was given the honor
of doing the deed
for us all

I picked up my
trusty gutting knife and
turned the shark
belly side up
ready to
slice him open
when
like Abraham
something bigger than me
stayed my hand

As I craddled the shark's
perfectly evolved body
I could sense
his life force
even through my
wet frozen fingers
and I could feel
his perfectly toned muscles
as he wriggled and struggled
to save his own life

My fellow fishermen apostles
incredulously watched as
I suddenly
tossed the squirming
baby shark
back into the sea
where he swam away
with renewed vigor

Why'd you do that
the others asked
You're the one
who wanted him for bait

I just shrugged
my shoulders
too embarrassed to say
that I was still able
to feel the shark's
beating heart
even through
the frost bitten
numbness of my
cold dead hands

jhmarkowitz
Philadelhia, Pa. 2013

My Still Achy Breaky Heart

"Happy, happy birthday, baby
Although you're with somebody new
Thought I'd drop a line to say
That I wish this happy day
Would find me beside you"-
Popular song lyrics

Yes, my heart
is still breaking
(yes even after
all these years)
still again  today
for all of my lost loves
(although more for some
than for others)
but all of them
still near and dear
to my easily seduced and
easily cuckolded
achy breaky heart

Sometimes I cannot help
but to cry
over all of the spilled milk
of bygone kisses
and caresses
the perfumed remembrances
of falling nylons and
unzippered dresses
of passionate love making sessions
in all sort of sordid locations
and then forcing myself
to go to confession
early the next morning
(at least to the man
in the mirror
if to no one else)

Looking back
I seem to have
an unbriddled knack for
creating havoc
and wreckage
in most
(if not all)
of my romantic escapades
(winner take all
erotic contests of
will and ego and
briused emotions and feelings)

Perhaps it is because
I have never properly learned
how to drive down
the super expressway of life
(always looking for
the nearest exits and the
shortest of short cuts)

Going that fast
it is easy to miss
the turn off
like the one up ahead
that reads

Peace and Serenity
Next exit...

jhmarkwitz
Philadelphia, Pa. 2013

Dispassionate Shades Of Blue

Blue blue
dispassionate shades of blue
singing lonely folk songs
in my white socks and
smelly feet

Feeling blue
need to be blue
singing lonely folk songs
in my white socks and
smelly feet

And the gull's cry
is a lonely cry
as I walk along
the water's edge
singing lonely folk songs
in my white socks and
smelly feet

"It's hip to be miserable
when you're young
and intellectual
in a fit
you'll admit
you're a misfit!"

Personally
I am giving very serious thought
to growing either a van dyke
or a very pointy goatee...

Yo Mon...
please don't bogie that dube!

jhmarkowitz
Philadelphia, Pa. 2013