{"id":40675,"date":"2017-07-17T09:19:30","date_gmt":"2017-07-17T15:19:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/?p=40675"},"modified":"2017-07-17T09:20:16","modified_gmt":"2017-07-17T15:20:16","slug":"the-view-from-the-balcony-poems","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/the-view-from-the-balcony-poems\/","title":{"rendered":"The View from The Balcony Poems"},"content":{"rendered":"

The View from The Balcony\u00a0<\/strong>Poems by Randy Weeks,\u00a0<\/strong>Self-Proclaimed Poet Lariat\u00a0<\/strong>of The Balcony<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Risky Business<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The crowd is changing<\/span><\/p>\n

and I\u2019m rearranging<\/span><\/p>\n

the sad state of mind that I\u2019m in.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sitting here, waiting,<\/span><\/p>\n

anticipating,<\/span><\/p>\n

the glory of you walking in.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

My chances are slim,<\/span><\/p>\n

but the lights are quite dim,<\/span><\/p>\n

and the drinks? They\u2019re filled to the brim.<\/span><\/p>\n

If I got your attention<\/span><\/p>\n

and dropped all pretention,<\/span><\/p>\n

I just might go out\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u2026on a limb.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Dichotomy<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

There is this word, \u201cdichotomy\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

It hints at death \u2013 duality.<\/span><\/p>\n

I fear it smacks of surgery \u2013<\/span><\/p>\n

the cleaving of me from \u2013 me.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It doesn\u2019t want me to be whole \u2013<\/span><\/p>\n

to integrate all of my soul.<\/span><\/p>\n

Division is its highest goal,<\/span><\/p>\n

exacting a hideous toll.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cJust part of you,\u201d the demon mutters,<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI crave one side or the other \u2013<\/span><\/p>\n

the sunlight or the shut tight shutters \u2013<\/span><\/p>\n

either the hater or lover.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It wants to steal my unity \u2013<\/span><\/p>\n

destroy me by calamity.<\/span><\/p>\n

To split me would be travesty.<\/span><\/p>\n

So, why not just take all of me?<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

For most of life is in the gray<\/span><\/p>\n

where drunk saints dance and devils pray.<\/span><\/p>\n

Take either one of them away \u2013<\/span><\/p>\n

why would any seeker want to stay?<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

My shadow self lurks within.<\/span><\/p>\n

The light needs dark to travel in.<\/span><\/p>\n

No use, the beams, if all is bright.<\/span><\/p>\n

It was the darkness birthed my sight.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Baby, Don\u2019t Go<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s late, I know.<\/span><\/p>\n

We both should go,<\/span><\/p>\n

but you can\u2019t be blind<\/span><\/p>\n

to the signs.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

There\u2019s no way you can\u2019t know \u2013<\/span><\/p>\n

I put on such a show,<\/span><\/p>\n

So, baby, don\u2019t go.<\/span><\/p>\n

Please, don\u2019t go.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Please, baby, please.<\/span><\/p>\n

Please, baby, please.<\/span><\/p>\n

Please, baby, please, baby, please \u2013<\/span><\/p>\n

don\u2019t go.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I won\u2019t follow you<\/span><\/p>\n

unless you ask me to.<\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s not what I do.<\/span><\/p>\n

Well, maybe a time or two..<\/span><\/p>\n

So stay a bit longer<\/span><\/p>\n

while my heart grows fonder<\/span><\/p>\n

and savors your smile.<\/span><\/p>\n

Won\u2019t you stay for awhile?<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Please, baby, please.<\/span><\/p>\n

Please, baby, please.<\/span><\/p>\n

Please, baby, please, baby, please \u2013<\/span><\/p>\n

don\u2019t go.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Sit closer to me.<\/span><\/p>\n

This is such ecstasy!<\/span><\/p>\n

You\u2019ve nothing to dread.<\/span><\/p>\n

This is all in my head.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Fresh drinks are poured.<\/span><\/p>\n

A few moments more?<\/span><\/p>\n

Then you can leave<\/span><\/p>\n

with my<\/strong> heart on your<\/strong> sleeve.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Please, baby, please.<\/span><\/p>\n

Please, baby, please.<\/span><\/p>\n

Please, baby, please, baby, please \u2013<\/span><\/p>\n

don\u2019t go.<\/span><\/p>\n

Don\u2019t go.<\/span><\/p>\n

Please, baby \u2013 don\u2019t go.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Shhh!<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

We walk,<\/span><\/p>\n

but we do not talk \u2013<\/span><\/p>\n

at least not with words.<\/span><\/p>\n

I prefer the silence.<\/span><\/p>\n

I can hear you better that way.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Chipmonks<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Chipmunks remind us to play.<\/span><\/p>\n

Chapped monks are rubbed the wrong way.<\/span><\/p>\n

Whatever may come your way today,<\/span><\/p>\n

May the chipmunk in you hold sway.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

All Poems @Copyright 2017, Randall S. Weeks, ASCAP. All Rights Reserved. Used by Permission.\u00a0\"The<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The View from The Balcony\u00a0Poems by Randy Weeks,\u00a0Self-Proclaimed Poet Lariat\u00a0of The Balcony \u00a0 Risky Business The crowd is<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":262,"featured_media":39753,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[307],"tags":[642,4,7602,10286,3,753,10426],"class_list":["post-40675","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-people","tag-ms","tag-oxford","tag-poems","tag-randy-weeks","tag-the-local-voice","tag-tlv","tag-view-from-the-balcony"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/2017-5-11-View-from-the-Balcony.jpg?fit=600%2C400&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40675","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/262"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40675"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40675\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39753"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40675"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40675"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40675"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}