Alma Mater Vol. 1 The Midwest: Available Now!

Posted on December 3, 2014 by clydeaidoo — Leave a comment

Do you want to learn about all the major universities of the Midwest region in a non-boring, creative fashion all within a few days’ time? Have you ever wanted to know what makes each university unique? Now you can find in this memorable collection that re-introduces the world to the greatness of these universities in this introduction to the Alma Mater series.

Alma Mater Vol. 1: The Midwest is a collection of poetry that celebrates the major universities of the Midwest region. It is a project that Kirkus Reviews calls an “Engaging Poetic Tour of the Midwest” with “A variety of delightfully unexpected poetic forms.” And it is available now on Kindle for only 99 cents.

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Posted in Books, College, Poetry

Inside in the November Rain

Posted on November 27, 2014 by clydeaidoo — Leave a comment

From Art of Mind II: All In
Available Now (Link Below)

*Inside in the November Rain*

Yesterday was a night called “Black Wednesday.”
Tomorrow is known as “Black Friday.”
Today I should be out Celebrating,
But I refuse to discover “Black Thursday.”

Today is 11/25,
Exactly 5 months to the day,
Though I haven’t had much to be thankful for,
I’m still Celebrating the Greatest Art —
After All.

It is the art that composes me,
When in the past — I would have been viral,
I’ve found that there is always an upside —
To lift me up amid a Downward Spiral.

Who knows what tomorrow brings?
Maybe the rain will begin to fall again…
But today like many weeks before it —
I’ve grown to love these ruffled shoes I’m in.

It isn’t thanks to dated clichés
Such as, “It could always be worse…”
I was feeling bad enough as it was,
but decided
Hope, Peace and Love
Come First.

Hope comes with every breath that I draw,
Peace is an inner trans-movement,
My love is bottled in as its companion —
So it leaks from every word that I sketch.

Millions of gathering loved ones prepare to feast as this clock strikes Noon,
While my room and table remain empty,
My stomach sits still —
It’s still early; I know I’ll eat later…
“Mother Fate” will fill me up,

Even though most have already eaten.

Go ahead and “gobble till you wobble,”
And while you’re filling your apparatus,
I’m here laughing at that goofy status.

Hell, it’s still a good feeling.

As I dine alone to a parade of games,
Outside there is a crowd of cheers…
Somewhere out there is an Antwone Fisher,
Who in this moment is Moved to Tears.

That to me is a Cause for Celebration.

This weary, grey Autumn sky
Forebodes a Sanguine day of Conviviality
With tangelo and pumpkin leaves
being shed from this reposed
Tree of Harvest
with Mandarin stuffed felicity and Cranberry dewdrops
In an Outpouring of Affection.
Only a few miles away but still back from a Leave of Absence.
Go on in, take your coat off,
Check the problems of the year at the door.

I’ll be Inside in the November Rain,
Suiting up for a frigid December,
And think back on this year and my life,
To make this a November to Remember.

I play the ballad by Guns N’ Roses,
With ECW making the tunes contextual,
Been doing it since ’98,
It’s my own Annual Ritual.

As another year winds down,
I know not what the next one holds,
But I will stand firm,
Prepared for Whatever Unfolds.

I’ll Keep Getting Up Until I’m Full,
But Never Settle for Seconds.

I gave up on giving up,
I’ll keep on thinking lofty…
I Quit being a Cold Turkey,
And turned into a Big Softy.
I believe in unrealistic dreams,
I grin at the corniest jokes,
I still believe in Miracles and Angels,
Despite reality’s relentless pokes.
I fear I will again awake
To the Cold Rain of The Pain that was Streaming,
Yes, I Know Nothing Lasts Forever,
So Let Me Keep on Dreaming.

* * *

Next Year, just like Today,
I’ll Just Be Thankful for Being Here.

Copyright 2012. All Rights Reserved
Feel free to share or Reblog.

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Posted in Books, Poetry, Wrestling, Writing

University of Michigan Poem

Posted on November 26, 2014 by clydeaidoo — Leave a comment

From Alma Mater: Vol. 1: The Midwest
Available Now for 99 cents! (Link Below)

*Michigan*

This is Michigan.

In this harbor of Maize & Blue—Together—We Take Pride.
In athletics as well as academics—As a Body—We Take Stride.
Wolverines travel from miles and states away and adapt to the harsh terrain and competitive climate to become the Masters of the icy West.
Champions of the class. Champions of the grass.
The Rulers of the Field.
Like a freshman on foot at the Diag,
You don’t want to step on the M,
And those who try to best the Mighty Wolverines?
May the Lord have mercy on them.

***

This is Michigan.

With glory in Football, Basketball, Swimming, Softball, and Ice Hockey,
We are the home of the Fab Five.
Those Who Stay Will Be Champions,
With the Michigan banner flying high.

Go Blue.

Sing their praises,
From the Sportsmen to the Sages:
We Are the Victors!
More than any team in D1 Football,
Hail! We are the Victors!
We don’t squawk our glory at our bitter rivals,
They already know they’re barking up the wrong tree,
and

Wolverines don’t bark at trees.

Yes, We are the Victors!
To the Big Ten Champions who carry our fame!
Hurrah! We are the Victors!
In Arts and Study for the candid chase of knowledge—
Hail Michigan! We are the Victors!

And when all the families in The Big House watch their loved ones walk across the stage, they proudly
Hurrah for the Victors.

Hurrah for the Maize and Blue!
Lights of War & Peace, and the billows of youth.

Copyright 2014. All Rights Reserved

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Posted in College, Poetry, Writing

University of Kansas Poem

Posted on November 25, 2014 by clydeaidoo — Leave a comment

From Alma Mater: Vol. 1: The Midwest
Available Now for 99 cents! (Link Below)

*KU*

Rock…
Chalk…
Jay…
Hawk…
K…
U.

Welcome to the Allen Fieldhouse.

Pay Heed All Who Enter.

***

Roooooock
Chaaaaaalllk
Jayyyyyy
Hawwwwk
Kayyyyyyy
Youuuuuu.

Welcome to Kansas:
Pay Heed All Who Enter.

Recognize the marvelous architecture designed to give thought along the milkweeds and natural scenery that is the beautiful Kansas prairie. The city of Lawrence is managed by one of the nation’s best programs—running the urban outline together with our 1,000 acres and wooded hills. Understand that we prize Special Education and give the disadvantaged unbounded freedom. Know that we fight for freedom;
Have Fought for Freedom—as abolitionists determined to be a Free State and win the war against slavery.
Know that we won.
And please believe
Kansas Wins.
And in the Allen Fieldhouse there is no debating that.

Roooooock
Chaaaaaalllk
Jayyyyyy
Hawwwwk
Kayyyyyyy
Youuuuuu.

Welcome to the Allen Fieldhouse.
Pay Heed All Who Enter: Beware of the Phog.

All the fans in this building and even the Jayhawks who are studying abroad can
Feel the quake and Hear our noise.
Here in Lawrence, Kansas, the Jayhawks make a lot of noise:

Five National Championships.
The Most Conference Championships in NCAA History.
Longest Current Streak of NCAA Tournament Appearances.
Longest Current Streak of Winning Seasons.

We have a lot to cheer for. And since 1955, this has been the home of
The Nation’s Biggest Home-Court Advantage:
Fact.
In the Loudest Arena in College Basketball:
Fact.
We have the decibels to prove it.
After we give our chant and blow the roof off of the Fieldhouse,
The reason we throw Kansas Confetti is because by the
Look of dread that has befallen you as we pronounce the final “U…”
You know that you’re screwed,
And we know we’ve already won.

♫From now on, just expect that you’ll lose,
From now on,
Call us Royal Blue♫

This is more than a basketball arena, it’s a raucous party.
Like a flock of Jayhawks lining up Mass. Street,
It’s time for a ‘Hawk of a party.
There is a crimson inferno that crams this arena,
When foes and fans enter, neither are the same.

I shall see this great sight, why this fire does not wane.

First sparked by our very own James Naismith: Who handed America the Rock.
Chalk it up to another Kansas miracle.
After delivering the wonder of basketball, miracles have remained in our tradition.
They have been pushed up the court by Danny and the Miracles in 1988; and twenty years later,
Mario gave us another miracle with an astounding shot sending us to an overtime victory over Memphis for the 2008 National Championship. It is here in Kansas where we gave this sport the miracle of Wilt Chamberlain and scads of basketball heroes. We gave you this game and the honor that comes with it. So when you enter the realm of the Basketball Kings,
We will mercilessly take it from you.

Royal Blue.

While enemies like the Tigers only muster Cold Wars, we’re dropping bombs from long distance. With shooters like Heinrich, White, and Pierce—
We can’t miss.
Which is why the so-called Border War was a territorial slaughter.
And in 2007, our Football Team joined the Task Force—
Winning us the claim to the most combined wins in Division I history in a single year.
We have won the glory to hold up Kansas and say this is our state.
In the Allen Fieldhouse there are no peace treaties,
Sorry, Tigers, You didn’t have enough Wheaties.
Instead, they chose to eat Frosted Flakes,
Errr, that’s why they’re not so great.

You couldn’t cut the muster so we Waved the Wheat,
Your parting treat is the Crown of Defeat.

It ain’t over until the Jayhawks sing,
And our chant was sung before the first whistle,
After the call of the crowd for Crimson,
We take foes to school then blow the Steam Whistle:

Class Over.

Roooooock
Chaaaaaalllk
Jayyyyyy
Hawwwwk
Kayyyyyyy
Youuuuuu.

Come spring, this call can be heard from atop the hill as the Jayhawks celebrate another victory. As is the norm for Jayhawks on the basketball court, these thousands of Jayhawks have made it to the top of the hill. After climbing this hill for four years, it is now time to walk down.
The process begins on Memorial Drive as the flock moves through the Memorial Campanile down the hill to Memorial Stadium. They “ride on a Kansas gale” in a glorious view of the golden valley, and proclaim,

“I am a Jayhawk…and I always will be.”

These are the Jayhawks who like Andrew Reeder, James Naismith, and Phog Allen, paved the way for the incoming class.

To all the freshmen who embark on following these lasting claws,
Here are the directions:

Pay Heed as You Enter.

Copyright 2014. All Rights Reserved

Tagged with: , , , , ,
Posted in Basketball, College, College Basketball, Poetry, Sports, Writing

University of Kansas Poem

Posted on November 25, 2014 by clydeaidoo — Leave a comment

From Alma Mater: Vol. 1: The Midwest
Available Now for 99 cents! (Link Below)

*KU*

Rock…
Chalk…
Jay…
Hawk…
K…
U.

Welcome to the Allen Fieldhouse.

Pay Heed All Who Enter.

***

Roooooock
Chaaaaaalllk
Jayyyyyy
Hawwwwk
Kayyyyyyy
Youuuuuu.

Welcome to Kansas:
Pay Heed All Who Enter.

Recognize the marvelous architecture designed to give thought along the milkweeds and natural scenery that is the beautiful Kansas prairie. The city of Lawrence is managed by one of the nation’s best programs—running the urban outline together with our 1,000 acres and wooded hills. Understand that we prize Special Education and give the disadvantaged unbounded freedom. Know that we fight for freedom;
Have Fought for Freedom—as abolitionists determined to be a Free State and win the war against slavery.
Know that we won.
And please believe
Kansas Wins.
And in the Allen Fieldhouse there is no debating that.

Roooooock
Chaaaaaalllk
Jayyyyyy
Hawwwwk
Kayyyyyyy
Youuuuuu.

Welcome to the Allen Fieldhouse.
Pay Heed All Who Enter: Beware of the Phog.

All the fans in this building and even the Jayhawks who are studying abroad can
Feel the quake and Hear our noise.
Here in Lawrence, Kansas, the Jayhawks make a lot of noise:

Five National Championships.
The Most Conference Championships in NCAA History.
Longest Current Streak of NCAA Tournament Appearances.
Longest Current Streak of Winning Seasons.

We have a lot to cheer for. And since 1955, this has been the home of
The Nation’s Biggest Home-Court Advantage:
Fact.
In the Loudest Arena in College Basketball:
Fact.
We have the decibels to prove it.
After we give our chant and blow the roof off of the Fieldhouse,
The reason we throw Kansas Confetti is because by the
Look of dread that has befallen you as we pronounce the final “U…”
You know that you’re screwed,
And we know we’ve already won.

♫From now on, just expect that you’ll lose,
From now on,
Call us Royal Blue♫

This is more than a basketball arena, it’s a raucous party.
Like a flock of Jayhawks lining up Mass. Street,
It’s time for a ‘Hawk of a party.
There is a crimson inferno that crams this arena,
When foes and fans enter, neither are the same.

I shall see this great sight, why this fire does not wane.

First sparked by our very own James Naismith: Who handed America the Rock.
Chalk it up to another Kansas miracle.
After delivering the wonder of basketball, miracles have remained in our tradition.
They have been pushed up the court by Danny and the Miracles in 1988; and twenty years later,
Mario gave us another miracle with an astounding shot sending us to an overtime victory over Memphis for the 2008 National Championship. It is here in Kansas where we gave this sport the miracle of Wilt Chamberlain and scads of basketball heroes. We gave you this game and the honor that comes with it. So when you enter the realm of the Basketball Kings,
We will mercilessly take it from you.

Royal Blue.

While enemies like the Tigers only muster Cold Wars, we’re dropping bombs from long distance. With shooters like Heinrich, White, and Pierce—
We can’t miss.
Which is why the so-called Border War was a territorial slaughter.
And in 2007, our Football Team joined the Task Force—
Winning us the claim to the most combined wins in Division I history in a single year.
We have won the glory to hold up Kansas and say this is our state.
In the Allen Fieldhouse there are no peace treaties,
Sorry, Tigers, You didn’t have enough Wheaties.
Instead, they chose to eat Frosted Flakes,
Errr, that’s why they’re not so great.

You couldn’t cut the muster so we Waved the Wheat,
Your parting treat is the Crown of Defeat.

It ain’t over until the Jayhawks sing,
And our chant was sung before the first whistle,
After the call of the crowd for Crimson,
We take foes to school then blow the Steam Whistle:

Class Over.

Roooooock
Chaaaaaalllk
Jayyyyyy
Hawwwwk
Kayyyyyyy
Youuuuuu.

Come spring, this call can be heard from atop the hill as the Jayhawks celebrate another victory. As is the norm for Jayhawks on the basketball court, these thousands of Jayhawks have made it to the top of the hill. After climbing this hill for four years, it is now time to walk down.
The process begins on Memorial Drive as the flock moves through the Memorial Campanile down the hill to Memorial Stadium. They “ride on a Kansas gale” in a glorious view of the golden valley, and proclaim,

“I am a Jayhawk…and I always will be.”

These are the Jayhawks who like Andrew Reeder, James Naismith, and Phog Allen, paved the way for the incoming class.

To all the freshmen who embark on following these lasting claws,
Here are the directions:

Pay Heed as You Enter.

Copyright 2014. All Rights Reserved

Tagged with: , , , , , ,
Posted in Basketball, College, College Basketball, Poetry, Writing

Pittsburg State University Poem

Posted on November 24, 2014 by clydeaidoo — Leave a comment

From Alma Mater: Vol. 1: The Midwest
Available Now for 99 cents! (Link Below)

*Pittsburg State University*

At Hughes Hall, a teacher gives an apple to a student,
And like the knowledge given to the student every class meeting,
The student will take the seed home.

It’s a jungle out there, but our teachers prepare students
So that when they step out into a land clouded with doubt,
They will roll the clouds into a rain forest.

Welcome to your new home, Gorillas.

When you are a freshman stuck in a rut,
Pitt Cares.
You’ll be guided in the Pitt where a Gorilla dares
To test his own fortune until
Crimson & Gold channels
Through all Midwestern canals.
Gorillas, you will fight in all your battles,
until
You can see the spoils bleed…
In the world’s competitive jungle,
It is we
Who succeed.

Copyright 2014. All Rights Reserved

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Posted in Books, College, Poetry

Breaking Love

Posted on November 23, 2014 by clydeaidoo — Leave a comment

From Art of Mind: Philosopoems to the World
Available Now (Link Below)

*Breaking Love*

“Love Can Move Mountains,”
While still
“Standing the Test of Time…”
In spite of wisdom’s common tokens,
Love is quite Easily Broken.

Romance’s Greatest Poet,
Love’s Greatest Romance,
A Poet’s Greatest Lover:
Are all exposed to the advance
of Flesh.

The Fragrance of Love
Is Not
As Potent as Lust,
This Natural Truth
Is what All Couples can Trust.

It seems their slumbering scene,
Put all suspicions to rest…
Though all this really means:
They’re not yet put to the test.

Even if conscience and
Fraud Records are Clear,
This is only until –
Temptation’s Head Appears.

Frequent requests
From a potential mistress,
Many men could resist,
Now try a Worldly Goddess.

That gleam in her eye
Is only shining for one,
Yet that scream of a sigh
Could be evoked by a ton.

It’s not a question of love,
Or a matter of Faith…
What determines your fates –
Is lurking predator traits.

The most devoted spouse
Can still be aroused
By a face in the crowd
If situation allowed.

Some girls may be Chaste,
And some guys may be Saints,
But one Room for Mistakes
Is really All that It Takes.

The lights go out,
Upstairs rendered dim…
All Digital Control –
Handed over to Him.

Cupid’s Savory Potion,
Is what open mouths show,
But in this unlit Heaven –
Their sweeter juices flow.

This carnal paradise —
No mind could forget,
These illicit memories –
Do not reject regret.

The frame, pillar and post
Crack during this primitive poke,
Vows gone cold without cover –
Merge with all the articles Broke.

To “Break Love” is drenched
In Lust,
It’s a term for
Rebels of Passion…
It upholds that
For a Positive Action –
Lies a Stimulating
Wicked Reaction.

While Couples deny this Test,
so they can continue to be Making Love…
Lovers aren’t just Making Lust,
They’re also “Breaking Love.”

Copyright 2011. All Rights Reserved
Feel free to share or Reblog with proper credit given.

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Posted in Books, Poems, Poetry, Writing

For All the Unwritten Songs

Posted on November 22, 2014 by clydeaidoo — Leave a comment

From Art of Mind: Philosopoems to the World
Available Now (Link Below)

*For All the Unwritten Songs*

Sam’s Masterpieces
Would take the average artist
Many Sleepless Nights…
For him it came so easy—
Just Another Saturday Night.
Each song went beyond the lyrics—
It bared his soulful spirit.
Each year a new hit hit—
No sign that he would quit.
But he left before giving us more—
Departed right before thirty-four.

When he went the Change had Come,
For all Successors to Use It…
The final Chain from his Gang—
Was “Sweet Soul Music.”
Jimi had just begun his shift,
Before he played his last riff…
Now they’re both playing the “Night Shift,”
With great backup they are with.

Karen Carpenter,
Marvin Gaye…
Weren’t done but that’s okay…
I believe like the Commodores:
That the dead continue to play.

Elvis Presley,
John Lennon—
Played Guitars that had them Crowned in advance…
They may be resting in peace,
But their Piece won’t give
Peace a Chance.

This is for the great that died young,
For all the songs that were never sung,
& If I should prematurely plunge:
Don’t question if another line was in me,
You can bet your ass that I had plenty.

Copyright 2011. All Rights Reserved
Feel free to share or Reblog with proper credit given.

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Posted in Books, Music, Poetry, Writing

The Unbuildable Wall

Posted on November 22, 2014 by clydeaidoo — Leave a comment

From Art of Mind: Philosopoems to the World
Available Now (Link Below)

*The Unbuildable Wall*

For there are Boundaries—
Much Wider Than Any City Limit.
Property Lines that bid no X.
With owners and Jurisdiction
too ubiquitous to Lease.
Trespassers Heed the Warnings,
Return to Permitted Provinces
within a comfort zone
with walls that easily contain the blaring sounds
that wake neighbors
and is heard miles away.
Yet there are some sounds
that no wall can contain.
Clapton’s Chords Changed the World,
NWA’s Expression Transmitted far beyond
The Streets of Compton,
Fleetwood Macked Over Gender Lines,
And Sarah’s Angelic Voice…
Should be Remembered by All.
So When Tyrone Jackson
Blasts Madonna for the world to hear —
Remember:
Greatness Knows No Boundaries

Copyright 2011. All Rights Reserved
Feel free to share or Reblog with proper credit given.

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Posted in Books, Music, Poems, Poetry, Writing

#999

Posted on November 22, 2014 by clydeaidoo — Leave a comment

shirazien's avatarCoffee With Noor

Your soul
waits on edge,
praying that
you remember
to breathe on
its behalf.

View original post

Posted in Uncategorized