(Miles Davis on tap)

Miles Davis on tap
grape juice in the stereo
a New Year's Eve day

(Christmas cat)

Christmas cat –
bedside greeting
begins with a pounce

I Love Snow

for Julie

I remember
the Christmas
that you and I
mended our friendship.
You wore a
cool, retro
fur coat
and we walked to
the park across
the street from
Debbie's house.
That night we
laughed and sang
about snow
with the Christmas
lights shining
behind us
and the future bright;
ahead of us.

A Taste of the Tour

Randy Foster and I captured some footage at our last stop on the "A Poet and a Politician Walk into a Coffee Bar" tour.  Although our beverage banter heats up when Randy, a master mocha mocker, and I, a loyal latte lover, discuss coffee, we agree that Earl Grey tea deserves a poem of its own.  Click here for a taste of our ode to Earl Grey.

(“Beware,” I whispered)

"Beware," I whispered,
as she entered the wash room
and I darted out.

(You had the chili)

"You had the chili
today?" I asked, as the next
stall got noisier.

Poetry and coffee and tea! Oh, my!

Thank you to all of you who attended yesterday's reading at The Jam Coffee House.  Special thanks to Bob, Dean, Kate, the Lodls, Rebecca and Rob for their support!

You are invited!

Join master mocha mocker Randy Foster and me, a loyal latte lover, for a funny, friendly war of words at The Jam Coffee House, as we continue our "A Poet and a Politician Walk into a Coffee Bar" poetry tour!

Saturday, Oct. 29th, from 5 to 6 p.m.

The Jam Coffee House

1210 Wedgewood Ave.

Nashville, TN  37212

The performance will conclude with a drawing for a coffee- (or tea-) themed prize!

Monkeys and poetry and froth! Oh, my!

Thank you to all of you who attended yesterday's reading at The Frothy Monkey.  Special thanks to Alejandro, Carolyn, Lauren, Radhika, Rebecca and Sandy for their support!

You are invited!

Join master mocha mocker Randy Foster and me, a loyal latte lover, for a funny, friendly war of words at The Frothy Monkey, as we continue our "A Poet and a Politician Walk into a Coffee Bar" poetry tour!

Sunday, Oct. 23rd, from 4 to 5 p.m.
The Frothy Monkey
2509 12th Ave. S.
Nashville, TN  37204

The performance will conclude with a drawing for a coffee- (or tea-) themed prize!

Arrears

Dear Co-worker:

Your poop stain in your underwear
is your problem.
Your poop stain on the office toilet seat
is my problem.

Regards (despite your lack thereof),
Amy

Bookings a-Brewing

Randy Foster and I are currently booking the fall leg of our A Poet and a Politician Walk into a Coffee Bar... tea and coffee poetry tour.  Stay tuned for details!  You can also follow the tour as it unfolds and view photos, updates and more here.

(cardinal bathing)

cardinal bathing
under the coffee shop's
downspout

(The German Queens wave)

I was disappointed to learn that East Nashville's Tomato Art Fest does not include the Hot Tomato Haiku Contest this year.  I enjoyed writing the following piece while still hoping the festival would add the contest to their lineup.

The German Queens wave
red flags and boas brave from
a Germantown rave.

Another Work Poem

In Memoriam: This is the third in a series honoring the soon-to-be defunct Borders bookstore.  While at work, I often daydream about escaping to a bookstore or coffee shop.

I write my best
poems at work on
company stationary
and company time
on rainy Fridays when
all I want to do is
escape to a coffee shop
or bookstore and sip
the day away surrounded
by books, magazines
and literary dreams.

Note: This is one of the pieces featured in my latest chapbook, Sugar and Spice and Nothing That's Nice, a collection of tea and coffee poems co-authored by Randy Foster.

Bookstore Boar

In Memoriam: This is the second in a series honoring the soon-to-be defunct Borders bookstore.  I wrote this poem a few years ago in the Brentwood (Tenn.) Borders cafe.

"We have a no-snoring
policy," she assured me
from behind the counter.
The large man in the
true blue sweat suit and
camouflaged vest had been
disturbing my reading for
10 minutes and counting.
The deep, nasal vacuum
vortex sounded more like
an industrial machine
than a man. The barista
called for the manager
as I angrily took out
my notebook to write.

Bookstore

In Memoriam: I wrote this poem a few years ago in Borders about Borders.  I'm having a hard time coming to terms with the end of the bookstore's era.

The silence of readers reading,
the screech of the espresso machine,
the whispered conversations shared
between bites of bagel, biscotti and bisque,
each one a part of the quiet community --
learning, leaning and listening.

Note: This is one of the pieces featured in my latest chapbook, Sugar and Spice and Nothing That's Nice, a collection of tea and coffee poems co-authored by Randy Foster.

I Am Abuzz

I feel as if
the windows to the world
have been thrown open, like
french doors flung wide
to reveal before me
oceans once unseen
countless hills of green
and a slate scrubbed clean.

Thank You

Thanks to all of you who attended the fourth stop on our tea and coffee tour this afternoon.  Special thanks to Alyssa, Brandi, Chris, Greg, the Hardins and Joy for their support!

(He bites his hangnails)

He bites his hangnails
and spits them out next to me
during staff meetings.

Touring and Pouring

Randy Foster and I look forward to the next stop on our tea and coffee poetry tour:

The "A Poet and a Politician Walk into a Coffee Bar..." Tour
Saturday, July 9th, from 2 to 3 p.m.
Music City Java & Juice
The Factory at Franklin
230 Franklin Road #11A
Franklin, TN  37064
(615) 435-3694

Come and join us for tea, poetry, coffee, toffee and more...as we pour!

A Note of Thanks

Thanks to all of you who attended the third installment of our tea and coffee tour this afternoon.  Special thanks to Cory, Joy, Lindsay, Mitzi and Rebecca for their support!

The Tea and Coffee Tour Continues

Join us for more bitter and sweet poems, as well as terrific beverages at the third stop on the poetry tour dripping with both disdain and delight!

The "A Poet and a Politician Walk into a Coffee Bar" Tour
Saturday, June 18th, from 2 to 3 p.m.
The Good Cup
2181 Hillsboro Road
Franklin, TN  37069
(615) 591-2326

Universe or Bust

I feel like
there are a million
helium balloons
inside of me
waiting to be released
into the world --
stories and statements,
ideas and innovations,
poems and proclamations.
They bounce against
the ceiling of my
heart and mind,
each bulging, beckoning and begging
to be next in line
to launch into legacy;
my life's legendry.

Those That Thirst Will Be Filled

Thanks to all of you who attended the second installment of our tea and coffee tour this evening.  Special thanks to the Fosters, the Hardins and Rebecca for their support!

The "A Poet and a Politician Walk into a Coffee Bar" Tour Continues

The next stop on the tea and coffee poetry tour will be as follows:

The "A Poet and a Politician Walk into a Coffee Bar" Tour
Saturday, May 21st, from 7 to 8 p.m. 
Maxximo Jo's Coffee
1212 Murfreesboro Road
Franklin, TN  37064
(615) 791-9822

Join us for bitter and sweet poetry, fantastic drinks, and arguably the best homemade gelato in town!

Thank You to the Thirsty

Thanks to all of you who attended the debut of our tea and coffee tour on Saturday afternoon.  Special thanks to the Grimeses, Joan, the McCurleys, Rebecca, the Rowes and the Woodards for their support!

The "A Poet and a Politician Walk into a Coffee Bar" Tour Kickoff

Randy Foster and I will kick off our coffee house tour this Saturday at The Coffee Beanery in Franklin, Tenn!  We will be reading our bitter and sweet, naughty and nice poems about tea and coffee.  Come and enjoy a performance dripping with disdain and delight!  Copies of our brand new chapbook, Sugar and Spice and Nothing That's Nice, will be available for purchase, as well as Coffee Beanery's delicious assortment of sandwiches, drinks and desserts.

The "A Poet and a Politician Walk into a Coffee Bar" Tour
Saturday, May 14th, from 2 to 3 p.m.
The Coffee Beanery
1010 Murfreesboro Road
Franklin, TN  37064
(615) 790-9553

We hope to see you there!

Thank You

Thanks to all of you who attended Women's Work this afternoon. Special thanks to Greg, Joan, Joy, Julie, Lindsay, Melissa, Rachel, Randy, Rebecca and Sarah for their support!

Poetry Performance This Sunday

I will be presenting some of my poetry this Sunday at Nashville's fifth annual Women's Work festival. Come and enjoy an afternoon of original poetry and spoken word presented by lovely lady poets!

Sunday, May 8, at 2:30 p.m.
Z. Alexander Looby Theater
Looby Branch Library
2301 Rosa L. Parks Blvd.
Nashville, TN
$5

For more information or to purchase tickets in advance, visit the Tennessee Women's Theater Project online.

Tennessean Covered Women's Work

The Tennessean ran a story on this month's Women's Work festival yesterday and I was lucky enough to be included in the piece!

National Poetry Month comes to a close

On this, the last day of National Poetry Month, I wanted to repost one of my answers to the question "Why write poetry?"

The Reason I Write Poetry

I notice things --
everything.

Then I get

lost in thought

about them --

why they're done,

how often

and by whom --

sometimes

at the most

inopportune times --

during a meeting

with a co-worker,

my tax advisor

or the dentist.

And then I feel

the need to

capture my thoughts

on paper --

so I won't forget them.

And, on most days,

I have just enough

arrogance

to share what I've

put into writing

with someone else,

perhaps to validate

that I'm, in fact, alive.

Brand New Poetry Chapbook Out Today

My fourth chapbook, a collection of tea and coffee poems co-authored by my friend and fellow poet Randy Foster, is available as of today!  Sugar and Spice and Nothing That's Nice: Where Bitter Meets Sweet features naughty and nice pieces about caffeinated beverages that will have you buzzing with delight!  To find out how you can purchase your copy of Sugar and Spice, contact me at hall_amy_e@hotmail.com.  Drink well!

Poached by an Egg

Finished the last of
the hard-boiled eggs
this morning and
stabbed my thumb --
the shell shards
actually drawing blood.
I never knew
Easter eggs could
be so violent.

Happy National Poetry Month!

In honor of National Poetry Month, I'm rerunning an oldie, but a goodie.

When I Read a Good Poem

When I read a good poem,
I hold
each
word
for a
moment
in my mouth
before
---- moving
on to the next one, like
one
bite
of creme brulee
after
another.

Women's Work 2011

I've been invited to present my poetry at the fifth annual Women's Work festival on Sunday, May 8th. More details to come!

(talking to herself)

talking to herself
two stalls down -- no Bluetooth
headset in sight

Vowels and Bowels

I hate it when

you know you're

going to have to

poop soon, but not yet,

and you're on your way

to work

(or a court date

or a TV interview).

You know it's coming

soon, but you don't know

how soon.

You could be

in the middle of a

sentence in meeting

when, suddenly,

your stomach begins

to churn and

your bowels begin

to burn.

You can't always

escape to a restroom

the moment you need one.

You try to smile and

continue your interview

(or conference call

or cross examination)

with some modicum

of decorum, but

all you can think of is

"POOP!"

All you want to do

is find a nice,

secluded stall

and let it fly.

Instead, you're stuck

in a light brown room

expected to string turds

(I mean words)

together intelligently

with a pile

(I mean smile).