poems by chocolate waters

here i am at 60 


my arms are sagging
just like mom's
like grand mom's
like the hanging gardens of
babylon
sadness underneath
my eyes
stayed there
turned
into these squashy pillows
unappealing my
tummy needs
a lot of tucks
there are days
i want to put my head
inside a paper bag
and what the hell is that
beneath my chin
a chicken neck
heck
i got the whole
damn chicken
yet
i can see you
kinder than i ever did
i can give you
softer than i ever have
i can see you honest i
can choose you i can
dare i say it
love
you i
can i
can

--

narcissist

i think about myself

about myself

about my beautiful self 

and my dog

my beautiful dog 

my beautiful selfless dog

and my son

and my son my 

beautiful

-what’s-his-name son

who’s not as beautiful

as my dog 

my beautiful dog

my beautiful sunny dog

and my ex who’s

now much less 

beautiful

than my dog

or my son

oh my 

beautiful dog

my beautiful dog    god

i love my

dog

Chocolate Waters has been writing and publishing poetry for over four decades. During the second wave of feminism she was one of the first openly lesbian poets to publish, and her contribution has recently been documented in Feminists Who Changed America 1963-1975 (edited by Barbara Love). Her first three collections: To the man reporter from the Denver Post, Take Me Like A Photograph and Charting New Waters sold nearly 10,000 copies and are considered classics of the early women’s movement.

In addition to her work as a writer, Waters was also a founding mother of the early feminist newspaper, Big Mama Rag, which was produced in Denver, Colorado from 1972-1982.

Currently hailed as the "Poet Laureate of Hell’s Kitchen,” Waters has also been a pioneer in the art of performance poetry since 1974. She has toured throughout the United States, but makes her home in Manhattan where she teaches poetry workshops, runs a submission service for poets, tutors individual clients and is often a participant in the New York City poetry circuit.

Waters' latest venture, the woman who wouldn't shake hands, was released by Poets Wear Prada (Hoboken, NJ) in November 2011 and is available at Amazon.