Phone poems are concise, precise, and often humorous 4 line verses that were originally written for the telephone answering machine. Almost all the 350+ poems were inspired by occasions and incidents in the author's life, including, presumably, his encounters with angels, demons, spiders, beloved pets, dachshunds in particular, flowers, his wife's garden, clouds, super models, NPR, sun, moon, mosquitoes, stars, outer space, etc. They range from the wise and profound to the ordinary, homely, and downright goofy. They are frequently insightful and always fun.

The Phone Poem Book

Occasional VerseBy L. Eugene Startzman

AuthorHouse

Copyright © 2009 L. Eugene Startzman
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4490-3148-0

Contents

Value................................................1Mystery..............................................1Answering Machine....................................2My Teddy Bear........................................2Hamlet...............................................3Forty................................................3Perplexity...........................................4My Secret Drawer.....................................4Light................................................5Meadow Muffins.......................................5Definition...........................................6The Dance............................................6The Sun..............................................727 Sisters...........................................7Stairs...............................................8Sun #2...............................................8Time.................................................9Wisdom?..............................................9Toenails.............................................10Phone (a) Head.......................................10More Bugs............................................11The Dachshund........................................11Hell.................................................12Late Snow............................................12Elephant.............................................13Moon.................................................13Water................................................14Trees................................................14The Dog..............................................15Grapes & Apes........................................15Metaphysics..........................................16Snowfall.............................................16A Week of Dogs.......................................17Poetry of Sorts......................................17The Jealous Bird.....................................18He Gave Me the Eye...................................18Spinner..............................................19Spider...............................................19Weeks & Months.......................................20Hysteria.............................................20The Bible............................................21Hair Today...........................................21Dog Nap..............................................22R.I.P. #1............................................22R.I.P. #2............................................23Glowworm.............................................23The Super Model......................................24The Birthmark........................................24Bugged!..............................................25Visitation...........................................25Angelic Laws of Motion...............................26Awe..................................................26No Matter............................................27Babel................................................27My Shadow............................................28A Rose...............................................28Snowman..............................................29Buttercup............................................29Shadow #2............................................30Riddle...............................................30The Blues............................................31Hummingbird Power....................................31Useful Comparisons...................................32Woman................................................32The Spider #1........................................33The Spider #2........................................33The Spider #3........................................34Little Flea: Question................................34Little Flea: Answer..................................35Little Flea: Wondering...............................35Eve, Our Mother #1...................................36Eve, Our Mother #2...................................36Eve..................................................37Ode to the Bugs......................................37The First Pun Is the Worst Pun.......................38More Spider Spider...................................38Even More Spider Spider..............................39Where................................................39Doggone!.............................................40The Angel on the Christmas Tree......................40Who Who?.............................................41Locked Out...........................................41Who's Calling?.......................................42The Owl: Version Two.................................42Turtle Walk..........................................43The Slug.............................................43To the Slug: a Response..............................44The Aphid............................................44The Bat..............................................45A Bug................................................45Blossoms.............................................46Squirrel.............................................46Pond Scum............................................47Reflections..........................................47Little Guppy.........................................48Pookie at the Window.................................48Rain.................................................49Maple Seeds..........................................49Chiaroscuro..........................................50Comfort Zone.........................................50Little Sparrow.......................................51Turtle Love..........................................51Good Night-Lite......................................52Clouds: Yes..........................................52Clouds: No...........................................53One Unpleasant Feature...............................53Dermot the Hermit's Bugs.............................54Blue Jays............................................54Camouflage...........................................55Who Needs It?........................................55Turtle Trot..........................................56What to Do in the Dark...............................56Hell's Gate..........................................57Flower Power.........................................57A Summer's Nap.......................................58Exposed..............................................58Wisdom...............................................59Lightning Bolts......................................59Cherry Pie...........................................60Verse................................................60The Blinker..........................................61Cactus...............................................61Mars.................................................62Venus: July 1999.....................................62Pollinated...........................................63Morning Sky, Summer 1999.............................63Separation!..........................................64Re-verse.............................................64Star-Shine...........................................65Evening Sky-June 1999................................65Pookie...............................................66Juice................................................66Feet.................................................67In Our Backyard I Know a Place.......................67Everydayness.........................................68Pain.................................................68Palmolive............................................69What Dew Worms...