David Bristol

David Bristol has been a favorite of mine ever since I met him in 1974. He attended a writing workshop I set up at Glen Echo Amusement Park when the Park was being transformed from an entertainment center to a place of TRUE amusement and entertainment of the highest locution -- the Arts. David was alive with words .As a lawyer he knows how to use them; but I’m certain that the School of Law never trained him in such wicked humor, wryness, irony and wisdom. That comes from a more interesting source. So we’re happy to share DAVID BRISTOL’s work. -- Grace Cavalieri

David Bristol is a retired lawyer. He has previously published three books of poetry with Washington Writers' Publishing House and the Bunny and the Crocodile Press.

Five Sonnets

I’m half awake, which means I’m half asleep,
And have half a dream I don't remember.
I don't remember whole dreams either.
With half a dream, I'd be ahead.

Half a dream behind I plod
In a stupor, one thick clod,
Pushing a weary tale in this Scheherazade.
If I keep you up one more night,
Amused with my ordinary plight,
Will you hold the axe at bay.

Escaped the axe again.
It got my attention.
There is no ending to this tale.
I get lunch, admit it, fail.

Hearing voices would be an improvement.
The cat would tell me what to do.
These words would be a testament
To the necessity of pets.

In a quiet moment, I hear nothing.
Proof I'm sane. I'm still wanting
Something else to do the work.
“Doctor, can I have a little friend
Who is me as I pretend?”
I'll pay him.

The words here are not mine.
Attribute them to time
Spent staring at a neutral wall
Listening to get it all.

Lookup a word.
It will stop the flow.
What do I learn?
There is vocabulary to burn.

A big ass is steatopygous.
It may be gorgeous.
I misplaced my glasses
Reading the fine print on asses.
Cannot imagine it in a thong.
I don't want a light song.

Learning gets me stuck
In the thin pages.
Let it go.
My basis is on a need to know.

Somebody is always smarter
Or works harder.
Has a larger vocabulary.
Simple me.

I've put in my 10,000 hours.
When will I wake up proficient.
This is work even if it doesn't work.
I couldn't be more explicit.
Love's labor lost.
I'm mindful of the cost.

I'm still asleep at the wheel.
What do you expect me to feel?
Never enough
And always too much.

The thrill is gone.
The game is on
To restore the thrill
Without a pill.

When did it go
From the night to the matinee?
Time for a nap and a small wonder,
Minor thunder under blankets.
That is our will.
We push uphill.

To go where we've been before
Is not a chore.
It takes some skill.
Please close the door.