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Erika Salomon contributed 4 poems to the
August 25, 2000 issue of Zzang; 3 poems to the September 26, 2000 issue;
3 poems to the November 28, 2000 issue; and 2 poems to the February 2001
issue.
To read her bio, click here.
Erika welcomes feedback about her poetry and
can be contacted at: pepperjkat@home.com.
Brand New
I packed my bags and bought a ticket for the seven-thirty train
You used to be my sunshine, but now you bring me rain
I’m just looking for a way to escape this pain
Maybe leaving is the only way I will remain sane
I hate to say goodbye to you, so I’m leaving you this note
All the things I’ve wanted to say are in the letter that I wrote
I left all of my things; all I need are my hat and my coat
My only sign of weakness now is this lump in my throat
I’m ready to give up the only life that I have known
To start a new one all over out on my own
I’m packing up and leaving all the seeds that I have sown
Giving up my course to land wherever I am blown
It’s taken too long for me to figure out the truth
I’ve spent the last few years of my life living it for you
Now it’s time for me to do what I want to do
I’m starting my life over now brand new
Top
No Need for Thanks
You thank me just to be nice
For what was no sacrifice
I didn't do it just for you
I got something from it, too
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I Can Tell
I can tell by the way you look at me
That you want me so bad it hurts
I can tell by the way you look at me
That you want what’s up my skirt
I know by your smile
You’ve wanted this for a while
But remember I’m no child
You won’t impress me with your guile
I can tell by the way you talk to me
That you want me in your bed
I can tell by the way you talk to me
What’s going on in your head
I know by your eyes
And your hands on my thighs
That you get a rise
Out of hearing my sighs
I can tell by the way you act toward me
That your desire must drive you crazy
I can tell by the way you act toward me
That you just want to lay me
I know by your glance
That I’ve got you in a trance
Go ahead, take a chance
But I don’t want what’s in your pants
Top
I Love...
I love to laugh, and play, and sing
Rock gently on a swing
Wander slowly through the trees
Feel a fresh summer breeze
I love to watch a kitten play
Lay outside on a sunny day
Eat a fresh apple pie
Release a contented sigh
I love the smell of fresh-baked foods
Smiles in the best of moods
Going to see my favorite band
Doing something I thought I can't
These are all things I love
Things I’m often thinking of
All things that make me glad
Pick me up when I am sad
Top
untitled
I want my life to be a monument
For the entire world to see.
I want to change the world.
I want them to remember me.
But will it matter when I’m gone
If they praise my name in a song?
Will it matter when I’ve died
And all my strings have been untied?
I want to carry with me all my life
The pride of knowing what I’ve done.
I want to look back and find
That I’ve been beaten by no one.
But will it matter when I’m gone
If all I did was bad or wrong?
Will it matter when I’ve died
And all my work has been decried?
Top
untitled
I saw you from across the room
Wrapped up in your cloud of gloom
It shook me up inside to see
Someone distraught so outwardly
I wanted to wrap you up in my arms
To keep you safe from any harm
To hold you close and squeeze you tight
Whisper: “Everything will be alright.”
The only reason I didn’t go
Was that you name I did not know
Never before had I seen your face
So I could not give you my embrace
Top
High School
Twenty-five hundred
In space for fifteen
White dust on everything
From a floor never cleaned
Bodies glancing off others
Without a second thought
Loud words, loud faces
A girl in the corner, distraught
So this is high school?
The best years of our lives
Or so we’re told
Along with all the other lies
In the classroom still the same
The teacher’s words no one hears
All busy thinking about the weekend
How they’re gonna get their beer
The girls fix their make-up
Guys dream about a car
They never grew past seventh grade
It’s a wonder they’re allowed this far
So this is high school?
A grand education
In conformity and
Lack of imagination
At lunch a kid sits alone
At a table made for eight to ten
People walking around
Looking for a chair to sit in
No one in line seems to care
That there are thirty more
People in front of them
Than two minutes before
So this is high school?
Where we spend our time
Preparing for “real life”
Learning how to fall in line
Top
Walking into the Darkness
Getting ready to leave everything I’ve ever known
Getting ready to start a new life out on my own
Wondering if I’ll ever see my dreams
Realizing that this is harder than it seems
I’m walking into the darkness
Everything before me is in unknown
I’m entering the shadows
Leaving all the seeds I have sown
Making plans for a new beginning
My head, full of doubt, is spinning
Looking back on all the things I’ve done
All the battles I’ve lost and all the ones I’ve won
I’m walking into the darkness
Everything before me is in unknown
I’m entering the shadows
Leaving all the seeds I have sown
I’m scared now, more than I ever thought I’d be
What will happen in future, I know I cannot see
Not being sure of myself, and of my ability
I am daunted by a sense of futility
I’m walking into the darkness
Everything before me is in unknown
I’m entering the shadows
Leaving all the seeds I have sown
Top
Super Scary Psycho Stalker
Super scary psycho stalker
Following me where I go
Step behind me when I’m walking
Listening when I am talking
Super scary psycho stalker
I’m aware of you
Super scary psycho stalker
Looking in at my window
Even when I close the shades
You just won’t go away
Super scary psycho stalker
I’ll beware of you
Super scary psycho stalker
Watching me at my locker
Looking at me with those eyes
You’ve got my life memorized
Super scary psycho stalker
It’s not fair of you
Super scary psycho stalker
Always creeping through the shadows
Chasing me all around
You know where I’ll be found
Super scary psycho stalker
I don’t care for you
Top
untitled
You went away without excuse
And that is worse than any abuse
You came this morning to say goodbye
And would not even tell me why
There is nothing left for me to do
Then cry over losing you
I've cried and cried and I'll cry again
These tears pour out without an end
There is no reason to go on
My joy is over by far and long.
Top
untitled
In the café of Barnes and Noble,
we sip tea:
yours Earl Grey,
mine orange.
From above, like
critics at a theater,
Hemingway and Wilde
watch us compose verse.
At the park beside the library,
we share philosophy
and crumpets
with Twain and Swift.
Someday, we'll tell our children
bedtime stories:
that Bronte introduced us
and Shakespeare
wrote our wedding vows.
Top
untitled
The sparkle board does its best,
in green, gold, and red letters,
to remind them of the cafeteria rules.
Letters home, posters, announcements,
and hand-outs had no effect.
A ding starts the period;
latecomers dodge in
the "out" door,
hoping not to be caught.
Four lines wait, impatient for food.
Another bell and
a low-sounding rumble
of voices.
Fire drill.
Five hundred students,
jacket-less,
numb their fingers
while five teachers
hold them back with scowls.
You want fire? I’ll give you fire!
Burn the school!
Let us in!
mixed with curses.
One thousand feet
rush the building.
For thirty seconds:
freedom.
But the threats
of Principle C.
Send them back.
Top
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