My name is Jim Dunlap, and I write poetry and other things on occasion. I have been in the Writer's Digest top 100 in three categories, the Literary Short Story, Rhymed Poetry and Nonrhyming Poetry.
My work has appeared in 70 plus small press magazines to date, including PLAINSONGS, POTPOURRI, the PARIS/ ATLANTIC and online in POETRY LIFE AND TIMES, POETRY REPAIR SHOP and DIE NIEDERNGASSE (Switzerland). I was newsletter Editor for the Des Moines Area Writers' Network, Senior Contributing Editor to the POETS' PORCH, the ODEUM and POETIC VILLAGE. I have been in and in Who's Who In America, 2002, and Who's Who In The World, I was co-editor of Sonnetto Poesia for 5 years or so and co-editor of the Phoenix Rising from the Ashes until I resigned in November, 2012.
The conventional wisdom says poets should be meek little critters with no ideas of their own who write about flowers and trees and the summer breeze. Poetry was originally the property of the entire human race. It was propagated by the oral traditions of ancient societies and used mnemonic devices such as alliteration and rhyme, which the so-called poetry elite in this country has worked fairly successfully to eradicate from the writings of the young (who don't know any better).
A Couple of my poems:
For Nancy Sears, Ron Smyth and the few friends he had,
Death wipes the slate clean.
A SWANSONG FOR SANDMAN
A ringing phone woke me last night
An old friend had called to tell
That another wasn't feeling well,
And would likely lose his fight
To cling to life, though bittersweet...
His body sold for sex, not love,
He balanced waiting one hard shove
To topple him from 'Easy Street.'
Was he straight, or gay, you ask?
What relevance in that, I say?
In San Francisco's sun he'll bask
Till Destiny calls him away...
Far younger than he ever dreamed,
But still, much older than he seemed.
for Denis, David, Billy, Joe, Jeremiah and a whole lost generation
LYSERGIC WHAT...?
We tripped our way across the years.
The future held no hidden fears.
Hearing colors, seeing sound
Living life in sensurround...
When I hear that 'Star Wars' theme,
Across the skies, light sabers gleam;
And life through a kaleidoscope
Reflects a dream imbued with hope.
It was so true, the things they said:
The fun was mostly in your head.
I'd drop a tab and spend the night
Making love till broad daylight.
On acid, nothing's quite so groovy
Although it's hot to see a movie.
Walt Disney films are really great.
If one's in town, don't hesitate.
Believe me, you'll be sure to see
That life's a trip on LSD.
Favorite movies:
"Fellowship of the Ring"
"Gone With The Wind"
any of the "Star Wars" movies
"A Little Romance"
"Trick"
"Doctor Zhivago"
"Now and Then"
and my favorite actors and actresses in no particular order:
Katharine Hepburn
Christian Campbell
Meryl Streep
River Phoenix
Morgan Freeman
Julia Roberts
Tori Spelling
Diane Lane and Thelonious Bernard
(A Little Romance)
Laurence Olivier
Jane Fonda (On Golden Pond)
Ben Affleck
My favorite song:
La complainte de la butte
En haut de la rue St-Vincent
un poete et une inconnue
s'aimaient l'espace d'un instant
mais il ne l'a jamais revue
Cette chanson il composa
esperant que son inconnue
un matin d' printemps l'entendra
quelque part au coin d'une rue
La lune trop bleme
pose un diademe
sur tes cheveux roux
la lune trop rousse
de gloire eclabousse
ton jupon plein de trous
la lune trop pale
caresse l'opale
de tes yeux blases
princesse de la rue
soit la bienvenue
dans mon coeur blesse
Les escaliers de la butte
sont durs aux misereux
les ailes des moulins
protegent les amoureux.
Petite mandigotte
je sens ta menotte
qui cherche ma main
je sens ta poitrine
et ta taille fine
j'oublie mon chagrin
je sens sur tes levres
une odeur de fievre
de gosse mal nourrie
et sous ta caresse
je sens une ivresse
qui m'aneantit
Les escaliers de la butte
sont durs aux misereux
les ailes des moulins
protegent les amoureux
Mais voila qu'il flotte
la lune se trotte
la princesse aussi
sous le ciel sans lune
je pleure a la brume
mon reve evanoui
Van Parys / Renoir
Thanks to Webwolf (Regis Auffray) for the words to the song.
Here I include a list of some of my favorite music, such as:
Neil Young (especially "After The Goldrush", Patachou (especially "La Complainte de la Butte"), Edith Piaf, Jim Reeves, Willie Nelson (especially "Seven Spanish Angels"), Cher (especially "If I Could Turn Back Time"), classical music in general and various songs of various types by various artists.
