Roy W. Backes – Poetry

I have been writing poetry for over 30 years. Only recently, during the course of the “lock Down/Stay at Home Order” mandated by the city of Philadelphia, did I decide to share what has been sitting in my notebooks for the past 30 years.

I write short-form poetry. I embrace the challenge of trying to capture an idea in as short a burst as possible. I think of my poems as a series of “Snapshots” of life. Snapshots not Movies.

On August 20, 2020, the 150th day of the Lock Down/Stay at Home Order from the city, I felt the need to do something that would help lift both my spirits and those of my friends, neighbors, and colleagues. That day I began the “150 Day Project” – a commitment to publish and share a poem each day for the next 150 days.
Below you will find an archive of the poems from my 150 Day Project. My hope is that they would bring a little light into these dark days of being isolated and alone. Enjoy them. Share them. May they inspire you. May they bring up old memories (both good and bad). May they make you look at the world in new and interesting ways.
I have started a new series of poems which I am calling, “Words of Art“. (See below) It is my intent to have this series last another 150 days. Why not?

Thank you for taking the time to read my poems.

roy.backes@gmail.com / 267-970-4963

To see all the poems from the 150 Day Project and the ongoing Words of Art series, go to roywbackes.com/poetry-archive.

Thank you for reading!

Word Ways

Word Ways - Day 25 - So Much Brown

So Much Brown

It wasn’t that long ago
That I took a drive into the mountains
And was surrounded by a
Brilliant patchwork of color,
Red, Orange, Rust, Yellow.
The beauty was breathtaking.

Today I took the same drive
Into the mountains and was
Struck by how all that color,
All that beauty has disappeared
And been replaced by numerous 
Shades of brown.
Coffee, Beige, Cinnamon, Chestnut.
I found myself surrounded by
A world that had shut itself down,
Stripped itself bare
In preparation for the long hard
Winter months ahead.
A world that, not long ago, was
A patchwork of brilliant color,
But is now just
So much brown.

Roy W. Backes
© 2025

Word Ways - Day 24 - Sittin' at the Bar at Five Years Old

Sittin’ at the Bar at Five Years Old

Sittin’ at the bar at five years old
I breathe in the odor of stale beer
And steelworker sweat.
My grandfather sits to my left,
A shot and a beer in front of him.
Fellow steelworkers sit to my right.
Boilermakers abound.
Many stop to greet my Grandpap,
(That’s what I call him)
And lean down to say hello to me,
Showering me with their beer-stained breath
And eight hours’ worth of body odor.
I sit at the bar at five years old
Playing with my two green plastic army men
Surrounded by laughter, loud conversation,
And hard-working men and women.
Sittin’ at the bar at five years old,
Sipping my ginger ale,
I breathe deep, smile and file this
Moment away for future use.

Roy W. Backes
© 2025

Word Ways - Day 23 - Another Glorious Day

Another Glorious Day

Up again at 4:00am.
Wide awake.
The sky still shrouded in night,
Still black, still showing stars.
I get out of bed, brush, shower
And get myself dressed.
I head downstairs to my
Lifesaving coffee machine.
I brew a mug,
Add a little milk,
Walk out and sit on my porch
And patiently wait for the sun to rise.
I wait in joyous anticipation
Of the colorful show the sky puts on
Every morning as the sun
Approaches the horizon line.
As I sip my coffee, color slowly begins
To cover the morning skyline
Getting more beautiful by the minute
Until finally the sun peeks out 
And over and officially begins
Another glorious day.

Roy W. Backes
© 2025

Word Ways - Day 22 - Never Got the Memo

Never Got the Memo

She stood there all alone
Leaning against the bar
Drinking her rum and Coke.
He asked the ‘Keep’ what she was drinking.
He ordered himself a scotch, rocks,
And asked him to provide her
With a new round.
She looked up and caught his eye.
He toasted her with his scotch, rocks
And she toasted back.
He gave her some space.
He gave her some time
Then wandered over to say hello.
She smiled.
They talked.  
They drank.
She invited him back to her room.
After all these years working together
It seems that he never got the memo.

Roy W. Backes
© 2025

Word Ways - Day 21 - Where Do I Go?

Where Do I Go?

Where do I go now that you’re gone?
Every restaurant I like is full of memories.
Which one of ‘our friends’ do I
Hang out with?
The uncomfortable silences are
Too hard to handle.
Do I go to the Art Museum?
The walls are full of your favorite paintings.
Do I go to a performance?
Sitting alone is just not the same.
Where do I go now that you’re gone?
Which room do I sit in?
Every room is full of your touch,
Your odor, your things.
Where do I go now that you’re gone?
You filled my world.
Now that you are gone, it seems to me
That there is no place where you are not.
So, where do I go?

Roy W. Backes
© 2025

Word Ways - Day 20 - Just Used to War

Just Used to War

He is taking a walk down the war-torn avenue.
Maybe running an errand,
Maybe just out for a stroll.
Crumbling buildings to his left,
Piles of rubble to his right.
This war seems never ending.
All his memories are war memories.
Just two blocks behind him
A rocket from the sky
Strikes a ten-story building
Ripping off and blowing out
The top three floors.
The man barely flinches at the strike.
He turns and gives the destruction
A cursory glance
And with no reaction
Just continues on his war-torn way.

Roy W. Backes
© 2025

Word Ways - Day 19 - Still Hungry Blues

Still Hungry Blues

We had a lovely meal.
You had the fish
I had the steak.
We both did a number on our wine.
You on your white
Me on my red.
A little desert,
Shared of course.
Then an after-dinner apéritif.

We stroll hand in hand
Along the busy thoroughfare
Till, at last, we arrive at yours.
You thank me for the lovely evening,
Even giving me a full-on kiss.
My eyes still closed,
You step away, say thank you once again
Then smile, turn and enter your door,
Leaving me alone on your front stoop
Trying to digest these still hungry blues.

Roy W. Backes
© 2025

Word Ways - Day 18 - Writing Stoned

Writing Stoned

I am stoned as I write this
So forgive me my diversions.
My plan is to explore, yet again,
A man/woman/person sitting
At their kitchen table in front of
One plate, one glass, one fork,
One knife, one spoon, one napkin.
They stare out their window
At a world that has left them behind.
The effects of the gummy just hit
Much harder than the joints
I used to smoke in my youth.
I find myself gently hallucinating 
About ice cream with crushed
Oreo cookies sprinkled on top.
I go to the fridge, grab the pint,
Grab some Oreos from my family’s
Cookie jar and sit at my kitchen table.
I place the cookies on the single plate,
Move the glass, fork and knife to one side.
I crunch the cookies into the pint,
Lift the lonely spoon and dig in.
Wiping my mouth with my napkin
I look out my window
At a busy world and tonight
Don’t feel so left behind.

Roy W. Backes
© 2025

Word Ways - Day 17 - Letting Go of the Gorilla

Letting Go of the Gorilla

Kennywood Park.
The one and only amusement park
In the city of my youth.
Every year we had our annual
School outing to Kennywood.
Somewhere around fourth grade
At the age of nine
I won a ceramic, twelve-inch tall
Gorilla, ala King Kong.
I had managed to knock down the
Stack of metal milk bottles on one throw.
I was so proud.
I sat that ceramic gorilla
On the dresser in my bedroom
Where it sat for many years.
At thirteen years of age
I invited my neighbor and classmate,
Kathy, up to my room.
She looked around and asked me
About the ceramic gorilla.
I explained.  Told her how proud I was.
Her reaction was, “Wow.  That was a
Long time ago.”
Shortly after that visit
I disposed of my ceramic gorilla.
I decided that it was time
To let go of the kid inside me
And begin my journey toward
Becoming a man.

Roy W. Backes
© 2025

Word Ways - Day 16 - Meet Me Halfway

Meet Me Halfway

All you have to do 
Is meet me halfway.
I’ll walk to there
You walk to here.
Halfway.
That’s all.
Now we’re face to face.
Now, all you have to do is lean forward
Just halfway.
I’ll lean forward halfway.
We’ll kiss.  Long and lovely.
That’s all.
Now, all you have to do
Is lean your body in halfway
I’ll do the same
Till our bodies touch.
That’s all.
Now that you have met me halfway
Let’s see where we go from here.
All you have to do
Is meet me halfway
And who knows!

Roy W. Backes
© 2025

Word Ways - Day 15 - Cloudy on the Beach Today

Cloudy on the Beach Today

The sun was shining.
You could tell, because there was light.
However,
The sun was not showing,
Was not glistening off the lake.
No diamond studded view this morning.
No sunshine to warm your face.
No, all we got this morning
Was a dull light, gray in tone.
If it wasn’t for my watch
I’d have no idea what time it was,
There being no sun to follow in the sky.
No, it was a dull, dreary, cloudy
Day on the beach today.

Roy W. Backes
© 2025

Word Ways - Day 14 - Catching the Blues

Catching the Blues

It’s like catching a cold.
You have no idea where you caught it.
Was it that doorknob?
Was it that party?
Was it that guy on the bus?
You never really know.
It’s like the blues.
You have no idea where you caught them.
Was it that goodbye?
Was it that distant memory?
Was it that aching need?
You never really know.
Catching the blues,
It’s like catching a cold.

Roy W. Backes
© 2025

Word Ways - Day 13 - The Minute I Stopped Looking

The Minute I Stopped Looking

I had been looking for a long time.
Every woman who entered my orbit
I studied and wondered if she
Was “The One”.
It was exhausting.
It felt desperate.
It was desperate.
One day I just decided to give it up,
To stop looking.
To stop analyzing.
I decided that I was okay
With being alone.
I liked myself and had no problem
Being with myself.
I finally relaxed.
I smiled more.
Life is funny that way,
The minute I stopped looking and relaxed
She walked through the door
And I knew, right then and there,
That I had found “The One”
Without even looking.

Roy W. Backes
© 2025

Word Ways - Day 12 - Trouble

Trouble

Trouble
With a capital ‘T’.
She brought passion into his life.
She brought excitement into his life.
She brought adventure into his life.
She also brought Trouble.
Trouble with a capital ‘T’
Into his life.
They never stopped.
They never looked back.
They barely looked forward.
They went where the wind blew.
Unfortunately, it often blew them 
Into Trouble.
Trouble with a capital ‘T’.
The kind of Trouble that costs.
That costs your soul.
That costs your freedom.
That costs your life.
She brought a lot into his life,
But mostly what she brought
Was Trouble.
Trouble with a capital ‘T’.

Roy W. Backes
© 2025

Word Ways - Day 11 - The Ladder

The Ladder

I stand at the foot of this straight ladder,
Looking up, trying to see
How tall it is.
Trying to figure out how sturdy it is.
Trying to figure out if I can
Reinforce it in any way to
Keep it from falling or collapsing
Underneath me.
I shake it.
I study its feet against the earth.
I slowly step onto the lowest rung
Letting it take my weight.
I gently bounce and check my balance.
I wait.
I think.
I hold tight.
I climb to the next rung.
I wait.
I think.
I hold tight.
My journey up this ladder
Is slow.
Is scary.
Is slippery.
I climb, rung after rung
As far as I can.
As long as I can.

Roy W. Backes
© 2025

Word Ways - Day 10 - In My Head

In My Head

They say I spend too much
Time in my head.
In my head, where it is quiet.
Where it is peaceful.
On those rare occasions when
I step out of my head
And into the real world,
Step out into the cacophony of life,
I don’t stay long.
There is too much noise.
There is too much strife.
There is too much……
I stand there in the real world
For a few brief moments,
Take a look around me,
Take a deep breath
And happily, return to the peaceful
Quiet inside my head.

Roy W. Backes
© 2025

Word Ways - Day 9 - The Broken Bottle Bottle Blues

The Broken Bottle Blues

Every room in my house
Is covered in plush padded carpet,
Wall to wall.
Not a hard surface to be found.
It’s a form of insurance.
Insurance to cover the inevitable 
Day when the bottle slips from my grip
And shatters on the hardwood floor,
Or the marble entranceway,
Or the ceramic tile of the bathroom.
So, just in case, I have covered
Every room with thick plush padded carpet
To avoid the inevitable
Broken bottle blues.

Roy W. Backes
© 2025

Word Ways - Day 8 - Can Someone Lend Me a Quarter?

Can Someone Lend Me a Quarter?

Can someone lend me a quarter?
Actually, make it a dollar.
A quarter doesn’t get you very far today.
A dollar doesn't get you very far either
But, I assume, it gets you four times
Further than a worthless quarter.
A quarter of a dollar used to matter
Back in the day.
Back when my grandfather would give
Me a quarter for every cigar stub
I could find by his porch.
I could make two bucks on a good Sunday
Depending on how many cigars my grandmother
Allowed him to smoke.
Today, I hope that he would
Offer me a dollar for every stub,
But he is long in his grave.
Throat cancer I believe.
Probably from all those cigars that
Filled my pockets with shiny silver
Quarters while slowly killing him
Puff after puff.

Roy W. Backes
© 2025

Word Ways - Day 7 - 1-800-GAMBLER

1-800-GAMBLER

Come on, lay down your money.
Bet 10 to win 20
Or bet 20 and lose 20.
Lay down that prop bet,
Work that over/under,
Pray for your parlay,
Try to beat the odds
And out spread the point spread.
Give FanDuel or DraftKings all your money
Or
Hit the casinos.
Go to Vegas, go to Reno,
Go to Atlantic City
Or just visit your local casino,
Every city has one now.
Play some Blackjack,
Play some poker, some Five Card Stud,
Some Texas Hold’em.
Feed the slots.
Bet red or black on the Roulette Table.
Roll those warm, breathed on dice
And don’t forget to play some Keno
On your way out the door.
Or
Pick your numbers for Powerball
Or Mega Millions, only odds of
290 million to one.
Play the Dailey Number,
Box, straight, 3 digit. 4 digit.
Day or night
And last but not least,
Buy yourself a Scratch-off,
$1.00, $5.00, $10.00. $20.00.
As they say, “You gotta play to win”.
Oh, by the way,
Gambling problem?
Call 1-800-GAMBLER.

Roy W. Backes
© 2025

Word Ways - Day 6 - Steel City Blues

Steel City Blues

It took years to bring
The blues to the ‘Burgh.
I’m not talking about
The blues clubs popping up
In the Strip District.
I’m talking about the years and years
Of mill after mill shutting down,
Laying off thousands, including
My uncles, my cousins, my friends.
Years of shutting down and
Sending the jobs to China
While thousands of steelworkers,
The backbone of Pittsburgh,
Faced an empty future.
Faced a frightening future.
Faced a dark blue future.
It took years to bring 
The blues to the ‘Burgh
And decades more
For the steelworkers of Pittsburgh
To climb out from under
The Steel City Blues.

Roy W. Backes
© 2025

Word Ways - Day 5 - Running Out of Time

Running Out of Time

One step in front of the other,
Over and over again.
That is what life is.
Day after day.  Year after year.
Time is always nipping at your heels.
Never letting you rest.
Never letting you stop.
Time keeps moving
Time keeps pushing
Time keeps running out.
Our time here is not infinite.
Our time will come to an end.
As I begin to see the faint glow of light
At the end of long time-tunnel
I try to slow down
I try to take my time.
But time takes me,
Moving me forward
Forcing one step in front of the other
Always reminding me
That I am running out of time.

Roy W. Backes
© 2025

Word Ways - Day 4 - Still Searching for the Garden

Still Searching for the Garden

They say it’s beautiful,
Magical even.
This place they call “The Garden”.
A place full of luscious fruits,
Full of flowers in bloom,
Full of trees with large canopies.
A place full of cool shadows.
A place that makes beautiful music
When the breeze blows through.
A place where you can lay down
On a bed of moss
And rest your head on a soft rock.
I keep searching for this place,
This “Garden’ they keep talking about.
This beautiful, magical place,
This Eden.

Roy W. Backes
© 2025

Word Ways - Day 3 - Whoa, Man

Whoa, Man

Whoa, man.
Do you understand what I am?
Do you understand my strength?
Do you understand my will?
Whoa, man.
Don’t you underestimate me!
Don't you underestimate my strength!
Don't you underestimate the power of my will!
Whoa, man.
You want me?  Then you respect me.
You want me?  Then you treat me right.
You want me?  Then you wait for me.
Whoa, man.
You understand that I am a woman?
You understand that I am a strong woman?
You understand that I am a strong-willed woman?
Whoa, man.
Just get out of my way.
I am a woman.
Yes, I am a woman!

Roy W. Backes
© 2025

Word Ways – Day 2 – Memories and Music

Memories and Music

A song came on the radio today
A song almost sixty years old,
A song from my youth.
A song that sixty years on
I was still able to sing along to
And whose lyrics I have not forgotten.
I must admit that there is
Very little from sixty years ago
That has stuck with me like the
Lyrics and melodies of my favorite songs.
There is the Lord’s Prayer, The Hail Mary
And the twelve things that the 
Boy Scout law lists.
“A Scout is Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly etc…..”.
Also, my first phone number,
Spalding 10852.
I couldn’t tell you the names of any of
My high school teachers
Nor the make and model of my parents’ car.
But the lyrics and melodies of the
Soundtrack of my youth?  I got that!!
That I’ll never forget.
Memories and Music.
It seems to me that they
Go hand in hand.

Roy W. Backes
© 2025

Word Ways – Day 1 – Big Boy Blues

Big Boy Blues

Being a little kid was so much fun.
Almost no responsibilities except
For some homework every night
And a chore here and there.
Then you became a big boy
And your homework turned into a thesis,
And your chores turned into a career.
Then you find yourself
Looking for a job
Looking for a partner
Looking for a house.
There is no turning back.
The clock doesn’t turn that way.
No more little kid days,
Only big boy days.
Now you have responsibilities,
Now your homework consists of house repairs
And honey-do lists.
Now your chores fill your days
From beginning to end.
Now that you are living the big boy life
Take a deep breath
And get ready for
The big boy blues.

Roy W. Backes
© 2025