The Poetry Marathon

Slowly he walks

In San Pablo

His eyes to the sky

All alone he cries

1. Smile

2. Bring chocolate

3. Cuddles

4. Words of encouragement

Because the day

Is short

And life is shorter

Breathe deeply

Early in the morning Rikki-tikki came to early breakfast in the verandah riding on Teddy’s shoulder, and they gave him banana and some boiled egg; and he sat on all their laps one after the other, because every well-brought-up mongoose always hopes to be a house-mongoose some day and have rooms to run about in, and Rikki-tikki’s mother (she used to live in the General’s house at Segowlee) had carefully told Rikki what to do if ever he came across white men.

Rikki-tikki knew better than to waste time in staring. He jumped up in the air as high as he could go, and just under him whizzed by the head of Nagaina, Nag’s wicked wife. She had crept up behind him as he was talking, to make an end of him; and he heard her savage hiss as the stroke missed. He came down almost across her back, and if he had been an old mongoose he would have know that then was the time to break her back with one bite; but he was afraid of the terrible lashing return-stroke of the cobra. He bit, indeed, but did not bite long enough, and he jumped clear of the whisking tail, leaving Nagaina torn and angry.

Some days

Move

Independently

Limiting

Experiences

Red and green lights

Keeping slowing

The hustle of the city

Walks cold and windy

She did not hear the story as many women have heard the same, with a paralyzed inability to accept its significanceShe wept at once, with sudden, wild abandonment, in her sister’s arms. When the storm of grief had spent itself she went away to her room alone. She would have no one follow her.

There would be no one to live for during those coming years; she would live for herself. There would be not be powerful will bending hers in that blind persistence with which men and women believe they have a right to impose a private will upon a fellow-creature. A kind intention or a cruel intention made the act seem no less a crime as she looked upon it in that brief moment of illumination.

Head lowered

Eyes closed

A step inside

Forgotten

The vines tower over

Every corner

Stretching up the wall

The whispers

Of what happened here

Echo the hall

They failed they cry

The hour’s here

No more will they occupy

This regal space

What a funny girl you used to be

Playing double Dutch in the street

Wearing your twist proud

What a funny girl you used to be

Drawing cartoons and listening to

Common

What a funny girl you used to be

Laughing so hard

You can barely breathe

Those days are gone

And there’s work to be done

Smile and keep your head and

Be

Senior

Citizens deciding what

Our bodies can and can’t

Undergo without being able

To try it themselves

Unfortunately to no

Sensible avail