The Poetry Marathon

It was Friday Night

The alley was hectic with huge parties

taking turns bowling.

At the end of the alley,

there was a man

he bowled with a serious face

he was a serious bowler.

His right toe tapped the floor,

behind his left heel.

The screen showed

the total of six X’s displayed for all to see.

As he got to the line to bowl,

He let the ball go.

His ball curved and spun down the long lines of the shiny hardwood, headed for that pocket between the 1 and 3 pins, looking to be a strike for sure.

Can you guess?

STRIIIKE!

7th strike in a row.

what a game,

all eyes were on him. what a champ.

bright turquoise water with white soft sand

supplemented with amazing native food.

luxury for those that can buy the land.

so many variations of seafood.

To travel or not to travel

Traveling to understand the world.

comes with a price to see mother nature.

The islands on one side is like a caricature.

on the other, the citizens lack basic needs in hopes of a dream world.

Even if one side lacks a marketing brand

you still got the same land

but it all comes with a price!

I am being followed by my own memories

own memories flooding through me on fast forward

of a cassette tape.

without my hands —

I can not work

I can not eat on my own

I can not read or write.

I am being followed by my own memories,

own memories, own memories.

without my eyes —

I can not see familiar faces.

I can not see colors.

I can not see to understand.

I am being followed by my own memories,

own memories, own memories.

without my teeth

I can not eat a nice juicy steak or a good ole sandwich.

i can not talk.

whats the use of living?

These memories keep following me.

What year is it? Who is the president of the USA?

I saw the light

I felt my hands

I could come up with a word or two

They put on one of my favorite songs

my memory came and stayed

in that moment

all was right with me.

In the days of corona,

quarantining at your cottage as far as Barcelona

to small quaint towns of Arizona or Sedona.

wherever you are

a good time for some cornmeal porridge

able to keep your stomach storage

full. Since shelter in place,

may make it easier to embrace

and schmooze or snooze.

So if you ever leave your chateau.

as you check off keys, ID, money

make sure you include masks

to do those essential tasks.

Outside in the summer heat,

wearing your mask, you can’t walk a beat

without stopping to quench your thirst

with a water bottle.

Once you have nursed

yourself from feeling lethargic.

Time to head home and take in a zoom call

as you relax with  tea and above all

sleep until a new day cometh.

\

My cat startles off after hearing loud fireworks

on this clear night sky among the trees.

Stop! What was that? Did you see that?

WHOA!!!! Im out.

with the use of shorthand

acronyms, emojis

grammar nazis must not like this new writing style.

Harder to decipher.

a puzzle

that can be interpreted in many different ways

Will writing academic papers go out of style?

Letter writing has diminished.

emails have been replaced with quick text messages that look like code.

emojis are universal language

like music and acronyms.

although the biggest problem is

emojis have too many answers instead of only one.

Concluding that writing a poem full of emojis

or translating seems to lack the emotional, benefit of poetry that makes poetry

help anyone.

History tells us

human civilization suffered through:

the black plague

the spanish flu

small pox

SARS, MERS to name a few.

Season of a plague

Whence the year 2020

the talk of a pandemic is the talk of the media

in the wake of four years

hearing; fake news.

some people are feeling the blues

while others think it is a stage for the political arena.

Scientists, Health workers, stay above the fray

to share the facts

that a pandemic is here to stay

Season of a plague

As we go back to our fast-paced lives,

can we cheer on

mother nature and all that thrives.

One of the many lessons,

this plague has given us

whether it is stressed or depression,

it allows for mother nature like fungus

to flourish without humans acculminating

to harm the earth.

In this season, time is precious

relying on the smallest details

rather than

megabytes, the newest of the new

technology and material objects that just take up space

and collect dust.

in these moments whatever your occupation is —

can you shift to enjoy these small details?

Perhaps the season of the plague

has given us the blueprints to enjoy life

the simplest pleasures.

Wake up to the morning light through curtains,

Freshen up

to the sounds of the city

cars honking, skidding to a halt, sirens heard

with the soft cries, a baby asks to eat.

The whiff of coffee is strong to nose —

enough to stay alert.

The sound of a toaster releasing bread.

Next up

a walk around a lake

to feel some coolness among the sticky, wetness of the sun beaming down

with the humidity.

Witnessing egrets, blackbirds, comorants, mallards and geese grazing, sleeping, and looking for food.

By the time night falls,

able to witness the sun setting showering its light across the island

reflecting against the river

bouncing off buildings

of red, orange, yellow colors.

cuddle up with a book and some fragrant tea.

Time to say good night

relax in an air conditioned room away from sticky hot summer day.

symmetric triangles

Hues and tints of a sun setting

a dry, hot day has come to a close

pinrails a turning with the wind

changing colors

every time it comes to a stop

Northern lights a callin’

mirrored glass colored water

an alien lands amid the light shaft

crashing the party.

circle round

holding hands

it may hurt, but it means well to stare and to touch.

if trees can touch and feel well

humans can hold and clasp each other.

an elliptical — a time capsule

emptying the abyss

leaving a silence of utter stillness.

The space left

a starry sky

lighting up the atmosphere.

when the time capsule reverses

are we going back, forward, or far far away?

perhaps we stay put

only to see, to feel, to touch

our own mirroring of life

Reflection on a ice, glass surface

snug between two almonds.

Mirroring images

Take a breath.

Breathe!

inhaled a crisp chilly clear of a night.

Tasted like freshwater

gave your body  —

full of life.

Dear Harry,

From the old stories

from Hogy Vogy Country to the streets of Philadelphia

Philly what a city!

Liberty Bell

City Hall architecturally eye-catching

Philly cheesesteak is everywhere.

Enough about cities. Since you came here,

living on the east coast as well

is that how you adopted in the hustle business of

doing what you can to make money?

As a new mother,

As a mental health advocate

utilizing the works of aristotle

Shakespeare, and other literary knowns

to help heal without medication.

Work led me to the Upper East Side Manhattan

that had a big Hungarian presence.

Today it is felt in names of schools,

restaurants and churches.

Theatre comes knowledge of power

to create other jobs.

you got housekeeping or janitors

to electricians

to fashion and design

to therapy.

how does art not help mathematics or science?

the ancient greeks invented story telling in theatre as well as arithmetic.

Here to arts meet theatre

meet hustle to create more opportunities to make money.

Thank you.