The Poetry Marathon

table for two

i shall set a lovely table
a table just for two
to dine alone with wine and candles
revel deep in quiet conversation
then somewhere between the appetizer and dessert
i hope to gaze deep into your eyes
and you in mine
no phones or outside distraction
just an old fashioned date for two
i shall set a lovely table
a table just for me and you

lost things

i have lost a ton of things in my lifetime-
a gold ring with a ruby stone
a pair of silver diamond earrings i treated myself to
a cashmere sweater with small covered buttons
a bible with my initials embossed on the front cover-
all mysteriously disappeared;
left behind in some place probably not secret at all-
inappropriately mishandled by some strange hands
but the memory of some things have lasted longer
than the actual thing itself probably would have;
the memory helps me hold on tighter-
appreciate more.
I have lost a ton of things in my lifetime
but some memories of those things
may last forever.

poem#16
(a response to the spider who frightened Little Miss Muffett)

sometimes one may thinketh thyself alone
so siteth quietly to have a bite-
then suddenly along some other thing
shall come and givest rare a fright-
and push thyself unexpectedly
from thy cushioned perch unto the floor
then in some heated rage
thy come most def undone
and vent with swift and heated pace
a most befitting blow for one-
and swat that thing that didest come
to frighten thyself away-
with satisfaction knowing he’ll not live
to see another day.

this is so extremely raw
the fire god and me
basking in the afterglow

i found three jars on the side of the road
such a mystery to me
one evening quite by accident
my eyes just happened to see
one filled with tomatoes as if someone had canned
one with elbow macaroni
maybe two or three hands
and one with chocolates wrapped in brightly colored
foil
specially colored pink and blue for a boy or a girl
and since they sat so specifically
i left them there, not peculating but untouched
hoping that someone would come along who missed them
very much.

poem#13

my world without you

I try to imagine a world without sun
it is easier than you think
for that would be my world without you
nothing would grow lush green
only scales and prickly leaves would crunch beneath my feet

at daybreak there would be no dew on the grass
or strong stem to glisten in the morning light
only dry stalk that would bend sorrowfully toward earth
the way I sometimes find it difficult
to force a smile from my lips when you are away

there would be no striking aura in the day’s sky
just steel gray clouds
a blank slate
like my dreams when you are not dancing in them.

little kids laughing
the happiest noise i know
happy faces and runny noses
mix somehow well in the middle of a saturday evening
building castles with blocks
straight up to the sky
first bridges then houses
than camping under sheets
it doesn’t matter
you only need time and imagination
and you can run completely free
that is the beauty of youth
you are not limited by real life experiences
there is no line in the sand
so everything is allowed
that is the joy of being a child.

rushing waters and open fields
i am calling to you
can you hear me?
fiddles plucking out my course
in the distance
i am heading your way
can you hear me in the rushing stream?
over hills and grassy crags
i am coming to you
flying through the wide open spaces
marching straight to your door
high in the mountains
the sheep and shepherd leap
the hear your name blowing in the wind
i am on my way
can you hear me running?

with the brightest of hues you color my world
mixing greens and blues
and who is to say when tints will dull
or colors brighten
you are a reddish mix inside my brain
sometimes pink and orange
and when you do that thing with your finger
round the nape of my neck i go all chocolate brown
and ooze creamy pale yellows round my face
you color my world more beautiful than any crayon i have ever found

spiny arms and legs
you lurk
hiding in corners and basement stairs
perhaps you were made to creep
and scare even the bravest of men in the dark