The Poetry Marathon

Tornadoes and cyclones 

increasing each year

Volcanoes and earthquakes

strike millions with fear 

The sun grows hotter 

each June and July 

There’s snowfall in Florida

no one is quite sure why 

People are hungry and angrier now

our small planet bursting her seams

Cars and homes running on oil

leading us downhill making us mean

Politics laced with self serving greed

running each country into the ground

The ones who could change things 

never bother to make a sound

I can’t help but wonder 

I can’t help but cry from the time 

of my childhood and on up to now 

Why is the earth in this pantomime?

Tall, lithe and a sailing man

distinguished, respectful and kind 

I fervently wish you were mine. 

Your touch so gentle upon my skin,

your lips spread love into my soul,

Wishing I was your end goal. 

Your visits though short they are, 

are so bittersweet this is true, 

I wait so long wanting to see you. 

Your hug and your loving smile,  

wash away the harrowing emptiness,

ashamed of my previous pettiness. 

When you leave after only one day,

I’m sad when your love is transferred

knowing you are returning to her.  

I loved to run back then

yes I did I used to

I ran through the forest

and way past the glen

as they all used to say

Then one day

my father he

passed away

and malevolent stepmom

moved in to stay

I cooked and I cleaned

I swept and I sewed

Nothing I did was good

enough for her now

I donned my white sneakers

Going out for a run

for an almost woman

this was my kind of fun

My stepmom she stopped me

dead at the door

Said you’ll not be out running

around here anymore

On my feet were my sneakers white

as a cloud I started to run with her

henchmen a-coming behind me wielding their guns

A whinny I heard it was definitely a whine

A horse was in trouble I could

not be unkind

My legs they flew to find the hurt

horse I knew I heard crying

Just there in the woods lay a man

quite knocked out

His horse I could see his leg he held up

I spoke softly to him

that I’d be right there

I must first to your owner offer my aid

The young man I shook

wasn’t young as I thought

His kerchief and trousers

cost more than my truck!

He roused and sat rubbed

his head and sore neck

then looked up at me saying,

Oh what the heck?

It seems his great steed had twisted

his leg causing this huge lovely

man to take quite a fall

I moved to stroke the animals neck

then bent down to check there was no break

in his leg

Within moments I found

a stone of measurable size

removed it and saw thanks in his eyes

Just then those bad men

employed by fathers wife

stood around with their

guns threatening my life

but the horse though lame

put up quite a fight gave me room

to run gave me time to take flight

One lace of my shoe was the horse

standing on and pulled it right

off my foot as I passed

I ran and I ran but no more

could I run and the men

they grabbed me and dragged me

back home

The rest of the story you all know

quite well The horsemen did find me

The shoe fit me swell and we live happily ever after – my stepmom not so well

She came to me at five weeks old

a bundle of joy a most 

definite beauty to behold 

Six months old and she tripled in size

Curiosity rode high

in her amber wolf eyes 

Her stubborn streak began she started

to balk at my commands – She’d dart for the door

and she ran and ran 

She decided she was boss

of my little docile

Leaving me with a huge sense of loss

My little grandson had come 

to live with us now, an obstinate 

wolf pup would have to go

The trainer came and took her 

away to stay with him then he 

could find another home for her there 

Miserable I was and cried every night

without her by my side

I slept in a constant state of fright 

Three long months later 

I gave the trainer a call 

I can’t do without her, no not at all

His voice betrayed the smile

I could not see, you’ve just received 

three months training for free!

I walked right in

to the Cafe that day

and saw three ladies fair

They sat in the round

and welcomed me in

I felt a new home I had found

One with white hair

gleaming so bright

bid me sit in a chair 

So I sat down and looking 

around saw their lovely faces there 

all smiling at me with genuine care

How do you do?

Asked one lady fair with 

silvery hair that shone like the moon

And off to my right Hermione herself

thick lustrous hair was the key 

and her beautiful speech

It came to be that those three

and me wove friendships

from our love as wordsmiths 

It is later now and much has passed 

there are now more than three 

and some I have yet to meet

But I haven’t a fear 

never shedding a tear when we

meet at lovely Morning Glory Cafe!

How do I say 

this thing that I need 

to complete me?

I watch others do it 

so we’ll and so seamlessly 

without fear or embarrassment. 

Something tickles them

physically, emotionally, mentally

and seconds later it happens!

That thing that hits them 

in their gut making them double 

over their lips curl skyward 

Sometimes their teeth show

but nothing in aggression 

just a mouth opening guffaw

Then amazingly it happens 

again and again until the entire

room is in a state of facetiousness. 

She was a bit different 

had been since birth 

No prey drive within her

she worshipped the earth 

The others they’d tease her 

tell her she was broken inside 

This lovely creature 

truly a gift full of pride

Not like the others 

she was born like this

A vegan wolf like her

Never before did exist 

Oatmeal oh oatmeal 

not a cereal you 

not to be eaten

with a simple silver spoon

One cup, two cups and then

one more we pour and pour

and we pour some more 

until the mixing bowl is full

Add some sugar 

add lots of sugar

three tablespoons of cocoa

and mix it all up

Then some good old butter

and stir it up real hard

Don’t forget to soften

that stick first 

On the stove top 

the brew starts to boil 

that chocolatey smell

fills up our tiny house  

A tad of vanilla 

and sprinkle in some nuts 

Add a bag of coconut 

Stir stir stir!

At the right moment 

somehow she knew

scooping out round bits

of heaven – let’s go make some now!

Having never heard of the Gigan
form of poetry,                              Naturally I had to contact old     Professor Google                               See what this was all about so                 I could try

Regrettably and with the deepest  distressing humiliation,                              I must now bow out of Gigan hour number eight with numerous numbers and widgets that sound like           docents or couplets

Or strings of numbers repeating         then each reversing                   Confusingly twisting my mind can’t do it having Dyscalculia

He stands at lakes edge 

     waiting 

Morning comes to find him

     waiting 

His little mouth turned down in 

     sadness

Calling him in for lunch he exudes

     sadness 

Back to the big lake he’s standing 

     waiting 

Night comes and he’s still there

     waiting 

We hear it and his little boy smile 

     glowing

Adult and grandson together

     glowing

With squeals of delight he runs to

     him

Stops dead, there’s another with

     him 

I laugh and hug my little grandson 

     happy 

Exclaiming, look at him married and

     happy 

His pet duck Quacky has returned 

     home

Now two ducks, one boy and me are

     home