The Poetry Marathon

Missing my cat
quizzical and excited.
She had a fierce style
attitude for days
When she purred I felt happy

Blinding sandy dunes
A green rattlesnake hisses
Aging lion yawns

Crossing into another time
They could finally be free
soak up the rays of the golden sun
Bathe in the hot springs
heal their scars
and forget the past
breathe

Mother Night and Father Darkness had a son
Hypnos, the god of sleep
I dreamt of him often
living in the caves near river Lethe

Squid Ink sensuous moves
eyes black as pitch
whispers like satin wings
tenderly pouring his rich opium elixir
down my eagerly parted lips

A little sip
sweet rich velvet
all my cares forgotten
surrounded by lush blooming poppies
cradled in ebony
I would surely sleep
deep dark drowning
sleep

From across the globe they gathered
defying timezones and technology
bringing their poems
haikus, sonnets, rhymes, limericks, elegies, odes, and so much more

Some wrote through the night
some wrote though to dawn
hour by hour
word by word
so passionate so strong

Learning, teaching, and growing
devouring prompts one by one
all moved and shifted through time
channelling the mighty mythical Chimera

One poet alone
cannot embody the mission of the marathon
it takes them all.

It really has become a chore.
The shopping, the cooking, the baking,
awkward moments, and obligatory snarky comments.
Wouldn’t it just be nicer to avoid everyone and go away for Thanksgiving?
YES!

Imagine the ocean, a sparkling cerulean blue, crashing waves, salty air
and a hotel with a view.
We’ll even get room service for breakfast.
Later we can explore the beaches
hunt for sea glass and seashells.
As long as we can get fish tacos and caipirinhas to celebrate the holiday.
86 the pumpkin pie too!

Sounds perfect

Closet full of CDs
broken jewelry pieces
old clocks
radios
flip phones
paint and glitter
waiting to be reborn
as the most fabulous wind-chimes and Tchotchkes

Gift shopping dilemma solved
If I could just find my glue gun

Café in Paris
Lips lined in revolution red sealed the envelope with a kiss
slid it across the table
a solitary tear dropped like a sparkling diamond
“We knew this day would come, I must go”
And like that
she was gone

Earthbound wish to fly is a tale I tell myself
In truth, Pan-ic is the name of the demon
hiding in my aerophobia lobe

Whispering dark thoughts:
Too much traffic, you’ll miss your flight
A storm is brewing, the plane could crash
You’ll be profiled and strip searched by a creepy smelly TSA agent
You’ll be seated next to a crying baby on one side
and a snoring slobbering neanderthal on the other
Your luggage will get lost
Your passport will be stolen and you’ll be deported
You’ll get an ear infection
You’ll catch COVID19
There could be snakes on a plane

An exorcism is in order

It started with a fire
Blazing hot brutal devastating
howling winds with forked tongues
licked flames
kicking them higher
melting metal shattering glass
obliterating concrete
human screams lost in raging infernos
crawling across the planet
all was charred all was scarred
a wasteland

Time passed

It started with the seeds
tiny sprouts pushing through
deep dark well rested soil
stronger than before
spreading leaves extending branches
smiling at the sun
showering in the cooling rains
birds chirping bees buzzing
visiting newly blossomed flowers
sucking nectar spreading pollen

Mother Nature hummed and mused
It was time to bring them back
the flora and the fauna
all except the humans
there was no longer any place for them
in Paradise