The Poetry Marathon

Thousands upon thousands of you

Swimming silver tornados around me

I can’t count you but I can eat you

I’m just a big dumb beast to you

Slow and slumbering, floating by

There for you to taunt and tease

and poke and play.

I’m bored now

and a little hungry.

Open wide like the mighty ocean

swallow, swallow

giggle, giggle, gone.

Smile!

Who’s laughing now?

Ciao Fellow Poets! So excited to be back for my second year. Last year was amazing and such an awesome way to meet other creative minds. The energy from the group on the FB Page kept me going the whole 24 hours (with only a few delirious naps). Everyone had a different approach to preparing for the marathon. I enjoyed the hourly prompts and the resulting stream of consciousness writing. I had tons of excellent coffee, snacks and hello, CHOCOLATE!  – Bia Riaz

I never show my teeth in photos

My smile is my secret 🙂

It is no lie

Break a true gypsy heart

It will haunt you for life

Your senses will be dulled

Your food will not taste good

Art will not inspire you

Lilacs, lilies, lavender; will have no scent

You will find no pleasure in silk and satin

Music will lose it’s magic

You will forget the words to your favorite songs

Laughter will feel forced and foreign

Your travels will be weary

Your days will ring empty

Your nights will ache lonely

Your pockets will be wanting

Your heart will feel heavy

Be forewarned!

Bang, pop, bang, pop, boom, boom, boom

STOP!

Put your war drums away

I don’t want to hear them

Soft

Warm

Worn

Comfort and peace

Are you building a house?  Think about a lasagna

Planning a huge event with much fanciness? Think about a lasagna

Financial planning? Think about a lasagna

A lasagna will always be your ultimate guide to perfection

Step One: collect your mise en place – all the basic ingredients you need to get started*.

*remember quality ingredients equal a superior finished product; so skip the canned processed stuff!

Step Two: sauté, stir, taste, assemble

Step Three: embellishments and substitutions; exotic veggies, different cheeses, turkey for beef, squash for noodles, savory for sweet

Your imagination shall know no bounds!

Step Four: Bake to golden brown goodness

Step Five: Enjoy, and don’t forget to write down your recipe.

Shakespeare wrote sonnets

High School English teachers assign sonnets

College kids may memorize devotional sonnets

Grad students pontificate upon sonnets

Poets ponder publishing pleasing books with sonnets

I do not write sonnets

I do not need 14 lines of rhythm and rhyme

imposing structure and discipline

Beauty, love, death, deception, adventure, nature, good, evil, truth

They conform to nothing

Give me free verse or give me death!

Read

Between

The

Lines

On my balcony

Teacup in hand

No words needed

Moonlit musings are all