The Poetry Marathon

I’m up. I’m up.
My eyes drift close again.
I’m up!

The house is quiet.
Every one is asleep.
As I struggle to pull words out
One by one.

That room?
It’s the special room.
Technically, it’s the dining room
But no one dines there.

See that cabinet?
It has China in it!
Only a piece of China, of course.
The entire country can’t fit in that cabinet.

See the light blue carpet?
So pretty, right!?
See this dark brown spot?
This is one of the reasons we aren’t allowed in here.

Who is allowed in here?
Not sure. Maybe just Mommy?

Tumbling in dreams
Snug in blankets
Cozy

The glow of the computer
I want to close my eyes

The fairy girl and her mates set off on a journey
The red fox strides ahead
The black bear by her side
The fox and the bear decide the fairy girl -too young to see the carnage
Taking the roundabout route
They are to see a shaman about getting her real fairy wings

The fairy girl skips and giggles
Her laughter chimes in their ears
She sings songs and hugs their necks
The fox and the bear trudged through the slaughter
Smelt the scourged flesh
The fairy girl must never see any of this
Or she will never get her wings.

“Pardon me!” he yelled into the phone. The guards looked on.

“Jimmy! Cool it. Of course, I will. We’re blood.”

“How are you going to do it? When are you going to do it?”

“Try to have a nice day, okay? I got you.”

And he did.

Jimmy, the felon, and Henry, the governor, were united again.
All the kin were at the mansion to welcome home the fallen sibling.

Henry, at the head of the table, raised his glass. “You’ve got something to thank me for, don’t you brother?” He winked at Jimmy.

“Thank you for what? You got me into this mess. If you hadn’t.. “
Henry cut in, “You all will have to excuse me and my dear brother here.”

Out on the veranda, the brothers talked it over.
Henry smoothed out his ego. Jimmy unrumpled his pride.

The were brothers after all. Partners in crime.

Hackles relaxed, tail down loosely, face smooth, ears tranquil.
Pushes her nose into another. They rub cheeks. Wrestle the jaws playfully.
She senses danger. Strange odors. She shoos her friend away.
Stands erect.
Mouth open. Tongue retracted. Neck arched. Hair bristled. Head high.
The threat moves closer. Branches crackle nearby.
She howls. Teeth bared. Ready to defend her pack.

time was too abstract for me back then
I couldn’t measure it well in my head
he came back from sea
and every time I knew he would leave again

that day, he left in a hurry
no goodbyes
no hugs
no kisses

he was angry that we were fighting
my brother and I

so angry he threw his bags in his car
left

I chased after him
to say goodbye to get a kiss or a hug
but he was gone

i stood at the end of the driveway
waiting
hoping he’d turn back

my brother got me and brought me inside
he was sorry about the candy
my pigtails were slick with sweat
my heart ached and a nervous shiver hummed inside me

it never went away
bzzzz bzzzzz bzzzz bzzzzz
always right here under my skin

Jittery and jagged. My lips raw from biting them.
It’s a bad habit when I’m nervous or
needing to solve a bug in my code
Or stressed
I’m doing it now
Chewing my bottom lip
Jittery and jagged. My lips raw from biting them.