Fit for a Queen

(A Sendoff in Royal Purple)

Lilac

lilies fell from

Heaven like a purple 

pimp explosion, coating her

casket.

(A cinquain is a five line poem where the lines have a syllable count of 2/4/6/8/2.)

SiLeNt StRuGgLe

For the first time in forever,

self-expression

is a struggle,

blocked by my mind.

Many truths need to be spoken.

I move my mouth

but hear no noise.

I’ve lost my voice.

Ev’ry word I want escapes me.

I can’t focus,

brain feels foggy.

Where is my muse?

Without words, I’m left with nothing.

They’re the one thing

I understand.

Worthless, I weep.

(A traditional minute poem is made up of 60 syllables divided between three stanzas. The four lines of each stanza will have a syllabic count of 8/4/4/4. Typically, these poems are written in strict iambic meter and follow a rhyme scheme of aabb, ccdd, eeff. This version, the nontraditional, eliminates the tough stuff like meter and scheme and works well whether you’re exhausted, like me, or just lazy — also like me!)

Miss Connections

The only thing

in this

life

I’ve 

ever been

any good at

is taking words

and turning

them

into 

a message

meant to motivate

most folks like

me and

you.

I’ve

shared so

many magic moments,

created countless connections,

all options

which

afforded

me such

a golden opportunity

to reach out

to the

broken,

letting

them know

they’re not alone.

(A hay(na)ku is a three line poem where the only rule is that the first line is made up of one word, the second line of two words, and the third line of three words. A reverse hay(na)ku is a three line poem composed in the opposite manner, so line one would be three words, line two is two words, and line three would be just one word. During the 2019 Poetry Marathon, I combined these two styles to create what I called the “mirror hay(na)ku”. This time, I have taken things a step further with the “Hall of Mirrors Hay(na)ku”, which is composed of five separate mirror hay(na)ku stanzas.)

Home for the Holi-daze

Friends are the family we choose.

Bound not by blood,

loved “just because”,

let’s celebrate!

We gather ’round and bless the feast

before feeding

hungry faces.

Time for our naps.

We disburse and pick our places.

Turn on the game,

flip off the lights.

It’s Thanksgiving.

(A traditional minute poem is made up of 60 syllables divided between three stanzas. The four lines of each stanza will have a syllabic count of 8/4/4/4. Typically, these poems are written in strict iambic meter and follow a rhyme scheme of aabb, ccdd, eeff. This version, the nontraditional, eliminates the tough stuff like meter and scheme and works well whether you’re exhausted, like me, or just lazy — also like me!)

The Cheeky King

The king cried

out atop his throne.

“Let’s go, girls,Pick ‘n Pull!

Stuff emblems between your cheeks

once your bags are full!”

(A shadorma is a six line poem where the syllable count for each line is as follows: 3/5/3/3/7/5.)

Pickin’  and Pullin’

pockets runneth over

bulging with hidden treasure

my guilty pleasure

(A haiku is made up of three lines with the syllable count of 5/7/5).

Walking with the Light

Please, Momma, tell me,

can Life go on without you?

My heart won’t believe.

My mind cannot conceive of

a world without your smile.

My dear LaChrista,

apple of my eye, best friend,

be-lov-ed daughter,

I promise you’ll be okay.

I’m still walking beside you.

For LaChrista, the daughter she left behind

In loving memory of my soul sister Derese 

(A somonka is a pair of tankas written in two different voices that carries a central theme of love. Each tanka is composed of five lines, with a syllable count of 5/7/5/7/7, respectively.)

Expendable

embattled

defeated

exhausted

depleted

deleted

negated

obsolete

outdated

forgotten

forsaken

unwanted

untaken

abandoned

neglected

discarded

rejected

(A foursquare verse is another one off the top of my noggin. It consists of four stanzas, each containing four lines. All lines are one word only.)

An Awkward Alliance

Life, as he’d lived it, leaned largely on logic.

His expertise evolved from extensive experience, not degrees nor diplomas.

Surrounded by stupidity, he elected to educate everyone in earshot with “Lessons by Lonnie.”

An emboldened empath, energized and enlightened, intuition and insight were the tools of her trade.

She functioned fully on faith and feelings, empowered by expressing emotions.

A constant craving for connection compelled her to create.

In a world full of strangers, their awkward alliance was the most marvelous mismatch of least likely lovers.

(A sevenling is made up of seven lines. Lines 1-3 should be connected or contrasting statements or list three details. The same goes for lines 4-6. Line 7 should be the punch line, a juxtaposition, or narrative summary.)

Let’s Get It On!

MAKING LOVE

sensual, romantic

kissing, caressing, cuddling

intimacy, unitychemistry, lust

moaning, groping, thrusting

detached, animalistic

HAVING SEX

(A diamante is composed of seven lines. Lines one and seven must be completely opposite in meaning, and are typically one word nouns — although I chose to use phrases representing concepts instead. Line two is made up of two adjectives which clearly refer to line one, and, in line six, use two adjectives which obviously describe line seven. Line three will be made up of three -ing verbs which again refer back to line one, and with line five, repeat this same pattern in regards to line seven. Line four, the central focus, is the unification of the two opposite nouns/concepts, and is composed of two nouns related to line one, followed by two nouns related to line seven.)