The Poetry Marathon

Abandoned Piano

Overgrown and off the path
sits an abandoned piano.
My fingers trace
its splintered wood,
lacquer long since vanished
by time and the elements.
I brush off the leaves
and a few layers of dirt.
The mouth of music smiles at me,
pine needles stuck between
its ivory teeth.
I press a key, expecting silence,
but the timbre bellows through the air,
scattering birds from their branches.
I feel the reverberation
bounce through my chest.
I wonder how long it’s been
since this piano has felt
the warmth of fingers.
Even in its abandonment,
it remembers how to play,
how to create beauty in solitude.
And my heart can’t help
but take note.

I cut my sandwich
diagonally today.
It reminded me
of when I was younger.
When I thought
the direction of
the slices mattered.

(Off prompt/free write)

The Darkest Evening

Tonight feels like
the darkest evening.
The swing of a gavel
setting the sun
and taking all hope with it.
They think we don’t see
the things they do
in the darkness.
They think that if
they keep us here
we’ll forget the warmth
of light on our skin.
But what they don’t know
is how we turned the darkness
into a gift.
The fear was a gift.
The anger was a gift.
In the darkness we rest
and we plan
and we fight.
The fire in our bellies
will light our tomorrows
as we burn their everything
to the ground.

“The darkest evening” from Stopping By The Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost.

You can try all you want
to cleanse me of the person
you believe me to be,
but your holy water
has no effect here.
I will never become
a watered down version
of myself.
I’d rather drowned.

I was asked where
I feel most at home.
The simple answer being
inside of poetry.
The more complicated answer?
Inside of poetry.
And I wouldn’t change a thing.

I like my poetry
like my favorite snack
Cheesy
Satisfying
and sometimes
a little gooey.

A splash of cold water
A slap to the face
Gotta keep going
Pick up the pace!

Just a few more to go
Before we are done
24 poems in 24 hours
So much fun!

Free-write
Haiku

Purple sea urchin
Look but do not touch
She stings

I love the simplicity
of a late night walk.
I just need to remember:
My keys, to hold between my fingers
My pepper spray
A flashlight
My cell phone, fully charged.
Running shoes with tight laces
A knife
And my ID just in case
they need to identify my body.
That’s all.
So simple walking at night
as a woman.

The seaside cliffs
being me peace.
Watching the waves crash
from so far above,
I almost feel powerful.
As if I’m the pull
the ocean feels.
In reality,
it’s always pulling me.
One day it will pull me under completely
and I will be free.