The Poetry Marathon

Point Of View at Sixty

Sixty years old, hard to believe

I have lived this long.

Time has slipped by so fast,

seems like I just turned fifty.

A bit stiffer in the morning,

harder to get out of bed.

I can stoop down to get something,

more difficult to get back up.

Retirement and medicare just ahead,

not sure if I am ready for them yet.

In bed by 9 or sometimes 10PM,

but awake at 3 or sometimes 4AM.

Cpap to help sleep, medications for

low thyroid and high cholesterol.

Gluten, dairy and high fructose free diets,

sure takes the fun out of eating.

Where will I be in ten years,

will I still be alive is a better question.

Only time will tell!

Refuge

Darkness surrounds me.

No moon or stars to guide me.

I am lost with no hope.

The path is narrow and the journey long.

Perils and predators lurk in the black forest.

In the midst of my gloom, I stumble into a clearing.

A warm light beckons me.

A comfortable cabin awaits me.

My steps quicken to reach the door.

A rush of restored hope wells up within me.

I am safe at last.

.

A Congregation

We gather together to worship the Lord

We are His body bought with His sacrifice

We worship Him with hymns and praise music

We worship Him with prayer.

We are brothers and sisters in Christ

We are people from all walks of life

We are diverse but united in our love for Him

We gather in fellowship with each other

We gather in communion

We gather at weddings

We gather at funerals

We gather in love for each other

We would not want it any other way

Limerick Prompt

There was a young man named Doug

who decided to enter his first pub

he had the crowd in stitches

when he lost his old britches

poor Doug had enough of nightclubs

A Cat

A cat will not bite

A cat will not scratch

A cat will play fetch

A cat will look up to you

A cat will chase cars

A cat will chase the mailman

A cat will run after cars

A cat will beg for food

A cat will protect you

A cat will not hide

A cat is man’s best friend

NOT

Tanka

Cold snow clothes the ground

I am alone in this whiteness

no human comes here

peace and tranquility reign

society does not intrude

Gigan Style

First Platoon boards the Huey, sickly smell of sweat and death

elbow to elbow we sit cramped in the narrow compartment

hot, sticky air like a sauna grips us in its wet claws

rotors spin, air rushes through the open doors

but no relief is felt from the hot, breath of the dragon

gnawing fear grips each man as the bird lifts off

taking us to places we don’t want to go

the green canopy is now below us concealing them but not us

we land at the LZ, bullets snapping and popping as we emerge

the encounter is short, bloody, cries of wounded, silence of dead

First Platoon boards the Huey, sickly smell of sweat and death

gnawing fear grips each man as the bird lifts off

are we headed back to the firebase, home, safety from the enemy

safety from the fear and death and sweat

Hueys flying the wrong way, new orders issued

on to the next hot LZ more fear, death and sweat

The Lone Beachcomber

Evening sunset, all are gone, I am alone

I enjoy this loneliness

Tonight, the sand is mine.

From Holly—Prompt#6

Dear Oliver, how long has it been?

Sixty plus years have grown between us.

We were seven or was it eight years old

but we were madly in love—remember?

I would wear my hair over the shoulders

long and straight, just the way you liked it.

I changed desks just so I could sit next to you.

Our lunches were a heavenly half-hour when we

would discuss our wedding plans.

You were always such a terrible speller-I

always had to help you—remember?

My penmanship was so neat and precise and yours

so sloppy, the teacher would make you rewrite

all of your assignments. I would giggle.

When you would ride bicycle past my house I would

always come look for you. I knew you would ride by

my by my house on purpose. I was looking forward to going

through our school years together. Then,

you moved away.

Afternoon Soiree

A radiant sunflower adorned her reddish hair

while she was sitting in her hardback chair.

She asked me for a block of cheddar cheese

so, she could hold it on her knees.

I watched her slowly open up her satchel

and pull out a crystal wine glass so fragile.

She asked me for some vintage wine

I had plucked from my only grape vine.

She put her two bare feet on the pavement

found it too hot to her amazement.

She said this soiree I am quitting

to go inside and finish knitting.