The Poetry Marathon

Pardon me

from your attitude

how rude of me

to stand it any longer

the fragrant foul

of your audacious

tongue I couldn’t

welcome home

any longer

the questioning

the complaining

the putting me down

I might as well say

thank you and kiss

your face, when you

bring home the

two faced clown

have a nice day

computes to a

a verbal slap in the

face it’s rhetorical

anyway, you don’t really

care about my day

as much as you care

about me staying out

of your way yet you

are always in my face

breathing down my

neck and calling me

whatever words eclipse

your tainted lips

a punch in the gut

is your how are you?

and I return it with

a newly learned karate

kick.  I’m fine thank you

I’ll expect you out by

the end of the hour

or else, there will be a

welcome home sign

waiting for you at the

morgue, with all the

courage I could muster

I evicted my sickness

before it took both of

us under.

fJ original 2016

The ONE

I gave my

heart to

The ONE

I would

change my

last name for

where in the

hell did you go?

after you came

with a show

arrested my heart

a development

of soul control

putting us back

together again

what kept you so

busy that you

didn’t have time

to see about me?

was it work

your child

or insecurities

of magic

that you wore

daily on the

sleeve of your shirt

like I do my feelings

excuse me if in

possibilities my mind

is still reeling in

the time we spent

the time we wasted

and the words that

could have waited

until you were ready

or unsaid because

ready would never come

I’ve realized that

you were not

the ONE.

Me

FJ original 2016

The day is long

as the night is young

The music serenades

my ears as the tea

warms my throat

Chai for the win

22 hours later

and I still can’t find

the allusive sleep

that keeps my insanity

away and my

days from feeling

like torture

so I write and I read

and I write some more

about love unfound

and time that flies

when you’re having fun

or something like that

Indian spices swirl across

my tongue and I hum

to the sounds of

a Neo-Soul mix tap

seeping with Indie R&B

newcomers, the

mood is just right

for an all nighter

but the midnight oil

is about to run out

because the sun setting

rising and setting yet again

indicates that I’ve been

awake far too long

and it’s time to lay

these bones down

running on auto pilot

and copious amounts

of caffeine

exhaustion wins

tonight

FJ original 2016

A night at the lake

on a date with a man

who knows how to

court a woman

spare me the jokes

will you

no really he actually

planned out the date

with precision and

perfection might I add

he picked me up in

his jeep at 7 precisely

and we drove out to

the lake

he grabbed a blanket and

a basket and a stereo

which was classic

and we laid out in the grass

for hours talking about

the guts and the glory

of making it in this

world of crazy people

he was a gentleman

and a comedian

my radar of this

is too good to be true

had me in a panic again

but I wasn’t going to

ruin this good thing

wasn’t like I was looking

for the night to end

in a proposal and a ring

just wanted to enjoy the

man, who took the time

to make sure that our

night was right and

it was, as the sun dipped

below the hills

and the  moonlight rose

to greet us goodnight

FJ original 2016

It use to rub me

like vapor rub

the wrong way

and I would

break out in hives

when someone

would ask me

why don’t you settle down

this type of living

brings me clarity

as it does community

but sometimes

I want to settle

this wandering soul

and build my own

place, call it home

and plant a garden

full of vegetables

and herbs

but staying in one place

would rack my last

nerve, so I move

on, from place to place

and job to job

a good person

who doesn’t steal, cheat, or rob

but no one cares

when you don’t have

a piece of the American dream

I’m just seeking the peace

of mind, if you know what I mean

why do folks have to be so mean

it seems that what I eat makes

them poop

and where I lay my head

at night, is where they rest and recoup

I enjoy seeing new cultures

and communities on my travels

hitting the highway, the railways

the airways, no matter what

I don’t play in the gravel

of complaining

I enjoy the sun shining

as much as I do the raining

because I know each

day life is alright

and every time I lay my

head down at night

I’m tucked in a warm bed

a roof over  my head

and I know it’s already been

said

that it doesn’t belong to me

but I have my

home of joy and sanity

which you can’t buy anywhere

these days

so i’ll put on my traveling shoes

and enjoy my Nomad ways

FJ original 2016

O Lord how awesome is Your work

Your infinite details in my life

Your words fill my chambers like books

That I love to read and like music

That I love to hear, on repeat

How does your majesty fill the space of my depravity

where redemption and forgiveness meet on the road

How gracious and kind are You, just and merciful too

You love without condition, heal without favoritism

For you care for your child, and the orphan

Lord you know my needs before I speak, your attentiveness

knows no bounds

You know my heart before it breaks, your compassion

fails  me not

You know my tears, each one as they fall in a sea that is vast

and wide

Yet you still have peace to blanket me, each night that I cry

Praise can’t help but escape my lips, falling like dew from the leaf

Your strength made perfect in my weakness, oh what a relief

Amazing are your works, that continue day by day

Counting it all joy, O Lord, is my Psalm of praise today.

FJ original 2016

I’ve been sick for a week

from Prague with love

the bug in my stomach

is such a needy

little thug

crackers and ginger ale

have been my friend

yet I’ve been dehydrated

and exhausted

with no sight in end

so I took to my bed

since Monday I’ve been

and I started my first

eight marathon hours

totally getting it in

but I wanted to take

a nap, because I was tired

now I’m up every hour since 154a

booted and wired

trying to talk myself back to sleep

look at all the prompts I’m missing

and then counting sheep

the REM sleep I’ve been wishing

for and yet I can’t sleep because

I’m missing out on poems that I could write

so before I head off to church

I’m going to play catch up to what

I’ve missed, and write and write and write

is that alright?

I pray that that’s alright

FJ original 2016

Where are we going

away from?

where does this lead?

we come too far

to turn back now

will we fail or

will we succeed

the road seems

pretty narrow

and the way

is even too

but there has

to be a detour

some bumps

carved out

of the road

for you

for me  its

all the distractions

the things that

my eyes are

attracting

hand in hand

we walk in the

quiet of the night

and the scene

creates magic

undertones

does this

path ever end

will we see

the place

where it

did begin

is it safe

to assume

that the journey

is full bloom

on this path

that we’ve chosen to

take, do we end up

near those mountains

or clear across the lake

is the sentiment

of being in the moment

real or is it something

we have to fake

for goodness sake

who cares where we

are going

as long as we

are going there

together

and since we are

going

did you by chance

check the weather.

I smell rain

FJ original 2016

In the heat of created passion

A light is broken, pieces of glass

and the night is interrupted by

daybreak and breakups of lovers

A light is broken, pieces of glass

every where and no time to see light

daybreak and breakup of lovers

recants stories of promising affection

Every where? No time to see light

But darkness cascades in the cusp

recants stories of promising affection

much to the dismay of being in love with love

But darkness cascades in the cusp

where light can not break the bow

the dismay of being in love with love

There is sorrow lifting in the night air

Where light can not break the bow

of the arrow shot through our hearts

There is sorrow lifting, in the night air

while we hold our breaths for second chances

The arrow shot through our hearts

In the heat of created passion

while we hold our breaths for second chances

interrupted by the night

FJ original 2016