The Poetry Marathon

I was told chosen was special

No mention of given away

My younger sister also chosen

Opted out at thirty-one

Checked out without a word

Apparently not feeling special

New sibs appeared with DNA

To discover that my generous

Mother had kept her first

Sent me off to be chosen

And had another child to keep

I continue to look for special

As my youngest granddaughter

Announced to all that she

Was from another planet

I soon realized that this must

Be my true origin and reason

To finally believe I’m special

Take a look closer

In the pattern of a leaf

For the stripey rocks

And roadside flowers

Desperate weeds that poke

Dragonflies who visit

Bunnies hiding underneath

Chickadees that flurry

See the big picture

In the small things

Rain filled brooks

Acorns tumbling down

When your eyes understand

Then ears can hear

The geese leaving town

And Santa on the roof

Not sad enough for poems

Love no one at this time

Have a cabin in the woods

Small dog sleeps beside me

Gray pickup has new tires

Windows facing so much green

Most bills paid up to date

No aches or pains that matter

Friends call to tell me tales

All my children own their homes

Every room is like a library

Grandchildren want to live here

Art supplies for the end of time

Favorite music played on command

Refrigerator has just enough food

No one here that complains to me

Waiting for the plot to thicken

Voices help when souls have passed

Black and white movies from the past

It matters not if seen before

I know these folks can’t ask for more

I played his voice from old voicemails

It’s been a while I felt too frail

I wait for my pup to speak a word

I promised her not to tell I heard

This is not the poem to talk of grief

You all know there’s no relief

While writing poems no friends will call

Respecting this space so I will not stall

I’ll say no more and get back to work

These twenty-four poems I will not shirk

Waiting for the mail to come

I listen for the truck

Should a new package appear

I’m happily in luck

I know the thump of Amazon

I hear it many times

Bags and boxes hit the porch

It’s better than wind chimes

Today I wait for bathroom bulbs

Mine are starting to burn out

There is a book I’m hoping for

Arrive today I am in doubt

I live alone except for Millie

Her hedgehog came last week

She too perks her head

Near the window she will peek

I must reign in and order less

As winter’s months approach

Heating bill will come to pass

As I surrender to reproach

Plan ahead they say

Good to have treats

Carrot stick theory

Stick is too few poems

Carrot is too tight pants

Still not even half way

Coffee yoghurt pops

Cranberry granola bars

Raisin English muffins

Bloating by the hour

Words rest on my belly

Lifting on to the page

Hours to go concerns

Elastic waist flannels

I can breathe again

They have chewed the doors and more

Chewed the window sills and steps

They come at night when you’re asleep

Looking for salty treats to gnaw

Paint and stain are gone

The wood is ruined and revealed

Repairs are sad and difficult

Perps have waddled into the night

Find old socks with no toe holes

Gather round smelly mothball orbs

Bury five or eight pieces down deep

Rubber band the ankles tight

Place loaded socks near destruction

An honest warning to all who enter

Each year will need repeating for

Ghostly creatures remain vigilant

Wishing for a visit

Hoping they will come

I need to see a UFO

Before my life is done

I tell my friends about this

They listen without words

Then go on to talk about

Aches and pains and GERD

I bought a pricey telescope

And placed it in my room

Near an easy plate glass window

I can sit and peer and zoom

The experts say to meditate

I try to slow my mind

To let them know I’m peaceful

No hostility they will find

So far it’s pretty quiet

Patience is a must

I’m hoping they will hear me

As someone they can trust

I decided if they take me

I shall go without a fight

To voyage far beyond this realm

Disappear into the night

On the edges of a limb the colors

Travel too quickly and you will doubt

That you saw the change commence

In time amber leaves will join others

A chorus of brights now remembered

From before continues to amaze

A miracle as smart as greening spring

Grateful as heated days of abundance

The surprise of crystal cold mornings

Humbled by exquisite happenings planned

Creatures flourish without thinking

Joining the purposed maintenance of life

You can keep your hookah

Turning away she confessed

There is nothing more to see

Wonderland has melted

Once such adventures beckoned

This land now squeals for help

She chooses to remain in bed

To read of how it had been

Even a puff cannot dress up

This relentlessly fading place

That had been so magnificent

Even for a caterpillar

Alice and Peter and Dorothy

Will fade in the distance

Fearing that a new adventure

Would leave them in tears