The Poetry Marathon

A touch

A tease

Anticipation brings me to my knees

Just the thought of

Your breath on

my neck

Enough to make me weak

The melody begins

We bring in the beat

Drumming together

We pick up the pace

Losing breath and time

The rhythm entwined

With the symphony of

Strings and horns

Running us ragged until

The crash

A crescendo

The peak

And then it recedes

The only drumming left

The feathering beat

Of my heart

Peek over that ledge

but not too far

lest you forget

who you are:

not one to take risks

oh no

not that

too scared of the fall

and what’s below

or that you might

fumble and tumble and

make a splat

and the world will

point and laugh as you

drown in a pool of

your own foolish

blood.

Take a dip but

don’t make a splash

Tread lightly and

let the waves crash

Over you.

Let the chaos

make you calm

And the roaring

be a balm

For your soul.

I hear a call in the distance clear

as day, I swear it’s calling my

name from beneath the wat’ry 

depths it beckons, “Come here.”

Unclear what to do,

I look to you,

your “safety”

keeps me

dry.

Mellow yellow

Rhythm and rhyme

A cloud in the sky and

the tickings of time

The smell of sourdough 

wafts through the air

A beat in my head as

a smile does spread

across my sun kissed face

“Christmas is my favorite holiday,” I say

As everyone rolls their eyes

And I understand it’s so cliche

But try as I might I just can’t deny

I love the magic, color playing with light

Childlike wonder all around

And the crisp in the air brings me such joy

The pure delight of giving (and receiving’s good too)

But mostly being together with those I hold dear

As the end of another chapter draws near

And I understand the holidays are hard

Get moreso every year

For there are empty seats at the table

Those we have lost, ones who’ve moved on

But not from our hearts

And so we do ache and long for

Their company at this time

That doesn’t stop me from enjoying

The jingles that make the air bright

And the ho ho ho and the mistletoe

Swept up in the merriment, a toast to the yule

The last celebration before we start a year new

Temporary

Tempo

Temperature

Aperture

Miniature

Miniscule

Ridicule

Rid myself of feeling

This

Feel absolutely anything but

This

Forget anything exists but

This

Enraptured

Encapsulated

Swept up in this sensation

That presses my senses

Pulls down the defenses

And this

Is only

Temporary

An ophan, some aunts

Seagulls hoist fruit in the air

Centipede protests

“What is normal?” I’ve been asking for years

And perhaps it’s because I’ve never felt it

What others consider run-of-the-mill or benign

Seems completely alien to me

And the opposite is true, what comes naturally

Appears to feel foreign in your skin

And then the pandemic upended

All that we’ve ever known

And so we just find a new homeostasis

Maybe all will be called to their true homes

Hold my hand as we cross the street

And never take for granted that your feet

Carry you from place to place

And always do without a trace

Of complaint

Remember this moment as we stroll

Along the sidewalk feeling whole

Hand in hand and two by two

And know this mem’ry will be true

To hold

But fleeting as it always is

And easy to forget amidst the bliss

Of evry day events like this

Like all those time your ma did kiss

Your brow

So baby girl, come along

And yes keep skipping to that song

That plays it’s tune inside your head

As there will come a day that you’ll be led

Away

That’s not too say away is bad

It’s natural you’ll meet a lad

Or lady or thing that will bring you near

To them and then my only fear?

Remorse

So take it in and spend your time

Etching the rote, the dozen a dime

Remember the things that you found sweet

A cuddle, a comfort, a little treat 

The spring

And take them with you when you go

In your body, your mind, your soul you’ll stow

The goodness of your childhood dreams

You’ll find you always have a way to beam

You home