I am done. I think this marathon has one. I accomplished what I set out to do 12 hours of poetry In that I have succeeded Soon, I will be fast asleep Maybe i will wake early and play catch up during that little bit…

Parched and twisted, my mind reflected the desert surrounding me this last year, emptied and lost. The sun there scorches and thins all it touches, a child’s plastic rattle half buried in the ocher dust shattered in my hand when pulled, brittle shards, and I…

Dear, teacher: Ramona at 36, desperate…near quitting   I see you sitting in the rocking chair with that baby-near-toddler in your lap watching Def Jam poetry listening to Taylor Mali’s poem about what teachers make – falling apart because you know you are buckling under…

We are all from dust and from dust we will return. Therefore the land recognizes us as its children. We will never be completely lost, Maybe only briefly misguided by our own accord, only to find our way again. We take our own path as…

I like how it feels to inhale chemicals I wait for the wave to wash over me Relax my being, my mind shedding the suit of armor it has been wearing all day and fade into the relaxing calm abyss half-mast eyes, but a full…

Missing you as I would do, Letting old acoustic guitar stir awake Long, slow sweet memories of country driving, Your voice in my ear, low and husky with sleep As a quiet counterpoint memory playing accompaniment While country miles whistle by. Slipstream wind coasting through…

It is normally midnight When everything shuts down If you’re in the club, this doesn’t happen til damn near two. But not tonight. That isn’t what happened at all. I got all gussied up, Over my face, I made an extreme fuss. I put on…

GaoKao Virginia Carraway Stark If there was a battle cry And all the years were packed Into an afternoon Of luck and hard work The future determined By what that day might bring I don’t know that I’d be more or less capable Than any…

The land knows you, even when you are lost. It will find you and bring you home. Sometimes faith feels so distant and it leaves the landscape dark. But the light inside of your spirit will illuminate bright with a steady spark. Keep your eyes…

What do you want for dinner? World Peace Rubix Cubes Reaching that place where lost socks go The space between time and eternity. You and me. jj2019 2019 Poetry Marathon