24 Poems ~ 24 Hours
The lamp flicker’s in the distance, even though there is not a breath of wind,
is it you, have you finally returned from war, my feet quicken like my heart,
a hunger, long hidden rising in my throat, as l draw closer to the light l see
you are no more than a quick growing sapling eager to deceive. My memory
letting hope trick my eyes, my heart into seeing ghosts hidden in the flames.
Stroke their pen
In their den
For a yen
Not wise men
Write again
Bottled ink
Do not drink
Stroke the clink
You may stink
Don’t rethink
She’s delusional. She thinks she’s untouchable. Blondes can be like that.
She’ll take your husband. She’s always broken the rules. Won’t even want him.
Late drunk night at work… She’ll take him just to have him, then do lunch with you.
After work party, she is all about the chase. She’ll win every time.
She’ll hold your baby, throw you a baby shower, and meet him later.
She is dangerous. Do not let her in your house, or near your family.
Blondes can be like that even when they start to age. She’s unscrupulous.
Elizabeth Fellows
6.27/2020, 10pm
Rise and fall-
the rhythm of life
I hear her mellow breath
By my side.
The room is dark
Not quite black
For in my palm
An enchanted rock
Glows blue white
Fighting against the darkness
Encroaching, shrouding
My weary face
Saggy eyes
Ruffled, tousled hair.
I stare in trance,
Hypnotized,
Watching the pictures in motion-
Dogs dancing,
Kittens mewing,
People falling off horses,
All in technicolour.
Early morning and I’m awake
Walking down to the local farmers’ market
Always dogs, sun-warmed coarse fur to pet
Waiting patiently for owners to purchase
Bakery stand with chocolate bear claws
Toasted brown pastry crumbles, dark gooey filling
Glistening fruits fresh smell divine
Muted blueberries, deep blackberries, ruby strawberries
Honey sticks of varied flavors, so many colors
Carefully select some of each for a rainbow bunch
Clutching my bear claw and canvas bag of goods
Return home with the bounty, oh so sweet
Light, I sit and wait for thee
fragmented in my iced tea
ripples reflected in coffee
while I arise to meet the day
gold shining ball blinds my work-way
speckled alight the balls of dew
catch the sun on flowers too
it’s dimmer, when babies slumber take
and glowing, while I’m wide awake
while writing poems and tomes alike
or shimmering snake-like in the waves
moonlight beams are all the rave
and sunset, purples, oranges, blues
ends the day, but light’s there, too
fires my imagination anew
and right before I sleep and dream
my phone’s glow is the last I see
till sunrise brights the day with glee
or should I die, in wonder, me
where luminous gates and heaven be.
– Sandra Johnson
Please come back. You are trendy now, I promise and not even in a retro way –
Your rainbow spectrum icon represents everyone
From people who work for the NHS to people who are gay
All the kids are coding now – you’d never be alone
Especially not with everyone trapped inside their home
Punctuation Pete on every screen would be a home-school revolution
Providing the government with a marvelous catch-up solution
And while I’m still not convinced it was any kind of game
In hindsight I’d be tempted to tell my students the same!
In this,
the hour of darkness
May you keep faith
May it shine like a beacon
coating the shadows
in everlasting light.
Moisture builds on my hands like dew on mountain foliage
I smile nervously at the girl with curly hair in the seat next to me
The stewardess sounds like the adults on Charlie Brown as they relay safety protocols
The runway starts to slide behind me like pages in a flip book
My stomach drops as we lift into the sky
My eyes darting between the wing and the aisle waiting for alcohol service
Ice cubes collide in my plastic cup cracking under a stream of ginger ale
My mini bottle of tequila held tightly in my fist as I tilt my head back for distilled agave
My knee bouncing up and down like a jazz drummer in a solo
The ocean opens up as a blue canvas below me
Focus for the in flight movie impossible as my mind returns to the ring box in my carry on
I look at the girl with the curly hair again wondering if she’ll say yes
secrets uncovered
so it seems
the AI units
are only partially so
what absolutely felt
so completely tech
actually has a squid thing
hiding inside a deep sea spiral
in the middle of poly-silicate suit
a boogaloo of blue
Chinese-dragon themed
electric filaments
which might be teeth
or a beard for filtering
or polyamorous polyps
either way
i don’t care
dead stinger
is a good stinger