24 Poems ~ 24 Hours
From the cradle to the grave, it is some people’s job
To take care of you either we like it or not
Doctors, nurses, midwives, mothers, and fathers
The work of these people cannot be lost, if we want it so
That is why in Braiding Sweetgrass, Robin Wall Kimmerer writes that
in some native languages, the term for plants translates to “those who take care of us.’
As the plants take care of us, so do mothers and fathers
Begin where you are–
Here to there and back again.
Not the same, but new.
Random prompt…Journey without saying journey or travel…
Mornings are not mornings
it’s continuous day
no night
life dried
night is a suggestion of quiet time
but quiet stays
have I spoken today?
is the shower wet?
what parcels arrive?
and what next?
what next?
what next?
days are plexiglass cubes
in a row
numbers breed and multiply
we trade off unbelieving
as believing is unwieldy
you will not climb the Alps
you will not surge to the top of a watchtower
you will not dive the reef
you will not wander
no one rises up
no one high enough to see
to be saved
11th Hour https://thepoetrymarathon.com/blog/seventhsolstise/wonders-of-the-seven-seas/
Wonders of the Seven Seas
Dreaming that I was swimming, in the turquoise waters of the Coral Reef, I heard a sinewy voice calling me, I looked back further to see clearly, a big burly character with a cigar in his teeth, exhaling smoke - soft and pillowy, Yelling and laughing and daring me, to come aboard! "Ahoy mate! Ahoy mate! Come with me, to a new dimension - an aquatic fantasy!" "Come into the ship and I'll take you where you will never want to leave, to the deep, deep recesses of the Seven Seas." The ship was as large as the girth of the ocean, it had no helm to guide it and made no motion. On air, it seemed to glide, not disturbed by the encompassing sea, richly covered in silver, diamonds and gold leaf. I swam, so excited to travel the tides, and discover new places on this seafaring ride. The bow was set and the flag of the mast, unfurled. Without warning,we plunged towards unknown worlds. "Ahoy, ship ahoy, as the ocean waters swirled!" I saw a huge black hole open up in the silent deep, and the monstrous ship begin to surge and steep into the whirling waters where darkness creeps. As if I were the figure-head, I held tightly to the stern unafraid, Standing proudly. I could not tell if I were dreaming, but I could feel my throbbing heart beat. I was breathing in tandem with the motion of these watery seas. So enamored and so blessed to believe, such an amazing adventure was granted to me. Suddenly, a brilliance of multicolored light illuminated the darkness where lived, the most glorious sea creatures and ornamental fish. They drew me toward them by some invisible force, and though I never opened my mouth, They answered every question, discourse by discourse. I was given special clothing, so delicate and intricate, that I would need for protection on this aqueous trip. The food was heavenly, fulfilling and light, I never had fear to hide or take flight. The Captain's face signaled me - it's time, to return to the rocky shores, from my aquatic paradise,so divine. For awake I am, and the dreams no more. What amazing voyages I await to explore, in the imaginations of my mind From ocean to ocean, tour to tour..
I thought a thought
I said it not
My life’s a maze of poems
And thoughts unspoken.
From silence to more silence
Not for the lack of thoughts
But for the love of silence
An unconditional affinity
For the lack of noise.
GIVE
_________________________________
Gift is written in my DNA
My mother’s form
My father’s eyes
Ancestry and artistry
Waiting to arise
Fortune multiplied
With the twin soul
My parents brought home
In the loves
That shared their journey
In the friends
That left and those that stayed
In each day
I am given
To be
More fully
Me
A brief nod to chocolate
When all else fails
The phone is silent
For almost two days
While opened bills
Remain waiting unpaid
The dog insists she must pee
As cold rain falls harder
There is nowhere to go
Encouraging a purposeless life
How many more chances
Are there left at seventy-two
Dark chocolate with chili
Is reached for to save the day
I will take your hand
Show you the paths that lead to the darkest parts of me
Where things are tangled and overgrown
In cupped hands, I will clasp the seedlings that have never known the sun
I hope you like them
In return, I will tend to the garden of your thoughts
Encourage the seeds of creativity to sprout
I will reach into the wellspring of me
And show them the ways that they can flourish
I will tear down the walls that divide our gardens
And build a shed to keep our tools
I will learn to plant with you
And how the seasons pass for you
When to water and how much sun
If it is too painful to prune
I will do so where you do not have to see
Watering
~willjxn~
Watering flowers and trees.
If from the dust of Africa,
then maybe in our dreams.
The human soul needs more than just a place to eat and sleep.
We need a place to feed our souls,
to take in nature, deep.
A place to sit and hear the birds,
See spiders harness breeze,
A place to hear the waters fall around earth’s living things,
Iridescent dragonflies and snails from shells unsqueezed,
Patterns on a turtle’s back,
Translucent wings of flies.
A mindful place, a paradise:
when watering flowers and trees.
I dreamed of peace, of an end to pain
Of an endless rain,
Of breaking chains,
In vain.
It took me one lifetime to see
When are we truly free?
To be human, is to suffer.