The Poetry Marathon

Hour 15-Dear Reader

Dear Reader

We meet again

under the direst of circumstances.

See this year,

I am broken.

Tired.

Uninspired.

You have such faith in me.

I just don’t have it to give you.

Not this time.

Not this place.

I can only write.

Vomit my thoughts

onto this page.

I am callous perhaps.

Too caught up in myself

to even consider your needs.

See this time, these lines are about me.

Not you.

I know that is wrong.

Self-serving. Cold.

Please bear with me

While I pull myself together.

It has been a really harsh month.

 

 

 

you

you

 

brown leather jacket worn at the elbows

top button missing and collar frayed

 

wisp of blond lost near blue eyes, hanging

loose before I slowly brush it away

 

cinnamon cologne clinging to car seats

long after the windows cleared and air cooled

 

fingertips tremoring as they glide

across my cheek, one last kiss goodbye

FINAL EXAM

I would like to start by Congratulating you all on making it this far –
Welcome to your final exam!

This test is made up of the following three parts:
– 20 multiple choice questions
– 20 short answer questions
– 1 500-word essay

Not only will you be tested on your knowledge of the material,
But also, how you are effectively able to apply it in your day-to-day living –
As well as your ability to adapt and change, when the unexpected occurs.

You have 1 hour to show your worth,
Plead your case and fully prove yourself.
You will be graded based on someone else’s opinion of you.

Good luck to you all…
You may start –
Now!

HR-2

When did the world become so cold
It seems life has changed forever
Maybe it was always this way
Somehow we didn’t see it as clear till now

The world is in shambles
So chaotic on every level
Could it have always been this way
We all see it clearly now

#Prompt 15 – 2023

The Wedding

Alice in Wonderland dress and lace aprons for the girls
Kilts for the boys, white shirts not withstanding
Not allowed to run or play
All to be kept pristine
Bored
The bride is early
The groom is late
Best behaviour demanded
After the speeches a call to the dancefloor
Huddled in a secret chat
Retreat
Bride holds aloft the top tier of the cake
Scramble!!
A free-for-all grabbing handfuls and stuffing it in our mouths
Parents and guest look on in shock
The bride laughs
Her dress splattered with chocolate and crumbs
The photos are still amazing

#7: J’aime le français!

#7: J’aime le français!

Je veux parler français couramment.
J’aime le français.
mais, c’est trop difficile.
parfois.

parfois, c’est facile.

mais, j’étudie le français pour pouvoir parler français couramment.

Hour 15–Gone to Ground

My muse has gone to ground

along with my electrolytes

If I find her hiding next to the fox in his burrow,

I’ll join them and start an early, welcome hibernation

Ta-ta, tally-ho!

Dead soldiers

They say you can’t ever be free. It’s the lyrics to a dead soldiers song. First time I ever heard them sing it was a song called “it all goes black” they saved the best for last. The grand finale was meant to be, here we are dancing free. Isn’t it ironic how we end up exactly in the perfect place at the perfect time with the perfect people? There’s the moon looking down on my sparkling dance. Music is truly the great escape. Listen to it all goes black by dead soldiers. And support live music please.

Hour 15 Tanka

I am proud of me,

Life happens, I persevere,

I will not give up,

I could have remained stagnant,

I have found another way.

Gym Buddy- Hour Fifteen

I see her every night. No bright colors, no fancy water bottle,

just a small woman, bent, hair pulled back, in plain grey

sweatshirt and leggings. Every night, the same deal. I have seen her,

knelt to the ground crying, watched her struggle. Watched her

bend, break, and lose. When the weight’s too heavy for her,

I’m there, watching her form, helping her take the plates back,

and watching her slowly, surely transform.