The Poetry Marathon

I loved with my heart and you took it
I supported with my arms and you rejected them
I followed with my feet and you changed your course
I searched through the darkness
Because you kept the light from me
The shirt from my back kept you warm
And I froze without it
If only you hadn’t asked for it all

The days of summer are ticking by, every one of them the same.
In a pandemic of enormous proportions
Monday looks like Tuesday looks like Wednesday, and so on.
I would love to take PTO, to have a place to go to escape my pandemic reality.
To travel to places unknown with the love of my life (also yet unknown).
Hikes as the sun sets behind the mountains
while the fog cloaks the treetops when it is time to sleep.
Or maybe a trip to the city to shop on a rainy day,
the ladies and gentlemen bustling in and out of stores with out a care,
Their umbrellas bumping into each other like clumsy bulls in a china shop
While they do their best to jump over puddles,
Inevitably splashing themselves and the people around them.
But in a time where social distancing is king
And public health is of the utmost importance
I will have to be grateful for a glass of Merlot
as the sun sets through the treetops in my back yard.

By Ajanta Judd All Rights Reserved – 8am Australian EST

Sitting together on a porch,

firs rustling in the dark,

a bite of Autumn not far ahead

and the two of us, quiet,

as the deep smells of forest, of earth,

fill the air, and I dream

of an hour spent with you, my love,

doing nothing but savoring

the silence and solitude

a night of the cabin, watching stars

and looming thunderstorms

while the nail thin rail of a moon

hangs low, slender white curve

in purpling dusk.

Certain foods and images I associate
with a specific season or experience.
When it’s cold, it’s porridge in the Irish countryside;
When the crispness of fall beckons,
homemade ice cream after our favorite Montana hike
provides a comforting way to relax
and finally
unwind.

How to celebrate that it was finally summer?
Desiring a peaceful respite from
Urban life.
My husband and I drove out
to our cottage by the lake.
The lethargy from the heat had set in
and we didn’t feel
like moving.
At all.

He took off his mask
and I followed suit.
We popped open a chilled bottle of rose
to share.
ZZZZZZZZtttttt!
That horrid beep of the computer reminding us of our meeting.
Dare we attend another zoom call?
My eye caught the stunning sunset,
framed by the treeline.
We exchanged a knowing look and
he shut the computer off.

“Here’s to a rejuvenating time away,” he grinned.

“To more wine and special times together.” I added.

He kissed me and
I was transported to
when we were newlyweds.
Strange.
Just a few months ago we would have been too absorbed
in the hustle and bustle
to ever slow down and
appreciate each other.

A firefly and then
a family of fireflies
dart around a nearby camp fire.
Their happy movements seem to tell us
we made the right decision.

Moon Cat
Strides through the city
Came across Ally Cat
Moon Cat purred and flipped his tail
In a question mark
Ally Cat
Licked her lips
Having had a nibble of tuna fish
Moon Cat smelled her breath
And hissed with jealousy
Ally Cat flipped her tail
And walked away

Under the mask of dusk, with fireflies lighting our space,
We pass the bottle and tell tall tales.
The heat of the booze leaves us feeling strange,
Happy, lethargic, and energetic all at one time.
Sparrows zip and zoom along the treeline,
Calling for the others to play along:

Summer! Summer! Summer!

We have too much time on our hands,
Too much energy in our youth.
We are looking for love, we are looking for a fight.
We are fortified by the drink and tales of bravado,
Which we all know are untrue but we want to be those people.
So we lazily seek excitement; we are sloppy in our longing.
We stumble and slur and sputter,
We howl at the moon and call to the stars:

Summer! Summer! Summer!

We steal candy bars from the corner store to prove how dangerous we are.
We catch fireflies in our cupped hands and then let them zoom away back into the night.
We walk through the neighborhood, passing the cottages and Cape Cods,
Talking of the big adventures that await us in the fall,
When we all have to go our separate ways again.
But for now we call:

Summer! Summer! Summer!

Drums beating food is leaping
Corn 🌽, escoveitch Fish
Shrimp and pasta , sauté vegetables
Lips smacking the taste is choking
Drums beating food is leaping

Temptation isle is the food arena
Where you just cannot resist
The aroma of fish and sweet pepper
Hot scotch bonnet pepper
Mouth watering!
Finger licking !
Belly rubbing!
Appetite is as hungry as a lion

Food jungle we must rumble
Heading straight in this mingle
Sweet smell of sensation seasoning
Cause the mouth to drip like a pipe
Oh oh what a moment of sweet sweet
Jamaican food.

All rights reserved copyrighted(c)2020 Roxann A Harvey-Lawrence

quick to quake
caught in the castle
no bow no ribbon
no arrow no quiver
shaking sound
soothing swag
gauze hangs down
it’s broken not broke

One day I caught a firefly

Brought a bottle to lie

And I looked with an hourglass

To unveil the color mask

I zoom the view

And feel lethargy of little crew

Perhaps it is feeling the heat of prison

My selfishness leads me to do strange act