24 Poems ~ 24 Hours
A Slice of Life
A knock on my door: Pizza Boy.
Handing me a cheese, he looked down,
Nice jacket. I winked and scrawled
my number on his hand, he held
it to his heart, smiled. I’ll see you
around. I closed the door, not wanting
another tug at my heart. But
it was too late. I let him inside
even when I didn’t want to.
One pup was just enough
so decided to get two
more one than makes quite a mess
two make lots of poo!
Up with the sun
to feed the young
furry pups that is
or hear their barking sung
Clean up the bits
those darn kibble bits
they go between my toes
giving me a fit
By noon they beg
come on mom
time to go
for another walk in the lawn
Finally a respite tired they are down for a nap I sit myself down to rest
Soon both have stirred and
now sleep in my lap
Stomachs begin to growl
one wakes then the other as well
tussle and play then time to eat
my day ends as it began can you tell?
Belt Buckle
Shine and see your reflection in the bronze,
flower swirling across your nose as you blink
away the grime in you. Christmas is here.
Valentines alone, but you promised you’d stay.
Words left to linger on empty air, waves
float unheard in your ears: I’ll always love you.
I hope…
I hope that I get moved into my apartment
before the end of this month
I hope that I get things done
at work before I get kicked out
I hope that I manage to earn my degree
within the next three years
I hope… I hope… I hope…
I used to disappear
Characters that would help me
A world that I found better
Kinder
More like the one I wanted to live in
Soft chairs
Piles of books
Hot tea
And understanding partners
I still wish I could disappear
God keeps me when I feel I cannot be kept
He loves me when I feel unlovable
God curbs my appetite when I am ravenous
She lifts me when I falter
God iz a cool breeze when the temperature iz scorching
He iz the answer to my unanswerable thoughts
God jumpstarts me when my battery is silenced
She fills my tank when I am on empty
God restores my soul cuz He iz my all in all
Within my garden
grow Palms
of every kind
Wizened and old
twisted by time
The stoney path
is lined complete
with moss from
Irish moor and land
Above my head
hang hibiscus’s lush
every color on
every strand
A bench made of
century old cedar
so one can sit
instead of stand
While Anthony Bourdain can be quoted,
“I don’t know if bar-b-que is the road to world peace,
but it’s a good start.”
I would also like to submit pizza as another avenue
The combinations of sauce, cheese, and toppings
are almost limitless
Fine dining could charge $50 per pie
while the corner shop asks for $2 per slice
The food of kings and teenagers
Appropriate for any celebration
and welcome at any meeting
The ultimate temptation to college students
Everyone is equal at the pizza table
Round like the table Arthur set for his knights
We come together for food, friends, conversation, and debate
Until the box is empty
This Is How It Finds Us
after Diana Khoi Nguyen
blue ruffle out on the bay
breaking briefly around one reef and
another
snagged
white shoreline rushing
and receding
with It. How the juniper
rattles and loses
its buttons
and we think we don’t move
a fiber if we’re still
in our big wooly coat
My life is full of color
a rainbow hue of joy
At night as light recedes
so the colors melt away
I prefer the bright yellow sun
to the darkness of the night
A myriad of visions
to dance before my eyes
The night extinguishes
kaleidoscope’s radiant art
I await the morn impatiently
to return its colors to my eyes