24 Poems ~ 24 Hours
Note of vetiver
Splash of amber
Hint of tobacco
Breathing in
The scent of you
My very own Proustian Moment
It lingers on my clothes
Shoved to the bottom of my laundry basket
Unable to be suppressed
Sparks play with my synapses
Linedancing to my limbic system
Engaging my emotions
Mesmerizing my memory
Electrifying the skeletal structures
Of ideas left derelict
A warm diffusion
Radiating in the hollow caverns of my chest
He wakes in early afternoon, washes his face, pokes around in the fridge – doesn’t eat, lumbers to the ps and sofa, yawns, starts it all up. (Summer schedule.). He is big, tall. He hasn’t caught up to himself, probably won’t for a few years.
He is quiet, shuffles through messages, invites, “streaming conditions” .Social obligations covered, he engages me, the maker of food, and bringer of stuff he needs and wants (teenager equations), “Gramma, how long have we been sheltering at home? I think I need to find some people. I need some people.”
His profound self actualization jars me, “I think I need some people, too, but it isn’t safe to be around other people yet. I’m sorry.”
“Well, let’s be more peopley with each other then. Let’s bring back game night.”
He jars me again. When exactly did game night stop…? “Yeah, let’s bring back game night. How about Friday nights?”
Yeah. Friday nights.”
He plays video games, watches anime, streams for a while… finally eats, reads part of his summer reading book assigned back in March when the world closed.
“Cam, are you ready for game night? Want a pizza? What game do you want to play?”
“I thought you said Fridays?”
“It is Friday.”
“Well, you wanna just watch me play this with my friends instead… and eat pizza?”
“Sure, Buddy. Will that be peopley enough for you?”
“Yeah, that works. We can play games next Friday.”
He plays until 2am. I sleep on the sofa next to him. We people together.
Elizabeth Fellows
6/27/2020, 8am
I promote nonviolence. It is the loudest whisper in the raging storm. If you think my silence equals to violence then you are mistaken. I am silently asking for no more wars, no more fighting or asking for more conflict. I am silently waiting and watching and looking for more solutions to the problems and stop the fighting. I agree and disagree that silence in situations is violence but thinking of ways to educate and collaborate is always the best way to go against violence tyrants. Educate and collaborate and speak up against hate but don’t sled blood is the way to remove the hate. Fix the ideology but don’t forget the man, but hate the ideology that taints the man.
EVERY DAY IS PERFECT
no curtain for the sunrise east facing window
light splashes right in my sleepy eyes
maybe an arm around my waist will buy another hour
warm cheek on a cool pillow
a hot teacup against warm hands
ticka-ticka-tacka-tacka
clicka-clicka-clacka-clacka
giggles welling up even when I’m alone
soft friendly glowing 1s and 0s
Error 404 file “alone” not found
threads connect eyes to content to eyes
strain aching stomachs and cheeks
swirling smoke vines across the afternoon light
slanting in through old blankets, cutting up the living room
light / shadow / light / shadow / light / shadow / light
rainbows splashing through a crystal
like any other weather
within / without
rain is to tears as thunder is to leaving
sun is to smiles as snow is to loneliness
misė en place like a kitchen within a heart
comfort and nostalgia wafting up to a nose,
sliding down an esophagus into a belly
the warmth and the aching of a full life
an idealized experience within each moment
Oh, Oaken Sentinel, you alone know the secret of the heart
carved so deep within your craggy flesh.
As the blade cut into you,
did you feel the heartache for a love that would not be?
Was the pain assuaged by the passion you felt from his unrequited love?
Or were those cuts sculpted slowly with lovers’ hands held one upon the other
guiding the perfection of their loving signature?
We will never know the secret you hold so close to your heart
yet, it will live on for centuries, growing in mystery, growing in love.
Will other lovers choose you to guard their tales of romance or heartbreak?
Oh, Steadfast Oak, you above all others can be trusted to never waiver in this sacred calling.
Ideal, a favorite sushi place
mango, crab and rice to taste
peach mochi melts on my tongue
quesadillas, shrimp and queso food
cheesesteaks blaze my heart and mood.
Sitting home, green things I spy
scaly, soft, with cunning eyes
munching crickets I supply
joy comes easy when they play
and let me pet them all the day.
Smell of flowers in a garden
gives my weary heart a pardon
colors bright green, mauve and blue
set my eyes on fire too
mistfall on a morning walk
hearing noises in the park
just the crickets, a doggy bark
makes my soul jump all a-jerk.
Kissing, hugging during movie
with my love, it makes me boogie
a favorite tune, we jump and dance
around the living room with our pets
like to treat each other too
cooking when we’re in the mood
for salty, sweet or sour food.
Just a happy little giggle
when child’s piggies I will tickle
my heart jumps to see them smile
when they attempt to stand awhile
something new, always a pleasure
paint with yogurt, ice cubes colored
banging toys, making clutter
baby’s love makes life matter.
– Sandra Johnson
Just for today
let me be
a roaming purr hunting
through a nest of buttery softness
incited only by the idea of being
bitten by something
acidic and confectionary
to sweeten the petition
on my lips:
May words bloom flowers
May a honeyed tenor lull the afternoon
May Baldwin preach artistry
May Nina know how it feels to be free
May Billie’s summer fruit be forever familiar and sweet
May dreams come true
Let this silk robe
this porch-side paradise be all there is
as unknown insects quiver in the noontide
Let the dense milky clouds break
spilling golden yolk
beautifully over all of it
Just for today
Let me be
Stumbling through the city
uncovering urban treasures
seeking refuge in its green enclaves
taking in its scents
weaving in and out of crowds
observing stills and denizens in motion.
skin is brushed, aired out, painted, smirched with food:
a quilt of the days experiences
lingering for a moment as i lay to rest
Started this one, then got distracted. Back in the nick of time!
Hour 6 prompt: Write about your ideal day using only imagery and sensory details.
Waking up to watch the sunrise on the mountain,
With my blanket wrapped around me tight, and a thermos to hold
Playing music for the people gathered ’round to watch the planet turning
Endless reasons to sing
Some moments live as long as my heart beats
I will keep this memory with me
Share a smile, share a story, share your time
We can chase each other through the woods and find a sturdy tree to climb
From up here, my weary world and all it’s problems disappear
Some moments live as long as my heart beats
I will keep this memory with me