The Poetry Marathon

She Loves You

Even if it’s imperceptible to both of you.

Even if it’s not the way in which you would have preferred to be loved,

it’s still better than the full force of a bus colliding on impact

waiting for you to dig your head out the sand.

when i was younger, i thought i neither wanted nor needed it

but then i realized it’s like a jetpack. it may not be essential for survival

but it’s still a pretty awesome thing to possess.

2

2/

At night fall,
Turn on a gentle white whirring
Hang a large black cloth over each window
Squeeze orange foam to stop the ear drum’s resonance with the dark
In blue ballpoint, write the day’s missed marks
Burn the list

Embrace the virtue of vanishing

Hour 2–Removes his Glasses

Glasses removed we see

the person behind the defenses

Weakness of sight is a vulnerability

no one praises

Perfection is a heavy burden

eventually everyone tires

Exposed, human, struggling

for a brief second we know

the soul within the corpus.

So there is a Pandemic in the Air (Hour 2)

i.

Our songs will not be lost.

That euphoric declaration of twenty twenty,

a new decade set to bear new wings,

painted on walls of grand introspection.

 

Yet, the songs were going to peel off.

At the wake of the decade’s first quarter,

a pandemic flew in like unidentified flying objects,

with an airplane too big for the landing field.

 

ii.

You know how it looks, don’t you?

That invisible crown walking like a king,

snuffing lives, halting man, closing earth,

like a whirlwind high up to the heavens.

 

You see, it craves ignorance like lust,

Seeking victims of the sin of hindsight.

Go ahead and be clothed in the veil of precautions

and the invisible crown will fly around without perching on your head.

 

iii.

Man up, woman up;

there is a weak spot in everything, lying aloof.

Puncture those balloons of paleness

and let them hiss aimlessly out of your space.

 

iv.

Ashes have gone round.

Some blown into the air, like blinding dust;

some bottled in domestic columbaria;

some stuck, like glue, under earth’s feet.

It’s time for a dive out of these ashes.

 

v.

Let the arms gather, visible assemblies on the battle line.

Let the armies be adjured into action.

Let the swords take out all the jaundiced emotions that heap ashes beneath your feet.

The pandemic must have a weak spot somewhere.

The pandemic must have a weak spot somewhere.

 

vi.

Our songs will not be lost.

With fright thrown into the furnace,

with ignorance fleeing from us,

with earth healing beyond the ashes,

our songs will not be lost.

Hour 2 – three words

Not.
Three words, love.
There were many.

Pearl. Thread. Dreams.
There was a
Love. Scald. Longing.
Melody. Muse. Voice.
There was some
Lacking. Wanting closure.
Those flavoured with
Bitterness. Pungency. Sour.
There were words!
Love.
And I fell.
Chaos. Blood. Epiphany.
I lay fallen.
A pearl. A thread. A dream.

The Portal

The dark place with a glowing splint

The secret pit with an invisible lid

Ancient in its stake

Rather unkempt for our sake

Dangerous creatures of myriad shape

With voidless face with no shame

And slimy tooth of rotten shit

Arms with legs like animals

It has not,

But the legs of a spiny arachnid

It screams are like razor

Slicing through the darkness

Prolonging the dead sense

As decay rise up from the live bodies

In the webbed nest

Please open sesame!

Oh! Bloody portal

An escape we crave

From lonesome place

It’s coming, the monster!

Abracradabra portal!

• Open up, before she makes me her leg! (more…)

Recipe for Life

A heaping scoopful of courage.

A dash of blind faith.

A portion of patience.

Generous grace.

Add a sprinkle of love.

Let the whole mixture rise.

Prepare for the feast

of a beautiful life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2020

 

---

Ingredients

1. A generous supply of politicians, divided.

2. Virus

3. Racism

4. Opinions, laced with anger

5. A pinch of fact

Combine all ingredients.

Mix well.

Mix again.

Keep stirring the pot.

10 Things That Bring Happiness

1. Turn around a thought: everything is hard becomes everything is easy.
2. Change a sour mood: smile and the sweetness returns.
3. Walk and observe: hummingbirds sip from glistening red cherries.
4. Watch the pond: red-winged blackbirds turn up leaves and eat bugs.
5. Smell the air: blackberry vines, mock orange, yellow flag, the lake.
6. Give something away: heart, socks, food, a helping hand.
7. Pet dogs and cats and birds and gerbils and rabbits and horses and….
8. Clean out a dresser drawer: fold clothing and stack on end for easy viewing.
9. Write a poem about pets or children curled in tight balls, sleeping.
10. Sing to your lover even if you don’t have a good voice and don’t know the words.

Shadow and I

When I met my shadow
And I was afraid
I shook their hand
Felt the scraping of their claws
Along my palm

I shivered
Meeting their knowing gaze
With red eyes
And a twisted grin
Shoulders back
Chest puffed out

I slumped forward
Unable to contain the shadow
Unable to withstand its weight on my shoulders
Unable to fend off the
Putrid, foul odor
Of rotten eggs
And gasoline

Their laughter
Was like gurgling cries
Baby’s screams
Shrieks

And they laughed
And laughed
Doubling over
Bending themself in half
Slapping at the their kneecaps
Protruding slightly farther than mine

My shadow was grotesque
Oozing with fear
Dripping with pride
Clothed in insecurity
Adorned with greed
And gluttony
Like jewelry

When I met my shadow
I shook their hand
Their power overtook me
Snapping my wrist
Aggravating the injury
That was there before

I yanked
I pulled
I screamed
I fought
But my shadow wouldn’t let me go

I bargained
I promised
I begged
I pleaded

But they told me
From the depths of their guts
Rolling deep through the air
And into my ears

They wanted nothing

Except

To be a part of me

I halted all movement
Looking the shadow in the
Darkness of their eyes
Encircled by the shimmer
Of bright light

My jaw slackened
My breaths slowed
And my find seemed to understand
All at once

Gulping down the discomfort
Swirling in my throat
I nodded

I closed my eyes