The Poetry Marathon

My Buddy

My furry buddy

is always funny

for a small bite

forelegs upright

and eyes alight.

He races hard

round our backyard

aside the fence

woofs at some friends

they answer back

more to talk smack

than warm yakety yak.

He’s always a dude

who senses a mood

curls up close by

when we sob or cry.

Always up for play

fetching toys all day

a game of kara-te

hands and paws touché

is a favorite – yay!

Lass and lord’s best friend-ling

his licks are never ending

wet muzzle love tending

tail wagging ever caring.

– Sandra Johnson, 6/14/20

The Rose.

Red, blooming

Pricks my hand when I touch

Beauty to my eyes when I see

Like the sun bright shinning

In it’s rays bright glowing.

Pink, black,orange

It comes in many coats

Painted in many colors

All of them, beautiful to the eye

But also with their thorns

Beautifully blooming.

 

 

Just Me

Hello New and those who aren’t…

This is like my fourth or fifth thon. (I’m a writer, not a mathematician.)

I garden at Garden Cumberland on FB.

I write at Se Johnson, Author on FB

I shoot stuff (with my camera) at Just Sarah, also on FB

I survived last year’s thon–barely–because of all the support from everyone. I was mid-chemo and exhausted. But, I wanted a catharsis, and Thon was it! Each event, I’ve made new friends. Tracy, Annie, Laurie, Mark, Joyce, Vincent…and so many more. As FB friends, some like my hobbies, my politics, my fight to find normal again. Some don’t.

But we all love our words.   Love our words.   Love words.   Love.

Be well. Write well. Love well.

Sarah

Self portrait

I’m messy, uptight.

Organized? Yeah right.

coffee and dining tables?

cluttered-ly

just like the rest of me.

Honestly, health is junky too.

like a carbohydrate zoo

hate to be trite,

but I am what I eat, right?

sugar and spice …

ain’t always nice.

But some things aren’t trashing

sit-ups, squats, face flushing

inches, body shrinking

albeit slowly.

My mind is a stress

from all this Covid mess

use some advice

and trash the rest.

As a teacher, for the littlest

I always give my best

they come out walking

and some a little babbling.

But art, it heals me

poetry fills a need, you see

just like this poem

my wounds that were open

now are a-closin’.

My therapy, it’s green

the smallest pets I’ve seen

anoles, there are many

they calm me visually

as they jump and fight lazily

take away my misery

and bring me joy daily.

-Sandra Johnson, 6/13/20

 

About Me

I’m an ENL/ELA teacher.  This past year, I taught Creative Writing which I enjoyed immensely, but I usually teach mostly Hispanic English Language Learners at low to transitioning levels.  I try to impart them a love of reading and writing to analyze and express themselves.

I have been writing poetry and prose since I was in my 20s.  I have had many short stories published as well as a book of poetry, ASPHALT SOUNDS by Fore Angels Press:  NY.  I am active in many writing associations in New York and have been published nationally and in Canada and Croatia.

Writing has come easy to me and has widened a journey of love and self awareness which I cherish.

I look forward to begin this poetry journey.

Preparation for the Poetry Marathon

This is my first participation in a challenging event. I have heard and I know it’s going to be a difficult one , in terms of your mental health, might take up your entire time, but I am up for it. I feel you should always test difficult waters and find out how far you can swim. There’s no preparation as such but yes small things like keeping myself awake hopefully and the love and support of my family and extended relatives and friends should keep me motivated and going. I would like to thank a beloved friend of mine who actually posted about this thing on my social feed, so that I could take part in it. And I hope I can keep all of you enthralled as well with my wonderful poems. This is the quote that I feel would resonate with many at this point of time so…I would just post it here and I go by this.

It’s very hard at the beginning to understand that the whole idea is not to beat the other runners. Eventually, you learn that the competition is against the little voice inside you that wants you to quit.” – George Sheehan, runner and author

So no matter how strenuous you might feel, I think we all have it in us to give us a little push that will help us complete either the half or the full marathon.

Good luck everyone!

Professionally have I OD’d on OD ( organizational development ) for over a decade and more . Personally, I am all about making the mundane a wee bit more meaningful and of course a lot more fun in the process. In the course, of course, I very often fall flat on my face, but the joy of getting up makes it worth the “trip” !

Am quite an emotional wreck
which is synonymous with me being a Cancerian, so don’t take me too seriously; I try not to 🙂 on most of my sensible days. On “other” days, I have more than enough very very well meaning well wishers, who do that for me and land me safely back to earth !

What would I do without them I wonder ?
And then I pause, and I often ponder.
For all the times I haven’t let them be,
How on earth would they feel, they were saner than me?

Arguably and not so humbly yours…
Sunanda

Some Movies Need to be Unseen

I wrote some quarantine poems in April, and baked and hunkered down in May. This is my first attempt at anything resembling a poem this evening before bed. I’m looking forward to June 27.

We couldn’t remember his name
at first.
That one actor always plays
the same madman.
No wonder this film was so hard to find.
Every one, the cops
are all evil.

That’s another thing
that has to change,
we agreed.

I smell nicotine,
though neither
of us smokes
in the apartment.
We open the front door
and the warm night air
welcomes us
more than
we’re safe to venture.

Nothing like
going to the movies
in your bedroom
to remind you
why you’re hiding
in your bedroom.

Hello Everyone 2020

Hello everyone! I’m Ana Marie, and it’s my first time joining The Poetry Marathon from the Philippines. Thanks to Jacob and Caitlin.

Thrilled as I am to be part of this exciting event I hope that things will run smoothly on the day itself, and look forward to completing the Second Half Marathon.

I enjoyed giving life to my poetry in Friday Flash Fiction and recently In Three Line Poetry in addition to The Collective Journalblog, which I maintain, moreover I would like to be inspired in breathing new life into fresh poetry.

I know that this exercise is going to be a challenging one, but I am looking forward to enjoying the task and learning from this experience. I’m glad to be writing with you all. Let’s get creative and craft away.

 

Hello!

Hi, I don’t remember a time in my life that I haven’t loved poetry so I am thrilled to participate in my first poetry marathon. I teach secondary English courses – AP Literature, Creative Writing, and Junior English – and am an adjunct at the local community college. I have journals full of poetry and I self-published a book of poetry after teaching a writing course through the Greater Kansas City Writing Project. What else? I have two grown sons and will celebrate 27 years of marriage this July. In 2015, I earned my doctorate in educational leadership. I co-founded a non-profit (www.babygrace.org) and am currently a local site director.

I am an avid reader  (I am at 27 books for the year – goal is 75) and tea drinker. My current favorite poets are Billy Collins (his Facebook Live videos during quarantine have been amazing) and Mary Oliver who asked us “what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” and finally, “light/is an invitation/to happiness,/and that happiness/when it’s done right,/is a kind of holiness,/palpable and redemptive.”

I look forward to writing with you and hope we find just the right words to express what we are feeling.

Anne