The Poetry Marathon

Poetic Jibberish

I close out the world with my headphones
Shining as bright red as a tomato
So I can sustain my love
And also read my book
The lake before me shines like a mirror
The ripples dance with the wind

My hair is blowing with the wind
Despite my overly large headphones
From my bag I pull a mirror
And find my cheeks are now red as a tomato
Putting down my book
I tie back my hair with a band that I love

On the wind I hear the voice that I love
Cruelly brought to me by the wind
I try to return to my book
And coccoon myself again with my headphones
My whole face now red as a tomato
I see he and his now woman in my mirror

Despondent, I smash my mirror
This does not attract the object of my love
He jokes about his woman’s cheeks now red as a tomato
Touched by the same rough wind
I wish I couldn’t hear through the headphones
And raise my eyes to my book

I’ve forgotten where I am in my book
Beneath someone’s feet crunch pieces of mirror
There is a gentle tug on my headphones
I look up to see the face that I love
I had forgotten how beautiful his hair is in the wind
His lips red as a tomato

He offers me a tomato
Asks me about my book
Comments on the wind
Asks about the mirror
All I can say is, “Go away my love.”
Then I pull back on my headphones

I eat the tomato as into the ground he grinds the last bits of mirror
Back to my book as he walks away to love
There is finally a settling of the wind and I am shielded by my headphones

Days of Youth

1. As a young child in the mountains
   The snow was falling at night
   One night my father woke me up
   To see a glorious sight.
   A majestic, white snow owl
   Was resting on the well
   We watched it for awhile
   Until it flew off and broke the spell.

2. Later in my childhood
Alabama we chose to call home.
Instead of snow we had sand
And wildlife liked to roam.
One day while I was out playing
My mother suddenly called to me
She had seen a red fox nearby
She thought it would eat me up with glee.

3. I grew a little older
To the beach I would go
I’d always end up sunburned
Lathered up with aloe.
My friends and I would walk around
Trying to be so cool
When in reality we were burning up
Would have to jump into the pool.

4. In my teenage years
I became awkward, very shy
I couldn’t even walk past folks
And look them in the eye.
I fumbled through the classrooms
I marched with the band
I finally graduated
Was sent out into the land.

Möbius Strip

Pick up a pen

If you were to draw

From the centre of my forehead

To my fingers and toes

In a single line

You would find no breaks

 

Lift your hand

If you were to draw

From the top of my head

Down the slope of my back

To my fingertips and heels

In a single stroke

You would find scars

23 – Surrender (a freeform haiku)

I don’t have answers. I don’t have to understand. I just have to be.

21

As I walked along the city streets I saw
a speck of green.
A few baby blades of grass
pushed up gently,
resiliently
through the cracks in the pavement.
Unbeknownst to most,
the little blades of grass
grew stronger,
pushing,
fighting.
Life finds a way.

-h.e.m.

Burnham Park

I ride the one with
three wheels.
I am not brave enough
for the two.
Please stay near
and don’t let me fall.
Can we get taho
from that guy over there?
I have change
from my birthday.
Look!
Uncle Rie can we
row on the bird boats
on the pond?
They’re ducks?
Oh.
Those are a type
of bird too.

Poem 20. “Love song”

“Love song” by Mandy Austin Cook

My life should be a love song

dedicated to you

you’re more

than what has pieced my brokenness together

you simply are the glue.

it’s meant so much it’s the one thing

that leaves me grasping for words like air

but I’m grateful for moments that give me pause

because of  intensity of  meaning there

I hope I say it enough– those cliche little words

they never seem quite to explain

what is most beautiful about my life

is the hope of you that remains.

Hour 23

Shutting down

slowly

as the sun also rises

like Hemingway wrote

old man, I wonder

if he stayed awake for 24 hours

driving himself mad on

sleep deprivation and prose

Which is what I’m running on

almost empty

on hour 23

TWENTY-THREE (sestina)

The dreams I’ve had all my life came true today.

I married the man on whom I have waited.

We went before a judge and stood together.

We held hands, spoke our vows, and pledged forever.

So nervous that day, I hardly remember.

My sister and his friend witnessed us say yes.

 

Every part of me leapt forward to say yes.

The love we had then has lasted to this day.

If times get hard, we only need remember

How much we loved each other then and waited

To become one flesh and be that forever.

Nothing more we want than being together.

 

When two people want to join together,

My advice to you both, before you say yes…

Be friends first until it feels like forever,

At the same time, it feels like you met today.

When you say yes, you’ll be glad that you waited

And make that first night, a night to remember.

 

When you are old and sit back to remember,

In your rocking chairs, clasping hands together,

Of the times you went, of the times you waited,

Of the times you said no, and when you said yes,

Of all that you’ve done that brought you to today,

You know that you are on the way to forever.

 

Along the road to the goal of forever,

There are some things you must always remember.

Don’t sleep with your anger, make things right today.

Don’t go alone when you can go together.

Don’t give them a “no” when your partner needs “yes”.

Don’t hurry them up when you could have waited.

 

Rejoice in the decision when you waited.

You know you had the rest of forever.

All the times of your life, you can say yes.

Always hold on to it, always remember

You made the choice to walk through life together.

Be it yesterday, tomorrow, or today.

 

If you wish you had not waited, remember,

You can live all your forever together.

You can always say yes to your love today.

19. Journey

Journey

My friend’s daughter spells her name different from above, yet she is so full of love.

This journey we take is a choice we must make.

It is full of surprises along the way, mishaps and accidental mistakes that are beautiful and funny all the same.

This life is a journey of sorts.

Think of how fun it would be if each day was an adventure with ourselves and those we love, to go out  into the world confidently.

Just like how we choose to approach our poetry.

 

All rights reserved copyright (c) 2019 Natasha Vanover