The Poetry Marathon

Dear Ca$h Money

We never had much as potato farmers in the poor man’s village
But luck, your sibling, gave us a token to turn Lady Fortune’s wheel
With assistance, we escaped poverty but landed in a dreadful world
The middle class, where we all tread forward while you push back

Pizzas, pies, and cakes are divided
So that everyone may get a fair taste
But maybe, I want you all for myself
So that no comfort can get away

Riches are an endless chase but I’ve always been behind
You favor some but your loyalty is to no being
If opportunity is truly abound and for all, then why not me?
Why aren’t I the one sitting poolside in Malibu?

I always have to justify my reasons for being so possessive
You are a motivation, a beacon that guides my determination
I would give it all up, if I could only, experience you for a day
Then I would know the plight of a rich man and feel sorry too

Hour 18, Dear Jane

Dear Jane,

How I wish you were here
to have an afternoon tea,
make sly commentary
on the women surrounding us,
their transparent wiles
and winning ways:
such a penetrating gaze
you leveled at our small world.
None were safe from your
pithy review.

Minutiae always held meaning
for you, the smallest detail
painted pictures of a world
since faded, lessened
by your absence.

The mortification of foolishness,
passion and practicality,
the misjudgments of hastiness,
the complexity of appearances,
and the persuasiveness of forgiveness,
in these you were very well versed.

You were taken too soon,
dearest of friends,
but your legacy for me
only becomes richer.

Fare thee well.

 

The Beginning (2019 Poem 16)

In darkness when we met
You shine light upon my path
Now I watch dawn glow

See, I am my own light
I am sun, moon, stars
Plankton, planets, sun

I am the centre

Too Brief

Too Brief
Virginia Carraway Stark

In the winter the days go by too quick
And you miss the sun
In the summer the night’s are too brief
And you miss the dark
The moon becomes a pale faced stranger
Who whispers in the light
The stars are distant wanderers
Foreigners
You used to love
In the dark if winter
It is the sun who becomes pale and wan
He never comes too close
he only peers over mountain ranges
As though afraid of the dark himself
Or perhaps the cold blackens his light
The stars become magnificent,
Magnified by the closeness to the polar wind
And their waltz with those
Conspirators
Who crackle like old hags
And make no better background
To the imminent meteor showers
Pulling back their pink, green, white and blue
Curtains of midnight colours
To reveal the cosmic show
That freezes in your lungs
And reddens your cheeks
As yet another too brief season
Plays out its drama in the sky

My Dearest Tim [Prompt 22]

My Dearest Tim,

Too long apart,

though never really separate.

Our souls touch, connect …

always, forever, since the first lifetime.

It’s time …

to re-energize the twins;

that is our souls.

Meet me now,

at the place we know;

playing our hands…

winning the game,

the fame…

And mostly the love!

Love, Light & Laughter,

Always Your Angel

Dear Time

I need you now more than ever
the sphere that spins below my feet
is unforgiving
The sun that awakens and sleeps
travels faster each cycle
And there’s never a moment
when we‘re together
where the leaves don’t evolve
into another shade

Take me in your arms
and whisk me away
to a slow world
I want to be able to feel you, finally
with no ounce of urgency
or hurried manner
Just you and I
while eternal sunshine
protects us from the seasons.

Dear Overeater

One taste is not enough

a bite of sugar is too much

 

time better spent not eating

rather, try exercising, breathing

 

instead of picking up some eats

find painting, writing tomes as treats

 

find some friends, and confide an hour

till you find comfort and special power

 

there’s steps to take, defects to free

and then you’ll find a happy me

 

when storms abound, never cry

meditation clears the sky

 

in self loathing never stray

and future, past be always gray

in present may you always stay

 

if worry e’er erupts your day

sing a song, go out to play

if nothing works

just kneel and pray.

 

-Sandra Johnson, 6/23/2019

 

Dear Dad,

I hope this letter finds you at peace. I realize that you haven’t heard from me in a long time. In fact, I only realized a few days ago that you have been gone for thirty years now. Do you realize that’s in my life, you’ve been gone longer than you were here?

Do you see Duane? Or Denis? Or Karen? Or Sandy? Mom is fine, she takes good care of herself and is as fiercely independent as ever. It’ amazes me that she is 93 and is still taking care of herself, and Gery and Mike. Well, all of us really, one way or the other.

One day, I will tell people how terrible liver cancer is. I will tell people that you succumbed to cancer, but you were diseased long before the cancer took your life.

You will be happy to know that I no longer yell, It hurts more than it helps. I wish you taught me that, but I learned from the negative example. I learned to do the opposite.

My memories are faulty and unpleasant. I don’t really know if they are actual memories. I don’t remember. I never think of you anymore.

I’m sure I will see you so, or at least soon enough. Take care of yourself.

Love,

Laurie

 

schitzo-espistolary

Dear Death,

Fuck you.

Dear Cancer,

Fuck you too!

Dear Addiction,

I’m hunting you down.  It is the end my friend.

 

Dear Guilt,

Keep trying.

Dear Anger,

Please go. Fade away.

Dear Shame,

Not Today!

 

Dear Body,

Please stop fucking hurting.

 

Dear Heart,

I am sorry. Please don’t miss a beat

Dear Mind,

Don’t worry.

Dear Soul,

Keep growing.  Seek the light.

 

Dear Voice,

Sing softly through the night.

Dear Hands.

Get down the words, take time for drawing.

 

Dear Children,

I love you.  To infinity and beyond.

Dear Memories,

Be Kind.

 

Amanda Potter©: 2019 Poetry Marathon

Bang (2019 Poem 15)

Bang, universe explodes
Time races, gas expands out to infinity
Who set that time bomb off
Did anyone mourn its passing

Ocean of souls exists
Outside of time and space
Do you ebb as the oceans do
Pulled by an invisible god moon

Expansion slows
Time stands still for an endless moment
Maybe then the universe can think
Will we be sucked in like breath before a sneeze