The Poetry Marathon

An Elemental Love

I wish to find a love like fire
That burns right through my soul
That reaches beyond physical desire
A love with which to grow old

I wish to find a love like air
That caresses my very skin
That runs its fingers through my hair
Causing my lips to grin

I wish to find a love like water
Flowing freely, no holding back
That makes me feel sought after
That doesn’t care what I lack

I wish to find a love like earth
Rich as good soil, cleansing
That helps me see my worth
That fits me, without pretending

I wish to find an elemental love

24 Shades of Purple hour 12

24 Shades of Purple

At 47, I went from mousy brown
to grey, not salt-and-pepper, not
platinum, nothing pretty about it.

Then, I went beach blonde and
had more fun but my hair was dry
frizzle frazzle damaged .

No one to tell me I couldn’t,
I dyed my hair purple. I’m known
as the Purple Poet, love the color,

so why not. I started with demi-
permanent but it didn’t take, then
used permanent and it was great.

Vibrant, super cool color but
my hair was breaking off, chemical
warfare took its toll.

I found conditioning color. Semi-
permanent, no chemicals, no mixing
no hassle. Put it in, leave it in

as long as you like, then rinse it out.
Conditioner, good for my hair.
Instant love. I started collecting colors…

Radiant Orchid, Lavender Macaroon
Plum Perfect, Wisteria, Paradox
Neon Lavender, Pastel Lilac, Cloud

Smoky Amethyst, Wild Orchid
Violet Dream, Purple Haze, Genie
Tanzanite, Neon Purple, Grapeful

Lighter Daze Stoned Pony, Desire
Periwinkle, Prismatic Purple,
Metallic Orchid, Girls Night Out

Lavender Moon, Orchid U Not —
I love them all, 24 shades of pure
purplesque fun.

~ J R Turek Hour 12

Hour 12: We are not bound to our closets

Each closet has a purpose,
a closet visited often,
a closet full of cobwebs,
closed and never to be opened.

In the inner chambers of these closets,
lay fears, unspoken words, regrets, mistakes, and unshed tears.
Away from prying eyes and ears,
kept tucked away for many years.

But closets are also a space for fresh starts,
once the tight seal is opened,
out comes healing, truth and light.

Let us not be bound by our closets,
take out the broom and pan,
dust away the debris,
and bring to light the stories and emotions that make us be.

Closeted (Prompt 12)

Cleaning out my mother’s townhome
assisted living came grudgingly –
terminology I use on charitable days
cleaning out the tidy home of a
certified and fully anointed packrat
was less time-capsule discovery
more bafflement at later-in-life finds

At the far end of her walk-in closet
hung two garment bags I recognized –
her circa 1951 Naval WAVE uniform
next to her wedding dress from 1958
happy marriage begat only child me
always petite, my mom took pride
bragging each still comfortably fit

A point she routinely emphasized
at every doctor visit, telling each nurse
that weighed her – with pride,
noticeable annoyance – the only time
she weighed more than 100 pounds
“Was when I was pregnant with HIM!”
humorous verdict with an edge

Most of her clothing I worthily donated
though the garment bags I kept
Now in memory care, my mother will
only occasionally mention those days
it is probably time to return them to
her closet, to the far end, door open
so she can see them hanging there . . .

Maybe she’ll remember a time – the
only time – they just wouldn’t fit

– Mark L. Lucker
© 2023
http://lrd.to/sxh9jntSbd

Side View Mirror

Seeing the shadows dance along

Bigger than they appear

The scene stretches out

Until the eye can’t reach

The past is gone

Left to memory

 

 

Hour 11 – Glossary of Terms

Glossary of Terms 

after Franny Choi

 

	Bones	Ghost	Blood	Language
Meaning	A scaffold	A wound whose scab you keep scratching	Television static flowing down interconnected highways	The sharing of all within you
See also	A pile of wood	Memory, legacy, trauma	Flesh, body, bruise	Body, mouth, tongue, vocal chord, left hemisphere
Antonym	Ash, shell, flesh	Breath	Healthcare	Absence, faulty wifi
Origin	Clay or a rib, some say. No. Primordial stew.	One singular moment of your life	Sap	A handprint upon stone
Becomes in the afterlife	Means of travel	Breath	Emptiness	Vibration

 

HOUR TWELVE – A Tremor

Combining a viator with words selected from Prompt #9 – a truly silly poem

 

A tremor travelled through the field

where beets were pushed up from below.

A bucket flew off from the fence,

it almost hit my elbow.

 

Lightbulbs burst throughout the farm.

A tremor travelled through the field.

The carport kept me safe from harm;

it saved me and my elk hat.

 

From the open kitchen door

I breathed in cinnamon so sweet,

A tremor travelled through the field.

the oven filled with apple treats.

 

I donned my well-worn jacket

prepared to flee the scene.

I scared a large jack rabbit.

A tremor travelled through the field.

The Closet

I love my clothes

but didn’t always treat them with respect

as proof is seen in my closet

 

this is a long story…

as a child I had to share a closet with my bratty little sister

it was overcrowded  and over messy

 

years forward, again I had to share a closet, this time my husband

this gave us things to fight about

you’re too far over on my side…I don’t have enough ROOM!

 

next we moved into a big house

I didn’t have to share anymore

we each had our own closet, but we found other things to fight about

 

I had my clothes arranged in categories

blouses, skirts, slacks , etc.

one SNAFU…I had no place for my shoes

 

moving forward, I’m with husband number two

in a walk-in closet that we both share

I’m on the left, he’s on the right

 

he’s an engineer with an engineer’s mentality

everything in his life is orderly

including his side of the closet

 

so as not to be embarrassed with my side

I bought all beautiful matching hangers

now finally everything is neatly categorized including my shoes

 

Life is so sweet!

 

 

 

 

 

I Surrender All

When the pastor prayed over me in front of the church
and kept repeating let it go,
I was thoroughly confused.
And when a mother of the church corrected me saying,
“When the Lord wants you to let something go, you let it go!” –
it became obvious that I had no concept of what letting go meant.
I told her that if I knew what I was holding, it would be easier to release it.
Everyone seemed to see what I was holding except me.

No more instruction came.

Surrender, like freedom or love, is natural for some people.
None of those things are natural to me.
Surrender is a foreign concept
because I’m a natural holder.
At any given time I am holding
Keys, a phone, a pen, a pencil.
I’m holding it together.
I’m holding your attention.
I’m always holding something.
I check my hands when checking out in a store
because holding things is so natural to me
that I don’t realize when something is there that shouldn’t be.

I hold tightness in my back, shoulders, neck, and legs.
hold thoughts in my head because I don’t want to be misunderstood.
hold desires because I don’t want to speak them and be made to feel ashamed.
hold anger because I don’t want to confirm any stereotypes.
hold sadness because I don’t want to appear weak.
hold accomplishments because I don’t want to be seen as proud.
hold happiness because I don’t want to be viewed as a green.
have to pay attention to everything that I am.

It gets expensive, but I lie and say that
I save so much energy when I hold myself in.
But I become bankrupt of human experiences because it is impossible
to be both free and held.
And that’s the part: I don’t totally trust the Holder to actually keep me.
I don’t trust zero gravity, so I
hold on.
But this ferocious holding has almost killed me.

The trip to the emergency room helped me begin to understand that
knowing when to give up, give over, and give back
is a survival skill.
Empty hands
Open heart
Free falling

“For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” – Colossians 1:16-17

CLOSET’S LAYERS

It is secret best when it is hidden in a few unknown vicinity
This whole advent is split into many layers
Guy’s life is cozy inside the house called body.
Some hidden stories, most of the layers of books chest

Someone’s thoughts, his faults, are hidden in the chamber of his heart.
The little boy sleeps within the bedroom, inside with the desires.
The tune lies mute inside the throat chamber, until the larynx opens
The truth behind the darkness is a mystery.

Even some demoniac placed on a mask of silence too.
In the arrangement of rooms, feelings may insure and ensure
A room is not so much a walled center as a home for plenty of emotions.
If translated, many feelings and tragedies touch our heart.

In every corner of this vast universe, there is a secret hidden.
Finally, after the death of the man, burial is also a closet

 

Hour – 12                                                                                                                                                         Prompt-12