24 Poems ~ 24 Hours
Unconventional,
That is how we describe ourselves.
We are not typical of
Other people like us.
We were beautiful,
Long,
Years over what we should be.
We passed an expiration date,
I never knew
But others informed me about,
Repeatedly.
Years passed us by
One to two
Became ten.
We made it to that
Until our bitter
End.
In death,
We parted.
And our love
Remained.
Forever unchanged!
In twos and threes the men arrive,
clean, well dressed, solemn.
Prayer shawls in packages tucked
under arms, white or colored caps
perched upon balding heads.
The building greets them,
swallows them up like sugar.
They mingle and mix as they unpack
their shawls, kiss the words on them,
drape them over their shoulders
and pick up prayer books.
It doesn’t matter if blind Sam or crazy Phil
or your angry brother-in-law are there.
All are greeted with ‘good Shabbas’,
and a nod, a handshake or a bow.
All Jews deserve a good rest. A day of peace.
Cessation from hostilities and grievances.
Ha-shem in his wisdom knew this.
In this place, all mitzvahs are honored.
All grief is shared. All joys lift all members.
Place of study. Place of learning.
Place of community. Place of shared meals.
Place of belonging. Place of holidays.
Place of fond memories and dear friends.
Our schul. Our synagogue.
Fingerpainting
I painted with my fingers, traced them white,
orange, blue on a black-as-night construction
sheet. As my toddlers giggled around
me, I pressed harder and harder, almost
tearing through the paper. But when they stared
at my scribbled page, I showed them how
to take a brush and smooth it all away.
Circles and dots, fingerprints that won’t leave
turned to lines and thistles streaking through dark.
As the kids got up and washed their hands, I stayed
and placed my purple fingers underneath
the wood table, knowing they would stay.
Thre is nothing left
all have been depleted
There is no you
there is no me
there is only an empty, barren world
old
bleak
broken
Hogwash, hokum, horsefeathers,
hooey and humbuggery,
tarradiddle, trash, twaddle,
tommyrot and tomfoolery:
Don’t give me your
blatherskite, blarney or bunkum,
I’m through with your senseless
trumpery.
light headed. words spinning round
with 12 hours left. lucky 13.
Just over the hump, now
through the night.
no rest for the weary
dawn comes too early
as time slips by
quickly- quietly
running together, endlessly
as the guitar strums, its lullaby
Amanda Potter©: 2019 Poetry Marathon
She never smiles, she never laughs
It’s sad to seriously choose life paths.
A joke was told, her face was bold and never cracked a grin. Your face will crack and break my back if happiness sets in.
When all her friends were gailey laughing at a story Erich told,
Not her they said, she never laughs, her face is looking old.
So my dear friends, don’t be so crass, and laugh and smile once in a while, or just be an agelast.
In the middle of concrete chaos
She looked over her shoulder
Smiled, and winked
At me
Sending voltage through my veins
I stood stoic, as a storm rage on inside
In that 1 second of that smile and wink
My live was never the same
You wasn’t there when I needed you the most
Its like you disappear you went ghost
Was I’m not important to you as your wife
You told me I was your world your whole life
You saw the pain and struggles I was going through with my pregnancy
All I wanted from you is for you to be there for me
One thing I would never understand from you
Is how a husband can kick his pregnant wife out of their home
What man threatened to throw his wife things out if they don’t get out
Everything you put me through I remain loyal and loved you
Through all the pain you put me through
I was there when nobody else was
I loved you unconditionally like a real wife does
I forgave even when you went out with another women
While I was sick and pregnant with our son
Was we not important or was you too busy having your fun
What was your motive when you made up a women to hurt my feelings
Did you want to see me in pain and lose all trust in you
Was that really what you wanted to do
What kind of husband tell they’re wife
that they wish they never married them or even have a baby by them
You broke my heart to many times
But I keep taking you back
Thinking you’re going to change
And be the husband and father you suppose to be
But thats wishful thinking
Now it time for me to think about our son and me
At the end of the day you’re going wish you had your family back
But its going to be to late and another man will have taken your place and show me and our son what a real Man look like
I’m letting myself down, but I can’t be sorry.
But I’ll do a minute poem this instead of a haiku or lune or whatever, just to prove I’m still invested.
Tell me how you’re doing lately
Prim and stately
Never badly
Smiling sadly
Always keeping your mask in place
Hiding your face
Secrets brewing
Feelings stewing
Never let the others see your heart
Or you’ll restart
The truest loss
Back to chaos