The Poetry Marathon

Interlude

Inspired by: ‘The middle of night interlude where dreams may or may not happen.’

Moonlight shines
on the back of her neck
suggesting muted colours, light textures
a flowing arc

I am intrigued, enchanted
but keep a respectful distance

This moment is a haven
I am but a wanderer seeking sanctuary

Yes, I may find temporary solace
in the warmth of an embrace
but it is the feeling
that will protect me
long after body becomes memory

I close my eyes

Her presence tinctures the air I breathe
I am inadequate, but she does not share such concerns

I sigh
I am comforted

And when my open eyes
reveal the illusion
the shimmering moonlight
carries a tint
that was not there before

I will be all right

 

---

(22 June 2019, Hour Seven)

Hour 7-At This Moment

Your mind is a haunted house.

You send your ghosts away

before they evolve into demons

you can no longer fight.

You can’t move,

you can only build more rooms.

And string Christmas lights

along every wall to add color to this hell.

If you’re lucky you will be able to write again,

creating beauty that won’t be forgotten or ugliness

that makes no sense.

You struggle and push onward.

Don’t give up.

You can do this.

Mental Electronics

My brain is a sparking live wire
While at rest, the wires stay still

Thunder clap
The wires scratch and shower me in sparks

Car horn
They brush each other and sparks sting my skin

Car door
Neighbor’s door
Sudden loud noise
The shock knocks me out of my skin

Recent chemical baths
Have created a safety coating
But still things cut through
And my thoughts hit the floor

Repetitive hits
Throw me off all day

Day to day
The tolerance level changes

This is invisible
The only sign my temper

Nada

Thinking about nada, liberating my mind-

what a wonderful sensation!

The sky is blue, birds sing freely,

it’s nice to do nothing except listening to them!

Hour Seven – Fierce Dog

I found this a difficult prompt because I couldn’t make out the lirics of the song, so I used the picture of the dog on the cover as a prompt…

Image courtesy of Chiemsee 2016

 

I heard a noise that startled me

And went outside, weapon in hand

I saw fiery eyes and flashing teeth

Coming at me

Ready to fire, I waited

Something cautioned me not to use the gun

The creature became more tangible

The closer it got to me

And still, I waited

I heard a low growl, and aimed

Suddenly, she became visible in the light

of a the street lamp

beneath which I stood;

Eyes begging, she lay down at my feet

and I knew that I couldn’t pull the trigger

I kneeled at her side and stroked her head;

We became best friends forever…

 

Antoinette LeRoux © 2019

#5 Miss T

She is known for being fiery.

Straightforward and spicy.

She got that looks,

Men cannot  shy away

But who is she?

The woman named Miss T.

 

I knew her before she knows me,

She has this beauty inside and out that inspired me.

A strong woman woven in compassion and kindness.

She loves life more than itself.

 

Her life is a beautiful story.

Her faith in God and humanity is history.

Her wisdom has been tested in times.

She had seen pain, loses and goodbyes.

 

life’s surprises, she has seen a fair shares

But she never faltered nor wavered.

She stood proud, strong and undeterred .

She is the epitome of a woman now and then.

 

 

What Will My Ghost Want To Say?

She'll return to Spain's mountains along the sacred path to Santiago 
yet transform a half a world away to guard her childhood crib
now rocking, gently rocking, rocking rocking a new little one. 
Pilgrams and infants alike will hear soft chimes and glance, 
looking for the music maker, the one who hints of the good to come.

She'll rustle the fallen leaves on autumn nights when the very last of the 
warm winds blow, and families will take walks -- long walks to faraway lands
in search of warm homes, food, safe sleep for their gray-haired ones, education
for the youngest, and the chance to dream yet again for what they want and love.
She'll walk beside and whisper, "I'll protect you with all I am. Keep on." 

She'll enter schoolrooms and playgrounds and again teach, trading ponderous 
lessons for life skills to keep best friends, new loves, and honored guides. 
Students will look back on saved notebooks but remember the days so glorious 
with deep meaning and new dreaming. She'll sigh as she journeys with them,  
growing older but -- so she'll hope -- not old. Never old. 

She'll return to Spain's mountains along the sacred path to Santiago,
to Syria to Sudan to Guatemala and reservations, to your home and mine
and walk beside those Pilgrams seeking a meaning for life, their yearning
for wholeness and worth. She'll watch them grow and whisper in the evening winds, 
"Laugh for Life will fly. Protect each other. Have strength. Keep on." 

Recurring Dream

It is always the same

You standing in the shadows, waiting

Until the time is right

You ask, Will I?

I look at you as tears fill my eyes

My heart says, Yes

My mouth says, No

Hour 7

I lie admiring your vulnerability

Like the fresh pink skin under a scab

How you wrap yourself in it

And become stronger

More beautiful

The places where you’ve stitched yourself together

Allow light to escape

A life exchanges

 

Eager listening to hums of cold wind

Winding road of new adventure

Leisure of new tomorrow

Cascading reality of new possibility

Rendering in the core of an existence

Freeing elements of known hearting

Experience of a lifetime

Musing away in clear grass

Fitting element of new movement

Engaging life much adventurism

A facade in the wings of love

Evolving dove fulfillment

 

Prompt # 9 Hour # 7

3:40  AM PHT 23/06/2019