24 Poems ~ 24 Hours
The streets are chilly
I can tell from the steam coming from Lake Ohrid
Still, as I get out of bed, I can pictures its teal depths
and its silvery rocks underneath,
I decide to wear shorts and walk to lake’s edge
with breakfast apple and hearty coffee in hand.
Need not a visibility check
things seem so our of check
Look no further
here I am said reality
I am just a steer away.
Fountains flow
Rivers flow not just
sit back relax and
enjoy the glow
All rights reserved copyrighted(c)2017 Roxann A Harvey
I driving round my old street in West Philly
Got my dizzy feeling sick
Nothing left but a trash filled lot
What happened to the millions Obama sent this way, to fix the streets and make places for children to play
What’s up with pop up beer lots artificial trees
What happened to the families still poor as poor can be.
You’re the first dog I ever
loved deeply, that I ever
clung to. Long thick fur
the color of coffee with cream,
tail curled and fanning out
behind you– your plumage–
dark chocolate mask, faded
muzzle. I don’t remember who
named you. My last memory
of you alive: I raked the half-acre
October leaves into a mound,
jumped in. You followed, pulled
my hair, my feet, my pants, stood
with one paw on each shoulder,
pinning me. You won before curling
under one arm, almost the size of my
eleven year old body. You slept.
I read my book. My last memory of you:
Halloween. You’d been gone three days,
but that wasn’t unusual. On the bus to
school, we crossed the highway. The
breeze caught your tail, lying in the
middle of the north bound lane, made
you look alive, wagging. I screamed,
face pressed against bus glass. Every
dog since, I’ve wanted to be you.
Sneaking around them bars
Playing women like your guitar
That smile doesn’t sway me
Those rockin sounds won’t change a thing
Guitarman let it loose
Play so silky smooth
Burnin them strings
Givin it hell on that stage
What happens there, null and void
Ain’t that what you said
Those eyes aren’t piercing enough
That rhythm wont get you anywhere
Guitarman let it loose
Play so silky smooth
Burnin them strings
Givin it hell on that stage
Sit your ass down guitarman
Always playing that’s what you do
Don’t stand that way – disgusted.
You are not a jilted lover or a poor peasant.
You are not quite ready, yet. Your jewelry waits
on the bedstand. But I, my Love, cannot wait. I dream
of releasing your hair clip and catching your locks in my hands,
inhaling you in one deep, lengthy breath. My lips quiver as I imagine
them on our naked neck. That look on your face, as you lean into me won’t change,
and your hand with the ring will travel to my back, under my shirt. But that ring, it doesn’t belong to me.
Flames are beautiful
Red, blue and yellow
Just and awesome sight to see
why not come and play
with me.
All rights reserved copyrighted(c)2017 Roxann A Harvey
Outside my window
A clothes line
on which I’ve hung hurriedly
my towel and my t-shirt—
wrinkled
A few flower pots
with seasonal flowers—
all colours
A white wall
with fine cracks—
revealing its grey body
Not too many things I can say I have done to completion determination to see this thu for that exact reason I had lot’s of help encouraging me to the finish my hubby and kids the two dogs even a friend or two everyone who stuck around to the end see you next year can’t wait to try again
You did it! Congratulations! I am very impressed! You wrote 24 poems in 24 hours. This is an achievement that few poets ever accomplish. Although if you are a returning marathoner, some of you might be accomplishing it for the second or third time or even fourth time!
Now you should probably go get some sleep.
After every marathon I have participated in I, have been filled with exhaustion but also a tremendous sense of achievement. I hope you have that too.
In the past I have personally verified that everyone who applied for a certificate was eligible and then I would make a certificate. That is not possible this year and so we will be operating on the honor system.
If you completed the full 24 hour Poetry Marathon please consider the following certificate yours, to update with your name, to print if you choose to do so. We will be taking feedback into consideration, so if you really feel strongly about this new state of affairs please email me at poets@thepoetrymarathon.com to explain your position.
Only use the link below to access the certificate if you have completed the Full Marathon. Congratulations again on your completion of The Poetry Marathon. The version that you will download should be easy to edit and add your name to.
To see what the certificate looks like before downloading, there is the following example image:
Also remember that this year we will be putting together a 2017 Poetry Marathon Anthology.
Submissions will open August 10th and stay open till the 15th.
All submissions must include two poems, no more, no less. All submissions must be made via our email address (poets@thepoetrymarathon.com). The subject line of all emails must be Poetry Submission. Poems must be included in the body of the email.
All poems submitted must be written during the 2017 Poetry marathon. All poems should be completely edited and contain no major grammatical errors.
The first word of every line should not have a capitalization unless it is intentional! Word has an auto caps feature that you can turn off by following the instructions below.
To turn off automatic capitalization, follow these steps:
- Go to Tools. | AutoCorrect Options.
- On the AutoCorrect tab, deselect the Capitalize First Letter Of Sentences check box, and click OK.
You must indicate which hour each poem was written in. Only poets who completed the whole or half marathon will be eligible to submit.
There is no guarantee that by submitting your poem will be selected although the goal is to include one poem by everyone who submits.
Digital copies will be made available for free to any contributor. Print copies will be available for a reasonable price and any money that is made from them will go towards covering the cost of the marathon.
Want to know what the 2016 Poetry Marathon Anthology was like? Pick up your copy here.