24 Poems ~ 24 Hours
I want to believe
That all of the cold dead eyes
Will open again
God will call them one
By one and there will be light
And children will see
As they march again
In the eternal dance of
Daily life and death
They will come to you
But only if you want them
It’s a conundrum
Diane Morinich
By the light of the moon,
On a cool, cool night,
Young Johnny Locke took a walk
Down to the old lake.
He’d not far to go
When his eyes caught a flash.
A glimpse of a maiden’s face,
Her hair flowing down her back.
He paused his late night venture
And puzzled, “Have my eyes deceived me?
“What maiden would brave the forest
At a time such as this?”
Young Johnny shook his head.
Surely he’d imagined it.
He continued on, in no mood
To worry about such things.
He soon came to the water’s edge
And set himself on the sand.
No particular reason to be there,
Just enjoying the calm of the night.
T’was then that he saw that maiden once more,
Walking not far from where he sat.
He rose to his feet quickly, startled,
And watched as she came to a stop.
She stared up at the moon, the gentle breeze
Wrapping her locks about her face.
She stood like a goddess, her beauty unbridled,
Her presence beyond mortal reach.
A rustle nearby and Young Johnny turned
As one by one more fair maidens appeared.
They too like goddesses walked
Down to she at the water’s edge.
He tucked himself behind a tree,
Away from the light of the moon.
He looked on as the goddesses
Formed a wide circle.
Their bodies began to sway
To what tune, he could not tell.
Young Johnny Locke from his hiding place watched
As the maidens began to dance.
They raised their arms to the heavens
Then slowly brought them to hang at their sides.
They took a step towards their center,
Their eyes watching the skies.
They continued to move with such grace, such beauty,
That Young Johnny couldn’t tear his eyes away.
It was entrancing, their movements across the sand,
And he could feel the world around him slipping away.
A sudden jolt as the ground rose to meet him.
Had he somehow fallen asleep?
He looked around, trying to get his bearings,
And was surprised to find the sun slowly rising.
He turned back to the lake.
Were they still there?
But much to his dismay
The shoreline held no occupants.
Young Johnny Locke found his way home
All the way puzzling how it could have been so.
How could he have missed them? When had they left?
He tried to recall the last thing that he saw.
Maidens dancing on the shore,
Was that really all he could remember?
There had to be something.
There had to be more.
Home at last he was surprised to find
The villagers, his neighbors, all gathered ’round.
Upon seeing him his mother cried out.
She dropped the spoon in her hand and ran to embrace him.
She scolded him for sneaking out
For putting her into such a fit.
He tried to explain, to tell her what happened,
Of the lake and it’s dancing maidens.
No one would listen,
They thought him to be ill.
He tried and he tried
But it was just no good.
As the excitement died down
And the villagers returned to their homes,
An elderly gentleman approached him,
And asked, “You’ve seen them, too?”
Yellow leaves
Under your shoes
You pick up one
Put it into a book
You were trying to imagine.
Your best smile
On your time-worn face
You just put it on
And fake it to the One
You were trying to imagine.
The leaf gets brown
And you cannot paint back
From memories
The lively yellow colors
You were trying to imagine.
At last you learn
You must give up trying
And try not to try
The things only
You were trying to imagine.
Where can I find you
You hideous little monster?
I AM alive but you say I’m not
I see the question forming on your face
I feel the warmth of your curious fingers
I hear the fly buzzing around the room
I smell the fresh flowers in the vase
Most of all I feel pleasure and pain
But that’s not enough for you
To you I’m just a toy to lock away
So I wait for the judgment of humankind
I HATE YOU! Wait–isn’t what you do best?
6:05 PM
Storm
Lighting in the distance.
Strikes at its hosts.
Clouds move In a haphazard dance
With sun beams
Look like ghosts.
Winds strongly blowing
Trees sway bending
Which way’s it going?
Where’s the rain ending?
Azure blue
The sky peeps through
Until it’s overcome
The storm has won.
A full-day picnic on the beach
Watching tides weave their magic
Tireless, they hit the shore
Each wave feels like homecoming
For a few seconds, sand and sea meet
Each give a piece of themselves
Take something of the other
As they recede
They welcome all with open arms
Irrespective of the time of day
Across all seasons, through the year
Without looking at age, race, or color
They accept the giggles of children
They absorb the confusion of teens
They answer the queries at crossroads
They wash away the loneliness of old age
Their action remains the same each day
Only the intensity of their union changes
They teach life’s lessons to those willing to learn
They explain how each relationship works
People and seasons – come and go
Give them love or throw dirt into them
They focus only on their identity – to come and go
(c) Vijaya Gowrisankar
my heart is tempered glass which is to say
it is here to protect the rest of me which
is to say that it may shatter without any
apparent reason
heat damage you
got too close the casual
hug goodbye I love you
I love you I let my
guard down
accidental breakage your
joke wasn’t funny got me a little
chipped at the edges and
the cracks spread across
my entire body
internal defects I was like
this when you found me
but don’t worry when I break
I don’t hurt anyone
but myself
Silver sand takes on a crimson glow,
Slowly giving way to pale purple waves
Splashing their frothy form across the jetty.
Smells of salty seaweed fill the air,
Seagulls soaring just below a salmon colored sky.
Sandpipers skipping to and fro hunting
Sea snails and insects burrowing at the edge of the surf.
Sand crabs flipping through the outgoing tide,
Seeking escape from their feathered foes.
Sun is up and day begins with
Shining shells soon cracked by bills;
Scattered screeching of Terns and hens
Sucking shells of Turtle eggs unhatched,
Strewing pieces across their nests.
Seems a shame, but the creator knows best,
Saving some… and feeding the rest.
© 2017 Kathleen J Kidder
8/5/2017 Hour Eleven – Half Marathon
Can’t blame me
for what you didn’t do
Promises are forever
Sunsets and clouds
are above us daily
standing still in time
The gift of love
is special
in this life.
not sure I like it, what do you think, looking for feedback, Thanks
Coolness of hot breath
Summoning the winds
You ask I write you colour
Now, where to begin
The sweetness that you fed me
Lingers on my lips
I quaff a heavy drink
When I drink in your kiss
Storm dragon dances
Summoning the night
The winds of change are coming
Carrying it’s flight
Silent, gentle hand
Tremors on warm flesh
Persuasive innocence
Cleanses like the blessed