The Poetry Marathon

Do You Remember

The summer we listened to
Earth, Wind & Fire on the radio
too young to understand
such lyrics of love
instead drawn to those
groovy African-inspired costumes
flashy bellbottomed pants
Maurice White’s hipswangin’ swagger
the ridiculousness of lyrics
that rang off our tongues
Ba de ya – say do you remember
Ba de ya – dancing in September
Ba duda, ba duda, ba duda, badu
how we danced and grooved and spun
jamming to the transistor radio turned up
full blast in the back yard
took breaks to gulp ice cold water
from the garden hose
then back to the step, the dance, the groove
Earth, Wind & Fire

[Prompt: Write a poem in which the four elements (Earth, Wind, Fire, and Water) play an important part.]

The Elements of You

the elements of you

you grew me from a seed
and with kind words, soft touches, smiles and casual conversations
I sprouted out of the earth
out of love’s good soil

you watered me with may showers and warm baths
and walks in the rain
and my heart ignited like wild fires in a dry brush

your words carried me like dust in the wind
allowed me to see things in my mind’s eye
that I didn’t have vision for before you came along

now-
dry once again,
I am desperate to be submerged in black earth-
thirsty for your cooling rain-
hard pressed for the fire that only you can bring
I am waiting for the wind of your love
to blow again

After the apocalypse

Poem #1
Earth, Wind, Fire, & Water prompt

After the apocalypse ~

He said he preferred fire.
I’m going with ice
water’s sturdier cousin
A diamante shroud
Glittering & proud
Of its crystalline structure
Buried in the frozen earth
I will survive like mammoths
Surfacing to light and air
Only æons after
When the pale green sky
Is streaked with fire
And rain weeps
From the scarlet clouds
And nothing else remains

 

 

Poem 1

I am
the wind
a force so fierce
tumultuous like
a summer storm
tossing the seas
like tumbleweeds
water is my plaything
droplets spew off
its surface
saturating the jagged
edges of earth
as she reaches for me
trying to hold on
as she
drowns, drowns, drowns
I am
the wind
deadly during
the fire season
I whip the flames along
they lick at me
the heat churns
within me
smoke, black and thick
curls and swirls
trying to hold on
to dance,
as I blow through
watching them scorch
the earth
which cries out
in horror as she
burns, burns, burns

Removing

she’s taking off her dress

he’s watching it slide

she stands there, alone,

no reason to hide

she’s down to her skin

can’t hide the state that she’s in

the lonely goddess in the glade,

where he’ll watch from his cool shade

the sleazy king of leisurely sin

watching her guileless skin she’s in

Lunacy (Poem 1)

I wander rabbit-haunted meadows waiting for the tick-fat moonrise.
Dew-soaked shadows stretch stealth and melancholy beneath an ancient oak.
I carve myself into the roots and whisper: I’m not me…I’m not me.

Stories Entwined

A new chapter began,
as I sought my way,
To return back home,
or to plant roots and stay.

Our stories entwined,
I did not expect you.
Your kindness mended my heart,
which had been broken in two.

You took the time to see me,
You took the time to care,
You saw through the laughter,
You saw the tears which were there.

You’ve encouraged me to dream,
You’ve inspired me to write.
You’ve made a difference to my story,
I know it will be all right.

1. As if

(more…)

Poem 1: Continent

You can hear the wind whistle

through the rusty rock maze

dropping away vertically

a thousand meters downward

into a river which stretches onward

through shifting sands of red desert

 

You can almost see the sun

and its halo of fire

behind clouds of grey storm

that wrap and blanket the sky

looming over earth with shadows

 

Rolling over the snow caps

of distant mountains

cloaked in fog

 

Connected by the plains

round knuckles of grass

brimming with dew

 

You are the brave soul

who walks this silent land

stepping forward

through rain falling from dusk

Elements Around Us

The earth is round, blue and green
Its delights are well known to all.
The wind and rain, snow and sun
Invite us to enjoy the windfall.
     The wind caresses our skin
     With pleasurable wisps so light
     It makes the trees talk, in a susurration
     Blows tumbleweeds into the night.
Fire is a changeable creature
In turns it can heal or destroy
With its incandescent aura
It swirls, as its heat it deploys.
     Water, oh water, can be comforting
     Or it can destroy all that you know
     Its strength many find deceptive
     If not careful, it will pull you below.
The elements are all around us
In a circle of life so divine
Earth, wind, fire and water
Are all part of the great design.