The Poetry Marathon

Acrophobia

(Just realized this one never uploaded)

When FDR declared the nation had only fear to fear,
He never had a gun to his head,
Ballistaphobia
never had a cobra hood opened at his bare legs
Ophidiaphobia
or strolled past the body of a jumper from a Manhattan 32 story high rise,
Necrophobia
the thump of the fall nearly lifting my feet off the ground.

But it wasn’t then that acrophobia hit.
No, it was the carefree days of carnivals and Ferris wheels,
Free from regulations and safety straps, not even for seats
That turned upside down with the slow-turning wheel.
I was five and my car mates were nine and ten, measurably
Larger, taller than I so that the metal bar kept them in as
The wheel spun us upside down and then right side up,
Me clutching with all my strength to keep myself inside.

Thanatophobia. I had never heard the word in my five years,
But I lived my way through it many times since.

hour three

petals of bright fuschia,

deep green leaves,

droplets of water

crystallize in the sunlight,

the creek water ripples

with the gentle summer breeze,

dragonflies, skip on the sandbar

frogs making a chorus

add a soundtrack to enjoy the night

hour two

little pink nose,

bright green eyes,

long, soft whiskers

touch my face…

soft, grey fur

rubs my arm

that rough tongue

takes a single swipe,

offering an early morning

meow, “Good morning”

as my day starts,

with such a simple pleasure.

hour one

the rain is gently falling

tapping on the skylight

softly lulling

as we lay

he touches my cheek,

us falling into sleep…

Marathon

Well, i have been out of internet possibilities all weekend, so I will be posting my 24 hours of poems sporadically today & tomorrow as time at work allows…I did write my poems during the required timeframe…just now getting to post them..

Hour 16 – A Moment of Reason

Prompt for Hour Sixteen

Black leaves against the gray sky, the breeze cold yet frolicsome
Knowing not what to do
I stood there long, the forest ahead dark and deep

Should I go back? Find somebody I haven’t met?
Or ahead into merry insanity?
I saw our selves go..

Ahead, I saw ours :.)
Elvis going too?! Merry insanity!
Find some buddy I haven’t met, or a head?
Should I go back?

The forest ahead dark, and deep they stood
Their long knowing… not what to do

Black leaves against a gray sky, the breeze cold yet frolicsome

Poetry Marathon 2016: My recap

Yesterday, I participated in my first poetry marathon. Well, technically the half marathon. Twelve new poems in twelve hours. This morning, I’m very tired.

The whole exercise was deceptively difficult—not that I thought it would be so easy, but when I sit down with my big sketchbook to write, I often will write three or four poems at a time, taking maybe twenty minutes or so. That’s what I was thinking would happen when I signed up.

The way it actually worked was (more…)

Tunnel Vision

When I saw the grey rough cut stone I imagined the cutting;

no hands did this.  Words did.  Glorious, ancient words; unheard by ears.

“Let there be”…. land divided from water.

Every grain of life.  Every thought he had thought, vision he had seen now came forth.

Formed out of the dust was man…. but before that…

creation. Land and sea, birds and creatures, time.

These ageless tunnels… were they from the beginning or was it the flood that cut them through.  the opening up of the deep?

I will never know.  I like it that way.  The mystery of earth allures me to the mystery of God.  And If I can’t explain this… how will I ever explain the creator?

 

Haiku

razor blade wind gusts

cut through newspaper blankets

teardrops mix with rain.

Paying job

Work done at home is now what you are paid for,

Not what is done at the office or the sales floor,

So when you are sitting on facebook, or watching oprah,

you will be docked what the employer owes ya.

 

While you are cleaning, and the hours you cook,

will pay well, but not while you are reading that book.

You will be paid for folding clothes and sorting socks,

but not while the grand old rocking chair rocks.

 

Your job on the other hand,  whether filing or digging,

crunching the numbers or oil well rigging,

will only be for the doing and not for the pay…

and you will only be there a few hours a day.

 

If housework paid money,  playing with your kids double time,

would that change your priorities? It would change mine…

but that makes me sad when I think I would do more

If a paycheck for it wo