24 Poems ~ 24 Hours
I try so hard
To remain positive,
Think head strong,
Think great thoughts,
Carry a cool breeze,
Blow the minds of the weak,
In the midst of the worst,
At the beginning of the best,
But still you speak
Languages that shatter hopes,
Spell words that express nothing,
Kill time spared to save you future,
Embrace your soul,
Why must I continue to be positive?
To utter great words and express subtle wisdom that shares no value to you?
I will…
REMAIN POSITIVE!
Thoughts tumble through my head
As snores whisper softly in the night
I itch to make myself useful
But fear waking anyone up
Pacing silent, I listen to the house hum
Noticing background noises without laughter
It’s an eerie kind of peaceful
Despite the plans that had been made
I focused on the goal of staying awake
But time has come for a quick rest
Before my busy day starts without me
The trains go by
One by one
Right on time
Ding dong the doors are closing
Ding dong the next station is coming
Never ending no not really
You do rest they say
But whenever I’m there
One by one
The trains go by
my mother ironed my school shirts
white blouses that go with plaid skirts
and tucked her love in the pockets
now I’m the mother who irons rarely
trying to raise my kids so fairly
making sure to buy clothes with extra pockets
and when the day is ending
and I am missing or feel I’m fending
I treasure what I find in the laundry pockets
so now I am collecting
what others think is for rejecting
the lining of your work pants’ pockets
Writing,
Pencil on the finger tips
Ink on the hands
This has been my life
Telling
Stories to entertain
Stories to amaze
This has been my life
Sharing
With my friends and family
With students and co-workers
This has been my life
Publishing
Was always a dream
Was always something someone else did
And now this is my life
Writing
Lue
August 14, 2016
The sound of cicadas is the only thing
that cuts through the silence. Maybe it
means something. Maybe it doesn’t.
All I know is this is a lonely hour
and i anxiously await the moment
when the rest of the world will rise.
It’s that time again
Black Friday
The sun has set.
Some haven’t seen a bed in six days
Because they’re waiting for bargain
Everyone is out there
Wating, keeping track
Soon it will be dawn
And they willl conquer
Malls, castles, stores and halls
Meanwhile
In my bed I lie asleep
Feeling like I counted too many sheep
I can’t believe I did it
I can’t believe I did it
Months later and it’s
Still amazing
My first Marathon
Fills my mind with
Appreciation
For sleep and for food
For friends and for good
Even though some of the day
Had ruined my mood
Everyone else was asleep that day
Like I am now, safe.
The coffeehouse had been my hub ever since I’d moved downtown;
its dark walls were covered by burlap coffee bags, and, upstairs,
a large reproduction of Robert Doisneau’s kissing couple
stood over an old sofa where younger kids took over.
As long as I had my coffee and my view of Ron, I was content.
Ron was a mystery to me, a smiling man of mystery.
Seated at the corner table by the back door- the more convenient for cigarette breaks –
of the coffeehouse, he drew large pencil drawings on nine-by-fourteen sheets
that he stored in an aluminum briefcase with others, his growing book.
I tried shrinking under my laptop along the north wall,
trying to not stare at him and averting my eyes every time he looked up.
His angled face looked down, absorbed by his work,
but each time he raised his gaze, it seemed to be to find me.
Over months, we gravitated to each other’s tables.
Ron described his project, a comic book, as I watched his tan hands gesture,
noted the dimple in his lean face when he smiled. Unbeknownst to either of us,
our barista, Jack, had anointed us as a perfect couple if we got together.
“Melron,” another of the baristas calls out when he sees us enter.
It’s still our hub, though now we sit at the same table,
as we chat with others who have made the coffeehouse a part of their day,
a place to reconnect with each other over a cup of coffee.
I’m sticking buttons into the shape
of a hot air balloon on a wooden sign
all pastel colours because I feel
like anything more would detract
from the loftiness
I’m practicing doing things
without overanalysing them
so I’m not too worried
about the hot air balloon
being slightly off to one side
even then I think
how does it stay afloat
with just a flame underneath
how does it move anywhere
but up and down
I’m sure there are explanations
but I’m busy sticking buttons
into the shape of a hot air balloon