Ode to Oscar
unnatural hue
decadent odd indecent
a green carnation
A Room of Her Own
A Room of Her Own
The office was once called The Golfing Room
Computer, desk, chair
Golf pictures in every corner
Titleist banner engulfed one wall
Even the light switch
adorned with a
pewter golfer
She painted on the kitchen table
Toting her paints in one container or another
A grocery bag, coffee can, a Hello Kitty lunch box
Always a temporary space
Never a home for
Paints or brushes
Or receipts
From
Michael’s
Little by little
The golf pictures disappeared,
Replaced with brushes and paints
And canvases
Of clouds
Faces
Dreams
A sacrifice by one
Something as small as a corner room
Meant so much to the other
Now she has a room of her own
Except
For
That
Titleist
Banner
Simplified Equations (Losing Mandelbrot’s Set)
Remember when we walked the mountain range
The water gurgled near our wooden path
We made a vow that we would never change
And always live outside the world of math
Geometry snuck in to shape our world
It built in simple lines and basic forms
The fractals lost their power in the whirl
To slowly rising squares and all their norms
We saw the walls grow up in symmetry
As nature lost itself to brick and glass
They rose and rose ’til all that we could see
Was walls we’d built through which we could not pass
Inside our cubes all closed up at the seams
We’d visit mountain ranges in our dreams
Hour Nine: The real problem, as I see it
I have succeeded
in changing my thoughts, but not
in changing my mind.
(13 August 2016)
Hour 9–Early Spring
I fear the thaw
since she went missing
Not that I know anything about it
But it’s been said
she was last seen on the boardwalk
Just wondering if she’ll still be wearing the ring
but surely she left town
That’s what I heard somewhere
not that I would know anything about it
she’s footloose somewhere
sister in Spokane, I think
always was a free spirit
the river might have something to say about it
I’m just guessing
Family
For days I struggled to find the right words to say
For days I tried my hardest to configure the perfect word play
See for days I demanded my mind to find time to develop words that would bring us even closer together
My family
For you I wanted these words to be of something special
Not the typical remember when …
Or a consistent floetry of me reminiscing
See our love is stronger than any memory could ever display.
Our bond is unbreakable
For it was created, mended, and sealed by God
And I can be nothing but thankful that God decided to bless my life in this way
And to our Angels
Gone but never forgotten
Thank you for planting the seed of our family’s love in such fertile soil
Allowing our roots to grow far, wide,
And deep into his word
Keeping us strong and unmoveable
In the face of the devils mischief
Thank you for teaching us the importance of supporting one another
No matter how much physical distance may come in between us
Thank you for being the role models we needed to continue a legacy unspoken
And thank you for always keeping God 1st giving us the key to solving all of our problems and surviving all of our obstacles
May these words fill each of your souls and take a place in your hearts
My family
In your darkest moments remember that we are each others light
and We Are
The epitome of love and togetherness
Hour 9
“A little slice of paradise in the city”
That’s what the billboard read.
Hard to believe
In a chain-linked putrid trash heap of a city,
paradise was even a concept.
Riveted high rises reaching for a portal to fresh air.
People with magnets for feet
and anchors for arms.
What a pathetic lot.
The class moved on to the next chapter in their history books,
grateful they didn’t live back then.
Hour 9 – Prompt 9 – Picture 1 – “Enjoy the present”
You’ve left me free in this picturesque scene
Free to explore and go, wherever I wish
Should I walk on the board walk, enjoy the creaks?
Should I climb and balance to walk on the wooden fence?
Should I walk on the moist, yellow grass, near the stream?
Should I walk on the dry, yellow grass, soft beneath my heels?
Should I climb on the fragile branches, and flit like a butterfly?
Should I jump from one branch to the next, like a monkey, all agile?
Should I explore deeper into the rugged terrain, on a mountain trek?
Should I touch the snow with bare hands, and the sky above my head?
Should I row on handmade boat, and check where the stream goes?
Should I just put my feet in the water and feel the water’s flow?
With so many choices to make, will I forget to breathe in the essence?
Will I forget to enjoy the present moment in nature’s presence?
Lover of sleep
Lay in her bed
As the owl hooted
A cricket chirped
As the stars twinkled
And the moon smiled
A face in her mind
A conversation to remember
A single glance offered
A smaile that broke
And then only one feeling
Left to feel
And so the sleepy girl
Stayed awake.
I missed an hour cause I blinked and didn’t open my eyes again for an hour. I’m not going to make this mistake again.
Planting the Flag #9
Planting the Flag
I have no flag but yours to claim
Our fathers and lovers fallen
We weep and bury our sons
Yet you hand us this flag
Brother, what do you know of us
We are different, not like you
I see no flag that speaks of love
And earth and peace
Molasses skinned women
Have no flag to keep them safe
Stolen daughters, murdered children
Where is their flag
With your flag you claim the moon
The mountains, the oceans
The plains, the forest
Winter, a flower, a breeze has no flag
There is no flag to help me read
To sow the seeds and dream the songs
I am weary of your flag that
Tells our sisters what to wear, when to marry
It is a ruse, a con, more crazed pride
Defending glory with eternal battles
Your flag does not remember us
But bullies and boasts its’ warning