24 Poems ~ 24 Hours
I was worthless, craving acceptance
battling conscience
But I was not alone in this tale
My words shall now set sail
To another who shared my veil
He was banished, seeking solace
challenging disgrace
His waves wet my shore and the journey began
I would be of all worth to him, each day and again
He would see through me his suffering was never in vain
And we would fight all battles side by side
Worthless and banished, who no longer hide.
When the towers fell about our heads
We wondered short of the cold and dead
Who to blame and who to strike
And so it came to pass
When word and action carried
The world aloft on arrows
A trajectory of folly
No weight or power could alter
Trumped by foolish favor
Foiled by fury and fear
Reason gave way to revenge
Solidarity, to fear
Our journey begins with a child in white.
His hair is dark, his eyes are bright,
A happy soul, a heart filled with light.
On the eve of his travel he fills up a pouch
Slings it over his shoulder, the weight makes him slouch
With him, an apple, some cheese, and a sword, as well as a coin purse, a blanket, and cord
He knows not where he’s going, just that it is now When
And it’s time to leave now, he says goodbye to the hen.
Over the hills, past the cossack’s row, out past the river where the cathewhumps grow
He sets out to slay a magnificent beast, knowing if he does he’ll recieve a magnificent feast.
At last in a cave, the boy tries to be brave for there a monster lies and there its child cries.
With a schnik and thwack! the deed is done, the beasts both dead, and the child has won?
Writing Woes
Talk to the blank page,
As if it were an old friend.
Great writing should set the stage,
Hurry, lets get started, and begin.
I sit in my chair, poised and ready for action.
My blue pen rests on the kitchen table.
Writing always gives me pleasure and satisfaction.
But, try as I might, I cannot think of what I am able.
Write about the time you and Grandma went to Vegas.
Or, write about your last big move.
I think….Okay, that trip was outrageous.
I began typing, I.m back in the groove.
I love stringing words and sentences together.
To make paragraphs turn into a story.
Oops. I’m slowing down, stuck forever.
I will try to finish this book when I am forty.
She never knew a mother.
She heard of love…
From some customers…
In the heat of their passion.
She felt none.
Then he came to her.
He only spoke with her.
He wanted to save her.
He tried, she was changing…
Her freedom was in death.
Step #2:
She never knew a mother.
Though many women were around.
She heard of love…
And never saw it.
From some customers…
In the heat of their passion.
She felt none.
She was beyond tears…
Beyond emotions seen in others.
Customers cried, laughed, yelled…
And called her ugly names.
Then he came to her.
He only spoke with her.
And called her beautiful, important!
He said her name, with kindness.
He wanted to save her.
He tried, she was changing…
She was understanding what love was…
Some sort of feeling about to be born.
Her freedom was in death.
Step #3:
She never knew a mother.
She heard of love…
And never saw it.
She felt none.
She was beyond tears…
Beyond emotions seen in others.
And called her ugly names.
Then he came to her.
He said her name, with kindness.
He wanted to save her.
She was understanding what love was…
Her freedom was in death.
Even lost words end up somewhere
They travel to places we cannot imagine
The compression is too great
They circle through lives
One by one
In and out
Until they become where words go
They travel space and time
Recalling all thoughts
Making records of what was
Trapping moments
Unrestingly
Maybe the words where never there
Even lost words end up somewhere
Whether you want them to or
Not
My Zombie Friend
Step 1
My name is Emily Marie Lynn McGoo
I’ll tell you a story, I promise it’s true.
I used to get teased at my school each day,
Before my new friend chased the bullies away.
He’s never too busy to play hide and seek,
Or to help me go fishing in Hannigan’s Creek.
I’m afraid that my Mother will send him away,
Can he sleep at your house? Well, what do you say?
He won’t be much trouble, I’ll keep him in line,
If you keep your dog hidden, it will all be just fine.
Step 2
My name is Emily Marie Lynn McGoo
I’ll tell you a story, I promise it’s true.
I used to get teased at my school each day,
Before my new friend chased the bullies away.
He’s never too busy to play hide and seek,
Or to help me go fishing in Hannigan’s Creek.
We might go to the park, or spin in the sun,
Or I braid his armpits, now THAT is some fun!
The only thing is, when it’s time for a treat,
He always wants terribly gross things to eat.
At first it was mud pies and boogers and stuff.
Then he ate some worms, but that wasn’t enough.
He ate my friend’s dog, and a whole flock of geese,
And my big sister Sarah (he said she was a feast!)
I’m afraid that my Mother will send him away,
Can he sleep at your house? Well, what do you say?
He won’t be much trouble, I’ll keep him in line,
If you keep your dog hidden, it will all be just fine.
Oh wait! Never mind, Mom’s no longer a care,
I’m sure it’s okay – all that’s left is her hair!
Step 3
My name is Emily Marie Lynn McGoo
I’ll tell you a story, I promise it’s true.
I used to get teased at my school each day,
Before my new friend chased the bullies away.
The only thing is, when it’s time for a treat,
He always wants terribly gross things to eat.
He ate my friend’s dog, and a whole flock of geese,
And my big sister Sarah (he said she was a feast!)
I’m afraid that my Mother will send him away,
Can he sleep at your house? Well, what do you say?
Oh wait! Never mind, Mom’s no longer a care,
I’m sure it’s okay – all that’s left is her hair!
The world was on fire,
Because once upon a time,
Her fractures were only deep down,
And on the surface of it,
She lived and she laughed,
And carried jewel-like dreams in her hands,
(No, she cried like monsoon, too, she did).
Yes, she did. There were rivers everywhere.
But oh, the asteroid, oh holy destruction.
Every last thing,
So who cared if it burned, too?
She struck a match.
The stars of my childhood were the lit windows in the buildings
The trees were the tall, black lampposts,
hanging its branches over the street
The insect calls were found in the rumbling of trains and accelerating cars
This was my nature
As an adult, I discovered the other kind
The bushes alive with fireworks
The sounds of motorcycle engines in the throats of frogs
Each sound and light, a circuit board of life
Nature and city collide, cry, crash, and cradle
A gasp, a grasp, a growl
All a part of the circuitry in my veins
My city was my forest; the jungle, a town.
