24 Poems ~ 24 Hours
Prompt #7 – riff on viator form
Mind a wild stallion
snaking through switchback canyons
rearing when startled
unsure where to go
lost in a desert of grief
So that I breath in
mind an unbroken stallion
shy of other hands
listening for your voice
searching & remembering
when time ran calmly
no tangled ruminations
mind a gentled mare
and nothing behind but blue sky
the wildest thing water
I sat down to have my dinner
And saw the news
I saw a field of dead soldiers
Just like Flanders Field
There were lots of flowers
And yellow and blue flags
Draping them all.
I saw a young woman crying and sobbing
‘I loved you for years
I might as well be dead
I have nothing to live for’
She said in deep anguish.
Four others turned up
And they have taken up arms
And joined the army
They hope to die and join the dead men
That is their intention.
Ukraine has been a peaceful country
Its farmers growing wheat for the world
And sunflowers for oil.
Russia has much to answer for
And yet no one is able to stop this war.
So wasteful of lives – a blur on the landscape.
—
Striped like the suit of a clown
in reds and whites
or a drunk flag
pasted on doors of every town;
smoky mirrors of rusting gold,
clipping shears set out for work
waiting for the town gossip
to take his turn.
Men and boys perch
on slatted redwood benches
for their five minutes undivided
of old Ernie’s chatter,
soused by now.
Each waits in turn
listening to woes of life
to be solved by all.
Now we go to shrinks
and pay $200 an hour,
yes, the barber is cheaper
but is he better by far?
There’s not many
Who could say
They saw me through
My darkest days
When times were bad
There’s not many
In fact, there really
Isn’t any
Who had the strength
To see me through
There’s not many
Not even you
So know I’ll be fine
Without any
With strength like mine, cuz
There’s not many.
~Mandy Kocsis©2023~
marked and drawn
from on the mount eyes follow down
marked and drawn
they tarry forth and pray
a great cloud of dust
breaks the line from going on
marked and drawn
Tree Falls
The cut and dig may come for
Odd mold or infestation or
Old roots tangled in utilities
Some times, storm’s wrath
Occasionally the time of gravity
And gravity of time
But the question remains
Even in the shadow and glint
Of steel and concrete
Press refresh
it’ll be different this time
see something else- but
nothing too new –
cognitive continuity
cyclical design
managed expectations
dissonance is taboo
under control
comfortable decline
the only kind of reset
desperate to keep everything the same
Are words enough?
As silence falls
With ready tears
And pieces of my heart.
I wonder aloud,
Are words enough?
To reconnect
And pull you close.
Our guarded embrace –
murmured thoughts
Are words enough?
To make you stay.
Through turbulent,
biting anger.
rage against loss.
Are words enough?
Here lived a girl in her twenties
Clothes to be cleaned in the plenties
Not included with rent
Laundry costs 50 cents
Lies the dryer that she forgot to empty
A friend is someone you can talk to
when you need someone to listen.
A friend may not know all the answers,
but they know how to help you find the right one for you.
A friend may not always agree,
but support is always there.
A friend will always remain by you
to show how much they care.
Some friends are temporary fixtures
carving a spot in your heart of hearts.
Some friends are in your life just for a season
leaving a void that isn’t easy to overcome.
Some friends are accidental,
a relationship never meant to be.
and when it’s over you lament the loss that grew out of necessity.
Some friendships develop as time moves on.
Like a fine red wine the value will increase.
There’s nothing you need to do.
Just be yourself because the connection is clear
they’ll stand by you as years go by.
and you have no need for doubt or fear.