24 Poems ~ 24 Hours
fingers unwind, the very same that
caressed when intertwined, mine in yours.
and as we part, the halting caresses relive
the painful moments of canorous, crooning,
warbled words. wishful thoughts…
the very words, your dainty fingers, sometime
before this sepulchral silence,
on my gnarled and mottled skin, wrote.
it’s not wacky wednesday
but the tree is on fire
and somewhat upside down
but to extinguish
would be to electricute
it’s not manic monday
but it’s a housewide blackout
my internet
is disconnected at the root
it’s not freaky friday
but damn
I have to go
to the bathroom again
(for the third time this hour)
__ar.
(The prompt was to write about 3 inconvenient things that happened today. lol….)
Now I lay me down to sleep
I jolt myself awake
Poetry looms before me now
Don’t fall asleep for God’s sake
Pull yourself up by your bootstraps
Or at least your comfy old socks
Don’t put your head down for even a sec
You know how it is with these clocks
Force your eyes open do whatever you can
To keep your lost focus alive
Push yourself a few hours more
A poem will soon be your last
Now I lay me down…oh no
Stay awake, alert, and strong
Find that voice those last few words
The muse will push you along
she wore an orange silk camisole underneath her cotton blouse
making every breeze more interesting to those who stood over her
while she rode the bus from fayette to montford
and it had never dawned on her that anyone would even desire a peek
much less stare with bold eye or quick glance;
and the daisy dukes revealed the orange lace tap pants underneath.
she did it all so effortlessly that she sometimes forgot to be coy
and men would whistle and yell out to her-
but she’d never pause to acknowledge the attention-
walking in her sheer cotton blouse and daisy dukes
she felt like a girl again
and didn’t want to think about the water bill she had
left on the dresser
or the dead beat dad who came by once in a while-
here and now
she was independent and spontaneous-
unrestrained and immune to the world around her-
ripe like a tangerine.
The words he spoke were fairy floss,
Their taste so sugary sweet,
You’d swear if it was possible,
They’d be all you’d ever eat,
But the thing with wads of fairy floss,
Is they’re always quick to melt,
Until you’re sticky with the memories,
Of the love you swore you felt,
And suddenly you see the truth,
You crave it less and less,
For a little sugar’s always nice,
But it isn’t worth the mess.
Whereupon
You must tell them
‘Here stands my other son’
He loved you and
he held you dear
As Hercules held Uni dear
And nursed from her breast
And you, my dear
Who never would trouble herself
As the morning dawn
Is too cold and clear
You complain your fingers
Grow numb in the
late autumn stream
But I tell you,
What matters is that
As he sits
His back to you
Spine rigid
Heart broken
Tell him that
The stream never did matter
And that he is,
your other son
You were my friend
You were my bacon of the day
You made everything better
So what chanced
Was that you ignored me
Or took advantage of me
Possible that you looked at me like garbage
No it was that you walked away when I needed you most
Confidence when the battle of fear
With one’s ego has been fought and won
Unity between head and heart brings
Self-love
And from this
Confidence glows from within
to the outside world
Touching all that you encounter
On your path
Before dawn breaks in Singapore,
The hunched, wizened figure,
Worn singlet already drenched in sweat,
Prepares his aromatic infusion.
A heady scent permeates the entire kitchen.
The brew of freshly grinded robusta,
Roasted with generous dollops of butter or margarine,
Drenched in hot water and poured
Through that well used, thin brown cloth sock
Into that bent, rusting pot with elongated spout,
Again and again,
Until the master brewer is satisfied.
The secret ‘kopi’ recipe,
Locked in the recesses of his mind,
is guarded zealously, and passed down
Only to one apprentice at a time (no more).
This perk-me-up never fails.
It is my wondrous drug of choice,
The rush that runs through my veins,
My elixir of life.