24 Poems ~ 24 Hours
once high upon the sullen rocks
i chanced upon a paradox,
when the rivers fury in molten might
cut through the layers of solid granite.
and all that was trivial turned profound,
in earth-shattering motion laid to ground,
and the great crumbled to eternal dust….
the air is a limited time offer a limited time luxury i sit under a lamppost and let the light pour down on me as i tell you over and over again that it’s me that’s the lucky one and i promise i’ll get to you backstab my demons and all of the no-you-cannots my brain is the vilest bully i’ve ever known shown me the hideous things i am capable of i can accept this world for its fallen ashes fallen kingdoms fallen heroes fallen faces i can respect the efforts to tame to tarnish to retreat and i’ll sit under the sun one day no more artificial light and i’ll see you there sitting with snakeskin pride and the grass is just a haven not a home we have no home no holy land to unwind unweave humanize no place to hide our faults and our worn-down weak weary faces and i’ll wonder why nothing ever breaks you i’ll wonder how you’ve become so resilient and i know this world is full of have-me-nots love-me-nots leave-me-nots fear-me-nots forget-me-nots and i realize people can never really see themselves completely no 360 degree no bird’s eye no head on collision no keyhole peephole porthole view they can only see how they affect other people they can only see other people there standing under the streetlight never seeing behind below above around themselves full of reasons to let go reasons to pay no mind reasons to misinterpret reasons to close their eyes in the darkness close their mind to the light completely covered in blind spots
Title a poem as you would start a letter with Dear “insert name here”, then go on to write a poem to the person whose name you used. That person could be real or fully imagined. The contents of the poem could contain truth or fiction, but you must keep in mind the duel nature of this poem, it is a letter as well as a poem.
Late season fireflies
trace paths for transient stars.
Galaxies collide.
I remember the day we got married.
It didn’t snow like we had hoped so we could get our wedding rings for free, but it was cold regardless.
I got the question that so many grooms get before the altar.
“So are you nervous?” My brother asked.
Out of so many years playing a role, out of so many days putting on a show, this of all felt the most natural.
I joked as I usually do, but this time there were no jokes, this one moment in time was void of a punch line.
I was ready.
I was ready to jump for her without worrying if there was any safety bet beneath.
She was my safety net, my life line, and it mattered not if I were to fall a thousand feet, she would be there.
Smile at the ready, telling me without a whisper “It’s okay to fall.”
It wasn’t a big wedding, no extravagant entrance, no pomp and ceremony.
Just two people so in love that the only thing they cared about was the end result.
The moment when our first kiss as man and wife would be the last first kiss we’d ever take.
Of course you can’t have a wedding without something to commit to memory.
I dropped the ring.
Cursing the nail lady that did my wife’s nails, the photographer captured the whole thing in one shot.
I got it on the second try, but not without a red flushed face.
Nearly four years have gone by, each day its own new adventure and I can’t wait for the others.
Of all the plastic personalities and man made problems in this world, above all else, you and I will be one of the few purely natural.
verses and vacant emotions fade
right out of history onto the
blacktop of empty schoolyards
i heard you sing about living forever
as you carved your name in the concrete
i realize i am dead but i keep walking
People come and go
all the time
some want coffee
some a doughnut
others it seems
come to enjoy the scene.
Never sure what they want
or if they want at all,
what they need
can’t be bought.
Someone to talk to
just a short chat
loneliness hurts
we can all help
with a smile.
It never seems to be
What you think it will
You fight your battles
You charge up the hill
You pay your dues
You scream your cries
You dream for love
Your loved one dies
It never seems to be
What you plan out for
No matter how you try
They just slam that door
But one can never give up
One must continue on
Keep to that path
Try and stay strong
Maybe just maybe
Something good will come forth
You fought the battle
No time for remorse
Battles get won
Doors open wide
One day you will see
As you as step your way through
There was gold in the battles
Riches on the path
Love builds to love
The cries make you laugh
There’s a gift in your future
A reward in success
The journey’s what matters
Until you take your last breath…..
The modern artist forces us to look upon the truths of our world: the inanity of a baked bean tin, or the futility of trash.
In recent history, the artist sought to portray forever-truths: love, death, desire, nature, the innocence of childhood…
I wonder: What did our ancestors want us to know? When peering at structures aligned with the stars; when perceiving how they had made malleable the harshness of stone, when it was all they were given to sculpt; when peering down an avenue of arches toward the rising sun, we are sensible of crude drums or chanting druids; blinding, bursting solar light- or the glowing emissions of celestial orbs. We might feel the heat of a funeral pyre, or perceive the warmth of a campfire; hear the voices of humans akin to ourselves. What did you want us to know? I wonder.
At home I’m pretty
At school I’m a ugly
With you I’m a shining star
At home I’m stressed
At school I’m a nervous wreck
With you I’m starting to relax
At home I’m on edge
At school I’m on watch
With I you I’m protected
At home I wish I was with you
At school I think about you
With you I hope you never leave