24 Poems ~ 24 Hours
Silence. Silence.
Thunder in the house of God.
The children are silent.
Their parents, silent.
The shuffling feet are sheepish.
Silence. Silence.
Light pours in cacophonies
Echoes bounce indecorously
The carven rocks speak
Ancient Latin rhymes.
Silence. Silence.
There is no sound but… giggling
Two small voices giggling
At the joke of thundering
Silence in the house of God.
cw: references to using canaries in coal mines
It was painful when the canary’s best efforts
were met with derision. It sang for
unkind hands, and those hands took
it and brought it deep in the mines,
where it was not suited. It missed
the sunshine of its little back
room, and even its vellum
and ink. The canary did not,
could not, sing down there,
and it was called a fluke; and
it was told that it was bad; and
it returned to suffocating itself
on poetry. When the gentle hands
next came, it did not trust them,
so was it hurt. But gentle hands
are patient hands, too.
“I want pizza I want pizza”
Screamed every pore of my being
My pudgy hands reached for the phone
I almost dialled the pizza place
When the stool I sat on groaned in protest
And crumbled for my weight is no joke!
I sat sprawled on the floor, splinters on me
And the phone in my hand
The head said I needed to dial for a gym subscription
The heart said ‘Carpe diem’
And I did just that and ordered an extra large veggie pizza
With extra cheese!
Bread and sauce, the base of hungry operations
Cheese of any flavor you like, don’t forget it before going to topping stations
Would you like pepperoni? Maybe chicken?
How about vegetables?
Or just plain old cheese, under heat will melt and thicken
You can put whatever you desire on edibles!
Barbecue sauce? Just the red sauce alone?
Olives or corn?
If you’re one to like pineapples, we’ll get some thrown
But the internet won’t leave you alone, I warn
Pizza, a simple bread with sauce and cheese
Your toppings are your choice as you please
I will take a pizza.
Just cheese please.
Maybe pepperoni.
No, pepperoni.
I get heartburn.
Bacon. Bacon and Pineapple.
NO mushrooms. I hate mushrooms.
Just Bacon and Pineapple and cheese please.
I know it isn’t a real Hawaiian pizza.
But technically Hawaiian Pizza isn’t Hawaiian.
I love cheese pizza though. Maybe half and half
Half cheese, half bacon and pineapple.
No extra cheese.
Extra cheese gets weird.
It throws the sauce, crust, cheese, topping ratio off.
I know what I am talking about.
I do. I have made hundreds of thousands of pizzas.
No that isn’t hyperbole.
I worked in pizza places most of my adult life.
You know what, never mind.
Just make me a cheese pizza.
With extra sauce. but not too much.
Light extra sauce.
Yes that’s a thing.
I don’t want my cheese to swim off the pizza.
It’s simple really.
If you want, I can make it myself.
I know I don’t work here, yet.
Then make me a cheese pizza.
A little extra sauce.
Cook it just a bit longer.
No, not well done.
Just cooked a bit longer.
If you can’t do it, find me someone who can.
It’s Pizza. Very easy to make.
I have made hundreds of thousands of them.
No, it isn’t hyperbole.
How many have you made?
On the corner late at night
I listen and I hear it.
Purr and grimble
Hiss and fight
And I’d rather not come near it.
But I prefer this to silence
silencio
A verb, request, a noun
Silence Silencio
Adjective and found
To be most dangerous when you’ve pets
Or even toddlers with rudeness I bet
They started with seedlings:
Tomatoes, onions, basil, oregano
As these were growing
They placed two hula hoops
In the sunniest spot on the raised bed
And drew lines for each sprout
They watered and weeded and waited
For the harvest
So they could savor a pizza
Crafted with their labor
Produce from their garden
Pizza
P is for the painful way you burn my mouth
I is for incredibly, incredibly hot
Z is for a zillion degrees, the temperature of this pizza
Z is for zombification. From the too hot pizza. It could happen.
A is for AAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!
(Maybe next time I should let it cool down for a bit.)
Healthy Eating … Scottish Style
Deep fried pizza
Frozen
Oven ready
Quarter or half portions
Plunged into hot fish oil until crispy
Pizza supper …
Just add salty chips
Brown sauce and vinegar
A Crunch supper …
Add batter
A unique flavour
A dubious nutritional profile all its own
A heart attacks pre-served and ready to go
Running from the truth
Because it hurts
Please just choose
To put yourself first
Hiding from the lies
The damage is done
My heart cries
We’re not having fun
Back and forth
Lacking stability
We are worth
The possibility
No sparing feelings
No actions from spite
Just new beginnings
Do what feels right
Look into yourself
Listen as the soul sings
Ask for help
But no running