24 Poems ~ 24 Hours
THE MOUTH, PHOTOSYNTHESIZING
bubbling up and branching out
through all appreciative air
effervescent sparkling spirits
rooted together under the ground
just like our breath branches out to the sky
what we share is immortal
ageless light for all beings
we’re shifting and sifting out the gems
we rattle our insides with delight
we’re the rhythm of the roots
chortles churn from the
dark; a villain takes the stage:
amusing, absurd
leave them rolling in
the aisles; struck to their shaking
bones — humorously
*In Greek mythology, Thalia is the muse of comedy behind the smiling face
Welcome to real life,
A place of no mercy.
Welcome to world of challenge
A palace of “all alone”
Nobody is there for help,
nobody willing come to rescue.
Nobody rest assured tcome to save
nobody is anywhere so be strong
for every man is busy with his own battle.
When dreams are broken
the soul is torn asunder
When dreams are broken
life’s joy is ripped into shards
When dreams are broken
you sit on a shelf of your former self
When dreams are broken
shed a tear
You just exist.
Bliss
Bubbles rumble from her belly
tickling her nose
crinkling the corners of her eyes.
The sweetest sounding alarm,
she vibrates with squeals and coos.
She gurgles on the saliva teething brings,
shamelessly bearing pink gums
thrashing chubby arms and legs.
She wriggles drunkenly with contagious, effervescent joy.
Alternative words for laughter
This tree of bones
sits so alone
one branch a femur
all chewed up, from a beaver
kneecap of giraffe
limbs so long you can’t laugh
the spindly twigs
from sparrow’s wings
and the trunk, does it dare
from an elephant there
the knot, it’s a hoof jutted
from a cow once milked, ‘uddered’
last, its leaves you see
molted reptile skin be.
– Sandra Johnson, June 25, 2022
Photo credit Deborah Dalton
I looked down the line of other students’ hands. Their skin was white and plump, like they never had to pick a bean in their lives. They didn’t have to earn a dollar in the fourth grade. I put my hands together, hoping to cover one with the other. I noticed the black stains deep in my fingerprints and the lifelines of my palms. I had done the dishes the night before. I had washed my hands after using the bathroom. But I was still stained, marked a worker, poor and in need. I hid my hands in the open compartment of my desk, wanting something to hold onto, I grabbed a pencil but held too tightly and broke it in half.
You went a different way & made it clear:
either get on board or get lost.
Now I conduct the train from the bowels of obscurity.
How could anyone ask for more?
It’s the least you
deserve because at the end of the day,
trying not to love you is like trying not to exist.
You might as well try to explain the essence of music
or the color of starlight, perhaps even breathe through
your feet.
Long after time has ended & vanished into the bowels
of obscurity,
my love for you will endure
But as long you’re contented, I’ll follow suit with the railcar
in tow. Because at the end of the day,
it’s better to have a surplus than a substantial dearth.
How could anyone ask for more?
Every time I left the house
went to a restaurant
or a store
I’d hold their hands
It wasn’t weird
I was little
I liked it
All was right in my world
It gave me reassurance
that I knew where they were
and where I stood in their lives
How was I to know
that someday they
would take the decision
out of my hands
Where are you mom and dad?
Looked down at my hands
and no one’s holding them
what is going on?
Hello?
Mommy? Daddy?
Where are you?
I can’t see you!
and I am so so scared
We’re over here honey
Come find us-
you’re fine
I can hear you
but I don’t see you
I’m starting to cry
Started looking at other
people and well- none
of them match
Wait! There! I saw her
Running, I’ve found her
Grabbing her hand and huffing my
satisfaction that I have indeed found her
Only to have her take her hand away once
more
You don’t always have
to hold my hand
Honey-
I’m not always going to be
around to hold yours or
comfort you.
If I had only known.