The Poetry Marathon

Hour3

Do you want to be my lover?

Do you want to fly on the wings

of my poetry? Wanna feel joy?

Do you want to ride waves together?

 

twenty-two: Digital Rush Or…

Digital Rush or Lit Games Nocturne or Ode To The Poetry Marathoners

Stanza and verse
Under big waning moon
Accompanied by 4AM music box
of crickets vs interstate vs railroad vs neighborhood
Yawning from a tired hurting face
Having seen one more emergency room than he had ever hoped
Feeling better enough
To write a marathon
To pull art from self and shitty sinuses
Yes we signed and dreamed up for this
Played prompts close to the vest
Ignored their pleas for release until the appointed hour
And some even had the nerve
To get all “meta” about it
While swimming a sea of digital ink
And a scope in their ear
(Or was that just me)
In a month were superstars set records
around or under ten seconds on a stadium track
I plod mental streets with verses
Aimed at coliseum finish line
Now who’s finishing with me?

Code Talkers IV:

Code Talkers IV:

A small group of men

all huddled in a foxhole

making history.

 

Devising a code

to trick the enemies and

help save the day.

Old Man Cat (22)

My friend and his wife take care of this old cat

he showed up one day after all his kittens did

and it was pretty quickly deduced that he was dad

to litters upon litters of kitten bastards

and I love him

I love his un-neutered jowls

like puffy cloud cheeks

his loose morals

and his handle on life

they feed him good food

he conquers every lady cat who ever lived

destroys their weak men with fast swipes

and sleeps hard on the couch despite being warned

with little snot bubbles coming out of his nose

and the world growing heavy with his offspring

your pregnancy, your problem

old man cat says

to a legion of sad lady cats

spiritually he is already a dozen states away

with his cat name changed

physically he’s right there

slaying existence

unapologetic.

Prompt #22

Now, I’m no scholar but

I gotta say that based

on my experience,

cold pizza is the best

hangover cure ever.

Veggie, preferably,

because the grease

that coagulates on

pepperoni is gross.

 

Anchovies? I’m in

the school of Yes.

Little fishy bombs

of flavor… what is

not to love here?

 

Apparently a lot.

 

Recent scientific

studies show that

four out of five pizza

taste experts prefer

their pizza without

little fish.

 

Well that’s just

nonsense.

 

2023 Poem Seven

Hey, three out of three

people deserve happiness.

That includes you too.

African Violet hour 21

African Violet

Compact, low-growing, slow-growing
houseplant with thick, fuzzy leaves and
clusters of petaled flowers that bloom
several times a year.

They can be persnickety if ignored,
love bright, diffused warm conditions
devoid of drafts, yet appreciate a soft
breeze to keep from being stuffy.

They want to be watered regularly but
not too much that their roots rot or
too dry that their leaves shrivel. They
will not wade in water.

Do not get their leaves wet, water
from beneath or plant in a two-stage
pot that holds below the plant. They
will not flower if mistreated.

Their blooms come in pinks, whites,
and several shades of purple that add
drama to your windowsill. Prepare
to be their slave.

When you compare their traits,
they are much like a mother-n-law,
bossy with needs and wants, pesky
for you to jump through hoops,

and even then, they may not perform.
Get a silk plant; they look authentic,
so lifelike, your guests will never guess
it can’t fail to please.

~ J R Turek Hour 21

2023 Full Marathon: Hour 22

There are so many things
I am hoping you’ll realize

as the pages get thinner and

thinner – as you not only near

the end – but feel it so completely

in your soul that this is just

another step along a path you

have been choosing since the

beginning of your story.

But the most important take away

is that wrapping up ideas is almost

never – so rarely ever – as clean and

as tidy and no where near as final as

everyone likes to believe. There is

always somewhere else to go,

something else to say or someone

else left to be. There is always more.

 

-M. Rene’

Prompt 22

Pizza

 

Night of Ninettes

Night of Ninettes

 

run

these words

pages filled

in her journal

another night, up

engrossed in words

forming still

three more

run

 

Night of Ninettes II

 

hours

once many

obstacles

tending time, we

Poets of the night

as we write

over

hours