24 Poems ~ 24 Hours
Hour Nineteen 3:45 Dizdain Form
Will you hold my hand as time passes on,
or will you let go and lead me to fall?
Will you remain with me in breaking dawn,
or will you balk and lead me to nightfall?
Will you love above others overall,
or will your attention wander away
distracted by wanton flesh-carnal play?
Will you hold my hand in the years to come,
or will you find reason to break away?
Will I be a placeholder in interim?
Waking up before the sun’s first blush
Opening the sand papery eyes
The puppetry morning routine begins
Looking less drowsy than a zombie
Splashing cold water with a lack of expression
That pale inmate face polishing the addiction
Going about the morning chores
Keeps me acceptably sane
Having lunch with my gang of irritations
I am on with another taxing day
Waiting for it to run its course.
©️ Divya Venkateswaran
Iron wall
Strong and sturdy
I can’t see the top
From down here
Iron wall
Between me and my dreams
It won’t even dent
No matter what I do
Iron wall
I will scale you
Sooner than later
I will be there
Iron wall
On the other side of you
It might not be safe
But it’s what I’m meant to do.
Formulas Followed
Our first dog, Klondike, wore a blue collar.
Our second dog, Xerox, wore a red collar.
Our third dog, Nestle, wore a purple collar.
It’s only took me 36 years to realize
we followed the formula red + blue = purple.
Some years back, our neighbor
called to say our driveway was purple.
I thought someone, knowing my favor
for purple, spilled paint as a practical joke.
We went out, looking for purple
when neighbor came over, laughing,
pointing at our trucks. Paul’s was red,
and that week, I picked up my blue one –
I should have seen that coming.
Better than a purple painted driveway.
When I ran out of purple food coloring
I made more icing by mixing blue and red.
I’m so glad I paid attention in art class
for formulas I could follow.
~ J R Turek Hour 19
Lover of icy winds
winds,
Lover of snow,
Lover of attire
covered with coarse cloth,
Wide boots,
Freezing days,
Cloudy skies,
Dry sunshine
and lots of beauty.
Sliced tomatoes, zucchini, squash, we
in circles, patterns numbered three
red, yellow, green, bake and boil
drizzled with olive oil
olive, garlic, see
finish thee
a treat
Oui!
– Sandra Johnson, 9-3-2023
The light and the dark face everyone all the time
Multiple reflections and all colors in between make all of it appear like lime
Creation won’t pamper you into a choice, it’s all up to you
Think, like a poet; choose, like a lender; endeavor to end up with a dime
*Rubaiyat: Inspired by the text prompt
Going to bed every night is such a treat
I lotion up my body, floss and brushes
Then jump in bed, nestle up to sleep
But today, every hour or so my alarm rushes
Write a poem about a routine or ritual that is part of your life. It can be something like making coffee every morning, or something like attending religious services once a week.
Pet the cat at bedtime
No matter when it be
Lay flat upon the mattress
With upward faced belly
Call your family on the phone
And feel your stress climb
And the he will start purring
Affectionate and divine
Give him lots of love now
Scritchies and the snuggles
Ear crunches gently smoosh his brain
And let you give him huggles
And when you’re done drift off
To a deep deep sleep
As he purrs you into bliss now
Your dreams are his to keep
I don’t believe in hauntings
but I do believe
that taps turn on,
gushing at full force,
around us
in hospital rooms,
guest house bathrooms,
whenever we think of dad.
It has been reassuring when it happens.