Ratatouille (a nonet) – Hour 16, prompt 16
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
KALEIDOSCOPE (hour xvii)
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
Hour 20 – Disrupted Sleep
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
Hour 20 text prompt
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
Tap water
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.
Rocking Before Bed
Just before bed
I listen to music
rocking back and forth
I daydream as I listen
my hopes and dreams
dance in the motion
the motions of my rocking chair.
Hour 13
Slowly catching up.
Hour 13
Some days I wonder if I should’ve sent that text
Because now we have spoken at all in over a year
And maybe you were a bit shit at responding
But when we held conversations
I thought you knew me
That you understood who I was
And you wanted to know more
I thought I knew you
That I was seeing who you were
And I wanted to know more
Now I think you shouldn’t text when drinking
Past Midnight
Moon glow casts shadows
on the closet door—
geometric watercolors that flicker.
I watch them for a while
before turning toward the window
and the grace of your bare arm:
a luminous silhouette.
My gaze travels along the smooth
and curve of you,
and finally rests on
the leg you’ve flung over the duvet,
toe pointing toward morning.
Hour 20 – Haikus for the mad
Wanna join me in
a reminder of my letter-
ed masochism
yes! wait, leathered as
in the animal skin or
in the alphabet?
Honestly, I’m in
either way; both for the challenge
and companionship
How many tabs do
you have open right now?
“Lots”
That’s not a number
Experiencing the Experience of the Pairs
The relaxation –
overshadowed the bedtime.
My friend and I were in hushed discussion. That in existence,
We were all natives.
One thing stroke my arrogance,
that I was flat broken.
She has also experienced that the landscape and the sky
Unfold the deepest beauty.
So, let the candle handle the darkness,
The sun is full of heat and lightness.