* * *
110222
MIDDAY NAP
Someone wearing white stockings,
petticoats, and a gold silk pinafore
is tumbling down a long, cushiony hill.
Lying in bed and viewing this,
I know it’s me, gently bouncing down
from lush spring-green heights,
skimming over golden tufts
of autumn grasses, and approaching
a long, gentle out-of-view slope
that will end abruptly and culminate
in something wonderful or tragic.
110221
NEWS OF THE DAY
People- and earth-
quakes rumble.
Dictators and buildings tumble.
Thinkers fumble.
Doers stumble.
The world is all a-jumble
[ASIDE: Uprisings in the Middle East,
Earthquake in New Zealand.]
110220
JUST DO IT
Coax bad habits
down the stairs?
Slow-mo tweeze
your nasal hairs?
110219
CAT: A TONIC (for Butterscotch)
What once was merely preferential
now is clearly near-essential:
a daily dose of cat to schmooze
(it hardly matters whose).
110218
"WHY" GENERATION (for Allan)
Why are unanswerable
questions the ones I pose?
Why, why, why
am I obsessed with those?
110217
IN BRIEF
Why use
long words?
Short will do.
Short is better;
four-letter…
three-letter…
look, too, to two.
PLAY, MATES!
To kinder spirits,
it’s one big garten.
THINKING ABOUT
NOT THINKING
I was born.
I talked.
I stopped to think.
Now I think
it may be better
not to talk,
not to think.
Such emptiness
may well be
death’s birth canal.
110216
CLOUDS FORMING
“Such a pretty sunrise—
but enjoy it; this may be
the only sun we see today.”
“What—are there more?”
PEACE BY PEACE
When belief causes grief,
this may make some sense:
seek contrary evidence.
110215
TREAD LIGHTLY
I don’t know what happened
to elicit this—but, dang!
“Don’t insult me, mister!
I’m the quiet type with fangs.”
[ASIDE: Encountered on Twitter.]
A WALK IN THE “PLARK”
That’s when play and work
run together indistiguishably
(walk together; same thing).
GOOD WRITING (for Christopher)
Take a simple story
with characters
you care about.
Tell it well. No doubt,
your readers will care too.
Face your fears.
Accept help, insights,
feedback, and advice.
Join others who
struggle like you.
Get unserious;
make it fun.
Go nuts!
Keep it simple.
Be bold.
Write with guts.
[ASIDE: Comment/synopsis made at:
http://www.fuelyourwriting.com/
power-of-words-the-kings-speech-and-good-writing/]
110214
LOVE IS BLIND
Chocolate candy, pink lace hearts,
red-red roses, cupid darts…
From dollar store to galleria,
valentine excess overflows.
Bows and arrows, ribbons and bows…
Surely, everybody knows...
had it been a fresh idea
(something neither myth-icized,
love-aligned, nor cute-ified)—
cupid would be stupid.
DEAR YOU… LOVE, ME (for Darby)
Beyond this world’s illusion,
we are in collusion...
enacting love’s inclusion.
Love is all we are.
Love is all we do,
even when not meaning to.
LOST IN THE MIDDLE
I like to piddle.
I like to twiddle.
I like to not make up my mind.
Or else, I find,
I like to make it up one way,
then down another,
again and again and again.
I like to piddle
and twiddle and fiddle—
but why? That’s the riddle.
NEW MEMBER (for LeaAnn)
“LeaAnn Van Winkle-Gisler”
…now, THAT name is a whistler!
How many other times
ya think this “LeeAnn” rhymes?
110213
DAY? OH!
Sun.
Him come.
Him wake up
everyone.
110212
RIGHT?
To believe a belief,
one has to believe
all contrary evidence
lies.
LEAD ON
How will You direct my day today;
what will You have me do?
How will You invite, incite;
what will You move me to?
NOT ALL THAT UNEXPECTED
Why do scientists keep discovering
fabulous things like quarks and quasars,
black holes, and distant planets?
Because we keep thinking them up.
[ASIDE: Some posit that the universe is made of thought
and keeps extending outward from our consciousness
as the range of our thought increases.]
DESIGN SPECIFICATIONS
My latest rabbit hole
(a logo design contest)
was a lost cause
from the get-go.
So I got-gone—
or at least
my prospects did
(which means I’m still snagged).
Well, I will submit my superb
(trust me) entry anyway,
sure that it will be disqualified
on a technical technicality—
specifically, my lack of
the specific technology needed
to produce the design
in a specific software format.
But I can hardly call this
a “lost weekend"—
the difficulties were such
a satisfying challenge.
[ASIDE: My determination to do my best, once I’d launched,
resulted in a submission that did meet the design specifications—
thanks to contributions of knowledge and expertise by
some of my artist friends… may they be blessed!]
110211
AS EXPECTED
“What if?”
That’s the most
wonderful wonder.
What if… I’m okay?
What if… it’s okay?
What if it’s okay
if I’m okay
with whatever is?
110210
QUI SUM
Throwing off fear,
shame and sham,
I claim myself.
I say who I am.
PIQUANT
To a poem,
time is spice.
Read it slow.
Read it twice.
DEFLATED
Sixteen inches this morning,
compared to twenty yesterday:
a too-quick collapse of our
wonderful snow soufflé!
COLD, HARD
LIGHT OF DAY
Last night, I placed paper
and pencil by my bed.
In the dark, I wrote a poem.
There was no pencil lead.
NOLA PRIMA DONNA (for Valerie)
Alligator... hurricane...
you'd think she was a bold one.
No, she's mean and vain;
she taunts;
she flaunts good fortune.
She's the cold one!
[ASIDE: Valerie, my niece, contrasted her fine evening
in New Orleans with the circumstances of Arkansas relatives
blanketed under 20” of snow. Why? Because (she said) she is mean.]
* * *
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Contraries and Curiosities
* * *
110210
OATMEAL AND BANANA (for Linda)
Though oatmeal was my daily manna
(just about) with nuts or fruit,
I'd never had it with banana...
Let me send you a salute!
ONE FINALIST, MANY DREAMS
All but one will falter; fall.
Yet all will give their all.
As we watch and learn and cheer,
we, too, gain victory… over fear.
NO END IN SIGHT
No end of snow
is seen, as yet;
this sky has so much in it.
To what heights
can this snow get?
It seems the sky’s the limit.
SNOW ON SNOW
Mother Winter
lays white linens
gently on each lawn,
then (as these spoil
from soot or soil)
more layers,
and so on.
110209
TOO BUSY TO
Well, why do you think
it’s called an occupation?
LIONS’ CLUB
CHRISTMAS CARD IDEA
Front:
Picture of lions
lying down with lambs.
Inside:
Lions smile hugely as they sing:
“All we like sheep!”
110208
AND MY POINT IS?
What use am I to anyone?
Whyever was I born?
From first morn, I went
subject to my own bent—
keen to become life-wise.
Now, my age is showing
(my demise)
and my synthesized wisdom
sounds strangely flat:
“Trust your inner knowing.”
But you knew that.
VALENTINE BOUQUETS
On scarcity of flowers,
there are no reports.
Are Columbian harvests
snowed out of airports?
110207
FLIP SIDE
Yesterday I felt lonely
for a kindred creative soul.
Today I think, “How lucky!
I’m self-entertained. I'm whole.”
GONE BANANAS
We’re in a state, a state of cold
colder than Montana…
we’re low on milk and eggs and bread,
and down to last banana.
Can’t shop... not lazy;
snowed in… near crazy.
Though we have colds, no cold relief;
we’re out of cold reliever…
our cabin’s cold, but we are not;
we’re hot with cabin fever.
110206
LION JOKE (from my Inner Child)
Q: Why did the lion cross the road?
A: [See below, but try to answer for yourself first.]
FOR STARTERS (for Mary and Clyde)
Thank you, Mother,
Thank you, Dad,
for taking care of me—
giving me a life-long sense
I’m loving, loved, and free.
VIGIL
Why don’t I want to go to bed?
Why don’t I want to sleep?
Something’s rising in my mind,
something buried deep.
LONELY MOOD
Some children
play with others
or with invisible friends.
I make do with no one.
Please,
someone make amends.
KID JOKE (from my Inner Child)
Q: Why did the lion cross the road?
A: To get to the other pride.
[ASIDE: This came via writing with my left hand.]
110205
DAWN’S EARLY LIGHT
Snowscapes turn
from pearl to peach
everywhere the sun can reach.
SEASONS APART
Winter spells are hard;
we know, because
we’ve fought ‘em.
It may be May
at top of stairs;
it’s January at bottom.
PRISM ESCAPE
Color
rainbows dark to fair—
but where? Midair?
In eye? In brain?
Out there?
110204
ICY HOT
Yestiddy (a snowy day),
my poe-min’ mighta chilled—
but, suprizinly, did not.
In fact, it went th’other way.
I wuz bizzy, I wuz thrilled—
O, hunny, I wuz hot!
* * *
110210
OATMEAL AND BANANA (for Linda)
Though oatmeal was my daily manna
(just about) with nuts or fruit,
I'd never had it with banana...
Let me send you a salute!
ONE FINALIST, MANY DREAMS
All but one will falter; fall.
Yet all will give their all.
As we watch and learn and cheer,
we, too, gain victory… over fear.
NO END IN SIGHT
No end of snow
is seen, as yet;
this sky has so much in it.
To what heights
can this snow get?
It seems the sky’s the limit.
SNOW ON SNOW
Mother Winter
lays white linens
gently on each lawn,
then (as these spoil
from soot or soil)
more layers,
and so on.
110209
TOO BUSY TO
Well, why do you think
it’s called an occupation?
LIONS’ CLUB
CHRISTMAS CARD IDEA
Front:
Picture of lions
lying down with lambs.
Inside:
Lions smile hugely as they sing:
“All we like sheep!”
110208
AND MY POINT IS?
What use am I to anyone?
Whyever was I born?
From first morn, I went
subject to my own bent—
keen to become life-wise.
Now, my age is showing
(my demise)
and my synthesized wisdom
sounds strangely flat:
“Trust your inner knowing.”
But you knew that.
VALENTINE BOUQUETS
On scarcity of flowers,
there are no reports.
Are Columbian harvests
snowed out of airports?
110207
FLIP SIDE
Yesterday I felt lonely
for a kindred creative soul.
Today I think, “How lucky!
I’m self-entertained. I'm whole.”
GONE BANANAS
We’re in a state, a state of cold
colder than Montana…
we’re low on milk and eggs and bread,
and down to last banana.
Can’t shop... not lazy;
snowed in… near crazy.
Though we have colds, no cold relief;
we’re out of cold reliever…
our cabin’s cold, but we are not;
we’re hot with cabin fever.
110206
LION JOKE (from my Inner Child)
Q: Why did the lion cross the road?
A: [See below, but try to answer for yourself first.]
FOR STARTERS (for Mary and Clyde)
Thank you, Mother,
Thank you, Dad,
for taking care of me—
giving me a life-long sense
I’m loving, loved, and free.
VIGIL
Why don’t I want to go to bed?
Why don’t I want to sleep?
Something’s rising in my mind,
something buried deep.
LONELY MOOD
Some children
play with others
or with invisible friends.
I make do with no one.
Please,
someone make amends.
KID JOKE (from my Inner Child)
Q: Why did the lion cross the road?
A: To get to the other pride.
[ASIDE: This came via writing with my left hand.]
110205
DAWN’S EARLY LIGHT
Snowscapes turn
from pearl to peach
everywhere the sun can reach.
SEASONS APART
Winter spells are hard;
we know, because
we’ve fought ‘em.
It may be May
at top of stairs;
it’s January at bottom.
PRISM ESCAPE
Color
rainbows dark to fair—
but where? Midair?
In eye? In brain?
Out there?
110204
ICY HOT
Yestiddy (a snowy day),
my poe-min’ mighta chilled—
but, suprizinly, did not.
In fact, it went th’other way.
I wuz bizzy, I wuz thrilled—
O, hunny, I wuz hot!
* * *
Friday, February 4, 2011
The Lions' Share
* * *
110203
GREETING CARD IDEAS
FOR MY LIONS CLUB
We heard your news…
NOT BAD, NOT BAD!
In fact, it makes us
GRANDLY GLAD!
You may be strong.
You may be smart.
BUT…
You’re our friend
‘cuz you got HEART!
We’re smiling WIDE
and roaring LOUD!
Your Lion pride
is Lion PROUD!
Your LION friends are on alert.
We don’t LIKE it when you hurt!
Our concern will not end
till you’re well… till you mend.
The one you lost,
so dear to you,
was our friend…
We hurt, too.
CONGRATULATIONS!
We’re happy for your happiness
and wish you even more success.
GET WELL SOON!
We want you well
We want you strong.
We’re glad you’re on the mend.
We want you back
where you belong.
We want you back again.
Our club sometimes is like a zoo,
but when you hurt, we hurt too.
Do you miss us? Well, we miss you!
If you want to know the truth,
we miss you like a missing tooth.
When one of us is sick or sore,
how we WISH we could do more
than fuss and faunch and rant and rave
…and ROAR!
We heard that you are sick in bed.
We WISH that you were here instead.
SHARING YOUR SORROW
We grieve with you
and share your loss.
Life, so priceless,
has such cost.
IN SYMPATHY
We are among the many
who share your pain and loss.
We, too, grieve
and feel bereaved.
LION and LAMB…
Now there’s a pair
who learned to form a bond!
We LION friends
know ‘bout your KID.
Already, we feel fond!
We heard there was an operation
with you as a leading star.
We assume its success
with nary a flub;
we've seen you in action
supporting our club...
What a smooth operator you are!
* * *
110203
GREETING CARD IDEAS
FOR MY LIONS CLUB
We heard your news…
NOT BAD, NOT BAD!
In fact, it makes us
GRANDLY GLAD!
You may be strong.
You may be smart.
BUT…
You’re our friend
‘cuz you got HEART!
We’re smiling WIDE
and roaring LOUD!
Your Lion pride
is Lion PROUD!
Your LION friends are on alert.
We don’t LIKE it when you hurt!
Our concern will not end
till you’re well… till you mend.
The one you lost,
so dear to you,
was our friend…
We hurt, too.
CONGRATULATIONS!
We’re happy for your happiness
and wish you even more success.
GET WELL SOON!
We want you well
We want you strong.
We’re glad you’re on the mend.
We want you back
where you belong.
We want you back again.
Our club sometimes is like a zoo,
but when you hurt, we hurt too.
Do you miss us? Well, we miss you!
If you want to know the truth,
we miss you like a missing tooth.
When one of us is sick or sore,
how we WISH we could do more
than fuss and faunch and rant and rave
…and ROAR!
We heard that you are sick in bed.
We WISH that you were here instead.
SHARING YOUR SORROW
We grieve with you
and share your loss.
Life, so priceless,
has such cost.
IN SYMPATHY
We are among the many
who share your pain and loss.
We, too, grieve
and feel bereaved.
LION and LAMB…
Now there’s a pair
who learned to form a bond!
We LION friends
know ‘bout your KID.
Already, we feel fond!
We heard there was an operation
with you as a leading star.
We assume its success
with nary a flub;
we've seen you in action
supporting our club...
What a smooth operator you are!
* * *
Snow Day Play
* * *
110202
OBLITERATED
When you're young
and take things literally,
news can be so cool!
"Yesterday it snowed.
Today there is no school."
[ASIDE: Original title was CANCELLATION
but readers tended overlook the import.]
ALONE TOGETHER
It’s true—the thought
that ought to be outrageous:
cabin fever is contagious!
BOOKING AGENT
From among the many beside my bed,
I chose a book—to back the torn-open
envelope on which I prepare to write.
Ethan, recognizing poem-mode
when he sees it, asks, “What’s up?”
“I’d been dreaming I was with Oprah
on her show, talking poetry;
that’s sure to launch a poem.”
Shifting my writing materials slightly,
I catch sight of the book’s title and its
implications: The Magic of Thinking Big.
FOUR-PHASE FROST
Kitty catches sight of snow.
Kitty says, “Me-oh!”
* * *
Kitty starts to pine and pout.
Kitty says, “Me-out!”
* * *
Kitty chills, in every paw.
Kitty says “Me-aw!”
* * *
Kitty sees the snow anew.
Kitty says, Me-eeewww!
THAT MY CAT
her a beauty
her a wonder
her got moods
like snow and thunder
her have fur
her make purr
when her run,
her just a blurr
when her sleep,
some sweet angel
when her stir,
some kinda devil
sometime share
sometime plunder
that my cat
some kinda wonder
CHILD AT HEART
Saying
that I love Her ways.
Asking
not to be afraid.
Believing
He is wise and true.
Curious
about taboo.
Gazing
at the world She made.
Hoping
I will stay amazed.
Thinking
He may be a fraud.
This is how
I play with God.
SNOWFLAKES
Like you—
we come,
we play,
we melt away.
WINTER SKY
I see blue;
icy blue.
NAMASTE
Here is where I am,
so here is where I start...
sharing who I am,
sharing from the heart.
* * *
110202
OBLITERATED
When you're young
and take things literally,
news can be so cool!
"Yesterday it snowed.
Today there is no school."
[ASIDE: Original title was CANCELLATION
but readers tended overlook the import.]
ALONE TOGETHER
It’s true—the thought
that ought to be outrageous:
cabin fever is contagious!
BOOKING AGENT
From among the many beside my bed,
I chose a book—to back the torn-open
envelope on which I prepare to write.
Ethan, recognizing poem-mode
when he sees it, asks, “What’s up?”
“I’d been dreaming I was with Oprah
on her show, talking poetry;
that’s sure to launch a poem.”
Shifting my writing materials slightly,
I catch sight of the book’s title and its
implications: The Magic of Thinking Big.
FOUR-PHASE FROST
Kitty catches sight of snow.
Kitty says, “Me-oh!”
* * *
Kitty starts to pine and pout.
Kitty says, “Me-out!”
* * *
Kitty chills, in every paw.
Kitty says “Me-aw!”
* * *
Kitty sees the snow anew.
Kitty says, Me-eeewww!
THAT MY CAT
her a beauty
her a wonder
her got moods
like snow and thunder
her have fur
her make purr
when her run,
her just a blurr
when her sleep,
some sweet angel
when her stir,
some kinda devil
sometime share
sometime plunder
that my cat
some kinda wonder
CHILD AT HEART
Saying
that I love Her ways.
Asking
not to be afraid.
Believing
He is wise and true.
Curious
about taboo.
Gazing
at the world She made.
Hoping
I will stay amazed.
Thinking
He may be a fraud.
This is how
I play with God.
SNOWFLAKES
Like you—
we come,
we play,
we melt away.
WINTER SKY
I see blue;
icy blue.
NAMASTE
Here is where I am,
so here is where I start...
sharing who I am,
sharing from the heart.
* * *
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Winter Sprouts
* * *
110201
PRE-SNOWSTORM
Dear media,
be speedia.
Politics, crime, gossip, sports...?
We want weather reports!
110131
MAIS NO! MAIS OUI!
Pleasure means feeling good.
Guilty means feeling bad.
In truth, can people claim
“guilty pleasures” they've had?
The terms are oxymoronic,
separate as vinegar and oil—
but, if egged on, they may (oh!)
merge in a marriage royal.
110130
A LITTLE NUTHIN’
Pomes make homes
fer minds, I think.
Sum o’ them are logs.
This’n is a chink.
110129
HEALTH FOOD FORAYS
In the aim of health and the form of seeds,
I bought some chia for my pet,
by which I mean my husband;
he who claims that sprouts are weeds
and the taste of pulses repulses.
Pre-diabetes has him hexed
and I'm sure he's wondering what is next
in the way of seeds and weeds.
Though I don't plan to feed him vetch,
I'm keen he be keen on quinoa.
110128
EARLY THANKSGIVING
An early wake, an early rise,
comes today as a surprise—
a gift to squander or invest;
to rust-and-rest or do my best.
So, using pen as my voice,
I choose to make my highest choice
of how to spend this interlude:
a litany of gratitude...
for every person in my life,
for my role as someone's wife,
for health and wealth and soul and mind,
for Nature's wonders, and Divine.
110127
AT THE CLUB
Round and round,
we're walking laps;
we don't want
our health to lapse.
Round and round,
laps on laps;
laps on laps
till we collapse.
110126
UNEXCEPTIONAL
EXCEPTIONS
In every season,
come unseasonable days—
extra hot or cold.
For some reason,
people seem amazed
when such days take hold.
110125
DEAR CATS
Thank you, cats,
for something new
(especially a certain
one of you).
How long’s it been
(one week? or two?)
since you’ve mis-placed
your pee or poo?
110124
PRE-DIABETES
Do not let this
be defeating.
Master wholesome
ways of eating.
110123
TROUBLES, KNEE DEEP
"My knees, my knees,"
he groans. "I don't know if I can
make it to the top of the stairs
with these knees."
"Well, don't leave them
at the bottom," she protests.
"I'll be sure to trip over them."
110122
THE RAISING OF THE BAR (for Susan)
We had a peek, this week,
at a friendly small-town town,
one that deserves renown:
Morrilton.
So solicitous of us
were the people there,
they raised the bar on care.
"Thanks. Well done."
* * *
110201
PRE-SNOWSTORM
Dear media,
be speedia.
Politics, crime, gossip, sports...?
We want weather reports!
110131
MAIS NO! MAIS OUI!
Pleasure means feeling good.
Guilty means feeling bad.
In truth, can people claim
“guilty pleasures” they've had?
The terms are oxymoronic,
separate as vinegar and oil—
but, if egged on, they may (oh!)
merge in a marriage royal.
110130
A LITTLE NUTHIN’
Pomes make homes
fer minds, I think.
Sum o’ them are logs.
This’n is a chink.
110129
HEALTH FOOD FORAYS
In the aim of health and the form of seeds,
I bought some chia for my pet,
by which I mean my husband;
he who claims that sprouts are weeds
and the taste of pulses repulses.
Pre-diabetes has him hexed
and I'm sure he's wondering what is next
in the way of seeds and weeds.
Though I don't plan to feed him vetch,
I'm keen he be keen on quinoa.
110128
EARLY THANKSGIVING
An early wake, an early rise,
comes today as a surprise—
a gift to squander or invest;
to rust-and-rest or do my best.
So, using pen as my voice,
I choose to make my highest choice
of how to spend this interlude:
a litany of gratitude...
for every person in my life,
for my role as someone's wife,
for health and wealth and soul and mind,
for Nature's wonders, and Divine.
110127
AT THE CLUB
Round and round,
we're walking laps;
we don't want
our health to lapse.
Round and round,
laps on laps;
laps on laps
till we collapse.
110126
UNEXCEPTIONAL
EXCEPTIONS
In every season,
come unseasonable days—
extra hot or cold.
For some reason,
people seem amazed
when such days take hold.
110125
DEAR CATS
Thank you, cats,
for something new
(especially a certain
one of you).
How long’s it been
(one week? or two?)
since you’ve mis-placed
your pee or poo?
110124
PRE-DIABETES
Do not let this
be defeating.
Master wholesome
ways of eating.
110123
TROUBLES, KNEE DEEP
"My knees, my knees,"
he groans. "I don't know if I can
make it to the top of the stairs
with these knees."
"Well, don't leave them
at the bottom," she protests.
"I'll be sure to trip over them."
110122
THE RAISING OF THE BAR (for Susan)
We had a peek, this week,
at a friendly small-town town,
one that deserves renown:
Morrilton.
So solicitous of us
were the people there,
they raised the bar on care.
"Thanks. Well done."
* * *
Saturday, January 22, 2011
The Usual Gamut
* * *
110121
DIABETES AND YOU (for Jaime)
Diabetes comes from DNA
and from the way you work and play.
Diabetes comes from what you eat,
especially food too fat or sweet.
Diabetes makes you drink and pee,
plus, it affects how well you see.
It makes you tired, it numbs your feet.
Let's make this sickness obsolete.
Do not be a diabete!
[ASIDE: Jaime made a presentation on diabetes
and footcare to our Lions Club.]
110120
COFFEE PRE-JUNKIE (for Lizzie)
Medicate your head?
Why do what you will rue
and later struggle to undo?
Meditate instead.
110119
PLEASE EXPLAIN
Who is this person who,
in photos and in mirrors,
looks pillowy, marshmallowy,
and billowy, but who,
inside, feels willowy?
110118
THE EVERYDAY VARIETY
For better or for worse,
I make and fill my own thirst;
when I want a poem, I write a verse,
and—best of all—get to read it first!
DEMISE SURPRISE (for Sargent)
Someone just died
at age ninety-five.
People keep dying
not known still alive.
110117
WINTER WAKING
Winter-haze tonal grays
can make moon-sky
bright as noon-sky
and early wakers wonder
whether morning
is coming or glowing.
110116
DRAFT HORSE
I’m workin’ on
a long, long pome;
plowin’ long and steady.
It’s gonna be
a hard, hard pome;
I’m tired of it already.
A BOUT
Clouds out-crowd.
Clouds attack.
Sun’s uncowed by bully clouds—
through a crack, it slips back.
Then it puts those clouds to rout.
Sun is back.
Sun is out.
How does this come about?
Sun, no doubt, has more clout.
110115
EMBRACING THE SHADOW
[ASIDE: Under construction. This long poem
will take a while to complete and edit.]
110114
PROGRESSION
Winter is kind,
and ever more bright;
as she suspends heat,
she extends light.
OFFSPRING
You greased it, eased it,
cursed, birthed, and nursed it.
You raised it, praised it,
groomed it, pruned it.
You composed, concocted,
and spun it;
and it looks so easy
once you've done it.
110113
WHEN?
Bundled up
one way or another
season after season
people are waiting
people are holding in;
bundled up
one way or another
season after season
bundled up as babies
people are holding on
looking to each other
each waiting for the other
waiting for release
bundled up and waiting
waiting for a reason
or just for an excuse.
110112
WINTER BLISS (for Connie)
Perfectly
simple serenity:
me on bed
in sunlight spotlight;
cat on me.
110111
BLIND REFLECTIONS
Emma dear, Emma wise—
what’s inside those Emma eyes?
I see, in them, myself reflected
but mine are not, to you, a mirror.
I see in yours myself reflecting
why mine are not, for you, a mirror.
Emma dear, Emma wise—
what’s inside your Emma eyes?
110110
POETRY
Not the words but the way;
no specific thing you say.
It’s the truth told by the lie,
the do not know that answers why.
110109
BEAUTY MARKS
A few of the nuns
(let's not say which ones)
had—let us say—
facial blemishes
which, in any case,
they bore with good grace,
helping us know
what God cherishes.
MOMENTOUS
In this now,
my struggle’s
through.
World, …I am
at peace with you.
OBIT
Poet:
probed deeply,
wrote long,
reportedly died of
stub wounds.
WEB OF DECEIT
E-linked, business-network friends
keep recommending further friends,
but to claim these, one must state
form of relationship to date.
For the terms sites recommend
(classmate/colleague/client/friend),
how to answer is hard to guess—
there’s no sort of, just no or yes—
and these implied acquaintanceships
foster false pre-lationships.
110108
SLEEP-IN
I wake today
when the birds untree
and rise to flock.
I wake to the sun
and not to the clock.
BRIEF SANCTUARY
They’re our cats
but we root for the mice,
one of which
was discovered today
dried and flattened
under an out-of-the-way rug.
Poor baby is now a mummy.
110107
ISP’S
Once the computer
was an extension of us;
now that’s vice versa…
and it keeps getting
wersa and wersa.
110106
GOOD DAY
Up, groom, eat,
then out the door.
Drive, arrive, work, drive,
and eat some more.
Catch the mail.
Write a pome.
Good day:
good away, good at home.
110105
FLURRY OF HURRY
Flit-flit-flit;
I’m in a tizzy—
not a state of zen!
But it’s nice
to be so busy—
every now and then!
110104
COOL CATS
Winter cold gives no pause
when outdoor freedom beats cold paws;
“Let us out!” our cats insist.
Icy blasts don’t deter
those brisk excursions they prefer
(and, in truth, cannot resist).
110103
HOW I SEES IT
Once agin, I awake
to butt of cat in my face.
Cat don’t mean to offend.
Naw, an' mine's the “livin’ end!”
110102
APPLICANT (for Hermann)
With a wink,
I will state
if I’m asked:
I can think,
I can wait,
I can fast.
[ASIDE: Siddhartha's résumé.]
* * *
110121
DIABETES AND YOU (for Jaime)
Diabetes comes from DNA
and from the way you work and play.
Diabetes comes from what you eat,
especially food too fat or sweet.
Diabetes makes you drink and pee,
plus, it affects how well you see.
It makes you tired, it numbs your feet.
Let's make this sickness obsolete.
Do not be a diabete!
[ASIDE: Jaime made a presentation on diabetes
and footcare to our Lions Club.]
110120
COFFEE PRE-JUNKIE (for Lizzie)
Medicate your head?
Why do what you will rue
and later struggle to undo?
Meditate instead.
110119
PLEASE EXPLAIN
Who is this person who,
in photos and in mirrors,
looks pillowy, marshmallowy,
and billowy, but who,
inside, feels willowy?
110118
THE EVERYDAY VARIETY
For better or for worse,
I make and fill my own thirst;
when I want a poem, I write a verse,
and—best of all—get to read it first!
DEMISE SURPRISE (for Sargent)
Someone just died
at age ninety-five.
People keep dying
not known still alive.
110117
WINTER WAKING
Winter-haze tonal grays
can make moon-sky
bright as noon-sky
and early wakers wonder
whether morning
is coming or glowing.
110116
DRAFT HORSE
I’m workin’ on
a long, long pome;
plowin’ long and steady.
It’s gonna be
a hard, hard pome;
I’m tired of it already.
A BOUT
Clouds out-crowd.
Clouds attack.
Sun’s uncowed by bully clouds—
through a crack, it slips back.
Then it puts those clouds to rout.
Sun is back.
Sun is out.
How does this come about?
Sun, no doubt, has more clout.
110115
EMBRACING THE SHADOW
[ASIDE: Under construction. This long poem
will take a while to complete and edit.]
110114
PROGRESSION
Winter is kind,
and ever more bright;
as she suspends heat,
she extends light.
OFFSPRING
You greased it, eased it,
cursed, birthed, and nursed it.
You raised it, praised it,
groomed it, pruned it.
You composed, concocted,
and spun it;
and it looks so easy
once you've done it.
110113
WHEN?
Bundled up
one way or another
season after season
people are waiting
people are holding in;
bundled up
one way or another
season after season
bundled up as babies
people are holding on
looking to each other
each waiting for the other
waiting for release
bundled up and waiting
waiting for a reason
or just for an excuse.
110112
WINTER BLISS (for Connie)
Perfectly
simple serenity:
me on bed
in sunlight spotlight;
cat on me.
110111
BLIND REFLECTIONS
Emma dear, Emma wise—
what’s inside those Emma eyes?
I see, in them, myself reflected
but mine are not, to you, a mirror.
I see in yours myself reflecting
why mine are not, for you, a mirror.
Emma dear, Emma wise—
what’s inside your Emma eyes?
110110
POETRY
Not the words but the way;
no specific thing you say.
It’s the truth told by the lie,
the do not know that answers why.
110109
BEAUTY MARKS
A few of the nuns
(let's not say which ones)
had—let us say—
facial blemishes
which, in any case,
they bore with good grace,
helping us know
what God cherishes.
MOMENTOUS
In this now,
my struggle’s
through.
World, …I am
at peace with you.
OBIT
Poet:
probed deeply,
wrote long,
reportedly died of
stub wounds.
WEB OF DECEIT
E-linked, business-network friends
keep recommending further friends,
but to claim these, one must state
form of relationship to date.
For the terms sites recommend
(classmate/colleague/client/friend),
how to answer is hard to guess—
there’s no sort of, just no or yes—
and these implied acquaintanceships
foster false pre-lationships.
110108
SLEEP-IN
I wake today
when the birds untree
and rise to flock.
I wake to the sun
and not to the clock.
BRIEF SANCTUARY
They’re our cats
but we root for the mice,
one of which
was discovered today
dried and flattened
under an out-of-the-way rug.
Poor baby is now a mummy.
110107
ISP’S
Once the computer
was an extension of us;
now that’s vice versa…
and it keeps getting
wersa and wersa.
110106
GOOD DAY
Up, groom, eat,
then out the door.
Drive, arrive, work, drive,
and eat some more.
Catch the mail.
Write a pome.
Good day:
good away, good at home.
110105
FLURRY OF HURRY
Flit-flit-flit;
I’m in a tizzy—
not a state of zen!
But it’s nice
to be so busy—
every now and then!
110104
COOL CATS
Winter cold gives no pause
when outdoor freedom beats cold paws;
“Let us out!” our cats insist.
Icy blasts don’t deter
those brisk excursions they prefer
(and, in truth, cannot resist).
110103
HOW I SEES IT
Once agin, I awake
to butt of cat in my face.
Cat don’t mean to offend.
Naw, an' mine's the “livin’ end!”
110102
APPLICANT (for Hermann)
With a wink,
I will state
if I’m asked:
I can think,
I can wait,
I can fast.
[ASIDE: Siddhartha's résumé.]
* * *
Monday, January 3, 2011
Winter Mix
* * *
110101
NEW YEAR’S DAY
This day—
ostensibly about time,
but falling as it does
on a date of no particular
astronomic significance—
should serve as a reminder
that names of things
and ideas about things
often obscure the
nature of things.
101231
STAY OF EXECUTION
Leaves are dancing
up from the ditches
this warm December day,
resurrected by swirling
winds of protestation;
the year, apparently,
is not ready to die.
101230
LEFTOVERS
Those both old and bereft
cling all the tighter
to what is left.
101229
PROBLEM PEOPLE
Why are they
so difficult; so stubborn;
so unwilling to capitulate
to our superior wisdom—
and why,
when we visit their houses,
must we suffer the meagerness
of their offerings?
101228
CURE-ATOR
God,
have you any therapy
for the pain of being,
and of being me?
Such therapy is yours alone,
for the pain you’re feeling
you create and own.
When you think as I,
pain will go away:
“I’m okay. You’re okay.”
___________
Today I found this poem note,
dated 091025:
wind
shepherds
leaves
across
road
101227
TO YOUR HEALTH
Happiness
involves a task
and, no, it isn’t drinking;
before you think
a thought again—ask,
“Is that thought
worth thinking?”
101226
UPWARD PATH
“Guide my way,”
I again consent.
To renew ascent,
I renew assent.
101225
THE GIFT OF THE PRESENT
No matter, hopes of Christmas Future
or joys of Christmas Past;
we are Guests of Christmas Present,
which can hardly be surpassed.
101224
PAMPERED
My sweetie makes me coffee.
He brings me toast and jam.
He claims that I’m his honey
and makes me glad I am.
101223
DESIGNER
TOUCH
Life is kinder
than we think
or can think;
when we notice,
we call this
serendipity.
101222
COMING APART
AT THE SEEMS
All I know I know
is how things seem to me,
including this self-same me
that seems to seem to be.
101221
SEASON GREETING
Ah! My favorite time of year
when I enjoy—and wish for you—
a very and most-merry,
thrilling, dance-enhancing,
whoppingly exciting,
gleeful, cheerful new debut
of joyous Christmas shopping.
101220
RELIEF IS ON
THE WAY
A nightmare
is a lie you keep
until you rouse
your self from sleep.
Suspect there are
(to be let go)
“truths” you know
that are not so.
101219
EXASPERATION
Emma has been banished
from the bed
in hopes she’ll use a
proper pee-place instead.
101218
WHAT I LIKE
I like to go, I like to do,
I like to think and write, and then
I like to go and do it all again.
101217
DIS-BANDED
What is a ring to a marriage?
I lost mine yesterday,
trying to keep it safe.
My hand
mourns like an orphan;
my heart grieves like a waif.
What is a ring to a marriage?
I lost mine yesterday,
trying to play it safe.
[ASIDE: As instructed, I put all my jewelry in my pocket
before touring a food-processing plant. Several events later,
my wedding ring was the only item that had somehow escaped.
The loss prompted thoughts about priorities, spouses, possessions, etc.]
101216
NO GOOD CHOICE
Setting the alarm for five
wakes you up at four.
But if you didn’t set it,
at six you’d be a-snore.
101215
INTIMIDATIONS
OF MORTALITY
My cat puts his face
near mine each night,
then (sometime later)
his rear—
which means
that I begin each day
knowing the end is near.
101214
OLD AGE BENEFITS
I'm old—trust me—
but young enough to thrill
to a birthday card from my mom
with a twenty-dollar bill.
101213
DECISIONS,
DECISIONS
Colon or semi?
I haven’t a clue.
Maybe a dash
or comma will do.
If you think prose
is hard, well—foo!
just try poems;
they’ll try you.
* * *
110101
NEW YEAR’S DAY
This day—
ostensibly about time,
but falling as it does
on a date of no particular
astronomic significance—
should serve as a reminder
that names of things
and ideas about things
often obscure the
nature of things.
101231
STAY OF EXECUTION
Leaves are dancing
up from the ditches
this warm December day,
resurrected by swirling
winds of protestation;
the year, apparently,
is not ready to die.
101230
LEFTOVERS
Those both old and bereft
cling all the tighter
to what is left.
101229
PROBLEM PEOPLE
Why are they
so difficult; so stubborn;
so unwilling to capitulate
to our superior wisdom—
and why,
when we visit their houses,
must we suffer the meagerness
of their offerings?
101228
CURE-ATOR
God,
have you any therapy
for the pain of being,
and of being me?
Such therapy is yours alone,
for the pain you’re feeling
you create and own.
When you think as I,
pain will go away:
“I’m okay. You’re okay.”
___________
Today I found this poem note,
dated 091025:
wind
shepherds
leaves
across
road
101227
TO YOUR HEALTH
Happiness
involves a task
and, no, it isn’t drinking;
before you think
a thought again—ask,
“Is that thought
worth thinking?”
101226
UPWARD PATH
“Guide my way,”
I again consent.
To renew ascent,
I renew assent.
101225
THE GIFT OF THE PRESENT
No matter, hopes of Christmas Future
or joys of Christmas Past;
we are Guests of Christmas Present,
which can hardly be surpassed.
101224
PAMPERED
My sweetie makes me coffee.
He brings me toast and jam.
He claims that I’m his honey
and makes me glad I am.
101223
DESIGNER
TOUCH
Life is kinder
than we think
or can think;
when we notice,
we call this
serendipity.
101222
COMING APART
AT THE SEEMS
All I know I know
is how things seem to me,
including this self-same me
that seems to seem to be.
101221
SEASON GREETING
Ah! My favorite time of year
when I enjoy—and wish for you—
a very and most-merry,
thrilling, dance-enhancing,
whoppingly exciting,
gleeful, cheerful new debut
of joyous Christmas shopping.
101220
RELIEF IS ON
THE WAY
A nightmare
is a lie you keep
until you rouse
your self from sleep.
Suspect there are
(to be let go)
“truths” you know
that are not so.
101219
EXASPERATION
Emma has been banished
from the bed
in hopes she’ll use a
proper pee-place instead.
101218
WHAT I LIKE
I like to go, I like to do,
I like to think and write, and then
I like to go and do it all again.
101217
DIS-BANDED
What is a ring to a marriage?
I lost mine yesterday,
trying to keep it safe.
My hand
mourns like an orphan;
my heart grieves like a waif.
What is a ring to a marriage?
I lost mine yesterday,
trying to play it safe.
[ASIDE: As instructed, I put all my jewelry in my pocket
before touring a food-processing plant. Several events later,
my wedding ring was the only item that had somehow escaped.
The loss prompted thoughts about priorities, spouses, possessions, etc.]
101216
NO GOOD CHOICE
Setting the alarm for five
wakes you up at four.
But if you didn’t set it,
at six you’d be a-snore.
101215
INTIMIDATIONS
OF MORTALITY
My cat puts his face
near mine each night,
then (sometime later)
his rear—
which means
that I begin each day
knowing the end is near.
101214
OLD AGE BENEFITS
I'm old—trust me—
but young enough to thrill
to a birthday card from my mom
with a twenty-dollar bill.
101213
DECISIONS,
DECISIONS
Colon or semi?
I haven’t a clue.
Maybe a dash
or comma will do.
If you think prose
is hard, well—foo!
just try poems;
they’ll try you.
* * *
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