Tuesday, April 23, 2019

Jaguar



She swims with ease,
Against the nature of her feline family.
Her spotted coat works as well
In sun-dappled waters
As it does in jungle undergrowth.

Her prey outweighs her,
Outsizes her,
But is no match for
Her fierce claws
And steel-trap bite.

Her teeth crush the caymen’s skull,
And the battle is done.

She will eat for days on this kill.

Today's prompt: write a poem about an animal.  This was inspired by watching "Hostile Planet" on the National Geographical channel last night.

Saturday, April 20, 2019

Northern Lights




I’m not always lively,
The sun must awaken me
With charges
Sent across the void
To tickle my electrons.
When they settle down again--         
A flash!
A photon is released,
And then you see my full glory.
The light streams through the atmosphere
Bending at my will to reveal
Striking colors that flow.

Sometimes I let my halo show
Other times I twirl the hem
Of my star-spangled robe,
And it flutters to and fro.
Most often I’ve a pale green hue,
But sometimes the rainbow emerges.
On occasion I can be so bold
As to fill the entire sky;
And then there are times when I am shy,
Barely peeking above the horizon.
At times I can be so full of joy
That I pulse frenetically,
So exuberant.
But my favorite nights are the times 
When the air is very still.
The waters yield a perfect reflection,
And I dance with myself
Into the night.

Today's prompt:  Write a poem from a different perspective.  You can find the video that inspired my descriptions here.

Friday, April 19, 2019

Sometimes I...





Sometimes I…

            Advocate ardently
                        Burp blatantly
                                    Chuckle cheerfully

            Dance dreadfully
                        Experiment eagerly
                                    Fall flatly

            Groan grimly
                        Hope half-heartedly
                                    Inquire ignorantly

                                    Joke joyously
                        Knock knowingly
            Loaf lazily
                        Mingle merrily
                                    Nibble nervously

            Opine obnoxiously
                        Preach piously
                                    Question quietly

            Roar raucously
                        Snore (not so) softly
                                    Tattle thoughtlessly

            Use unabashedly
                        Vacation vivaciously
                                    Wish wistfully

            Xerox extravagantly
                        Yearn youthfully
                                    Zoom zealously

Thursday, April 18, 2019

I Am in the Kitchen




I am in the kitchen chopping carrots,

            And Cathy lies in a bed dying.

I picture her in her own kitchen flitting
            From oven
            To sink
            To refrigerator
Like a butterfly flitting among flowers in her garden.
She moves with such ease,
Cutting up apples and cheese,
Artfully arranging them on a clean white plate.
From the oven she pulls a peach pie,
One that she had baked when the peaches were fresh,
Put in the freezer until the right occasion arose,
And we are the felicitous recipients of her hospitality.

I am in the kitchen cutting up celery,

            And Cathy lies in a bed dying.

I see her smile as she lounges with us on her patio.
She is the consummate hostess—
            Always welcoming
            Always comfortable
            Always making time
She pets her beloved dog Coco and laughs at the stories we share
Of friendships past and present
Of times gone by but still held dear.

I am in the kitchen chopping onions,
            
            And Cathy lies in a bed dying.

The onions work on me, and stinging tears come.
But they are mixed with tears of sorrow for my sweet friend
Who I will miss so much.

Today's prompt: write about loss using concrete images.


Monday, April 15, 2019

Grand's House



Go to sleep, Madeline.
No more talking
Or wrestling around.

But we have to make a wish, Grand,
We have to whisper low.
I can’t tell you what I wish for
Or it won’t come true.

Do you want to hear my wish, Grand?
Do you want to know?

Sweet girl,
If you tell me
Then it won’t come true.

But if I don’t tell you, Grand,
Then how will you ever know
How much I love you?
Let me tell you so.

I love you, Grand.
I love your house.
I love the wolf on the floor.
I love the petting the fish,
And catching tadpoles.
I love it when you roar.
I love making slime
And flying my kite,
Tea parties
And spending the night.

I love everything about your house…

Even if it stinks.

 Today’s prompt:  write a poem that is a dramatic monologue or sort of a small play.  This poem was inspired by one of Madeline's visits.  My grandmother heart almost melted as she told me these things, and then we get to the end and she adds the "stinks" part.  Madeline never forgets things and one time when she came I had some trash that needed to go out.  Now I forever have a stinky house to her.  Oh, well.





Sunday, April 14, 2019

Holy What?




I was a kid of six or eight
Sitting on a pew, trying not to squirm.
The church was decorated to the hilt
With white candles,
White orchids,
A white runner down the aisle.
The bride and groom stood holding hands.
The preacher started to speak,
The strangest words fell from his lips.
I covered my mouth
To stifle a laugh
When I heard the words
“Holy Macaroni.”
How does this work?
What does it mean?
How can macaroni join them?
Will cheese be involved?
Is this like Yankee Doodle’s?
And what does one do
To make this macaroni holy?
The questions just piled higher and higher.
It never made any sense.
No pasta appeared,
And I just sat there confused.

Today's prompt:  write a poem about words that sound alike, or can be misused or misheard.

Saturday, April 13, 2019

Burning Bush





I saw a bush in the distance,
Burning, but not consumed.
How can this be?
Impossible,
A sight beyond belief.
Its leaves were green and supple,
Not seared, or edged with black.
Though smoke arose, 
No ashes fell,
No branches full afire.
So I drew near with wary eye
and curiosity,
To get a better vantage of
This strange oddity.
It filled me with such wonder,
Some fear of danger too.
But at its center I could sense
God’s presence,
Hear His voice.
And now I knew
All I could do
Was worship and obey.

Lord, let me be a burning bush
To others on the way.
Let the Holy Spirit be
The flame that’s plain to see.
Burning,
But not consumed,
A puzzle in this world,
A cause of awe and wonder
At what you can do through me.

Today's prompt:  write a poem about something spooky.  I spent the morning at the Chattanooga House of Prayer and one of the exercises had me studying a stained glass picture of the burning bush.  It occurred to me that if I actually saw a burning bush that would be pretty spooky.