a poem in my pocket

baking from memory

15 Jul 2026 7 Comments

by lynn__ in Uncategorized Tags: bake, cream puffs, dad, fire

The day Dad tries to
burn our house down
with us in it, my excited
brother is yelling, “Fire!”
as I run downstairs into
cloud of smoke billowing
from open oven door
where Dad’s cream puffs
combust, ashes to ashes,
because he doubled butter.

______________

Lisa hosts “puff” quadrilles (44 words) at dVerse poets pub…

strength

07 Jul 2026 2 Comments

by lynn__ in haiku Tags: grace, wings, pond, weight, blue heron

lone great blue heron
wings weight of world down to pond
glides with grace on blue

prayer for america

03 Jul 2026 6 Comments

by lynn__ in Uncategorized

Gracious heavenly Father,

We praise You as Sovereign over all.

Thank You that we can celebrate 250 years as a nation!

Our rich heritage and current bounty are

blessings of Your providence

and we are grateful for Your goodness to us.

Our country was founded on faith and freedom,

inherently inspired by Your Word.

May we respect the dignity of every individual

and protect every person’s rights under law.

May we recognize our responsibilities as citizens

to elect representatives to govern with wisdom.

Guide our leaders and protect our troops.

We are grateful to all who have served our country well.

Lord, we confess our history is stained.

Forgive our past sins of broken treaties, slavery, and greed.

Forgive our present sins of abortion, human trafficking, and pride.

Remove our guilt and revive our virtue.

Restore peace, unity, and goodwill among us as fellow Americans.

We rely on your mercy for in God we do trust.

We thank You for preserving our country thus far and ask

for Your favor on future generations.

In the precious name of Your Son, Jesus, we pray,

Amen

sustenance

29 Jun 2026 5 Comments

by lynn__ in scripture Tags: bread, faith, grumbling, Jesus, life, manna, Moses

what is it? “manna”
question is the answer
to people’s discontent

loud rumbly grumblings
to Moses and Aaron in
complaint department

reality is real crisis of
faith in God’s provision
(or seeming lack thereof)

are we much different
than ancient Hebrews,
seeking satisfaction?

Jesus, the “bread of life”
born humbly in Bethlehem
we question: who is he?

faith can see abundance;
everything given by grace,
God is more than enough!

(bio) lumin-essence

26 Jun 2026 14 Comments

by lynn__ in Uncategorized Tags: fireflies, light, musical, poem, puzzle, words

ideas are fireflies at dusk,

fleeting flickers of light;

sometimes hover low to ground

sometimes fly high in air

~ musical notes on a staff

~ random words on page

~ scattered puzzle pieces

trying to pair up, make sense,

fit together into beautiful picture;

tiny light bulbs spark bright new poem!

Grace hosts MTB: Ars Poetica revisited…see details at dVerse poets pub

good ole’ summertime

22 Jun 2026 22 Comments

by lynn__ in haibun Tags: bridge, camper, China, church, museum, relax, summer, woodwork, worship

It’s haibun Monday at dVerse with Frank hosting the first solstice of the year…

The longest day of June is a Sunday; glorious day of rest extended. Sleep late in cozy camper, waking to bird song. Sip teeccino tea with a splash of creamer. Outdoor picnic table serves as best breakfast seating. Husband flips pancakes and bacon; I fry eggs, top with shredded cheese.

Wash dishes leisurely, then time for church! It’s casual today, join worship online with home congregation and guest pastor. Confession and assurance. Gospel preaching offers hope; we sing with joy. A blessing given and received. Follow with grilled steak dinner and refreshing nap.

We drive to historical house turned museum. Well-preserved Parker house built, 1916, in decorative arts and crafts style. Maureen shows us interesting features: square piano, French heirloom china, family portraits, narrow hall of old books, sun room upstairs, vintage porcelain doll, and quarter-sawn oak woodwork.

It’s raining when we cruise around town; over one lane Thunder Bridge, past cemetery, fairgrounds, and downtown businesses, closed today. Phone conversation with my dear brother. Weather clears in time for long walk around lake reflecting large rocks, lush trees, and leftover clouds, before sun finally sets on first solstice of the year.

on june twenty-one

we take father’s day escape

relax, it’s summer

refresh

17 Jun 2026 Leave a comment

by lynn__ in haiku Tags: birds, deck, dew, latte, morning

sipping chai latte

on deck wet with summer’s dew

birds all a-twitter

improvisation

15 Jun 2026 18 Comments

by lynn__ in quadrille Tags: fairy tales, horn, parade, unicorn, vest

have you
ever seen real
unicorn in uniform
march in parade, wearing
best tailored vest
with tassels?

‘tis no hassle
for mythical creature
that’s known
how to play its
own brassy horn
since magical day
’twas born,

before the fairies
ever began telling tales.

De delights in mythical quadrilles at dVerse Poets pub tonight…improv on 44 words.

serenity

13 Jun 2026 2 Comments

by lynn__ in tanka, Uncategorized Tags: blackbird, clouds, corn, gravel, morning, walk

early morning walk

gravel crunches under foot

nature awakens

red-wing blackbird sings on post

whorl of corn plants reach for clouds

on a wing and a prayer

11 Jun 2026 Leave a comment

by lynn__ in ekphrastic, Uncategorized Tags: butterflies, children, dreams, moths, wings

An ekphrastic poem inspired by Tweetspeak’s Creativity Cafe…

children, dreams, and
butterflies quickly flutter by
(bye bye!)
uniquely created,
bold flashes of color
with bright eyes,
soft bodies,
and alert antennae
stretching, reaching
as they fly higher
(how high?)
warming wings in sunshine,
growing stronger in moment
yet delicately designed
emotionally fragile
perfectly asymmetrical
(if you look closely)
and we wonder…
will they become
butterflies drinking nectar
or moths seeking the light?

Five Butterflies by Odilon Redon, 1912

parenthetically speaking

09 Jun 2026 30 Comments

by lynn__ in Uncategorized Tags: commas, cummings, period, punctuation, verse

please do not
puncture my poetry
with unwanted or
wanton punctuation

commas i suppose
are required for prose
but totally unnecessary
for terse purple verse

better to be clean
in your cummings
and goings than to
leave a blot or dot

and if you cannot
decide where to pause
feel free to break laws
but be warned that

the punctuation police
are determined to deter
any pregnant poets
who miss a period

Melissa hosts poetics at dVerse and prompts us to write sans punctuation