posting poetic prose
18 Mar 2020 6 Comments
in free verse, prayer, worship Tags: breathe, coronavirus, God, heartbeat, prayer, sanctuary
close restaurants
and coffee shops,
take away my chai
latte and stuffed crab,
hang the last TP rolls
from nearest tree, and
cancel church services
even if infected with
coronavirus at home
(my childhood home
was on corona street)
& quarantined, i will
yet have a sanctuary
for my heart to rest
within the soul’s home
found in Yahweh/God
whose name is breath;
i breathe His presence
as close as a heartbeat,
prayers whispered and
translated by the Spirit
forever and ever amen.
08 Nov 2019 6 Comments
in free verse, question poem Tags: black, cat, death, ignorance, shadows, truck
searching for any witnesses,
he questioned as if suspect:
“where were you?” he probed
“in my room,” a shocked reply
(nowhere near bloodied body)
at least, victim didn’t feel much,
unexpected and instantaneous.
trucker on road never slowed,
could not see in night’s blackness
didn’t notice impact, drove on.
circles under eyes mark grief
remembered as good mother;
affectionate, gave warm gifts.
she’d lived life until the ninth
when bad luck found black cat.
how often we commit dark deeds;
does ignorance prove innocence?
Linking to dVerse poets. This “mystery” poem fits previous prompt (shades of black) and current prompt (changing perspective). Written in third person about our barn cat found on the road but also thinking of a former acquaintance who was struck by a truck and killed. It’s always sad when animals die but how much more a human being?!
20 Sep 2019 2 Comments
in free verse Tags: brother, dad, hospice, mom, remember, twin towers
he lost second wife
and i, two mothers;
bonded by love’s genes,
shared grief, shed tears.
dad called me to say,
“our twin towers have
fallen;” nine tremulous
months after 9-1-01.
first night in hospice,
last on earth, she reached
up to hug my brother’s
strong neck…her only son.
i’ve dreamed of mom
standing in the kitchen
smiling; she said to me,
“you’re going to be okay.”
dear mom, we bless,
honor and remember
you again today on your
(missed) 83rd birthday.
we revisit our sorrow
even as you celebrate
joyful life in his presence,
who claimed you as his own!
18 Sep 2019 11 Comments
in free verse
“Tonight, I want you to write a poem of anticipation. Maybe you’re hoping for something wonderful, maybe you’re afraid of retribution, maybe you’re just desperate to get off the bus.” – Sarah hosting at dVerse Poets pub
oh, sweet anticipation
we grandparents-to-be
(again, yes…times ten!)
phone rings, son calling
does he have news? no
he’s coming over and
do i have meal for him?
while he sits at our table
his wife calls him, news?
contractions begun? not
yet, not even warm-ups
grandma must breathe
slowly, deeply, let all
tension exhale, relax
check calendar days
due date comes…goes
07 Aug 2019 16 Comments
in free verse Tags: blessings, count, gifts, grace, mindful, prayer
counting grace gifts
moves me to mindful
noticing the beautiful
(even or especially)
in middle of the mess
grace gifts are blessings
magnificent and minute
given generously from
divine nail-pierced hands
with love, design, intent
i count and recount
voice in quiet prayer
write in poetic words
number in journal
capture with camera
lavish gifts everywhere
experienced in garden
discovered on farm
encountered in travels
observed as dear faces
Linda hosts poetics at dVerse Poets Pub on what brings us peace of mind…
04 Aug 2019 1 Comment
in free verse, question poem, scripture Tags: God, hallowed, holy, name, trouble
Hallowed be your name?
be set apart, made holy
to know God, to make him known
but we are an unholy people
hollow/hollowed out, hurt/ hurting
we’ve brought shame on your name
we have put out the bright signal fires
even dousing them with tepid water
yet, when life’s trouble terrifies us
we again take your name on our lips
cry for help in hopeless places
look for you in unfamiliar faces
you hear, you answer, you come
dispel our soul darkness
heal our heart wounds
wake us to our real life
Hallowed be your name!
23 Jul 2019 18 Comments
in free verse Tags: calf, foal, infant, live, monarch, movement, seed
salmon flash upstream
an urgency to breed
eggs float underwater
seed coat splits open
sprout pierces into light
leaf nodes bulge green
ripe chrysalis rips gently
wet monarch emerges
stretches sticky wings
moment of conception
multiple cell divisions
quickening in her womb
strong uterine contractions
now little hooves appear
cow licks fresh calf
mare wickers softly
new foal stands wobbly
searching for teat
chubby babe rolls over
sits up with support
takes first steps to daddy
Linking to dVerse poetics where Amaya invites us to write about movement…
09 May 2019 4 Comments
in free verse Tags: celebration, fuchsia, hedonist, petrichor, rainbows, rhododendron, stamen
oh so rhododendron
photo by lynn
welcomes spring
to our front door
by blooming like
a hedonist, full of
fuchsia passion and
exuberant energy,
in wild celebration of
petrichor rainbows
with petaled frills and
stamen explosion!
Sharing with Tweet Speak Poetry where Kellê hosts a “wonder of the world” photo and/or poem prompt during the month of May.
23 Apr 2019 12 Comments
in enjambment, free verse Tags: cupcake, dawn, fairy, kiss, lips, maleficent, poison, villainess
no sleeping beauty, she’s an
(un)fairy, frightful villainess
come back in black; horned,
winged, pale with hungering
what do you offer to appease?
appeal? tease? or try to deal?
a cupcake?! O, she’s no mousy
muffin that you’d be stuffin’!
whip up a delicacy for those
cynical red lips, a mouth that
purses when speaking curses;
bake over coals of tongued fire,
in thick forest of thorny briar
rich, dark chocolate cake–it’s
devil’s food; a true-love’s kiss
baked inside, laced with poison;
white-frosted, too-sweet icing
serve at dawn as darkness dies
Linking to TS Poetry where Callie invites us to make cupcakes for a fairy tale character! Also linking to dVerse Poets where today we re-visit legends with Anmol.
17 Apr 2019 9 Comments
in free verse, story Tags: crucifix, dust, flame, heaven, hymn, island, pyre, smoke, towers
Dark-vowelled smoking columns aspire ruin
as dust-tongued, forested roof caves innavely;
water-spoken island surrenders to timbers
of flamed and lillified heaven-circling pyre.
Aghast of tragedy, fire-dwarfed gargoyles are
hearting a tear-culled Paris in hymnally tone
to dignify bell-voiced ash of towering ages;
above rubble, The King’s cross, power-gilded stands.
Linking to dVerse poetics with Laura Bloomsbury and loving the hyphenate-coined words by poet Dylan Thomas (as featured in my poem).
11 Apr 2019 8 Comments
in distillation, free verse Tags: bales, bridges, cattle, clouds, dam, flood, ice, mud, rain, snow
Linking late to Linda’s “water” prompt at dVerse poetics…
water, water, water, everywhere!
dark clouds broiling across plains’
hard-crusted snowy landscape; soil
soaked by heavy rains, washes into
half-frozen rivers, ice breaks loose
floating icebergs grind along banks
dragging down bridges, trees, poles;
pressured dam gives way into torrent
that floods downstream in spreading
wave that engulfs barns, farmhouses’
families escape on muddy roads while
cattle are trapped on shrinking islands
hay bales swept away, fields ruined and
Nebraska is once again a broad ocean…
