posting poetic prose
24 Aug 2026 21 Comments
in Uncategorized Tags: girl, grand daughters, protest, scream, tickle
“Tickle me!” little girl
demanded. Grandpa
would oblige until
i laughed to tears and,
gasping for air, finally
screamed, “Stop!” which
he always did, with a grin.
Now history repeats
as I witness my husband
“tickle torture” our
own granddaughters,
floored in loud protest.
“The lady doth protest too much, methinks” – Shakespeare
______________
A quadrille (44 words) on the theme: protest. Read more at dVerse poets pub.
15 Aug 2026 18 Comments
My brief book has arrived and I want to share it with you! Similar to delivering an actual baby, when you write a book and gift it to the world, you hope it doesn’t say anything foolish and that other people will like it.
This is a mini memoir about our family’s experiences raising cattle. It also includes some poetry…and cow jokes. If you live locally, contact me for a print copy. If at a distance, you can read online by clicking the photo link on my blog’s “About” page. Enjoy!
03 Aug 2026 19 Comments
in Uncategorized Tags: book, poem, publish, words, writer
Writers often take journeys in their minds. Observation, memory, and imagination create thoughts to travel by. Experience, learning, and time mark signposts along the way. We draw from an interior well or search for a fresh fountain. Of course, sharing the trip with friends enriches and expands us.
We write one step after the other: a few scribbles in a notebook, an idea tapped on the keyboard, a poem submitted here or there. If we do the work, why are we surprised by acceptance and publication? With or without a map, no journey goes as planned but that’s part of the adventure!
Sometimes we face roadblocks to overcome. Do not give up; do not quit the trail. Keep moving forward. Whether as a career or a hobby, we discover that writing feels satisfying and readers prove gratifying. Is it possible that book you’re dream-wording will appear in print?
journeys of the mind
where everyone’s a poet
words expose secrets
Frank J. Tassone hosts haibun Monday at dVerse…join us on the journey! I think my haiku is actually a senryu 🙂
21 Jul 2026 25 Comments
in Uncategorized Tags: baby, band, birdsong, corn, cows, dog, friends, lightning, moon, mountains, rain, sun, tea, thunder
These I have loved:
wildflower meadows, clear rivulets, rocky heights of mountains
snowshoes strapped to boots, quiet shush through fresh powder
powerful, empathic, wondrous words heard from lips, read on pages
swelling, surround sound of woodwinds and brass in band practice
companionable petted presence, walks, whine, odor, licks of dog
deep, dark, long-lashed eyes of cows, shining wet with curiosity
smooth touch of sweetly scented, oh-so-soft baby’s perfect skin
squeals, shouts, smiles, pouts of grandchildren…eighteen seen!
magnanimous masculine hearts of eight men; six from boyhood
loyal laughter and spiritual bond of kindred spirits in dear friends
wise, patient influence of godly mothers, grandmothers, aunts
exotic variations of chai tea: steeped, dirtied, iced, spiced, latted
homemade blueberry scones, warm, drizzled with lemon glaze
succulent jumbo shrimp dipped in garlic butter, eaten seaside
wake to morning songs of birds serenading our shady campsite
thunderheads rumbling across prairie, flashes of forked lightning
each mysterious phase of moon that beguiles with mirrored light
warm sun on skin, stretched lazily on beach chair, plush towel
fresh, clean smell of air washed by rain; damp hair, shampooed
wild roses blooming annually along ditches, lilacs in backyards
greenest fields of corn in rows, tasseled and pointing skyward
…all these have been my loves.
A list poem patterned after Rupert Brooke’s poem, “The Great Lover”… linked to dVerse poetics, hosted by Kim. As I recount the things I have loved, I must give thanks to God for these gifts; He is truly The Great Lover!
17 Jul 2026 21 Comments
in Uncategorized Tags: despair, grief, pain, psychotic, suicide
If you need to talk to someone, call or text 988 (suicide & crisis lifeline in U.S.)
______________
we cannot see deep into another’s soul but…
perhaps person had already died inside, by lies,
ultimately beaten down by world’s cold frown
their inner world shrunk too small, too tight…
hope overshadowed by overwhelming despair,
choose permanent solution for temporary problem.
shards of shattered pain cause collateral damage…
leaving loved ones to grieve precious life cut short.
15 Jul 2026 16 Comments
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…
03 Jul 2026 6 Comments
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
26 Jun 2026 14 Comments
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
13 Jun 2026 2 Comments
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
11 Jun 2026 Leave a comment
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
09 Jun 2026 30 Comments
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
29 May 2026 16 Comments
“I write on these spindrift pages.” — Dylan Thomas
I… personally speaking, myself and not another; singularly and uniquely me
write… to scribble with pencil, flow from ink, or tap on keyboard; to make meaning from letters into words into phrases into poetry
on… immediately active location; ready position; prepared for task; alert
these… things here, not there; close at hand and possessed; opportune
spindrift… mist of music and lyrics like salty spray from crest of wave or wild dusting of snowdrift in gale
[easily confused with spendthrift… who gives away freely, shares extravagantly; both prodigal and profligate]
pages… leaves of a book, spaces on a screen, blanks waiting to be filled in with words and sent into the world!
Take a Dylan Thomas quote, make an acrostic, define your lines! Laura Bloomsbury hosts MTB at dVerse Poets.
a poem in my pocket 
You must be logged in to post a comment.