fort phantom hill

Our welcome may be silent but offered sincere
as you enter this quiet space, what do you hear?
Yes, the wind whispers or whips, depends on season,
’round lone chimneys…do you wonder the reason?
Several brick chimneys and two buildings of stone;
commissary and powder house, stand here alone.
We were young soldiers when we marched to this spot
and our work to build fort in west Texas proved hot.
A frontier fort to deal with new settlers’ problem
but after three years, fort burned and abandoned.
Civil war called us, and native peoples moved on…
leaving cannon and wagon, we’re long dead and gone.

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For Dora Hak’s “written in stone” prompt at dVerse Poets Pub.

heartland

sun sets on cornfield

murderous row of black crows

never satisfied

Photo by asif the best on Freeimages.com

january day

single gunshot pierces cold air
male pheasant flashes rusty breast

pick random crumbs off floor
remember how to spell vacuum

sugar cookie sleigh ride’s last tea bag
weak flavored cup tastes lukewarm

blizzard stops work, traffic, schools
livestock stamp, huddle, steam

gather groceries, essentials, clothing
hope to travel to warmer climes

mundane asymmetry of cabin fever

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A list/catalogue poem of 11 lines, while sipping Celestial Season’s.

deep waters

lagoon in my memories
fills dormant volcano crater;
nicaraguan vendors encircle
tourists as mountains surround
deep blue pocket of aquatic life.

lagoon of my memories
fills crevices of heart and mind;
as faces from childhood encircle
present experience, surrounding
deeply personal perspective on life.

_______

Quadrille (44 words) linked to Melissa’s prompt at dVerse poets on “lagoon”.

shakespearean decorum

alack and alas, christmas is past
and the yule tree still up? it’s nearly
epiphany! to (let it) be or not to be
is the overly-decorated question?!
(gaze on yon three mrs. butterworth
glass sages, trussed in bold felt and
trimmed with glittery pipe cleaners)
yet forsooth, i know in truth that
all that glistens is not (fool’s) gold;
come now forthwith, be great in act
and i shalt de-decorate manor thus!
oh boxes, boxes, wherefore art thou?

Written in response to Jane Kenyon’s “Taking Down the Tree” and Megan Willome’s “De-decorating and Hamlet”.

unprecedented (or just dented)

Sometimes political rhetoric sounds a lot like Bilbo Baggins at his 111st birthday party: ” I don’t know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve.” -J.R.R. Tolkien, Fellowship of the Ring 

______________

i probably should not say this but

would tell a loud lie by my silence so:

have you heard how (well, you will now)

americans are more confused in ’24?

we will caucus (or maybe couscous)

and vote in primary without primary

names on ballots (pass the shallots)

a former president still wears title,

unembarrassed by indictments; can’t

his party find fresher (parsley, please?)

while current office holder is propped to

take the stand if only he wouldn’t stumble

over words, thoughts, and own border.

______________

Linking to Sanaa’s “litotes” prompt at dVerse Poets’ pub.

carousel

up and down, around

musical revolution

in tilted orbit

riding colorful dreams in

repeated trips around sun

_______

Happy New Year, friends!May your revolutions be meaningful.

caution

she learned the hard way

that a wink should never be

given unintentionally

__________

A weekend writing prompt at Sammi Scribbles…13 words, include “wink” 😉

stars of christmas

We welcome glad Christmas, O joyous day!
We remember and celebrate Christ’s birthday.

Light of the World who lit stars, sun, and moon,
Planets and angels sing his praises in tune.

God’s promise to humanity as seen in the sky
The Child of blessing invites us to draw nigh.

The glory of Heaven has come down to earth;
His majesty mangered in barn-humble birth.

The prophets have spoken, their words are fulfilled,
a Savior is born; for our sin, his blood spilled.

Wherever we wander, whether nearby or far,
King Jesus, shine on us! Be our guiding star!

________________

I wrote this poem for Christmas Day as part of our church advent readings. Photo from Unsplash.

peace on earth began with a birth*

Lights at Heritage Village photo by lynn

________________________________________

Christ-mas is joyous occasion,
a traditional commemoration of
historical birth-day celebration!

unique conception, God becomes man
King who reigns, deigns to live human
unexpected pregnancy not the problem

the first noel means “to be born”
whether middle of night or early morn,
for unto YOU this holy child is born!


* title quote by Mark Cavaliere at GS Southwest’s Birth of Hope Gala 2023.

political unrest…personally speaking

I have never understood protesting violently against violence.

Maps prove that a country without borders is not really a country.

Wonder what kind of electric power plants power electric cars?

How can you transgender DNA, genetics, and fertility?

True religion seeks freedom, not control by political power.

baked with love

why do we call them Christmas cookies anyway?
such festive cut-outs are gone before the holiday

take half cup soft butter…the true dairy cow deal
mix with one cup sugar and two eggs, also real
bit of vanilla, two tablespoons cream taste best
mix soda, salt, two heaping cups flour with rest
put dough overnight in fridge, covered to chill
preheat oven; roll and cut dough, the pan to fill
stars, angels, canes, bells and tree shapes
watch closely till done, let cool and decorate

bakes best on a day with soft snow falling fine…
sprinkle each cookie with dear grandchild in mind

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I’d take a photo but they’re all gone…eaten when we opened stockings for St. Nicholas Day! Grace hosts dVerse for final poems of 2023. The theme is recipe poems 🙂

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