a poem in my pocket

oklahoma roam

03 Feb 2025 2 Comments

by lynn__ in tanka Tags: Chisholm Trail, Cimmaron River, longhorns, open range, walllow

where longhorns gather

hoof prints mark red mud wallow

thirst for open range

near cimmaron riverbed

relics of old chisholm trail

chill & ague

30 Jan 2025 14 Comments

by lynn__ in tanka Tags: chill, nose, sinuses, sneeze, sniff

Kim at dVerse prompts us to write poetry from an optician’s chart using a line of four words in order. The words I used in tanka form are: nose–one–cause–even

my nose is running
its race against sinuses
stiff sniff not enough
one sneeze will cause a series
using even more tissSHOOS!

siren song

28 Jan 2025 1 Comment

by lynn__ in haiku, Uncategorized Tags: beach, mist, seagulls

hear seagulls crying

salty mist caresses dunes

come walk shrouded beach

hold no regrets

27 Jan 2025 24 Comments

by lynn__ in quadrille Tags: camper, cold, home, snow birds, south, warm, wind

snow birds flee midwest

home for warmer climes

south but cool vortex dips

down to hitch a ride atop

their fifth-wheel camper;

wear winter coats to ward

off winds pushing against

leaf-stripped palms around

covered swimming pool…

Hint: no place like home ?!

Mish hosts quadrille prompt at dVerse: can you take a hint?

negative white space

25 Jan 2025 6 Comments

by lynn__ in negation Tags: beauty, love, margin, mind, soul, truth, words

margin is not
a blizzard of words
obfuscating page’s landscape
with directionally-challenged winds

margin is not
some narcissistic lover
manipulating poor gas-lit partner
into unconditional surrender

margin is not
an adrenaline addict
over-crowding calendar squares
with meaningless engagements

margin is not
an anxious mind
fretting over fearful rhetoric
contrary to obvious truth

margin is not
a malnourished soul
scrolling electronic junkfood
with no appetite for beauty


        margin  is  spacious  living  and  gracious  loving  .

string me a line

23 Jan 2025 7 Comments

by lynn__ in Uncategorized

the sioux county archery club which has

to be their guest at their upcoming musical

(held on the third Tuesday of each month)

because it is an amazing experience —

being thrown out of a vehicle driving around,

(a little bit of inconvenience) and a strong dose of caution

stemmed from a report of an alcoholic beverage

found near the entrance building and the former

belle goes off to rescue her father; she encounters

unwanted marriage proposals from

about a dozen members and newcomers…

seating will be first come, first served!

These lines strung together from various articles in The Sioux Center News, Jan. 21, 2025 issue.

reflection on aging

21 Jan 2025 11 Comments

by lynn__ in sonnet Tags: aging, beauty, bloom, bouquet, mirror, wisdom

*Raymond McIntyre – Flowers with a Mirror (1968)*

we plead, “mirror, mirror, upon the wall”
like vanity before snow white’s death fall
“what have you done to me? that’s not my face!”
bouquet of flowered beauty –not a trace
youth’s pink blush gone, now yellowing appears
and sleek combed hair sticks up in fern-like spears
sweet bloom arranged in lovely china vase
reflecting back some weedy basket case!
what once were tender buds, no blossoms brag
where perky petals peeked, dry sepals sag
sketchy mirror, you lie! –won’t tolerate
image alone does not determine fate
perhaps the mirror does reveal true age
but real wisdom’s grateful to reach this stage.

Linking to Melissa’s Fandango Flash Fiction challenge…check it out!