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Poetry is just the evidence of life. If your life is burning well, poetry is just the ash. Leonard Cohen

Monday, October 31, 2011

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Hallowed Ground

photo by Allison Tardio
The woman is a double agent
Although she pretends to be a teacher
she really works
for the forest
She is protector of this hallowed ground
(but don't tell or she'll have to set her snakes on you)
She leads the children
and the grown ones on wooded hikes
tells them about the Cypress
the birds
the crayfish
but mostly she watches
Sometimes the woman catches the eye
of a kindred soul
a wild child
She gives a secret wink
The rest believe she's there
for them
(fools!)
She's there for the spirits of the forest
the ghostlike deer 
who appear and disappear
without a sound
the sinewy black snake
with  forked tongue sniffing the breeze
the orange legged spider
showy and quick
decorating its web with marks of Zorro
This is their home
and humans, the intruders
The woman sees to it that the guests behave
show the proper respect
and if they don't
someone may go home with nasty case of
poison ivy
or perhaps an accidental fall
into the creek
(careless children are prone to accidents)
and you never know
where a snake may slither.

photo by Allison Tardio
submitted for Poetry Jam, Hallows Eve

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Spider and Moth

The web has done its job
sticky strings trap
fragile wings in
threads of oblivion
The spider
eight legs furiously winding
she's an old grandma
with her ball of yarn
The moth
little mummy
silky death dress
Such a tiny
perfect
demise.

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Grinning Like a...

Alice in Wonderland by YukiValentine


Come back here, you frightful cat
You won't escape again
I'll soon catch you, you tricky rat
and you'll be sorry then!

You say you want to help me
but then get me in to trouble
and instead of being remorseful
you go off and make it double!

I've never seen a cat like you
who grins so big and wide
and no one will believe you're true
because you like to hide.

A cat without a smile
is nothing very strange
but a smile without a cat
is really quite deranged!

So before you disappear this time
I've got your stripey tail
I want you to confess your crime
before you fade to pale.

And if you do not like that
I'll apply a little pressure
Then while you're screeching like a cat
I'll grin just like a Cheshire!

Monday, October 24, 2011

Drive

America by Car by Lee Friedlander
Herrmetically sealed soccer moms
reading the latest Danielle Steele
Chauffeurs in Crocs 
clogging school bus lanes
dropping off
picking up charges
Taxi drivers
(You talkin' to me?)
(No one's talking to you, Mom!)
ferrying their freight
dance class
karate
mall
another mom's car
wherever, just

~ Drive ~

We used to have drive
before
we became the drivers
to others
Driven
by the needs of others
driven
to distraction
by interruptions from others
driven
crazy
by believing others 
who told us 
we could have it all

submitted for Magpie Tales 88

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Ribbons

                                                    RIBBONS
                                    too         many
                           ribbons            and no
                               damn           cures
                               friends        die
                                     and     we
                                         wear
                                            R
                                          I   I
                                        B      B
                                       B        B
                                             O
                                     N           N
                                     S            S

Thursday, October 20, 2011

October Blue

Thinking of the friends I've lost
Warm mist hanging in the air
and wondering about the cost

Autumn wind
blows right through me
Was there one who
really knew me?

What happened?
What did I do?
October blue

Looking up at strange clouds floating
Wondering if it will rain
Feeling sorry for myself
when I think of us again

Have to laugh despite it all
You understood absurdity
Mirrors for each other, you
would not believe what you could see

Hard to find
someone like you
October blue

Red and yellow
leaves beneath my dirty shoes
Distant memories 
mixing with the autumn hues

Sometimes I wish 
that I fit in
when I think of 
you my friend

Even now
I still miss you
October blue.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Mirror, Mirror

Scar
by ~AnnaMariaDeMari




Get out
No more chances
Promises, promises
Take your sweet words and choke on them
We're done

Too late
Save the tears to water your lawn
I've cried too much, too long
Without you, babe
I'm strong

Monday, October 17, 2011

Ducks and Swans

image courtesy of Magpie Tales
I was never beautiful
Never swam with the swans
their soft feathers
graceful, white necks blooming with
bright pink buds of
boys' affections
Beautiful girls turned heads
I turned pages of books
My lovers were paper
vellum princes
who didn't mind if the princess was
too fat, too skinny, too, too, too
What if the ugly duckling 
never grew into a swan 
but into an ugly duck?
Would anyone love it then?
or would it be hung 
by its gangly neck
in the window of a Chinese restaurant?

submitted for Magpie Tales 87

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Lullaby for the Lost

No funeral
No flowers
Put it out with medical waste
No tears
No prayers
Sympathy is for the chaste
No one's bringing you a casserole
No one's sending you a card
You caused yourself this grief, this sadness
Now no one cares if it is hard.

No right to mourn
Carry the scorn
Your choice, so you said
Time to move on
Glad that it's gone
Flush it away, it's dead
Your dirty little secret
You kept it sterile, clean
No name for your lost baby
The one that could've been.

Friday, October 14, 2011

Number Five

I dance on the edges of dreams and wakefulness
I hear your laugh
on the car radio
You've been whispering my name at night
I don't believe in ghosts
so I know it's you
You love me; you love me not
You love me; I'm tied in knots
Words puzzle me
How they fit together then
fly apart again
I wash my laundry in beer
How is it
that your face is in every ink blot?
You look so beautiful with wings.

submitted for Poetry Jam, Your Assignment (laundry, laugh, ghost, edges, beer)

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Willow Manor Ball!

I'm so excited! The Annual Willow Manor Ball is finally here! This evening marks my first appearance at the ball, so I've decided to make up for the ones I've missed by inviting 3 guests. Tacky? I think not. There will be plenty of merriment to go around!

First, however, my dress! My darling daughter assisted me in choosing this lovely Renaissance-inspired beauty. I think it will look amazing out on the dance floor, don't you?

Now, the accessories, I mean, the escorts. First of all, I will be bringing Mr. Johnny Depp. His wife is off somewhere creating some fashion faux pas of her own and agrees that Johnny deserves the opportunity to be seen with someone who isn't dressed to be featured as the punchline to a Joan Rivers joke.  Surprisingly, he insisted on attending the Ball in costume as Captain Jack Sparrow, but I insisted that the monkey stay at home.
Johnny is obsessed with the peanuts

so dashing!
Next on my guest list is Oscar Wilde. He is a marvel for witty conversation, and I thought he would be loads of fun! He said, "One should either be a work of art or wear a work of art," so how could I go wrong with Johnny and Oscar on my arms?

Never one to be unfair, I decided to also invite a female escort. Dorothy Parker seemed a good choice. I thought she would enjoy the reparte with Johnny and Oscar and the rest of the Willow Manor gang. She initially turned me down (Well, I never!) but then changed her mind once she heard about Tess's Last Word Cocktails. I warned her not to drink too much and embarrass herself,
I wish I could drink like a lady
I can take 1 or 2 at the most
3 and I'm under the table
4 and I'm under the host
but I was brusquely dismissed.  Oh well, it should be amusing.

One small favor to ask of Lucy, to whom Tess has graciously given the key to the wine cellar so that she could give Nigella Lawson an "extended" tour. I'm planning to have a "friend" drop off Giada DeLaurentiis by the back door of Willow Manor (she will not be dressed to attend the Ball.) If someone could see to it that she is also given the extended wine cellar tour, perhaps with a tour of the root cellar, and if she happens to "accidentally" become locked inside for the winter, that someone may find some unexpected money in his or her pocket after the Ball. Just sayin'.

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

The Ceiling Tile

I stared up at the ceiling and counted the tiles, trying to distract myself. My attention, however, kept returning to the one directly above my head. It was covered with an old water stain. The rust colored blotch spread out over the tile like dried blood. It seemed so out of place in this building of high tech gadgets and the best trained doctors in the world.  "Now try not to move," I heard the lab tech say. I lay on the table, my pregnant belly a souffle about to be poked before it was finished baking. I imagined it collapsing beneath the amniocentesis needle with a "poof!" ending my questionable pregnancy before it even had a chance. I didn't dare look at the ultrasound machine.  Instead, I watched the minute hand sweep a slow circle on the wall clock.  It was supposed to be over in a minute, and it was. Afterward, I was glad my husband was there to drive me home. I wasn't in pain. Pain would have been welcome. I was numb, with intermittent stabs of terror. I existed in that state for the next 3 weeks.

submitted for RememberRED-Just Before You Start

Monday, October 10, 2011

Little King

image Sowa, Little King
It's good to be King
but it's been three days and
I'm almost out of clean underwear
I don't really mind
the instant coffee but
breakfast would be nice
and I'm sick of take-out
Why won't she answer my calls?
Why won't she come home?
My home is my castle but
my castle has dirty bathrooms and
I can't find the remote
It's too quiet at night and
the bed is too big
Where has she gone?
The King demands some answers!
(please?)

submitted for Magpie Tales 86

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Don't Miss It!

DON'T MISS THE CYBER EVENT OF THE YEAR!!!


click here for details

The lovely and gracious Tess of Willow Manor is opening her charming cyber home to all of blogland for the annual Willow Manor Ball to be held on October 12, 2011. It is an event not to be missed! I'm shopping for my dress at this moment!

Because Sometimes I Forget To Tell You All the Reasons Why

You thank me for dinner even when it's not good
You trust me completely like no one else could
In bed with two dogs, we cuddle together
We share an umbrella when it is bad weather
You follow my blog; you read every poem
With one little look, my true thoughts, you know 'em
When I am stressed, you scratch my back
For making me laugh, you have the knack
You take me on dates to go out to eat
You buy me Twizzlers because you're so sweet
We like the same movies and the same books
In sweats and no make-up, you like my looks
You admit when you're wrong when we have a fight
You tell me you love me every night

I love you.

submitted for Poetry Jam, Love Poem

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Chains

images courtesy of Ella Wilson

This empty shell she called her home
She roams her hell after the gloam
Imprisoned within as a lover's possesion
"I am not free; my heart is chained
By jealousy, my love constrained."
By his hand she died after making confession.

and In-form Poet: Tri-Coupled Sestet, at Poetic Bloomings

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Sticks and Stones Are a Cakewalk Compared to Girls

image source
Change the tone just a bit
Emphasize the words just a little differently and
a compliment becomes 
an insult
comfort becomes
taunting
Girls do it so well
It's instinctive, this
verbal torture
so effective in wearing down
victims yet 
so easy to deny
Nothing visible
but the scars last longer
than black eyes or
broken bones
No locker room brawls
but plenty of hits taken
Better to be invisible than try
to walk the narrow balance beam between
virgin and whore and risk falling
on the wrong side
Even the agnostics
say a small prayer 
Don't let me be the ugliest or
have the flattest chest, for a special hell
is reserved for her
Wads of toilet paper descend upon her head, her lap
like snowballs of cheap Charmin
to stuff in her unnecessary bra
for some tits
Then the laughter rains down
the bell rings
and it's over
for today
but
the pack will hunt again
tomorrow.

3 Bags Full

If you like a good detective story
I just read one that's not too gory
Leonie Swann wrote the book
and you really should take a look
It's about the murder of a shepherd
but with cleverness and fun this tale is peppered!
You see, the sheep have lost their master
and they vow to bring justice to this disaster
The flock will solve the homicide
using skills for which they're qualified
So read 3 Bags Full-it will surely amuse
but watch out what you say around rams and ewes!

Elephant Footsteps

image courtesy of Magpie Tales 85
You padded in
and touched my heart as quietly 
as elephant footsteps
You brought the rain
and washed from me the
smoke and soot that had
choked and blinded
I climbed upon your back 
together we flew
with the clouds

 submitted for Magpie Tales, 85

Monday, October 3, 2011

No Hand Left Behind

http://moreorlesscomic.com/09/11.html
I can write
right
with my
left hand
but I can't throw
right
with either.
I don't think I learned
right
when I was small
and was taught to throw
right-handed.
So, despite being quite
(b)right,
gym class was a
(f)right
and I am not
light
on my feet.
But now it's
all right.
I've
left
it all behind me!

submitted for Poetry Jam, Sept. 30, 2011
and for We Write Poems, Prompt #74, Left Hand First

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Lessons From Bubbles

Image Credit: http://charlottesfancy.com/
Sometimes
a soft whisper
is more effective than
a lot of hot air.
Sometimes
slow and gentle
yields better results than
heedlessly fast.
And sometimes
despite your best efforts
the magic ends
too quickly
and you're left with
a sticky mess.

Hello Kitty!

images source

Hello Kitty!
Icon of cute
Cartoon cat
Kawaii kitten
Like Japanese schoolgirls and
anime heroines
you've been imported
appropriated
embraced
Hell-Oh!
Fetishized Feline!
Your whiskers tickle
everything from
headbands to tennis shoes
panties to bombs
No one would suspect
such a sweet little pussy
to scratch her way to
WORLD DOMINATION
Bad kitty!