Wednesday, June 29

Prophets, Why Is Wisdom

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Prophets, why is wisdom in vast spaces:
trackless deserts, measureless horizons
bottomless oceans, countless bookcases
infinite systems with infinite suns?

illumination of youthful wonder
outshines the dimmest experiences
an affection that's transparently pure
fool's paradise in a wasteland's caress

what limits an omnipresent embrace
except a narrow minded reckoning?
no matter the place, a tolerant grace
receives ubiquitous understanding

a seeker need not venture somewhere else,
pursuit of insight inside conscious self.

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Written for One Stop Poetry. Happy Birthday OSP!

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Tuesday, June 28

All Writers Write

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All writers write
since graceful words
resolve the plight
of souls unheard.

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Sunday, June 26

Not Everything I Write

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Not everything I write
gleams as literary gold
from king midas tongue

most days I trudge
a tenderfoot packmule
with word burdens
up rocky bluffs
of aesthetic merit

once in a shrewd moon
my patient hooves lead
to a sagacity stream
skyline of ancient poets
auric epiphany dawn.

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Collected Haiku #49

Collected Haiku #48

Friday, June 24

At the Speed of Me

























Run at the speed of me
rocket from big bang birth
dash as atoms toddle
sprint as molecules mingle
flee immature star formations
bound beyond melancholy black holes
waver to gravity’s alluring curves
though no time tick tocks
to pierce your atmosphere
to blast your unbarred eyes
to reflect myself
at the speed of me.

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Artwork is "A Fundamental Constant" by Alison Jardine.
Written for One Stop Poetry's Friday Poetically, G-Man's Friday Flash 55, and Poet's United Think Tank #55.
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Tuesday, June 21

Comments Are Hard

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each comment I write
a tooth pulled by string without
brain anesthesia

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I want to break character for a bit and let you into my mind without the protection of poetry. The topic I wanted to talk about is the act of writing and receiving comments, because honestly, I find it quite intimidating and mind-wracking. I actually have a more difficult time writing comments on poetry than I do writing poetry itself.

Now right off the bat, I want to say that I love other people's poetry, so it's not that I believe other people's stuff is inferior. I appreciate the time and effort everyone puts into their work, and if poetry were a theatre performance I'd applaud right along with everyone else.

When it comes to commenting, however, my mind paralyzes. Though I will like whatever a person has written, it might take me anywhere from ten minutes to an hour for my brain to ruminate and figure out exactly why. So if fifteen people comment on one of my poems, and my slowpoke mind has to take up to fifteen hours to contemplate everyone's work, you can see where I get bogged down.

What makes it even more infuriating is when I scroll up and someone else has already made the point I was about to share, and I can either weakly agree with them, or go back to the drawing board for another indeterminate length of time.

On the other hand, I could keep a stock amount of phrases like "Good job!" or "Excellent work!" on hand when my keyboard feels like quick drying cement, though I have some hesitance to that as well.

What makes this puzzling to me is that I love it when people comment on my work. It doesn't even have to be Shakespeare or a college dissertation: a simple, "I like it!" thrills me. So I don't understand why I'm reluctant to use this method when I'm strapped for time.

I would dig it if everyone had a little "like" thumb that I could click on to say, "Yes, I read your poem. It was groovy. My words are failing me right now. Keep up the good work!" (This is one of the reasons why I prefer Twitter/Facebook. Retweets and likes are excellent!)

I'm curious to know other people's opinions on this: How do you feel about writing comments? Do you prefer a simple comment over no comment at all? Do you comment on comments? If someone (like me) has trouble reciprocating, do you feel irked?

Anyway, thank you for reading, and I hope you have an excellent day! :D

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Monday, June 20

Fat Buddha

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Fat buddha
you sit so still
your chubby belly hangs out
like me as a scrubby teen
controller in hands
controlled by blip blop bloop games
gotta get the mushroom
dammit, these chains caress
my fingers raw

if you jump you get points
this is me leaping now
after the /timespent hedonism
and the flip floppy bouncing
for fake gold coins that go ding

you smile
like I smile
at the imaginary world
I've built for myself
while all around me
the real world has grown

this is me rattling my cables
this is me with no controller
this is me with a smile
like you, fat buddha
though I no longer
sit still

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Written for One Stop Poetry's Form Monday.

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Sunday, June 19

Collected Haiku #45

I'm an Ogre, Dear






















I'm an ogre, dear
       No! (repeat)
gonna gnaw your knees
gonna get your ear
what can I eat please?

gonna fry your eyes
I'll grill your elbows
gonna toast your thighs
I think you're too slow

gonna crunch your nose
gonna chew your feet
gonna munch your toes
I like that sweet treat

gonna take your thumb
I'll bite your belly
gonna bake your bum
it's good with jelly

now I can't chase you
       Yay! (repeat)
I'm way too hungry
I know what I'll do
there's an apple tree.

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This is a poem for my kids.  It's a call and response piece, where after every line they get to yell, "No!" until the last stanza where they yell "Yay!" Written for Father's Day.

Saturday, June 18

Moon Woman

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Moon woman covets
freedom from staunch gravity
into frozen space

the sun warms her soul
confined in earth's cruel orbit
she dreams of comets

liberating leap
careens toward wild darkness
and welcoming blaze

solitary earth
seeks solace with kind humans
and silent ocean

when will earth learn to
not have faith in fickle moon
who craves only stars

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Tuesday, June 14

Hey Driver!

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(Written with my 5 year old son's help!)

Hey driver! your indicator duck
quacks peculiar problems with your truck
I heard the hamsters under the hood
though they are often misunderstood

remember the frogs that roll the wheels?
they eat plenty of flies for their meals
check if chipmunks are picking a fight
with the squirrels when we are out of sight

oh no! we forgot about the snake
I'm sure the mice have planned an escape
don't neglect badger in the heater
these scars from when I didn't feed her

beware! there's the flare! I do declare
the prize mare, polar bear, grizzly bear
panda bear, black bear, koala bear
and snowshoe hare wear pairs of footware!

who needs regular old combustion
when we've got animal locomotion?

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 Posted for One Shot Wednesday.
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Tuesday, June 7

Sulky Sally
















Sulky sally spied slimy snail
boogers excreted out of tail
she schemed, "save for snack, I suppose."
propelled that snail right up her nose

when mollusk crawled it caused her pain
at least until it ate her brain
sunny sally always now kind
since slimy snail became her mind.

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Posted for One Shot Wednesday over at One Stop Poetry.  Huzzah!

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Friday, June 3

Little George Faraday

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Little george faraday
six feet tall at birth
and grew
no jump basketball dunk
and grew
touched a skyscraper’s roof
and grew
grabbed an airplane midflight
and grew
mommy knitted a space sweater
and grew
dodged a sneaky moon
and grew
shook hands with planets
and grew
until he hugged the sun
and said,
“ouch.”

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Written for Friday Poetically With Brian Miller and G-Man's Friday Flash 55.

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Collected 5Lines #1