Poetry written in 2020

Laughing Along With A Limerick

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A Turtle’s Dilemma

there were two men at the local beach
one of them made up his mind to screech
the other hung his head
there’s nothing to be said
when fools flock together for a speech

a little morning humor 🙂 with the prompt screech.

Limericks have a rhyme scheme of aabba and syllable structure of 99669.

I didn’t like the repetition of beach at the end Esther so I changed it to speech after I posted it on your page. Thank you for the morning smile.

Esther Chilton's avatarEsther Chilton

Happy Monday! It’s limerick time! Send in your own or here’s a prompt for you –

SCREECH

Here are a few limericks to make you smile this Monday. The prompt was FOOL:

Keith Channing:

I felt like I needed to cool

So went for a dip in the pool

Like a bird I did fly

But the pool was bone dry

Small wonder I felt like a fool.

Christine Mallaband-brown:

I eat at the ritz as a rule.

The food really makes me drool!

From canapés to icecream

Their chefs are a top team

Especially the great gooseberry fool!

John Reynolds:

There was a young man from Chad

Who at times, was a bit of a lad.

He stole a red car,

and a one-string guitar

Then, chased down the road, by his dad.

Ritu:

A young man from Liverpool

Thought he looked rather cool

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Bloom or Fail

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Bloom or Fail

the lonely pink roses left to decay
abandoned like the lovers of life
twas their last brilliant performance
a lifeblood of wisdom that only lingers
in peaceful  circles of garden fame until
denied by the next profuse array.
Their demise demands another bloom
but in a moment of inspiration
or maybe sheer desperation
the roses defiantly gathered their petals
for an encore to remember defying
the honeysuckles rise to glory

Letter-c Day 30

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Can there be such a thing as too much sky? Maybe the joke really is on me, only ominous dark clouds hover. Where are the blue skies and white billowy marshmallow clouds? The ones as a child you imagined were different animal shapes with your friends lying on a blanket with not a care in the world. Or at least not something that you will say out loud because it will change the dynamics of the moment.

As an adult, those days feel like centuries ago. Who has time to idly lie, looking up at a sky that never really gave me comfort like it did my friends. I wonder if they see the dark clouds too, or is this a warning just for me because I stopped believing in humanity. There’s a revolution in the air beckoning me.

It’s too late to change my mind. I hear the crow cawing in the distance. 

This is another snippet of the vignettes I’m writing. Yes, Tulsa is on my mind and the sheer ignorance occurring. Think about it, to schedule the event right after June 19th, a date used to commemorate the delayed emancipation of American slaves, and to pick a location seven blocks from the site of the infamous 1921 race massacre in Tulsa, Okla., when white rioters, helped by Tulsa police and the Oklahoma National Guard to loot and burn 1,200 black businesses and homes and killing 300 people.  Was the intent to deepen the racial issues? I believe it is.

The Bee Gees song came to mind this morning I started a joke when I thought about our leadership. If only people would see the joke is on them, too!

 

I finished Dare Me by Megan Abbott. Yup, I’ve read two of her books this week. I’ll be sending them on to my granddaughter, Caitlyn. I think she’ll enjoy them because both books address issues teenage girls face as they evolve to adults, the mean girls look mild. I wouldn’t recommend the book myself but a writing friend did. It wasn’t the topic or story line but how the author used meandering and spirals in the relationships to move the story was what my friend wanted me to see in practice. That was interesting but the overall story wasn’t my cup of tea.

I tossed some mushrooms into a pan last night with garlic and olive oil letting the flavors merge before adding spinach, kale, and beet greens and grape tomatoes to the mix. I added fresh basil, oregano, zucchini spirals and then covered the pan with the heat off while the wheat spaghetti finished cooking. I added the pasta and mixed to blend the flavors and served it with salmon that had been grilled with fresh pesto I had made earlier.  Dinner tasted awesome until the reflux and pain began.

My basil, kale and beet greens are growing so well in spite of the hot and humid weather. We’ve had brief thunderstorms but no substantial rain so I’ve been watering daily. Today, is another one of those days brief showers that only tease the plants but don’t nurture them.

I’m working on another poem today. I was sitting on the deck with my coffee looking at the spent blooms of my rose bushes.

the lonely roses were left to decay
abandoned like the lovers of life
twas their last brilliant performance
a lifeblood that only lingers

in  circles of garden fame until
denied by another profuse array.
Their demise demands another to bloom
but in a moment of inspiration

or maybe sheer desperation

the roses defiantly gathered it petals
for an encore to remember. ©

Letter-c Day 29

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Stairway to Heaven
Led Zeppelin
There’s a lady who’s sure
All that glitters is gold
And she’s buying a stairway to Heaven
When she gets there she knows
If the stores are all closed
With a word she can get what she came for
Oh oh oh oh and she’s buying a stairway to Heaven
There’s a sign on the wall
But she wants to be sure
‘Cause you know sometimes words have two meanings
In a tree by the brook
There’s a songbird who sings
Sometimes all of our thoughts are misgiving
Ooh, it makes me wonder
Ooh, it makes me wonder
There’s a feeling I get
When I look to the west
And my spirit is crying for leaving
In my thoughts I have seen
Rings of smoke through the trees
And the voices of those who standing looking
Ooh, it makes me wonder
Ooh, it really makes me wonder
And it’s whispered that soon, If we all…
*************************************************************************************
All of us are guilty for wanting to know what lies ahead after we pass. Are there green meadows or is everything white and pure or is it shiny and sparkly like some of the churches I’ve been inside. (The amount of money spent on the decor, could easily feed thousands of homeless people, but that’s another rant for another day.)
When I look at the picture on the video I think of all the steps I’ve taken over the years, some were really easy and others took effort.
In my younger years when I worked during the summer for Northern Outdoors, there were steps going down to the Kennebec River at the halfway point for the white water rafters. The drivers delivered the food to the designated pick up spot on the river which was at the base of those rail road tie steps. Going down wasn’t too bad but having to go up and down them several times to deliver the food used to exhaust me initially. At summer’s end, the stairs weren’t challenging at all. I did it.
I remember going up the stairs in Philly trying to imitate Rocky with my granddaughters, I got my ass kicked. I had to pause and catch my breath every few steps. Gramma doesn’t give up. I hope they always remember that.
Yesterday, frustration got the better of me and I indulged with a favorite drink of mine. The mojito didn’t hurt anymore than if I had drank a cup of coffee or tea. But it fulfilled the quest of breaking doctor’s orders when it has less impact than later on. I enjoyed the drink, especially the fresh mint from the garden. I don’t know if you’ve had a mojito but for me as I drink it I loved chewing on the mint too. Nothing worse than going to a bar and there’s only one piece of mint… grrrrrr. I felt sated with one and didn’t want another. Sometimes, you just have to satisfy the urge, so the focus goes away.
Carston and Jordi helped me get my grandson’s poem to the place I needed. Both of these men love writing poetry like me. The brevity of words is more powerful when making a statement. Char sent me a poetry submission link, I’m sharing it with both as well as submitting Johnny’s poem and a couple more of mine that I wrote trying to process my grief.
****************************************
I fear almost night
Defiant skies of crimson
Bloodied into streams
Of unconscious truth-seeking
justifiable remorse
****************************************
antics of a boy
invincible illusions
echo silently
reverberations define
manufactured martyrdom
****************************************
no creatures devour
human centered ignorance
the stench is all ours
****************************************
Words boldly impressed
Scribbles upon broken soul
An author’s remorse
****************************************

Dear Johnny

/ lyncrain / Leave a comment

I started writing to you how I feel but became stuck again. I fear the night when the crimson sky appears for the bloodied streams of conscious truth cannot be denied. You’re gone. Time has not made it easier. I’m still angry, just like your Mom and Dad, your family and friends are.

I always do better writing poetry when my emotions are involved.

 

I fear almost night
Defiant skies of crimson
Bloodied into streams
Of unconscious truth-seeking
justifiable remorse

 

We love you, Johnny. Always have, always will.

Grandma and Grandpa

October 15, 2005- July 1, 2019

Letter-c Day 20

/ lyncrain / 1 Comment

“If you want to conquer the anxiety of life, live in the moment, live in the breath.” ~ Amit Ray

This message has been expressed in so many different ways but… yeah, there is always a but when it comes to actually doing it. It’s easier said than done.  I do reasonably well during the day at living in the moment, not focusing on the letter-c. However, it’s the night time. I fall asleep than the demons come alive and I’m awake. I long for the grace of silence, not the disturbance of the shadow of the letter-c. Damn you cancer.

I know I’m not alone in this because some one I know who’s also a cancer survivor recently and is still doing the six month check-ups has the same anxiety come night time. Cancer no matter what form it is has the same devastating emotional impact on the person battling it now, or in remission, or past the five year benchmark the lingering fear under the surface remains… cancer may not kill you this time but it can try again. “Reality is the leading cause of stress amongst those in touch with it.” ― Jane Wagner

My husband, Vic, said to me this morning after reading the quote I shared by Oscar Wilde, “You didn’t use the wrong fork. You didn’t do anything wrong. Cancer did. It chose the wrong woman to do battle with. You got this.”  His words reminded me of a lyric in a song I love… Tennessee Whiskey.

One because I do enjoy good bourbon. I love the smooth warmth that flows through your body as it slides down. In that moment, that’s how Vic made me feel. He knew what needed to be said. I’m so lucky to have him with me on this journey.  Sometimes no matter what stress is happening in your life, it doesn’t have to be cancer just having that one person who knows when and what to say in the moment makes all the difference in the world. There’s nothing more powerful than to love and to be loved.

“You’re as smooth as Tennessee whiskey
You’re as sweet as strawberry wine
You’re as warm as a glass of brandy
And honey, I stay stoned on your love all the time

I’ve looked for love in all the same old places
Found the bottom of a bottle always dry
But when you poured out your heart I didn’t waste it
‘Cause there’s nothing like your love to get me high” ~Chris Stapleton.

I just want it to begin so we can move onto other things but what will that be. Our country is ravaged with more and more covid-19 cases and it is only going to increase as more and more people let down their guard. We saw it with the opening of the beaches as Memorial Day weekend happened. People partied and left trash everywhere exposing others to risk.

Followed by the cruel murder of George Floyd and people took to the streets enraged by the actions of the police. I couldn’t believe how many people complained about the people gathering to protest but didn’t give a rats ass about the socializing that took place on the holiday weekend.It’s okay to ignore the stay at home orders and go hang out on the beach but its not okay to protest because of injustices committed by law enforcement.

My friend and I were talking about the current Black Lives Matter movement and I said the reason this situation is still happening is because of our need to have loopholes. We’re on this course of sorrow because the only knots that were tied were ones of hate. It will never resolve until hate ends and the likely hood of that is slim because social injustice generates money.

Thankfully, these protests have inspired action in the right direction but will the ball be dropped once again like it was in the 60’s early 70’s. I saw so many injustices as youth and then as a teen during the civil rights movement I never imagined that our country would sink to such shameful level as it has.

Apologies are simply words, back it up with laws that guarantee equality for all and get rid of the damn loopholes that exist in our society once and for all. King said it best, “I have a dream” in his famous speech. I need to believe that dreams aren’t just for the dreamers.

With all the many different levels of emotional stress happening right now that unfortunately I find it challenging to want to be any moment. Maybe cancer is a blessing after all because it has changed my focus. I’m writing more everyday. Some pieces are dark but not all. This one I wrote today, I haven’t decided what to name it nor am I am sure it’s finished. It’s a work in progress but then isn’t everything in life.

 as memories fade

mired by melancholy

like a mourning dove

bereft of of all joy

life gave ominous reminders

that pain is normal

and what remains

 is the comfort

knowing death awaits. ©Lyn Crain