Poet’s Apology

Every day I write some words.
Colourful, silly, oblique, absurd.
Some I decide not to display.
I wrap them up, hide them away.

They’re not worthy to be aired,
should not be published, never shared . . .
until a month or so from now
when I rediscover them and think “Wow!”

Then I’ll subject the reader to
eye-rolling prose — the text I spew.
Sorry!

more death

I’ve run out of words
that mean sorry.
sympathy
condolences
solace
sorry sorry sorry
Say it enough
and the meaning is squeezed out
like a wet towel.
sorry sorry sorry

I can rail for you —
slam my fist through a plate glass window,
curse fate,
scream in anger,
sneer at the open sky.

I can divert you —
talk about the weather,
relate an amusing story,
regurgitate the late night news,
share a recipe.

Instead
I sit —
hands in my lap,
frozen face,
empty head.

My heart hurts bad.

In this place
there are no words.

Prayer

When all my carefully constructed words
plaster the ceiling
and my subsequent tantrum
leaves me spent
lying on cold concrete,
in a pile of syllabic confetti,

it is there,
empty,
wrapped in silence,
where I hear
the voice of my Father.

Missing

For a second
I forgot
you were gone.

For a moment
my heart
found its measure.

Then I remembered;
and the world imploded

again.


I reach out —

my hand returns
empty.

It’s cold here
in winter.

And you aren’t coming home

until we do.

two little words

I’ve turned the key
more times than I ought.
Wound the spring
tighter than taut.

Tension’s high;
it’s bound to break.
Two little words
is all it’ll take.

Shall I push this
over the brink?
I actually do it
before I think:

“Shut up!”

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Lillian is hosting over at d’Verse where the poem is a Quadrille and the word is “wound.”
Check it out and come write!

Waiting

used to think
waiting
was a passive thing.
sit on my hands.
sigh a lot.
watch the clock.
count the minutes.
waiting
until
i forget
what i’m waiting for.

now i see
it’s an active thing —
working toward
that
for which
i’m waiting.

if i wait for peace,
i walk the path of peacemaker.
if i wait for love,
i serve others selflessly.

and while i wait
i wait
in hope.

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PAD 17

Prompt: Write a waiting poem.

Six Words

Light and life

seep through cracks.

…

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PAD 12

Prompt: Use just six words.
(Originally the words were given and the challenge was to use the given words — convict, race, great, season, play and voice — in a poem. But I was intrigued by the idea of using just six words.)

A Blind and Toothless World

Hurt me;
I’ll hurt you.

We only find out
after we pull the trigger
that revenge is bitter.

And that bitterness
is poison
to our soul.

**********************************************************************

The world is mad. I have to withdraw from the news for awhile.

Getting By

You’ll manage.
Because that’s what we do.
Remember:
change is only looking at the problem
in a new way.

…..(I’ve shared so much pizza
…..in equal parts
…..with so many people
…..in my day.

…..I’ve numbered too many trees
…..in too many rows
…..in too many orchards
…..over time.)

In the end
it all comes down to:
embracing what we know
and
waiting for the feet
of the dreamers
to touch ground.

One day
the insides will match the outsides.

Until then,
you’ll manage.

…..

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NaPoWriMo 
Day Twenty-Three

Prompt: Write a poem that responds, in some way, to another. This could be as simple as using a line or image from another poem as a jumping-off point, or it could be a more formal poetic response to the argument or ideas raised in another poem.

I read and then responded to New Math by Nikki Grimes.

Bless You

Given as instructions
but received as prayer,
a benediction on your head
begets wretched curse.

Stay in your corner, son.
Mind the harbinger.

Hold fast to hope
and petition for grace
that we may live
to witness another dawn.