my day today was ruined
before I even got out of bed
the cat died
sometime in the night
and did not lick my face
at dawn as usual
TEARS BEFORE BREAKFAST
a new
poet or two, a new pair of books
garnered
from the annual poetry festival
to
which I am a first-timer
which
shall I read first?
setting
aside my Sunday newspaper
time
enough for that reality stuff later
I
pitch into a slim volume
reflecting
now on that sudden onset of darkness
I never
knew what hit me
strumming,
murmuring, swaying, swooning
knocked
off balance
my
sense of me, split
me,
spilt all over the floor
like that carton of milk after I saw
that
mouse on the kitchen floor that time
floored now this time
I'm smitten by my new pet poet
floored now this time
I'm smitten by my new pet poet
the softest
kitten fur
playful batting mitten paws
squeaky
bright eyes following the yarn trail
Curses!
I have been hornswaggled by a new poet
a new
sweet, sultry voice
irresistibly
drowning me in siren song
just
what I needed
what was it that had falsely
me assured me that I could
read just a little before breakfast
read just a little before breakfast
then
get up from the couch
grab a
second cup of coffee
finish
reading the newspaper
and
get on with my life?
now I
have poet vertigo
nothing
looks the same
I'm
different
the
world is reeling and demands a new accounting
I'm
busy
inundated
deafened,
blinded to the cares of my
ordinarily
demanding world I see
untidy
dirty dishes, wash yourselves!
dust bunnies, go back to sleep!
the daddy long legs will
take
care of your pesky residents for me
and I
will cry real tears before breakfast
hearing
the calming soothe, the echo of your voice
the crickets low chirping
the mourning dove's
coo-oooh!-coo-coo-coo-ing
the creek noise flowing, slowing my start,
stilling my heart
now... wolves
howling, bats yowling, dogs growling
unfed, unloved
babies
wailing, diaper-pailing daddies
nailing boards up before the storm
paling
shimmering light, stars, night
waves
waving, sailing
trailing,
womanly, four feet behind my newest poet
my voluptuous
curves curving, serving, trotting
besotted
beside my newest dearest friend
would
this never end!
plotting
a hold on my latest treasure, braver
demanding
we're eternally together
my sweet, fathomless new poet love
my sweet, fathomless new poet love
When My Vagina Saved My Life
Vietnam conflict
our male classmates fought and died
we girls weren't drafted
our male classmates fought and died
we girls weren't drafted
Suggestions
when i write poetry
i take the rules of english
as suggestions
made by a maiden aunt with alzheimer's
giving me wedding night advice
on my 33rd wedding anniversary
kiss his fingertips first
she admonishes
from memory
mistaking her sister's newborn
for the man of her dreams
she never married
quotation marks
missing
who cares who said what when
or why or how
poems
are fodder for the scatterbrain
feeding on itself
in a frenzy
of catch-up nutrition
vitamins for the soul
word figments mistaken for leafy greens
imagggine nations
roaring
into second place
with shame lowered eyes
spelling "beautiful" without the "a"
a fifth grade spelling bee
middle school social golf course hazard
the ball sliced into the woods
missing the pond
but also missing the green
rows upon rows of gold stars
awarded for perfect spelling
notwithstanding
capitalization
is for the birds
crows perched on the roof
waiting for trash day
and a neighborhood acquaintance carelessly exposing
the rotten morsels
that all crows love
the mighty comma
wallows in self pity
ignored forgotten maligned
OUT OF PLACE
no room for commas
when carriage returns do just nicely
thank you berry much
my poet
fast food word deliverer
leave us not forget the colloquialisms
the expletives
the borrowed-from-the-french
the technical terms with no cousins in the thesaurus
these fiends all exorcised from true poetry
poems, after all, are written to say
"I LOVE YOU!"
in a language you the reader want to understand
for a share of this lovingkindness
you are willing to sift through
word detritus
wade through undetectable grammatical fauxs pas
and put up with mismanagement of vowels
we can all do just fine without
"Rules of English"
when we want to feel alive loved
we'll die soon enough
our tombstone and obituary
will be carefully edited
for Proper English
by somebody who cares for English
but has never met Our Heart
i take the rules of english
as suggestions
made by a maiden aunt with alzheimer's
giving me wedding night advice
on my 33rd wedding anniversary
kiss his fingertips first
she admonishes
from memory
mistaking her sister's newborn
for the man of her dreams
she never married
quotation marks
missing
who cares who said what when
or why or how
poems
are fodder for the scatterbrain
feeding on itself
in a frenzy
of catch-up nutrition
vitamins for the soul
word figments mistaken for leafy greens
imagggine nations
roaring
into second place
with shame lowered eyes
spelling "beautiful" without the "a"
a fifth grade spelling bee
middle school social golf course hazard
the ball sliced into the woods
missing the pond
but also missing the green
rows upon rows of gold stars
awarded for perfect spelling
notwithstanding
capitalization
is for the birds
crows perched on the roof
waiting for trash day
and a neighborhood acquaintance carelessly exposing
the rotten morsels
that all crows love
the mighty comma
wallows in self pity
ignored forgotten maligned
OUT OF PLACE
no room for commas
when carriage returns do just nicely
thank you berry much
my poet
fast food word deliverer
leave us not forget the colloquialisms
the expletives
the borrowed-from-the-french
the technical terms with no cousins in the thesaurus
these fiends all exorcised from true poetry
poems, after all, are written to say
"I LOVE YOU!"
in a language you the reader want to understand
for a share of this lovingkindness
you are willing to sift through
word detritus
wade through undetectable grammatical fauxs pas
and put up with mismanagement of vowels
we can all do just fine without
"Rules of English"
when we want to feel alive loved
we'll die soon enough
our tombstone and obituary
will be carefully edited
for Proper English
by somebody who cares for English
but has never met Our Heart
Stay tuned...
I finally collected my poetry into a book to be entitled, "Mourning Dove Dawn." I will be making the book available for purchase as a hard-cover book, a soft-cover book, and also as an e-book... once I figure out how to do all that! This is my first attempt at self-publishing.
The e-book will most likely sell for the minimum, which I think at the moment is ninety-nine cents in American money. The soft-cover book will be made available as inexpensively as possible, but the hard-cover book will be pricey, as I want to make it a beautiful treasure and keepsake, as much for my own benefit as for those who might like to own one or give it as a gift.
I love the smell of new books. I love the feel of a book in my hand, and the way it looks as I leaf through its pages. Though I have never been a fan of dust jackets, I love attached bookmark ribbons and gilt edges and pretty, rose-printed end papers on linen-bound books. In selecting a printing format, I will probably have to settle for what I can afford. I am shopping around.
All of my poetry will still be available for free on this blog or wherever else I manage to post, though many poems have since been edited or updated or re-written altogether, and I have not always kept my blogs up-to-date with the near-constant revisions.
If you want a better-formed book of my poems and you want to make arrangements with a printer, I would be happy to provide the content for these words to be printed up to create the gorgeous book of your dreams.
If you would like to make books of my words available for sale, please distribute any profits according to my wishes: use the proceeds to make books and musical instruments available to all, along with the teaching of the skills necessary to employ them, and do what is possible to assure people have the time to actively pursue the creation of their own music and their own combinations of words.
You can choose to print all or just a selection of the poems, whichever you would most enjoy. The poems may be printed out, one per page, with plenty of blank space for your notes or for journaling. They can be made into a calendar, printed on a tee shirt or mug or other object. I myself have printed out my haiku on single business cards, and collected the cards into a three-ring binder, for easy reference.
The making of books no longer needs to be done the old-fashioned way. I ask only that you not combine my words with those of others, which might create a different story than the one I have intended to tell, unless I have granted such permission in advance, or unless you are absolutely sure that including my words in a collection will not alter my message.
I am excited to be bringing to print my first book.
In my mind, every hard-bound book should have on its inside cover a white square sticker that announces "This book belongs to _________" and have a single name proudly handwritten on the line. This sticker is designed to encourage the free lending out and then the happy return of the book to its owner.
In my mind, every hard-bound book given as a gift needs a written explanation on the blank page inside the front cover, as to why it was specifically selected for the recipient, out of the myriad possibilities in gift-giving. You may use this:
My Dearest,
Many happy returns to you as we together celebrate the anniversary of your birth! The day you came into my life was a day that changed me forever for the better.
I hope this book brings you joy and courage and wisdom and happiness and peace of mind and all the wonderful things it has brought to me. All that, and more good I wish for you as you continue your journey through time and space.
I hope you come to cherish this book's continuous freshness as I have. I enjoyed it the first time I read it and have looked forward with increasing pleasure to spending yet another bit of quiet time with this old friend.
With All My Tender Love,
Yours Truly
P.S. Always remember, whatever the question, love is the answer. I'll love you forever!"
It saddens me to see good books tied up and sitting at the curb, heartlessly discarded and waiting to be taken away for permanent disposal. When you are ready to part with it, please make your best effort to find and give this book to someone new who will hopefully appreciate it.
More to come...
The e-book will most likely sell for the minimum, which I think at the moment is ninety-nine cents in American money. The soft-cover book will be made available as inexpensively as possible, but the hard-cover book will be pricey, as I want to make it a beautiful treasure and keepsake, as much for my own benefit as for those who might like to own one or give it as a gift.
I love the smell of new books. I love the feel of a book in my hand, and the way it looks as I leaf through its pages. Though I have never been a fan of dust jackets, I love attached bookmark ribbons and gilt edges and pretty, rose-printed end papers on linen-bound books. In selecting a printing format, I will probably have to settle for what I can afford. I am shopping around.
All of my poetry will still be available for free on this blog or wherever else I manage to post, though many poems have since been edited or updated or re-written altogether, and I have not always kept my blogs up-to-date with the near-constant revisions.
If you want a better-formed book of my poems and you want to make arrangements with a printer, I would be happy to provide the content for these words to be printed up to create the gorgeous book of your dreams.
If you would like to make books of my words available for sale, please distribute any profits according to my wishes: use the proceeds to make books and musical instruments available to all, along with the teaching of the skills necessary to employ them, and do what is possible to assure people have the time to actively pursue the creation of their own music and their own combinations of words.
You can choose to print all or just a selection of the poems, whichever you would most enjoy. The poems may be printed out, one per page, with plenty of blank space for your notes or for journaling. They can be made into a calendar, printed on a tee shirt or mug or other object. I myself have printed out my haiku on single business cards, and collected the cards into a three-ring binder, for easy reference.
The making of books no longer needs to be done the old-fashioned way. I ask only that you not combine my words with those of others, which might create a different story than the one I have intended to tell, unless I have granted such permission in advance, or unless you are absolutely sure that including my words in a collection will not alter my message.
I am excited to be bringing to print my first book.
In my mind, every hard-bound book should have on its inside cover a white square sticker that announces "This book belongs to _________" and have a single name proudly handwritten on the line. This sticker is designed to encourage the free lending out and then the happy return of the book to its owner.
In my mind, every hard-bound book given as a gift needs a written explanation on the blank page inside the front cover, as to why it was specifically selected for the recipient, out of the myriad possibilities in gift-giving. You may use this:
My Dearest,
Many happy returns to you as we together celebrate the anniversary of your birth! The day you came into my life was a day that changed me forever for the better.
I hope this book brings you joy and courage and wisdom and happiness and peace of mind and all the wonderful things it has brought to me. All that, and more good I wish for you as you continue your journey through time and space.
I hope you come to cherish this book's continuous freshness as I have. I enjoyed it the first time I read it and have looked forward with increasing pleasure to spending yet another bit of quiet time with this old friend.
With All My Tender Love,
Yours Truly
P.S. Always remember, whatever the question, love is the answer. I'll love you forever!"
It saddens me to see good books tied up and sitting at the curb, heartlessly discarded and waiting to be taken away for permanent disposal. When you are ready to part with it, please make your best effort to find and give this book to someone new who will hopefully appreciate it.
More to come...
Happy Not-My-Own-Religion Holiday
"Haiku Greeting Cards For All Occasions"
as you celebrate
your wrong religious beliefs
I'm happy with you
as you celebrate
your wrong religious beliefs
I'm happy with you
No Visible Marks
poet
what made you a poet
what made you a poet
what made you pause
in the middle of an otherwise ordinary life
and made you stop
to smell the roses
and write it down
what terrible farce
of the frailties of human existence
did you witness
or did you play a forced role
no one could possibly imagine
so you recorded it
for humanity's sake
for your own sake
to assure yourself you were still grounded
and not swept up in the madness all around you
are your words
an unleashed warning
to the innocent
rhetorical questions
in poetry
in poetry
never require question marks
as you know
fellow poet
fellow poet
Not All Poems Have A Title
not all poems rhyme
not all haiku have a season word
not all smiles are returned
White and Black
I am white and when I see a person of
color
I notice that I'm not a person of color
I am instantly reminded
that there exists in our world
the human thought of racism
and I believe that racism is evil
The thought that evil exists is a painful
thought
I am white and when I see a person of
color
I notice that I'm not a person of color
and I feel pain
I
am white and when I see a person of color
I
notice that they are a person of color
I
am instantly reminded
that
there exists in our world
the
human thought of racism
and
I believe that racism is evil
and
I remember that the two co-exist
The
evil of racism / The thought that racism is evil
and
I believe that all evil things will end
The
thought that evil will end gives me great joy
I
am white and when I see a person of color
I
notice that they are a person of color
and
I feel joy
how to have a happy spouse
(haiku)
live in harmony
men, put the toilet seat down
women, shut up
(An alternate title for this poem is "The Ups and Downs of Marriage.")
live in harmony
men, put the toilet seat down
women, shut up
(An alternate title for this poem is "The Ups and Downs of Marriage.")
intimate connections
(inspired by "The Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow"
by Jerome K. Jerome, available free on Project Gutenberg)
(haiku)
the tiny coral
the tiny coral
laboring to build his house
joins two continents
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