‘srooms

Photo: Wise Acre Gardens

‘srooms

beige, white, brown, speckled,
delicate, stout, pointed or round—
fairy umbrellas.

National Poetry Month–Day 21

Good Friday Ritual

Photo: Calvary Cemetery, Los Angeles, California
by Frank Iley

Remember back when we were kids?

Mom would load us into the back seat of her ‘53 Buick

and haul us off to Calvary Cemetery.

 

A stop at our favorite flower vendor,

the sweet scent of stock,

sickening, filled up the car.

 

We’d visit your mother

and the grave of an unknown soldier, a few rows down

for my father whose body was, who-knows-where.

 

At noon she’d hush us up

to observe the three hours

and hand us tuna fish sandwiches on Wonder bread

soggy by now ‘cause of too much mayo.

 

We’d eat in silence, giggling,

not knowing how to spend the time,

not knowing how to pray.

 

Today—no cemetery.

Today—no mushy sandwich.

Today—she won’t go.

“I’ll be there soon enough,” she says,

but you are there—alone.

 

I wrote this yesterday for Day 18 of National Poetry Month. The three hours refers to a traditional practice of spending noon to three PM in silent prayer, in observation of the time Christ was said to hang upon the cross.

The Soul

 

Photo: wdfw.com

The Soul

a Haiku

Like a baby doe,

she hid among the brambles,

nurtured in secret.

 

National Poetry Month, Day 13

This is in response to a post by Terri Stewart on The Bardo Group.

“The soul is such a shy creature.”

Population Control

Photo: D. Slotto

The day they hatched,
we counted eleven.
Golfers halted play as Mama
led them from the water
to the safety of their nest
beneath thorny Bougainvillea.

The following evening
a hawk took up residence
in the leafy orange tree
between our houses.

And then there was none.

 

National Poetry Month, Day 12

To Thine Own Self Be True

Photo: Wikipedia

At a distance,

a mockingbird sings delight for the summer-like day.

 

In the overgrown lime tree just outside my window

a sparrow nags—

a staccato, monotone note.

 

Which is more pleasing

to its creator?

 

Day 11–National Poetry Month

Poetry and Prose–Monday Menaderings

Today’s Monday Meanderings is a special invitation to those who primarily write prose (not to exclude the rest of us.)

alanbevere.com

You may have heard that April is National Poetry Month. Perhaps you even read and or write poetry. I love to consider the impact of poetry on prose writers, and vice versa.  Every now and again you will read a positive review that describes a writer’s prose as “poetic.” When someone pays me that complement, I relish it.

For me, it’s important for those of us who write prose to pay a  attention to this often undervalued art. Many prose writers, especially those who write literary fiction, dabble in poetry–either as readers or poets. Or both. They find that doing so enriches their own work. Here are a few things to consider:

POETRY:

Engages the senses
Pays attention to detail
Uses symbolic language
Expresses thoughts succinctly
Respects the rhythm and sound of words
Makes use of metaphor and simile
Uses description to express feelings
Breaks the rules!

In celebration of this month of poetry, I invite you to treat yourself to a book of poetry and brew a cup of tea or coffee. Now, hunker down in your favorite chair and read. My preference is for poets who are not so obscure that you need a lit professor to help interpret their work. Here are a few of my favorites, most of them contemporary: Ted Kooser, Kim Addonizio, Jane Hirschfiled, Jane Kenyon, Ellen Bass, William Carlos Williams, and oh so many others. You might want to subscribe to some poetry blogs or websites that offer a daily poetry fix.

tweetspeakpoetry

Happy writing. Enjoy the process…and try writing a poem of your own.

 

For National Poetry Month, Day 7, I’ve written a Haiku:

a communion of sorts 

ripe strawberry love

slice open, reveal two hearts

taste and know sweetness

Photo: Public Domain

 

Desert Love

Photo: desertusa.com

I was so young
when first I walked the desert
alone, of an early morning.
When first I learned
those sands were anything
but barren.
When first I fell in love
with tiny pink blossoms
twinning between prickly vines
that hid beneath a boulder.

Written for National Poetry Month 2014–Day 5

April without Showers

An American Sentence

 

Mockingbird sings spring into being,

trumpet vines accompany,

Earth thirsts.

 

Photo:shenandoahvalleyflowers.com

 

A simple poem for the second day of National Poetry Month. My goal is to write a poem a day, even if its a short one, such as the American Sentence, a form developed by Ginsburg, derived from the haiku, consisting of 17 syllables in one sentence.

Very Little Gravitas Indeed

Farkleberries–yes, there is such a thing!

Fiddlehead ferns and farkleberries,
frolicking fun in dictionaries.
Farcical foodie festivity,
flagrantly fragrant felicity.

Rutabagas, rotund, rakish,
rollicking words like razorfish,
ravishing romance, ranuculi—
learn what they mean, or how to lie.

Artichokes, albacore, aperitifs.
Anisette, aubergine, tomato aspic,
Apple pan dowdy, ambrosia divine,
chill out and enjoy with a glass of fine wine.

If you’re a word addict such as I
finding new words gives you a high.
Webster invites you to grab his book.
Find something new—don’t be a schnook!

Written to NaPoWriMo’sDay 4’s prompt. I ran across the word farkleberries in the dictionary a while back and knew that someday I had to use it in a poem.
I’m getting a head start on dVerse Open Link Night. The bar opens Tuesday, 3:00 PM EST. Come by for a shot of poetry.

Wordsmith Wednesday–Poetry and Prose

Image via Wikipedia

Since April is National Poetry Month, I think it’s important to pay homage to this sometimes undervalued art. Many prose writers, especially those who write literary fiction, dabble in poetry–either as readers or poets–and find that doing so enriches their own work. Here are a few things to consider:

POETRY:

• Engages the senses
• Pays attention to details
• Uses symbolic language
• Expresses thoughts succinctly
• Respects the rhythm and sound of words
• Makes use of metaphor and simile
• Uses description to express feelings
• Breaks the rules!

I invite you to treat yourself to a book of poetry, brew a cup of tea or coffee. Now, hunker down in your favorite chair and read. My personal preference is for poets who are not so obscure that you need a lit professor to help interpret their work. Here are just a few of my favorites, most of them contemporary: Ted Kooser, Kim Addonizio, Jane Hirschfiled, Jane Kenyon, Ellen Bass, William Carlos Williams, Pablo Neruda, Dorianne Laux. Stanley Kunitz. Consider browsing poetry blogs and websites and sample some of the excellent poetry that is there for the taking.

Happy writing. Enjoy the process…and try writing a poem of your own. If you’d like to post it in comments, I’d love to share it.