Private Audience
Tucked out of sight beneath a rock ledge,
my kayak motionless on water
smooth as glass, I gaze from shadow
into light, spellbound by an aerial ballet
of swallows weaving around each other
as if choreographed in a performance
for an audience of one.
This is my response to Quadrille #154: Casting a Poetic Spell, the prompt from Sanaa at dVerse ~ Poets Pub, which is to use a form of the word spell in a 44-word poem (excluding title), with no required meter or rhyme.
Selling Out
I browse,
read the news feed,
but I’m not buying it.
The words that fall
out of their mouths express
concern for the loss of life.
Of course it’s senseless.
Even more senseless
is their insistence
that more guns
will make it go away.
This is my response to Quadrille #153: Out of the Meadow’s Browse, the prompt from Sarah at dVerse ~ Poets Pub, which is to use a form of the word browse in a 44-word poem (excluding title), with no required meter or rhyme.
Image: a 16 May 2022 tweet (now deleted) posted by Daniel Defense,
manufacturer of the gun used to kill 19 children and 2 teachers in Uvalde, Texas.
The tweet also quoted Proverbs 22:6
“Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”
Giraffe Dreams
Come lay your head on my shoulder
and I will tell you all the things
you can look forward to as you sleep
All of the leaves in the trees
will hang low for you
and be as many as stars in the night
This is my response to Quadrille night! Sleepy times, the prompt from Sarah at dVerse ~ Poets Pub, which s to use a form of the word sleep in a 44-word poem (excluding title), with no required meter or rhyme. This poem uses 2 stanzas (slightly revised from my poem Giraffe Lullaby, which was written years ago for my daughter.
Image: Griffis Sculpture Park, East Otto, New York
Chalk It up to Love
Moments that were stellar?
Of course.
I have three beautiful souls in my life.
Life without them?
Unimaginable.
Moments that were not?
Unfortunately.
This time, I am getting it right.
Some might chalk it up to experience,
but another beautiful soul is the key.
This poem is my response to Quadrille #150 – Chalk it up to Poetry, the prompt from Lillian at dVerse ~ Poets Pub, which is to use a form of the word chalk in a 44-word poem (excluding title), with no required meter or rhyme.
Image source: peakpx.com
Savor the Moment
Given the chance, would I season our time
any differently, remove sweetness
in the quiet moments, or add spice,
raise the heat, in those moments
when two souls are so tightly wound?
Why tamper with a love
as fine as ours with a recipe?
This poem is my response to dVerse – Monday Quadrille #149 – ‘Tis the Season, the prompt from Lisa at dVerse ~ Poets Pub, which is to use a form of the word season in a 44-word poem (excluding title), with no required meter or rhyme.
This is off prompt, but I’m sharing it with Day 5 at napowrimo.net.
Image source: clipartkey.com
Whispers Without Words
Listen, and you will hear
soft whispers without words
in the hush of wings lighter
than the light that shines
through them. Just as light,
their homes of paper
that will never know ink,
nor hold the words
you were not meant to hear.
This poem is my response to Quadrille #148: Papered Poems, the prompt from De Jackson at dVerse ~ Poets Pub, which is to use a form of the word paper in a 44-word poem (excluding title), with no required meter or rhyme.
Image source: MorgueFile
Listen
A voice carries, soft
as the words it holds,
edged when they demand.
You want to know more.
Look into the poet’s eyes,
and see the weight of the words?
Or look away, and feel them
float through you?
Listen, and you will know.
I attended the Open Mic Poetry Reading at Gumbo Bottoms Alehouse, last night.
(photo from Jan. 10 reading)
This poem is my response to Eyeing the Quadrille #147, the prompt from Björn at dVerse ~ Poets Pub, which is to use a form of the word eye in a 44-word poem (excluding title), with no required meter or rhyme.
A Heart That Swells
Sorrow.
Joy.
What is their measure?
Cheeks with traces of salty trails?
I have shed enough tears to fill an ocean,
yet still carry each within me.
Waves of sorrow balanced by waves of joy.
Swells that swallow my heart, yet set it free.
This poem is my response to Quadrille #146: Let’s Get Salty, the prompt from De Jackson at dVerse ~ Poets Pub, which is to use a form of the word salt in a 44-word poem (excluding title), with no required meter or rhyme.
Shivering Brief(ly)
The wind blowing across the river
whips my face with a cold spray.
My monthly weather report
and update for those I love complete
and my camera safely stowed,
I turn my red cheeks towards
home, warmth returning
with each stroke of the paddle.
Today was not a typical cold January day. But hey! That’s winter in Missouri!
This poem is my response to Quadrille #144: Shivering, the prompt from Merril at dVerse ~ Poets Pub, which is to use a form of the word shiver in a 44-word poem (excluding title), with no required meter or rhyme.
Embrace the Beauty
Within the beauty of your golden crown
lies no concern for loss or thoughts
laid bare by harsh truths. Though winter
will surely come, hope never leaves us.
Spring will follow, again and again,
until we embrace the beauty
of our own bare branches.
This poem is my response to Quadrille #141: Heady is the Poem That Wears the Crown, the prompt from De Jackson at dVerse ~ Poets Pub, which is to use a form of the word crown in a 44-word poem (excluding title), with no required meter or rhyme.
Image: Maple at Ha Ha Tonka State Park, Missouri
(click for larger view in new tab)
rivrvlogr 