The winds and steady rain
came last night
tugging on the leafs connection
between spring and
the colder now
So many connections
broken witnessed by
leaves unteathered scattered
across wet pavement
I feel disconnected these days
separation between me
and familiar joys
and easy distractions
Now I find myself
fading emptying
delicate veins appearing
praying for a spring that
will be too long coming
To eat a sesame bagel
I must toast
and then slather on
the soft cheese
The crunch and the smooth
melding on my tongue
Remaining are the seeds
scattered like beautiful
random memories
dotting the plate
These little remnants
opportune bliss
against all that
I have gathered
in pain and duty
I moisten a finger
and attract the seeds
in ones and twos
laying them unhurried
on my tongue
these tiny nutty
little things
In that quieting space
I remember and
I can feel that much is
still fine and truly well
It’s late summer
The light has faded
I feel a deep
sigh coming on
Fields of tall
grasses yellowed
falling over in
heat exhaustion
Bright red berry laden
branches fill thickets
The black berries
already withered
on wild vines
Yellow jackets old
fly confused
And there right
before me relief
Evidence of a
changing guard
A garnet leaf
amid the
papery green
A signal that Fall
is on the march
The clock teeters
on the brink between
night and day
I between
awake and sleep
I open my door
to midnight
one last nod
a grateful farewell
thus squeezing just a
little more out
of this day
I stand enfolded
in tranquil darkness
wrapped in sky
The lights in my abode
diminished behind me
Lights from other lives
reach out across
the blackness
shed on what and whom
I do not know
but wonder sometimes
Then like some familiar task
with barely a thought
I let go
I wander back inside
shutter the door
slip into bed
and fall over the edge
into the oncoming day
Written from Eugi’s prompt “Midnight” https://amanpan.com/2021/08/19/eugis-weekly-prompt-midnight-august-19-2021/
The grasses are yellow
and beaten down
They crunch underfoot
I feel that way
worn and brittle.
Out my window
the banks of the river
have become broad
revealing a natural
end of life
pictured evolution
in fallen trees
I want for some joy
a break in the
relentless chasm
of uncertainty
My sense of well-being
chipped away
leaves temper too close
to a cracked surface
stretched too far
searching for joy
in the minutia
The tightness in my chest
begs for the lightness
of cool winds and steady rain
to temporarily submerge
the evidence of all
that’s been broken
Her words were petals
floating down
from the sturdy tree
that was she
They floated around
and landed in my hair
tickled my nose
slid down my arms
and coverd my toes
In abundance they filled
the empty spaces
all those between places
especially where I longed
leaving me quite
certain I was not alone
that I belonged
She that was She
grew up the me
spindly into strong
I rose high a
free to be me and
a she that was She
with petals that
floated down
in and all around
tender to surround
Inspired by Eugi’s Prompt “Petals”
https://amanpan.com/2021/07/29/eugis-weekly-prompt-petals-july-29-2021/
He soared past me
The spread of his wings
breaking rambling thoughts
Landing high above
his huge eyes deliberate
blinked half speed
We stared curious
then made our apologies
and left as good guests must do
My 4 legged friend and I
had wandered the forest floor
choosing unfamiliar trails
and wading creeks
Nearing the end of
our adventure
we stepped
from woods to lawns
and settled shaded
butt and belly
in cool grass
It was in the quiet they rose
appearing like single manned
helicopters
The dragon flies
too numerous to count
hummed hovered
and darted passing
one another in seemingly
random directions
Visitors bemused we
had landed in the midst of
a bustling air field
When no collisions occurred
I wondered if the owl
was an off-duty
air traffic controller
Why does joy fade
but embarrassing moments
etch memory’s blackboard
Picked almost last
Joyfully performed
for Dad –
he mumbled and left
Little girl, crying desperate
had to pee in the dirt
behind the family car
Teacher to the class
She would have done better
on a True False test
had she just guessed
Humiliation unforgotten
in synapse tattoos
From Eugi’s promp “Unforgotten”
https://amanpan.com/2021/07/15/eugis-weekly-prompt-unforgotten-july-15-2021/
I like poetry prompts
They force one to
look at their feelings
and biases
Network feels like business
And I don’t like the
business side
of business
Even though
my wallet favors it
It is a forced march
Feelings deeper than
annoyance
I could pin up a piñata
sick a sign on it
that says Network
and happily bash it to bits
I could maybe then get
a sweet taste in my mouth
Grappling with the
sweet and the sour
my friend
reminded me
that trees have
an intricate dare I say
beautiful
network
underground
From Eugi’s weekly poetry prompt “Network”
https://amanpan.com/2021/07/08/eugis-weekly-prompt-network-july-8-2021/
Sometimes things go on
too long
Stomach aches
Labor
though it was really just
24 hours
Painful relationships
Leaky grocery bags
carried
a long way from home
Bad Hot Dogs
Computer glitches
that require someone else to fix
Burbs and hiccups
-maybe the hot dogs
A flat tire
in the pouring rain
Luggage lost
in a foreign country
Panic attacks
Slow forward
These things
come to an end
Maybe that’s why
they say patience
is a virtue and
there is
a bright side to
nothing lasts forever
