Unfinished Business

Rosemary [ Friday Writings ] asks we respond to a provocative question:

 "This world has no meaning. Why fucking bother?” 

Also Submitted to Lisa and the dVerse Poets Pub ~ Open Link Night

'The woods are lovely, dark and deep, but I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep'. ** Robert Frost **

you ask me why, why bother at all?

i have stood in that question's shadow

in a world that shrugs at meaning 

should i forget the sound 

of my own footsteps

it will only grow louder

the woods are lovely, dark, and deep

but i haven't come this far

to lie down in them just yet

meaning is not found ..

it is made in the small

insistence "of staying"

so why bother?

because my story is not done

because love has not released me

because there are miles before me

i walk them, shoulders back

gloriously awake

  

Spin the Bottle ~ 1953

Bjorn is hosting Open Link Night in the dVerse Poets Pub ~ I'm sharing this poem with the Pub-goers and Poets and Storytellers United   

A heavyweight bout happening tonight in

Marcia's basement ~ between the

record player and a huge bowl of popcorn

five boys, five girls are seated in a circle on pillow-soft carpet 

In the circle's center a bottle spins

and where it stops, is anybody's guess

Suddenly everyone's an expert on 

proper kissing technique

[despite zero field experience]

hearts thump ~ is it love?

brains shrug ~ it is not!

stomachs ask ~ is this ok?

curiosity whispers 'hush hush' lean in

for two seconds of bravery

and one clumsy kiss

the universe does not explode 

love wins the point

indifference demands a rematch

but we're twelve ~ we just giggle

wipe mouths on our sleeves

spin again ~ because curiosity

always has the house advantage

Transparency

Time for Open Link Night in the dVerse Poets Pub ~ Grace is hosting ~~~~ Anything Goes!! 

I am the poet who risks

what her voice scripts

freeing the storyteller in me.

Who am I when

the performance ends ~

the part of me

that remains hidden ~

the part that dares you

see me fully, slowly

then all at once.

You believe so well

the role I play

I am candid enough to 

name my simplicity

honest enough to admit

what knowing it brings.

Dancing With My Grandson Charlie

Open Link Night at the dVerse Poets Pub ~ Sanaa is our host and as she reminds us ~ Anything Goes!!  

This is a poem I first published in March, 2021

  

My hand rests in his

we twirl together

his smile a melody

I have known forever

I follow, as always I have 

As always I will

someday my feet will falter

someday I will let go

but not tonight

tonight we dance

to the melody of a wish

I hold deep in my bones

that life is kind to him

that love finds him whole

that his road is long, never lonely

as music swells, his eyes shine

I gather myself into the moment

knowing he will carry this dance

long after I am gone

Rock On!

 Open Link Night in the Pub ~ Bjorn is hosting ~ Anything goes!!

Swore I had closed the window quite tight

unlatched ~ wide open this very night

messages flying ~ as most rumors do

wildlife has formed a long concert queue ...

First guest through window is Freddie the Moth

dressed all in velvet, looking quite goth

brought his first cousin, Claudine the cute Flea

along with her band called “The Reverie” ...

A text from Raccoon: "got too many suits

wearing black jacket and black biker boots" ...

Squirrel arrived ~ bushy-tailed ~ and with sass

skidded in sideways while flat on his ass ...

Foxy's grand entrance ~ suavely aplomb

“get yourselves ready, 'cause I am the bomb”

plugging her mike into a phone

free-stylin' Lynyrd's rare jangly tone …

Chaos sure bloomed, a rocker's delight

Woodstock-like vibe throughout the long night ...

by dawn they were gone, crowd had dispersed

window's frame fine, I'd expected the worst …

Found a short note lying next to the sill ...

“Next week, same time ~ do we still fit the bill?”

window space now forever kept clear

Guest List quite full for rest of the year!

Stuff and Nonsense

 Bjorn hosts Open Link Night in the dVerse Poets Pub ~ Anything goes!

Why do trees conceal the splendor of their roots?

From Pablo Neruda's ~ Book of Questions

1 ~ Party Animals

beneath the soil the roots are wild

doing "the worm" / tequila-styled

a jazz band plays / all the night

while trunk above acts all polite

why hide the splendor / one might ask

cause daylight spoils a root's good flask

2 ~ Witness Protection

why do trees bury the splendor of their roots

they saw something / they know things

down there in the loamy dark

a witness protection program quietly hums 

while the leaves above proclaim

"nothing to see down there, Officer"

3 ~ Nonsense

why do trees conceal

the splendor of their roots ~

to keep us guessing

to win the cosmic game of hide and seek

to ensure squirrels never

start digging for answers

Long Ago / Far Away

Bjorn is hosting Open Link Night in the dVerse Poets Pub ~~ Anything Goes ~~ our choice!

She walks beneath a clouded sky
umbrella tipped, shadows high
in the rain, his face appears
her vision blurred by silver tears

She wonders who he might have been
behind the glasses, past the grin
a stranger wrapped in time’s soft glow
whispers only raindrops know

In the mist, she dreams his tale
the thousand lives he might unveil
a fleeting glimpse, a phantom bright
caught between the day, the night

Does she see his laughter’s spark
or trace his steps in growing dark
his gaze, a question in the storm
all the ways a soul is born

Peace Dreaming

Björn is hosting Open Link Night in the dVerse Poets Pub ~~ Anything Goes!!!

I dreamed a walk, one step after another, to a place where borders blur into dust, where no nation owns the wind. I walked not to escape, but to meet my enemy in the middle. With every step i took, lines faded, guns turned to rust, factories of war became gardens, children planted seeds, without fearing who owned the soil. 

Peace was no longer an illusion, solved by walking to the rhythm of heartbeats shared between foes. A quiet knowing ~ when footsteps echo in the same direction, the ground beneath grows softer ~ until at last we find our breath.

  

The Letter

Open Link Night in the  dVerse Poets Pub ~ Lisa plays host. Could not resist returning to the amazing art of Catrin Welz-Stein

 

Artist, Catrin Welz-Stein

the pen trembled in her hand

silent herald of words

she never wanted to send

ink met parchment, line after line

vowels seemed to shimmer

hesitant to take their proper place

consonants wavered, reluctant

to solidify the impending farewell

she inhaled deeply as 

letters, seemingly possessed, lifted

twisted, turned, danced

an "A" floated past her face

she reached out instinctively

it slipped through her grasp

joining the rest in this rebellious ballet

"E” spun out of reach, “T” playfully twirled

before vanishing into the ether

“Y” somersaulted carefree and wild

a gentle breeze caught the liberated letters

carried them through an open window

where they scattered

like dandelion seeds into the night

unfinished ~ the letter would never reach him

~ she could not let him go 

Circus! Circus!

pinterest, source unknown

tonight they will dream

of the second

she lifted her skirt 

tossed back her curls

puckered her lips

struck a pose  

offering them a seductive

“come hither boys” wink

ahhhh, the wink that said it all ~

yes, tonight boys will be boys

dreams of lush plumpness 

dimpled thighs, soft breasts

places mysterious 

delightfully dark 

sinfully sweet

forbidden fruit

For Open Link Night ~ A trip back in time. September 18, 2018, my Birthday. 

Sarah offered up a great challenge that day ~~ "Come To The Circus!" I spent much of 2018 caring for my son Carl ~ multiple surgeries, in and out of the hospital. Not many opportunities for writing. Nor the inclination. I wrote this in 2015 ~ giving it an encore today! 

Sisters: A Work of Art

Punam is hosting Open Link Night in the Pub ~ I chose this lovely painting by an artist she admires Amrita Sher-Gil for inspiration ~~~ with your indulgence I offer an encore poem from April of last year.

SISTERS 

HELEN - the eldest 

positioned quite grand

curator of memories

keeper of sand

laugh lines map tales 

of love, sometimes strife

a canvas of wrinkles 

 sweet years of her life

YOUTH? - Helen chuckles 

with vivid brush-strokes

splashes canvas with passion 

and bright cosmic jokes

MARY ANNE - in the middle 

and mischief's disguise

brown eyes that sparkle 

sense of humour that defies

loves to work puzzles

would dance in the rain

her giggling laughter 

the sweetest refrain

YOUTH? - Mimi giggles 

 a bold street-art wall

sprayed with bright colors 

meant to enthrall

SHIRLEY - the youngest 

a comic at heart

daddy's little shadow 

original work of art 

drinks scotch on the rocks 

reads all her books twice

artwork bring sonnets  

poetic paradise

YOUTH? - Shirley sighs 

tossed tempest at sea

loves to play outlier 

 born to be free  

AGE - my sweet sisters 

our breathtaking ode

each wrinkle's a stanza

as life's tales unfold 

YOUTH - may be fleeting 

but age /  pure delight

virtual masterpiece  

landscape so bright!

 

Shay's "Wordsworth" Word List

Lillian is hosting the Pubsters today in the dVerse Poets Pub.

I think most of you know Shay aka Fireblossom the poet. I published this on her 'Wordsworth Word List' challenge yesterday!

Ya got me whipped

into a frenzy

literally howling

at the moon

genius of you

i must admit

[your flip side

being madness]

an endless

looping repetitive

mashup of

pomp and circumstance

and of course

because of you

my poem

remains unfinished

 

A Secret

1967

Three sons ~ five, six and seven years old

A daughter ~ newborn

vietnam ~ a secret never told

the burdens we carried

their father and i

the weight of worry

the lengths i journeyed

in an effort survive

so many conflicting emotions

fear. love. the need for control.

in face of uncertainty ~

my ritual:

crawling into bed each night

fully clothed

a symbol of the armor

i needed to protect myself

our children

ready to act when necessary

until his safe return 

Balancing Act

Grace is hosting Open Link Night in the Pub ~ Anything Goes

 Woman With Flowered Hat ~ Jean Dupas

Dahlia is her name

she seems cheerful, sweet

floats here to there

everyone is attracted

like bees to a flower

perhaps you know her

Dahlia buries secrets

conceals dark truths

uses flowers to hide sins

beneath an innocent facade

petals the perfect camouflage

you never knew her

Ready! Set! Go!

 

seems i'm in a sticky bind

not much time to clear my mind

which now ~ is it to be

limited options ~ maybe three

feet first ~ hands first ~ cannonball

too close for comfort ~ water wall

hydrodynamic tuck and crouch 

rotate ~ somersault ~ front flip ~ ouch 

floating easy ~ feeling free

water baby ~ that is me!

https://dversepoets.com/

Guys Up on a Ladder

hers was a strange request

these guys had to consider the fallout

what the hell! you only live once!

her only stipulation?

paint me bright yellow

pour all your creativity 

into some awesome wall art ..

and should it rain

I'll simply morph into

a pool of yellowy pigment

really cool 'gutter graffiti'

 https://dversepoets.com/