Death Knell
Living too near a factory
may cause distress olfactory,
thus magnifying baleful thoughts
in the minds of those “have nots”
of purdy sorts who need not smell
these odors from the fires of Hell.
Who cares what vapors invade air
in places where no rich are there?
The vile winds hum a savage tune.
Thus goes the world to pot and ruin
with mankind born, then gone too soon.
death knell
farewell
Prompt words today are purdy, magnifying, baleful and factory.
Purdy: disagreeably self-important (dialectal, England) or, alternate spelling of “purty,” or pretty.
CLICK ON PHOTOS TO ENLARGE
The five words for Pick a Word are: conserved, meandering, subdued, straight and systematized. We are to post a photo for one or more of these prompt words.
Blood Sacrifice
The roar of the crowd
creates its own violent
poetry,
magnifying future pain
into a blood lust,
its hard edge
more than a mother could bear at times.
Its heart beats faster
as the football
is launched and won,
carried like a communion loaf,
flawlessly,
swiftly
toward redemption.
Prompt words are hard edge, beat, magnifying, football. Image by Dave Adamson on Unsplash.
Click on first photo to enlarge, then click on it to enlarge next photo, ad infinitum!
1 P.M. and She’s Talking About Her Dog Again!!!!
My pesky new apprentice assists me in my writing
with tugging and with growling and with nuzzling and with biting.
She sees my busy fingers as toys for her to play with
that no matter what I need them for, she’s sure to have her way with.
She demands my attention with her robust barks,
then sits upon my keyboard, leaving puppy marks.
She’s not a mere disturbance, but a 24-hour duty.
I’d do something to change this, but she’s such a little cutie.
In the area we’ve made for her, she has no urge to pee.
She prefers the dining room for her morning wee.
There’s no way to out-wait her and monitor her poops.
Why do it where Mom wants you to when you can prompt an “Oops?”
She’s such a cagey customer, there is no way to catch her.
When she is determined, no force on earth can match her.
When I slip out of my shoes, she slips her teeth into them.
Instead of learning to eschew, she chooses just to chew them.
I’ve tried to write my daily poem since roughly 6 a.m.
Which was the hour she chose to use me as a jungle gym.
With push-ups on my face, then tug-of-war using my hair,
she was my canine alarm clock extraordinaire.
First there was the feeding, then the pee and pooping,
the washing, disinfecting, the blotting and the scooping.
Then hours in the backyard with the other dogs.
With so much activity, who has time for blogs?
Then the screening of the porch so I can keep her close.
Otherwise, I know that her intention’s “Vamonose!!
Whether perky little houseguest, scavenger or daughter,
In spite of changes in my life, I’m so glad that I got her!
Prompt words today are apprentice, robust, oops, cagey and disturbance.
Click on photos to enlarge.
This was one of the hardest colors to find in my photo file!
If Nothing but the Truth Was Possible
Your child is not as charming as you think he is.
Perhaps if you just said, “No!” to him now and then?
I’m allergic to dogs. Could you get your St. Bernard off my lap, please,
and lock him out of the room where we’re sitting?
As much as I enjoyed the first hundred of your family photos,
could we perhaps move on to conversation of a less familial theme?
My husband has seen enough of your cleavage for one evening. Could you cage them?
Your poem’s triteness is only equaled by its misspellings.
I can see why you would want to be a swinger. Someone as gross as you are
should not expect his wife to shoulder all the responsibility.
Walmart art does not really count as a collection.
Whether your rocks are cubic zirconium or diamonds, they are still ugly!!!
When people back away from you, there’s a good chance
they don’t want you to advance on them again.
A good way to check for bad breath is to lick your wrist.
Have you ever wondered why only beautiful women want you to ask them to dance?
If you expect things in Mexico to be just like they were in the U.S., please remember
that there is a country just north of the border that is the U.S.!! Why don’t you go there?
No I am not ill. I’ve just spent two years starving myself and spent a fortune
on appetite suppressants. Couldn’t you just tell me I look fabulous?
Be honest now. Would you ever have thought to eat raw fish if it weren’t all the rage?
Your life depends on telling the truth. Do you you really, truly enjoy opera?
Just what is it you find enchanting about Paris? Oh, right. It must be the friendly people!
The adage I chose as inspiration for my poem was, “The truth shall set you free.” John 8:32
Image by Brett Jordan on Unsplash. To see more poems based on adages, go HERE.
And HERE is a link to the prompt itself.
lifelessons - a blog by Judy Dykstra-Brown 