Category Archives: Poem

Masquerade

16 Replies

Masquerade

In a world that seems a satire of itself,
we come out of our separate closets masked,
as though nature is warning us
not to reveal too much, too soon.

Much as we desire a safer world,
and as much as I yearn to bring you
tidings of peace and good will,
peace is not a goal accomplished,
so though I mask my face,
I do not mask my words.

We are silhouettes
striking out from our shadows,
sharing our pain in retribution.
Hearts fester in their isolation
and communicate through violence—
blowing up the world
they don’t belong to,
 easier
than the heart’s
unmasking.

In blasting their way into our world,
they pull us after them, 
and we sink
to the lowest common denominator—
violence, hate and greed.

If wishes were action,
perhaps the world could heal,
but, in fact,
it heels
to the commands
of those who seek to stain and plunder.

My wish for the new year’s birth?
As hearts of darkness
seek to lead the way,
let some bright flash
that is a part of all of us
ignite in common
to conquer their shadows
and strip all masks away.

 

Prompt words today are satire, silhouette, wishes and tidings.

Gigolo

6 Replies

Gigolo

Though he was a misanthrope,
his beauty gave him grounds to hope
that he could find a sugar mama
to soothe his monetary trauma.
And thus he plotted that he might
seduce an aged socialite.

He charmed her with so little fuss
that he found it ridiculous.
Yet if he wished to wed and woo her,
he knew that he would have to “do” her.
(If he must pretend to love her,
he knew he must go under cover.)

But once he’d done his very best
and thought it time for him to rest,
the dowager was sorely vexed.
“Oops!” she said, and then, “What’s next?”
The price of love, he thought, was steep.
He’d clearly have to earn his keep!

 

Prompts for today are what next, ridiculous, hope and oops. Photo by Gift Habeshaw on Unsplash, used with permission.

Sister One and Sister Two

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Sister One and Sister Two

Sister one and sister two, not evenly endowed.
One evaded notice while the other sister wowed.

A curvaceous body and over-ample bodice
caused the gentlemen in town to label her a goddess.

And while competing suitors stirred up quite a kerfuffle,
somehow her older sister got lost within the shuffle.

The younger married early and had children one, two, three,
while the elder went to college and got a law degree.

Now she deals with matters such as writs and laws and torts
while her sis wipes runny noses and irons hubby’s shorts.

In her Freshman year, big sis bloomed into a cutie,
but in her full maturity she turned into a beauty.

She’s done business in London, where she met the queen,
been to Italy and Sweden and places in between.

She’s weekended in Paris and sailed the Grecian coast,
and though she’s made some conquests, she’s not inclined to boast.

Her opponents in the courtroom find her erudite and smart.
First she wins her cases, and then she wins their heart.

In short, not every teenage girl may be a beauty queen,
but from high school to one’s dotage, there are chances in  between!

One day she will marry, but in the interim
she’s savoring the process of finding the right “him.”

Prompt words today are shuffle, goddess, ending. Image by Corinne Kutz on Unsplash, used with permission.

SANDERSON’S STORE

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What we braved to reach Sanderson’s Store.
M&Ms
Jelly Beans
Chicken Bones

Sanderson’s Store

Allowance day on Saturday dispelled the winter’s gloom
of trudging through the snow to school or sealed up in my room.
Too cold and blizzardy outside, my mother had the gall
to ban me to a play space of room and stairs and hall.

No Fox Fox Goose, no snow forts. No sliding on the ice
of sidewalks frozen over.  Just games of cards and dice,
dolls and dressing up in my older sister’s clothes.
No snow boots shedding ice and sludge. No chilblains on my nose.

Oh but on certain Saturdays, with weather calming down,
armed with dough, we kids would form a caravan to town
six blocks away, ploughing the snow with boots sliding in front of us,
a column of five kids or more made snowdrifts feel the brunt of us.

Flashing our allowances, we plundered penny sweets
in the big assorted box of Tootsie Rolls and treats
like Double Bubble, Chicken Bones, Fireballs and Nik-L-Nips.
Now and Laters, Jelly Beans and chewable Wax Lips.

Tootsie Rolls and Red Hots, M&Ms and Jaw Breakers.
Malt balls, Sugar Babies, Lemon Heads and Necco Wafers.
As we counted out our pennies, Tet would add one candy more
every Saturday that we could get to Sanderson’s Store. 

Prompt words today are caravan, gall, gloom and candy. (Jelly beans, M& Ms and candy heart photos thanks to Unsplash. Used with permission.)

 

Here is a note I got from Mary, She is the grandniece of Tet (of Sanderson’s Store.) 

“This certainly brings back warm memories. I remember getting my brown bag of candy at Sanderson’s to take to the show with me on Saturday night. Aunt Tet loved all the kids and wouldn’t take her lunch break until after all the kids had stopped to buy their treats on their way back to school. I had forgotten some of the candies you mentioned. Thanks for sharing this with me. I loved it!  Mary.”

Below is a photo of Tet, standing between her sister Melitha and her brother, M.E., who was a recruiter for Cornell College in Iowa and who recruited my older sister Betty Jo to go to college there. My middle sister, Patti, also went there for one year. Lots of connections in a small town.

Unwrapped Gift

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Unwrapped Gift

You thought life had an itinerary all mapped out and planned?
You thought it was a deck of cards, all dealt out and fanned?
You’d play this card, then that one and win the game with ease?
Fate saw your plan and chuckled and brought you to your knees.

So much for jubilation, for celebration and
your misapprehension you’d been dealt a winning hand.
Humanity is just a part of Nature’s total plan.
Evolution didn’t end when she invented man.

In one hand she holds her sketch pad, in the other an eraser.
One she uses to create herself, the other to efface her.
One creation a success, another a mistake,
Our triumph’s not the only choice that she has to make.

It’s time for the whole human race to eat its humble pie
and align itself with nature, or make the choice to die.
Nature’s not here to conquer. It’s here to show the way.
The truth of that’s the gift that we must learn this Christmas Day.

Prompt words today are humanity, itinerary, celebrate and jubilation.

Dear Santa

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Dear Santa

Make the sleigh bells jingle, put leather to the back
of every lazy reindeer. You’ve an extra-heavy pack
to deliver in this year when folks can’t get out shopping
so there’ll be way more presents that you’ll need to be dropping. 

You’ve always been a busy guy every Christmas Eve,
but this year with the extra presents that you’ll have to leave,
you’ll need some extra energy and upon great reflection,
we’ve come up with some special means to show our great affection.

Milk and cookies will not be enough for you this year,
so we’ll leave you a Wassail cup, a porter or a beer
along with a sub sandwich, some cookies and some chips
and some vaseline with glitter to protect your chilblained lips.

May you have sufficient energy. May reindeer find a way
to keep up with the pressure of this extra special day.
And may you be assured while you’re delivering your plenty
that no year in the future will rival 2020!!!

 

 

Prompt words today are glitter, leather, wassail and jingle.

 

Turn About

7 Replies

Turn About

Your claims that you are virtuous are hard to reconcile
with the lurid stories told by victims of your guile.
Each one, in the beginning, considered you sublime,
an assessment always altered when they’d known you for a time.
All your avowed compacts of fidelity and marriage
voiced in times of passion in the backseat of your carriage
never were remembered in the glare of a new day.
Your women were like handkerchiefs—used, then thrown away.
All hope you’ll get your just deserts, with someone doing to you
what you have done to others—to first woo and then eschew you.

 

Prompt words are virtuous, compact, sublime and reconcile.

Sneaky Peeky

25 Replies

Sneaky-Peeky

I’ll admit I’m not exempt
from feelings that are quite verklempt,
for I find it over-pleasant
when opening a Christmas present
to find that object wrapped inside
(the very one you tried to hide,
but in fact, through search and guile
I’ve known about for quite awhile.)

I discovered it a week ago
as I was searching high and low
to see what you had bought for me.
I simply couldn’t wait to see.
Yet see me ahh and oh and ooh,
putting on a show for you?
What you see as over-reacting
is in fact just over-acting.

Prompt words today are joy, guile, present and verklempt.

 

 

One Time Guest

9 Replies

One Time Guest

Adroit in her procrastination, glorious in her folly,
she bombed at being punctual, was great at being jolly.
The life of every party, she was a lively guest.
At entertaining festive folks she was the very best.
And though she ate her mashed potatoes and gobbled up her fishes,
she balked at setting tables and refused to do the dishes.
So, though at entertaining, she surely had the knack,
it’s not at all surprising she was not invited back.

 

Prompt words for today are procrastinate, adroit, bomb and glorious.

Man Child

7 Replies

 

Man Child

He’s a bomb at being serious. He’s jolly, rash and wild.
In essence, he’s never grown up. He’s a perpetual child.
His rustic simplicity is anything but charming,
for he’s redolent of fishing smells and horse riding and farming.

His impetuosity has often brought on trouble,
leading to some barroom brawls and the resulting rubble.
For all these things, he’s won a sort of infamous renown,
and he’s banned from almost all the pubs in his little town.

The local folks have made excuses for him all his life,
but such crass indulgences won’t garner him a wife.
He’d like to have some kids himself–a most unlikely bid
so long as he himself insists on acting like a kid.

Word prompts for today are bomb, jolly,  rustic simplicity, impetuous.