Excessive Angst
He suffers not from nuance. His moods are all too blatant.
He bares his anger to display a violence once latent.
His colossal fits of rage reveal that he abhors me.
His reputation slips a notch, and in the end, he bores me.
Prompts today are colossal, display, reputation, bare and nuances.Image by Alessandro Bellone on Unsplash
Harridan
I’m standing at the crossroads between a saint and bitch.
Schooled in forebearance, I’ve stayed within my nitch.
But lately things are changing. I’m losing self-control.
The hounds of Hell have been released and now they’re on patrol.
They’re fluting all the pillars formerly unmarked—
scoring them with unfurled claws every time they’ve barked.
Soon I will be certified as a nagging crone—
the sort of aging harpie who prefers to live alone.
I’m sure its hard to fathom it, as perfect as I’ve been,
kowtowing to authority—especially to men.
But privilege must come to all as we come to age,
so I’m expressing sovereignty, at least here on the page.
Word prompts today are flute, crossroads, certified, bitch. Image by Camila Quintero Franco on Unsplash.
Fist
It was that night, as they lay choking in the stench of jasmine,
that he unmasked his rage. Their whole life, it seemed,
was a cipher that obscured his former truths.
Now he seemed socked in by this sudden swirling fog of memories
that suddenly parted, giving him access to his rage.
It was his mother, not her, he said later, that he had struck out at,
but in trying to confront his past,
he had obliterated any hope for their future.
Prompts for the day are unmask, rage, jasmine, cypher and sock.
Cyber Catastrophes
Irritated with your friend
and caring not whom you offend,
after you’ve had a bit to drink,
decide to tell her what you think?
Computer keyboard there in sight,
so you decide it’s time to write
an email, filled with words that rend.
You reel them off and click on “send.”
I cannot stress strongly enough
how much you’ll rue your rude rebuff.
It takes long years to make a friend
but one cruel quip for trust to end.
It’s hard to choke back how we feel,
but arguments on even keel
work better than a sharp retort
after you have had a snort.
So this is the advice I’d give.
It’s easier to just forgive
Than to retract one angry word
after it is seen or heard.
If you can’t say something nice,
best you take this sage advice.
Before you go and leap on it,
grab a pillow and sleep on it.
For day 22 of NaPoWriMo 2020, we are to create a poem that reflects a well-known idiom. Mine is one my mother used to frequently say, “If you can’t say something nice, it’s best to say nothing at all.”
Family Feud
A skin of wine, flagon of malt
were meant to alter the gestalt
of a relationship gone wrong
and left to fester for too long.
It was meant to be a gift
left at a door to seal a rift—
a treasure left there in the dust
to heal a wound and restore trust.
But battles don’t so easily end.
A sincere gift may just offend.
Too much whiskey, too much wine
do not prompt reason when they combine.
They render one less than astute.
No offering of peace will suit
one determined to find fault
and so the feuding did not halt.
Prompt words today are trust, combine, gift, battle and suit.
image by Peter Forster on Unsplash, used with permission
Reality Check
I’m withdrawing from the argument. I have no more opinions.
I abstain from giving voice to what I think to my few minions.
Thoughts fly swift and easy lately on the internet.
They are so filled with hate. How much more rancorous could they get?
Our fearful hateful leader might hem and haw and hem,
but the problem with such enemies is, they turn us into them!
My grass is fresh and verdant. Fresh flowers bloom every day.
I’ll watch them from my hammock and put politics away.
From the troubles of the world, I need a short vacation.
My back yard is so lovely, and nature an education
to stop and rest and notice all the pleasures of this life.
We need to take in all of it, not just the pain and strife.
I contemplate the garden, suspended in my nest.
Morrie jumps up to join me—an uninvited guest.
Suspended in my private world, I find no rancor there.
Just mariposas fluttering, suspended in the air
above the tabachine blossoms—a sort of meditation
better for my blood pressure than any medication.
I fall asleep and doze for hours. Awakening from my nap,
I try to rise and gently spill the small dog from my lap.
It’s feeding time for animals. I go to find the cats.
They swarm around my ankles, both for sustenance and pats.
It’s when I find the hummingbird they’ve left me like a treasure
that I’m reminded that all nature is a blend of pain and pleasure.
The prompt words today were abstain, verdant and swift. Here are the links:
https://fivedotoh.com/2018/09/15/fowc-with-fandango-abstain/
https://wo/rdofthedaychallenge.wordpress.com/2018/09/15/verdant/
https://dailyaddictions542855004.wordpress.com/2018/09/09/daily-addictions-2018-week-36/swift
On Friday morning, I wrote a poem about where fury drives us and then, ironically, a few hours later I witnessed this incident of road rage:
Volatile
As reliable as fireworks on the 4th of July,
you ignite. Over what? Who could guess?
We shield ourselves as if from floating embers,
ward off the sting for others and ourselves.
You bright shooting stars leave your aftereffects.
We, below, contend with them,
and never fail to show up for your next grand display.
FOWC’s prompt is fireworks.
The Daily Addiction prompt is reliable.
Tempering Anger
Temper has no reason. Temper has no rhyme.
Temper keeps us agitated. Restless all the time.
If it is abundant, we lose all control.
We can’t escape. It holds us firmly in its bowl.
Others give us wide berth, fearing what we’ll do.
They navigate around us as we rage and stew.
The only ones who’ll meet us are others of our ilk
for whom the brew of anger is like mother’s milk.
We draw on it and fester as it sours inside.
Ire is what carries us. We mount it and we ride
off to bloody encounters, thirsty for the fray,
intent that those who anger us will be the ones who’ll pay.
We do not stop and reason, for revenge is our goal.
We don’t consider it may be ourselves who’ll pay the toll.
For other angry people, on the other side,
may have an equal anger, as tall and deep and wide.
Some causes warrant anger. When liberty is sold,
to the highest bidder, we must be strong and bold.
We might use ire to drive us, but it’s reason that must lead.
It is more easily directed, yet draws a finer bead.
The prompts today are:
https://ragtagcommunity.wordpress.com/2018/06/26/ragtag-prompt-26-navigate/
https://dailyaddictions542855004.wordpress.com/2018/06/26/abundant/ (Mr. Linky)https://fivedotoh.com/2018/06/26/fowc-with-fandango-temper/
……………………………………………………….About Not Giving Rage’s Yell
About what
Niggling minor matter are you
Going to
Rage until
You convince yourself that you want to be
Anyone else but yourself?
Notice, please, that your
Gait is even. You have two strong legs.
Resting in your arms, a child.
You are so blessed.
A look around you might reveal
Neighbors with broken legs or wings or
Gaping minds.
Remember, please, all
You have been given.
A miracle that you were even born.
Nothing in the world
Gives a larger gift than
Receiving life itself.
You are most fortunate.
Yelling never
Opens any doors to
Understanding.
https://dailypost.wordpress.com/prompts/angry/
Note: Here is a perfect example of an alternative to anger in responding to a situation with which you might not agree :
situation: http://community.today.com/parentingteam/post/if-you-see-something-say-something-my-note-to-three-teen-girls-at-starbucks
lifelessons - a blog by Judy Dykstra-Brown 