Tag Archives: FOWC

Things My Mother Taught Me

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Things My Mother Taught Me

I’ve used you as a paradigm of what I want to be,
and for those years I had a child, raised her as you raised me.
Used your fine discernment in establishing the rules. 
Taught her to respect herself and not to suffer fools. 
Issued all the necessary caveats and warnings,
tucked her into bed at night and rousted her most mornings. 
Help her when she needed it and then I let her be, 
for the truest gift you give a child is when you set her free.

Prompt words are caveat, paradigm, necessity and discernment.

 

Big Rock Candy Mountain

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Big Rock Candy Mountain

Have you heard the allegory of enchanted mountain
with its chocolate boulders and raspberry soda fountain?
Snow on the top is ice cream, but beware, for it’s precipitous
and only accessible to the most felicitous
children who the lessons of politeness have well-learned.
Children who are naughty and selfish will be spurned.
If you think this is impossible and just a silly story,
remember that I told you that it is an allegory.
The wisdom that it teaches is good manners are rewarded,
and though there is no list in life where they are all recorded,
still life tends to give back to us exactly what we give.
If you desire sweet things, that’s what you have to give.

 

Prompt words today are mountain, spontaneous,
allegory, felicitous,  ice and enchanted,

Hindsight

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Hindsight

I admit I was a casualty of your new addition
as you engineered your life into its new rendition.
How could I not have known that there would be a repetition
of the mess you left behind in our love’s fruition?

You drew me like a magnet. I was brazen, cruel and bold.
Reveling in the heat of you, I overlooked the cold
wasteland that you left behind—family, wife and kids—
our new life an adventure that left their lives in the skids.

Now the present situation repeats what once was,
with me the one who’s left behind. Most fitting, though, because
I saw the whole thing once before in a rear vision mirror
as you put the car we fled in into a higher gear.

Prompt words today are brazen, repetition, casualty and magnet.

Disgruntled

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Disgruntled

When I try to crack the whip and get the world in line,
somehow it turns fractious and starts to buck and whine.
Electrons turn to protons and refuse to whirl about.
The sun refuses to come out and stays inside to pout.

Berries stain my shirt front and seeds stick in my teeth.
Feral felines storm my bed and find solace beneath.
Friends offer consolation that is but a token.
There is little impact in the words that they have spoken.

If only things would go the way I’ve formed them in my mind,
there would be fewer problems in his daily grind;
but the world won’t listen and goes about its day
with very little interest in what I have to say.

No one will believe me when I say that I’ve evolved
to the point where the world’s problems I have mainly solved.
They go about their business like before I came along,
doing things without me and doing most things wrong.

They prefer those idiots who have run the Earth
slowly bleeding all of us as they increased their girth.
So until the world at large decides to meet my terms
and decide to love me, I guess I’ll go eat worms!!!!

Prompt words today are electron, token, fractious, impact, stain. I know I need a new disgruntled photo as I’ve maybe overused this one, but it’s a busy day and  this one just seems to work, so….

Father/Daughter Discourse

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Dear Daughter:

Your frenetic new admirer is not my cup of tea,
for even though I told him that he’d have to let you be,
he resorts to tactics like climbing that big tree
to gain visual access to our property.

You, too, must be incisive in telling him to cease
if you’d like his constant efforts to come to a surcease.
For though I am your father, he allots to me no power
but simply remains stubbornly in his leafy bower.

His persistent efforts prove that he is from that faction
that they label OCD, for he shows no reaction
to my constant pleas, so do you agree with me
that it’s necessary to just cut down the tree?

Dear Papa:

Alas, though my new suitor is not your cup of tea,
I find that his flavor is agreeable to me.
I am not your teenage daughter, for I’m almost thirty-three.
So please do not molest him, and do not cut down his tree.

It is a fact, dear parent, I’m of marriageable age.
So cease with your obsession and curb parental rage.
It’s time to cut the apron strings and set your daughter free,
for I prefer another perch to my father’s knee!

 

Prompt words are frenetic, incisive, faction, allot, and almost.

Writer Wannabe

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Writer Wannabe

I wish I were prolific and could elevate each word 
from general to specific, to astounding from absurd.
As they are ejected from my fingers or my pen,
I wish that they were more profound, more thoughtful and more Zen.
But, alas, their attributes remain to me mysterious.
They verge on the inane when my intent was to be serious.

 

Prompt words today are prolific, elevate, attribute, eject and mystery.

Memories of Loves Past

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Memories of Loves Past

To improve those ancient feelings regarding love that’s past—
all of those sad endings for love that didn’t last—
relate the facts as comedy. Banter about life’s failings.
Laughter serves you better than retroactive wailings!

Actually, the past love I’m fighting sad feelings about today is the 22 year old Royal Poinciana tree that they are cutting down today. It had root rot and was in danger of falling so it had to be done. So, unbeknownst to me, I gave myself good advice in writing this poem which started out to be about love of another variety.  Here is the tree in all its former glory:

Prompt words today are ancient, improve, feelings, related, banter

.

Fauna Fashion

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Fauna Fashion

Fox in sox and cats in spats.
Dogs in clogs and rats in hats.
When pigs are on sabbatical,
they’re rather acrobatical,

so they depend on spandex suits
as well as stretchy rubber boots
to make sure they don’t skid and fall
when they’re performing in the mall.

In urban settings, it’s a blessing
that there’s more reason to be dressing
formally. Of course that means
a negative on cut-off jeans.

Cool cats are not satisfied
until they have been spatified,
and sequined tops and silken slacks
are de rigueur, as are scoop backs.

But, perchance, have you been  guessing
the one bird not fond of dressing?
(His response you’ll find less quirky
when you hear that it’s the turkey.)

Prompts today are fox, sabbatical, negative, urban and satisfied. All illustrations are free images from the internet.

What Goes Around Comes Around

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What Goes Around Comes Around

The facts at your disposal are ones you should review,
because truth may vitiate the strength of what you choose to spew.
Your toxic comments are perhaps ones that you may rue,
for like a brick thrown in a whirlwind, they may come back at you.

 

Prompt words today are whirlwind, brick, disposal, vitiate and toxic. Image from Unsplash.

Solar Debacle

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Solar Debacle

Dad decided it would be wise
if we could  economize
by finally going fully solar
as skies turned overcast and polar.
No hot baths. No stove or fridge.
No TV, no lights for bridge.

Seeing the cards was too much trouble.
Mom couldn’t trump. Sis couldn’t double.
And so it was unanimous
that no one felt magnanimous.
We were one in our conviction
of our father’s dereliction.

All of us just felt derision
over Dad’s ill-timed decision.
Solar’s fine when there is sun,
but when all is said and done,
life is short and it’s no fun
when Mother Nature gives us none.

 

Since I’m in Mountain Standard time, it is only 11:42 here, so even though my blog is set for Central time, I’m counting this as getting in under the line before midnight.

Prompt words today are solar, bridge, magnanimous, convict and trouble. Free photo found on pxfuel.com