What She Saw

What She Saw

(A Phantoum) 

My wife woke in fear

Tendrils of nightmare

Whisper in her ear

Death burns in her stare

Tendrils of a nightmare

Scraping her throat raw

Death burns in her stare

Echoes what she saw

Scraping her throat raw

To see my grey face

Echoes what she saw

The end of my race

To see my grey face 

Alive with concern

The end of my race

I have yet to earn 

Alive with concern 

Whisper in her ear

I have yet to earn

My wife woke in fear 

the Regret Collector

 (Day 05) the Journey 

[Prompt] path

steps nature meander Introspective

I tried the style but did my own theme

{Style} prose 

The Regret  Collector

(Look at) THE REGRET COLLECTER. See him him each night 

pouring over each detail

 analyzing each one

 under a thin bitter light.

 Tracking and mapping the source. 

Tracing the history.

 Rewriting that story 

until it is a litany,

 a prayer to vengeful gods.

 Polishing it until the whole world

 is cast as villains.

Trimming the rough edges 

until he is the hero. 

Journaling the process

 in the margins of his mind.

 Sorting them into categories

 and trigger words

 so they can be recalled

 and pointed out

 in any conversation.

 In time they are laminated

 by dried tears.

 That way no other oily flesh

 can change, besmirch, or smear

 with their greasy perspective

of the truth.

 Finally the perfectly preserved

 regrets are cataloged

 into a heavy album

 always carried with him

 so he can never lose them.

Summer has Fallen

 (Day 04) Fall/Autumn 

[Prompt] seasons - changes - fresh starts - Comfort in tradition - cool nights - change of direction

{Style} Phantoum (like a Cascade) repetition pattern

Summer has Fallen

Summer has Fallen and lost her light

To languidly marinate in buttery days

Shivering in the cold dark night

Raiment stained in colors ablaze

To languidly marinate in buttery days 

Mother Earth displays full ripe fruits

Raiment stained in colors ablaze 

Soft mounds of leaves barely cover roots

Mother Earth displays full ripe fruits 

Hiding yourself cannot mask the fear 

Soft mounds of leaves barely cover roots 

The end of her season draweth near

Hiding yourself cannot mask the fear 

Shivering in the cold dark night 

The end of her season draweth near 

Summer has fallen and lost her light 

Contemptlation

 (Day three) contemplation 

[Prompt] reflect - consider - embrace - challenge 

{Style} free verse

Contemplation

We've had quite a time

Time to contemplate 

Time to reflect 

Time for contempt

Time to deflect

Consideration was also a casualty

We needed to isolate

But forgot to insulate

Our hearts from viral attack

Do you embrace your trollish side 

Or blandly follow the bland 

In long lines for short shots?

How does that raise red flags 

Into the face of those who challenge

Everything for challenge sake

Forsaking truth for thier truth

Scientists studies mean less than a click

But formerly stupid useless government 

Suddenly developed seemingly magical

Machiavellian genius agendas

Simple steps are now too terrible a burden

To care if you're killing your neighbor 

When did we go 

From considerate contemplation

To feel like compassionate care workers

Are overseerers on a social plantation

When did those who should be

In honor preferring one another 

Leave gentle contemplation

To walk in condemnation 

Living in a contempt nation

Adore the Explorer

 [Day  02]

{Prompt: 'explore' consider - wanderlust - travel - journey - expedition.}

<tanka: a haiku form (5-7-5 syllables) with 2 extra lines of 7 syllables each. Or Decastich: basically any 10 line poem. So I did a double Tanka (which is 10 lines)

Adore the Explorer 

Once upon a time 

Had no strings to tie me down

My heart free to dream

Astronaut among the stars

Cowboy on the mountain range

My wanderlust heart

Planned trips to far off places 

I could not afford

Started travelling with you

We have explored together

Anticipation

 (Every year my wife and I look forward to OctPoWriMo(a poem a day for October) with anticipation. The week before nothing was posted. No prompts. No clues. No words. The day before, no prompts, no words, no clues. The first day...nothing. My wife writes poems and stories all year and was ok taking a break. Finally on the third day some part time contributors started posting. I still can't interact with the website at all except seeing the daily posts. I'm a week behind, but stubborn cuss I am, I'm going to try all 31)

[DAY1]  

{Prompt: anticipate. Prepare. Motivate. Commit. Excitement. Resolve.}

<style> Cascade

Anticipation 

I shiver with anticipation 

When words fall like blazing leaves 

I look forward to this challenge again

I usually lack some motivation 

Pushing me toward participation 

I shiver with anticipation 

No word from the site that receives

In time too late a prompt relieves 

When words fall like blazing leaves 

Dusting off the rondeau and quatrain 

Wrestling thoughts into forms arcane

I look forward to this challenge again 

Let Go Let God

 Let Go Let God

I was young once so wild and free

Playing in sun running with wind

Just me

I was a teen in on the scene

Playing it cool played for a fool

Damn zits

I studied hard partied harder

Paper in hand--"want fries with that?"

In debt

Earned a chef hat elbows in grease

Drank up my tips nothing left but

Burn scars

I helped people with challenges

I was poured out weary burned out

Let go

Heard mission bells soup kitchen cook

Part time chaplain weary burned out

Fired

I'm not my past or my failures 

Not who I was or what I did

Let go

I've learned to breathe and be at peace

Lay burdens down give up control

Let God