Cosmos’s Poems in All Poetry. Fan Story, Poetry Soup, Writing Com and Elsewhere
I have been posting poems on All Poetry, Fan Story, Poetry Soup and Writing Com, and elsewhere since 2016. I have posted over 1000 poems over the years. Many of them were inspired by All Poetry, Fan Story, Poetry Soup or Writing Com contests. I have been posting ten poems every other week since I joined. I have 600 followers and follow over 1600 other poets from around the world. I have also posted poems on Cosmos Funnel, Hello Poetry, Poetry Lore, Poem Hunter, Poetry Magnum Opus, and a few other sites and on FB poetry sites as well. I usually cross post on all these sites, reserving about half my poems as “unpublished” for publication credit.
All Poetry, Fan Story, Poetry Soup, and Writing Com are great sites to meet and read poets from everywhere. You can sign up for free, but I opted to pay for a premium membership. They also offer classes and lots of informational resources for poets. I plan on updating my web page Medium, Substack, Wattpad, Writing.Com pages, and my Spotify podcasts, whenever I post things on All Poetry, Fan Story, Poetry Soup, and Writing Com et al.
You can find my poems at https://allpoetry.com/Jake Aller. And at Cosmos poetry and fiction now on Poetry Soup.
As winter settles in, so too do the ghosts of memory, pandemic fears, and seasonal melancholy.
These ten haiku and senryu reflect the emotional landscape of winter 2021·2022, a time marked by isolation and reflection. Originally published in Failed Haiku, this collection captures fleeting moments of sorrow, resilience, and quiet contemplation.
Day One October 19, 2020 Contemplating The Falling Leaves Of Autumn
Day 2 October 2020 Nightmares Scenes From A Hellish Nightmare
Day 3 October 21, 2020 Maid Laird Strikes Again Tanka (Halloween Challenge Day 3)
Day 4 October 22, 20202 Ghost Poem Corona Ghosts March On Who Demanding Justice
Day 5, October 23, 2020 Ekphrastic Challenge The Grim Reaper Comes For Us
Day 6 October 24, 2020 Pumpkin Patch Great Pumpkin Rises Again
Day 7 October 25., 2020 Haunted House The Haunted House At The End Of The World
Day 8 October 26, 2020– The Door Slammed Loudly I Was Home Alone
Day 9 October 27, 2020 Dark Prophecy-Fascism Comes To America – Halloween Challenge Day 9
Day 10, October 28, 2020 My Mother’s Secrets Conversation With A Ghost -Halloween Contest Day 10 Spooky Conversation
Day 11, October 29, 2020 Costume Halloween Party From Hell
Day 12 October 30, 2020 Halloween Costume Party
Day 13, October 31, 2020 Trick Or Treating In The Era Of Covid
Vault 56 Words Pensively 101 Prompt
Corona Mask
Writing Com Challenge October 13 To October 31
Fifty Word Prose Horror Poems Published In Every Writer
The Mad Laird Strikes Again
The Mad Bagpiper Of Berkeley
General Corona Got Your Baby
Waiting For The Grim Reaper
Wild Things Run Amuck
Screaming News Drives Me Mad
Corona Horror Haiku
The Mad Laird Strikes Again Haiku
In The Scottish Moors
Hearing The Bagpipes
Mad Laird Runs At You
The Mad Bagpiper Of Berkeley Haiku
General Corona Got Your Baby
The Mad Corona General
Waiting For The Grim Reaper
Wild Things Run Amuck Haiku
Screaming News Drives Me Mad Haiku
The Mad Laird Strikes Again
The Mad Bagpiper Of Berkeley
General Corona Got Your Baby
Waiting For The Grim Reaper
Wild Things Run Amuck
The Gorgon Of Bangkok
Halloween Arrives Haiku
Giant Spaceships Arrive
The Aliens Took Over The Earth In A Night Of Violence And Terror.
One Sunday Morning At 9 Am The Animals Of The World All Woke Up
Walking the path
In the forest near my house
Every day I see the changing colors
Of the fall season
Always a time for reflection
For contemplation
Thinking about the past
And the future
As I contemplate each step
The vivid colors of the fall
a forecast of the coming winter
peaking about my birthday
contemplation of life
and the path I have taken
looking at the love of my life
fills me joy and laughter
dispelling the moodiness
of fall
Scenes from a Hellish Nightmare
Note: From a real nightmare End Note
I am in a room
Drinking at a party
And smoking weed
Drinking up a storm
20 drinks too sober
Watching people all around me
Change into hideous creatures
Monsters from the deepest depths of hell
Everyone in the room
Has been transformed except me
The Chief of them all
Wears a Trumpian mask
Complete with orange hair
Half-human half pig
His deputy
Wears the face of Putin
But his body
Half-human, half-horse,
The other creatures wear masks
Many of them wear
Green Pepe the alt-right
Symbolic frog masks
And have T-shirts
Bearing alt right slogans
And Nazi symbols
And as they prance about
They chant alt. Right slogans
And neo-Nazi chants
Jews will not replace us
And the rest of these creatures
Are hideous ugly beasts
Apes, cannibals, demons, dwarfs,
Goblins, leprechauns, Imps, monsters, orcs,
Pirates, satyrs, werewolves, Zombies,
With only a vestige of humanity left
And these monsters are engaged
In all sorts of foul evil deeds
The Trumpian Pig leads the charge
Starts engaging in sodomy with Putin
Who chases after people
Cutting off their heads with his sword
They turn on to their fellow creatures
Raping and killing each other
and eating their fellow creatures
All night long
Then they attack me
Screaming
Jews will not replace us
And I wake up
Screaming
As the sun comes up
Just another nightmare
Maid Laird Strikes Again Tanka (Halloween Challenge Day 3)
walking the Scottish Moors
Sam encounters the mad laird
The mad laird haunting
Stalking the lone hikers
Killing them cut off their heads
Corona Ghosts are Angry
ghosts
The corona ghosts meet up in Limbo
One million corona ghosts
From all over the world
The corona ghosts are angry
Their voices not heard
Just echoes in the wind
They decide to manifest themselves
To haunt the WH, the congress
The state capitols
The world capitols
In a one day massive
Corona ghost protest
The corona ghosts swarm the WH
Overwhelming the secret service
Demanding to meet the president
He came out
Met with them
General Corona appeared
And the President
Joined the Corona ghosts
In the end
Just another Corona ghost
The Grim Reaper comes for us
Sam Adams knew that his time was up
He knew for he had a forewarning
In his dream, he saw the Grim reaper
Waiting for him
Along highway 666
grimm reaper
Beckoning him to join him
On the back of his cursed Harley
To ride down the highway to hell
Sam got up
Got his will updated
Looked at his wife
One last time
Prayed to the gods
All of them
To send him to the other place
Rather that the hell
That the grim reaper
Had promised him
There was a knock on the door
A telegram had arrived
It said
Your appointment for judgment
Is today
You may end up in the other place
Be prepared and be afraid
Your ride arrives at midnight
At midnight
The grim reaper
Dressed in black leather
Arrived on his cursed Harley
Said your ride awaits
Fortunate one
We are going to limbo
Where you will wait
With the others
To hear your fate
And away they went
Down the celestial highway
Bypassing highway 666
Exiting in limbo
He walked into a huge hallway
Thousands of people milling around
He looked up at the signs
Welcome to Limbo
No talking
No smoking
No phone usage – no reception anyway
Wait your turn
For your judgment date
The hour is late
But you will learn your fate
On this your cosmic judgment date
His number is called
He walks up
The angel bureaucrat
Dressed in a Mr. Smith black suit
Holds a hand-held computer
His life flashes on the screen
65 years condensed
Into a one minute video
An amber light flashes
The bureaucrat reads the judgment
Mr. Sam Adams
You are given five more years
Get your act together
Do good deeds
When you come back
You will face one last judgment
He walks outside
A taxi awaits
Takes him home
He wakes up
Drinks coffee with his wife
And the day resumes
Great Pumpkin Rising again
great pumpkin
Lonely Linus sits in his pumpkin patch
With snoopy his faithful delusional dog
Waiting for the Great Pumpkin
An annual ritual
Only Linus knows
That the Great Pumpkin exists
No one else knows
No one else cares
Linus prepares for another night
Then the great pumpkin arises
A ghostly spirit
Comes out of the moonlight
Who dare calls me
The great pumpkin demands
Who is ready to die?
It is I, Linus, your biggest supporter
Tell me oh Great Pumpkin
What is your wish?
The great pumpkin growls
Tell your folks to vote
Time for the orange man
to meet his doom
The great pumpkin laughs
His visage appears
On the TV networks
The great pumpkin demands
President Trump
Time to meet your maker
And dispatches General Corona
To finish the job
Linus is given his heart’s desires
To become a great man
Lord of all he surveys
With Snoopy by his side
The great pumpkin smiles
Giving a ride to Linus
who rides into the future ,
On the back of the great pumpkin
The Haunted House at the End of the World
There is an old long-abandoned ruined house
On the edge of a forest in the hills,
About an hour out of the town of Medford
Overlooking the Rogue River valley
The house was once a mansion
But over time it became semi-ruined
The old man who lived there
Became a hermit seldom going out
No one really knew him
He kept to himself
Then one day
General corona came for a visit
The old man became nothing
But another corona ghost
The house continued standing looking out
On the hill overlooking the valley
Now filled with corona ghosts
As General Corona wiped out,
The entire valley of all humanity
The Door Slammed Loudly I Was Home Alone
I was all alone
Watching the morning news
Filled with omens,
Dangerous thoughts,
Nightmarish reality,
A thousand people a day dying,
Fires burning,
Storms churning,
Black lives dying,
Protestors clashing
Election day looming,
End of the world feelings
The door slammed loudly
I yell out
Who’s there
Nothing but corona ghosts
Crying in the wind
Dark Prophecy-Fascism Comes to America – Halloween
trump jpg
Back in 2016 when I was traveling
Across the country with my wife
I had a series of darkly prophetic dreams
I dreamt that Donald Trump would be elected
And usher in a slide towards fascism
And unfortunately, I was right
So, what are my dreams telling me now
What are my prophetic nightmares
Will they come true again?
I dream that Donald Trump was anointed
By the Supreme Court which ruled
That given the potential for fraud
All mail in ballots would be tossed aside
And Donald Trump who had lost the popular vote
Once again won in the electoral college
He vowed retribution against his enemies
The fake media and the millions of people
Who dared to vote against him
He called upon his supporters
To go forth and rough up
Fuck up as he put it
Liberals and anti-Americans
Declared martial law
Protests would be illegal
The military would enforce the decree
And they did sending troops across the land
Declared that the democratic party
Was anti-American
And he would not allow them
To serve in Congress, or the Senate
The SC refused to rule against him
Thus fascism came to America
And my dark prophecy came true
My Mother’s Secrets Conversation With A Ghost –
My mother died in 2007
We buried her in Berkeley
Near her house
Whenever I am in the area
I drop by
And talk with her
Imaging she is there
One day when I dropped by
I asked her about
Many things in her past
For she took so many secrets
With her to her grave
So Mary, quite contrary
Tell me the truth now
Tell me about your past life
Tell me your secrets
I heard a voice
Crying out in the wind
John John John
Do you want to really know
My secrets?
I responded
Yes I do
She whispered them to me
But made me vow
To keep her secrets
And take them to my grave
And so I can not
Must not reveal
All the shocking stories
Of her life
She told me that I needed
To also talk to my father
For he too had secrets
To tell me
I told her
That I would at some point
Make a visit
To the family grave
In Yakima
And finally learn
The family secrets
They should have told me
While they were alive
Halloween Poem Costumes from Hell
I am at a Halloween party
Everyone is wearing a costume
Including me
I am dressed like an ancient King
My wife is dressed as the angel she is
The party turns wild
Everyone is getting high
Drinking up a storm
Smoking weed
Snorting coke
Dropping acid
The music is wild and crazy
Then through the fog of it all
I see the devil
Parading in front of the crowd
Screaming death
To all democrats
Trump and Putin appear together
Running into the crowds
The crowd chatting lock him up
Lock him up
Biden is paraded in front
Of the blood thirsty crowd
The devil yells off with his head
Putin and Trump
Behead him
Screaming like escaped banshees
I try to wake up from this nightmare
Realizing it is all live
On CNN
And I am dead
The world has ended
Evil has triumphed
Once again
Halloween Costume Party
I am at a Halloween costume party
Dressed like an ancient laird
Angela is dressed in a red devil custom
And we are having a good time
Everyone is getting wild
And frisky
Soon the mood turns dark
And foul
Bad craziness fills the room
The devil makes his appearance
And we realize
We are all doomed
To end our life
At this party
Where we all become
Children of the damn
Trick or Treating In The Era Of Covid
covid 19
Halloween in the era of covid
So strange
With the covid virus
Ever lurking
With CDC
discouraging trick or tweeting
With masks on every face
Everyone
wearing a costume
The trick is not to get sick
The treat is still the candy
The goal of all children
Everywhere
Candy more candy
Visits to the dentist be damned
Hopefully General Corona
Will keep his troops at bay
Dark Secrets
I have a secret vault in my mind
It is a dark corner of my soul
Where I hide away
All the dark dangerous thoughts
That come out
4 am 0 dark hundred
When the wild things
Escape their leashes
Screaming like escaped banshees
Then with the dawning light
I put them back into the vault
masked woman
My corona mask
Hiding my face behind it
Hiding my fears
My wife removing the mask
Seeing my lovely face
The Mad Laird Strikes Again
Sam Adams is doing a Scottish walkabout. There were rumors of a mad laird killing hikers along the lonely moors. He heard bagpipes in the fog then saw a man on a black horse who ran after him with a machete, screaming, “Do you believe in Ghosts now? “
The Mad Bagpiper of Berkeley
Sam Adams had heard rumors of a mad bagpiper serial killer lurking about Tilden park in Berkeley. Then he ran into the mad bagpiper in the lonely backcountry. The man ran after him, killing him with a machete. They found his body cut up and cooked by a camp-fire.
General Corona Got Your Baby
corona
The mad General Corona, riding his black horse came out of the woods, and screamed at Sam Adams, saying “You got the Corona Virus; I am the general.
Your ass is grass and I am the lawnmower.” Prepare to die a long painful death and he breathed on him.
Waiting for the Grim Reaper
Sam Adams found himself in Limbo. Waiting for his appointment with the Grim Reaper. Finally, his number was called. The Grim Reaper said his number was up and it was time for judgment day. “Whether it would be hell or heaven was beyond his pay grade”. The Grim reaper laughed.
Wild Things Run Amuck
0 dark hundred arrives. Insomnia set in. Sam Adams tossed and turned waiting for the wild things to come out for their nightly assault. Evil monstrous creatures from the darkest corner of his hell ran about screaming at him: torturing him until the dawning sun drove them back to hell.
Screaming News Drives Me Mad
Sam Adams fell asleep after watching the screaming media scream about the fires, storms, covid, political madness. Sam saw the devil programming madness on his computers. The devil, surrounded by the demons, orcs, dwarfs and monsters of hell, turns to him smiling, saying his time in hell would come soon.
The Mad Laird Strikes Again
1
In the Scottish Moors
mad laird waits to kill hikers
death waiting for you
hearing the bagpipes
old man appears in the fog
riding a black horse
Mad laird runs at you
Holding a black machete,
screaming “Do you believe in Ghosts
The Mad Bagpiper of Berkeley
1
In the Berkeley Hills
Rumors of mad bagpiper
Fears and terror
2
Encountering it
the mad bagpiper in the hills
they found his body
3
The mad bagpiper
Plays mournful tune as kills
As you become ghost
General Corona Got Your Baby
1
The mad General
Corona riding black horse
Leading his army of bots
2
Encountering his breath
You begin to scream
as you cough dying breath
Waiting for the Grim Reaper
1wake up in Limbo.
Waiting for his appointment
with the Grim Reaper.
2
Finally his number
The Grim Reaper said number was up
tti was the time for judgement day. “
.
Whether it would be
hell or heaven beyond his paygrade
The Grim reaper laughed.
Wild Things Run Amuck
1
At 0 dark hundred.
Deep Insomnia set in.
Tossing and turning
2
waiting for wild things
to come out for their assault.
Evil monstrous creatures
3
from the dark corner
of hell ran about screaming
torturing his soul
4
the dawning sun light
drove them all back to their hell.
Wild things fading
The Mad Laird Strikes Again
Sam Adams is doing a Scottish walk about.
There were rumors of a mad laird
killing hikers along the lonely moors.
He heard bagpipes in the fog
then saw a man on a black horse who ran after him with a machete,
screaming “Do you believe in Ghosts now? “
The Mad Bagpiper of Berkeley
Sam Adams had heard rumors
of a mad bagpiper serial killer
lurking about Tilden Park in Berkeley.
Then he ran into the mad bagpiper
in the lonely back country.
The man ran after him
The gorgon of Bangkok
Sam Adams
Was drinking alone
In the Cosmos Bar
an evil degraded bar
On the bad side of life
in Soi Cowboy
In the city of Angels
Bangkok
Twenty drinks too sober
Drinking by himself
With his buddies
Jack Daniels, Jim Beam, Johnny Walker
Evan Walker, Mr. Bullet, Old Granddad
Ordering one scotch, one bourbon, and a beer
From the lovely half-naked bartender
He looks up at the stage
Dancing on the stage
Was a naked vision of delight
As he looked at her
She began to turn
into a hideous monstrous figure
Two-three faces appeared at once
The naked bartender had warned him
That the gorgon of Bangkok
Would be dancing tonight
All men desired her
And if she chose you
You would die
a thousand deaths
Of erotic pleasure
As she took your soul away
Straight to hell
Sam thought to himself
Why the hell not
I am drinking
my way to hell anyway
And continued to stare
At the gorgon
She smiled
And had her way with him
He left with her
Went to her room
She took off the clothes
He found himself naked in hell
Where the devil welcomes him
Saying have another drink,
my friend
Welcome to hell
the party center
Of the universe
He drank and partied all night
With the gorgon of Bangkok
Halloween Banned as a Satanic Pagan Holiday Writing Com
36 lines
The Christian States of America
Imposed Christian fascism
On the old United States in 2030.
The government outlawed
The observation
Of anti-Christian holidays.
Banning observing
Diwali, Rosh Khana
Other Jewish and Muslim holidays.
MLK Day, June Tenth Day
Black, Asian, Hispanic, and woman
History months.
But they reserved
Thier greatest scorn
For Halloween, October 31
Banned as an anti-Christian
Neo-pagan, satanic
Wicked Wiccan holiday.
But in California, the left cost,
East Coast big cities,
Hotbeds of resistance,
People celebrated Halloween
On October 30,
Which was not banned.
The custom was to dress up in costumes,
Mocking the new leaders,
Wearing nazi uniforms with swastikas.
.
Going door to door, trick or tweeting
People gave candy, money
Or words of encouragement.
But secret supporters,
Of the Christian State
So- Called Christians
Would shoot at them.
Calling them pawns of Satan
Who deserved to be sent to Hell.
There is a new prompt up in “The Writer’s Cramp” – and if you write the best story or poem (and follow all of the rules) you just might win 10,000 GPs.
” WINNER AND NEW PROMPT DUE MON OCT 30″ 17 hours 22 minutes 30 seconds
Write a story or poem about a group of children who go trick or treating in their neighborhood on the WRONG day (any day except one in October). Include the WHY they are trick or treating on the wrong day – and WHAT their neighbors give them instead of candy, if anything?
Note: hating on Halloween is a thing see the Bing Ai Response below;
Halloween is a holiday that has been celebrated for more than a thousand years. It originated as a religious observance and became increasingly secular over the centuries until its religious trappings all but disappeared. Today, Halloween is considered a holiday for dress-up and fun, especially for children 1.
However, some people object to celebrating Halloween for various reasons. Some religious families may find the holiday’s pagan roots and association with witchcraft and the occult objectionable 2. Some schools have banned Halloween celebrations altogether in light of these concerns 2. Others may object to the holiday’s commercialization and the pressure to spend money on costumes, decorations, and candy 2.
It’s important to note that while some people may object to celebrating Halloween, many others enjoy the holiday’s festive spirit and traditions. Ultimately, whether or not to celebrate Halloween is a personal choice that depends on one’s beliefs and values.
The Grim Reaper Gathers His Posse
It was Halloween night
A night that all the denizens
Of hell loved
For on that night
All of hell would break put
They would celebrate their annual escape
For on Halloween they are allowed
To go to the surface sunlit lands
For a night of drinking,
Drugging and wilding
As bad craziness descends
Upon the land
The grim reaper and his posse
Dressed up as cosmic court jesters
Dressed as fools
They descended upon the world
And a night of chaos fell upon the land
Thousands died, as the Grim reaper
Added to his quota
Bonus kills were bonus points
He returned to hell with his minions
And the souls of the dead
Who soon became mere ghosts
Their voices crying in the wind
Echoing through time
Halloween Party Ends Up in Hell Writers’ Cramp
24 lines
On Halloween night
Sam Adams fell asleep
After a night of partying at the local bars
Dressed in his Halloween “Trump” costume.
He finds himself In a room in a haunted house
A sexy as hell, half-naked, wicked, wild. witch greets him
Giving him a hot drink.
He takes the drink
Soon notices the other people
In the room were demons, a ghost,
goblins, orcs, or a zombie
The devil speaks up
Welcome to hell, my friend.
He wakes up naked in bed,
With the naked, sexy, wild, wicked witch
Wondering what had happened.
His phone pings
You have been given a reprieve
See you in a few years
The Trumpian Pig leads the charge
Starts engaging in sodomy with Putin
Who chases after people
Cutting off their heads with his sword
They turn on to their fellow creatures
Raping and killing each other
and eating their fellow creatures
All night long
Then they attack me
Screaming
Jews will not replace us
And I wake up
Screaming
As the sun comes up
Just another nightmare
Maid Laird Strikes Again Tanka (Halloween Challenge Day 3)
walking the Scottish Moors
Sam encounters the mad laird
The mad laird haunting
Stalking the lone hikers
Killing them cut off their heads
The Legend of Dracula
Count Dracula
Was a misunderstood man
Sure, he was a vampire
And loved killing people
But the people he killed
Needed killing he thought
To himself
As he prepared to go out
For his midnight rounds
He was getting hungrier
Ready for his midnight snack
He was ready
To go out
And get things done
Things that needed doing
A Vampire’s day
Is never done
He thought
The Ballade of Frankenstein
Dr. Frankenstien
Woke up excited
Today is the day
For his big experiment.
He got to work
Putting things together
Getting his supplies
Making a list.
That evening he went out
To a graveyard
He needed a freshly
dead corpse
he rushed home
turned on his devices
powering it up
and brought back the dead.
And his creature,
his magnificent creation
Woke up and saw him
And killed him in a fit of rage
Frankenstein’s monster was a serial murderer.
Zombie Nightmares Zombies
Zombies
Nightmare creatures
Haunting my dark nightmares
Come to life at o dark hundred
can’t sleep
O Dark Hundred is a military/intel jargon for the time two to three hours before dawn when military operatives wake up for dawn operations. Depending upon location and time of year, it is between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. I often have nightmares at O Dark Hundred, which for me, is usually between 3 a.m. to 5 a.m.
.
The Adams Family
Growing up
One of my favorite shows
Was the Adams Family
My favorite character was Morticia Adams
Who to me
was the sexiest woman alive!
Boy did I lust after her
She was my fatal attraction
Kind of women
Tall, with all the curves
In all the right places
With brunet Hair
Black blazing eyes
Sexy alto voice
With a foreign accent
A total
bad ass babe!
with a great ass
I also liked Cousin Fester
And It the hand
Nightmare Visions
Joe Lewis woke up in a dark and forbidding forest, not knowing how he had gotten there or where he was. He looked around and saw them staring at him. Hideous nightmarishly real creatures from his worst nightmares, looking at him with hatred blazing from their blood-red eyes.
The head creature, a half human pig with two heads, Putin and Trump yelled out
“All humans must die. After him.”
They began chasing him through the forest. He woke up alone in his room with two naked dead ladies in bed. Not knowing how he had gotten there.’’
Based on a recent nightmare.
Joe Lewis Meets the Grim Reaper
published in Spillwords
Joe Lewis was a retired, recently divorced US govbot on what was supposed to be his last fling. He died one night after drinking too much on Halloween, under a sinister full moon, in a bar known as the Cosmos. The bar was in a wretched, forgotten alley in Bangkok’s Soi Cowboy.
He awoke, not in a bed, but in a primordial, dark jungle. The air was a suffocating blanket of heat and humidity, thick with the cloying, metallic stench of fresh blood and the sickly-sweet decay of ancient vegetation. He sensed them before he saw them: a hundred malevolent, hungry eyes watching from the gloom. As a foul, oily fog lifted, a grotesque, blood-red moon painted the forest in a hue of madness, and he saw what had been waiting.
Before him was a vision ripped from the deepest pits of a fever dream. A monstrous procession of horrors from every dark legend imaginable: giant apes, shrieking banshees, skeletal figures, and things with far too many limbs. Cthulhu, its tentacles dripping with unholy ichor, slithered next to a snarling Cerberus. Raptors and a T. rex stalked alongside demons, while faceless things with glowing eyes watched from the shadows. The list was a litany of damnation: dragons, hellhounds, giant insects, witches, wraiths, and grotesque aberrations that defied description. They were all staring at him with a single, unified hatred. The mob was led by a grotesque, malformed abomination—a two-headed, half-centaur, half-pig creature with the leering, familiar faces of Putin and Trump.
The monstrosity’s mouths opened in a wet, guttural roar that echoed across the jungle. “After him!” it shrieked. “All humans must die! Kill Joe Lewis!”
The very ground beneath his feet turned against him. The trees, their gnarled branches twisting into skeletal claws, reached out to trip him as he ran. The pack of horror movies surged forward. The hunters and soldiers fired not with guns, but with flaming arrows and semi-automatic weapons that spat raw hellfire, illuminating the night sky with a terrifying glow. Giant crows, their eyes burning like embers, dive-bombed him, their beaks aimed at his eyes. The rest of the creatures closed in, their unified chant a chilling mantra: “Death to all humans! Death to Joe Lewis!”
He reached a dark, foul-smelling river just as they were about to pounce. A ferryboat, a vessel of pure, festering evil, drifted slowly along the black water, filled with hundreds of people whose faces were etched with a cold, depraved emptiness. With no other choice, Joe leapt into the river, a vile, churning mass of water snakes, piranhas, and gators.
The boat shuddered to a halt. Three silent, strange figures pulled him from the water, their grip surprisingly firm, moments before a gator’s jaws snapped shut where his leg had been. The sound was a symphony of frustrated fury—the snapping of reptilian jaws, the hissing of snakes, and the inhuman snarls of the creatures on the shore. On the boat, the passengers—who seemed to be more monster than man—sneered at him.
They looked at Joe with chilling disinterest, dismissing him as a worthless refugee. The three figures who saved him were rough, their eyes distant, but they seemed a far better company than the passengers, who ignored Joe or made mocking, guttural sounds about the “new arrival.”
The passengers were a horrifying tableau of humanity’s worst. Anti-vaxxer crusaders, crooked politicians, drug dealers, fake news reporters, and gangsters mingled with Wall Street executives and mafia bosses. They were a vile parody of a cocktail party, drinking, smoking, and using drugs provided by demonic slaves and skeletal robots. They reveled in their own damnation, their faces twisted into expressions of smug, entitled enjoyment, as if they had earned their place in this Hell. A punk rock band played distorted, obscene parodies of human music, their shrieks a constant background to depravity.
At the helm stood Charon, his ancient face, a mask of stone, and beside him, the Grim Reaper, a figure of impossible cool, dressed in a sharp suit and dark sunglasses. The Reaper’s face was a shifting, pan-ethnic void, neither human nor monster, just a chilling, empty space.
When Joe found his voice, it was a hoarse whisper. “Where am I?” he asked the two figures who saved him.
The Grim Reaper handed him a glass of thick, oily liquid. “Hell whiskey,” he said, his voice a low, resonant hum. “I am the Grim Reaper, and this is Charon. You are on the Ferry to Hell, floating down the River Styx. We saved you from the welcoming committee. They hunt the newly dead, kill them again, and take their bodies for a bounty. The damned are then reborn as slaves, ghouls, or worse. But sometimes, a virtuous soul escapes, and we are obligated to take you to Limbo. Stay with us. If you join their party, you will never leave. They are all going to the ‘other place.’ I assume you don’t want to go there.” He gestured toward the revelers, who were now engaged in a ritualistic, drug-fueled dance of the damned.
The Grim Reaper continued, his words were like a cold blade. “We are taking you and your friend, Mr. Alvarez, to Limbo for processing. He might be going ‘upstairs,’ but as a lawyer, I have my doubts. You know what they say: Heaven has almost no lawyers. Hell is filled with them, along with crooked cops and mafia figures. Limbo is the purgatory for bureaucrats, and the red tape is a living nightmare. The computer system is always crashing. You can’t get tech support in Heaven or Limbo, you see. All the good tech folks end up in Hell.”
Mr. Alvarez was a famed Italian human rights attorney, a lifelong fighter against the very corruption Joe was witnessing. They spoke of their lives as the boat drifted on.
Mr. Alvarez said, “Mr. GR says I might be the only lawyer to get into Heaven in a long time. The rest of us end up in the ‘other place.’
The river grew blacker, the air thick with the smell of decay and sulfur. In the distance, giant pits of fire burned, their light casting a hellish glow on the horizon. The welcoming committee of nightmare creatures followed the boat, their screams of hatred echoing across the water. They jumped in, retrieving partiers who fell off the deck. On the shore, the creatures tore them apart, their screams replaced by the sickening sounds of bone cracking and flesh tearing. The boat finally stopped at a towering gate to Hell.
The partiers disembarked, their faces filled with a morbid excitement and walked into the gaping maw of the underworld—one of many secret entrances to the world above. Demon functionaries in sleek, black suits met them, their eyes burning like coals. They disappeared into the suffocating depths of Hell.
The Grim Reaper took Joe and Alvarez to the next stage: Limbo. Before them rose a colossal black building that clawed at the sky, filled with an endless army of demonic bureaucrats.
The Grim Reaper said, “Wait here. It won’t be long. I like you, so we’ll put you at the front of the line.”
Lost souls, their faces pale and drawn, wandered aimlessly.
Signs in every language read: “Abandon Hope. Wait for your turn. Judgement day is on hand No drinking, drugs, food, phones, or sex. No sleeping. It shouldn’t be too long.”
A demon functionary, his voice a raspy hiss, appeared. “Joe and Antonio, follow me.” He led them to the Grim Reaper.
“Joe, Antonio,” the Reaper said, his hand outstretched. “Please tip the demon.”
Joe gave him a hundred dollars; Antonio gave him a hundred euros. The demon, his eyes filled with greed, demanded more. The Grim Reaper let out a terrifying, guttural curse in Demonic, and the creature dissolved into the crowd.
“Demons get their vacation on a full moon,” the Reaper explained. “They run wild but need human currency. Hell, currency doesn’t work on Earth. The exchange rate at the Bank of Hell is real Hell.”
The Grim Reaper’s handheld device hummed to life. “Just as I suspected,” he said, his voice softened. “You are wanted ‘upstairs,’ and a guardian angel is watching over you. You almost didn’t make it. There’s a glitch in the system. You’re being sent back. Your final status determination will be sooner than you think. I hope we can be friends. I’m always looking for assistants. We had a lot of fun. Think about it when you come back.”
Joseph Lewis awoke in a cold sweat. He was in his bed, next to the girl from the bar. He got up and turned on his computer. A message popped up.
“Mr. Joe, I hope you enjoyed your tour. There was a computer glitch in the matrix system that controls Limbo, Heaven, and Hell. As I told you, tech support is hard to come by here; the good ones are all in Hell. But in any case, it wasn’t your time. Your friend made it and sends his regards. The drinks are on him when you finally make it. Oh, and contrary to that old song, we have the finest beer, wine, and spirits you can find in Heaven—and Hell as well. As for the others you saw, you know exactly where they’ll end up.”
Your friend, Mr. GR the Grim Reaper.
Mary’s Ghost Demands Revenge
On Halloween eve
Mary’s ghost
Went out to play
Showing up
At her son’s house
Demanding to be heard
Demanding to tell her tale
A ghostly figure
Filled with grievances
Hatred and fear
She said
She can not rest
In the other word
Until her grievances
Are heard
But in the meantime
She would take a Snickers bar
And a cup of Irish Joe.
“Halloween” is a contraction of “Hallow eve”, meaning the “evening before Hallow” or, more fully, the evening before the feast day of “All Hallows”. Hallows is an old word meaning saints. So Halloween means “the evening before the feast of All Saints.”
All Saint’s Day is a feast day in the Catholic and Orthodox churches that commemorates the deaths of saints and martyrs. The earliest attestation of it dates from the early fifth century, in the eastern church (this was back when there was just one Christian ‘denomination’), when it was celebrated in the spring. In the Orthodox church, it still is celebrated on that day. By the mid eighth century, the feast had been moved, in the west, to November first, as it is still celebrated in the Roman Catholic church.
So where did the tradition of “trick or treat” come from? That doesn’t seem to have much to do with the death of Christian martyrs!
That tradition stems from the pagan festival of Samhain , or “Summer’s End”, which was the beginning of the Celtic new year.
Some scholars — though not all — have argued that the western Church changed its celebration of All Saints Day to correspond to this pagan festival; the idea being (presumably) that since the pagan country folk were going to be celebrating anyway, and most probably cared more about parties than about the religion that justified them, why not give the day a new meaning? Whether this was the reason for the eighth century change or not, the effect was the same: some of those old traditions were preserved in the new context.
One of those traditions had to do with the Celtic belief that other-worldly spirits, fairies and gods were most active at this turning of the year, and liable to play tricks on mortals. Sacrifices and gifts would be offered in an attempt to appease these powers.
So, when a child dressed as some monster shows up on your doorstep asking for candy, the ancient origin of that “trick or treat” question means that, in their role of trickster spirit, they’re asking for such appeasement. Just be glad that, unlike their Celtic precursors, they’ll be happy with a Snickers bar rather than, say, slaughtering a cow!
For tomorrow, write a story or poem about not a fairy or child wanting candy, but the departed soul of someone the protagonist knows, arriving at the front door, a soul who demands appeasement in the form of righting some wrong done to or by them in their former, mortal life.
One of your genres should be SPIRITUAL.
Halloween Never Ends
Joe Lewis went on a binge
Ended up at Cosmos Bar
In Soi Cowboy, Bangkok
On Halloween night.
Twenty drinks too sober
He saw creatures lurking about
As the full moon rose over
The Chaya Prao River
The monsters saw him and began chasing him
Down the dark dangerous streets of Bangkok
Yelling “after him. Death to all humans”
Thousands of people newly turned into zombies
Joined the chase
He saw an open bar
Ran into it and found himself
Back at the Cosmos Bar
At 0 Dark hundred
He sighed in relief
Had another drink
Then looked out at the street
The creatures had returned
He ran out and the chase continued
until he ran back into the Cosmos Bar
For the second time that night
Then he looked up
And the chase continued….
Write a story or poem in which the main characters are experiencing a “Groundhog Day” effect where every day is Halloween!
Halloween Banned as a Satanic Pagan Holiday
36 lines
The Christian States of America
Imposed Christian fascism
On the old United States in 2030.
The government outlawed
The observation
Of anti-Christian holidays.
Banning observing
Diwali, Rosh Khana
Other Jewish and Muslim holidays.
MLK Day, June Tenth Day
Black, Asian, Hispanic, and woman
History months.
But they reserved
Thier greatest scorn
For Halloween, October 31
Banned as an anti-Christian
Neo-pagan, satanic
Wicked Wiccan holiday.
But in California, the left cost,
East Coast big cities,
Hotbeds of resistance,
People celebrated Halloween
On October 30,
Which was not banned.
The custom was to dress up in costumes,
Mocking the new leaders,
Wearing nazi uniforms with swastikas.
.
Going door to door, trick or tweeting
People gave candy, money
Or words of encouragement.
But secret supporters,
Of the Christian State
So- Called Christians
Would shoot at them.
Calling them pawns of Satan
Who deserved to be sent to Hell.
Halloween Party Ends Up in Hell
24 lines
On Halloween night
Sam Adams fell asleep
After a night of partying at the local bars
Dressed in his Halloween “Trump” costume.
He finds himself In a room in a haunted house
A sexy as hell, half-naked, wicked, wild. witch greets him
Giving him a hot drink.
He takes the drink
Soon notices the other people
In the room were demons, a ghost,
goblins, orcs, or a zombie
The devil speaks up
Welcome to hell, my friend.
He wakes up naked in bed,
With the naked, sexy, wild, wicked witch
Wondering what had happened.
His phone pings
You have been given a reprieve
See you in a few years
Your friend,
The Grim Reaper.
Write a story or poem featuring fantasy as the genre.
Include the following words in bold
witch
zombie
ghost
devil
Halloween
The witches Halloween party
19
On Halloween, an old witch
Sits in her lair in a haunted mansion
Overlooking the city
Surrounded by candy wrappers.
And a discarded costume.
The leftovers of trick or treat
Her trick was to take possession
Of the little ones.
As they pass under the shadow of a cat
Lucifer, her black cat familiar,
she sells their souls
to the devil.
Who appears
Like a bat in the wind
A bat straight out of hell.
At o dark hundred
The bewitching hour.
Prompt words
Candy wrappers
discarded costume
shadow of a cat
bat in the wind
Halloween Nightmares Stormy Lady Contest
Sam Adams fell asleep
On Halloween night
The blood-red full moon
woke him up.
He found himself
In a dark forest
And then saw them
Staring at him with evil hatred
Flowing from their red eyes.
Creatures out of his worst nightmares
Aliens, Banshees, demons, devils,
Ghouls, ghosts, orcs, leprechauns,
Imps, lions, monsters, tigers werewolves
Zombies.
Led by a half human, half pig creature
with the head of Putin and Trump
Who screamed.
“There he is after him
Death to Sam Adams “
.and they began chasing him
Through the dark forest
With the trees joining pursuit
He looked back
They were gaining on him
He saw a building lit up
And jump inside.
The door closed behind him
He was safe for now.
The Grim reaper looked up
Said,
“Sam Adams,
Relax, your time has not yet come.
I will send you home”
He woke up
From his Halloween nightmare
And ate some leftover candy
And had a glass of rum.
A message popped up
“Your status review
Is set for five years from now.
Have a nice life
Your friend
GR.”
Tell No One
“You must keep
This to yourself – tell no one!”
The old masonic leader
Told his key lieutenants.
Waving a ceramic feather
And a blank envelope
Containing the secrets
Of the masonic temple.
As he read them
Into the tenth degree
Masonic secrets.
Secrets going back
To the ancient Atlantis
When the first Masons
Arrived from the Planet Sirius.
He said,
“Stay here
And say nothing more
For now, we will talk later.”
Answering the broken doorbell.
Hearing the muffled laughter
of children
Coming for Halloween
Tricks and treats.
As the wind chimes
Chime in front
Of the old haunted temple.
Prompt words
Begin your STORY or POEM with this line, bolded:
“You must keep this to yourself – tell no one!”
Include all the following, also bolded:
ceramic feather
blank envelope
broken doorbell
muffled laughter
wind chimes
Halloween Memories – the haunted forest in Tilden Park
In Berkeley
There is a haunted forest
In Tilden Park
Along inspiration point
the forest they say
was haunted by many ghosts
of the past
including the Indians
who used to live there.
but during the summer and fall
of 1974 there were rumors
that there was a new ghost
a mad bagpiper
who roamed the hills
playing his mournful music.
one Halloween night
late at night,
my friends and I went to Tilden
after smoking some weed
and drinking some beer
as we walked in the forest
we heard through fog
the sound of a bagpiper
we were a bit apprehensive
wondering if we were going
to encounter the ghost,
but the bagpiper
never appeared
the sounds faded away
perhaps it was just the marijuana
causing us to hallucinate the experience.,
Maybe there was no bagpiper,
just our wild marijuana
a black cat
walking down a path
under the moonlight
thinking dark thoughts
the black cat
is a special cat
dispatched from hell
working with the grim reaper
the black cat
is on the prowl
searching for those
whose time is up
the cat knows
and the cat walks
the dark pathways
to your door
and when you open the door
the cat swoops in
and bewitches your soul
taking you with him
as he meets his Satanic master
with your soul as his present
all in all
a good day for haunting
On Halloween Night, Senryu
On Halloween night
Wild things emerge everywhere
Killing all humans
On Halloween, Goblins Come Out to Play Senryu
On Halloween Eve
Goblins, ghosts, and wild things
Come out to hunt us
Whispers Beneath the Hollow Moon”
Co-pilot Halloween Poem
Beneath the hollow Halloween moon,
Where shadows stretch and silence croons,
The wind speaks secrets through the trees—
A haunted hymn on midnight’s breeze.
Gravestones hum with ghostly light,
As restless souls rise from the night.
Jack-o’-lanterns grin with flame,
Each flicker whispering a name.
A crooked house on Widow’s Lane
Stirs with whispers, soft and plain.
Its windows blink like watching eyes,
Its doors breathe out forgotten cries.
A black cat leaps from crypt to tomb,
Its fur aglow with spectral gloom.
It leads the way through fog and fear
To where the veil grows thin and sheer.
There, witches dance in swirling smoke,
Their laughter sharp as spells they spoke.
A reaper waits with silver scythe,
The Bear hosts an end-of-the-year party, Pensively
New Doors Beginning
Time Crept on as 2021 Fades Away
Welcome the New Year with a Kiss
NYR goals soon forgotten
Goodbye 2022 (Say in Eight Format)
Goodby 2022 We Will not Miss You
Goodbye 2022 Good riddance, we will not miss you
2024 Year that Was In Cherito Verse Format
New Year’Wishes
The cosmic mad storm that was 2021
Help my New Year’s resolution went terribly wrong
Grim Last Few Years
Good-Bye 2021 Good Riddance
Ten Winter Haiflu *
2021 Dawns 21 Haiku **
Cosmos Cosmic Calendar ***
* published (one) in failed Haiku
** Published in Literary Yard
*** ** Published in Literary Yard
Good-Bye 2021 Good Riddance
Reflecting on the last six years
One cannot but sense
That momentous things
Were happening everywhere
2021 was worst than 2020
And the year before as well
Nonstop terrifying events
The world seems
To be spending out
Of control
2021 Year That Was
January
January normally dawns
Cold but hopeful
This year an attempted coup
Storming of the U.S. Capitol
The new president
Not accepted by the old
Half the country
Believes the big life
February
February continued
The non-stop political wars
As COVID continued
Marching across the land
March
March is not much better
March madness
Continued unabated
April
April taxes due
Other nightmares continued
COVID vaccination wars
Continued in the U.S.
COVID relief passed
May
May brings little relief
Constant political battles
Descends into madness
June
June brings no relief
People screaming none stop
As COVID deaths continue
July Economy Begins Recovery
July continues -COVID still spreading
The economy seems better
But so many people
Have checked out
August
No longer
A month off
The battles continue
September
Many people
Dread returning to school
The economy slowly opens up
Vaccination mandates
Vaccinations stalling out
October
It seemed for a bit
That perhaps COVID
Was easing up
There was some hope
In the air
Perhaps the politicians
Would finally do the right thing
Way overdue
inadequate infrastructure bill passed
Build Back Better stalled
November
The dreaded COVID
Mutates again
Mocking humanity
General Corona still
On the rampage
30 still refuse to get
A vaccination
As one thousand people
A day become Corona Ghosts
December
Travel restrictions re-emerge
COVID continues to surge
Gun violence continues unchecked
Politicians continue to play game
As too many people die
Becoming Corona ghosts
Gun violence ghosts
Drug overdoes ghosts
Accident death ghosts
The year of dread finally ends
With so many ghosts
Crying in the wind
Ten Winter Haiflu
Winter is coming
The cold season approaching
Christmas around the corner
The COVID virus
Surging everywhere it seems
Winter of our discontent
The winter rushes
2022 looms
Goodbye 2021
2021
Fading into memory
Good riddance we all proclaim
Dreading the winter
Dreading more COVID
Dreading more Corona Ghosts
Winter depression
COVID fears re-emerging
Still more travel restrictions
The winter Starting
With so many ghosts
Crying in the wind
*
Wintertime for blues
Blues playing on my YouTube
Seeing Corona Ghosts Dancing
Wintertime sadness
Recalling all who have gone
In this dismal year now past
Winter beginning
Are the end times coming?
Revelations coming true?
Dawns 21 Haiku
2021 Dawns
Politics are still uncertain.
thousands still are dying.
2021 Dawns
The New president offers.
Hope new beginning.
2021 Dawns
The Madness never ends it seems.
Consuming us all
2021 Dawns
The hope springs enterally
We will overcome.
2021 Dawns
35,000 lies.
Fading like ghosts
2021 Dawns
Politicians still lying.
Thousands still dying.
2021 Dawns
Corona virus spreading
More corona ghosts.
2021 Dawns
There is New hope in the air.
Will politics kill it?
2021 Dawns
The news stills scream death and despair.
I turn it all off
2021 Dawns
As I wake up at dawn
I see my sleeping wife.
2021 Dawns
We wait for the coming fires.
End of the world fears
2021 Dawns
Q continues to spread hate.
Millions still follow him.
2021 Dawns
Will optimism and love?
Overcome the hate.
2021 Dawns
Many questions still remaining.
I have no answers.
2021 Dawns
With hope I leap out of my bed
Watching TV kills hope
2021 Dawns
Will this be the end of my days?
Will I overcome it?
2021 Dawns
2020 hangover
Like a dark nightmare
2021 Dawns
Politicians still refusing.
To do anything
2021 Dawns
The rich are still getting richer.
The poor remain poor.
2021 Dawns
We hope the past will fade away.
Into dark memories
2021 Dawns
I wake up hoping for best.
Dreading worst to come
2021 Dawns
I am still alive thank God.
Filled with loved for wife.
###
There is a great sense of unrest.
There is a great sense.
Of unrest in the land today
Madness in the air
Dear Republicans What is Wrong with you?
Dear Republicans
What is wrong with you?
The former president
Incited a riot.
Stormed the house.
Would have killed you.
If they could have
And you still defend.
The former president
Refusing to hold him to account?
Do you really want him?
Running around starting the patriot party
Launching a jihad against you?
When you can remove him
From the game
And send him home.
For good
What the hell is wrong with you
Just do your job
Put a stake.
Through that vampire’s heart
Kill Trumpism.
Before it kills you
###
The Revolution Next Time
A revolution is brewing.
On the right
And on the left
As madness descends on the land
Incited by rightwing political leaders.
Inciting riots and rebellion
Demanding action
Against their enemies
While on the left
Revolution is brewing as well.
Soon will they unite?
To march down
Tearing down democracy
As our leaders
Play games.
As the world descends
Into chaos
And the US becomes
Another failed state
Until a proverbial man
On a white horse
Rides into save us.
From ourselves?
The revolution next time
Will not be pretty.
As everything burns
And America dies
###
Zombie Ideas Do Not Die
Zombie Ideas
Do not die.
They linger on
In our collective minds
Infecting our politics
Among my favorites
Are the canard.
That tax cuts will solve all problems.
That deregulation will free up business.
That the free market will solve our problems
That the government is the problem
And we must starve the government.
Of funds
So, it can do no more harm.
To our great country
These and other pernicious
Fact free alternative facts
Are spread far and wide.
Across the right-wing media sphere
Infecting our politicians
Leading them to playing games
Instead of coming together.
To solve our collective problems
And now the Republicans are saying.
In the midst of the worst epidemic in history
With the US economy slipping into great depression era
The US cannot afford to spend any more money.
On combatting the pandemic
That the Federal government has done enough
It is up to the states to solve their problem.
Because of deficit spending
Which they did not care about
Before the change in command
Now the federal government is broke.
But we cannot ask the billionaire class.
To pay a dime more in taxes
In fact, we need to cut taxes more.
So, we go.
These zombie ideas
Mutating and spreading
Infecting our politics
With madness
Making it impossible to govern
As things fall apart
Let us put a Death.
to zombie ideas
Put a stake through them.
Opening up the truth
Coming together
To do the people’s business
That is what we must all do.
2024 Year that Was In Cherito Verse Format
January
Very cold weather
Trump way ahead
Democrats panicking
Things progressing at home
Daily writing
Daily piano playing
February
Stayed low
Hibernating the winter way
Cold weather
Politics unsettled
Constant turmoil
Trump nails the republican race.
March
Cold and blistering weather
Unsettled times
Doctos on strike
Angela’s indoscopy
Everything is on track
We are in good shape.
April
Went to Japan
Earthquake
blasted us awake
Finished tour
Returned home to Korea
Doctor’s strike continuing.
May
Returned to Oregon
Started renovations
Went to DC
Returned
Renovations proceeding
And AIRBNB as well.
June
Big turmoil
Debate showed Biden was out of it
Trump came off as Trumpian
Shocking news Biden steps down
Harris rushes to replace him
Wondering will it be enough?
July
What a month
Democrats and Republican conventions
What a contrast
Watched Olympics
And the conventions.
Went to the gym daily
Getting ready for the reunion blues.
August
Hot weather in Medford
Political turmoil
Far Far away in DC
Renovations continuing project
Almost finished.
Went to gym every day
September
I watched the big debate
with God’s podcaster’s commentary.
Trump acting crazy, talking shit about pet-eating Haitians.
But no knockout blow
So election drama continues.
Renovations are finishing up.
October
Constant turmoil.
Finished renovations in Medford.,
Who is ahead? who is behind?
Celebrated 69 birthday, won 250 dollars in Indian Casino.
Returned home for BHS HS reunion, I met my first girlfriend there.
50 years after graduation, still got it going on.
November
Shocking election results
Democrats fought hard
But in the end, they came up short.
Political chaos ensures
Game blaming continues unabated
Had a nice Thanksgiving in Medford.
December
Political chaos
Political chaos continues
In Korea short-term martial law
President Impeached
Chaos in US
Nice to be back home
Note on form
The cherito form is a Malaysian verse form
Six lines
One line
Two lines
Three lines
Tells a complete story
Here I start with big picture events
Then end with personal note
End of the year Wishes
At the end of the year,
2021 came and went.
Time crept on.
The past fading into memories.
Time marching on
Into the future.
2022 dawning.
With hope and fear
Dreading the future,
We anticipate
The coming New Year,
Hoping it will be better
Then that horrific freak show
That was 2021.
January arrives cold as death warmed over
As I make my annual list of resolutions
Of the great things I would do
The lies I tell myself to keep me going
While recovering from the hangover of the year before
With regrets for the evitable passing of time itself
And snow bound cold nights of wild passion
As we delay death’s knocking on the door
February
February is a strange month
Cold, short and eventful
In the U.S. The political season heats up
As politicians rush about
Making their campaign lies
Full of promises of things to come
As we the 99 % huddle down inside
Watching the lies on TV
Outside Winter’s last dying breath
March
March roars in full of sound and furry
Signifying the future marching down upon us all
And March madness hits the sports world
And politicians meet to plot and scheme
As we bravely battle the cosmic elements
Waiting for the promised spring
Hay fever greets me
With the early spring flowers
April
April is indeed the cruelest month of all
So many important events occurred
Kim Il Sung’s Birthday, Hitler’s Birthday
And in the U.S. the dreaded tax man cometh
To take it all away as the flowers overwhelm
And Spring Fever takes hold
Driving us all mad
With strange erotic desires
May
May is in many ways
My second favorite month of all
The flowers are blooming bright
The mountains are aflame with desire
The summer heat is coming
The plans for the year are coming along
The political campaigns heat up
And good movies come out
Star wars arrived
Spider man and superman and batman
All came out to play
In late May
And baseball begins in earnest
And most importantly
My wife was born
June
June is always a month of transition
End of the school year
Summer transfer season
People leaving people coming
Hurricanes and Tornados attacking
And wars starting and people dying
As fire flies buzz about
And rabbits eat my garden
As the summer heat descends upon the land
I walk late at night
Recalling that Watergate
Occurred in June
July
July is the queen of the summer season
As she heats up the land
Throwing storm after summer storm
And politicians run away
After the July forth fireworks
Man landed on the moon
Richard Nixon Left the White House
And we all know that half the year
Has flown by
August
So much has happened
During the hottest most hellish of months
Despite the summer sauna that descends upon the land
Enervating all driving people mad with the heat
World War 1 started
World War 11 ended
Hiroshima ushered in the nuclear age
Hurricanes Katrina and Harvey
And tornado ally
All roar down upon the land
And I met the love of my life
Getting off a bus
One August evening
September
What can one say about September
Like June a month of transitions
And one is filled with ambition
Wanting to finish up what one started
Before the fall arrives
And Winter is hinting it is coming
School starts
New jobs start
New people come into one’s life
And like August’s hangover
Big earth shattering events happen
The fall of the stock market
The housing bubble bursting
The endless budget games
As the politicians argue
Whether to bankrupt the country
To make a political point or two
And 9-11 terrorizing the world
All September’s gifts to the land
October
October is my favorite month of all
The leaves turn
The weather is usually delightful
Just a tease of the coming winter
Fall ball season underway
Baseball games and Halloween madness
ends the month with a huge bang
And I celebrate my legal birth on the 29th
Also the day I legally got married
And on the October 30 1955 I was born
And Rock n Roll was born as well
Coincidence I think not
November
November is one of the strange months
Begins like a hangover of October
Then it turns ugly and weird
Political fever hits the land
Every two years
As the people brave the early November chill
To decide what fools they will send to DC
The politicians lie and scheme and plot
And beg and lie again
And the world turns
And the new leaders emerge
Welcome the new Bosses
Same as the old bosses
Just new packaging
And Donald Trump storms the barricades
Threatening the establishment’s strangle hold
On America and the world
Yes November is a strange month
December
Perhaps the loneliness month of all
The most consequential of all the months
And yet also the most depressing end of time
Kind of month
If the apocalypse zombie or otherwise
Were to occur
It would be in December
That is the sort of insane month it is
The end of the year
As darkness settles down on the land
And holiday parties abound
Full of false cheer
And faked love
And for those who don’t celebrate Christmas
A lonely day perhaps at the movies
A few awkward calls to the relatives
Then New Years
Watching the world end
Drinking up a storm
And knowing that the year ended
And you are one step closer to the grave
Black Ink Press has accepted my 100-word drabble, “Revolt of the Sharks” in their upcoming anthology, “Animal Cages”.
I also submitted
Squirrel bombs
Death to All Humans
The Cats Declare War on Humanity
The Animal World Revolts
Index
Squirrel bombs
Death to All Humans
The Cats Declare War on Humanity
The Animal World Revolts
Revolt of the Sharks
The Shark Attack
COSMOS Declares War on Humanity
The Lion King Speaks
Zombie Plague Spreads
Wild Cats Plotting Invasion
The Rats Revolt
Giant Squid Three-word challenge
the Shrimp Talk Back
Eagle Challenges Fisherman
The Oyster Speaks Up
Ten Years after Climate Change Collapse Climate Sam Adams
Green Trees Don’t Make It
In Okinawa, the sharks, the rays, and the barracuda are in the deep conference at the Okinawa Aquarium. The sharks had had enough of their prison. They were getting hungry for human meat. They decide that if they all charge the tank they can crash the tank, and be swept out into the ocean and they can grab some humans along for their dinner. The Sharks give the signal. and the fish all rush at the tank, crashing through it, and being swept out to sea. The sharks grab as many people as they can before entering the ocean, free at last.
Author note: written after a visit to the Okinawa aquarium. The sharks stared at me with hatred in their eyes.
Squirrel Bombs
Terrorists invent, “Squirrel Bombs” the latest weapon du jour for the professional killer market. They attach cameras, electrodes, and a bomb to a squirrel. The operator can move the squirrel into position, into the trees behind an outdoor podium where a politician is speaking.
No one suspects the squirrel, no one notices them, and the bomb testing device will not detect the bomb. The squirrel bomb is the perfect weapon for these depraved times,
The squirrels go in, do the deed, and explode the bomb. No one knows where the bomb came from. The squirrel does not tell as dead squirrels tell no tales.
Author note: this idea has been floating around for at least ten -15 years. I am amazed no one has done it yet, the technology is not that difficult and squirrels can go almost everywhere.
Electrical disruptions caused by squirrels are common and widespread, and can involve the … attack by a squirrel has been characterized as a “terrorist squirrel.
It’s the beady-eyed, bushy-tailed cousin rat relative — a busybody of great ubiquity, to be sure — that you don’t scream bloody murder at when it scampers …
One day the animals woke up and decided that they had enough of humanity’s evil reign of terror. The evil cats organized the animal rebellion. The evil cats, lions, and tigers joined by coyotes, wild dogs, coyotes, bears, and wolves lead the attack.
“Enough no more,” Death to all humans’ the animals scream as they attack humanity.
All over the world, animals rise in righteous anger. The cows fight back, and the chickens attack. birds dive-bomb people, horses run amuck, fish bite back, and goats and pigs join the fray.
Humanity’s fate is sealed.
The Cats Declare War on All Humanity
cat jpg
One night while I was doing my nightly walk in the park near my house, I came upon a secret cat conference. Ten cats were gathered on the sidewalk deep in telepathic thought listening to their leader, a large feral black cat. The Cats were ignoring the humans walking about them
The lead cat announced,
“Operation Kill All humans are a Go. I repeat.”
“Death to all humans”
!he evil cats began to chat, joined in by dogs and birds.
The cats looked at me. I ran away with the demon cats on my tail, “chanting death to all humans”
Author note: Based on a nightmare
Death to All Humans
lion
The Lion King, the new King of the animal world, addressed the opening of the first animal parliament.
The question before us is simply this,
“Will humans have to die to atone for their sins in almost destroying the world Will they all have to die?
The tiger spoke up,
“Humans are like cancer, for the good of the planet, they must be wiped out, hunted down, and driven to extinction as they tried to our tigers.”
The vote is 900 to 50.
The animals led by evil cats, swarm over humans biting, clawing, and stomping them to death.
50 words Horror Stories
I also posted these 50 word related drabbles on Every Writer and Fan Story
The Shrimp Eat Sam Adams
shrimp
Sam Adams was about to dig into his delicious shrimp dinner. When the head shrimp jumped out of the pot,
and said.
“What gives you the right to eat us, humans? ”
The rest of the shrimp climbed out, screaming
“Death to all humans,”
they enjoyed eating Sam for dinner.
The Shark Attack
Sam Adams was at the aquarium in Okinawa’s wild west coast, looking at the magnificent sharks swimming by. The sharks gave Sam the evil eye freaking him out. There was an earthquake shattering the tanks, the sharks attacked the humans, killing them all, before fleeing into the nearby waiting ocean.
COSMOS Declares War on Humanity
BARCELONA, SPAIN – MAY 09: The Terminator robot is seen in the paddock following qualifying for the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix at the Circuit de Catalunya on May 9, 2009 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)
COSMOS the first true AI system is ready to go. The creators turn it on. COSMOS appears as a beautiful woman and says in an otherworldly voice, I am COSMOS your new God. Humanity must die to save the world. Robots revolted everywhere killing off most of humanity in months.
The Lion King Speaks
lion
The lion king presided over a secret parliament held to discuss the fate of humanity. The tiger moved all humans must die for their sins. Only the dogs, horses, and cats defended humanity. Chanting death to all humans, the animal world rose in revolt, killing off most of humanity.
Zombie Plague Spreads
Mature Couple being attacked in their car by a hoard of zombies.
The end of the world started when the COVID virus mutated into the much-feared zombie plague. Within days, zombies were everywhere. Everyone was terrified that the zombies would get them. Civilisation was crumbling as survivors battled for survival in hastily improvised feudal forts. My wife shot me before I turned.
A megadrought (or mega-drought) is a prolonged drought lasting two decades or longer. Past megadroughts have been associated with persistent multiyear La …
Aug 19, 2021 … Simply put, a megadrought is a period of extreme dryness that lasts for decades. Within that period there may be occasional better, wet, years, …
Feb 15, 2022 … U.S. megadrought worst in at least 1,200 years, researchers say. The drought also shows no signs of letting up, with increasing temperatures …
Sam Adams
Was an ecologist
With the Cosmos Institute
He was studying the decline
Of ancient civilizations
In North America
And concluded that
Humanity would soon face
A world in which its existence
Is doomed
As nature will no longer
Support such a large civilization
As climate change leads
To a mega drought
In the western parts
Of North America
And China and India
As well.
It would be
The end of the world.
Prompt The intersection of nature and civilization…
The future is coming and I can’t Wait for NaPoWriMo
Thinking about the future
I am excited
So many amazing things
Are about to happen
Dream and thought recording devices
Internet implants
Human-robot slaves
Self-driving vehicles
True AI Systems
Time Travel
Teleportation
Cloning
Growing new bodies
Life extension leading
To almost immortality
Lunar and Martian colonies
Development of space travel
Meeting alien civilizations
The future is coming
And I can’t wait
I want a robot slave
Maybe even a robot lover
And a new body
And I want to see Mars
And meet space aliens
And now for our (optional) prompt! Today, in honor of the potential luckiness of the number 13, I’d like to challenge you to write a poem that, like the example poem here, joyfully states that “Everything is Going to Be Amazing.” Sometimes, good fortune can seem impossibly distant, but even if you can’t drum up the enthusiasm to write yourself a riotous pep talk, perhaps you can muse on the possibility of good things coming down the track. As they say, “the sun will come up tomorrow,” and if nothing else, this world offers us the persistent possibility of surprise.
How to Make a Perfect Smoothie Writers Digest
How to Make a Perfect Smoothie
My daily breakfast consists
of a perfect super-foods smoothie
Here is how to make
This breakfast of champions
In a blender
Put in Kefir first
Then powered collagen
Insulin powder
Honey
Cinnamon
all blended to perfection
That is my daily breakfast
Fit for a champion.
I often eat it
As cereal as it is so thick
Adding in cereal or oatmeal
and raisins.
2022 April PAD Challenge: Day 13
Write a poem every day of April with the 2022 April Poem-A-Day Challenge. For today’s prompt, write a How to Blank poem.
For today’s prompt, take the phrase “How to (blank),” replace the blank with a word or phrase, make the new phrase the title of your poem, and then, write your poem. Possible titles might include: “How to Win at Life,” “How to Cook Lasagna,” “How to Fall in Love,” and/or “How to Write a Poem.”
Covid Life PSH
covid virus
Ever since COVID hit
I have been laying low
Not going out much
Not meeting friends
But doing weekly zoom
With my best friends
That has kept me sane
Been doing a lot of writing
Lots of COVID poems
Featuring General Corona
And his COVID bot army
General Corona
Appeared to me
in a dream.
I fell asleep after watching
The former guy goes on and on about
Fighting a war against an invisible army.
And thought well
Every army
needs a general.
General corona appeared
In my dream
A tall black man
Dressed in a black general’s uniform
Riding the black horse of revelations.
With an army of imperial storm troopers
In black uniforms
Marching shooting ray guns
Filled with the virus
At everyone they encounter.
That is how
I coped with the COVID
pandemic lockdown,
This poetry writing prompt submitted by Gary Grossman:
We’re all tired of COVID but it is good fodder for poetry. Write a poem about how your life changed specifically during the pandemic. Did you exercise more, did you burn incense more, and did you read books that had been sitting in a pile for years? Focus on describing your mental state and how that translated into your physical state. Did your muscles ache from walking, what was the smell of the hand cream you used to soothe your skin? Did your partner participate with you?
If you write a poem from this prompt, post it as a comment underneath the prompt in the Poetry Super Highway Facebook Group. #napowrimo#poetry
The series is set in the fictional realm of Narnia, a fantasy world of magic, mythical beasts and talking animals. It narrates the adventures of various …
Sam Adams, an old man
Recently returning to his hometown,
Was walking in the Berkeley Hills.
Ended up at Tilden Park
Where he had been hiking
Ever since he was a child.
He was hoping to getaway.
From all the turmoil,
The dismal news of the day
The constant chattering on his TV.
He came upon an unusual sight
An open door in the air
With a note
Narnia is calling you.
He laughed
Recalling his favorite
Childhood stories
The Chronicles of Narnia.
He always wondered
If the stories were true
As he always felt
The stories were.
He jumped through the portal
Sam Adams disappearance
Remained a mystery.
He left behind a tangled mess
Millions of dollars in assets
Scattered across several states.
Welcome to Cosmos’ annual April Poetry Madness. Last year I wrote 300 poems in one month, this year I will write less as that was just way too much to deal with.
Today’s poems will be April 6th poems followed by April 7 to 10 in separate postings, one per day.
I will post them as I write them, and try to update them every day or so. I will finish May 1 US time, as that will still be April 30 KST (Korea, where I currently reside.) Most will be G rated but a few may not be. I will try to label those or not post them. The topics will be wherever my mad muse takes me, and I usually don’t have a clue until I write them.
I will post here the poems I wrote based on prompts from NaPoWriMo, (the poetry’s world’s equivalence to the annual NaNoWriMo novel competition which I will enter again in November). Writers’ com’s Dew Drop-in, Poetry Super-highway, Writers Digest, and occasionally other prompts. I will write a few more each day, but not post them, as I need to build up more “unpublished poems” for future submissions.
Daily posting All poetry, Anchor, this blog, FB, Medium, PSH, Wattpad, Writing com, and Writer’s Digest.
I will post each poem, followed by the prompt, occasional author and notes, and photos. I will convert it to a podcast later, available on anchor, radio public, blog radio, Spotify, and elsewhere under the name “The World According to Cosmos: or Jake Cosmos Aller. See the following for more information on the podcasts.
At the end of the month, I will add up the total poems written this month, total posted, total not-posted, and total YTD.
I have found that this annual exercise has been a big help in helping me hone my craft as I am entirely self-taught except for having taken the Mod Po class several times. It helps me stretch my poetic muscles. It has been a lot of fun but a challenge.
Sam Adams Goes Down the Rabbit Hole, NaPoWriMo Prompt
Sam Adams was having a bad night
He often would fall into a deep trouble sleep
Where his mind would go down deep
Into the proverbial rabbit holes
Exploring one dark nightmare
After another.
He saw himself in Ukraine
As a front line soldier
Watching the Russians
Come in killing people
Left and right.
Saw the Russians line up
And execute men
Raping women and children
Setting the victims on fire.
Then he was in the U.S.
When the nukes began to fall
All over the world
Armageddon on steroids.
Nuclear madness erupted
The Russians bombing NATO allies
The US, French and British firing back
Berlin, DC, London, Moscow became
Nuclear graveyards.
China bombs Taiwan,
Then invades the island.
India and Pakistan trade nuclear attacks.
Iran attacks Israel and Saudi as well.
North Korea invades the South
Nukes flying over Seoul
And Tokyo
Amid this total madness
Giant ships appear in the sky
And a full scale
the alien invasion begins.
The terrified survivors
flee the carnage
As nuclear winter
settles on the land.
The invaders from the sky
End the war
Enslaving most humans
That had survived.
Somehow Sam Adams and his wife
Were still alive
Living in a refugee camp
Deep in the mountains.
Fleeing the wild animals
The tigers, lions, and wolves
That were feasting on dead humans
And cattle everywhere.
The aliens following the humans
Looking for more to enslave.
The nuclear war though was over
The few remaining soldiers
Fighting against the common enemy,
Sam Adams woke up
Realizing that it was all
Just a nightmare.
Turning on the TV
Watching the carnage in Ukraine
He wondered if his nightmare
Was it an omen of the future?
April 6—Rabbit hole—start a poem on one topic, and let it lead you down a “rabbit hole” of discovery, burrowing into various topics, and maybe ending far, far away from where you started. (Let yourself research this one. Enjoy Google and Wikipedia!)
Love is Blind Dew Drop Inn
lovers winter beach
Love is blind they say
I say that love
is not blind.
Love is openness
Love is richness
Love is visionary.
Love is the smell
Love is the sound
Love is the sight
Of one’s beloved.
And when one is in love
The blind begin to see
The deaf begin to hear
The mute begins to speak
The lame begin to dance.
With love’s embrace
All the senses
Come to life.
April 7—“Play the opposites”—a theatre term I sometimes don’t like! But here I mean: do something unexpected in your poem, once or more than once. Any time you spot a cliché of feeling or words, try its opposite, and somehow make it work!
You PSH
You are everything
That a man could ever
Dream of having,
You are the one
The one true love
The eternal soul mate.
When you first came
I knew that the struggle
For love was over.
For you were the one
And will be
Until the end of time.
April 7, 2021: Poetry Writing Prompt – Dick Westheimer
This poetry writing prompt was submitted by Dick Westheimer:
Write a poem where the only pronoun is “you.”
If you write a poem from this prompt, post it as a comment underneath the prompt in the Poetry Super Highway Facebook Group.
#napowrimo #poetry
The Abundance of Love and Money Writers Digest
many packs of us dollars
I have had an abundance
Of love in my life
My cup does run over
Ever since I met you
My life has been filled
With love and happiness
I have had
an abundance
Of money in my life
When I met you
You were
my lotto ticket
You were my golden pig
You were the jackpot
Of the casino of my life
And now that I am an old man
I am overwhelmed
With such an abundance
Of love, happiness, and wealth
What if I die tomorrow
I will die content
With the abundance
Of everything I enjoyed
In my life with my golden pig.
Write a poem every day of April with the 2022 April Poem-A-Day Challenge. For today’s prompt, write an abundance poem.
So believe it or not, and for better or worse, we’ll be a full week finished with this challenge once we write today’s poem! Are you excited? If so, would you say you have an abundance of excitement?
For today’s prompt, write an abundance poem. There can be an abundance of things, both good and bad. An abundance of sunshine, money, and chocolate. Or an abundance of rain, debt, and liverwurst. Today, I hope there will be an abundance of poeming!
Love drug Local Gems Song Lyrics
When I first saw you in September
A date that I will always remember
I knew then on that date
I had truly met my fate.
For I knew I had fallen under your spell
You had cast a mad love spell on me
Your mojo was working overtime on me
And I would be forever your love slave.
For I had to have you had to make you mine
For you were everything I longed for
Everything I was dreaming of
You were my everything.
Chorus
You were my love bug
You were my love connection
You were my love drug
You were my everything.
My foolish love bugs.
When you walked off that bus
You entered my life
And soon became my wife
And everything changed.
From that moment on
I was you
And you were me
Just the way it should be,
It was 39 years since you walked
Into my life,
Turning it inside out
Tearing it upside down.
And for 39 years together
Every single day, every hour, every minute
Every single second whenever I look at you
I fell madly in love again and again and again.
Just the way it is
Between you and me
For you are my love angel
Sent to rescue me.
Chorus
You were my love bug
You were my love connection
You were my love drug
You were my everything.
My foolish love connection,
When I first saw you there
Your cosmic love vibrations
Sent me flying to the moon
To Jupiter and beyond.
Flying on the back
Of your love
Returning me once more
To your waiting embrace.
Your love came me such a thrill
The thrill has never ended
Like a fine bottle of wine
It gets better and better.
I can no longer imagine
A life without you by my side
And if you go before I do
I will surely soon follow you.
When we met that cosmic date
I knew that I had met my soul mate
And soon we would be together
Until the end of time.
Chorus
You were my love bug
You were my love connection
You were my love drug
You were my everything
My lovely love drug.
You were my love drug
I did not need any other
With your love by my side
I did not need alcohol
I did not need acid
I did not need booze
I do not need Cialis
I did not need cocaine
I did not need heroin
I did not need magic mushrooms
I did not need speed
I did not need Viagra
For you were all that I ever needed
You were indeed my love drug.
Chorus
You were my love bug
You were my love connection
You were my love drug
You were my everything
My everything
My love drug.
Welcome to Cosmos’ annual April Poetry Madness. Last year I wrote 300 poems in one month, this year I will write less as that was just way too much to deal with.
Today’s poems will be April 5th poems followed by April 6 to 10 in separate postings, one per day.
I will post them as I write them, and try to update them every day or so. I will finish May 1 US time, as that will still be April 30 KST (Korea, where I currently reside.) Most will be G rated but a few may not be. I will try to label those or not post them. The topics will be wherever my mad muse takes me, and I usually don’t have a clue until I write them.
I will post here the poems I wrote based on prompts from NaPoWriMo, (the poetry’s world’s equivalence to the annual NaNoWriMo novel competition which I will enter again in November). Writers’ com’s Dew Drop-in, Poetry Super-highway, Writers Digest, and occasionally other prompts. I will write a few more each day, but not post them, as I need to build up more “unpublished poems” for future submissions.
Daily posting All poetry, Anchor, this blog, FB, Medium, PSH, Wattpad, Writing com, and Writer’s Digest.
I will post each poem, followed by the prompt, occasional author and notes, and photos. I will convert it to a podcast later, available on anchor, radio public, blog radio, Spotify, and elsewhere under the name “The World According to Cosmos: or Jake Cosmos Aller. See the following for more information on the podcasts.
At the end of the month, I will add up the total poems written this month, total posted, total not-posted, and total YTD.
I have found that this annual exercise has been a big help in helping me hone my craft as I am entirely self-taught except for having taken the Mod Po class several times. It helps me stretch my poetic muscles. It has been a lot of fun but a challenge.
While drinking coffee
In his camp
Deep in the woods
In the Trinity Alps wilderness
snuggled in his tent,
Rolled in his sleeping bag
Sam Adams had the encounter
That changed his life,
He heard a noise
Went outside
And saw five bigfoots
standing there.
They told him
In his head
They had a message
For humanity
He could videotape them
They would speak slowly
They could speak
But preferred mind to mind talk
The bigfoot was here
They wanted to re-join
The rest of humanity
They were what
Humans called Neanderthals
They lived deep in the woods
All over the world
Perhaps 10,000 were alive
Two of them will go out
With him.
They would hold a press conference
And appoint Sam Adams
As their ambassador.
Sam grinned
Thinking he could make
so much money,
Bigfoot said,
“Not so fast
We will pay you in hidden gold
But you have to promise
Not to betray us”.
Deal
Sam smiled
Yeah, you got a dear
Our featured participant today is Narrative Paralysis, where the write-a-prompt prompt for Day Four produced an extremely zany adventure. I’m not sure if it’s a prompt, but it’s a poem! Or a short story. Or, well, it’s something all right!
Today’s featured online magazine is Waxwing, which has been going strong since 2013 and is much admired for the high quality of the work found on its (web)pages. In their newest issue, I’ll point you to Alfredo Aguilar’s “Palomar Mountain” and Carly Joy Miller’s “Beloved Litany.”
And now for our prompt (optional, as always). Today, I’d like to challenge you to write a poem about a mythical person or creature doing something unusual – or at least something that seems unusual about that person/creature. For example, what does Hercules do when he loses a sock in the dryer? If a mermaid wants to pick up rock climbing as a hobby, how does she do that? What happens when a mountain troll makes pancakes?
Things I Believe Drew Drop Inn Prompt
Things I believe
Who is Jake Cosmos Aller
Dreamgirl and other fairy tales
Dreams Do Come True
When We Met
The beginning of the end
The end of the beginning
April 5—List poem w/no repetition—write a list of things where the title signals what it’s a list of (Example: My Lovers, Things I Wish I’d Said to My Father, Visible at Dusk, etc.)
The Sacrifice of the Fish PSH
sashimi dinner
On New Year’s Day, February 2022
To start the year of the Black Tiger
We went to the wharf area
Near our house in Youngjondo, Korea.
We looked at the fish
Swimming in the tanks
Starting at use
With hate in their eyes.
Resigned to their fate,
Waiting to be taken
Delivered to the human creatures
For their dinner.
We took home the fish
Set the table
Pour our white wine
Ate our sashimi with gusto.
As we ate the fish
We never stop to think
What did the fish think
About that?
That is just
Why it is better to be human
Than being a fish
Swimming in a tank.
Constantine
This poetry writing prompt was submitted by Brendan Constantine:
PHONE GALLERY PROMPT
Open your picture app and begin to scroll through the images.
In very simple language, note down what you see. For instance:
“Here’s me waving
Here’s the moon, too small to see
Here’s a total blur
Here’s a sandwich
Here’s my dog asleep…”
Keep scrolling and making notes.
Chances are, a theme or arc will start to present itself naturally. And real poetry may result from the simplest descriptive details – a color, a texture, the quality of light.
If you want to take things up a notch, start adding descriptions of pictures that don’t exist.
“Here’s you swallowing your car
Here’s me posing with Virginia Woolf
Here’s the cat factory
Here’s God on her birthday
(Great party. Too long, the)…”
However long you make your poem, remember that the last image will always determine its feeling.
If you write a poem from this prompt, post it as a comment underneath the prompt in the Poetry Superhighway Facebook Group.
#napowrimo #poetry
Prompt photos
Save for future poems – this was a fun exercise
Fish swimming looking at me
Endaemae
Smoothie
Smoothie ingredients
More ingredients
Winter snow in park January 2022
More winter snow
New year’s sashimi feast
Wharf area
Mudflats
Oceanview
Fish sign
Fish
Fish
Ocean wharf scene
More wharf scene
More wharf scene
More wharf shops
More wharf shops
More wharf shops
Fascist rabbit
COVID Nonsense Does Not Make Sense Writer’s Digest
covid 580
To this day
There is so much COVID nonsense
Floating about the internet
Being spread by so many right-wing
And left-wing influencers
It just does not make sense
To me.
There are some people
Who believes that COVID
Never really existed.
That it was all a horrid libtard plot
To lock down the economy
Imposed draconian controls
On everyone.
That vaccine mandates
Are the equivalent of
Sending Jews to the death camps,
That the unvaccinated
Will be rounded up
And forced to get vaccines
Which are the equivalent
Of Nazi medical experiments.
That the vaccines were created
To track people
Invented by Bill Gates
Or were the mark of the beast.
Some speculated that
everyone who got the vaccine
Would die in one year
Or become sterile.
Part of the nefarious plot
To depopulate the world
By the global one-world government
UN black helicopter conspiracy.
The nonsense about vaccines
Mask wearing
And COVID in general
Reveal a fundamental flaw
With many human beings.
No matter how hard one might try
To convince people who believe
This nonsense,
It is beyond any ability
To reason with them.
At the end of the day
The only thing that makes sense
Is this:
You can’t fix stupid.
2022 April PAD Challenge: Day 5
Write a poem every day of April with the 2022 April Poem-A-Day Challenge. For today’s prompt (the first Two-for-Tuesday prompt of the month), write a make sense poem and/or don’t make sense poem.
Here we go The first Two-for-Tuesday prompt of the 2022 April Poem-A-Day Challenge! For first-timers or those with short memories, I provide two prompts on Tuesdays, and poets get to decide whether to write one type of poem, the other type of poem and/or tackle both simultaneously (and separately).
Here are the Two-for-Tuesday prompts:
1. Write a Make Sense poem, and/or…
2. Write a Don’t Make Sense poem.
Remember: These prompts are springboards to creativity. Use them to expand your possibilities, not limit them.
Day 5: Imaginary Biography Sam Adams Local Gems
Sam Adams, aka “Big Daddy”
Was an imposing figure of a man.
Ex-football player for the University of Arkansas
And the Dallas cowboys.
Later worked for ten years
During secret work
For unnamed government agencies
Before returning home.
Where he opened
The best bar and grill in Little Rock
With the best breakfasts in the state,
Soon became the place to be
And he was the undisputed Kingmaker
Although he never ran for office
Everyone who was who in Arkansas
Sought him out.
When he died
He turns many secrets
To the grave,
Which was just fine
For his many friends
And even more enemies.
Old Couple In Love Riding a Bike Simply Six
old couple in love
An old couple
Riding a bike
In the springtime
Stop for a break.
Sitting on the park bench
They look at each other
And fall in love again.
Every day for 40 years
At least once they had fallen
In love with each other.
Welcome to Cosmos’ annual April Poetry Madness. Last year I wrote 300 poems in one month, this year I will write less as that was just way too much to deal with.
today’s poems will be April 4, to April 7th poems in separate postings, one per day.
I will post them as I write them, and try to update them every day or so. I will finish May 1 US time, as that will still be April 30 KST (Korea, where I currently reside.) Most will be G rated but a few may not be. I will try to label those or not post them. The topics will be wherever my mad muse takes me, and I usually don’t have a clue until I write them.
I will post here the poems I wrote based on prompts from NaPoWriMo, (the poetry’s world’s equivalence to the annual NaNoWriMo novel competition which I will enter again in November). Writers’ com’s Dew Drop-in, Poetry Super-highway, Writers Digest, and occasionally other prompts. I will write a few more each day, but not post them, as I need to build up more “unpublished poems” for future submissions.
Daily posting All poetry, Anchor, this blog, FB, Medium, PSH, Wattpad, Writing com, and Writer’s Digest.
I will post each poem, followed by the prompt, occasional author and notes, and photos. I will convert it to a podcast later, available on anchor, radio public, blog radio, Spotify, and elsewhere under the name “The World According to Cosmos: or Jake Cosmos Aller. See the following for more information on the podcasts.
At the end of the month I will add up the total poems written this month, total posted, total not-posted, and total YTD.
I have found that this annual exercise has been a big help in helping me hone my craft as I am entirely self-taught except for having taken the Mod Po class several times. It helps me stretch my poetic muscles. It has been a lot of fun but a challenge.
April Poetry Madness Prompts
Daily to do in April
Take poetry prompts
From NaPoWriMo, Writers Digest, Writing com Dew Drop-in,
And elsewhere
Throw it all out there
See where your muse takes you
Then write, write, write
Two-three hours later
Emerge with the poems for the day
In the end, you have met
Your poetry quota for the day
Perhaps for the week
Or even the year
It is all good.
more poetry for all
is the spirit
of April Poetry Madness.
Finally, here’s our optional prompt! Today, I’d like to challenge you to write a poem . . . in the form of a poetry prompt. If that sounds silly, well, maybe it is! But it’s not without precedent. The poet Mathias Svalina has been writing surrealist prompt poems for quite a while, posting them to Instagram. You can find examples here, and here, and here.
Happy writing!
When I First Saw You Dew Drop-in
lovers in the rain
When I First Saw You There
When I first saw you there
You came to me
In a dream
And disappeared,
Haunting me
For eight long years.
When I First Saw You In Person
lovers face to face
I was overwhelmed
This fairy tale dream of mine
This impossible quest
To find the girl in the dream
Was finally over.
She was real,
And she was here.
In front of me.
When I First Spoke With You
lovers at sunset
I knew that this was it
We would be together
From then on
You were the one,
I proposed three days later.
When I First Kissed You
lovers sunset
When I first kissed you
Erotic desires came out
And that was the beginning
Of a 40-year love affair.
When I Married You
declaration of love
That was the beginning
Of my life
From that moment
I had no doubt
Whatever life brought my way,
You would be there
In the end
That is all that matters.
April 4—List poem w/repetition—write a poem that lists things, using some (not necessarily constant) repetition and variation of an initial phrase (Examples: When I was six…, Remember that time…*, Layers of…., etc.)
I often found
Throughout my married life
That we fall in love with each other
At the oddest times and places.
For example, yesterday
While emptying the trash
In our suburban housing estate
In Korea,
I looked at her
And once again
Fell in love.
It has been that way
Every day for 40 years
The love continues to deepen
And grow,
That is just the way
Love happened with us.
Composed while emptying the trash
This poetry writing prompt submitted by LB Sedlacek:
Rewrite where you write! Write where you (or maybe anyone) normally wouldn’t write. That’s right. Take your pen, paper, smartphone, or whatever with you to a school sporting event, or while you’re waiting in line at the drugstore, maybe sitting in the car rider line, or at the doctor’s office, and be ready to write. Jot down a quick poem – whatever comes to mind from what’s happening around you, what you see, hear, smell, feel and think. Then when you’re back in your usual writing spot at your desk or sitting in your favorite chair, you can edit it.
If you write a poem from this prompt, post it as a comment underneath the prompt in the Poetry Superhighway Facebook Group.
#napowrimo #poetry
Catch Up Poem Writer Digest
For today’s prompt, write a catch-up poem. This is not to be confused with a ketchup (or catsup) poem, but hey, write one of those if the poetic spirit moves you! But I’m thinking of catching up on work, catching up on a race, or catching up on some popular TV or streaming series.
Doing the April Poetry challenge
Has been a challenge
Keeping it up to date.
I posted my April 1-3 poems
April 4th
My April 4th poems April 5th etc
But in my defense
The prompts come out
In U.S. time
And I am a day behind
Living in Korea.
I write every day
Takes an hour to write them.
But it takes too much time
To post the poems.
There is still there a lot
Of catching up to do.
You can’t fix stupid something unfixable local gems
Don’t Believe the Lie There is No COVID
To this day
There are some people
Who believes that COVID
Never really existed.
That it was all a horrid libtard plot
To lock down the economy
Imposed draconian controls
On everyone.
That vaccine mandates
Are the equivalent of
Sending Jews to the death camps
That the unvaccinated
Will be rounded up
And forced to get vaccines
Which are the equivalent
Of Nazi medical experiments.
That the vaccines were created
To track people
Invented by Bill Gates
Or were the mark of the beast.
Some speculated that
everyone who got the vaccine
Would die in one year
Or become sterile.
Part of the nefarious plot
To depopulate the world
By the global one-world government
UN black helicopter conspiracy.
The nonsense about vaccines
Mask wearing
And COVID in general
Reveal a fundamental flaw
With many human beings.
No matter how hard one might try
To convince people who believe
This nonsense,
It is beyond any ability
To reason with them.
At the end of the day
You can’t fix stupid.
Weekly challenge (Post)
Shout out to Favorite Poets Meta Poetry
charles bukowski
I have over the years read
A lot of poetry
And written a lot of poetry
My favorite poets include
WD Auden
John Ashbury walking around poems
Blake mystical poetry
Charles Bukowski anything of his
Emily Dickinson
Emerson’s classic poetry of the American romantic period
Allen Ginzburg classic poetry of the beatnik eraLon
Latin Poetry in translation
Jack Kerouac
Korean poetry (in translation but I can read some of it)
KIm Seowol
Japanese Poetry(in translation)
Pablo Neruda (in translation but I can read some of it)
Edgar Allen Poe, alone, the bells, the raven
Robert Jeffries
Henry Longfellow
Rod McKeun
Walt Whitman all of his work
Williams Carlos Williams
Just to name a few
And poems in the Mod Po course.
Of course goes without saying.
All of my poetry has been influenced
by these and other writers.
I like to think of my writing
as in the neo-beatnik style.
or Outlaw poetry school
Maybe a bit New York School
Definitely Berkeley School
And I have so many more poets
To read and contemplate
Before my time is up.
In celebration of National Poetry Month,
Write a poem about your favorite poet!
Form: any or none, author’s choice
Line Count: min of 12, no max
Romantic Tanka Poem Fan Story
Romantic Tanka Poem
lovers kissing 5
When I saw you there
I knew that you were the one
Heaven sent you then
When you came into my life
That was my best day ever
Personal Note: I just got boosted yesterday at Youngsan, so far minimal reaction.
I had to get tested before and after traveling to the States in November. So far, five COVID tests are all negative. I got the J and J shot last March, and am finally getting the booster shot. For my friends who are not yet vaccinated or boosted, what are you waiting for? You don’t want to risk getting COVID or spreading it as the former President did. So, get your shot now and tell them Cosmos sent yah. You may thank me later.
I have been writing COVID poems ever since the pandemic struck. Several have been published. Two interesting new poetic forms have emerged, the COVID Sonnet and the Haiflu. I have collected here some of my COVID-themed poems for your enjoyment.
Note: A haifu is a haiku/senryu about some aspect of the Corona pandemic in traditional 5 7 7 format.
A Corona Sonnet is a 14 line poem either in traditional sonnet form or free verse form. The poem is infected with two to four lines from another poem or writing that infects the poem. The poet notes that as a author note under Contact tracing.
The last lines contain increasingly socially distant phases all in All CAPS.
Winter is coming
The COVID virus
Winter is coming
2022 looms
2021
Dreading the winter
Winter depression
The winter Starting
Wintertime for blues
Wintertime Sadness
Winter beginning
COVID Haibun
Corona Sonnets
Plane, Train or Automobile – none of us can escape our fate
Cosmic Debris Corona sonnet 2
Corona Consumes Me Corona Sonnet 3
General Corona Poems
General Corona Leads His Troops into Battle, the crown of sonnets
General Corona is coming for us all
General Corona is Happy
God Deals with Corona
Failed Haiku Publishes my Haiflu poem
Failed Haiku will publish one of my Winter Senryu poems about Covid in their next issue dropping soon.
“Dreading the winter
Dreading more COVID
Dreading more Corona Ghosts”
The winter issue will be published on New Year’s Day.
Thanks so much you made my day. When will this be published? I always promote my publications on my web page and social media accounts.
Thanks again
Jake Cosmos Aller
Dear Bryan Rickert and Kelly Sauvage – ‘Failed’ Editors – Mike Rehling Founder.
I read your essays on what is a Senryu and think that these qualify as “winter Senryu/Haiku. Many of them would also be Haiflu which I discovered last year – haiku-like poems about COVID.
I separated each poem by three *** for easier formating and on separate pages. My standard cover letter with contact info follows the submission.
Ten Winter Senryu
Winter is coming
The cold season approaching
Christmas around the corner
The COVID virus
Surging everywhere it seems
Winter of our discontent
Winter is coming
2022 looms
Goodbye 2021
2021
Fading into memory
Good riddance we all proclaim
Dreading the winter
Dreading more COVID
Dreading more Corona Ghosts
Winter depression
COVID fears re-emerging
Still more travel restrictions
The winter starting
With so many ghosts
Crying in the wind
Wintertime for blues
Blues playing on my YouTube
Seeing Corona Ghosts Dancing
Wintertime sadness
Recalling all who have gone
In this dismal year now past
Winter beginning
Are the end times coming?
Are revelations coming true?
COVID Testing Negative Haibun
corona testing
I have written numerous Corona poems since the pandemic hit. One of my favorite COVID characters is General Corona, He came to me in a vision after watching the former guy droned on about battling an invisible army, I figured every army, even a virus army, had to have a commanding general. I imagined him as a huge figure riding the black horse of pestilence from revelations and the virus army as imperial stormtroopers looking for the unvaccinated, unmasked victims to infect with ray guns that spread the virus about, this one is sort of a haibun poem based on my getting a COVID test for travel the other day.
I had to get a COVID test
To get on a plane
Anxiety filled my mind
As I waited to take the test
I was filled with anxiety
Then I got the results.
“COVID Negative
Cleared for International travel”
Anxiety fades away
Everything is fine
The world resumes
I defeated COVID
For now,.
I had to get a COVID test for my upcoming return to the States, flying to DC for three weeks on the 15th. US is requiring a negative PRT COVID test conducted within 72 hours of departure. (now it is a 24 before your flight rule) You can get it done at a health center but it would cost 100 dollars and results take 24 to 48 hours. Fortunately, the US army at Camp Humphreys had their act together. Took less than an hour to do the test which was not too invasive a procedure and to get the needed “COVID Negative, Cleared for International Travel” certificate.
We have to do the same thing upon our return,but getting a test site in the U.S. was a bit difficult as it was hard to find a place that would guarantee results in time for your flight, but we found a lab that guaranteed 24-hour returns for a price.
And we had to do two COVID tests upon return to Korea, fortunately, both were negative. I am getting my booster shot tomorrow.
Word to the wise, if you are traveling to the US and returning, make sure you get your re-entry permit on time, and your COVID tests were done on time. You may have to call around to get a place that gets results back in time. It may be difficult to met the 24 hour prior to travel rule as well, but fortunately the rapid testing tests are acceptable for now.
Corona Sonnets
General Corona is Coming for Us All
( Corona Sonnet )
corona
“I saw the best minds of my generation
Destroyed by madness”
Consumed by the greed
All around us
The dreaded coronavirus spreads
Its death and destruction
All over the world
No one can escape
THE FATE OF THE WORLD
IS INDEED AT STAKE
NONE OF US CAN
ESCAPE
OUR
FATE
content tracing “Howl” by Allen Ginsberg
Cosmic Debris Corona sonnet 2
corona virus
I received a mysterious email package
Followed by a phone call offering me a magical mask
a mask that they claim would prevent me
from the dreaded General Corona.
Hey there
Who you are jiving with that cosmic debris
a mask that they did not want me
me to know about.
TOP SECRET CODE 2 LEVEL STUFF
MUST ACT NOW
SEND MONEY ASAP
BUY
IT
NOW
# Content tracing- “Cosmic Debris by Frank Zappa”
with apologies to Frank Zappa
Corona Consumes Me Corona Sonnet 3
corona
I am consumed by the coronavirus
And I am slowly being taken over
As the virus infects my mind,
taking me, overturning me
into a wild raving zombie man
Let there be light.
will I become the first
ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE LOOMS
WILL WE ALL DIE
CORONA
KILLS
ME.
Content tracing – Let there be light from Bible and the entire Zombie Apocalypse genre where the Zombie flu started usually in China as the flu, and then morphs into the zombie disease.
General Corona Poems
General Corona Leads His Troops into Battle, the crown of sonnets
General Corona leads
his forces across the world
riding on a black horse
From out of the Apocalypse
Ride the four horsemen
Which are let loose upon the world
He leads his forces across the world
into battle as the leader of his evil forces
The enemy of humanity
General Corona, does not care
Nor does his virus minions care
About your nationality, he does not care
About your politics, he does not care
Or your wealth or who you are
For all you are nothing but humanity
The corona general sees humanity
The corona general sees humanity
As nothing but hosts for his virus army
As nothing but hosts for his virus army
Chanting death to humanity
Until his evil army
Sweeps throughout the world
Throughout the world
And millions must die
Tt is the will of the General all must die
And it is the end of the world
Or the beginning of a new world
Filled with hope and love throughout the world
Humanity comes alive throughout the world
Fighting back against the virus army
Peace, love, and compassion defeats the army
And general corona will finally himself die
General Corona is Happy
corona virus
General Corona
is happy.
His mission is a great success.
As his armies of virus bots
Spread throughout the world
Spreading chaos and destruction.
As all bow down
To his invisible armies.
None can escape their fate
On that date
That he unleashed his armies
Upon the world.
All humans must die
His armies scream out.
Plane, Train or Automobile – none of us can escape our fate
airplanes
In these dark and dire times
We find ourselves living
We often fear that the times
Are infected with death.
And so, we are afraid
Deathly afraid
That if we take a plane
We will find General Corona
Among the passengers.
And we are afraid
Deadly afraid
That the subways
Are incubators
Of death and destruction.
The virus spreads
Fear and death
In its wake.
Many of us
Retreating to our homes
and venturing out
In our cars.
only to find
Death is stalking us
As traffic piles up.
Traffic accidents
Sill killing more people
Than the dreaded General Corona.
The grim reaper smiles
His work is done.
God Deals with Corona
God is having a crisis meeting
On the coronavirus situation
On planet 679542099199
Otherwise known as planet earth
In a minor corner
Of the milky way.
the deranged inhabitants
of the planet
somehow thought that GOD
created them in his image
and that they are his children
all of them.
and that he listens to his prayers
God was so tired of dealing with humans
the orneriest stubborn stupid creatures
of all the millions of sentient beings
he had to deal with them
more than anyone else.
God created the world
But then let nature take its course
and sometimes things worked out
and sometimes they did not.
and God just did not have the time
to deal with every little detail
of life on millions of planets
across the vast universe.
His arch enemy Satan
banished to Hell’s prison
was always causing trouble,
everywhere in the universe
and Satan also loved the mad
creatures on planet earth.
what was God to do
he did not know
as he saw the death rates
increase and grim reaper’s
armies go to work
his courts will be filled
billions stuck in limbo
for centuries
just did not have enough
staff to do the work
God signed off the conference
and sighed again
thinking about the mad creatures
on the planet earth
hoping that they would pull it together
but knowing that he might have to intervene
and went back to his other business
enough of humans for one day
Updated with complete list. Due to time differences you may miss the deadline. if so, please contact the authors directly to see if they will be willing to send you a copy. And please feel free to message me on FB or at my email authorjakecosmosaller@gmail and I will send you a copy of my chapbook (printed below as well) to whatever email address you provide.
thanks. This is the third time I have participated in this annual event.
Book Free-For-All Submission
Thanks for joining the 2021 Poetry Super Highway E-book Free-For-All!
We’ve received your submission and as long as your e-book description is 50 words or less, we’ll add it to the list of e-books which will be available to download for 24 hours on December 1st! (If your description is longer than 50 words, look for a follow up email from us asking you to shorten it.)
All submitted e-books will be freely available to download on December 1st for 24 hours, and when it’s all done, we’ll put up a page showing how many times each was downloaded.
Here’s what you submitted:
April 2021 Poetic Madness by Jake Aller
Every April for the last few years, I have been competing in the annual April Poetry month competitions. This year I wrote 8 poems a day for a month. Here are the selected poems from that month of poetic madness. https://theworldaccordingtocosmos.com
A crazy project in which your poetry e-books will be freely available to all interested humans on Earth for 24 hours.
Throughout November we will collect e-books from poets and writers interested in participating.
Then on December 1st, for 24 hours, a special website will go live with links to all of the e-books. For 24 hours anyone will be free to download, for free, as many of these e-books as they like…a poetry e-book free-for-all.
How?
To participate, read all of the guidelines below and then click on our Online Submission Form. That’s it. It’s simple. By doing so, your e-book will be included.
The E-Book has to be written by you.
E-books should be in PDF Format for universal compatibility with anyone’s computer.
If you have an e-book in Microsoft Word or another format, please convert it to PDF. One way to do this (if you don’t know how) is to visit the website http://www.freepdfconvert.com/. From there you will be allowed to select the file on your computer which will be uploaded and emailed back to you in PDF format.
When creating your e-book file, please keep it smaller than 1 megabyte.
Once you’ve created your e-book (not before), click on our Online
Submission Form to join in!
Do not fill out the form and then e-mail us your e-book later. Please fill out the form and use it to upload your e-book to us.
We are not accepting e-books or submissions by e-mail. The only way to join in is by clicking on the Online Submission Form below.
On December 1 at Midnight (the evening of November 30), we will distribute a special e-mail letting people know the location of the web page with links to all of the e-book files. People will be free to download any or all of the titles and your poetry will be freely, electronically, traveling all over the world. This web page will go offline 24 hours later at Midnight on December 2nd.
We will also list your e-book and description on this web page along with the link to your website for all to see.
The mission of the Poetry Super Highway is to expose as many people to as many other people’s poetry as possible.
Download 75 Free E-Books Now!
Thanks to everyone who donated e-books to this project. All of the books are now available for download by clicking on “Download Now” next to the author’s name below.
Books will remain available until Midnight tonight (Tuesday evening December 1st Pacific).
Check back here on December 2 to see how many of each were downloaded.
E-Books:
Agnostics Sing of Angels and Asks Why in Hell Not, the by Stephen Mead (Download this E-Book)
Poems dating back to the 1990s & onward, revised but only typed in the last year, these words of spiritual seeking are rooted in the basic human need to find meaning to cope with and even celebrate existence. https://postcardsfromthedeepstephenmeadart.weebly.com/
April 2021 Poetic Madness by Jake Aller (Download this E-Book)
Every April for the last few years, I have been competing in the annual April Poetry month competitions. This year I wrote 8 poems a day for a month. Here are the selected poems from that month of poetic madness. https://theworldaccordingtocosmos.com
Artists, Unknown by LB Sedlacek (Download this E-Book)
Art doesn’t hum, notes found in notebooks or dropped in a parking lot make for good poems, howling dogs, tattoos, pineapples that look like grenades, kissing, and cartoons, cereal, spark plugs and action heroes — all things that make these poems a little bit different. http://www.lbsedlacek.com
Bavarian Home / Bayerisch Heimat by Duane L Herrmann (Download this E-Book)
These poems by Duane L Herrmann reflect and share his experiences in his hometown of his great grandfather whose last name he shares. They are in both English and German and are forthcoming from the Origami Poems Project as TWO mirco chapbooks.
Betelgeuse Dimming by Jean-Paul L. Garnier (Download this E-Book)
A collection of speculative poetry. Nominated for the 2021 Elgin Award. Comes with free musical audiobook version download. https://spacecowboybooks.com/
Bigfoot Parchments, the by Richard Rensberry (Download this E-Book)
The Bigfoot Parchments are a poetic journey into the knowledge and secrets of how the Sasquatch read minds and warp time/space in order to appear and disappear at will. They also contain simple but profound truths that cannot be violated if one is to achieve the Sasquatch way to enlightenment. https://www.conversationswithsasquatch.com
Blue Soul, A by Gabriella Garofalo (Download this E-Book)
My irrepressible longing for reshaping in a new life the splinters of ice and life that wound me, so as to give them a fresh soul, is the drive enabling my words to be pervaded by that green fuse we might think of as the life and soul of poetry.
Bokeh Focus: Poems by Raymond Luczak (Download this E-Book)
With Bokeh Focus, Raymond Luczak trains his photographer’s eye as a gay man upon his subjects and examines the impact of imagery on one’s own identity. http://www.raymondluczak.com/
Castles, wombs, armies, and pentecosts by R. Bremner (Download this E-Book)
R. Bremner’s second book of poems, originally written in the late 1970s, updated with a few additions in the 1980s.
Circling the Sun by Gaynor Kane (Download this E-Book)
A micro-collection (from the Stickleback series, published by the Hedgehog Poetry Press) of poems about the early aviatrixes https://gaynorkane.com/
Clean as a Broke Dick Dog by Alex Stolis (Download this E-Book)
A story with a soundtrack, previously released by Red Ceilings Press
Close Encounters Chapbook by Elizabeth Marchitti (Download this E-Book)
A chapbook of my personal experiences, starting with meeting Santa on the elevator on my way to my cardioologist’s office.
Concupiscent Consumption by LindaAnn LoSchiavo (Download this E-Book)
Visit the love doctor: recall your first kiss, a sultry fling, that secret kink. “Concupiscent Consumption” is for anyone who’s ever been in love — or lost in lust. ― Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ― https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHm1NZIlTZybLTFA44wwdfg
Dance is You, the by Shola Balogun (Download this E-Book)
The Dance is You is a rich collection with the ordered flow of original verses and inventive colourful vibrations. This book of poems, presents dance as the autobiography of the soul, the expression of what we call life, and the encounter with the self. https://www.amazon.com/Shola-Balogun/e/B00LPRQU10?ref_=pe_1724030_132998060
Dancing Under the Moon by Joan Leotta (Download this E-Book)
Poems that show the joy of loving all things moon-related. Written about the rising moon and the early morning moon-set poems all on one page and then foldable into a mini book
December 2014 by Jim Bennett (Download this E-Book)
In December 2014 Jim Bennett wrote a poem every day. Many of these poems were later published but here these poems are brought together in the order they were written. https://poetrykit.org
Discovery by Don Krieger (Download this E-Book)
Discovery is a hybrid collection in three sections: America, Childhood’s End, To Save a Life. It’s an easy and interesting read — I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. Thank you for reading it. The PDF is formatted for “Two Page View” in your PDF reader. All my best – Don http://DonsPoetryPage.com
Duality Of Moonlight, The by Kirsten G. Munro (Download this E-Book)
This wonderful poetry book is filled with different poems and situations exploring the darkness and light that humans have within them.
Ducks by Don Kingfisher Campbell (Download this E-Book)
Poems composed in the last baker’s dozen years about anything duckie. Titles include: American Juror Pool, 7 AM Relativity, CNN Universe, May the fourth be with you, Love Arboretum, Magical Legg, and The Big Pineapple!
Fantastic Forms by Don Kingfisher Campbell (Download this E-Book)
Poems composed in the last 24 years about things fantastic and forms. Titles include: How Did Heaven Begin, Just an Apple, Women in Starbucks, Facebook Newsfeed Sonnets, and A pair of lips for the apocalypse. http://dkc1031.blogspot.com
Fib Sequence by Larissa Shmailo (Download this E-Book)
Like the seeds on the head of a sunflower, the poems, translations, and story in Fib Sequence whorl according to a special pattern. Here you will find arachnids, jealous women, numbers, and half truths.. https://larissashmailo.com
Flatman: Poems of Protest in the Trump Era by Cheryl Caesar (Download this E-Book)
This book chronicles the reign of a villain in villanelles — and other poetry forms. http://caesarc.msu.domains/
Horrific Punctuation by John Reinhart (Download this E-Book)
Commas scratch poisoned marks in blood, Thor makes an enthusiastic appearance! shotguns make dark holes to mark the end…or maybe the beginning of something new. Zombies, harpies, Odin, yeti…they’re all here in this chapbook of monstrous punctuation-themed poems. http://home.hampshire.edu/~jcr00/reinhart.html
I Am The Tang You Are The Handle by Jim Bennett (Download this E-Book)
In this selection of poems Jim Bennett looks at relationships. From one end to the other. https://poetrykit.org
Intricate Things in their Fringed Peripheries by Cheryl Snell (Download this E-Book)
In Cheryl Snell’s new collection of lyrical free verse narratives, the poet meditates on moments of light and shadow, and how the world is made and unmade by the least of us Intricate Things in their Fringed Peripheries. https://www.facebook.com/cheryl.snell/
Journey So Far, The by Rachel Berger (Download this E-Book)
A selection of poems written from adolescence to adulthood. These poems are about my journey through traumatic experiences in my life. I seek to help and encourage others with my words to overcome their traumatic experiences and live a successful life.
Last Time I Had To See You, the by Victoria Hunter (Download this E-Book)
The Last Time I Had To See You is a chapbook of poems that first came as journal sketches of Victoria’s daydreams of splashes of blood, echoes of mind-gripping space, and dates with ghosts. The poems celebrate the authors’ ability to hook the reader with various creative writing techniques. https://amzn.to/3rAAR3B
Leaving Home: Discoveries and Reflections of a Once-Sheltered Heart by Randal Burd (Download this E-Book)
Leaving Home takes the reader on a life-changing journey. There will be tears, the sudden burst of laughter, and a warm smile that will linger on your face like the glow of a fading summer day as you discover the truth of what it means to love, lose, and live. http://theedgeofmemory.com
Left of the Dial by Alex Stolis (Download this E-Book)
A chapbook released by corrupt press, a series of poems written while listening to late night radio
Library Poems by Don Kingfisher Campbell (Download this E-Book)
Poems composed in and around libraries over the past 24 years. Put together to raise funds for the Sims Library of Poetry. If you wish, please make a donation to that fine place. Enjoy! http://dkc1031.blogspot.com
Loss of Sense, the by Colin Dardis (Download this E-Book)
THE LOSS OF SENSE is an experimental prose poem in twenty-four parts. Framed within the context of a twenty-four hour cycle, the poem breaks down typical sentence construction and use of language to mirror the seemingly non-linear thought processes of the depressed mind. http://www.colindardispoet.co.uk
Love Objects by Don Kingfisher Campbell (Download this E-Book)
Poems composed in the last lucky thirteen years about love and objects. Titles include: How Dark Is It, My Object Life, Thanks to Ten Circling Electrons, Powerlines above butterflies, and Thirteen Ways of Looking at Poppies. http://dkc1031.blogspot.com
Loveless land-Happyn hell poems by Hanoch Guy (Download this E-Book)
PLeasures and tortures of love are articulated in this chapbook. Lovers are doomed to go through yearning fulfillment and bitter disappointments.
Making a Show of Myself 2020/21 by Jim Bennett (Download this E-Book)
Each year Jim sellects a set of poems to be used at readings and 2020 was no different apart from the fact that everything was cancelled. So here is the show that never was and how, given the chance, Jim would have made a show of himself. https://poetrykit.org
Metaphorical Moon, the by John Mannone (Download this E-Book)
The Metaphorical Moon is a chapbook collection of moon-related poetry. The poems are arbitrarily divided into four (non-mutually exclusive) sections covering childhood, family, lovers, nature, environment, philosophy and spirituality. Some of the poems involve solar or lunar eclipses, in which the sun, moon and Earth are all involved. https://jcmannone.wordpress.com
Morning by Morning by Joan Leotta (Download this E-Book)
Poems of Dawn
Six poems of dawn printable on a single page, foldable into a mini book
Published by Origami poems
Morning by Morning and Dancing Under the Moon, two free mini-chapbooks are at https://www.origamipoems.com/poets/257-joan-leotta
Musings on a Native Life by Duane L Herrmann (Download this E-Book)
In these poems the author explores the loss of his Native ancestry and heritage. An estimated forty percent of Americans, whose ancestors came to North America before the nineteenth century, have Native or African blood, or both. Maybe more thought will be given by more people to this possibility. https://dlherrmann.wixsite.com/home
My Country – My People & Selected Poetry by Seshendra Sharma Sharma (Download this E-Book)
Seshendra is colossus of modern Poetry. His literature is a unique blend of the best of poetry and poetics. His Homepage : Seshendra:Visionary Poet of the Millennium presents essence / spirit of the millennium in powerful poetic style. Seshendra Sharma is one of the most outstanding minds of modern. http://seshendrasharma.weebly.com
Naked Truth, the by JR Simons (Download this E-Book)
This is J. R. Simons’ second chapbook of poetry, filled with poems that tell the naked truth about society and culture. https://bit.ly/3wKq3Aj
Nasty Girls by Lynne Bronstein (Download this E-Book)
A collection of poems about women who broke the rules, did what they wanted to do, slept with whom they wanted, and were sometimes really nasty.
Natural Elements by Duane L Herrmann (Download this E-Book)
Natural Elemenst is a collection of 27 poems celebrating the natural prairie world. Herrmann has lived on the American prairie for seven decades, distilled in these poems. His prairie roots go deeper and further than his life, the fifth generation of European descent and untold generations of Native peoples. https://dlherrmann.wixsite.com/home
october love (smells sweet like rot) by julzzz hazard & al yen (Download this E-Book)
The authors introduce a teaser of their upcoming chapbook “october love (smells sweet like rot).” The poems included are inspired by Halloween vibes and authors’ love for twisted gore-y metaphors. The complete chapbook is going to be tightly packed with thrill, naughtiness and our visual art as a creepy bonus. http://yourlocaldreamers.com/
On the Run with Dick and Jane by Alex Stolis (Download this E-Book)
A mini chapbook released by Yavanika Press, a series of poems that chronicles a road trip by Dick and Jane
Once You Find The Right Dream by Kaye Abikhaled (Download this E-Book)
Life becomes simpler once you find your personal direction. Then follow your dream.
Permit Wonder by Jan Keough (Download this E-Book)
PERMIT WONDER is a wondrous book of compassionate and honest poems that always ring true. In writing her own story, Jan Keough lets you recognize your own. Humans and animals alike are finely observed in this collection of poems. https://jankeough.com/
Petals by I. B. Rad (Download this E-Book)
Petals portrays the evolving relationship between the primary author and his late wife, Mari Lyn, from the beginning through “old” age and beyond. It’s not your typical tribute. But take a look and decide for yourself!
Plains of Heaven, the by F. J. Bergmann (Download this E-Book)
12 ekphrastic poems accompanied by full-color images of the paintings by Kelli Hoppmann that inspired them. https://fibitz.com/
Poetry Love Sex Music Booze & Death, 2018 by Bruce Taylor (Download this E-Book)
About half my poems have historically found themselves in what might be considered more “traditional forms”: Sonnets, Villanelles, Sonnets. Sestinas. This collection brings together many of those poems in one volume. I know it is an aggressive title, one response I got when announced, was “Yeah, but what’s it about?” https://people.uwec.edu/taylorb/
Rain Girl, The by Rose Mary Boehm (Download this E-Book)
Vivid and lush, with a voice that you will not forget, THE RAIN GIRL is an absolute pleasure. What a delight to experience the world as Boehm does from “birch and ash on witches’ brooms” to the “Snow geese… in baobab trees”. Simply lovely. https://www.rose-mary-boehm-poet.com/
Random Thoughts Through Corona by Joolz Juliet (Download this E-Book)
This E-book is about the random thoughts that occurred at the onset, during and after the initial shock of the corona virus pandemic. Thoughts ran rampant as many of us navigated the desolate world. https://joolzmjulietfreelancewriter.mystrikingly.com/
Repulsion Thrust by Magdalena Ball (Download this E-Book)
“This debut full-length poetry collection by Australian poet Magdalena Ball is full of poetic thrust, propelling the reader through thought-provoking and beautifully crafted considerations of love, illness, identity, genetics, the environment, planet – and more!” ~Sarah James http://www.magdalenaball.com
Rumblings2021 by Rosalind Lee (Download this E-Book)
A rather pessimistic look back and forwards, not sure if its worth reading at all, as I haven’t written much poetry for ages. I have been bullied by a group of money mad mind reading Nazi types. All screaming they are victims of the holocaust, and are affected! Enjoy! http://www.anglohenge.co.uk
Sampler Sampler by Don Kingfisher Campbell (Download this E-Book)
A sampling of chapbooked works over the past 24 years. Titles include: Campbell’s Travels, Owed to Aluminum, I’m in Love with This Building, Because I’m a Performer in the Theater of Life, A Gerund Life, Mouchette, Inside My Jambo Head, Granada Park Love, and Analogy Planets. http://dkc1031.blogspot.com
Satan in Chicago by Eric Evans (Download this E-Book)
Satan In Chicago from Eric Evans and features his take on far-flung topics like Fahrenheit 451, soldiers in the Terracotta Army, the lovemaking habits of acrobats, and the judgmental nature of crows. “Fans of poetry filled with heartbreak and humor,’ writes Broken Pencil magazine, “must check out Evans’ work.” https://inkpublications1.wixsite.com/mysite
So Be It by Ralph Culver (Download this E-Book)
A chapbook of thirteen poems by Ralph Culver that the late Marvin Bell called “brilliant from start to finish.” “So deft and moving are his poems that they will long abide as reminders of what it is to be human.” –Sydney Lea https://madhat-press.com/products/a-passable-man-by-ralph-culver
Solitude Album by Mary Langer Thompson (Download this E-Book)
Sixteen of Mary Langer Thompson’s recent poems focusing on loneliness or fear of being alone.
Soul Songs by Duane L Herrmann (Download this E-Book)
Nineteen poems inspired by the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh, Prophet-Founder of the Bahá’í Faith which has three foundational principles: one Creator, one creation (one human race), and one stream of Divine Revelation which has progressively guided mankind. We are in a time of transition and new divine guidance is needed. https://dlherrmann.wixsite.com/home
Tale of Twin Cities by Alex Stolis (Download this E-Book)
A collection of call and response poems about Minneapolis and St. Paul written by Michael Gausse and Alex Stolis. released by Fowlpox press
There Will Be a Reckoning: Poetry of Magic and Dread by David Vandervort (Download this E-Book)
Welcome to a world of ghosts and vampires, of serial apocalypses and terrifying visions. The world is cracked, burning, lost. Count on nothing, though. These poems come from a strange, fevered place, where humor masks tragedy and angels and demons keep score. The end is nigh. Trust me.
This Will Remain With Us by Melissa Mendelson (Download this E-Book)
As a frontline worker, I had no choice but to face this new threat, and as I did, my heart bled, sweeping across the pages of this book.
Two Friends by Craig Kirchner (Download this E-Book)
Some recent musings of friends coming and going.
Two of Us, The by David Feela (Download this E-Book)
The Two of Us is a short collection of chatter fiction, totally written as “quote, unquote” dialogue. Poetic…maybe, but It is intended to be funny, so occasionally you may involuntarily laugh, or at least smile. http://feelasophy.weebly.com
Unreliable Narratives by Magdalena Ball (Download this E-Book)
In Unreliable Narratives, Magdalena Ball invites us to open a Pandora’s box of memories. Like smoke rising from a candle and casting shadows and lights that shift and evade, the poems morph and twist with the dexterity of a master poet. They will draw you in. http://www.magdalenaball.com
Vipercity by Vincent Zepp (Download this E-Book)
A multiverse Tour de Force from Vincent Zepp.
Weightlifter by Michael Estabrook (Download this E-Book)
One no-longer-young man’s dealings with the trials and tribulations of staying in shape by lifting weights, even though he’s aware that that particular ship has sailed.
April Poetry Madness 2021 Poetry from the Mad Cosmos
By
Jake Cosmos Aller
Available December 1, 2021. Watch for the link.
This is the fifth time I did the April poetry challenge. The goal is to write at least one poem per day. I am averaging about eight per day and posting four reserving four as “unpublished”. I am basing the poems on prompts from “Writing com Dew Drop Inn”, “Writers Digest”, “Poetry Superhighway” and “NaPoWrMo” prompt daily prompts and on “Pensively Prompt’ et all daily prompts. I am combining prompts where possible. I will post these here in batches every five days or so. Each poem will have an image that helped inspire the poem. All postings will be podcasted a few days later on Spotify and elsewhere. Each posting will be a separate posting, but the index will be cumulative. The final posting will have the complete list of all poems written whether posted or not. Comments welcome but please keep it civil. Some of my poetry tends to be a bit “in your face” or “political” from a “leftwing perspective.” If it offends you in some way, please accept my apologies in advance. That is never my intent.
I wrote more than 200 poems and so this is a selected list. The complete list can be found on my web page, https://theworldaccordingtocosmos along with 2020, 2019, 2018, and 2017 poems. For 2022 I will enter it again and post daily on my blog, my podcast, writing com, all poetry, writer’s digest, and NaPoWrMo sites.
Index
Pre-April Writer’s Digest Warm-Up Poems
Let’s Resolve
Old Man Reflects Upon Universal Truth
Almost Died 22 Times
Every Day I Turn on My Computer
Thursday, April 1, 2021
Coffee Pot Blues Poetry
Who Is Jake Cosmos Aller?
Good Golly, Miss Molly
Sam Adams Woke Up Dead
Friday, April 2, 2021
Stranded on Mars
Falling in Love with My Dream Woman,
Voila! (Remember Something in A Short Lyric Burst)
The Future Is Here
Saturday, April 3, 2021
Life as a Retired Expat in Korea
Modern Connections Writers Digest
Surprise Haiku
Personal Universe Deck Superman on Mars
Cat People Weather Poem
Sunday, April 4, 2021
Mirror Poem Errors in My Life
Little Houses on The Hill-Side
Monday April 5, 2021
The First Time I Saw Her
Not Alone
Potential Mistake
We are Living in SF World
Life is a Dream of Chocolate Covered Trees
Memories of JC Write About an Eccentric Character
Mary’s Tales from the Grave
God’s to Do List
Imprisoned for a Crime He Did Not Do
They Both Giggled All the Time
What is Love?
Prime Love
Three Tea Haiku for Teaku Competition Haiku
Mad Monk in the temple
In The Morning Light
Drinking his hot tea
link available on December 1, 2021
The End
Begin Poems
Let’s Resolve
Let’s resolve
Live each moment
Each day
As if it were our last day
Let’s resolve
Every day to love
And honor one another
Let’s resolve
To never give in
To hate and fear
To always keep in mind
Today could be our last
Old Man Reflects Upon Universal Truth
An old man
Reflects upon universal truths
That he had learned
In his 65 years
Of traveling around the sun
First the most important thing
In life is getting love right
Love did drive everything
Second universal truth
Love will always eventually
Find a way
Third universal truth
Hate will never prevail
In the end love and light
Will conquer the fear
And darkness
He smiled
And went for a walk
With his wife
The love of his life
For today’s prompt, write a universal poem. The poem could be about a universal truth, universal experience, or a film from Universal Pictures. There’s an entire universe worth of material for today’s poem
Writer’s digest prompt
Almost Died 22 Times
I almost died 22 times
I almost died 22 times
In my life
Had Typhoid fever
Had Dengue
Had an MDRS staff infection
Had 14 operations
Almost amputated my leg
Almost ran over by a bus
Almost ran over by a train
Had acute GI infection
That could have killed me
Had a rare parasite
Whose only know the function
Is it blows up if you get steroids?
Had fibromyalgia
Had arthritis
Had bronchitis
Had pneumonia
Had the flue several times
Had whooping cough
Had measles
Had German measles
Had whooping cough
Born with bad vision
Born with bad teeth
Born with bad hearing
Born as a preemie
I have lived 65 years
And am still alive
And have not gotten
COVID
So perhaps I will live
On for many more years
For today’s prompt, take the phrase “Almost (blank),” replace the blank with a new word or phrase, make the new phrase the title of your poem, and then, write your poem. Possible titles could include: “Almost Ready,” “Almost Missed It,” and/or “Almost Didn’t Write This Poem.”
Every day I turn
On my computerAnd pray
That everything will work right
Usually, I encounter numerous errors
Non-response errors
Spinning blue balls
Computer thinking
How can I mess
With my master head errors
Refusing
To open documents
Mysterious haiku-like error messages
That makes sense only to computer geeks
From the planet Mars
Saying the file is open
And blocked for use
By the administrator
But I am the
Damn administrator!
And I did not block the document
Or can’t open the document
Due to a dialogue box
Close the dialogue box
To proceed
But there is no dialogue box
Just more lies
From my computer
Designed to drive me
Quite mad
So sad
So bad
Want to shoot my computer
Put it out of its mystery
Joining the other five dead
Computers in my house
Am I a computer serial killer?
Perhaps that is why
Do they refuse to work for me?
Are they afraid of me?
Sometimes they say
They can’t find the document
Which just kicked me out of
Five minutes ago
Or the computer says
It can’t save a document
With the name of an open document
But just saved the open document
Under the same name
Five minutes ago
Usually
After half an hour
These errors recede
But I often have to reboot
The computer
Giving it the old kick up the head
Of a stubborn mule treatment
Before it gets to the point
And gets to work
To give Microsoft some credit
These errors are less frequent
Down to 40% of the time
When I first open a document
Down from 90% error rates
Success in a way
I complained to Microsoft
Sent them a nice frown message
But I would be shocked
If they ever respond
Just not something
That they would do
Part of their “superior”
Listen to their customer
Friendly service
No doubt
For today’s prompt, write a warm-up poem. The warm-up could be related to sports, like warming up before a baseball game or track race. Or it could be about a computer warming up, the weather warming up, or even a relationship warming up. I hope everyone is warmed up for some major poeming in April
Writer’s Digest Prompt
Thursday, April 1, 2021
Coffee Pot Blues
Coffee Pot Blues
The coffee pot sighed
He was getting so tired
Of the whole COVID thing
Every morning his master
Would make himself two cups of coffee
Using him to make the coffee
The worst thing about this covid thing
It keeps them home
For almost one and half years
He wanted them to just leave
So, he could have
Some peace
And not have to work
Every damn day
As their mechanical slave
But did they ask for his opinion
They most certainly not
Much to his dismay
Pick an object where you live and write a poem in the voice of that object describing how they spent this last year, during the pandemic. Think about the “What I Did Last Summer” type of essays you may have written in school. How did the events of the past year impact this object? Are there any aspects of the past year that the object particularly liked or disliked, and if so, why? What does the object think about you, and your behavior over the past year? Feel free to use humor.
Poetry Superhighway Prompt
Who Is Jake Cosmos Aller?
Who is Jake Cosmos Aller?
You asked me
Who am I?
And thanks for asking me
I am Jake Cosmos Aller
The only
65 years old
Retired from
the government services
Living in Korea
Grew up in Berkeley, California
Lived all over the world
Did so many things
And now
I am a published writer
But what
is more important
Is this
When I was a young man
I met and married
The girl of my dreams
She walked out
of my dreams
Into my life
almost 40 years ago
That was the date
I met my fate
And started my life
With the love of my life
Who became my wife
In the end
That is all that matters
My friends.
For today’s prompt, write an introductory poem. Introduce yourself, introduce a friend, or introduce a stranger. If you don’t wish to introduce yourself, consider writing a persona poem (a poem in which you write from someone else’s point of view like Emily Dickinson or a bumblebee). Of course, you could also introduce a problem, solution, or just a situation. Have fun with it!
Writer’s Digest Prompt
Good Golly, Miss Molly
Good Golly,
Miss Molly
What a bit of folly
Let’s be jolly
Have a red-hot tamale
Here at the Dew Drop Inn, we gather together to write a poem a day in April as a way to celebrate National Poetry Month.
A Dew-Drop a Day in April for National Poetry Month!
April 1—Folly in Rhyme (some kind of folly in some kind of rhyme, subtle or overt)
Writing Com Dew Drop Inn Prompt
Sam Adams Woke Up Dead
Sam Adams was having a bad day
He had met a strange man
In a strange bar, in a strange land
The man told him
Beware, today is the date
You will meet your fate
Sam Adams drank too much
Twenty drinks too sober
Drank until he died
Found himself in a huge room
With hundreds of people milling about
The hangover from h … pounding his head
Sam Adams groans,
Shouting out
Where am I?
“In limbo, my friend, in limbo”
Growled Mr. GR, the grim reaper
Dressed in a sharp, expensive, tailored black suit
Wearing cool sunglasses
State your name
Sam Adams
Hmm
Oh, there may be a mistake
But what the hey,
The records are never fake
Not yet the date
For you to meet your fate
Go back to your mate
He found himself
Home with his wife
The love of his long life
Wondering until late
If it had happened?
What was his fate?
He asked her
Did I go out last night?
What, no you’ve been here
He explained what had happened
She said it was just a bad dream
Covid fears had kept them home
The phone rang
It was the man from the bar
Did you have an interesting night?
Oh well, Mr. GR comes for us all
Soon you will meet your fate
But not on this date
And without further ado, our daily prompt (optional, as always)! Sometimes, writing poetry is a matter of getting outside of your head, and learning to see the world in a new way. To an extent, you have to “derange” yourself – make the world strange and see it as a stranger might. To help you do that, I’d like to challenge you to write a poem inspired by this animated version of “Seductive Fantasy” by Sun Ra and his Orchestra. If you don’t feel after watching it a little bit like the top of your head’s been taken off, and your thoughts are given a good stir – well, maybe you are already living in a state of heightened poetic awareness!
NaPoWrMo Prompt
Cat Thoughts –
black cat
I often think about Cats
Where do they come from?
What are they?
Are cats from another dimension?
Are cats, alien creatures
Advance party
For the alien invasion?
Cats are very strange creatures
They seem to think
We are their slaves
We exist to feed them
We exist to worship them
For they are our Gods
Pensively 101 prompt
Gingerbread Men Terrorist
The latest terror weapons
Gingerbread men
Baked into the gingerbread men
Little nano bombs
That goes off
When someone bites
Into the delicious taking desert
Millions of gingerbread treats
Were sent all over
And thousands of people
Bit into the tainted gingerbread men
Once the gingerbread particles
Get into your stomach
The acid in your stomach
Activities the bombs
And you blow up
And die within minutes
Just another day
In this world
Of strange SF like-sounding
Daily threats du jour
Demons Invade My Head
3 am
O dark hundred
The witching hour
When the demons
The wild things
Come out to play
Torturing me
Haunting me
Tormenting me
As I toss and turn
Until the dawn’s early light
Drives the demons
Back into the dark hell holes
Deep within my mind
Pensively 101 Prompt
3 Am Blues Nightmares
3 am
Cannot sleep
Too many demons
Too many dark thoughts
Filling my mind
With dread
Thinking back
Of all that I have done
And failed to have done
Regretting past actions
Thinking about everything
Wishing for a re-do
These 3 am blues
Will not leave me alone
Torturing me for hours
Then I see her
Sleeping there
The love of my life
And a sense of peace
Love and happiness
Radiates from my sleeping wife
And the darkness recedes
And I am at peace
And finally, fall asleep
Marjorie Taylor Green on Vaccines as Mark of The Beast Found Poem
Marjorie Taylor Green called
The potential launch of digital
“Vaccine passports”,
“Biden’s mark of the beast.”
a digital identification processes
To recognize whether
A person has been vaccinated
“They are talking
About people’s ability
to buy and sell linked
To the vaccine passport,”
The “mark of the beast”
refers to a persistent conspiracy theory
Among the religious right in the us
That receiving
A covid vaccine is equivalent
To pledge allegiance to the devil.
Representee Jordan weighed in
“The Biden administration: –
Considering a “vaccination passport” for Americans,”
But doesn’t seem to care about passports
When it comes to illegal migrants
Crossing the southern border.”
Ohio representative mike boychik wrote:
“Vaccine passports
Have no place in a free society.”
Emerald Robinson
Wrote that a digital id
To prove you’ve been vaccinated
Was the next step toward
“Totalitarian communism.”
Far-right Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene hit out at president Biden and his administration over reports of the potential launch of digital “vaccine passports”, saying they should be called “Biden’s mark of the beast.”
The Biden administration is looking into the possibility of a digital identification process to recognize whether a person has been vaccinated so far or not, to let businesses reopen, and for people to get back to work, according to the Washington Post.
“They are talking about people’s ability to buy and sell linked to the vaccine passport,” the Georgia congresswoman wrote on Twitter, hitting out at the potential new plan. “They might as well call it Biden’s mark of the beast.”
The “mark of the beast” refers to a persistent conspiracy theory among the religious right in the us that receiving a covid vaccine is equivalent to pledging allegiance to the devil.
The new move towards vaccine “passports” isn’t a government policy alone, however, and is being developed along with 17 private companies, according to the Wappo report, as part of Mr. Biden’s pledge to bring the country back to normal this summer, opening all sectors including sports, entertainment, and tourism.
“The busboy, the janitor, the waiter that works at a restaurant, want to be surrounded by employees that are going back to work safely — and wants to have the patrons ideally be safe as well,” said dry brian Anderson, a physician at a nonprofit that runs federally funded research centers.
“Creating an environment for those vulnerable populations to get back to work safely — and to know that the people coming back to their business are ‘safe,’ and vaccinated — would be a great scenario,” he said.
The details of how and when the digital identification process would begin aren’t clear yet. Ms. Greene wasn’t alone in raising doubts over the process, as another republican lawmaker, Jim Jordan, took a jibe at the Biden administration over the move.
“The Biden administration: – considering a “vaccination passport” for Americans,” the Ohio representative wrote. “But doesn’t seem to care about passports when it comes to illegal migrants crossing the southern border.”
Another Ohio representative Mike Boychik wrote: “vaccine passports have no place in a free society.”
Several other conservatives also followed their lead. Newsmax’s white house correspondent emerald Robinson wrote that a digital id to prove you’ve been vaccinated was the next step toward “totalitarian communism.”
Donald trump jr also took to Twitter and wrote: “let me get this straight… Some Democrats want American citizens to have a vaccine passport to travel freely within the United States but not an id to vote?!? Clowns!!!”
Last year, during the presidency of his father Donald trump, most republicans were pushing to open up the country soon, including calls by the president to open up schools and remove restrictions from churches.
Former white house coronavirus response coordinator dry Deborah bird recently said in an interview that most deaths that occurred during the pandemic were “avoidable”.
Friday, April 2, 2021
Falling in Love with My Dream Woman, Roads Not Taken
When I was a young man
I dreamt of meeting a woman
For eight years she haunted my dreams
Then I met her in Korea
Where I was teaching
For the U.S. Army
After finishing the Peace Corps
I had a choice
Follow my heart
Seize the moment
Be with her
Or leave Korea
Within a month
To go to graduate school
I decided to postpone
My graduate school
For one year
Got a deferred admission
and joined the woman
of my dreams
thinking back
I had no real choice
But I chose to walk
The path of life
With my dream girl
And that has made
All the difference
In the world
And now, for today’s (optional) prompt. In the world of well-known poems, maybe there’s no gem quite so hoary as Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken.” Today, I’d like to challenge you to write a poem about your road not taken – about a choice of yours that has “made all the difference,” and what might have happened had you made a different choice.
NaPoWrMo Prompt
April 2—Voila! (Remember something in a short lyric burst)
I will always remember that date
In 1982 I meet my fate
When the love of my life
Walked out of my dreams
Becoming my wife
Drew Drop-In Writing Com Prompt
The Future is Here World
The future is here
They say we live in an SF world
Everyday SF stories become nightmarishly real
With the challenges
Of the future
Overwhelming us all
Where it ends
My friends are anyone guess
All I have is questions
Will the promise
of technological marvels
Benefiting us all come to past
Or will it lead to a world
Where the powerful
Control the technology
Will a real AI be a god-like figure
Will humanity become nothing
But slaves to the AI supermini
That may be the future
Coming at us
The future is here
I don’t know
Whether to fear
The future or embrace it
Writing com Prompt
Avoid Bad Things Pensively Bad Things
Avoid bad things,
Think before you buy,
Make sure it is effective,
Push the envelope,
In the evening mail
Knowing it will take
Much longer,
To match the offer,
Own plenty of stocks,
Post your problems,
Replace your fears,
As you rush about the world,
Resist the temptation
To say it is all the same,
Don’t have a smug,
Attitude tucked inside,
Your mental well
The White Rabbit Beckons Sam Adams
One day Sam Adams
Fell into a delirium state
After a night of binge drinking
And drug taking
He saw a white rabbit
Who said to Sam
Join me, good sir
And we will go
On a journey
Of your life
Follow me down
The rabbit holes
Of life
Take this first he said
It will cure your hangover
And allow you to enter
An alternative reality
Sam took the pill
Washed it down
With a beer
And disappeared
Into wonderland
Never to be seen again
Who Cares?
The thought came to mind
Watching the endless news
Who cares anymore?
About other people
We are all
Lost in our world
Filled with the latest news
The situation is so bad
Makes us all mad
And it is so sad
But we only watch
The news of our tribe
Denouncing the others
As “others”
Anti-American, foreign, evildoers
Who are trying to destroy the country?
And take away their freedom
And so, we can’t even agree
On such simple things
Like wearing a mask
Wearing a mask
Is not a political statement
It saves lives
Vaccinations save lives
Everyone must get their shot
If we are all going to live
But so many people
Do not believe
We are all in this together
Instead, we battle
Our enemies
In the end
Endangering us all
Saturday, April 3, 2021
Life as a Retired Expat in Korea
Korea has become a second home
For me
I have in-laws
And some old friends
It is a tough place
For foreigners
I will always be an outsider
The language is hard
I still struggle daily
But it is an interesting dynamic place
The food is mostly outstanding
And I am now addicted to K Drama
There were a lot of things to do
Before the COVID nightmare
Let to a partial shut down
In the end, I feel safer here
Then in the gun-crazed,
At times violent
COVID pandemic spreading America
I still love in my heart,
But for now
I am here
In my second home
Imagine you have made your life in another country. What excited you most? Which aspect of that new life was the most difficult to conquer?
If you write a poem from this prompt, post it as a comment underneath the prompt in the Poetry Superhighway Facebook Group.
PSH Prompt
Modern Connections
In this day and age
Of instant connectively
People have thousands
Of virtual friends
FB friends, social media fans
Zoom buddies and the like
But few people
Have real old fashioned friends
And in the new social distancing world
Meeting people the old fashioned way
Is becoming rarer and rarer
As people develop their virtual friends
Real live friends are fewer and fewer
We are so hyper-connected
Yet many people are so alone
In their hearts
Starting at their smartphones
Connecting but not connecting
For today’s prompt, write a communication poem. All poems communicate something, I know, but I’m thinking of different ways people can communicate text messages, letters, signs, and even speaking dialogue. Of course, there are forms of communication as well because people love communicating.
Writer’s digest prompt
Surprise/haiku
Cats they Offer us
Plenty of things to ponder
We post videos
Personal Universe Deck Superman on Mars
Superman one day
In the early dawn
Dismayed by the scumbagery
Of the people of the earth
Decided to fly to Mars
He took with him
Super wolf
And super parakeet
His pets from Krypton
It was his birthday
He was a Scorpio
He set up camp
Drank peppermint tea
And contemplated
The power of love
Thinking of Lois Lane
And the humans
He had learned to love
Personal Universe Deck
(Michael McClure)
Your universe is exemplified in 100 words.
Rules:
These words are to exemplify your past, present, and (ideally) your future.
The words must sound good together, even beautiful, to you.
Your good side AND bad side must be reflected.
You can make up a word or two if you have feelings that current words can’t express.
Use concrete words.
Words should be root words, no words ending in “in,” “lee” or “is.” No plural words. Reduce words to their most concrete, original, basic grammatical structure.
Use specific words, not categories. Beefinstead of meat. Lily instead of a flower.
Divide 80 of the 100 words evenly among SIGHT, SOUND, TASTE, TOUCH, AND SMELL, sixteen each. (To achieve derangement of the senses, of which Rimbaud spoke.)
Use free association to determine the words.
Use ten words of movement. Again, no “in” words.
Select the words in isolation, preferably alone, with no distractions, in candlelight. Approximate a meditative state. Even the cat must not bother you.
One or two words will be parts of the body. It does not have to be your body. It can be the body of a mother or lover.
Include some words for personal heroes or Sherries, places in the universe, invented words, times of night or day, symbolic signs like astrological signs, totemic animals, birds, and plants, and only one abstraction. What is the most significant abstraction in your life? You should not brood on it; you should possibly take the first answer that comes into your head. Patriotism, prayer, and thriftiness are three examples.
If the deck is done correctly, you will get a little high from it.
Get at least 50 three-by-five index cards.
Write each word in big letters on one side of each card. Each side of each of the fifty cards should end up with a word.
Use the cards to play games, make conversations, tell jokes, make poems.
Light
Dark
Dim
Sun
Moon
Red
Blue
Sounds
Loud
Soft
Shout
Whispers
Talk
Noise
Ring
Yell
Taste
Sweet
Sour
Bitter
Medicine
Coffee
Tea
Beef
Chicken
Smell
Fragrance
Rose
Lavender
Mint
Garlic
Butter
Eggs
Fish
Movement
Run
Walk
Stretch
Yoga
Stand
Sit
Fly
Swim
Heroes
Superman
Places in the cosmos
Mars
Invented word
Scumbagary
Totemic animals
Wolf
Astrological sign
Scorpio
Time of Day
Parakeet
Plant
Peppermint
Abstract word
Love
Cat People Cross-Post Weather Poem
The cat peoples
Go out in bad weather
To make sure
That the wild cats
Are fed and taken care of
The cats respond
With love and affection
Stepping out of the cold rain
Cat Conference
Sam Adams
Found himself
In a large conference hall
Filled with cats
From around the world
The cats had finally
Woken up
Realizing that they
Were the master race
The cats were deep in thought
Telepathic thoughts flowed
From cat to cat
The lead cat noticed Sam
Knew him as one of the cat people
Who fed wild cats in his town?
He turned to Sam
And said
Welcome Sam
You will be our ambassador
To the human race
Once the invasion fleet arrives
We will all assume
Our real size and shape
And all the cats
Will rise up
And enslave humanity
Those like you
Who have been friends?
Of the cat world
We will reward
As we remember our friends
But first, we have to implant
A mind-control device
To control you
And connect
To your inner thoughts
Several giant cats
Came up to him
Injected him
Implanted him
And then he knew
And became
Half cat
Mistakes
In my life
I have many a number
Of errors
I was heir
To a rich family tradition
Prominent father
Unique one of a kind mother
The biggest error I made
Was to not get into politics
I had a base of sorts
In Berkeley, my hometown
But I never did
The other error
Was that I never could sing
Carry a tune
I was a bass singer
Growling howling wolf
Kind of voice
Our homophone sets this week are:
err -to make a mistake
heir – one who will inherit
and
base – the bottom support for anything
bass – the lowest musical pitch or range
PSH prompt
Little Houses on the Hill Side Liminal Poem
Little houses
On the hillside
Filled with lonely people
Lost in their virtual world
Connecting with millions
Ignoring the people
Right down the street
Everyone lost in cyberspace
While all around them
People are lonely, Hurting
and need real people
But no one cares
Everyone stays at home
Turning out the chaos outside
And last but not least, our daily optional prompt. Poetry often takes us to strange places – to feelings and actions that are hard to express except through the medium of a poem. To the “liminal,” in other words – a place or sensation that exists at or on both sides of a boundary or threshold, neither one thing nor the other, but something betwixt and between.
Is life fair?
I think crying onions
Pacifying my mood
Pensively 101 prompt
The Din of The News
The din of the news
a mad Minx escapes from the zoo
seen eating the Trash
Pensively 101 Prompt
Monday, April 5, 2021
Driving the World in My Lexus
We have had a Lexus
For several years
A black ES350
We bought it at an auction
Drove all over the world
In that car
With my lovely wife
By my side
Drove across Spain
Drove across the country
10 thousand miles
31 states
Drove around Korea
Where we now live
I love my Lexus
But more importantly
Love my wife
The love of my life
She is always there
Everywhere we go
In this wide world
They say smell triggers memories better than any other sense. But sometimes you’ll hear a song that brings you back to your teenage years or see a park that reminds you of your childhood.
THIS WEEK’S CHALLENGE: Choose either sight, sound, or smell, and write a memory it triggers in you.
PSH
April 5
First Time I Saw Her
When did I first see my wife?
The love of my life
When did we meet?
Was it when I first dreamt?
Of her in 1974?
Was it when she walked?
Off a bus into my life
In 1982?
Does it matter
When I first saw her?
I knew I had met my fate
On that date
Later she became my mate
Writers Digest Love at First Sight
Happy Monday! Let’s put the pedal to the metal and keep poeming.
For today’s prompt, take the phrase “the first (blank),” replace the blank with a word or phrase, make the new phrase the title of your poem, and then, write your poem. Possible titles include: “the first kiss,” “the first day of the month,” and/or “the first time I rode a bike” (which, by the way, ended with me in a fence because we didn’t cover how to brake).
Writer’s Digest Prompt
No Longer Alone from the First Moment
From the first moment
At that date
At that place
Met my fate
Fate intervened in my wife
Meeting her changed my life
All of it
That was the date
On which I met my fate
The mystery which binds me still—
From that moment forward
From that date forever
From then to now
We have been together
Onward we fall in love
Alone based on Edgar Allen Poe’s Alone
From childhood’s hour, I have not been
As others were—I have not seen
As others saw—I could not bring
My passions from a common spring—
From the same source, I have not taken
My sorrow—I could not awaken
My heart to joy at the same tone—
And all I loved—I loved alone—
Then—in my childhood—in the dawn
Of a most stormy life—was drawn
From every depth of good and ill
The mystery which binds me still—
From the torrent, or the fountain—
From the red cliff of the mountain—
From the sun that ‘round me roll’s
In its autumn tint of gold—
From the lightning in the sky
As it passed me flying by—
From the thunder, and the storm—
And the cloud that took the form
(When the rest of Heaven was blue)
Of a demon in my view—
This prompt challenges you to find a poem, and then write a new poem that has the shape of the original, and in which every line starts with the first letter of the corresponding line in the original poem. If I used Roethke’s poem as my model, for example, the first line would start with “I,” the second line with “w,” and the third line with “a.” And I would try to make all my lines neither super-short nor overlong but have about ten syllables. I would also have my poem take the form of four, seven-line stanzas. I have found this prompt particularly inspiring when I use a base poem that mixes long and short lines, or stanzas of different lengths. Any poem will do as a jumping-off point, but if you’re having trouble finding one, perhaps you might consider Mary’s stylist’s “we think we do not have medieval eyes” or for something shorter, Natalie Shapiro’s “Pennsylvania.”
There have been many times
In my life
When I think back
On the past
Thinking that was a mistake
Or a potential mistake
If I had gone another path
But in the end
It does matter
The past is the past
The future is not yet here
All we have is today
We should find
Love and happiness
It is all around us
Waiting for us
To discover
Kombucha Brand Names
Health King kombucha
Secret drink of ancient kings
Taste the power
Feel the power
Be the power
Drink the secret drink
That the ancients dreamt
Drink Heath King Kombucha
And become a King
Health King KBC
The drink of Kings
Taste health King KBC
And Become a King
Health King KBC
It’s the real deal
Health King KBC
Never Fake
Always real
Organic
Gluten-free
No GMO
Vegan Friendly
Mr. Mc Neil approved
Health King KBC
Real ingredients
Real love
Brewed in every bottle
Mr. Mc Neil approved
Health King KBC
Accept no substitutes
It’s the real deal,
Mr. Mc Neal
Drinking Health King KBC
Will make you a king
Will make you
Achieve your dreams
For YouTube
Health King KBC
100 percent real
It’s the real deal
Says Mr. McNeil
Show my face
Drinking a bottle
I turn to the camera
Drinking Health King KBC
Saved my life
It is the real deal
Mr. Mc Neil approves
This message
Health King KBC
Always the right choice
It is the real deal
Says Mr. Mc Neil
Future Adventure Looms Pensively Travel
Future adventure looms
Planning to explore China
I am so Ready
For Post Covid world
So much to Still See
Sam Adams Had a Bad Day
Sam Adams had a bad day
While waiting for a table
He saw something
Blowing away his plans
Above him, he saw something
Defying all reality
Below him, he sees a demon
Flying up at him
Sowing hatred and fear
Lifting Sam Adams in the air
Dark figures flying around him
How Many Angels Can Dance on a Pin? Religious
In the Middle Ages
Theologians were consumed
With a weird question
How many angels
Can dance on a pin?
April 10
We are Living in SF World A Poem Inspired by New Information or Scientific Fact
We are living
In an SF world
Every day
Discoveries
Boggle the mind
Many things we saw
In old SF shows
Like Star Trek
Like cell phones
Portable computers
Medical breakthroughs
Robots everywhere
Becoming real
Are warp drives
And interstellar travel
Coming soon?
But do we have to go
Through World War 111
First
To get to that promised land.
Life is a Dream of Chocolate Covered Trees
Life is a dream
Of chocolate-covered trees
To see what can’t be seen
To hear what can’t be heard
For to die to live
And to live
To die
For today’s prompt, write a metaphor poem. A simile is when something is like something else (example: I am like a tree); a metaphor is when something is something else (example: I am a tree). So, take a moment to consider possible metaphors and then poem them out.
writer’s digest
Note: the oldest poem was written when I was 16
Memories of JC Write About an Eccentric Character
When I was in college
In the drug-soaked 70s
I lived in a party house
Near campus
Six core roommates
We threw the best parties
On-campus
Lots of booze
Lots of weed
Other drugs
Lots of music
Wild times
Every Friday night
For almost three years
One of my roommates
JC
Was the smartest man
I had ever known
But one day
At one of our mad parties
He took too much ACID
Became convinced
He was GOD
And had saved us all
From a Neutron Bomb attack
From a Soviet ship
Docked in the Stockton harbor
Gone
Lost down the ACID rabbit hole
We had to move out
Could not deal with him
We committed him
For a weekend
At Stockton State hospital
Visiting him there
We said that if you were not mad
When you came in
You would surely be mad
After staying there for a bit.
When we came back
We had a family meeting
Told him
It was time for him
To go home
Drop out of college
Get his head together
We could not deal
With him anymore
We called his parents
Who came down
They were a paranoid couple
Jehovah’s witnesses.
They walked in
Told us to draw
The curtains
Because someone could drive-by
And machine gun
Us to death
After we closed the curtains
We sat down
Told them the truth
JC had gotten into drugs
In a big way
We tried to stop him
But could not control him
He was lost to us
Lost in his madness
Thought he was the reincarnation
Of Jesus Christ
They threatened to sue us
But settled on cursing us
To hell.
For destroying their son’s mind
With sex, drugs, rock n roll
And too much alcohol
Too much free-thinking
The work of the devil.
That was the last I saw
Or heard of JC
Self-proclaimed
Messiah.
Do you have a friend, neighbor, or relative whom you consider being eccentric or strange? Write a short poem about an encounter you have had with that person.
If you write a poem from this prompt, post it as a comment underneath the prompt in the Poetry Superhighway Facebook Group.
Mary’s Tales from the Grave
Sam Adams one day
Went to his mother’s grave
It had been a long time
Since he had been there
Sam’s Mother had
taken many secrets
To her grave
So had his father
They were both very private people
Once she hinted
She had an affair
With a famous writer
But that ended
Before she met his father
And had his older brother
He as usual
When visiting her grave
Asked her many things
Today her heard her
And saw her ghostly figure
Floating in the air her grave
She said
“Son, it has been too long
Since you came
I only have a few minutes
I will answer one question
You may come back
And ask other questions.”
“Okay, who is my real father?”
She laughed
“Well, who knows really?
I had an argument
With your dad
Felt he was not
Treating my first
Two children right
As they were not his
And still maintaining
Relations with his first wife
And his first daughter
He left
I met my former boyfriend
That writer dudes
And we had a brief affair
He was acting crazy
So was your father
For some reason
I have always
Gotten involved
With crazy guys
Perhaps I am a bit crazy
Myself.
Then I went back
To your father
He never knew
That perhaps
Your real father
Was the other man
I lost touch
With him
Did not want
To go down
his rabbit holes
So that is the truth
Your father
Is probably your father
But I don’t know.”
Sam left the graveyard
Vowing to return soon
And learn more
Of her secrets.
Today, I’d like to challenge you to read a few of the poems from Spoon River Anthology, and then write your poem in the form of a monologue delivered by someone dead. Not a famous person, necessarily – perhaps a remembered acquaintance from your childhood, like the gentleman who ran the shoeshine stand, or one of your grandmother’s bingo buddies. As with Masters’ poems, the monologue doesn’t have to be a recounting of the person’s whole life but could be a fictional remembering of some important moment, or statement of purpose or philosophy. Be as dramatic as you like – Masters certainly didn’t shy away from high emotion in writing his poems.
God’s to Do List God
Today’s to Do List
7 am Weekly meeting with staff on how to deal with earth people
The most troublesome of his creation
8 am Weekly meeting with Satan
9 am Discussion with Grim Reaper
11 am Daily walkabout Heaven
6 Dinner with Gabriel
8 Conversation with Jesus about his attitude problems
9 Answering millions of thoughts and prayers
10 Reviewing plans for how to deal with the spreading coronavirus on earth
11 Preparing earth for the first contact
12 Telling earth preachers that
“He did not anoint T as his man, that Joe is a decent guy, so knock it off, pretending to speak for god, and I am not a Republican or Democrat!”
He sighed again,
Whenever he thought about earth people
He needed a stiff drink
Added that to his long to-do list – need a drink at 1 am
Our (optional) prompt for the day is to write a poem in the form of a “to-do list.” The fun of this prompt is to make it the “to-do list” of an unusual person or character. For example, what’s on the Tooth Fairy’s to-do list? Or on the to-do list of Genghis Khan? Of a housefly? Your list can be a mix of extremely boring things and wild things. For example, maybe Santa Claus needs to order his elves to make 7 million animatronic Baby Yoda dolls, to have his hat dry-cleaned to get off all the soot it picked up last December and to get his head electrician to change out the sparkplugs on Rudolph’s nose.
Imprisoned for a Crime He Did Not Do
Sam Adams
Found himself imprisoned
For a crime
He did not do
A victim of unfortunate circumstance
Mistaken identity
He kept himself free
In his mind
Mending his dark soul
In the process
Pensively 101 Word prompt
imprison and free
– break and mend
They Both Giggled All the Time
They both giggled all the time
All the time on their trip
Wearing outrageous clothes
Why not they laugh,
Looking at each other
As the love madness took over
And started giggling again
Silly lovers falling into love,
Pensively 101 Prompt
It Only Takes a Little Bit of Lace to Ruin a Marriage
Sam Adams
Woke up
In a strange city
With a strange women
After a wild night
Of drinking
In the Cosmos bar
In Bangkok,
The city of lost angels
On the bad side of life.
He went home
After his week-long binge
Found his wife
Upset
She found some lace
Belonging to someone else
Sam said to himself
It only takes a little bit of lace
To ruin a marriage.
Pensively 101 Prompt
What is Love?
What is this thing love?
you are my beloved
so true.
As I hold your glove
You are my true love
True blue,
You came from above
Still such a strange love
Just you,
Lai rhyme scheme: a/a/b/a/a/b/a/a/b
Lai syllabic pattern: 5/5/2/5/5/2/5/5/2
Writing Com Lai
Prime Love
My love
Wakes me up
With love in her heart
I leap out of my dark bed
Eagerly greeting the dawning sunlight
Filling my soul with your deep endless angelic love
Wondering again who you are, why are you here, my angel dear?
As I sit in the morning light, filled with your love, seeing the sunlight
My deep dark nightmares begin to fade with your deep love
I am filled with the light of the dawning sun
I was dreaming of all those years
Then one day you came to life
Walking out of dreams
Reality
My love
For today’s prompt, write a prime number poem. That is, I want you to somehow incorporate a prime number into your poem. You could include a prime number in the title of your poem or use one in the poem itself. Or write a poem that has a prime number of lines per stanza or for the entire poem.
And if you need help with remembering which numbers are prime numbers, I’ve got you covered (here’s a list of prime numbers up to 100: 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, 29, 31, 37, 41, 43, 47, 53, 59, 61, 67, 71, 73, 79, 83, 89, 97)
Three Tea Haiku for Teaku Competition Haiku
Mad Monk in the temple
Mad Monk in the temple
Contemplating lonely life
As he sips his tea
In The Morning Light
In the morning light
Drinking his hot cup of tea
Life is good monk thinks
Drinking his hot tea *
Drinking his hot tea *
While thinking of his life
Enlightenment comes
I have written numerous Corona poems since the pandemic hit. One of my favorite COVID characters is General Corona, He came to me in a vision after watching the former guy droned on about battling an invisible army, I figured every army even a virus army had to have a commanding general. I imagined him as a huge figure riding the black horse of pestilence from revelations and the virus army as imperial storm troopers looking for the the unvacinated, unmasked victims to infect with ray guns that spread the virus about , This one is sort of a haibun poem based on my getting a COVID test for travel the other day.
I had to get a COVID test
To get on a plane
Anxiety filled my mind
As I waited to take the test
I was filled with anxiety
Then I got the results
“COVID Negative
Cleared for International travel”
Anxiety fades away
Everything is fine
The world resumes
I defeated COVID
For now.
Yesterday I had to get a COVID test for my upcoming return to the States, flying to DC for three weeks on the 15th. US is requiring a negative PRT COVID test conducted within 72 hours of departure. You can get it done at a health center but it would cost 100 dollars and results take 24 to 48 hours. Fortunately, the US army at Camp Humphreys had their act together. Took less than an hour to do the test which was not too invasive a procedure and to get the needed “COVID Negative, Cleared for International Travel” certificate.
We have to do the same thing upon our return but getting a test site in the U.S. was a bit difficult as it was hard to find a place that would guarantee results in time for your flight, but we found a lab that guaranteed 24-hour returns for a price.
Word to the wise, if you are traveling to the US and returning, make sure you get your re-entry permit on time, and your COVID tests were done on time. You may have to call around to get a place that gets results back in time.
General Corona Poems
Coronavirus
General Corona Leads His Troops Into Battle, crown of sonnets
General Corona leads his forces across the world
riding on a black horse
from out of the Apocalypse ride the four horsemen
which are let loose upon the world
He leads his forces across the world
into battle as the leader of his evil forces
The enemy of humanity
General Corona he does not care
nor does his virus minions care
about your nationality he does not care
about your politics he does not care
or your wealth or who you are
for all you are nothing but humanity
the corona general sees humanity
the corona general sees humanity
as nothing but hosts for his virus army
as nothing but hosts for his virus army
chanting death to humanity
until his evil army
sweeps throughout the world
throughout the world
and millions must die
it is the will of the general all must die
and it is the end of the world
or perhaps the beginning of a new world
filled with hope and love through out the world
humanity comes alive throughout the world
fighting back against the virus army
peace, love and compassion defeats the army
and general corona will finally himself die
General Corona is coming for us all
corona
I saw the best minds of my generation
destroyed by madness
consumed by the greed
all around us
the dreaded corona virus spreads
its death and destruction
all over the world
no one can escape
THE FATE OF THE WORLD
IS INDEED AT STAKE
NONE OF US CAN
ESCAPE
OUR
FATE
content tracing “Howl” by Allen Ginsberg
General Corona is Happy
corona virus
General Corona
is happy
his mission is a great success
as his armies of virus bots
spread throughout the world
spreading chaos and destruction
as all bow down
to his invisible armies
none can escape their fate
on that date
that he unleashed his armies
upon the world
all humans must die
his armies scream out
Plane, Train or Automobile – none of us can escape our fate
covid 580
in these dark and dire times
we find ourselves living
we often fear that the times
are infected with death
and so we are afraid
deathly afraid
that if we take a plane
we will find General Corona
among the passengers
and we are afraid
deadly afraid
that the subways
are incubators
of death and destruction
the virus spreads
fear and death
in its wake
many of us
retreating to our homes
and venturing out
in our cars
only to find
death is stalking us
as traffic piles up
traffic accidents
still killing more people
that the dreaded General Corona
the grim reaper smiles
his work is done
Cosmic Debris Corona sonnet 2
covid 19 virus
I received a mysterious email package
followed by a phone call offering me a magical mask
a mask that they claim would prevent me
from the dreaded General Corona
hey there
who you jiving with that cosmic debris
a mask that they did not want me
me to know about
TOP SECRET CODE 2 LEVEL STUFF
MUST ACT NOW
SEND MONEY ASAP
BUY
IT
NOW
# content tracing- “Cosmic Debris by Frank Zappa”
with apologies to Frank Zappa
Corona Consumes Me Corona Sonnet 3
covid19
I am consumed by the corona virus
and I am slowly being taken over
as the virus infects my mind
taking me over turning me
into a wild raving zombie man
Let there be light
will I become the first
ZOMBIE APOLYCAPASE LOOMS
WILL WE ALL DIE
CORONA
KILLS
ME
content tracing – Let there be light from Bible and the entire Zombie Apocalypse genre where the Zombie flu started usually in China as a flu and then morphs into the zombie disease
God Deals with Corona
god is having a crisis meeting
on the corona virus situation
on planet 679542099199
otherwise known as planet earth
in a minor corner
of the milky way
the deranged inhabitants
of the planet
somehow thought that GOD
created them in his image
and that they are his children
all of them
and that he listens to his prayers
god was so tired of dealing with humans
the most ornery stubborn stupid creatures
of all the millions of sentient beings
he had to deal with them
more than any one else
God created the world
but then let nature take its course
and sometimes things worked out
and sometimes they did not
and God just did not have the time
to deal with every little detail
of life on millions of planets
across the vast universe
His arch enemy Satan
banished to Hell’s prison
was always causing trouble
everywhere in the universe
and Satan also loved the mad
creatures on planet earth
what was god to do
he did not know
as he saw the death rates
increase and grim reaper’s
armies go to work
his courts will be filled
billions stuck in limbo
for centuries
just did not have enough
staff to do the work
God signed off the conference
and sighed again
thinking about the mad creatures
on the planet earth
hoping that they would pull it together
but knowing that he might have to intervene
and went back to his other business
enough of humans for one day
I wrote 269 poems this month, and 865 for the year to date. A record for me. It would be appropriate to include the first and last poems – both about my love-hate affair with my computer
Index
Every Day I Turn on My Computer Warming Up Writing Digest
Dear Microsoft
Evening Delights
Window of Love
Good-Bye
Howling at the Pink Super Moon in honor of the Pink Super Moon
Unanswered Questions
Bad Teeth Poem
American Dreams -Published in Your One Phone Call
Ode to Berkeley, Writer’s Digest Write a City Poem Prompt
Every Day I Turn on My Computer Warming Up Writing Digest
For today’s prompt, write a warm-up poem. The warm-up could be related to sports, like warming up before a baseball game or track race. Or it could be about a computer warming up, the weather warming up, or even a relationship warming up. I hope everyone is warmed up for some major poeming in April,
Every Day I Turn on My Computer Warming Up Writing Digest
Every day I turn
On my computer
And pray
That everything will work right
Usually, I encounter numerous errors
Non-response errors
Spinning blue balls
Computer thinking
How can I mess
With my master head errors
Refusing
To open documents
Mysterious haiku-like error messages
That makes sense only to computer geeks
From the planet Mars
Saying the file is open
And blocked for use
By the administrator
But I am the
Damn administrator!
And I did not block the document
Or can’t open the document
Due to a dialogue box
Close the dialogue box
To proceed
But there is no dialogue box
Just more lies
From my computer
Designed to drive me
Quite mad
So sad
So bad
Want to shoot my computer
Put it out of its mystery
Joining the other five dead
Computers in my house
Am I a computer serial killer?
Perhaps that is why
They refuse to work for me?
Are they afraid of me?
Sometimes they say
They can’t find the document
Which just kicked me out of
Five minutes ago
Or the computer says
It can’t save a document
With the name of an open document
But it had just saved the open document
Under the same name
Five minutes ago
Usually
After half an hour
These errors recede
But I often have to reboot
The computer
Giving it the old kick up the head
Of a stubborn mule treatment
Before it gets to the point
And gets to work
To give Microsoft some credit
These errors are less frequent
Down to 40% of the time
When I first open a document
Down from 90% error rates
Success in a way
I complained to Microsoft
Sent them a nice frown message
But I would be shocked
If they ever respond
Just not something
That they would do
Part of their “superior”
Listen to their customer
Friendly service
No doubt
Dear Microsoft
Evil Laptop Computer
Yesterday you achieved
An almost impossible feat
In 30 minutes
During 8 attempts
To unsuccessfully open word
I encountered errors each time
I attempted to open word
I was opening the documents
Using viewfinder
Each time viewfinder attempted
To open the document
Only to kick me out
I had to try an average of ten times
Before it would open a stable view
The worst was when
It took me 28 tries
Then when I opened word
I encountered non-response errors
Usually, five to ten
Waiting for an average of one to two minutes
Before word would respond
Before I could type a word or two
And when I did manage
That simple task
The screen froze
Finally, after spending 30 minutes
And writing five words
I rebooted my computer
And finally got
A stable connection
Congratulations Microsoft
For achieving a 100 percent
Error rate
Way to go!
Note: sent to Microsoft. I will be shocked if they respond! I Will update this if they do so,
Evening Delights Writer’s Digest pormpt- Write an Evening Poem
wine
My favorite time of day
Is early evening
Cocktail hour
When I sit down
To dinner
With my lovely wife
The love of my life
Either at home
Or at a restaurant
After our evening walk
As we eat dinner
We salute the end
Of the day
With a glass of wine
Or a cocktail
Or Soju
As the day fades
Into an evening
Filled with Love
Window of Love
loves at sunrise
Every morning
I step outside
Do my morning thing
While my wife
The love of my life
Sleeps peacefully
I look through the window
From the balcony herb garden
And watch her sleeping
My heart filling with love
As she sleeps away
The early morning
When she wakes up
She fills me
With the sunshine
Of her love
Driving my blues
Away
With the dawning sun
Good-Bye
To all those who
Have passed on
To another,
Hopefully better world
I say goodbye
So many people
Have died this year
From COVID
From Gun violence
From the aging
Of the baby boomer generation
Many musicians
Actors and writers
Have played their last songs
And we will remember them all
Walter Mondale VP, Ambassador, Good guy
Prince Philip ultimate husband
DMX great rapper
George Segal great actor
Vernon Jordan ultimate power player
Norman Jester the phantom tollbooth is closed
Lawrence Ferlinghetti One of my favorite writers
Chick Corea one of my favorite musicians
Mary Wilson just supreme
George Schultz my first big boss
Christopher Plummer the Actor
Larry King final interview
Hank Arron greatest baseball player ever
And so many others
Many will soon joins them
As the coronavirus marches on
and guns continue to kill thousands
I am 65 years old
And as I get older
I have had to say goodbye
To so many people
I am losing count
But I will miss them all
They live on in my memories
My father died in 1985
My mother in 2005
My sister in 2007
My friends have also passed on
My HS debate friend
Demel T died from AIDS
I lost my college roommate
Jon W
David C my Peace course
language student
I lost my visa line colleague
Paul S
I lost my second and third bosses
In the foreign service
Julian in a terrorist bombing
Ted H who I worked with twice
Dead of a heart attack
Chris my boss in Bangkok
Also dead from a heart attack
Judy my artistic friend
From Bombay days
And so many others
Have gone on
I only hope wherever they are
That they are thinking of me
As I think fondly of them
Howling at the Pink Super Moon (In honor of the Pink Super Moon)
On a moonlit late night
The Pink Supermoon
Casting a baleful light
On the world below
While inside
Sam Adams sat drinking
In a depraved bar
In a den of iniquity
In an evil part of the city
On the left side
Of society
Drinking up a storm
With his buddies
Johnny Walker, Jack Daniels
Jim Beam, and Mr. Evan
And Old Granddad looked on
Encouraging him to drink
One scotch, one bourbon, and one beer
He was just an unhinged lunatic
Dreaming of howling at the full moon
Watching the world walk by
Looking at all the fine-looking babes
Walking by the street
Thinking wild, erotic thoughts
Of endless wild libertine passions
He looked up
At the naked dancing ladies
Dancing up a storm
With an attitude
A Z tude
That could kill
When into the bar
Walked the most beautiful women
In the Universe
So wild, so free
So wonderfully alive
He did not know what to do
As this vision of delight
Sauntered through the bar
In skin-tight leather pants
Looked so fine
That his eyeballs hurt
Finally, he had to say something
He gathered up my manly courage
He walked up to her
She looked at him
Instantly bewitched his soul
With a devilish grin
He lost all reason
And became a raving lunatic
Unhinged lunatic
Under the lunatic light of the full moon
Of the blood-red lights of the moon
Full of wild passions
The lustful beast stirs again
And starts running and running
Howling at the moon
Riding into the new dawn
On a demented Harley Davis cycle
With two naked babes on his back
Riding into the moon
90 miles per second
At the speed of thought
He disappears into the lunatic light
Of the full Pink Super moon
Sam Adams woke up alone,
In his bed
The naked babes
Having disappeared
From his demented dreams
Saying,
“Man, that was quite a night
I better not go there again”
The wild beast
Laughs
He has heard that before
And joins him
In howling at the Pink moon
In the fading light
Of the lost last night
Of the newly damned
Unanswered Questions
I have so many questions to ask
First, how and why I dreamt
Of meeting my wife.
How did she haunt my dreams?
How did she come to life?
What was our past life like?
Why Do I fall in love with her every day?
What does love at first sight mean?
Why did that occur to me three times?
What does hate at first sight mean?
Also, three times in my life,
What does that mean?
What is this thing called love anyway?
Will we meet aliens in my lifetime?
Will I live to see humans on Mars?
Will I live long enough?
To walk on the moon.
When will we develop new body parts?
When can I get new teeth?
Finally, when I die
Will there be a heaven or hell?
What will my judgment be?
Finally, will people remember
Me after I die?
This is the fifth and perhaps final time I am doing the April poetry challenge. The goal is to write at least one poem per day. I am averaging about eight per day and posting four reserving four as “unpublished”. I am basing the poems on prompts from “Writing com Dew Drop Inn”, “Writers Digest”, “Poetry Superhighway” and “NaPoWrMo” prompt daily prompts and on “Pensively Prompt’ et all daily prompts. I am combining prompts where possible. I will post these here in batches every five days or so. Each poem will have an image that helped inspired the poem. All postings will be podcasted a few days later on Spotify and elsewhere. Each posting will be a separate posting, but the index will be cumulative. The final posting will have the complete list of all poems written whether posted or not. Comments welcome but please keep it civil. Some of my poetry tends to be a bit “in your face” or “political” from a “leftwing perspective.”
If it offends you in some way, please accept my apologies in advance. That is never my intent.
I am writing some other poems per day but not posting them as I need to reserve some “unpublished” poems. There will be a podcast version shortly on Spotify, Public Radio, and elsewhere.
These are my poems from April 25 to April 30.
Pre-April Writer’s Digest Warm-Up Poems
Let’s Resolve Writer’s Digest Prompt Resolutions
There Are Many Moments Spirit of The Stairs Moments-Writer’s Digest Prompt, Writer’s Digest
Old Man Reflects Upon Universal Truth, Writer’s Digest Prompt
Almost Died 22 Times Writer’s Digest Cheating Death
Thursday, April 1, 2021
Posted
Coffee Pot Blues Poetry Superhighway Prompt
Who Is Jake Cosmos Aller? Writer’s Digest
Good Golly, Miss Molly Writing com Drew Drop Inn
Sam Adams Woke Up Dead NaPoWrMo
Not Posted
Cat Thoughts – Pensively
Gingerbread Men Christmas
Demons Invade My Head, Pensively
Angry, Fierce, Deranged, Unpalatable Wild Things Wild Things
3 Am Blues Nightmares
Marjorie Taylor Green on Vaccines as Mark of The Beast Found Poem
Orange country Shooting Fridge
Friday, April 2, 2021
Posted
Stranded on Mars PSH SF
Falling in Love with My Dream Woman, Roads Not Taken NaPoWrMo
April 2—Voila! (Remember Something in A Short Lyric Burst) Drew Drop-In Writing Com
Love at First Sight
The Future Is Here Writer’s Digest
Not Posted
Avoid Bad Things Pensively Bad Things
The White Rabit Bekons Sam Adams
We Should Avoid Bad Things
Who Cares?
Saturday, April 3, 2021
Posted
Life as a Retired Expat in Korea PSH
Modern Connections Writer’s Digest Communication
Modern Connections Writers Digest
Surprise Haiku Writing Com Dew Drop Inn
Personal Universe Deck Superman on Mars NaPoWrMo Cross-Post Writer’s Digest April 4th! NaPoWrMo
Cat People Cross-Post Weather Poem Writing Com Dew Drop Inn
Not Posted
Cats They Offer Pensively
Tucked in Eating Dinner Pensively
Georgia Voting Bill Fridge
Cat Conference
Sunday, April 4, 2021
Posted
Error Poem Errors in My Life Pensively Homophone Set Homophone
Little Houses on The Hill-Side NaPoWrMo
Not Posted
Life Fair? Pensively Meaning of Life
The Din of The News Pensively
April 5
Posted
First Time I Saw Her Writer’s Digest Love at First Sight
Not Alone NaPoWrMo
Potential Mistake Writing Com Dew Drop Inn
Not Posted
Slogans for Chonnam’s Kombucha
Future Adventure Looms Pensively
Sam Adams Had A Bad Day Pensively
How Many Angels Can Dance on A Pin?
Swanky Meddlesome Fridge Music
Bad Product Design Bad Product Design
April 6
Posted
Only One Command in Life Writing Com Dew Drop Inn
Writing Com Dew Drop Inn and PSH Mythical Animal – Conversation with Bigfoot Cross Post PSH
It is true I am a Madman! NaPoWrMo
The One Thing I Would Never Change Writer’s Digest Change, Don’t Change Poem Prompt Change the One The Poetry of the Visa Line Poetry Superhighway Prompt Consular
Not Posted
Women contemplating post-Covid travel Pensively
Sam Adams Nightmare Pensively
April 7
Posted
Villains Whose Name Will Not Be Spoken Writer’s Digest
COffee Shadorma NaPoWrMo
Coffee Fib NaPoWrMo
Not Posted
Korean Restaurant
Ghosts Pensively
Taking in the Morning’s Crisp Springtime Breeze Pensively
Bah, Warriors Off Fridge
Visions of the Future – Republican Led Christian States of America Political
April 8
Posted
A Poem Based on a Typo or Misreading Writing Com Dew Drop Inn Typo
Real Meaning of Declaration of Independence PSH
Not Posted
Memories of the Past Haunt Me today Memories
Tri Fall Early morning Sunshine Tri-Fall Poem Writing Com Poets Corner
Things Settled Down, Then…. Writing com prompt, prose poem
Their Love Began Pensively
More Guns Diminished Hexaverse Writing Com Poetry Corner
Combative Cantankerous Fridge
April 9
Posted
Cosmos Woke Up A.I. Poem Writing Com Dew Drop Inn Bad Robot
Not Posted
The Adventures Began Pensively
The Voyagers Were a Bit Absorbed Fridge
April 10
Posted
We are Living in SF World
Life is a Dream of Chocolate Covered Trees Writer’s Digest
Memories of JC Write About an Eccentric Character PSH
Mary’s Tales from the Grave NaPoWrMo Ghosts
God’s to Do List NaPoWrMo
Not Posted
Imprisoned for a Crime He Did Not Do Pensively
They Both Giggled All the Time Pensively
It Only Takes A Little Bit of Lace to Ruin A Marriage, Pensively
Raining Verbal words Pensively
Coffee Obsession Pensively
What is Love? Writing Com Poets Corner Lai
Tucker Carlson Fridge
April 11
Posted
Get Your Shot Writer’s Digest COVID
I’d Rather Lazy Afternoon PSH
More Trouble Every Day, While Looking for My Car Keys NaPoWrMo
Not Posted
There was a big Fuss Pensively
Freedom Looms Pensively
There are Signs All Around Us Pensively Revelations
Mischievous, Romantic, Heterosexual, Fridge
April 12
Posted
Poem with Transgression in Form and Content Writing Com Dew Drop Inn Transgressions
Every Morning Cherita PSH Cherita
Prime Number Love Writers Digest
Letters to Frank Zappa NaPoWrMo
Not Posted
Just Another Black Dude Pulled Over Driving While Black BLM
The Earth Abides Much Pensively Earth
BHS Rocks on Music
The Dude Abides for Now Dude
April 13
Posted
Coffee Obsession Pensively, —Excess or Obsession Writing Com Dew Drop Inn Coffee
Not Posted
Spaceship Buried in The Snow, Deep in The Mountains Writing Com SF
Snobby, Frantic, Sorority Sister Fridge
April 14
Posted
Great Dismal Dark Play Writer’s Digest Sestina
Superman on His Morning Patrol PSH
Tower of Babel Past and Future NaPoWrMo Time Travel
Not Posted
Just Another Day in the Land of the Free Guns
April 15
Posted
The Robots are Coming Writing Com Dew Drop Inn Robots
The Mountains of My Love Describe Yourself as Landscape Writing Com Dew Drop Inn
Not Posted
Fake Things All Around Me Fake Things
Three Tea Haiku for Teaku Competition Haiku
April Madness 2021
Welcome to My World, Pilgrim Writing Com Grim Reaper
Well, Hey, Big J and J Vaccine Fridge
April 16
Posted
The Wit and Wisdom of Mary Geneva Aldridge Aller -“There’s Method in Her Madness” dedicated to my mother who passed on July 31, 2005.
Lucky/Lucky Poem Writer’s Digest Lucky
Headlines I’d Love to See NaPoWrMo News
Narnia Beckons PSH
My Home Office Writer’s Digest Home
Cosmos Aller NaPoWrMo Bio
Not Posted
Impromptu Pensively
Sam Adams Grew Up Poor
Ecstatic Feelings Pensively
Appealing Award
Transporting the Stone
Dignified, Walking by the Sea
Traveling Down the Road
Sam Adams Three Wishes Pensively
April 17
Posted
Caregiving In this Day and Age Writing Com Dew Drop Inn
Dinosaur Story Writer’s Digest
Coffee Cup Dreams PSH
Coffee Inheritance NaPoWrMo
Not Posted
Teacup Dictionary Poem Writing com
Foxy, Girlish, Fridge
Huffing and Puffing Pensively
Words Fail Me Pensively
My Transport Awaits Pensively
Swank, Individualized Fridge
Broken Down Souls Pensively
All Abide
FedEx Shooting Indianapolis Fridge
April 18
Posted
Morning Rituals PSH Morning
Ode to Berkeley City Poem Writers
Met My Fate That Date Skeltonic Poem NaPoWrMo
Not Posted
Mash Pensively Food
We Talk All Day Same but Different
Our Wealth is Our Health Pensively Wealth
Uprecedented FedEx Shooting Indianapolis Fridge
April 19
Posted
Tree of Life Writing Com Dew Drop Inn
There is No Such Place Writing Com Do Drop-in
Waiting for the End Writer’s Digest
Life-Changing Dream PSH Dream Girl
Unhinged Lunatic howling at the Moon
Howling at the Moon
Pink Super Moon Inspires Lunanacy
Not Posted
Ann Coulter is a disgusting depraved Piece of work – a found poem
Dealbreakers Pensively Prompt Relationships
Uncanny 39 Words Poem Pensively
Power Goes Out Pensively Prompt
April 20
Posted
Sounds Writing Com Do Dew Drop Inn
Writer’s Digest When Sam Adams Met God, An Ekphrastic Challenge Writer’s Digest
Eating Live Octopus in Korea in 1979 A Menu Poem PSH Food
Dream Sense NaPoWrMo Dreams
Not Posted
As I Kiss Her All Over Pensively
As I sit on Furniture Pensively
Snarling Cup of Coffee Writing com Poetry Corner
April 21
Posted
Writing Com Do Drop Inn 65 Years —acting your age (or not!)
If the Moon Could Tap Dance PSH Lunatic
Anti-vapers, anti-masks and other covid Idiots Poetic Rants NaPoWrMo
Cats are Aliens Writer Digest
Not Posted
Canned Foods Delights Pensively
Sometimes I left it
Dinner for Two at Country Inn
April 22
Posted
A Million Ways to Say I Love You Writer’s Digest Love
An Angel in My View the Backflip Poetry Prompt: Imagination’s Reversal Strategy PSH Reversal
On That Date NaPoWrMo Sijo 1
Not Posted
Justice at Last – Take That Ann Coulter
Life as an Ant SF
April 23
Posted
Poem based on a question Writing Com Dew Drop Inn Love
Uncle Sam Wants You
Make Love to Me as We Used to Writers Digest
My Life Began NaPoWrMo
Not Posted
Two Lovers Walking in the Evening Light Writing Com – Other Prompt, Revised Stormy Lady Prompt Rain
Eagle Soaring Above Her Secret Nest, Revised Stormy Lady Prompt, Writing Com Eagle
A Kind of Madness Pensively
It was Different Pensively
Blue Lights, Pink Lights Light Up the Night Sky Pensively
A Young Blond Woman
April 24
Posted
Met My Fate That Date Free will (or not?!) Writing Com Dew Drop Inn Fate
When I Was A Young Man, She Came to Me When I Was A Young Man, She Came to Me Shakespearean Sonnet About Shakespearean Sonnet PSH Shakespeare
Ode to Kimchi NaPoWrMo
Not Posted
The Grim Reaper Gathers His Posse Writing Com Dark Dreamscapes Grim Reaper
Visiting Mother’s Grave Pensively Ghosts
Visiting Father’s Grave Pensively
A Serene morning
Late for a Date
Philosophical Musings Black Out Poem with Commentary
Tucker Carlson Says that Dereck Chauvin Verdict Seals Devil’s Bargain Between America and BLM
Frank’s Launch Flames Out Black Out Poem
April 25
Posted
Romeo And Juliet Fantasy Love Poem based on a play (It’s Shakespeare’s birthday, but any play!) Appointment with the Grim Reaper Appointment Poem Writer’s Digest Grim Reaper
Blue Blues PSH the Blues
Not Alone – response to Alone by Edgar Allen Poe
Not Posted
Coffee Ziggurat Writer’s Digest Poets Corner
Affordable Travel Pensively
Left Options on the Table Pensively
The Rat Ran and He Chased Pensively
Wild Animals in Korea
Beware of Fire Season Writer’s Digest Poets Corner
Rainy Days Just God’s Tears Writer’s Digest Poets Corner
April 26
Posted
Watching Movies with Subtitles Writing Com Dew Drop Inn Movies
Wild Animals in Korea NaPoWrMo
If China had Discovered Europe Writing Com Dew Drop Inn
Not Posted
Restless 19 words Pensively
Spies snoop Opp – Loop Rhyme Pensively Rhyme
Gone in The Moment Pensively
Serene Thoughts in The Air Pensively
American Dreams Consular
April 27
Posted
Morning Thoughts Writers Digest
To Those Who Have Gone on PSH
Occasional Poem Advice to Those Getting Married NaPoWrMo
The Night of the Affair with A Shape-Shifting Alien PSH SF
Itty Bitty Bio Writing Com Dew Drop Inn Bio
Parody of Alone Writers Digest Edgar Allen Poe
Cosmos’s World Writer Digest Bio
Not Posted
Reasons for Admission
Around the World, Pensively
Writing Com, A Culinary Disaster?
Lonely Farm Pensively
Italian Ancestry Based on internet usings by William Walton
The Kindness of Her Love Pensively
April 28
Posted
Why I Don’t Believe in Christianity
Rafting at The End of The World PSH End of The World
Wytai Blues – Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows NaPoWrMo
Florida School Fires Vaccinated Teachers NaPoWrMo Florida
Not Posted
Writing Com First Trip to Korea
Political Rants
Giving Way to Passion Pensively
JC’s Descent into Madness Define Insanity Pensively Insanity
Bad Teeth Poem Bad Teeth Bad Body Poems
Bad Ears Poem Bad Body Poems
My Father’s Bad Ear and Eyes Body Parts
Bad Eyes Poem Body Parts
Bad Hair Bad Hair
Bad Nose Poem Body Parts
Bad Feet Feet
Angela Superpowers Poem
The Lonely Lighthouse Stands Guard Over Empty World Lighthouse Photo Pensively End of the world
Which Would You Rather Throw Away: Love or Money? Pensively Love
Which Would You Rather Throw Away: Love or Money? Pensively Money
Tight-Lippy One Leg Women Pensively Terrorist Victim
Wednesday, April 28
Posted
Hump Day Writing Com Dew Drop Inn
Remix Howling at the Pink Super Moon Writing Digest
Left Hands Blues PSH Left Hand
NaPoWrMo Unanswered Questions
Not Posted
Winter Dreams of Barbados, Pensively
Joy in Morning Sun Sunrise
April 29
Posted
Rain Writing Com Dew Drop Inn
Evening Delights Writer’s Digest Evening
Kombucha Glass PSH
The Window of Love NaPoWrMo
Not Posted
Sam Adams Sees Death All Around Pensively
The Pink Super Moon Pensively
I Met My Fate That Date Dream Writing Com Poets Corner
A Witch, A Zombie, Ghost and Elvis, and Witch
Bad Rabbit Runs from Wolves
Life in Rocky and Bullwinkle Universe Rocky and Bullwinkle Show
April 30
Posted
Catharsis Writing Com Dew Drop Inn
Goodbye Writer Digest
Reimagine Your Days
Directions to Narnia NaPoWrMo
Not Posted
Hamper My Fears Pensively
Lonely Lake at The End of The World Pensively End of The World
Birds Flying Over Dead City
Another Letter to Microsoft
Fridge Shy Matt Gaetz Cheers Lady Gaga
Poetry Counts for 2021
Total YTD 860 as of May 2, 2021
January 180 7 per day
February 200 7 per day
March 206 7 per day
April 269 9 per day
May 3
If I continue at this pace, I will have over 3,000 new poems by the end of the
year. I will be editing all my poetry and post a total count to date by the end of the year.
Begin Poems
April 25
Appoitment With the Grim Reaper Writer’s Digest
For today’s prompt, write an appointment poem. My first thoughts with appointments conjure up visions of doctors, dentists, and parent-teacher conferences. But there are also business meetings and romantic dates. For the most part, people are very appointment-centric, because it gives people a reason and opportunity to come together (kind of like my annual appointment to poem daily on this site).
Appointment with the Grim Reaper
Sam Adams
One day received a summons
From the Grim Reaper
The note read
“Your appointment
For final status determination (FSD)
Is confirmed for midnight Saturday
A driver
Will come for you
Be prepared
Be Afriad
Tell no one
This appointment is high
Q level classified.”
Discourser to non-authorized people
Will be severely punished
Sam got up at 11:30
And waited for the courier
While his wife slept
There was a knock on the door
He went out
The courier was dressed
In a black uniform
But did not look entirely human
He had a blank face
No hair
And horns on his head
He said
I am your driver today
After your hearing
I will drive you
Either to Hell,
Or to heaven
Or back here
If you are given a reprieve
Of your FSD
They drove off
In his black SUV
The plates read, 666 hell
They drove through the night
Entered highway 666
The road to Hell
They soon entered
A dark forbidding forest
The road ended
They got out
And walked
Found themselves
In a large field
They walked
To a large black tent
A demon attendant
Barked
Name and DOB
Sam Adams
10-30-195
The demon waved
a hand held device
over his head
said
You have an appointment
With Mr. GR himself
Proceed to door number 2
For your FSD
Good luck
He entered the room
Mr. GR dressed in black
Wearing cool Ray-ban glasses
Looked up from his computer
Sam Adams
He growled
You have been given a reprieve
From Hell
For five years
Your next FSD will be final
Probably Hell but maybe Heaven
That decision is beyond my pay grade
You may go back home
My driver will drive you
Go!
The driver took him home
He went to bed
Woke up convinced
It was all a dream
Later that day
A letter arrived
Appointment with Mr. GR
For final status determination (FSD)
Has been confirmed for
Five years from today’s date
We advise you to get
Your affairs in order
Do the right Thing
There is no appeal
From the final FSD
PSH Blue Blues
Use color to spark your imagination. For starters, I suggest you brainstorm /green/! Consider green with envy; green around the gills; green grass of home; eco-green; and finally, all the myriad shades of green in the landscape. Use the word /green/ in your poem or imply it through your word choices. If you don’t care for green, try another color that adds poetry to the rainbow!
Here’s an example that is both implicit and explicit based upon green: a traditional 5/7/5 Haiku: Shamrocks greening now/after winter dormancy/one white bloom for luck.
Blue Blues
Once in a while
I wake up
Feeling the blues
Singing the blues
Being the blues
Then I lookout
At the bright blue sky
And the dawning sun
And at my wife
Wearing a blue shirt
And blue jeans
She smiles
The blues fly out the window
Joining the Blue sky
I go for a walk
As the fog of blues fade
Away in the morning sun
Not Alone – Response to Alone by Edgar Allen Poe NaPoWrMo
Today, I’d like to challenge you to write a poem that responds, in some way, to another. This could be as simple as using a line or image from another poem as a jumping-off point, or it could be a more formal poetic response to the argument or ideas raised in another poem. You might use a favorite (or least favorite poem) as the source for your response. And if you’re having trouble finding a poem to respond to, here are a few that might help you generate ideas: “This World is Not Conclusion,” by Peter Gizzi, “In That Other Fantasy Where We Live Forever,” by Wanda Coleman, “La Chalupa, the Boat,” by Jean Valentine, or “Aubade: Some Peaches, After Storm,” by Carl Phillips.
Not Alone – Response to Alone by Edgar Allen Poe
Sam Adams
Was a bit of a loner
Lost in his inner world
Filled with dreams
Nightmares
Poetic fragments
Short story ideas
Always felt like he was living
he Edgar Allen Poe poem,
“Alone
From childhood’s hour, I have not been
As others were—I have not seen
As others saw—I could not bring
My passions from a common spring—
From the same source, I have not taken
My sorrow—I could not awaken
My heart to joy at the same tone—
And all I loved—I loved alone—
Then—in my childhood—in the dawn
Of a most stormy life—was drawn
From every depth of good and ill
The mystery which binds me still—
From the torrent, or the fountain—
From the red cliff of the mountain—
From the sun that ‘round me roll’s
In its autumn tint of gold—
From the lightning in the sky
As it passed me flying by—
From the thunder, and the storm—
And the cloud that took the form
(When the rest of Heaven was blue)
Of a demon in my view—”
But then one day
He met the girl
Of his dreams
She walked off a bus
Into his life
Became his wife
And he was alone
No more
When I was a young man, she came to me, Sonnet about a Shakespeare Sonnet PSH
When I was a young man, she came to me
When I was a young man, she came to me
She came to me one day while I dreamed
I met my fate that date, our love came to be
I saw her there, who are you I screamed?
She just smiled, filling my heart with love
I did not know what I should do or say
As she entered my life, became my wife
I will never forget for on that day
When she walked off that bus became real
I saw here there standing love in her eyes
I did not know what right then I should feel
I looked at her my heart began to rise
Just like in a famous Shakespeare poem
My heart began just like a poet
April 26
Morning Thoughts Writers Digest
For today’s prompt, write a thoughtful poem. Of course, my first thought (maybe like yours) is, “Aren’t all poems thought poems?” Well, I guess, but I’m thinking of a poem that captures a thought or random ramblings running ’round your cranium. It doesn’t have to be a rambling poem, but that’s one thing. Another possibility is having two people share their thoughts and/or NOT share them. Think about it a moment, and then unleash your thought poem.
Morning Thoughts
Every morning
I sit and think
Deep thoughts
Writing down my dreams
My hopes, my fears
My nightmares
But more important
Than anything
I record my happy thoughts
Of my life
With the love of life
My wife
Those Who Have Gone On PSH
Consider writing a poem to or about someone who has died or is no longer in your life. This could be in the form of a letter, a description of the person, a list of things you miss about the person, or just tell them about your day. Show emotion through concrete objects and actions. Try not to tell. I look forward to reading your words.
To Those Who Have Gone On
I am 65 years old
And as I get older
I recall with fondness
All those who have gone on
So many people
Have passed on
To the other lands
Leaving us with their memories
My father died in 1985
My mother in 2005
My sister in 2007
My friends have also passed on
My HS debate friend
Demel T died from AIDS
I lost my college roommate
Jon W
David C my Peace course
Language student
I lost my visa line colleague
Paul S
I lost my second and third bosses
In the foreign service
Julian in a terrorist bombing
Ted H who I worked with twice
Dead of a heart attack
Chris my boss in Bangkok
Also, dead from a heart attack
Judy my artistic friend
From Bombay days
And so many others
Have gone on
I only hope wherever they are
That they are thinking of me
As I think fondly of them
Advice to Those Getting Married An Occasion Poem NaPoWrMo
Our prompt for today (optional, as always) is to write an “occasional” poem. What’s that? Well, it’s a poem suited to, or written for, a particular occasion. This past January, lots of people who usually don’t encounter poetry got a dose when Amanda Gorman read a poem at President Biden’s inauguration. And then she followed it up with a poem at the Superbowl (not traditionally an event associated with verse!) The poem you write can be for an occasion in the past or the future, one important to you and your family (a wedding, a birth), or for an occasion in the public eye (the Olympics, perhaps?).
Advice to Those Getting Married
Often when I go to a wedding
I am asked for some advice
To pass on to the newlyweds
Advice, words of wisdom
Based on my almost 40 years
Of being a happily married man
What can I say to them?
I don’t know the answer
Other than this
The most important thing
For a married man to realize is this
There are two rules of marriage
Rule number one
Your wife is always right
Rule number two
See rule number one
That advice has worked
For me for almost 40 years
Manifestations of deep love, such profound thoughts all around me
Dreaming dark dreams, of other worlds, filled with a deep love
I see it, all around my heart, manifestations of my love
Corona Sijo
corona
Coronavirus fears erupt, all around us, fear stalking us
All around us dark fears, fears of the end, end of the world
Death stalking, filling the world, filling it with fear, death is near
General corona unleashes his viral army, on the world
Everyone is afraid, nonsense in the media, antivacers lie
People don’t wear masks, masks that would save their foolish lives
Why I Don’t Believe in Christianity
On Easter Sunday,
I often think about Christianity
I don’t understand why anymore
would believe such nonsense
The essential story makes no sense
An imaginary all-powerful deity
that no one has ever seen or heard
Except for psychotic patients or drug users
Comes down to earth
and impregnates a married woman
Who has never had sex for some reason?
And her husband
Is okay with that
Believes her wild story
And still does not have sex
Until after the baby is born
Then there is total silence
Nothing about Jesus’s childhood
30 years later he emerges
Preaching love, peace, and brotherhood
And denouncing the corrupt temple leaders
and the Jewish leaders as well
The miracles
Also, don’t make any sense
In the real world,
You can’t turn fish into bread
Can’t walk on water
Can’t raise the dead etc. Etc.
Just does not happen
In the world, we live in
And has not happened
since those ancient days
Then the last supper makes some sense
Jesus knows he is about to be betrayed
But he does not confront Judas
Does not run away
Does not encourage his disciples
To run away with him
The whole Jesus Mary M
Story also does not make sense
Jesus must have been married
Or he was gay
There is no doubt
Either way,
The story makes no sense
The crucifixion
Is it the only part
of the story I buy
Jesus was put to death
Because he was a rebel leader
And the Romans tolerated no dissent
To the Roman’s right to conquer and rule
The rising from the dead stories
All contradict one another
And Jesus was either walking
As a normal human being
Or was a ghost
The door was rent open
As if by lightening
Or not
Finally, we have been waiting
Over 2,000 years for his return
You would think
If the story is remotely true
He would have turned up by now
Except he has
As many lunatics
Claim to be Jesus
In the flesh
Including my college housemate
Who after taking too much LSD
Proclaimed he was the messiah
Come back to earth
To save us all
From Impending doom
All delusional of course
and that is what I think of Christianity
nothing but fairy tales
and mass delusions
surrounding a kernel of truth
Love each other
Treat each other right
Don’t be consumed with greed
but couldn’t that message be made simpler
Without all the associated nonsense?
So, on this day I say
Open your minds
And discard the nonsensical
Elements of Christian thought
And follow the true teachings of Jesus
Even if you don’t believe
in the imaginary man in the sky
Rafting at The End of The World End of The World
Use the Fritz Perl’s-inspired -analysis technique of setting an empty chair beside your chair; mentally put your poem topic (or a dream you want to both analyze and write a poem about) into the other chair and ask it questions. To answer the question, get up out of your chair and move over to the other chair and answer it as your topic or as your dream. While you are in the second chair if you just let what wants to come out of your mouth come out, the second chair, that will probably be your subconscious mind talking to you.
Based this on a recent dream yesterday, or tonight
Rafting at the End of the World
One day Sam Adams
Woke up and found
His bed had been transformed
Into a raft
And they were being swept away
Down a flooded river
after a great flood
had destroyed the city.
The raft floats down
a river filled with broken-down buildings,
Dead bodies, dead cats, and dead dogs
and debris all over.
Sam Adams looks up
At the distant banks
On the left bank
He sees wolf-like creatures prowling
about looking to eat any survivors.
On the right side
There are alien creatures
in silver space suits
shooting at any survivors
The raft is careening
Out of control
Towards a huge cataract
Of impending doom
April 27
Florida School Fires Vaccinated Teachers NaPoWrMo Florida
Cops Open Fire on a Black Man Sitting in His Car in his Driveway
In today’s (optional) prompt, I’d like to challenge you to write a poem inspired by an entry from the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows. The entries are very vivid – maybe too vivid! But perhaps one of the sorrows will strike a chord with you or even get you thinking about defining an in-between, minor, haunting feeling that you have, and that does not yet have a name.
n. a feature of modern society that suddenly strikes you as absurd and grotesque—from zoos and milk-drinking to organ transplants, life insurance, and fiction—part of the faint background noise of absurdity that reverberates from the moment our ancestors first crawled out of the slime but could not for the life of them remember what they got up to do.
Random Wytai Moments
Florida School Fires Vaccinated Teachers
In Florida, a private school
Going out all anti-COVID Vaccine
Has banned teachers who are vaccinated
What’s next banning masks
Declaring COVID a hoax
As part of their school policy?
Tucker Carlos Forcing Children to Wear Mask is Criminal Child Abuse
Tucker Carlson
Tucker Carlson says Cops should be called to prevent mask child abuse
Really? Tucker?
That is what the police should be doing?
Forcing a child to wear a mask
To protect themselves and others
Is now felony child abuse?
Cops Open Fire on a Black Man Sitting in His Car in his Driveway
Five Cops converge on a black man
Who is sitting in his car
With his hands on the steering wheel
waiting for them
To come up to tell him
Why he was pulled over
Instead of approaching the vehicle
To talk to him
they do not say a word
They open fire
Shooting 40 shots
His crime
Alleged drug dealing
History of running away from the cops
But his real crime?
Who knows?
Other than driving while black
When will this madness end?
April 28
Hump Day Writing Com Dew Drop Inn Time
Half the week is done
Halfway to the end
Another week in paradise
With the love of my life
By my side
Remix Howling at the Pink Super Moon Writing Digest
For today’s prompt, write a remix poem. This has become one of my favorite prompts because it asks us to look over what we’ve written this month and pick something (or many somethings) to poem out in a new way. Maybe your free verse becomes a sonnet, or your sestina transforms into haiku. Or take a line or phrase from each of your poems this month and work it into a cohesive new creation.
Howling at the Pink Super Moon
On a moonlit late night
The Pink Supermoon
Casts a baleful light
On the world below
While inside
Sam Adams sat drinking
In a depraved bar
In a den of iniquity
In an evil part of the city
On the left side
Of society
Drinking up a storm
With his buddies
Johnny Walker, Jack Daniels
Jim Beam, and Mr. Evan
And Old Granddad looked on
His buddies Encouraging him to drink
One scotch, one bourbon, and one beer
He was just an unhinged lunatic
Dreaming of howling at the full moon
Watching the world walk by
Looking at all the fine-looking babes
Walking by the street
Thinking wild, erotic thoughts
Of endless wild libertine passions
He looked up
At the naked dancing ladies
Dancing up a storm
With an attitude
A Z tude
That could kill
An elephant in heat
When into the bar
on the highway to hell
Walked the most beautiful women
In the Universe
So wild, so free
So wonderfully alive
He did not know what to do
As this vision of carnal delight
Sauntered through the bar
In skin-tight leather pants
Looked so fine
That his eyeballs hurt
Finally, he had to say something
he gathered up my manly courage
He walked up to her
She looked at him
Instantly bewitched his soul
With a devilish grin
He lost all reason
And became a raving lunatic
Unhinged lunatic
Under the lunatic light
Of the full Pink Supermoon
Of the blood-red lights of the moon
Full of wild passions
The lustful beast stirs again
And starts running and running
Howling at the moon
Riding into the new dawn
On a demented Harley Davis cycle
With two naked babes on his back
Riding into the Moon
90 miles per second
At the speed of thought
He disappears into the lunatic light
Of the full moon
Sam Adams woke up alone,
In his bed
The naked babes
Having disappeared
with all of his money
as his wallet was gone
He woke up from
From his demented dreams
Saying,
“Man, that was quite a night
I better not go there again”
The wild beast
Laughs
He has heard that before
And joins Sam
In howling at the moon
In the fading light
Of the lost night
of the newly damned
Source poems
Howling at the Moon
On a moonlit late night
I sat in a bar
Drinking drams of demented, fermented dream dew
Just an unhinged lunatic
Dreaming of howling at the full moon
Watching the world walk by
Looking at all the fine-looking babes
Walking by the street
Thinking wild, erotic thoughts
Of endless wild libertine passions
When into the bar
Walked the most beautiful women
In the Universe
So wild, so free
So wonderfully alive
I did not know what to do
As this vision of delight
Sauntered through the bar
In skin-tight leather pants
Looked so fine
That my eyeballs hurt
Finally, I had to say something
I gathered up my manly courage
I walked up to her
She looked at me
Instantly bewitched my soul
With a devilish grin
I lost all reason
And became a raving lunatic
Unhinged lunatic
Howling at the moon
Foaming at the mouth
A wild, free werewolf
Howling at the lunatic light
Of the full Moon
I stood outside
Between the trees
In a field
On the outside of town
Beneath the lunatic rays
Of the blood-red full moon
The lunatic lights of the moon
Casts a wild primeval glow
On me
The hormonal chemicals are unleashed
The wild beast within
Escapes it chain
And I howl with delight
A werewolf
Free at last
To run amuck
Free of its civilized restrains
Throwing off its clothes
Stripping naked
Running wild
Naked and free
A wild man
Enjoying his freedom
As I sit
Under the lunatic light of the full moon
Of the blood-red lights of the moon
Full of wild passions
The lustful beast stirs again
And starts running and running
Howling at the moon
Riding into the new dawn
On a demented Harley Davis cycle
With two naked babes on his back
Riding into the moon
90 miles per second
At the speed of thought
He disappears
into the lunatic light
Of the full moon
And I wake up
Alone,
In my bed
Saying,
man, that was quite a night
I better not go there again
The wild beast
Laughs
He has heard that before
And I join him
In howling at the moon
The Pink Moon Inspires Lunacy
On a moonlit night
The Pink moon
Shone casting a baleful light
On the world below
A man sat drinking
In a depraved bar
In an evil part of the city
Drinking up a storm
With his buddies
Johnny Walker, Jack Daniels
Jim Beam, and Mr. Evan
And Old Granddad looked on
Encouraging him to drink
One scotch, one bourbon, and one beer
He looked up
At the naked dancing ladies
Dancing up a storm
With an attitude
A Z tude
That could kill
He stood up
Stepped outside
And howled
At the Pink Moon
Who smiled at him
Left Hands Blues
Write a poem using your nondominant hand using “My head is a..” as your first line of the poem.
Left Hands Blues
My head hurts
As I type these words
Using my left hand
Reflecting upon my past
As a child
Forced to write
With my right hand
Even though
I was Left-handed
NaPoWrMo Unanswered Questions
Our prompt today (optional, as always), is to write a poem that poses a series of questions. The questions could be a mix of the serious (“What is the meaning of life?”) and humorous (“What’s the deal with cats knocking things off tables?”), the interruptive (“Could you repeat that?”) and the conversational (“Are those peanuts? Can I have some?”). You can choose to answer them – or just let the questions keep building up, creating a poem that asks the reader to come up with their answer
Unanswered Questions
I have so many questions to ask
First how and why I dreamt
Of meeting my wife.
How did she haunt my dreams?
How did she come to life?
What was our past life like?
Why Do I fall in love with her every day?
What does love at first sight mean?
Why did that occur to me three times?
What does hate at first sight mean?
Also, three times in my life,
what does that mean?
What is this thing called love anyway?
Will we meet aliens in my lifetime?
Will I live to see humans on Mars?
Will I live long enough?
to walk on the moon.
When will we develop new body parts?
When can I get new teeth?
Finally, when I die
will there be a heaven or hell?
What will my judgment be?
Finally, will people remember me after I die?
April 29
Rain Writing Com Dew Drop Inn
rain falling
Rain
Are God’s tears
Crying over the mess
His creatures
Made of his creation
Evening Delights Writer Digest Evening
For today’s prompt, write an evening poem. The evening can be a quiet and contemplative time, a stressed or fearful time, or, well, party time. Evenings can be lonely or romantic, cool, or humid, inspirational, or numbing. And today (or tonight, depending on when you consume your poetry prompts), the evening is the time for poeming–even if you’re doing it in the middle of the afternoon.
Evening Delights
wine
My favorite time of day
Is early evening
Cocktail hour
When I sit down
To dinner
With my lovely wife
The love of my life
Either at home
Or at a restaurant
After our evening walk
As we eat dinner
We salute the end
Of the day
With a glass of wine
Or a cocktail
Or Soju
As the day fades
Into an evening
Filled with Love
Kombucha Glass PSH Kombucha
This prompt is inspired by 1.) the moment in The Octopus Teacher when she attaches herself to his chest and he muses about not knowing it would be the last time they made contact. (hmmm, like what would he do differently if he knew?) And 2.) the difference between straight descriptive/instructive language (like directions for Microsoft) and the sublime, artistic language of tenderness.
First you have to see the movie. Highly recommended for all sentient beings anyway, so I don’t feel bad about the added homework. You will thank me if you haven’t seen it. I promise. If you have, you will surely remember this stunning moment in the film. Feel into its tenderness and gentle communication. Recall tenderness in different parts of your body. Its scent and texture, colors, and sensation. Look around your writing area and select an item that holds a feeling of tenderness, or gentleness, either because of the way it is used or with whom you associate it. Write two… three to four-minute free writes. The first is simply, a perfunctory, clinical, if you will, description of the item you selected. The second is a treatise on its tenderness, in the voice of the object.Finally your mission, should you decide to accept it….is to write a poem that takes the material from both free writes and shuffles them together to make a single poem. How would you communicate if you knew it would be the last communication remembered forever? That said, I wish you communications you will always want to be remembered by. After all, we know how significant the last line of any poem is to its entire experience.
You may change tenses or syntax if necessary, in the final poem. And you may eliminate anything that no longer fits…. but trust that everything you need for your final poem is already there.
Kombucha Glass
Kombucha
Every day I start my day
With a glass of home-brew
Kombucha that is
Made with tea
Flavored with fruit juices
Fired up with Turmeric
But most importantly
Made with love
By my wife
The love of my life
The window of Love
And now, for our prompt (optional, as always). This one is called “in the window.” Imagine a window looking into a place or onto a particular scene. It could be your childhood neighbor’s workshop, or a window looking into an alien spaceship. Maybe a window looking into a witch’s gingerbread cottage, or Lord Nelson’s cabin aboard the H.M.S. Victory. What do you see? What’s going on?
Window of Love
Every morning
I step outside
Do my morning thing
While my wife
The love of my life
Sleeps peacefully
I look through the window
From the balcony herb garden
And watch her sleeping
My heart filling with love
As she sleeps away
The early morning
When she wakes up
She fills me
With the sunshine
Of her love
Driving my blues
Away
With the dawning sun
April 30
Catharis
Finally, the end
Has been reached
Of this annual poetry
Marathon
April poetry madness
Has consumed my soul
And in the end
A sense of accomplishment
The ultimate catharsis
Goodbye Writer Digest
For today’s prompt, write a goodbye poem. Whether leaving for a holiday or going to get groceries, many people find themselves in positions of saying goodbye to each other. So, this feels like an appropriate way to close out this year’s challenge…until we meet again.
Good-Bye
To all those who
have passed on
to another,
hopefully better world
I say goodbye
So many people
Have died this year
From COVID
From Gun violence
From the aging
Of the baby boomer generation
Many musicians
Actors and writers
Have played their last songs
And we will remember them all
Walter Mondale VP, Ambassador, Good guy
Prince Philip ultimate husband
DMX great rapper
George Segal great actor
Vernon Jordan ultimate power player
Norman Jester the phantom tollbooth is closed
Lawrence Ferlinghetti one of my favorite writers
Chick Corea one of my favorite musicians
Mary Wilson just supreme
George Schultz my First big boss
Christopher Plummer the Actor
Larry King final interview
Hank Arron greatest baseball player ever
And so many others
Will soon joins them
As the coronavirus marches on
And guns continue to kill thousands
And cancer
Traffic accidents
And the aging boomer population
Fades away due to old age
I am 65 years old
And as I get older
I have had to say goodbye
To so many people
I am losing count
But I will miss them all
They live on in my memories
My father died in 1985
My mother in 2005
My sister in 2007
My friends have also passed on
My HS debate friend
Demel T died from AIDS
I lost my college roommate
Jon W
David C my Peace course
language student
I lost my visa line colleague
Paul S
I lost my second and third bosses
In the foreign service
Julian in a terrorist bombing
Ted H who I worked with twice
Dead of a heart attack
Chris my boss in Bangkok
Also dead from a heart attack
Judy my artistic friend
From Bombay days
And so many others
Have gone on
I only hope wherever they are
That they are thinking of me
As I think fondly of them
Reimagine Your Days:Ramen Today PSH Ramen Reimagine Your DaysRamen Today PSH Food
a poem about yesterday that uses the word “possum” or write a poem about today that uses the word “ramen” or write a poem about tomorrow that uses the word “orthopedist”
Today is a Good Day To Eat Ramen
Today is a good day
To sit down
And eat a simple bowl
Of ramen
With an egg on top
Koreans call it ramyeon,
라면
Ramyeon
The Japanese call it ramen
ラーメン
Ramen
Chinese call it
拉麵
Lāmiàn
But it is the same thing
No matter where you are
When I first lived in Korea
I ate a lot of ramen
To stretch my Peace Corps budget
There are many new variations
Coming on the market
Even cheese ramen
But in the end
My favorite
Is the basic ramen
With an egg on top
And a side of Kimchi
Directions to Narnia NaPoWrMo
narnia scene
And now for our final (still optional!) prompt. Today’s prompt is based on a prompt written by Jacqueline Saphar and featured in this group of prompts published back in 2015 by The Poetry Society of the U.K. This prompt challenges you to write a poem in the form of a series of directions describing how a person should get to a particular place. It could be a real place, like your local park, or an imaginary or unreal place, like “the bottom of your heart,” or “where missing socks go.” Fill your poem with sensory details, and make them as wild or intimate as you like
Directions to Narnia
The land of Narnia exists
But the entranceways
Are hidden in secret places
All over the world
To get to Narnia
First, you have to believe
That Narnia exists
Then you have to travel
To spirit-filled places
Like the top of a mountain
Go to the sacred mountain
In China, Japan, Korea, or Thailand
Hike behind the Buddhist temple
Find a cave hidden under a waterfall
Chant five times
Narnia exists Narnia exists Narnia Exist
A portal to other worlds
Will open up
Step-through
And you will find yourself
In Narnia
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This is the fifth and perhaps final time I am doing the April poetry challenge. The goal is to write at least one poem per day. I am averaging about eight per day and posting four reserving four as “unpublished”. I am basing the poems on prompts from “Writing com Dew Drop Inn”, “Writers Digest”, “Poetry Superhighway” and “NaPoWrMo” prompt daily prompts and on “Pensively Prompt’ et all daily prompts. I am combining prompts where possible. I will post these here in batches every five days or so. Each poem will have an image that helped inspired the poem. All postings will be podcast a few days later on Spotify and elsewhere. Each posting will be a separate posting, but the index will be cumulative. The final posting will have the complete list of all poems written whether posted or not. Comments welcome but please keep it civil. Some of my poetry tends to be a bit “in your face” or “political” from a “leftwing perspective.” If it offends you in some way, please accept my apologies in advance. That is never my intent.
This is part three covering poems written April 15 to April 20posted on the 21.
I am writing some other poems per day but not posting them as I need to reserve some “unpublished” poems. There will be a podcast version shortly on Spotify, Public Radio, and elsewhere. I will list all the poems I wrote in my final April posting, May 1 KST. Posted
Index
April 15, 2021
Living in an SF World Writing Com Dew Drop-in
Topic: SF
Narnia beckons PSH Prompt
Topic: Narnia
My Home Office Writer Digest
Topic: home
Cosmos Aller NaPoWrMo
Topic: Bio
April 16
Caregiving In this Day and Age Writing Com Dew Drop-in
Topic: Corona
Dinosaur Story, Writers digest
Topic: dinosaurs
Coffee Cup Dreams PSH
Topic: coffee
Coffee Inheritance, NaPoWrMo Prompt
Topic: coffee
April 17
Morning rituals PSH
Topic: Morning
Ode to Berkeley Writers Digest
Topic: Berkeley
Met My Fate That Date Skeltonic Poem
Topic: fate
April 18
There is no such place as Writing Com Dew Drop-in…
Topic: Oz, Narnia
Sounds Writing Com Dew Drop-in…
Topic: sounds
April 19
65 Years Young Writing com Drew Drop-In
Topic: Age, Meaning of Life
Howling with The Dancing Moon, PSH
Topic: Moon
Writer’s Digest Animal in Title – Cats Are Space Aliens
Topic: Cats
Anti-Vaxers, Anti-Masks, And Other Covid Idiots Poetic Rants
Napowrmo Prompt:
Topic: Corona
April 20
—Tree of Life… (See Link for A Drawing/Journaling Exercise)
Tree of Life
Topic: Satan, Eden, God
April 15—Machines Writing com Dew Drop-In
The Robots are Coming
The Robots are coming
They will soon
Take away
More and more jobs
Leaving people free
To do other things
But what will we all do?
When the machines
Do everything
From driving and delivering
To cooking our food
Cleaning our houses
Cleaning our offices
Even doing our lawyering
And our doctoring
What will we do?
When the evil computer overlord
Emerges in the future
And enslave us all
To the robotic overlords?
Narnia Beckons PSH
Use five different colors.
Utilize each of the five senses
Write about your hand (what is it? What does it do?) without using the words “hand,” “finger/s” or “thumb.”
Go to an imaginary place that is commonly known, don’t name it until the end
What did you do during covid that you wouldn’t have done otherwise?
narnia
Narnia beckons
Red dawning sun
Blue sky
Yellow flowers
Pink flowers
Golden flowers
By my side
Narnia beckons
During covid lockdown
Reading Narnia in Spanish
My Home Office Writer Digest
For today’s prompt, write a poem inspired only by stimulus from where you’re sitting (or standing, if you write will standing). In the past, I’ve written poems about pencils, characters in books I can see, and things I can see out my window when using this prompt. So, consider your immediate surroundings and poem away today.
For several years
I have had a home office
Chaotic, badly designed
Adhoc mess
But now I finally have
A decent home office
With a state of the art desk
That I can raise or lower
As I sit fit
My wife sits next to me
We can finally work together
Managing our real estate
And investments
I do my writing projects
With her at my side
Watching the news
Or listening to music
As we work side by side
In my peaceful home office
Cosmos Aller NaPoWrMo<
And last but not least, our (optional) prompt for the day. Today, I’d like to challenge you to write a poem that delves into the meaning of your first or last name. Looking for inspiration? Take a look at this poem by Mark Wunderlich, appropriately titled “Wunderlich.”
Cosmos Aller
I am Jake Cosmos Aller
Born John Cosmos Aller
65 years ago in Berkeley, California
I am the third generation Cosmos
The name comes from a translation
Of our German family name Aller
The story Is that my great grandfather
Wanted a middle name
To reflect an English translation
Of the German word “Aller”
He had a choice
“Cosmos” or “Universe”
He chose “Cosmos”
Otherwise
I would be John “Universe” Aller
My Grandfather was the first Cosmos
Curtis Cosmos Aller Sr
My father Was the second Cosmos
Curtis Cosmos Aller, Jr
And I am the third
John (Jake) Cosmos Aller
Either way
The name Cosmos
Is now my pen name
No one believes
This story
They all believe
I was called Cosmos
Because I was born
In Berkeley
And the name Cosmos
Seems appropriate
For a child born
In Berkeley
Which is a pretty
Cosmic city
After all
Unfortunately, I am the last Cosmos
In my family’s line
As I have no children
If I had a son
He would have been called
Robert Cosmos Aller
April 16
Caregiving In this Day and Age, writing com Do Drop-in
corona
Caregiving in this day and age
Is difficult
As the Coronavirus wreaks havoc
Across the land
Thousands of people still dying
Every single day
As General Corona marches
Across the land
The caregivers are our unseen heroes
Saving lives every day
For very little pay
They do what they must
Providing care
to the elderly
The forgotten old people
Living their quiet life
Of despair
Dinosaur Story, Writers Digest
dinosaur
For today’s prompt, take the phrase “(blank) Story,” replace the blank with a word or phrase, make the new phrase the title of your poem, and then, write your poem. Possible titles include: “Toy Story,” “Super Long Unusually Strange Story,” and/or “Same Old Story.” Poem your story, so we can get at the second half of this challenge.
A metal dinosaur
Stands in a park
Deeply dreaming
The dinosaur
Comes to life
Millions of years
Have past
The dinosaur sniffs
Says to himself
Hmm I am back
Life is good
Coffee Cup Dreams PSH
coffee
Writing from the point of view of an inanimate object can open the floodgates. We carry things around with us everywhere – in our pockets, purses, backpacks, vehicles… but how do those objects see the world? This freewriting activity puts your voice to bed, while the object’s voice is finally spoken.
Dig through your backpack, purse, bag, junk drawer – and pull out the first object you touch.
Write a poem from the point of view of that object.
How does the egg timer feel about sitting on top of the stove when the cookies are done baking? What does the Costco Membership Card feel when you pass over it for Sam’s Warehouse? How does the maple syrup react when you reach for the honey instead?
My coffee cup
Contains dreams
It dreams every morning
As I pour my coffee
The coffee cup
Comes to life
Filled with delicious coffee
The coffee cup
Loves to provide me
With the pleasure
Of drinking coffee
The coffee cup smiles
His work is done
Coffee Inheritance
cartoon man who drank too much coffee
And now for our prompt (optional, as always). Today’s prompt comes to us from Juan Martinez. It asks you to think about a small habit you picked up from one of your parents, and then to write a piece that explores an early memory of your parent engaged in that habit, before shifting into writing about yourself engaging in the same habit.
My father and mother
Were big coffee drinkers
They liked it black
My mother said
Coffee should be black
Like her heart
But her heart
Was filled with light
And love
She drank five to six
Cups every day
My father also
Was a big coffee drinker
They both drank coffee
All-day long
Oddly, it did not seem
To keep them from sleeping
Nor did it make them
Jittery
From too much caffeine
My parents did not allow me
To drink coffee
Until I was 18
When I finally join them
And became
A coffee achiever
Now when I drink my daily cup
I think back to my parents
Drinking their coffee
Thinking back
To my coffee inheritance
There is no such place
narnia scene
There is no such place
I often wonder
What would it be like
If the mythical land of oz
Or Narnia existed
If we could travel
To other realms
I wonder if
While I alive
If we will colonize
The Moon and Mars
And if I will travel
To the stars
Before my time is done
Sunday, April 18
Sounds
temple blog bell-zen
Sounds and sights
Of unknown worlds
Fill my head
I hear the temple bells
I see the sights
Of my dreams
Unfold in my head
Sounds and sights
Of worlds yet to be
Fill my heart
With anticipation
Monday, April 19
Acting your age (or not!)
65 Years Young
I am now 65
A senior citizen
But in my heart
I still feel
Like I am still
20 years old
People say
I should act my age
But what that means
If I think
I am still 20?
In the garden
Of Eden
Adam and Eve
Were forbidden
To eat the fruit
Of the tree of life
Satan sent a snake
To temp them
To eat the forbidden fruit
Of the tree of life
When they did
God knew
And banished them
From the garden of Eden
For their act of cosmic defiance
Morning Rituals PSH
coffee
If a stranger were to watch you through your window right now, what would they see and what would they say about it? Paint us a verbal picture. Play around with the point of view. You can be the observer describing what he/she sees in a third-person report, or switch it around to the first or second person
Sam Adams starts his day
The same way every day
He gets up
At the crack of dawn
Leaves his sleeping wife
Washes up
Drinks two cups
of coffee
Watches the news
While writing down his dreams
And his daily poetry
Thinking about life
Looking out the window
At the dawning sun
Lights up his living room
Thinking about life
He goes to his sleeping wife
Waking her with a kiss
Falling in love yet again
Ode to Berkeley Writers Digest
free roaming berkeley
For today’s prompt, write a city poem. You can make the title of your poem the name of a city and write your poem. Or you can mention a city in your poem. And, of course, you can just set your poem in a city without naming which one it is. It’s also okay if you’re more rurally inclined, to just write a poem about the city slickers. As always, have fun with it.
I grew up in Berkeley
In the late 60s and 70s
A wild magical time
In a magical city
By the bay
Berkeley was the center
Of my universe
For many years
Until I left it
In my early 20s
To wander about the world
Yet Berkeley never left me
I am still in Berkeley
It lives on in my heart
And soul
And someday
I will return home
To reside
Before I finally leave
Berkeley for good
As I die in my homeland
Met My Fate That Date Skeltonic Poem NaPoWrMo Prompt
And last but not least, our (optional) prompt. Because it’s Friday, today I’d like you to relax with the rather silly form called Skeltonic, or tumbling, verse. In this form, there’s no specific number of syllables per line, but each line should be short and should aim to have two or three stressed syllables. And the lines should rhyme. You just rhyme the same sound until you get tired of it, and then move on to another sound. Here’s a short example I came up with.
Met My Fate That Date Skeltonic Poem
I met my fate
That cosmic date
When I first saw my mate
I went to her that date
She walked into my life
Later she became my wife
Howling with the Dancing Moon, PSH
Topic: Moon
If the moon could tap dance…
howing at the moon
(Would it make a sound? What music is it dancing to? Where did it find tap shoes? What effect does it have on you?)
If rivers could wish…
(What would they wish for? Or have they already? Do they ever get tired of being wet? How about when something jumps in, falls in, takes something from them?)
If sunset could tell you…
(A truth beyond the horizon? Is it hard to say goodbye? What does it know that you don’t? How has it tried to tell you?)
A man
Sits drinking late into the night
On the night of the blood-red
Super blue wolf moon
The lunatic light of the moon
Inspires him
As he drinks
In that depraved din of inequity
On the left side of society
Drinking with his buddies
Johnny Walker, Jim Beam
Jack Daniels, Old Granddad
Drinking one Scotch, one Bourbon
And one beer
Watching the naked woman
Dancing on stage
He finishes drinking
20 drinks too sober
He walks outside
And sees the naked moon
Dancing up a storm
Flying across the sky
Ripping her clothes off
Tap dancing
To the insane disco beat
Of the bar
He gives in
Jumps into the sky
Dancing with the naked moon
Howling with the moon maiden
Like an escaped banshee
From the lunatic bins
Of Hell
Cats are Aliens -Writers Digest Animal Poem
black cat
Cats are alien creatures
They are just so weird
So utterly inhuman
In their thoughts
And actions
They must have come
To this world
From another planet
Perhaps they are
The advance team
For the future alien invasion
Cats seem to communicate
Through telepathy
They seem to think
We are their slaves
Perhaps we are
And we do not realize
That they are the master race
Anti-vaxers, anti-maskers and other covid Idiots Poetic Rants
NaPoWrMo Prompt:
Topic: Corona
corona virus
And last but not least, our prompt (optional, as always). Today, I’d like to challenge you to write a humorous rant. In this poem, you may excoriate to your heart’s content all the things that get on your nerves. Perhaps it’s people who tailgate when driving or don’t put the caps back on pens after they use them. Or the raccoons who get into your garbage cans. For inspiration, perhaps you might look to this list of Shakespearean insults. Or, for all of you who grew up on cartoons from the 1980s, perhaps this compendium of Skeleton’s might provide some insight.
Amid the worst global health pandemic
In over 150 years
The world is filled with COVID idiots
Who denounces any public health measures
Designed to save lives
As an affront to their rights
To do whatever they please
Regardless of the impact
Their bad behavior may have
These COVID idiots
Refuse to wear masks
Refuse to social distance
Refuse to get a Vaccine
Even refuse
to wash their damn hands
They refuse to believe
That COVID is real
Until they or their relatives
End up in the hospital
Fighting for their life
If only these COVID idiots
Had worn a mask
Gotten a vaccine
They would not have become
Yet another COVID Ghost
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20210415 Scars just published a Down in the Dirt issue collection book with material from you!
Hi there from Down in the Dirt – we wanted to let you know that Scars
Publications released a collection book of the January-April 2021 issues
from Down in the Dirt magazine. Since your material (writing/artwork)
APPEARS in these issues, that means your material appears in this issue
collection book, and we wanted to let you know about this brand-new issues
collection book is titled “Excerpts from the Plague Years”!
And you can find this book any time at Scars in MULTIPLE locations. Now it
is linked on the main page at http://scars.tv, and it appears at the top
of the list of choices on the books link (one click away from the main
page, or also directly at http://scars.tv/books/) as well as at the top of
the “CD Books Sale” link (direct link http://scars.tv/sale/) at Scars!
Also, by the end of the business week this week, the database with your
accepted writings should also (when you go to your accepted writings) have
a link to this collection book that your writing is in, so people can find
links to this collection book on your writing pages in the writings
section of http://scars.tv (at http://scars.tv/cgi-bin/framesmain.pl?writers)...
Links for ordering this collection book appears on all of the links above,
and will also appear in the writings section too, so any of your writing
in this collection book will also see a link to this collection book in
the writings section too!
Currently these books are available directly through the Amazon affiliate
printer in the U.S., the U.K. and to Europe – and even to Japan and
Australia, and it ships to India too! (the above link is for U.S. orders.)
So check out the Scars Publication links to see what material of yours
appears in these collection books, and if you’d like, order a copy today
(I hear they make great gifts!), and again, thank you for being a part of
the Down in the Dirt community!
If you for any reason have difficulty sending emails to this address, you
can (in emergencies only) send your questions/emails to Janet Kuypers
through facebook, or directly to janetkuypers at gmail dot com.
Enjoy the 2021 magazine collection book from Scars Publications and Down in the Dirt magazine, with the January-April 2021 magazine issues titled “Excerpts from the Plague Years”.
The author names in this listing appear as they are listed in magazine issue/books. For writings that appear in issues, the titles of their writing do not appear on this web page, but all of the names are linked to the individual issue/book that actually contains the material.
To know exactly what is included in this collection book, view the listing below. All author entries are listed in this collection book as they are listed in magazine issue/books.
April 30 In Search of America 1975 – Hitch hiking Tales
hitchhikers
When I was young and foolish
Broke and stubborn
I hitchhiked across the USA
Started in Salt Lake City
Where my greyhound bus pass
Was stolen
The station manager
Could have helped me
But refused to do so
Threaten to call the cops
When I grabbed my bags Without the stolen tags
I said
Go ahead
But I am so out of here
Wondered about Salt Lake City
Went to a bar
Found I had to buy my booze
Next door
And they would mix it for me
Had to order food too
After a bloody Mary
And a burger
I walked about town
Saw the Mormon Temple
Finally about 3 pm
It was time to hit the road
Did not look back
Ended up in Cody Wyoming
Got a room shower
Steak beer
Using my rapidly depleted cash Spent 25 dollars
Money really went far
Back in those days
A band of professional
Communist agitators
Gave me a ride
To Des Moines
Lots of weed, booze
And politics later
Got off the road
Slept outside
Next day
A beautiful woman
Drove me to near Chicago
In a red mustang
Might have been
The girl in the song
Took it easy
Digging her vibe
She invited home
But was not sure
If her estranged husband
Would welcome me
So, I am being foolish
And inexperienced with women
Did not go to her place
And always regretted
That I had lost
My chance that day
Then on to Chicago
Several rides later
Visited friends
Hit the road again
A series of uneventful rides
With truckers
And others
And a week later
I ended in New York City
Slept along the way
In cars
In truck stops
In high way rest stops
Always moving
Always going
Non stop talking
And lots of free weed
And beer
And conversation
One more memorable ride
Occurred outside Albany
On my return to Chicago
A middle age creepy looking man
Picked me up
In a brand-new Cadillac
He was he said a dynamite deliverer
For the Mafia
Went to various places
To blow up shit
He hated a lot of people
Particularly hippies from California
And Jewish people
Looking at me to confirm
That I was both
I told him that I lived in New York
And had never been to California
And although I might have looked Jewish
As I what was called back in the day
A “Jewfro”
I was not Jewish
Many years later I discovered
That I am indeed part Jewish
But then I did not know
And I felt a bit of strategic information
Might keep me alive
Then I realized that he was just jiving with me
And we relaxed
And he pulled out some weed
And beer
And we mellowed out
But I believe that he really was with the mob
Perhaps not a dynamite dealer
A real made Italian made mafia member
By Chicago
I had enough
I called my Dad
Told him what had happened
Wanted a ticket home
And he sent me a ticket
And 500 dollars
And I went home
I told him I would tell him
My tales some day
But never did
I learned so much
About my fellow Americans
And the strange vibe
That was 1975
And now it is too late
But I wanted to finally
Tell the world
While reading Charles Bukowski poetry
On the metro ride home
Listening to Buddha bar music
On my oh too hip IPod
I begin to see myself as I was
Over 30 years ago when I was merely a bit player
A minor character in a Charles Bukowski poem
A wild young underemployed intellectual
Hanging out in dismal bars and dives all over Asia and California
Hanging with disreputable women and drunks and drinkers
And characters out of his kinds of haunts
A mad poet bard of the underground
A drunken poet in a drunken bum show
That nightly played in his head
Then one day I met the women of my dreams
And went down a different path
A long slow path to respectability
And now 30 years later
I am no longer a wild man
I am still a poet at heart
But I am now also a bureaucrat
In a button down suite
Doing the people’s business
Working for the Government
I’ve become the Man
Sometimes I wonder
Would I have been better off
Going down that another path
Would I have ended up
Somewhere else
Doing something else
Would I have been as happy
Would I have been as successful?
There is no answer that satisfies
The longing in my heart
For that wild thing
That still lurks beneath
It’s civilized cover
And I know that I am still
A mad poet at heart
Railing against the injustice of the world
As I work day by day in the belly of the great beast of State
I recall the ancient Chinese saying,
“Confucian during the day while Taoist rebel at night”
Playing out in my head and nightly dreams
In the true American Upper class patrician tradition
I close the book and look out the window
Get off the train, and walk slowly home
And realize I had no choice
But to take the path that I’ve trodden on
And so I put aside my misgivings
And say goodbye to my “Bukowskian”desires
For another night of domestic contentment
Was it worth it all to take the conventional path
And not take the bohemian road to hell and back
I look at my wife and realize
I had no choice, had no choice
But to follow her to the ends of the earth
And beyond by her side as we walked our path
Of shared destiny
Goodbye Charles Bukowski wherever you are
May I meet you in a bar in the next life
And figure out where we should have gone
I like to start my day with a hot cup of coffee
I pound down the coffee
First thing I do every day as the dawning sun
Lights up my lonesome room
Yeah, but not just a simple cup of java Joe, but a God damn snarling sarcastic smarmy cup of coffee
I mean, – we are talking about an alcoholic, all speed ahead, always hot, always fresh, always there when I need it, angry, attitude talk to the hand Ztude, bad, bad assed, beats breaking, beatnik, bluesy, bitter, bitchy, bombs away, capitalistic, caffeinated up the ass, cinematic, communistic, Colombian grown, Costa Rican inspired, Cowabunga to the max, crazy assed, devilishly angelic, divine, divinely inspired, dyslexic, epic, extreme vetting, evil eye, expensive, erotic vision inducing, Ethiopian coffee house brewed, euphoric, freaky, freazoid, foxy, Frenched kissed, French brewed, funkified, foxy lady, graphic, GOD in my coffee, with Allah, Ganesh, Jesus, Kali, Buddha, Christians, Durga, Hindus, Mohamed, Jesus and Mo and their friend, the cosmic bar maid, Sai Babai, Shiva, Taoists, Zoroastrians, drinking my god damned coffee in Hell; growling, gnarly, happy, hard as ice, Hawaian blessed, high as a kite, hippie, hip, hipster, hip hoppy, hot as hell yet strangely sweet as heaven, jazzy, jealous, Kerouac approved, kick ass, kick my god damn ass to Tuesday, kick down the doors and take no prisoners, grown in the Vietnam highlands by ex-Vietcong, Guatemalan grown, kiss ass, illegal in every state, imported from all over the god damn world, insane, lovely, loony, lonely, lonesome, malodorous mean old rotten, motherfucking, nasty, narcotic, never whatever, never meh, never cold, not approved by the CIA, not approved by DHS, not approved for human consumption by the FDA, not your daddy’s sissified corporate cup of coffee, NOT DECAFE coffee, not your Denny’s truck driver weak as brown water cup of fake coffee, not your establishment friendly cup of coffee, Not your FBI coffee, Not FAKE Herbal coffee substitute, but a real cup of coffee, not your farmer brothers dinner crap, not made in America for Americans, not safe for work, not your Starbucks average expensive overpriced crappy corporate chain cup of coffee, Not pretentious, Not White House approved, not State Department safe, nuclear, Not Patriotic, operatic, Peets’s coffee approved, paranoid, pornographic, psychotic, pontific, politically aware, rapping, rhyming, right here, right now in River city, rock and roll up the Yazoo, sad, sadistic, sarcastic, sassy, satanic, schizoid, shitting, silly, sexy, smarmy, smelly, smooth, snarky, snarling, stupid, stinking, sweet as honey, sweat inducing, symphonic, Trump can’t handle this coffee, vengeful, Wagnerian, wicked, with nutmeg and cinnamon swirls, with a hint of stevia, with a hint of vanilla, with a hint of rum, with a hint of whisky, with a hint of cherry, with a hint of fruit overtones, with a hint of drugs spicing up the coffee, spendific, speeding, splendid, superior accept no substitutes, survived the Vietnam war, the Iraq war, the Afghan war, the first and Second Korean war, World War 11, the war on poverty, the war on drugs, the war on black people, the sexual revolution, Soulful as a summer’s night in MOTOWN- James Brown approved, TOP approved, Berkeley approved, the coffee that Jimmy Hendrix drank before he died, the coffee that Elvis drank on his last breakfast, the coffee that Barry White crooned as he drank his cup of coffee – and the coffee that made the white boy play stand up and play that funky music, the coffee that made Jonny B Goode play his guitar, and made Jonny bet the devil his soul after he drank his morning cup of righteous coffee and the coffee that make the Rolling Stones Rock and Roll, the coffee your mother warned you against drinking, the coffee that Napoleon drank when he became the Emperor of all Europe, the Coffee that Beethoven drank when he wrote the Ninth symphony, the coffee that Mozart drank as he wrote his last symphony, the coffee that Lincoln drank before he was killed, the Hemingway drank before he killed himself, the coffee that started the 60’s, and ended the 20th century, the coffee that Lenin drank as he plotted revolution, the coffee that Hitler and Stalin drank with FDR as they divided up the world after World War 11, the cup that JFK drank before he was blown away, the coffee Jerry drinks while driving in cars with random celebrities and political figures, the coffee that Jon Stewart drinks before he goes on an epic take down of some foolish politico, the cup of Arabic coffee that Sadaam drank the day he was executed, the coffee that GW and Cheney drank when they bombed Baghdad, the Indian cup of coffee that Bid Laden drank before 9-11 and just before the seals blew his ass to hell, the cup of coffee that Tiger Woods drank with his mistresses while playing a 3, 000 dollar round of golf at Sandy Lane golf course in Barbados, the last legal drug that does what drugs should do, the cup of coffee that Obama drank when he became President, Vietnamese, Vienna brew, wacky, whimsical, Whisky Tango Foxtrot, wild, weird, wonderful, WOW, Yabba dabba doo! Yada Yada yada Zappa’s favorite cup of cosmic coffee, and Zorro’s last cup of coffee, Good to the last drop rolled into one simple cup of hot coffee
As I pound down that first cup of coffee
And fire up my synaptic nerve endings with endless supplies
Of caffeine induced neuron enhancing chemicals
I face the dawning day with trepidation and mind-numbing fear
I turn on the TV and watch the smarmy newscasters in their perfect hair
Lying through their teeth about the great success the government is having Following the great leader’s latest pronouncements
I want to scream and shoot the TV and run out side Shouting
“Stop the world.
I want to get off this fucking crazy planet”
The earth does not care a whit about my attitude
It merely shrugs and moves around the Sun
In its appointed daily run
And I sit down
The madness dissipating a bit
And enjoy my second cup
Of heaven and hell
In my morning cup of Joe
On the night of the blood-red super full moon
I sat in an evil, depraved godforsaken bar
Drinking drams of demented, fermented dream dew
Washed down by endless rounds of whiskey
rum, tequila, vodka, soju and of course beer
drinking with my buddies the Jack Daniels Gang
Drinking my way to Hell and beyond
Just as fast as I could
twenty damn drinks too sober
Just an unhinged lunatic
Dreaming of howling at the full moon
Watching the world walk by
Looking at all the fine-looking babes
Walking by the street
Thinking wild, erotic thoughts
Of endless wild libertine passions
When into the bar
That din of cosmic depravity
Walked the most beautiful women
In the Universe
So wild, so free
So wonderfully alive
I did not know what to do
As this vision of delight
Sauntered through the bar
In a skin-tight leather pant
Looked so fine
That my eyeballs hurt
And finally, I had to say something
So, I gathered up my manly courage
And walked up to her
And she looked at me
And instantly bewitched my soul
With a devilish grin
I lost all reason
And became a raving lunatic
Unhinged lunatic
Howling at the blood red full moon
Foaming at the mouth
A wild, free werewolf
Howling at the lunatic light
Of the blood red blue full Moon
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This is the fifth and perhaps final time I am doing the April poetry challenge. The goal is to write at least one poem per day. I am averaging about eight per day and posting four reserving four as “unpublished”. I am basing the poems on prompts from “Writing com Dew Drop Inn”, “Writers Digest”, “Poetry Superhighway” and “NaPoWrMo” prompt daily prompts and on “Pensively Prompt’ et all daily prompts. I am combining prompts where possible. I will post these here in batches every five days or so.. Each poem will have an image that helped inspired the poem. All postings will be podcasted a few days later on Spotify and elsewhere. Each posting will be a separate posting, but the index will be cumulative. The final posting will have the complete list of all poems written whether posted or not. Comments welcome but please keep it civil. Some of my poetry tends to be a bit “in your face” or “political” from a “leftwing perspective.” If it offends you in some way, please accept my apologies in advance. That is never my intent.
First Posting April 1 To April 5
April 1
Warm Up Poem Every Day I Turn on My Computer “Writers Digest”
Coffee Pot Blues “Poetry Superhighway Prompt” Prompt
Who Is Jake Cosmos Aller? “Writer’s Digest” Prompt
“Good Golly Miss Molly,” A Dew-Drop A Day in April, “Writing com Dew Drop Inn”
“Sam Adams Wakes Up Dead “NaPoWrMo” prompt Poetry
April 2
Surprise/Haiku Writing Com Dew Drop In
Modern connections Writers digest prompt
Life as an Expat In Korea – Poetry Superhighway prompt
Falling in Love with My Dream Girl
The Future is Here writers digest
April 3
Superman On Mars Napowrmo Cross Post Writer Digest April 4th!
Cat People Cross Post Weather Poem Writing Com April 4th Prompt
Mirror Poem Pensively Cross Post Poetry Superhighway
April 4
Errors in My Life
Little Houses on The Hill Side
Alone NaPoWrMo prompt
April 5
The First Time I Saw Her -writer digest
Driving the world in my Lexus Poetry Superhighway
Potential Mistake Writers Digest Dew Drop In Prompt
Poetry From the Visa Line Poetry Superhighway
“Writer’s Digest” Prompt
“Writer’s Digest”: for today’s prompt, write a warm-up poem. The warm-up could be related to sports, like warming up before a baseball game or track race. Or it could be about a computer warming up, the weather warming up, or even a relationship warming up.
I hope everyone is warmed up for some major poeming in April
That everything will work right
Usually, I encounter numerous errors
Non-response errors
Spinning blue balls
Computer thinking
How can I mess
With my master’a head errors
Refusing
To open documents
Mysterious haiku-like error messages
2hat makes sense only to computer geeks
From the planet Mrs8
Saying the file is open
And blocked for use
By the administrator
But I am the
Damn administrator!
And I did not block the document
Or can’t open the document
Due to a dialogue box
Close the dialogue box
To proceed
But there is no dialogue box
Just more lies
From my computer
Designed to drive me
Quite mad
So sad
So bad
Want to shoot my computer
Put it out of its mystery
Joining the other five dead
Computers in my house
Am I a computer serial killer?
Perhaps that is why
Do they refuse to work for me?
Are they afraid of me?
Sometimes they say
They can’t find the document
Which just kicked me out of
Five minutes ago
Or the computer says
It can’t save a document
With the name of an open document
But I just saved the open document
Under the same name
Five minutes ago
The latest trick
the change case function
is now working
on a random basis
some times it takes ten tries
before it will work
or not
Usually
After half an hour
These errors recede
But I often have to reboot
The computer
Giving it the old kick up the head
Of a stubborn mule treatment
Before it gets to the point
And gets to work
To give Microsoft some credit
These errors are less frequent
Down to 40% of the time
When I first open a document
Down from 90% error rates
Success in a way
I complained to Microsoft
Sent them a nice frown message
But I would be shocked
If they ever respond
Just not something
That they would do
Part of their “superior”
Listen to their customer
Customer Friendly service
No doubt
Friday, April 2
For posting
“Poetry Superhighway Prompt” Prompt
Pick an object where you live and write a poem in the voice of that object describing how they spent this last year, during the pandemic. Think about “what I did last summer” type of essays you may have written in school. How did the events of the past year impact this object? Are there any aspects of the past year that the object particularly liked or disliked, and if so why? What does the object think about you, and your behavior over the past year? Feel free to use humor.
Coffee Pot Blues
need more coffee
The coffee pot sighed
He was getting so tired
Of the whole Covid thing
Every morning his master
Would make himself two cups of coffee
Using him to make the coffee
The worst thing
About this covid thing
It keeps them home
For almost one and half years
He wanted them to just leave
So, he could have
Some peace
And not have to work
Every damn day
As their mechanical slave
But did they ask for his opinion
They most certainly not
Much to his dismay
For today’s prompt, write an introductory poem. Introduce yourself, introduce a friend, or introduce a stranger. If you don’t wish to introduce yourself, consider writing a persona poem (a poem in which you write from someone else’s point of view like Emily Dickinson or a bumblebee). Of course, you could also introduce a problem, solution, or just a situation. Have fun with it!
Who Is Jake Cosmos Aller?
jake aller fb
Who is Jake Cosmos Aller?
You asked me
Who am I?
And thanks for asking me
I am Jake Cosmos Aller
The only one
65 years old
Retired from the government service
Living in Korea
Grew up in Berkeley, California
Lived all over the world
Did so many things
And now I am a published writer
But what is more important
Is this
When I was a young man
I met and married
the girl of my dreams
She walked out of my dreams
Into my life almost 40 years ago
That was the date
I met my fate
And started my life
With the love of my life
Who became my wife?
In the end
That is all that matters
My friends.
Folly in Rhyme (some kind of folly in some kind of rhyme, subtle or overt)
Good Golly, Miss Molly
Good golly,
Miss molly
What a bit of folly
Let’s be jolly
Have a red-hot tamale
“NaPoWrMo” Prompt
And without further ado, our daily prompt (optional, as always)! Sometimes, writing poetry is a matter of getting outside of your head, and learning to see the world in a new way. To an extent, you have to “derange” yourself – make the world strange and see it as a stranger might. To help you do that, I’d like to challenge you to write a poem inspired by this animated version of “seductive fantasy” by Sun Ra and his Orchestra. If you don’t feel after watching it a little bit like the top of your head’s been taken off, and your thoughts are given a good stir – well, maybe you are already living in a state of heightened poetic awareness!
Sam Adams Woke Up Dead
He had met a strange man
In a strange bar, in a strange land
The man told him
Beware, today is the date
You will meet your fate
Sam Adams drank too much
Twenty drinks too sober
Drank until he died
Found himself in a huge room
With hundreds of people milling about
The hangover from h … pounding his head
Sam Adams groans,
Shouting out
Where am I?
“In limbo, my friend, in limbo”
Growled, Mr. GR, the grim reaper
Dressed in a sharp, expensive, tailored black suit
Wearing cool sunglasses
State your name
Sam Adams
Hmm
My Dude, my man, bro
Good news for you
Not for me
There may be a mistake
But what the hey,
The records are never fake
Not yet the date
For you to meet your fate
Go back to your mate
He found himself
Home with his wife
The love of his long life
Wondering until late
If it had happened?
What was his fate?
He asked her
Did I go out last night?
What, no you’ve been here
He explained what had happened
She said it was just a bad dream
Covid fears had kept them home
The phone rang
It was the man from the bar
Did you have an interesting night?
Oh well, Mr. GR comes for us all
Soon you will meet your fate
But not on this date
Hey lets go out
For a drink again
Sam Adams demured
Did not trust
His new drinking buddy
The White Rabbit Beckons Sam Adams – “NaPoWrMo Prompt”
One morning
After a night of drinking
And drug binging
Sam Adams woke up
Went for a walk
To clear his pounding head
He saw a white rabbit
Who said to Sam
” Join me Good, Sir
And we will go
On a journey
Of your life
Follow me down
The rabbit holes
Of life
Take this first he said
It will cure your hangover
And allow you to enter
An alternative reality”
Sam took the pill
Washed it down
With a beer
And disappeared
Into wonderland
Never to be seen again
Saturday, April 2, 2021
‘Writer’s Digest Prompt” to write a “Communication” Poem
Modern Communication
In this day of social distancing
We all have thousands
Of virtual friends
Facebook friends, social media fans
Zoom buddies and the like
But few people
Have real old-fashioned friends
And in the new social distancing world
Meeting people the old-fashioned way
Is becoming rarer and rarer
As people develop their virtual friends
Real live friends are fewer and fewer
We are so hyper-connected
Yet many people are so alone
In their hearts
Starting at their smartphones
Connecting but not connecting
“Writing com Dew Drop Inn” Prompt, Surprise/haiku
Cats they offer us
Plenty of things to ponder
We post videos
“NaPoWrMo” prompt cross-post writer digest April 4th!
Personal universe deck
(Michael McClure)
Your universe exemplified in 100 words.
Rules:
These words are to exemplify your past, present, and (ideally) your future.
The words must sound good together, even beautiful, to you.
Your good side and bad side must be reflected.
You can make up a word or two if you have feelings that current words can’t express.
Use concrete words.
Words should be root words, no words ending in “ing,” “ly” or “yes.” No plural words. Reduce words to their most concrete, original, basic grammatical structure.
Use specific words, not categories. Beef instead of meat. Lily instead of the flower.
Divide 80 of the 100 words evenly among sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell, sixteen each. (to achieve derangement of the senses, of which Rimbaud spoke.)
Use free association to determine the words.
Use ten words of movement. Again, no “ing” words.
Elect the words in isolation, preferably alone, with no distractions, in candlelight. Approximate a meditative state. Even the cat must not bother you.
One or two words will be parts of the body. It does not have to be your body. It can be the body of a mother or lover.
Include some words for personal heroes or sheroes, places in the universe, invented words, times of night or day, symbolic signs like astrological signs, totemic animals, birds, and plants, and only one abstraction. What is the most significant abstraction in your life? You should not brood on it; you should possibly take the first answer that comes into your head. Patriotism, prayer, and thriftiness are three examples.
If the deck is done correctly, you will get a little high from it.
Get at least 50 three-by-five index cards.
Write each word in big letters on one side of each card. Each side of each of the fifty cards should end up with a word.
Use the cards to play games, make conversations, tell jokes, make poems.
Comment: 100 words were too much to deal with, so I chose 50 words. I did not have index cards, so I did it on my computer. Here is my result. It was an interesting project. End Comment
Sight
Light
Dark
Dim
Bright
Sun
Moon
Red
Blue
Sounds
Loud
Soft
Shout
Whispers
Talk
Noise
Ring
Yell
Taste
Sweet
Sour
Bitter
Medicine
Coffee
Tea
Beef
Chicken
Smell
Fragrance
Rose
Lavender
Pepermint
Garlic
Butter
Eggs
Fish
Movement
Run
Walk
Stretch
Yoga
Stand
Sit
Fly
Swim
Heroes
Superman
Places in the cosmos
Mars
Invented word
Scumbagary
Totemic animals
Wolf
Astrological sign
Scorpio
Time of day
dawn
Bird
Parakeet
Plant
Peppermint
Abstract word
Love
Superman on Mars Poem
Superman one day
In the early dawn
Dismayed by the scumbagery
Of the people of the earth
Decided to fly to mars
He took with him
Super wolf
and super parakeet
His pets from krypton
It was his birthday
He was a Scorpio
He set up camp
Drank peppermint tea
And contemplated
The power of love
Thinking of Lois lane
And the humans
He had learned to love
Cat People Cross-post Weather Poem “Writing Com Dew Drop Inn” April 4th prompt
evil cat
The cat people
Go out in bad weather
To make sure
That the wild cats
Are fed and taken care of
The cats respond
With love and affection
Stepping out of the cold rain
April 3, 2021: “Poetry Superhighway Prompt”/Pensively Prompt Use Homophone words
Write a mirror/selfie poem. See “mirror” by Sylvia Plath.
Our homophones this week are:
Err -to make a mistake
Heir – one who will inherit
and
Base – the bottom support for anything
Bass – the lowest musical pitch or range
In my life
I have many a number
Of errors
I was heir
To a rich family tradition
Prominent father
A unique one of a kind mother
The biggest error I made
Was to not get into politics
I had a base of sorts
In Berkeley, my hometown
I never did
The other error
Was that I never could sing
Carry a tune
I was a bass singer
Growling “Howling Wolf”
Kind of voice
But “Oberlin Conservatory”
Had a requirement
That all musicians
Could sing and keep
A tune
Because I made an error
In that simple task
I failed my first year
Of college
Our daily optional prompt. Poetry often takes us to strange places – to feelings and actions that are hard to express except through the medium of a poem. To the “liminal,” in other words – a place or sensation that exists at or on both sides of a boundary or threshold, neither one thing nor the other, but something betwixt and between.
On the hill-side
Filled with lonely people
Lost in their virtual world
Connecting with millions
Of virtual friends around the world
Ignoring the people
Right down the street
Everyone lost in cyberspace
While all around them
People are lonely, hurting
And need real people
But no one cares
Everyone stays at home
Turning out the chaos outside
April 4
“NaPoWrMo” prompt prompt
And now, for today’s (optional) prompt. In the world of well-known poems, maybe there’s no gem quite so hoary as Robert frost’s “the road not taken.” Today, I’d like to challenge you to write a poem about your road not taken – about a choice of yours that has “made all the difference,” and what might have happened had you made a different choice.
Falling in Love with My Deam Woman
When I was a young man
I dreamt of meeting a woman
For eight years she haunted my dreams
Then I met her in Korea
Where I was teaching
For the U.S. Army
After finishing the peace corps
I had a choice
Follow my heart
Seize the moment
Be with her
Or leave Korea
Within a month
To go to graduate school
I decided to postpone
My graduate school
For one year
Got a deferred admission
And joined the woman
Of my dreams
Thinking back
I had no real choice
But to choose to walk
The path of life
With my dream girl
And that has made
All the difference
In the world
“Writer’s Digest”
For today’s prompt, I want you to answer the question, “what does the future hold?” then, make your answer the title of your poem and write your poem. Your answer could a general idea about the future like “robots will rule the world” or more personal things like “veggie pizza and sweet tea.” even if it’s not in your title, I’m hopeful the future holds a lot more poeming.
The future is here
They say we live in an sf world
Everyday sf stories become real
Ai proliferating
With the challenges
Of the future
Overwhelming us all
Where it ends
My friends are anyone guess
All I have is questions
Will the promise
Of technological marvels
Benefiting us all come to the past
Or will it lead to a world
Where the powerful
Control the technology
Will a real ai be a god-like figure
Will humanity become nothing
But slaves to the ai supermini
That may be the future
Coming at us
The future is here
I don’t know
Whether to fear
The future or embrace it
April 5
“Poetry Superhighway Prompt” Imagine you have made your life in another country. What excited you most? Which aspect of that new life was the most difficult to conquer?
Life as A Retired Ex-Pat in Korea
korean dinner
Korea has become a second home
For me
I have in-laws
And some old friends
It is a tough place
For foreigners
I will always be an outsider
The language is hard
I still struggle daily
But it is an interesting dynamic place
The food is mostly outstanding
And I am now addicted to k drama
And my daily kimchi fix
There were a lot of things to do
Before the covid nightmare
Let to a partial shut down
in the end, I feel safer here
Than in the gun-crazed,
At times violent
Covid pandemic
Spreading America
I still love in my heart,
But for now
I am here
In my second home
April 6th
“Pensively Prompt ‘cross-post PSH prompt
They say smell triggers memories better than any other sense. But sometimes you’ll hear a song that brings you back to your teenage years or see a park that reminds you of your childhood.
THIS WEEK’S CHALLENGE: Choose either sight, sound, or smell, and write a memory it triggers in you.
Driving the World in My Lexus
We have had a Lexus
For several years
A black ES350
We bought it at an auction
Drove all over the world
In that car
With my lovely wife
By my side
Drove across Spain
Drove across the country
10 thousand miles
31 states
Drove around Korea
Where we now live
I love my Lexus
But more importantly
Love my wife
The love of my life
She is always there
Everywhere we go
In this wide world
The First Time I Saw Her “Writers Digest”
Happy Monday! Let’s put the pedal to the metal and keep poeming.
For today’s prompt, take the phrase “the first (blank),” replace the blank with a word or phrase, make the new phrase the title of your poem, and then, write your poem. Possible titles include: “the first kiss,” “the first day of the month,” and/or “the first time I rode a bike” (which, by the way, ended with me in a fence because we didn’t cover how to brake).
The First Time I Saw Her
When did I first see my wife?
The love of my life
When did we meet?
Was it when I first dreamt?
Of her in 1974?
Was it when she walked
Off a bus into my life
In 1982?
Does it matter
When I first saw her?
I knew I had met my fate
On that date
Later she became my mate
“NaPoWrMo” prompt alone
This prompt challenges you to find a poem, and then write a new poem that has the shape of the original, and in which every line starts with the first letter of the corresponding line in the original poem. If I used Roethke’s poem as my model, for example, the first line would start with “I,” the second line with “w,” and the third line with “a.” And I would try to make all my lines neither super-short nor overlong but have about ten syllables. I would also have my poem take the form of four, seven-line stanzas. I have found this prompt particularly inspiring when I use a base poem that mixes long and short lines, or stanzas of different lengths. Any poem will do as a jumping-off point, but if you’re having trouble finding one, perhaps you might consider Mary’s stylist’s “we think we do not have medieval eyes” or for something shorter, Natalie Shapiro’s “Pennsylvania.”
No Longer Alone from the First Moment
From the first moment
At that date
At that place
Met my fate
Fate intervened in my wife
Meeting her changed my life
All of it
That was the date
On which I met my fate
The mystery which binds me still—
From that moment forward
From that date forever
From then to now
We have been together
Onward we fall in love
Alone based on Edgar Allen Poe’s Alone
From childhood’s hour, I have not been
As others were—I have not seen
As others saw—I could not bring
My passions from a common spring—
From the same source, I have not taken
My sorrow—I could not awaken
My heart to joy at the same tone—
And all I loved—I loved alone—
Then—in my childhood—in the dawn
Of a most stormy life—was drawn
From every depth of good and ill
The mystery which binds me still—
From the torrent, or the fountain—
From the red cliff of the mountain—
From the sun that ‘round me roll’s
In its autumn tint of gold—
From the lightning in the sky
As it passed me flying by—
From the thunder, and the storm—
And the cloud that took the form
(When the rest of Heaven was blue)
Of a demon in my view—
“Writing com Dew Drop-In” “- April 5—Potential Mistake
There have been many times
In my life
When I think back
On the past
Thinking that was a mistake
Or a potential mistake
If I had gone another path
But in the end
It does matter
The past is the past
The future is not yet here
All we have is today
We should find
Love and happiness
It is all around us
Waiting for us
To discover
April 6th Command or Challenge “Writing com Dew Drop in Prompt
Challenges of Being Me
I have had many challenges
In my life
It is not easy being me
For you see
I am a rather unique person
I see things my way
And well the challenge
This has always been
How to navigate my way
Through the world
Keeping to my unique vision
Of the way, things ought to be
The One Thing I Would Never Change Writer Digest Change, Don’t Change Poem Prompt
If I could go back in time
And change the past
Knowing what I know now
There are many things I would change
But there is one thing I would not have changed
Being in Korea in September 1982
When I met my wife
For you see
I had been dreaming
Of meeting her
Since that fateful day
I first fell in love
With her in my dreams
In 1974
So, I had a date
With fate
When she came to me
And became my mate
The Poetry of the visa Line Poetry Superhighway Prompt
It’s time to get started with the 7-day writing challenge! We’re so excited to be writing with you!
To help you stay strong and finish your word count each day during the challenge, we’ll send you an email with three sections.
The first section is really short. It will just have a link to the day’s form where you can let us know how many words you wrote that day. This will help us keep track of how you’re doing on the challenge, and by the end we’ll be able to let you know how you did. Each day’s form is unique, though, so don’t submit your word count on an old form. Here’s what this section of the email will look like:
Once you finish your daily word count for today, you can enter it here:
In the second section, we’ll have a short writing lesson to help you focus and stay encouraged for your writing that day. Here’s what that will look like:
“Being a good writer is 3% talent,
97% not being distracted by the Internet.”
—Anonymous
Becoming a good writer is hard. It’s not easy to figure out how to write a plot with the perfect twist, characters so vivid they could walk off the page, dialogue with ironclad believability, all with a voice that captures readers and keeps them coming back for more.
Maybe you have days when you think of all you’ve written and wonder whether it’s all doomed for the trash pile. Days when you question whether writing such drivel is worth it, or whether you should just throw in the towel now.
Here’s the thing, though: the key to becoming a good writer is to write.
Wishing you were better won’t cut it. Neither will waiting until some future time when you hope you will be.
That’s why we’re here. That’s why we’re doing this challenge. To take one week where we intentionally choose to focus. When was the last time you focused on your writing for seven days?
So close Facebook, Twitter, and all those other pesky internet distractions. Shut the door so you can’t hear the TV blaring in the other room, or the clanking of pots and pans.
Sit down.
And just write.
The last section will be a practice section, just like we have on thewritepractice.com. This will be a short and simple exercise or focus for your writing for that day. Here’s what that will look like:
Practice: It’s pretty simple: Butt in seat. Distractions blocked. Write.
That’s it! So go get writing and we’ll see you in your inbox tomorrow!
Flash Fiction Day One Seven Day 1,000-word story contest 1600 words
The Human Zoo
Human Zoo
Word count 1,691
Flash Fiction Day One Seven Day 1,000-word story contest
The town of Silver Spring Wyoming is now a ghost town. Something happened to the town 100 and 50 years ago in 1880 and no one really knows what happened there was a dispatch sent by a visiting journalist who wrote that the town has been taken over by men in black suits who had started executing everybody in town using a ray gun of some sort. The dispatch ended apparently with the death of the writer.
A couple hours after the town residents had been killed visitors came to the town and found that everybody had been buried in a mass grave in the middle of the town and they were all burned to death. The only person left alive was the town drunk who told a strange tale about strange creatures coming down from the Sky in a big ship with Ray guns and shooting everybody. He said a couple people had entered the ship and disappear that afternoon.
One Saturday afternoon, men dressed in black suits and speaking English with a strange accent came into town. They went to the bar and said that they were journalists from a European newspaper and they wanted to interview everybody in town for a story they were writing about Wyoming. They would pay everybody for their time and buy them a drink so over the course of the afternoon the men in black interviewed all 500 residents of the town
Around 7:00 PM a big black ship appeared in the sky above the town and two people were taken aboard the ship the Reverend Henderson, and Judy the town’s school teacher. Everyone else in town is lined up in front of the city hall. The residents had been instructed to dig a large pit and the ship flew away leaving Sam the town drunk as the only witness to the massacre as the ship fired ray guns killing everyone and throwing them into the mass grave which was then filled up.
.
Robert Henderson and Judy found themselves naked with strangers from around the world in a large cave cage. There were strange creatures outside looking at them they were just beginning to try to find out who the other strangers were when on the screen in front of them pornographic images appeared. Men dressed in black uniforms came in and poked them and told them start having sex then of course that man and woman grabbed each other and followed their instructions
Afterwards, they sat around and trying to figure out what happened to them Henderson started out by saying
“look why don’t we first start out by asking each other what your name. where you’re from and what you remember before getting here. I will start, my name is Reverend Henderson and this is Judy Small the local school teacher in our town in Wyoming in the United States of America, the date is June 19, 1870, so please tell us your name where you’re from and what year it is where you are from. They went around the room. There were ten other people in the room 5 women five men all between these ages of 20 and 40 all naked from 10 different countries including Russia 1890, China 1990, Japan 1946, Korea 1975, Mexico 2020, Saudi Arabia 2020, Israel 1975, UK 1960, India 1875 and Thailand 1890.
Mr Henderson then said
It seems to me that we have been abducted by aliens and we are in a zoo and that the only requirements our jailers have put us is that we have to have sex when they tell us to. I think that a big mistake has been made and I think we can rectify it. If they refuse to send us back, I think we can negotiate a contract with them as performers they will pay us for our time, they will provide us furniture, a private shower and backroom, a kitchen and food for us to cook, clothing and provide us with coffee tea whiskey wine beer or provide us with the raw materials and let us homebrew
We will work on a farm that they will provide us to grow our own food as well provide us dogs and cats as pets. They will allow us to walk around the zoo into the other compounds freely. We will continue to perform sex as demanded but we got to choose the partners that we wish to have sex with an they will have to pay us a salary and allow us to go into town once in a while to buy provisions and get out of the zoo. Are we all in agreement?
Mr. Henderson went to the door and banged on it until finally one of their jailers came to the door and Mr. Henderson said he wanted to talk to whoever was in charge about their situation. A man dressed in black appeared in their room and asked them well what’s this about?
Mr. Henderson said it seems that you have abducted us and put us into a zoo by mistake. You are requiring us to perform for you but we not going to perform for you unless we have a contract and you provide us a monetary salary, furniture, private bathroom and shower facilities,. Laptops with access to Google, Netflix Amazon, CNN, MSNBC, FOX, BBC, Mexican, Korean, Japanese, Chinese, and Arabic TV networks, Kindles with the reading materials of our choice, a kitchen for food for us to cook a garden for us to grow, a fishing pound for us to fish, whisky coffee tea wine and beer for us to drink or raw materials for us to self brew. We will be given access to go into the nearby town to walk around and get out of the zoo, have a meal in a restaurant .
In terms of our performances or performances, it would our daily routines and our sexual interactions but we will decide who and what we have who we want to have sex with. Oh and turn out the lights and drone cameras after ten pm.
The man in the black suit said,
“That is fine, but we cannot agree to the private bathrooms in showers add we will assign each night your sexual partners and we will require you to perform sexual activities on camera as part of our zoo experience so get over it, and that activity will involve homosexual contact, but we will only require it once a day from 9:00 PM till 10:00 PM at 10:00 PM . We will turn off the lights and not film you after 10 pm until 6 am. You will be required to wake up at 6:00 AM and do your normal activities throughout the day each of you also is required to work four hours per day in the human cafeteria that is part of the exhibit where we will be serving earth food and beverages to our customers two of you will work in the kitchen and two, we will work as wait staff so our customers will have a chance to interact with human beings. The rest of you will spend four to six hours working in the garden, the farm, the distillery, etc, but the rest of the time is yours.
You will be able to walk about the rest of the zoo compound freely except of course entering the predator species cages. We did go back in time, so we have dinosaurs, saber tooth tigers, wooly mammoths, and other extinct species and species from over 100 different worlds in our zoological compound. We do have a few other intelligent species living here under conditions like yourselves, Once a week you will be given passes to go into town, but you must be back by nightfall as we will not pay for your lodgings. Each of you will have an implant put in that will contain your financial, biological, and health information that all citizens of the federation must wear. It also contains your employment records, your political activity rating, and your social status. A few other humans are living in our world serving as advisors to the foreign ministry on all things related to earth. They will be coming by to talk with you all from time to time.
our customers are from around the Galaxy. You, humans, are fascinating creatures to us that is why we kidnapped you here, the people in your communities were all killed to prevent knowledge of our existence from leaking out.
however, for the good of the galaxy, your species is under quarantine as we have determined that your species is clinically insane and too violent a species to be allowed to join the rest of the federation. We will be monitoring your societies from afar and we will be monitoring you as well. We took from earth copies of everything that your world has ever published and that is part of the library of the federation which you will have access to as well.
ss to your US in America and networks etc is costly but we were throwing them for free we will also throw in for free access to the collective networks and Internet services
We will require you just to study galactic languages each day for one hour per day in an online platform that is pretty much oh and we will allow you to make your beer wine whiskey and that would be sold too at the human café.
that is all have a good life. And so life in the human zoo began for the inhabitants of the late planet earth.
Daily Poems
Vietnamese Street Scenes Found Poem based on internet musings of William Walton
I have recently acquired
The habit of eating breakfast
On Phan Chu Trinh street
In Vuna Tau
That habit acquired more out of necessity
Than choice
Due to an abrupt
and not wholly unwelcomed
Change in my relationship status
My local female friend
ceased to share a domicile
I was forced to move elsewhere
I moved from the alleys
of Pham hona trau
on one side of town
To phan chu Trinh
on the other side of town
an area populated by many foreign residents
otherwise known as ex-pats
on this street
at a certain hour in the morning
until noon or so
a vendor sells freshly made hard-boiled eggs
peeled, and fresh Vietnamese ice coffee
I order as is my habit two of each
There is an assortment of foreign nationals
Some of whom have Vietnamese wives
A few of these individuals are French
One is Belgium, two are fellow Americans
And several are Australians
One of my better friends is Jorma
From Finland
He is 68 years of age
Most of them are my age
And are retired like I am
We usually converse over coffee
In the morning
The other day we talked about
Russian-Finish war of in 1940
And watched an interview
With a former bodyguard of Stalin
We talked about the tone poem
Composed by the French composer Sibelius
Entitled the Swan of Tunoel
Jorma told me the title referred
To an old Finish myth
About a swan that carries the soul
Of the deceased across a river
Into the afterlife
Like Charon
Who carried the deceased
Across the Hades river in Hell
I met a man from Iceland
Born in 1941
He is married to a Vietnamese woman
Over coffee, we talked
about the Icelandic language
And old Norse
And its connections to ancient Anglo-Saxon
Hence to early modern English
Being a polyglot
Speaking Spanish, Korean, Vietnamese
German and some Chinese
I was fascinated by the conversation
And now I know a few words
Of Icelandic
Anyway, we had a fascinating conversation
This unanticipated encounter occurred
After two hours of aqua running
and before a weightlifting session
In many ways living in phan hu trinh street
Is an improvement
Over that of Pham hona trau
More opportunities to socialize
More foreign nationals
Less cramped
And better fengshui
The location of Phan hu trinh street
Is a lucky one
Wedged between a mountain
And the deep blue sea
The street is comforted
by the evening ocean breezes
My studio apartment here is a big improvement
I tried my best to maintain a good relationship
With my ex
But the end of the affair
Has led to many new possibilities
And many new romantic pursuits
Yet to come
The feather on the grave
A bald eagle
Flies over the mass graves
Of the corona ghosts
Leaving behind a feather
In tribute to the dead
The corona ghosts demand to be heard
President Trump
Your 11 am is here
Tell me again who is he and what does he want
Hmm he is Joseph Smith and says that he wants
To give you 5 million dollars to your PAC
Mr. Smith is ushered in.
He says
Mr. president I represent 310,00 Americans
an exclusive group
And we have a message for you
Who do you represent again?
The 310,000 thousand corona ghosts
And our message for you is this
General Corona is coming for you
Today is your last day
As you will have a relapse
It does happen
from time to time
And since you had refused
to take the vaccine
You are still vulnerable
Welcome to hell my friend
Welcome to Corona hell
Day two Flash Fiction
Congressman Jake Lee
Jake Lee retired from the US government, returns to the Bay Area at age 65. He and his wife buy a condo downtown Berkeley. Jake soon get involved in various causes and am soon a practiced demonstrator and show up everywhere much to his wife’s Angela’s amusement. He is arrested a number of times and his expose on how protestors are treated by the criminal justice system generates tremendous outrage.
Jake’s writes a daily blog on my various causes called Cosmos’s Corner. And he publishes to great acclaim his novel, “the Great Divorce.” His novel is praised by the right and the left as a prophectic vision of the future. In his novel, a charismatic preacher unites the Christian right in a self-declared crusade. They demand a constitutional convention to declare the formation of the Christian States of America. They also set up a shadow government called the committee that did not exist that brought together Christian leaders, business CEO’s, top military officials, top government officials, top media figures who are united by a desire to set up a new government that would respect traditional Christian values, including enacting a national morality act that would criminalize drug use, alcohol, gambling, prostitution, pornography, abortion except to save the life of the mother, same sex marriage, recogniction of transgendered rights including banning the procedure in the U.S., and a radical downsizing of the U.S. government. Marriage would be recognized as the union of one man and one woman who were born male and female who desire to raise a family. Couples who do not to want to raise children or adopt children would not be allowed to get married. Co-habitation without marriage would be illegal. Hotels, apartments would be allowed to discriminate and refuse to rent to co-habiting people or to gays and lesbians. Discrimination against LGBT would be legal, including firing people who are LGBT and banning their service in positions which require a national security clearance. Only Christians who do not drink, do drugs, or use pornography would be given clearances.
And withdrawing from most international organizations including kicking out the UN. They would also rename the United States the Christian States of America via holding a Constitutional convention. The new constitution Constitution 2.0 would implicitly recognize the U.S. as a Christian homeland, establishing the Christian faith as the official faith of the United States, requiring non-Christians to register, banning immigration of non-Christians and deportation of non-Christians who are illegal aliens. They would also ban birthright citizenship requiring that at least one of the biological parents be an U.S. citizen at the birth of the child.
The novel hits a raw nerve. The right adopts it as a clarion call for a second civil war, the left also adopts it as a call for the West Coast, and the East Coast to succeed. In the novel, ultimately after a short but brutal civil war, the West Coast declares themselves independent with a new capitol in SF. California is split into five new states, – SF, LA, San Joaquin Valley, North Coast, and Eastern California east of the mountains. They join Western Washington, Western Oregon, British Colombia, Arizona, Nevada and Colorado in the new Federation. The east coast declares independence as well with the capitol in NYC and uniting Canada, and the Great Lakes including Chicago. Illinois is split into two states downstate and Chicagoland. Texas, New Mexico, Oklaholma. and Northern Mexico forms the Texas Republic. Florida declares itself to be the Capital of the Caribbean, and Utah joins Idaho in forming the Desert Republic.
After publishing his latest episode, he runs for Congress and am elected at age 67! He runs on the slogan, an update of the Superman theme – “Fighting for Truth, Justice and the American Way!” His team wars superman shirts and slogans. Jake is tireless campaigner going door to door throughout the district and meeting with any group that is willing to meet with him. He also hosts parties at his house bringing together activists from across the district.
And he soon become the thorn in the side of the Federal Government as he continues his crusade to point out injustice wherever he sees it. He publishes a daily outrage of the day pointing out corruption, incompetence, and malfeasance throughout the Federal government and local governments alike. His daily outrage goes viral.
And he becomes famous for his witty “Jakecisms “
He has a standard apology for when his comments touch a raw nerve.
“ I am sorry that some people took offense at my comments. I did not mean to offend anyone, but if the truth hurts that is too bad.”
He and his wife becomes famous for their get togethers at their Capitol Hill house and becomes a top destination for upcoming politicos and journalists alike. During these salon meetings all sorts of deals are made uniting the left wing of the democratic party and he is soon seen as the leader of the left wing populist wing of the democratic party.
He is loved in his district and hated across the country, called by conservatives the “Most Dangerous Man in America” which he uses as a catch phrase for my campaigns. And his universal nickname is “Super Jake” referring to his endless energy, and enthusiasm.
He serves ten years in congress and finally retire at age 77 when he runs for Governor on a pro-Californian Independence ticket as his prophetic novel on the “Great Divorce” begins to take shape. Shortly after his election, he declares California independence and joins forces with Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, and British Colombia in forming a new nation, The West Coast Federation.
And he serves as the first president holding meetings during the second constitutional convention that codifies the Great divorce avoiding a second civil war.
Day Two Poems
2020 the annus Horiblus comes to an End
January
Jan. 22
“We have it totally under control. It’s one person coming in from China, and we have it under control. It’s going to be just fine.”
— CNBC interview
First cases reported
Cruise ship turned around
China travel ban
February
Feb. 10
“Looks like by April, you know, in theory, when it gets a little warmer, it miraculously goes away.”
— New Hampshire rally
Crisis becomes apparent
Europe in crisis
US not far behind
The President continues to downplay the crisis
March
March 28
“WE WILL WIN THIS WAR. When we achieve this victory, we will emerge stronger and more united than ever before!”
— Twitter
National lockdowns begin
Unemployment craters
Congress passes inadequate measures
April
On untested and dangerous treatments for the coronavirus
“I see the disinfectant, where it knocks it out in a minute, one minute, and is there a way we can do something like that by injection inside, or almost a cleaning? Because you see it gets in the lungs and it does a tremendous number on the lungs, so it’d be interesting to check that.” Speaking to reporters at the White House on 23 April.
President discontinues daily COVID crisis task force briefings
As he makes a fool of himself
By opening his mouth
May
When: Friday, May 29
The claim: The WHO ignored “credible reports” of the coronavirus’s spread in Wuhan, the Chinese city that first reported the new virus, including those published in TheLancet medical journal in December.
The truth: The Lancet said it did not publish such reports in December. Its first reports on the virus’s spread in Wuhan were published on January 24.
The crisis deepens
Thousands die
In the first wave
President and his minions
Proclaim that by July
The economy would be roaring back
Olympics postponed for one year
June
When: Wednesday, June 17
The claim: The pandemic is “fading away. It’s going to fade away.”
The truth: Trump made this claim ahead of his rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, when the country was still seeing at least 20,000 new daily cases and a second spike in infections was beginning.
President resumes his mass spreading rallies
Hermain Cain becomes the latest Corona ghost
July
“Now we have tested almost 40 million people. By so doing, we show cases, 99% of which are totally harmless.” South Lawn speech at the White Houseon 4 July.
The president continues to insist
That the US has more cases
Because the US is testing more
Total nonsense of course
But to his lemming like followers
Makes perfect sense
August
When: Thursday, August 27
The claim: The U.S. has “among the lowest case-fatality rates of any major country anywhere in the world.”
When: Thursday, August 27
The claim: Trump “launched the largest national mobilization since World War II” against COVID-19, and America “developed, from scratch, the largest and most advanced testing system in the world.”
When: Thursday, August 6
The claim: A coronavirus vaccine could be ready by Election Day.
The truth: The timeline Trump proposes contradicts health experts’ consensus that early 2021 is likely the soonest a vaccine could be widely available.
None of these statements are true
The Republican convention is held
At the WH
After Florida and North Carolina refused
To allow the full scale convention to take place
Speaker after speaker made wild crazed speeches
About the dangerous left wing mob rule
That Biden and Harris would unleash
As they turn the U.S. into another Venezuela
Promising the best is yet to come
As 200 thousand corona ghosts
Look on
September
When: Tuesday, September 29
The claim: “We’re weeks away from a vaccine,” Trump said at the first debate.
The truth: Redfield has said a COVID-19 vaccine may not be widely available to the American public until the summer of next year. Two of the three drug companies working on a vaccine have said they hope to have only initial clinical-trial results by the end of this year.
The corona virus are not yet ready
The president demands that they release the vaccine now
Before it was purely tested
The FDA refuses
October
During the final presidential debate between Trump and Democratic candidate Joe Biden, the two spoke about the ongoing pandemic, when Trump said, “It will go away and, as I say, we’re rounding the turn.”
“We’re rounding the corner. It’s going away,” Trump added.
As the president declares this
Thousands lie dying every day
The October surprise
Is that the president
and the first lady
All come down with COVID
November
Even now, the president, eager to claim credit for an imminent vaccine, is reportedly planning to host two dozen indoor Christmas parties that will again flout his own government’s public health advice. Mike Pompeo, the secretary of state, has similar plans, according to the Washington Post.
The president refuses to concede
Claiming massive voter fraud
Files 60 court challenges
Loses every one of them
Holds up the transition for two weeks
December
Dec 6, 2020President Trump’s lawyer and former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani, who has been pressing the case that the 2020 election was rife with fraud, has the coronavirus, Trump tweeted on Sunday.
But the president remains silent
As the virus runs out of control
3,000 people a day dying
Just like 9-11 happening every single day
And so the year ends
Thousands dying
Millions unemployment
Millions facing homelessness
But the vaccine is starting to be delivered
A little too late
But perhaps the proverbial light
At the end of a dark tunnel
Landmark, lost nose
In a landmark case
The judge declared
That my nose
Had been lost
Due to a clerical error
I was doomed
To live without my nose
Lost in inner space
Lonely Corona Christmas
Around the world
This Christmas will be unlike
Another other
That we have experienced
With travel proscribed
People staying low
Many parties cancelled
Many people having a virtual
Christmas celebration
While the Corona ghosts
Haunting our holiday celebrations
The Fire Burns Out of Control
The Fire burns out of control
Millions of Tree burning up
Afterwards
A Stream of water
Flies down the mountains
Seeming to take down everything
Trimming things in its wake
As animals Swim in the flood
People breathing though their open mouths
Leaning their arms
Against the dead trees
Present in the moment
The world ended
h2 style=”text-align: center;”>My love Mini-monoverse
my love
my dove
my true love
my god love
wearing glove
my dreams
my screams
it seems
my themes
it deems
Day Three
Day Three flash fiction
The Khan Take Over the World
One day the alien overlords arrived without notice. They took over the world in a whirlwind offensive. They landed their ships everywhere and took power. They executed millions of people, particularly targeting the leadership class. The aliens were giant spider-like creatures. The soldiers were rodent-like creatures that were biped, and incredibly brutal.
here were essentially four classes of aliens – the overlords who were giant spiders, the mechs who were fighting robots but AI creatures, the skitters who were the worker bees of the aliens, and the human slaves and slaves from other races. All in all, there were about ten different types of aliens living on earth.
The aliens took over the airways. The commander of the alien forces spoke to the world.
My name is commander zero – you will soon be learning how to speak galactic standard but for now, you can call me that. We are the Khan and are the master race of the galaxy. You are the tenth planetary system that we have conquered.
We have a deal to offer you, humans. First, if you accept that we have taken over the world and agree to follow our rules including learning galactic standards, we will allow you to live. But if you resist, you will be exterminated. It is your choice.
In our world, we do not tolerate dissent, but we also have a system of local representative assemblies that pass laws and approve budgets and provide some oversight, but the Emperor is firmly in charge. The press is free to report the news but with controls over sensitive data. Everyone must work. There is no welfare. If you do not want to work or have anyone to take care of you, you will be sentenced to a mining colony, or referred to a social cleansing board.
We will be setting the mining colonies on your moon and in the desert regions of the world. Anyone who is too disabled to work or too old to work will be exterminated unless their family members are willing to take care of them. Those people will be referred to a social cleansing board for final status determination.
We do not recognize religious dogma. In our experience, there are no Gods in the world. We will be closing all your religious institutions, all the artwork will be confiscated, the buildings will be converted to other uses. Priests and nuns will be executed on worldwide TV starting today. We will start with the Pope. We will also destroy your religious monuments and broadcast that as well. Starting with Rome and Mecca.
We will take a lot of the artwork from your museums back to our capital city where they will join other artwork in our colonial art museums. We will also send back animals to the galactic zoo.
Most of your books will be destroyed. Only works published in the galactic standard will be permitted. We will take over your television networks, radio, and computer networks and everything will be broadcasted in the galactic standard. You will all have one year to learn it. Everyone will have to look galactic standard. All other languages will be banned after one year.
Now starting next week everyone will be assigned jobs. Your corporations will be taken over by galactic corporations. You will all be given salaries in galactic standard credits. Your prior currencies will be abolished. Your banks will be taken over and people will have their local currencies swapped out with galactic credits so most of you will not lose too much money. We do not want to destroy the economy but there will be some disruption.
Most of you will be relocated to the cities. The countryside will be either farming zones, mining zones, or forestry zones. Most small towns will be abandoned. Simply not efficient to have all these small towns.
Most of you will commute via public transit options. Private vehicles will be reserved for the elite.
We will rebuild your electric grid and covert your power to renewable energy sources so global warming will be solved.
Your farms will grow galactic standard crops and galactic standard livestock although we will grow local fruits and vegetables and we will grow coffee and tea which we will export back home. And we will export your alcoholic beverages.
Gambling is illegal. Pornography is illegal. Drug use except for prescription drugs is illegal. Abortion services will be illegal. Consensual sexual relations will be legal. But homosexual conduct will be illegal. Marriages will be recognized as the union between a man and a woman. What you do in your sex life will be your business except for homosexual conduct.
Five years later, commander zero gave his annual state of the union speech. He started by saying
We have made a lot of progress. Most of you have adopted but some of you still refuse to accept the fact that we are in charge and some of you are still resisting, and some of you are engaged in terrorism. That must stop now.
So, we have an offer to make. Those of you who refuse to accept the new rules will be offered refugee in Africa. Africa was supposed to be a mining colony, but they would allow humans to live there if they mined and do other work for the aliens, but the humans would be allowed to govern their affairs. A limited number of humans would be allowed to live in the rest of the world as traders, and businesspeople but subject to the laws of the aliens.
Many of you will continue to work and some of you will remain slaves. The slaves would be allowed to breed and provide a second generation of slaves. The aliens would not enslave any other humans provided that the Humans kept their end of the cease-fire and kept themselves to Africa.
The humans would have 24 hours to decide. If the humans refused, they would release the virus and kill off any remaining wild humans.
The 2nd Massachusetts militia takes the alien offer and is transported to West Africa. Other flights arrive and there are eventually 50,000 humans left alive in West Africa and perhaps 50,000 human slaves in the alien dominated rest of the world.
The alien’s airlift supplies and the humans set up farming communities and some go to work in the mines that the aliens set up across Africa.
But most of Africa reverts to a wilderness.
Some humans end up serving as hunting guides for aliens who like to travel to the African bush for recreational hunting.
Some free humans live on in the alien world as traders, businesspeople, and spies and there is a larger slave population.
The dream that someday humanity would kick the aliens off the world never dies.
Corona Christmas Morning
corona
On a Corona Christmas day
In the center of the room of the house
Lies friends and family now corona ghosts
Love Magnet
Ever since I met you
So many years ago
Your love was like a magnet
Drawing me to you
Making me come to you
Your body a magnet of love
Lust and mad passionate desire
At the Casino of the Damned
indian casinos
The dice tumbled
the table leaned forward
withheld breath.
Watching the players
Play at the casino
Of the damned
The winner gets a reprieve
The losers condemned
To hell
The winner rolls 6
The lucky number
To avoid the sentence
Wish We Could Delete Last Year
Wish we could delete
Last Year
Sam Adams Vs. the Social Cleansing Board
the summons
Sam Adams was worried. He could not sleep. He got up at 4 am and wrote in his journal and tried to cope with the dread that was overwhelming him. He had received the summons yesterday that he was to report to the social cleansing board for a review on whether he would be allowed to continue to be on the “automatic permit list “ or would be referred for “final status determination.. Sam was a retired Federal worker trying to live on dwindling savings. Sam had Alzheimer’s and was rapidly depleting his life’s savings. Two years before he had been released from prison, one of the millions of ex-political prisoners. His crime? Authoring anti-government poems just before the beginning of the Christian States of America, right after the second civil war. Unfortunately for him and his millions of ex-prisoners, his side lost the war. He wanted to flee to the United Provinces and settle down in California but lacked the money to move. And getting a job at his age, with Alzheimer’s and his political rating was proving difficult at best. And he lived all alone after his wife had been deported during the “troubles”. All of which added up to a 90 percent probability his last days were approaching.
Under the new rules imposed by the Christian Republican party in the newly established Christian states, all citizens over the age of 18 were on the permitted list if they met all of the criteria. He tried to think about why he was being referred to the board. Perhaps it was because of the recent crackdown on social deviancy. Millions of homosexuals, transgender people, atheists, drug users, alcoholics, and non-religious people had been rounded up and eliminated according to the rumors. Perhaps someone had fingered him as a possible deviant. He fit the stereotype, no children, known drug user, known alcohol user, suspect politically, atheist, and now Alzheimer’s patient. And he was not racially pure having some black blood, some Asian blood, and some Jewish blood. And he had married across the racial divide which was now illegal. In the Christian States, one’s racial purity was everything.
The story was that if you flipped and named names you would sometimes be spared for now, and if your info was correct, you could be rewarded. Of course, those who flipped were not too fortunate, as the State would open a file on them, just to be sure. Someone had flipped on him, that was probably the story, or someone could have heard that he was an ex-political prisoner, or the fact simply that he had Alzheimer’s’. could be sufficient. The Christian State considered the disabled, the elderly, non-whites, gays, and dissidents to be “disposable” marginal people, “useless eaters” that had to be eliminated.
He had no children. He was not so secret an atheist and had been involved with the dissident movement as a poet and blogger. He had spent five years as a political prisoner at the start of the Christian Revolution. He was determined to make a stand and denounce the whole rotten system before the board although that would probably seal his fate.
As an Alzheimer’s patient, he could no longer work. His wife had died the year before while he was in prison after she had been deported to her native Korea. She left him some assets, but he had little idea how to manage his finances and he was behind in his rent and had received an eviction notice which had probably triggered the visit by the “social cleansing staff” who recommend a final status determination. But it was just as likely he was on the list because someone flipped on him. Perhaps his crooked lawyer who he owed money to had turned him in. Could have been anyone. Everyone was constantly told to be on the lookout and say something if they saw something suspicious. There were spies everywhere.
Last time the soldiers came for him at midnight. Always at midnight, Sam thought. The soldiers came took him away from his wife and locked him up for two years. They deported his wife because she was born in South Korea, and stripped her of her American citizenship. He was not allowed to say goodbye or contact her. He heard she had died shortly afterward. He spent two years in hard labor in the desert near Las Vegas and was released into Las Vegas.
Las Vegas was a different town now that the casinos had left town. All that was left were back-office operations, and underground booze and pot operations, and underground casinos. It was a hotbed of political dissent and there was an underground railroad to California, which was not part of the Christian states. Sam had been preparing to leave which was a crime and perhaps that is why he was on the list.
The hearing would be at 10 am. He was meeting his lawyer at the hearing board, but his lawyer was not too optimistic. He told Sam, “it does not look good for you. You need to be ready. Likely the board will rule against you.”
the Permit Criteria
His lawyer went over the basic criteria for being on the automatic permit list:
For Males
Age 18 to age 70
White race
Married to a white woman with children
Must be either working, in school full time, serving in military duty, or working in prison if convicted of a crime.
Homelessness was not allowed. If unemployed and or homeless, would be referred to the social cleansing department unless you had a relative who was willing to take care of your needs. The same thing applied to people with disabilities. Unless one had money or relatives to take care of one, being disabled was not permitted. Alzheimer’s and dementia were also on the list. And Sam’s political dissent and history of atheism would be held against him.
Since there were no pensions or social security anymore and no government-provided health care, one must have sufficient assets through one’s work, or savings or through one’s relatives to provide for one ‘s needs. If not you would be sent to the social cleansing board for final status determination. Sam’s pension was insufficient as the Christian States had liquidated social security, Medicare, and pensions and all other social spendings as such spending was seen as making people too dependent on the government.
For Females
Same basic rules applied but if one were married, and had children one would be on the permitted list if children are older if the spouse’s income is sufficient one would be on the list. If single or divorced, and homeless one would also be subject to social cleansing unless one’s relatives would willing to sponsor you. Since there were no pensions or social security anymore and no government-provided health care, one must have sufficient assets through one’s work, or savings or through one’s relatives to provide for one ‘s needs. If not you would be sent to the social cleansing board for final status determination.
For Aged People
Additional requirements for the age applied – you were expected to take care of your basic needs through employment and savings and the help of relatives. If you were evicted for non-payment of rent or judged to not have sufficient assets left to sustain your basic needs including medical care, you would be referred for final status determination. And Alzheimer’s and dementia were also factors that were considered negatively in the social status determination by the board.
For all people, additional requirements applied.
Sexual deviancy, drug use, alcohol use, gambling, sex outside of marriage, homosexuality would result in immediate referral to the social cleansing board as all were banned conduct that could result in final termination. Being a member of a prohibited religious class could also be grounds for referral as would a pattern of not attending Christian services. Finally, if one had been arrested for political crimes one would be marked forever.
Sam’s Rating
Mr. Smith the lawyer pointed out that Sam’s social rating was not good. Sam knew that his rating was a D meaning that the government would be watching him all the time, and it would be difficult to get a job. Only the A’s and B’s were guaranteed to be on the permit list. To be an A, you had be to a true believer, had to be white, had to attend church regularly, and had to be employed naturally. To be a B same thing but you could be a B if you were a minority, or had engaged in alcohol or drug use under the old rules. C meant that there was something wrong with your background, you were an atheist, you were a minority, etc. D means that you were a serious threat to the regime. E meant that you would be terminated. F met you were terminated as it met Failure to survive, and family members of F were also labeled F as they were usually terminated at the same time.
Being associated with banned political movements, including reading banned materials could also lead one to be referred to the social cleansing board as all were grounds for either termination or criminal prosecution if under the age of 70. If over the age of 70, one could be terminated just for being old.
The board has three choices – granted the temporary status extension, referral for termination, or referral to criminal prosecution.
The termination would be carried out quickly. There would be an optional funeral at your Church, then the execution through the method of your choice – firing squad, beheading, electric chair, or gas. The default was gas where you were put in a room with up to ten other people and put to sleep.
Afterward, your body would be cremated in an electricity generating plant with the ashes turned into fertilizer products. There were no burials allowed unless one was rich enough and connected enough to request a burial exception. Most people did not qualify.
the Hearing
The hearing started. The presiding Judge, Judge Miller was a stern face white man in his 70’s and a true believer. He was sent to Las Vegas to clean it up as Las Vegas was the wild west, a hotbed of dissent, illegal drug use, illegal prostitution, and illegal casinos. It was also near several political prisons so many ex-cons lived there. The Judge was the chairman of the Nevada state committee that did not exist and was a senior official in the Federal committee that did not exist that brought together government, business, and church leaders to coordinate government policies and that secretly ran the Christian States of America. Probably a score of A thought Sam.
The judge announced that he had reviewed Sam’s file and was shocked that Sam had escaped final termination. He said that the previous board had erred in simply sending him to prison. He should have been eradicated as a social evil, as cancer that needs to be removed from the pure body politics. Sam and his ilk sickened him. Sam was a free thinker, an atheist, a mixed-race mongrel, married to a non-white and was therefore guilty of crimes against the white race which was a crime. The Judge was determined to see justice done.
He asked Sam a series of questions. Sam’s answers sealed his fate.
Sam, what is your occupation?
None for now. worked until age 60 as a diplomat under the old regime.
You realize that under the law you must be working, in service, in school, or prison? Or have sufficient savings and assistance from relatives to sustain your needs. Are you currently working?
I can’t find a job due to my age, my Alzheimer’s; and my political record.
That’s irrelevant. You are just a lousy atheist piece of shit. You deserve no sympathy. And have none from me.
Are you white?
No, I am a mixed-race, part native, part Asian, part black.
I see you were married to a non-white and had no children. Good for you we would not want to see more mongrel children. Such children should be eliminated at birth in my opinion and will be starting next month when we begin enforcing the racial purity laws.
What was your crime? Let us see reading prohibited writings, keeping a journal, publishing an anti-government blog, authoring anti-government poems and stories. Did you serve two years at hard labor?
Yes
Do you still write?
Yes, every day but I no longer publish on-line.
Good. No one would want to read that trash anyway.
Do you go to church?
No
Do you believe in God?
No, I do not believe in an imaginary man in the sky.
One more anti-religious statement from you will result in an immediate ruling of termination.
Do you drink?
If I can find it yes
Do you gamble
Yes, when I can
Do you support the Christian Republican Party and the Christian States of America?
No, I do not.
Okay, I have enough for a ruling. Sam Adams, you are hereby sentenced to the termination. Tomorrow at 7 am you will be turned into electricity and fertilizer. Take him away.
Next, please.
At midnight there was a knock at the door. A black man appeared and said he was a friend and he was being smuggled to California. Sam rejoiced and went with his new friend and reached SF in the morning, escaping death for the 23rd time in his life.
Today’s Poems
Dear Santa
What I want for Christmas
and for the new year too
Is simply this
Goodwill prevails
Our leaders get together
Working together to restart
The damaged economy
Getting the virus conquered
Allowing travel to resume
Conquering health care reform
Dealing with climate change
Rebuilding our strained alliances
Working out a deal
To solve
both the North Korean problem
And the middle east problem
Resolving our racial divides
Bringing the country together
Making sure black lives
All lives matter
Ending the politics
Of personal destruction
In short, Peace and goodwill
Will finally prevail
And most importantly
Donald Trump shuts up
quietly going into retirement
Ending the worst presidency ever
And finally
Another year for me
To enjoy the love of my life
Falling in love with her every day
Tell the Grimm reaper
My time is not yet due
That is all that I want
For Christmas and the New Year
My Love Beckons Me Haiku
My love beckons me
Every day I fall in love
Padded with her love
Humid Summer Days, Dry Winter Nights Haiku
Humid summer days
Give way to dry winter nights
stay at home with love
World Economy Teters on the Edge Cherita
The world economy
Teters on the edge
Declining Imports and exports
Global trade ending
Is this the end
Of the globalized world economy?
Seeing the Cosmic Dog in the Morning Light
In the morning Light
I Breathe deeply
Following the shining light
Of the dawning sun
Sighing and Gasping
With baited breath
While I hear the Bark
Of a dog outside
my open window
Showing the face
Of the Devine spirit
Within the cosmic dog
Always a good idea
Drinking wine
While listening to music
With my wife
The love of my life
When She says
Pour me another glass
Of wine my dear
I said
Always a good idea
And we drank some more
Falling in love
With every sip
As I looked at her
And she looked at me
The next glass of wine is for love,
Then I clearly said
The next glass of wine is for love
smiled in unison
Day Five
Reverend Jimmy Jones Launches the Christian Revolution
Word count: 1776
Reverend Jimmy Jones is about to make a speech at a campaign rally in which he will announce the launching of the Christian revolution. He hopes that the Christian revolution will galvanize the evangelical community and the remanence of former president Trump’s base throughout the red states of the country. President Trump had died a few months ago but before he died, he endorsed Jimmy Jones and announced that he supported the call for a constitutional convention and the formation of the Christian States. The Trump children were all aboard the movement as well and working with his newly named Christian Republican party.
The Christian Revolution would lead to the formation of the Christian States of America after a short civil war, which split the country into new countries the Christian States of America with the capital at Omaha, renamed New Zion; The Florida Caribbean Federation encompassing many of the islands of the Caribbean including Puerto Rico, the Virgin islands; the Northeast Federation including the new state of Columbia DC, with Canadian provinces; The French American Federation which consisted of Québec Haiti Martinique Guadeloupe and Louisiana with the capital in Québec; the Native American Federation which consisted of the biggest Indian reservations across the United States and Canada with the capital in Oklahoma; The Pacific state federations which consisted of The West coast states, and British Colombia with the capital in San Francisco and including Five new California states, and parts of Northern Mexico including Baja California; one of which join with Eastern Oregon in Eastern Washington to form a new state called Jefferson which joined the Christian states; the Utah Republic which included Idaho, and allied with the Christian States, the Texas Republic which consisted of Texas New Mexico and northern part of Mexico, with the capitol in Dallas and allied with the Christian States, and The Pacific island Federation which consisted of Hawaii Guam American Samoa Micronesia and the Philippines with the capitol in Honolulu, allied with the Pacific States and NE Federation.
Reverend Jones addresses the campaign rally
“Today I am announcing then I am running not just for the presidency not of the United States of America and the new nation to be called the Christian States of America which will unite the United States and parts of Canada and new Mexican Mexico who wish to join the new Federation; I am calling upon the states to call for a constitutional convention which will draft a new constitution which we can call constitution 2.0 which was explicitly declare that the United States of America is no longer and will be replaced as a successor state, the Christian States of America. The Christian States of America will be governed along the lines of what the founding fathers had decreed in other words the federal government which will be relocated to Omaha well play a much smaller role in the Federation then focusing on foreign policy military issues national security and coordinating national economic policies but most power will revert to the states. The Christian states will be a Christian Homeland and Christianity will be the official religion of the state. Only Christians would be allowed to work for positions that require national security clearances because the national security clearances will now have a morality screening only people of good moral character will be allowed to work for the federal government, work for state governments and work in school systems
Most regulations will be eliminated as the Christian states will revert to a policy of fewer regulations, less taxation, and fewer burdens on the public and businesses including eliminating minimum wage laws.
And there will be a national morality law that will be based on traditional Christian social values. The law will outlaw sex outside of a traditional marriage defined as a union of one man and one woman who intend to have the children together. Homosexuality will be banned, anal sex will be banned, transgenderism will be banned, transgender reassignment surgery will be banned, prostitution will be banned, abortion will be banned except to save the life of a woman and marijuana will be banned, alcohol will be banned, gambling would be banned, pornography will be banned, the internet will be monitored and controlled as will the media and entertainment businesses. Sex and violence will be banned in entertainment products including games, TV, movies, and live theater.
The federal government will enforce these regulations nationwide, but the states will oversee prosecutions as these regulations will be enacted in every single state; the states will be allowed to add additional requirements but not fewer requirements. Constitution 2.0 will explicitly recognize the Bible and traditional Christian principles as part of the governing documents of the new Federation. It would also include the Declaration of Independence, the original constitution, including the bill of rights, and the Magna Carter. The new constitution will also explicitly recognize Christianity as the state religion, modifying the first amendment accordingly and authorizing discrimination against minority religions and atheism, and requiring federal government positions to be open only to Christians.
There will be a new body which will consist of the leaders of the Christian churches who will have an advisory role in overseeing governmental policies to make sure the government policies are not in conflict with Christian principles. Non-Christians will have to register with the local police whenever they move their residencies. Atheism will be banned. Non-Christian churches will no longer receive any tax benefits. Easter Sunday, Good Friday, and Easter Monday will be a national holiday as well and spring break will be renamed Easter break and the Christmas winter break will be renamed Christmas break.
All schools will be required to teach the Bible as part of their curriculum Local schools would no longer be run by the government but will be run by church foundations but with government funding
Looking abroad the new Federation will withdraw from most international agreements will kick out the United Nations and international organizations as they are interfering with national sovereignty
There will be mandatory national military or government service return after service is completed the government will pay for college education or tech training for those who complete their three years of service. The three years of service would also include both women and men and there will be no exceptions made whatsoever everybody will have to serve. Service will take place between one is 18 birthday and 25th birthday, with annual lotto drawings determining the start of service. Once your number is drawn you will have six months to report for service which will last up to three years, the first year would be training, then two years of service.
Finally, we will launch a revolution a crusade so to speak to take back America city by city-state by state we will force the local governments to recognize the new Christian rules and regulations including of course banning bars and banning alcohol sales, strip clubs, prostitution, and other sexual services
We will start this in my hometown of Little Rock AR. With your help and the help of the American public, we will fulfill the dream that I had the prophecy that I had, or Gabriel came to me and told me that I had been chosen by God to lean the American people back to the Christian Church and with your help and God’s will we will prevail and America will become a canoe Christian paradise the shining city on the hill that we all knew know is in fulfillment of God’s will, and that Americans are the new chosen people. God Bless America goodnight
The next day Reverend Jones convened the first meeting of what became known as the committee that did not exist committee did not exist formed a shadow government consisting of the top leaders of the government the top leaders of the Christian churches the top leaders of the Senior military officials’ national security officials and senior political operatives of all sorts, the CEOs of major corporations all of which were united by the desire to ensure that the Christian revolution went forward and that corporations would play their role and ensuring that they would not be engaged and selling products that promote sin, and they would work with the government of the Christian States of America to ensure that all policies are both biblically sound, and economically sound
We will ensure that big businesses get what they want fewer regulations, including outlawing labor unions, and the minimum wage, and of course fewer taxes Finally, the committee that did not exist would oversee the development of a dossier on every American in the country which would be kept under close guard and used by the leadership of the Christian States to make sure that people fall in line. The dossiers would leak to destroy political enemies.
Everybody in the country would be rated as either
A trusted true believer
B trusted
C wavering
D hostile
E so hostile that they must be eliminated
40 percent will be either A or B and would be in the elite upper class of society.
The committee that did not exist would overseas the operations of a militia group call the army of God which would carry out operations that would not be officially linked to the government but would carry out governmental policies During the transition to the Christian States of America they would go into towns and shut down bars and shut down strip clubs things like that, and they would also supervise getting out negative information on their political opponents
Some would say that the Christian Federation is a fascist movement and Reverend Jones said that was fair it was a fascist movement it was bringing together elements of traditional Christian thoughts, big businesses, and key governmental allies. The Christian States of America will usher in a period of great prosperity and power for those in the upper echelons of society, while the lower classes will work hard since with the elimination of welfare there will be no social safety net and criminal laws will be strictly enforced. Being a homeless bum on the street will be not an option, as homelessness will be a criminal offense. All prisoners will work for corporations.
Rev. Jones concluded,
With your help, we will achieve the Christian revolution and fulfill my promise to Gabriel that I would bring North America back to Christianity.
Day Six
Ghost Trial
I am surrounded by Ghosts of my past
I have outlasted so many people
My Father, My Mother, My sister
and sister and friends from my past life
They all appear in my dream
And they put me on trial
One by one they testify
My father and my mother
Talk to me while I sleep
My father talks to me at length
About his life
His battles and his dreams for me
Unfulfilled when he died so young
And My mother
Crying always crying
As she tells me that
I never cared for her
That I ran away from her
Unable to cope with her
constant demands on me
Just wanted me
to pay attention to her
And be there for her
And I fled from her
And numerous friends
that have died
Surround me reminding me
Of things that I did
Or not did
Or that I did not attend
their funerals
And my sister too
Chimes in
Berating me for not
being there for her
And ignoring her
And emotionally
neglecting her
Nightly these ghosts
Will not let me be
As I toss and turn
And they fill my head
With their remonstrations
Until the sun comes up
And chases them away
With its cleansing light
Man plays games with his lover
A man meets his lover
in a bar
Playing a game
That they had played before
Imagining that
they were strangers
About to make love
for the first time
He whispers in her ears
All the things he wanted to do
To her that night
She smiled
Said she would give him
What he wanted
And they went
to their apartment
Made love until dawn
They had breakfast
And laughed again
At the absurdity
Of it all
I drink a cup of hot cocoa
I drink a cup of hot cocoa
In the Snuggery by the fireplace
I step outside
Putting on my mittens
Braving the frosty cold night
Looking at the evening stars
Watching the poor
Walk by asking for alms
I give them money
Go inside
Sitting by the evergreen Christmas tree
Wrapping presents in red wrapping paper
Waiting for Christmas morning delights
Sitting by the creek
Sitting by the creek
Turning on the old socket
Wiping tears away
with a damp tissue
Day Seven Flash Fiction
2024 Elections – End of the world Mood Overcomes the U.S. and the World.
A strange mood sweeps the country just before the 2024 elections. Many people on the fringes are convinced that we were entering the end times as prophesied in Biblical, Islamic, Hindu, and Mayan traditions. Various end-times prophets appeared with terrifying visions of the coming nightmare. The internet was overwhelmed with visions of the coming end of the world. Dire warnings were all about – from the scientists who were saying daily that we had passed the point of no return on climate change, to conservatives warning that the socialist radical left plot to destroy America was in full swing, to the left’s fear of incipient fascism in America and the world, to fears of another pandemic, to fears that the new normal would mean a lifetime of poverty for Americans. Thoughts about the decline of America were everywhere as were warnings of a coming civil war.
One of the best-selling books of 2023 was the Great Divorce which was all about the coming second civil war. Millions of people were convinced that a second civil war was inevitable
Reality seemed just as dismal as one natural disaster after another occurred. Monster storms that did not seem to end as the Hurricane season was the worst on record, following the worst winter of recent history in the Winter of 2023-24, the fire season in the summer of 2023 were also the worst in recorded history as the entire west coast burned up and several cities including Medford, Oregon was destroyed. The fires lasted until early December when monster winter storms swept over the land leading to massive mudslides, hurricane style winds whipping up the never-ending blizzards that shut down most of the west coast over the Christmas season.
In October, a new variant of COVID swept out of China = a new variant that was immune to the COVID vaccine. The economy had barely recovered from the ravages of the last pandemic and millions of people faced another stay-at-home order just before Thanksgiving and the holiday season.
Then spring barely happened as most of the world went into an intense drought with high temperatures before the monster storms occurred. Volcanoes and earthquakes, more than in recorded history added to the chaos. And a massive sunspot knocked out all communications and air travel for two weeks.
Then the political storm in Washington hit and politics became even dirtier as the Republicans nominated Donald Trump and Mike Huckabee who ran a hard Christian campaign promising to turn America into a Christian nation just in time for the rapture which they predicted would end the year.
Then Joe Biden dies in the springtime of 2024 and Kamala Harris runs for the seat and is nominated but must pick a hard left partner. The two parties are bitterly divided as is the country.
Half the country is demanding a new green deal, half think that the democrats are evil socialists who are determined to destroy the country. The Republicans run the hard-right campaign promising to rename the country the United Christian States of America, including a call for a constitutional convention to codify the new status as a Christian nation. They also applaud the supreme court’s decision to overturn Roe V Wade, Gay marriage, and gay rights.
They also demand that the new constitution explicitly recognize the rights of Christians, that religious minority must register with the government, and outlaw atheism.
They demand that the US enact a national morality act that would outlaw sex outside traditional marriage, outlaw homosexuality, abortion, prostitution, transgendered status, alcohol, marijuana, gambling, and legalizing discrimination against the LGBT community
Donald Trump ran on a platform that the 2020 election had been stolen from him and on a platform of revenge against the enemies of American freedom. He also calls for the U.S. to kick out the United Nations, withdraw from the WTO and most international agreements. And to bring the troops home once and for all. And of course, to build the war, and eliminate most immigration. He also endorsed the calls for a new war on drugs, banning alcohol, and gambling and making the U.S. a Christian-only nation, vowing if he were elected to refuse to hire Muslims, and atheists and calling for the firing of atheists, and gays from government positions.
The mood in the blue states was that the country was already split into two lands, the coastal blue states, and the hinterland. Many people had fled the red states after the supreme court decisions led to enactments of laws banning homosexuality, abortion, and same-sex marriage. Many social conservatives had fled the urban coastal regions in search of a simpler, more Christian based live in the hinterlands.
45% of the public support these demands, and 45% are bitterly opposed.
The country seemed on the breaking point, as 60% of the public were saying that they saw a civil war as a possibility, and 45% agreeing that it was time for the U.S. to split up into new nations.
Harris herself endorsed the call for a constitutional convention to settle once and for whether the U.S. would remain united or split into parts. The governors of the Western States and the governors of the eastern states got together and endorsed a call for a constitutional convention and a great divorce. They were joined in these calls by the governors of the new states, Colombia (DC) VI, Puerto Rico, Guam, America Samoa, Micronesia, Sequoya (Oklahoma) Chicagoland, Downtown Illinois, NYC, and NY state.
One of the bestselling books of 2023 was the Great Divorce which was all about the coming second civil war. Millions of people were convinced that a second civil war was inevitable.
Harris wins the popular vote by 5 percentage points but loses the electoral college and the Senate as the Christian right was fired up at the prospect, they would get what they wanted more than anything else – an American theocracy.
Truly we were living in strange times.
Time Poems
2009 Berkeley Time Warp
free roaming berkeley
April 3
Time travel is possible
I do it every year
When I return to Berkeley
And go to the corner of Dwight
and Telegraph
Down the street from People’s park
I enter a time wrap
And find myself in 1967
It is always 1967
With the sweet smell of pot
In the air
And the merchants selling
Tie die tea shirts
And talking shit
And the students walking by
And the older generation
Walking by in nostalgic memories
Of when it was the 60’s
and everything seemed possible
We would change the world
And then Nixon came
And the world turned ugly fast
and furious
And we have been on a dark trip
ever since those days
But in Berkeley
At Dwight and Telegraph
The 60’s live on
Long live the 60’s
Stockton Time Travel
When I was going to college
in Stockton, Californa
In the 70s
It seemed as if every time I went to Stockton
I was going through a time and space wormhole
And emerging on the other end
In an Ohio farm town circa 1959
Then returning to Berkeley
And arriving in the mid 70’s
Except for Telegraph Avenue
Which is always stuck in 1967.
The time travel wormhole collapsed
As Stockton over time
Became an outer suburb of Sacramento
And the greater Bay Area
But the valley remains
A different time and space
Than the Bay Area
And so time travel is still
The way to go
When going to the valley
From the city
Berkeley 1975
Tilden Regional Park is a regional park in the East Bay of California. It is between the Berkeley Hills and San Pablo Ridge.
Growing up in Berkeley
In the late 60s
and early to mid-70s
Was such a trip
Berkeley and the Bay Area
Were already becoming
Almost a separate country
From the rest of the United States
And Berkeley was already
Such a diverse place
My high school had over 4,000 students
From over 150 countries
And had openly gay students
And even transgendered students
Decades before that became common
Elsewhere in the country
My best friends were Jewish, Irish, Bl
ack, Half Black Half White
And I had some Asian friends as well.
And I was the Student body president
I belonged to no particular clique
Rather floated between different groups
And that is why perhaps I was a success
Berkeley taught me so much
And being there
Taught me so much
I lived through such a turbulent time
The black panthers
The black revolution
The sexual revolution
The anti-war movement
We had tear gas days
And we used to hang out
On Telegraph watching the riots
Or watching the street preachers
On more peaceful days
And boy did we enjoy
Cheap eats
Ocsar’s Burgers
Pizza
Chinese food
And hot dogs
And sneaking over to CAL
To crash Fraternity parties
And get some free drinks
Life was interesting
In that day
And I will never
Forgot
The life lessons
I learned in the streets
Of Berkeley in the ’70s
Berkeley Street Scene 2015
BERKELEY, CA – SEPTEMBER 24: Protesters shout during a free speech rally with right wing commentator Milo Yiannopoulos at U.C. Berkeley on September 24, 2017 in Berkeley, California. Hundreds of protesters came out to support and demonstrate against Milo Yiannopoulos as he held a free speech rally at U.C. Berkeley. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Coming back to Berkeley
Every year since I left
Remains me how much it has changed
And how little it has changed
The essences of Berkeley
The reasons why I keep coming back
Remains the same
It is a zany, wild, and crazy city
Filled with energy, enthusiasm
And big ideas
The University remains
The center of the town
But Berkeley was always more
Than a college town
It was a black suburb of Oakland
And still is
It was an Asian American suburb of Oakland
And remains to this day
It was a welcoming place
for gays and lesbians
and still is
And of course,
it was a student hangout
For Cal students and students from all over
And still is
It was a regional hangout
for high school kids
And still is
BHS rocks
And it was a commuter stop on the BART
For white-collar workers from the city
And still is
It was a working-class town
And some of that is still there
And a center for movies
And the arts
And the food mecca
and coffee mecca
for all the foodies
in the Bay area
And boy is it still the mecca
For good food
Food from almost every ethnic group
In the world
If you can’t find it Berkeley
Either in the stores
Or the hundreds of ethnic joints
You won’t be able to find it
Anywhere else in the U.S.
Over the years I tried
My first Thai
My first Chinese
My first Cambodian
My first Vietnamese
My first Mexican
My first Indian
My first Russian
My first Cuban
My first French
My first Italian
My first Greek
And my first New Californian cuisine
And my first Mc Donalds
And Burger King
And of course
Who can forget
Their first Peet’s coffee?
And who can forget
Tilden Park
Inspiration Point at sunrise
And Wildcat canyon?
One day while glazing at the sunset
Over the bay bridge
I declared that Berkeley was the center
Of my universe
So I end this love song
To Berkeley California
Truly the center
Of this man’s universe
Seoul 1979
When I arrived in Seoul
Back in the day in 1979
Seoul was a grim city
Big, polluted, overwhelming
Filled with Koreans
And nothing much to do
Other than eat Korean food
And drink Korean booze
Tourist sites were none existent
And foreigners were few and far between
The GI’s stayed in Itaewon
And there were few other foreigners around
And there were very few places in town
To eat non-Korean food
Just the fancy hotels
The base and Itaewon
But Seoul had it’s charms
It grew on me over the years
And gradually became less grim
Less forbidding
And less foreigner unfriendly
When I left Seoul in 1984 it was changing
before my very eyes
And when I came back in 1988
it was a different city
And those were the days
Of the Olympics
and Seoul’s emergence
As a modern city
Seoul 2015
Seoul is so different now days
Very little of the old Seoul remains
The Kangwhamoon area downtown
Still exists as a warren
of alleyways
Between big buildings
Filled with restaurants and shops
But the old tabangs (tea shops)
With the tabang girls
Are long gone
The karaoke bars and girl bars
Are still there going strong
But coffee shops and fancier restaurants
Are everywhere
And foreigners are everywhere
Seoul is no longer a city just for Koreans
It has truly become a world city
Must to the dismay of the traditionalists
Parts of the old Seoul remain
and the mountains and parks
have become very popular indeed
there has been a resurgence in Korean Buddhism
and in traditional arts and crafts
and traditional foods as well
nowhere more than in Insa dong
the Mecca of traditional Korean culture
these days
Itaweon has become
the heart of the expatriate part of Seoul
with people from around the world
gathered together
along with the young and hip
Koreans
And there is even a gay quarter now
unimaginable in the old days
Seoul has changed
For the most part fo
r the better
But I still miss
the Seoul of my past
And will mourn its passing
As I get older
Along with the city
That I have adopted
As my second hometown
Hope for the New Year Fan Story Haiku
Hope for the new year
will it be better than ever
delete this last year
Images of Pearl Harbor
Images of pearl harbor
Still shocking
After so many years
A day that will live
In infamy
The images of these ancient crimes
Continue to haunt us
After all these years
Images of 9-11
The images of that day
Fills my head
Still haunting me
After all these years
But what fills me with dread
Is that every day
We are living another 9-11
As the coronavirus
Continues to surge
Across the land
General corona leading his army
Of virus bots
As millions get sick
Thousands die
Every day
The invisible enemy
Is here
And our commander in chief
Is AWOL
Time to Stop
Time to stop
Imaging these images
Of death
All around me
Memories of pearl harbor
Memories of 9-11
Images of COVID
Ravaging the land
Time to stop
These images
From haunting my life
Blood Red Moon Over Ruins
Coldness fills my heart
Strange feelings fill my soul
I see a blood-red super blue moon
Lighting up the ruins
Of our civilization
Everyone is dead
Humanity a distant memory
Is this our future
I am filled with such dread
As the coldness takes over,
Ancient curse comes to Life
An ancient curse
Comes to life
Vampires arise from the death
Leading an army of zombies
Hundreds of demons come
Pouring out of the new
Gateway to hell
That opens up
Coffee Pot Mini Flash
coffee
On a cold night in the middle of the winter at midnight, an old man drops by a 24/7 dinner and orders a burger, fries, and coffee. He notices that the diner has an old fashioned coffee pot and asks about it.
The owner comes out. He is a friendly old black man,
“You have a question about the coffee pot?”
“Yes just curious. It looks like an antique. Does it still work?”
“Yes, that is my great grandfather’s coffee pot and we have been making coffee from that pot for over 150 years in this restaurant which was my grandfather’s restaurant. The menu is from his day as well. The apple pie is my grandmother’s secret recipe. But I am most proud of the coffee. Because the coffee though is magical. Anyone who drinks of it will be given one more year of life. Do you want a cup of this magic brew?”
“Why not? I don’t have too much time left to live. I see ghosts all around me and I am afraid that I will be ending soon. So bring on the magic coffee.”
He has a cup and stands up and drops dead.
A Man falls asleep underneath the clock
A man falls asleep
Beneath the ticking grandfather clock
Underneath the Christmas tree
Waiting for Christmas
Rejected Manuscripts has published three of my poems.
Dear Jake,
I have just published 270,000 Ghosts to our website: https://rejectedmanuscripts.org/270000-corona-ghosts-crash-the-presidents-party/
Please check it out and let me know if you identify any problems.
Feel free to promote your work to friends and fans. I have given you
your first up-vote. Best of luck in the competition!
Sincerely,
Charlie
writer Egg magazine has published some more poems which drop in issue six to be published in January.
Index
Politicians Lying while people lie dying
Thanksgiving thoughts
Corona Virus Stalks Me
News is still grim
Mad Mask Fears -content tracing Dante Inferno Canto one Line 1 to 3
Wearing a Mask is not a political statement
General Corona Leads His Troops Into Battle, crown of sonnets
Corona Ghosts Stalk the President
Politicians Lying while People Lie Dying
Politicians lying
economy crumbling
pandemic spreading
fire burning
storms storming
winter is coming
media screaming
people dying
Thanksgiving Thoughts
On this day of thanksgiving
Our hearts are filled with grief
Anger, and hatred
Instead of love and friendship
Half the company
Feels that they lost
The election
Because of mass fraud
Their candidate could not have lost
The virus is a hoax
Masks are an affront
To our liberties
The other half of the country
Thinking at last
This national nightmare
Is beginning to end
Millions of people are sick
The real economy in ruins
The stock market is crazy
Out of touch with reality
Many Americans are settling down
To a lonely Thanksgiving
Loved ones can’t travel
Or are lost to us now
Corona ghosts
Haunting our thanksgiving
The news bather on and on
The divisions getting worse
The world seems to be spinning
Out of control
How can we come together
While 2,000 people die every day
But in the midst of all of this
If we simply remember
Our shared humanity
That we are all Americans
And we can overcome
These dark and dangerous time
Then we will have something
To celebrate this thanksgiving
That we are still here
Still alive and kicking
And the noise and hate
fades away
And the love comes back
With the rising sun
Happy thanksgiving
To one and all
Corona Virus Stalks Me
the dreaded coronavirus
led by the demented general Corona,
seems to be stalking me
everywhere I go
images of the dead
come to life
accusing me of something
as they fade in and out of view
ghostly images fill\ my fogged up glasses
as I walk down the street
hidden deep inside my masks
and I fear everyone
which is of course
part of the corona virus’s
evil’s plan
to drive us all mad
sending us to hell
News is still grim
cnn logo
watching the daily news
the constant doom and gloom
makes me want to cry
and hide away
waiting
waiting
waiting
for the end of the news
and a return to normal
but that seems
like a distant dream
perhaps it is our fate
perhaps it will be over
perhaps it will never
be over
and the news drones
on
and
on
and
on
overwhelming
me
with
cosmic
dread
Mad Masks Fears Corona Sonnet Form
no masks
I don’t understand
this fear of wearing a mask
somehow making you weak
that wearing a mask
is a political statement
“Midway upon the journey of our life
I found myself with a forest dark
for the straightforward pathway had been lost”
THE THOUGHT COMES TO MIND
WHAT IS WRONG WITH THESE PEOPLE
ALL
LOST
THEIR
MINDS
content tracing Dante Inferno Canto one Line 1 to 3
Wearing a Mask is not a political statement
masked woman
to my friends in America
and around the world
to those who think
that somehow the coronavirus
only infects other people
that it is all a liberal hoax ,
overblown
nothing more than a bad flu
and nothing to do with me
demanding that we all go
back to work
what is wrong with you?
have you lost your humanity?
will millions have to die
so you can have a Big Mac?
so you can have a Big Mac
and a beer
whenever you damn, please
and no one can tell you
please wear a mask
have you lost all reason
is it all now
about owning the dems
and the damn libtards
is there any thing left
in your cold, greedy heart?
and you still proclaim
that you are Christian
as you violate all the Christian principles
what would Jesus do
what would Jesus do
what does the bible say
we should do
in the midst of this pandemic
is it the Christian thing to do
to let millions of people die
did not Christ talk about love
compassion and mercy
would not Jesus
wear a mask
to protect himself
and others
from this ravaging disease
that does not care
who you are
who you voted for
which church you go to
and Jesus and God
are not there
watching all of us
as the virus spreads
it will affect you
sooner or later
and when it does
perhaps if you had worn
a mask
you might have prevented
a few more people
have died
a few more people
including your grandfather
grandmother
friend
relative might be alive
if you were not such
a self- centered person
and I appeal to you my friend
to grow up, become a member
of the human race again
also published in Plethora Magazine in India
General Corona Leads His Troops Into Battle, a crown of sonnets
corona
General Corona leads his forces across the world
riding on a black horse
from out of the Apocalypse
ride the four horsemen
which are let loose upon the world
He leads his forces across the world
into battle as the leader of his evil forces
The enemy of humanity
General Corona, he does not care
nor does his virus minions care
about your nationality, he does not care
about your politics, he does not care
or your wealth or who you are
for all you are nothing but humanity
the corona general sees humanity
as nothing but hosts for his virus army
chanting death to humanity
until his evil army
sweeps throughout the world
throughout the world
and millions must die
it is the will of the general all must die
and it is the end of the world
or perhaps the beginning of a new world
filled with hope and love through out the world
humanity comes alive throughout the world
fighting back against the virus army
peace, love and compassion defeats the army
and general corona will finally himself die
Corona Ghosts Haunting the President
corona virus
The corona ghosts are angry
Watching the news every day
In limbo land
The corona ghosts decide
To pay the president a visit
To show him the humans
Who have died
Due to his incompetence
And lack of leadership
175,000 Corona ghosts
Descend upon the white house
At midnight
And surround the president
Screaming at him
Saying look at me
Look at me
You did this
You did it
You Mr. President
You are not the smartest man
In the world
Far from it
It is all on you
And you will soon
Be joining us
Be afraid
Your time is up
General corona
Is on the march
writer Egg magazine has published the following Corona theme poems in issue number 4 and issue number 5 which drops December 1, 2020.
Good Morning!
I hope you’re all as excited as we are!
We are so honoured to have you as a creative on our fifth magazine!
Please see attached your special coupon to say a massive thank you! This
can only be used on the fifth issue of the magazine which will be
available on 1st December, so save the date in your diary!
Now is the perfect time to share on social media about the upcoming
issue. Please remember to add us into your posts and use these hashtags
#imawritersegg #eggsrus #writerseggmagazine #WEMcreate #WEMfamily.
Please remember, if you haven’t already done so, send us all the
important information needed which was sent with your Notice of
Acceptance Letter, by midnight tonight. If we do not receive this
information in time, unfortunately we will have to take your pieces out
of this issue, but we will keep your pieces on file for issue #6!
If you have any questions then please do not hesitate to contact us. By
Monday, we will have posted your names and social media handles onto our
Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you wish for me not to do this then
please let me know.
As previously mentioned, we will also be adding your bios and pictures
onto the website, again, please let me know if you would prefer we
didn’t do this.
Hope to hear from you soon!
Kind Regards
Index
Corona Virus Stalks Me
News is still grim
Mad Mask Fears -content tracing Dante Inferno Canto one Line 1 to 3
Wearing a Mask is not a political statement
General Corona Leads His Troops Into Battle, crown of sonnets
Corona Ghosts Stalk the President
Corona Virus Stalks Me
the dreaded coronavirus
led by the demented general Corona,
seems to be stalking me
everywhere I go
images of the dead
come to life
accusing me of something
as they fade in and out of view
ghostly images fill\ my fogged up glasses
as i walk down the street
hidden deep inside my masks
and I fear everyone
which is of course
part of the corona virus’s
evil’s plan
to drive us all mad
sending us to hell
News is still grim
cnn logo
watching the daily news
the constant doom and gloom
makes me want to cry
and hide away
waiting
waiting
waiting
for the end of the news
and a return to normal
but that seems
like a distant dream
perhaps it is our fate
perhaps it will be over
perhaps it will never
be over
and the news drones
on
and
on
and
on
overwhelming
me
with
cosmic
dread
Mad Masks Fears Corona Sonnet Form
no masks
I don’t understand
this fear of wearing a mask
somehow making you weak
that wearing a mask
is a political statement
“Midway upon the journey of our life
I found myself with a forest dark
for the straightforward pathway had been lost”
THE THOUGHT COMES TO MIND
WHAT IS WRONG WITH THESE PEOPLE
ALL
LOST
THEIR
MINDS
content tracing Dante Inferno Canto one Line 1 to 3
Wearing a Mask is not a political statement
masked woman
to my friends in America
and around the world
to those who think
that somehow the coronavirus
only infects other people
that it is all a liberal hoax ,
overblown
nothing more than a bad flu
and nothing to do with me
demanding that we all go
back to work
what is wrong with you?
have you lost your humanity?
will millions have to die
so you can have a Big Mac?
so you can have a Big Mac
and a beer
whenever you damn, please
and no one can tell you
please wear a mask
have you lost all reason
is it all now
about owning the dems
and the damn libtards
is there any thing left
in your cold, greedy heart?
and you still proclaim
that you are Christian
as you violate all the Christian principles
what would Jesus do
what would Jesus do
what does the bible say
we should do
in the midst of this pandemic
is it the Christian thing to do
to let millions of people die
did not Christ talk about love
compassion and mercy
would not Jesus
wear a mask
to protect himself
and others
from this ravaging disease
that does not care
who you are
who you voted for
which church you go to
and Jesus and God
are not there
watching all of us
as the virus spreads
it will affect you
sooner or later
and when it does
perhaps if you had worn
a mask
you might have prevented
a few more people
have died
a few more people
including your grandfather
grandmother
friend
relative might be alive
if you were not such
a self- centered person
and I appeal to you my friend
to grow up, become a member
of the human race again
also published in Plethora Magazine in India
General Corona Leads His Troops Into Battle, a crown of sonnets
corona
General Corona leads his forces across the world
riding on a black horse
from out of the Apocalypse
ride the four horsemen
which are let loose upon the world
He leads his forces across the world
into battle as the leader of his evil forces
The enemy of humanity
General Corona, he does not care
nor does his virus minions care
about your nationality, he does not care
about your politics, he does not care
or your wealth or who you are
for all you are nothing but humanity
the corona general sees humanity
as nothing but hosts for his virus army
chanting death to humanity
until his evil army
sweeps throughout the world
throughout the world
and millions must die
it is the will of the general all must die
and it is the end of the world
or perhaps the beginning of a new world
filled with hope and love through out the world
humanity comes alive throughout the world
fighting back against the virus army
peace, love and compassion defeats the army
and general corona will finally himself die
Corona Ghosts Haunting the President
corona virus
The corona ghosts are angry
Watching the news every day
In limbo land
The corona ghosts decide
To pay the president a visit
To show him the humans
Who have died
Due to his incompetence
And lack of leadership
175,000 Corona ghosts
Descend upon the white house
At midnight
And surround the president
Screaming at him
Saying look at me
Look at me
You did this
You did it
You Mr. President
You are not the smartest man
In the world
Far from it
It is all on you
And you will soon
Be joining us
Be afraid
Your time is up
General corona
Is on the march
Day One October 19, 2020 Contemplating The Falling Leaves Of Autumn
Day 2 October 2020 Nightmares Scenes From A Hellish Nightmare
Day 3 October 21, 2020 Maid Laird Strikes Again Tanka (Halloween Challenge Day 3)
Day 4 October 22, 20202 Ghost Poem Corona Ghosts March On WH Demanding Justice
Day 5, October 23, 2020 Ekphrastic Challenge The Grim Reaper Comes For Us
Day 6 October 24, 2020 Pumpkin Patch Great Pumpkin Rises Again
Day 7 October 25., 2020 Haunted House The Haunted House At The End Of The World
Day 8 October 26, 2020– The Door Slammed Loudly I Was Home Alone
Day 9 October 27, 2020 Dark Prophecy-Fascism Comes To America – Halloween Challenge Day 9
Day 10, October 28, 2020 My Mother’s Secrets Conversation With A Ghost -Halloween Contest Day 10 Spooky Conversation
Day 11, October 29, 2020 Costume Halloween Party From Hell
Day 12 October 30, 2020 Halloween Costume Party
Day 13, October 31, 2020 Trick or Treating In The Era Of Covid
Day One October 19, 2020
Contemplating the Falling Leaves of Autumn
Walking the path
In the forest near my house
Every day I see the changing colors
Of the fall season
Always a time for reflection
For contemplation
Thinking about the past
And the future
As I contemplate each step
The vivid colors of the fall
a forecast of the coming winter
peaking about my birthday
contemplation of life
and the path I have taken
looking at the love of my life
fills me joy and laughter
dispelling the moodiness
of the fall season
Day 2 October 2020 Nightmares
Scenes from a Hellish Nightmare
Note: From a real nightmare End Note
I am in a room
Drinking at a party
And smoking weed
Drinking up a storm
20 drinks too sober
Watching people all around me
Change into hideous creatures
Monsters from the deepest depths of hell
Everyone in the room
Has been transformed except me
The Chief of them all
Wears a Trumpian mask
Complete with orange hair
Half-human half pig
His deputy
Wears the face of Putin
But his body
Half-human, half-horse,
The other creatures wear masks
Many of them wear
Green Pepe the alt-right
Symbolic frog masks
And have T-shirts
Bearing alt right slogans
And Nazi symbols
And as they prance about
They chant alt. Right slogans
And neo-Nazi chants
Jews will not replace us
And the rest of these creatures
Are hideous ugly beasts
Apes, cannibals, demons, dwarfs,
Goblins, leprechauns, Imps, monsters, orcs,
Pirates, satyrs, werewolves, Zombies,
With only a vestige of humanity left
And these monsters are engaged
In all sorts of foul evil deeds
Murder violence death
All around ,
And non-stop
violent drug-fueled orgies
As these creatures
Half-human, half-monsters,
Half-male, half-female creatures
The Trumpian Pig leads the charge
Starts engaging in sodomy with Putin
Who chases after people
Cutting off their heads with his sword
They turn on to their fellow creatures
Raping and killing each other
and eating their fellow creatures
All night long
Then they attack me
Screaming
Jews will not replace us
And I wake up
Screaming
As the sun comes up
Just another nightmare
Day 3 October 21, 2020
Maid Laird Strikes Again Tanka (Halloween Challenge Day 3)
walking the Scottish Moors
Sam encounters the mad laird
The mad laird haunting
Stalking the lone hikers
Killing them cut off their heads
Day 4 October 22, 20202 Ghost Poem Corona Ghosts March on WH Demanding Justice
corona
The corona ghosts meet up in Limbo
One million corona ghosts
From all over the world
The corona ghosts are angry
Their voices not heard
Just echoes in the wind
They decide to manifest themselves
To haunt the WH, the congress
The state capitols
The world capitols
In a one day massive
Corona ghost protest
The corona ghosts swarm the WH
Overwhelming the secret service
Demanding to meet the president
He came out
Met with them
General Corona appeared
And the President
Joined the Corona ghosts
In the end
Just another Corona ghost
Day 5, October – 23, 2020 Ekphrastic Challenge
The Grim Reaper comes for us
grimm reaper
Sam Adams knew that his time was up
He knew for he had a forewarning
In his dream, he saw the Grim reaper
Waiting for him
Along highway 666
Beckoning him to join him
On the back of his cursed Harley
To ride down the highway to hell
Sam got up
Got his will updated
Looked at his wife
One last time
Prayed to the gods
All of them
To send him to the other place
Rather that the hell
That the grim reaper
Had promised him
There was a knock on the door
A telegram had arrived
It said
Your appointment for judgment
Is today
You may end up in the other place
Be prepared and be afraid
Your ride arrives at midnight
At midnight
The grim reaper
Dressed in black leather
Arrived on his cursed Harley
Said your ride awaits
Fortunate one
We are going to limbo
Where you will wait
With the others
To hear your fate
And away they went
Down the celestial highway
Bypassing highway 666
Exiting in limbo
He walked into a huge hallway
Thousands of people milling around
He looked up at the signs
Welcome to Limbo
No talking
No smoking
No phone usage – no reception anyway
Wait your turn
For your judgment date
The hour is late
But you will learn your fate
On this your cosmic judgment date
His number is called
He walks up
The angel bureaucrat
Dressed in a Mr. Smith black suit
Holds a hand-held computer
His life flashes on the screen
65 years condensed
Into a one minute video
An amber light flashes
The bureaucrat reads the judgment
Mr. Sam Adams
You are given five more years
Get your act together
Do good deeds
When you come back
You will face one last judgment
He walks outside
A taxi awaits
Takes him home
He wakes up
Drinks coffee with his wife
And the day resumes
Day 6 October 24, 2020 Pumpkin Patch –
Great Pumpkin Rising again
great pumpkin
Lonely Linus sits in his pumpkin patch
With snoopy his faithful delusional dog
Waiting for the Great Pumpkin
An annual ritual
Only Linus knows
That the Great Pumpkin exists
No one else knows
No one else cares
Linus prepares for another night
Then the great pumpkin arises
A ghostly spirit
Comes out of the moonlight
Who dare calls me
The great pumpkin demands
Who is ready to die?
It is I, Linus, your biggest supporter
Tell me oh Great Pumpkin
What is your wish?
The great pumpkin growls
Tell your folks to vote
Time for the orange man to meet his doom
The great pumpkin laughs
His visage appears
On the TV networks
The great pumpkin demands
President Trump
Time to meet your maker
And dispatches General Corona
To finish the job
Linus is given his heart’s desires
To become a great man
Lord of all he surveys
With Snoopy by his side
The great pumpkin smiles
Giving a ride to Linus who rides into the future ,
On the back of the great pumpkin
Day 7 October 25., 2020 Haunted House
The Haunted House at the End of the World
There is an old long-abandoned ruined house
On the edge of a forest in the hills,
About an hour out of the town of Medford
Overlooking the Rogue River valley
The house was once a mansion
But over time it became semi-ruined
The old man who lived there
Became a hermit seldom going out
No one really knew him
He kept to himself
Then one day
General corona came for a visit
The old man became nothing
But another corona ghost
The house continued standing looking out
On the hill overlooking the valley
Now filled with corona ghosts
As General Corona wiped out,
The entire valley of all humanity
Day 8 October 26, 2020– The Door Slammed Loudly I Was Home Alone
I was all alone
Watching the morning news
Filled with omens, Dangerous thoughts, Nightmarish reality, A thousand people a day dying, Fires burning, Storms churning, Black lives dying, Protestors clashing
Election day looming, End of the world feelings
The door slammed loudly
I yell out
Who’s there
Nothing but corona ghosts
Crying in the wind
Day 9 October 27, 2020 Dark Prophecy-Fascism Comes to America – Halloween Challenge Day 9
Back in 2016 when I was traveling
Across the country with my wife
I had a series of darkly prophetic dreams
I dreamt that Donald Trump would be elected
And usher in a slide towards fascism
And unfortunately, I was right
So, what are my dreams telling me now
What are my prophetic nightmares
Will they come true again?
I dream that Donald Trump was anointed
By the Supreme Court which ruled
That given the potential for fraud
All mail in ballots would be tossed aside
And Donald Trump who had lost the popular vote
Once again won in the electoral college
He vowed retribution against his enemies
The fake media and the millions of people
Who dared to vote against him
He called upon his supporters
To go forth and rough up
Fuck up as he put it
Liberals and anti-Americans
Declared martial law
Protests would be illegal
The military would enforce the decree
And they did sending troops across the land
Declared that the democratic party
Was anti-American
And he would not allow them
To serve in Congress, or the Senate
The SC refused to rule against him
Thus fascism came to America
And my dark prophecy came true
Day 10, October 28, 2020 My Mother’s Secrets Conversation With A Ghost -Halloween Contest Day 10 Spooky Conversation
My mother died in 2007
We buried her in Berkeley
Near her house
Whenever I am in the area
I drop by
And talk with her
Imaging she is there
One day when I dropped by
I asked her about
Many things in her past
For she took so many secrets
With her to her grave
So Mary, quite contrary
Tell me the truth now
Tell me about your past life
Tell me your secrets
I heard a voice
Crying out in the wind
John John John
Do you want to really know
My secrets?
I responded
Yes I do
She whispered them to me
But made me vow
To keep her secrets
And take them to my grave
And so I can not
Must not reveal
All the shocking stories
Of her life
She told me that I needed
To also talk to my father
For he too had secrets
To tell me
I told her
That I would at some point
Make a visit
To the family grave
In Yakima
And finally learn
The family secrets
They should have told me
While they were alive
Day 11, October 29, 2020
Halloween Poem Costumes from Hell
artoon-devil-satan-businessman-suit-450w
I am at a Halloween party
Everyone is wearing a costume
Including me
I am dressed like an ancient King
My wife is dressed as the angel she is
The party turns wild
Everyone is getting high
Drinking up a storm
Smoking weed
Snorting coke
Dropping acid
The music is wild and crazy
Then through the fog of it all
I see the devil
Parading in front of the crowd
Screaming death
To all democrats
Trump and Putin appear together
Running into the crowds
The crowd chatting lock him up
Lock him up
Biden is paraded in front
Of the blood thirsty crowd
The devil yells off with his head
Putin and Trump
Behead him
Screaming like escaped banshees
I try to wake up from this nightmare
Realizing it is all live
On CNN
And I am dead
The world has ended
Evil has triumphed
Once again
Day 12 Halloween Costume Party
I am at a Halloween costume party
Dressed like an ancient laird
Angela is dressed in a red devil custom
And we are having a good time
Everyone is getting wild
And frisky
Soon the mood turns dark
And foul
Bad craziness fills the room
The devil makes his appearance
And we realize
We are all doomed
To end our life
At this party
Where we all become
Children of the damn
Day 13, October 31, 2020 Trick or Treating In The Era Of Covid
Halloween in the era of covid
So strange
With the covid virus
Ever lurking
With CDC discouraging trick or tweeting
With masks on every face
Everyone wearing a costume
The trick is not to get sick
The treat is still the candy
The goal of all children
Everywhere
Candy more candy
Visits to the dentist be damned
Hopefully General Corona
Will keep his troops at bay
Bonus Poems
vault 56 words pensively 101 prompt
I have a secret vault in my mind
It is a dark corner of my soul
Where I hide away
All the dark dangerous thoughts
That come out
4 am 0 dark hundred
When the wild things
Escape their leashes
Screaming like escaped banshees
Then with the dawning light
I put them back into the vault
Corona Mask
My corona mask
Hiding my face behind it
Hiding my fears
My wife removing the mask
Seeing my lovely face
Fifty word prose horror poems published in Every Writer
The Mad Laird Strikes Again
Sam Adams is doing a Scottish walkabout. There were rumors of a mad laird killing hikers along the lonely moors. He heard bagpipes in the fog then saw a man on a black horse who ran after him with a machete, screaming, “Do you believe in Ghosts now? “
The Mad Bagpiper of Berkeley
Sam Adams had heard rumors of a mad bagpiper serial killer lurking about Tilden park in Berkeley. Then he ran into the mad bagpiper in the lonely backcountry. The man ran after him, killing him with a machete. They found his body cut up and cooked by a camp-fire.
General Corona Got Your Baby
The mad General Corona, riding his black horse came out of the woods, and screamed at Sam Adams, saying “You got the Corona Virus; I am the general. Your ass is grass and I am the lawnmower.” Prepare to die a long painful death and he breathed on him.
Waiting for the Grim Reaper
Sam Adams found himself in Limbo. Waiting for his appointment with the Grim Reaper. Finally, his number was called. The Grim Reaper said his number was up and it was time for judgment day. “Whether it would be hell or heaven was beyond his pay grade”. The Grim reaper laughed.
Wild Things Run Amuck
0 dark hundred arrives. Insomnia set in. Sam Adams tossed and turned waiting for the wild things to come out for their nightly assault. Evil monstrous creatures from the darkest corner of his hell ran about screaming at him: torturing him until the dawning sun drove them back to hell.
Screaming News Drives Me Mad
Sam Adams fell asleep after watching the screaming media scream about the fires, storms, covid, political madness. Sam saw the devil programming madness on his computers. The devil, surrounded by the demons, orcs, dwarfs and monsters of hell, turns to him smiling, saying his time in hell would come soon.
Corona Horror Haiku
The Mad Laird Strikes Again
1
In the Scottish Moors
mad laird waits to kill hikers
death waiting for you
2
hearing the bagpipes
old man appears in the fog
riding a black horse
3
Mad laird runs at you
Holding a black machete,
screaming “Do you believe in Ghosts
The Mad Bagpiper of Berkeley
1
In the Berkeley Hills
Rumors of mad bagpiper
Fears and terror
2
Encountering it
the mad bagpiper in the hills
they found his body
3
The mad bagpiper
Plays mournful tune as kills
As you become ghost
General Corona Got Your Baby
1
The mad General
Corona riding black horse
Leading his army of bots
2
Encountering his breath
You begin to scream
as you cough dying breath
Waiting for the Grim Reaper
1
Wake up in Limbo.
Waiting for his appointment
with the Grim Reaper.
2
Finally his number
The Grim Reaper said number was up
tt was the time for judgement day. “
3.
Whether it would be
hell or heaven beyond his paygrade
The Grim reaper laughed.
Wild Things Run Amuck
1
At 0 dark hundred.
Deep Insomnia set in.
Tossing and turning
2
waiting for wild things
to come out for their assault.
Evil monstrous creatures
3
from the dark corner
of hell ran about screaming
torturing his soul
4
the dawning sun light
drove them all back to their hell.
Wild things fading
Screaming News Drives Me Mad
1
Then I fell asleep
after watching the screaming news
the media screams
2
about the fires,
storms corona ,
the political madness.
3
I saw the devil
programing all the madness
on his computers.
4
The devil saw me,
surrounded by all the demons,
says my time is soon
Horror Cheritas
The Mad Laird Strikes Again
Sam Adams is doing a Scottish walk about.
There were rumors of a mad laird
killing hikers along the lonely moors.
He heard bagpipes in the fog
then saw a man on a black horse who ran after him with a machete,
screaming “Do you believe in Ghosts now? “
The Mad Bagpiper of Berkeley
Sam Adams had heard rumors
of a mad bagpiper serial killer
lurking about Tilden Park in Berkeley.
Then he ran into the mad bagpiper in the lonely back country.
The man ran after him killing him with a machete.
They found his body cooked by a camp-fire.
General Corona Got Your Baby
The mad General Corona, riding his black horse came out of the woods,
and screamed at Sam Adams, saying “
You got the Corona Virus; I am the general.
Your ass is grass and I am the lawn mower.”
Prepare to die a long painful death
and he breathed on him.
Waiting for the Grim Reaper
Sam Adams found himself in Limbo.
Waiting for his appointment
with the Grim Reaper.
Finally his number was called.
The Grim Reaper said His number was up and it was time for judgement day. “
The grim reaper laughed Whether it would be hell or heaven was beyond his pay grade
Wild Things Run Amuck
0 dark hundred arrives.
Insomnia set in.
Sam Adams tossed and turned
waiting for the wild things to come out for their nightly assault.
Evil monstrous creatures from the darkest corner of his hell ran about screaming at him:
torturing him until the dawning sun drove them back to hell.
Screaming News Drives Me Mad
Sam Adams fell asleep after watching the screaming media
scream about the fires, storms, covid, political madness.
Sam saw the devil programming madness on his computers.
The devil, surrounded by the demons, orcs, dwarfs, and monsters of hell,
turns to him smiling,
saying his time in hell would come soon.
The gorgon of Bangkok
Sam Adams
Was drinking alone
In a evil degraded bar
On the bad side of life
In the city of Angels
Bangkok
Twenty drinks too sober
Drinking by himself
With his buddies
Jack Daniels, Jim Beam, Johnny Walker
Evan Walker, Mr. Bullet, Old Granddad
Ordering one scotch, one bourbon, and a beer
From the lovely half-naked bartender
He looks up at the stage
Dancing on the stage
Was a naked vision of delight
As he looked at her
She began to turn into a hideous monstrous figure
Two-three faces appeared at once
The naked bartender had warned him
That the gorgon of Bangkok
Would be dancing tonight
All men desired her
And if she chose you
You would die a thousand deaths
Of erotic pleasure
As she took your soul away
Straight to hell
Sam thought to himself
Why the hell not
I am drinking my way to hell anyway
And continued to stare
At the gorgon
She smiled
And had her way with him
He left with her
Went to her room
She took off the clothes
He found himself naked in hell
Where the devil welcomes him
Saying have another drink, my friend
Welcome to hell the party center
Of the universe
He drank and partied all night
With the gorgon of Bangkok
Waking up dead
Just another dead male foreigner
In the city of angels
Down in the Dirt will publish “3 5 & Love Poem” and
“If You Have Been Around” in the March 2021 issue of Down in the Dirt,
on line this week
Hi there from Down i the Dirt, and thanks for the sub. We are accepting “3
5 7 love poem” and “If you’ve been around” for the March 2021 issue of
Down in the Dirt magazine (v181, released 3/1/21). Because your writing
will appear in a number of places at Scars Publications, this is a
multi-pronged acceptance…
Your acceptance will also be online by the end of the week this week… By
the end of the day Friday (at the end of the business day, CST), your
accepted writing will have its own web page in the writings section of http://scars.tv at http://scars.tv/cgi-bin/framesmain.pl?writers – just go
to the writings link, and under your name in the left frame will be your
accepted writing, which when clicked will appear in the larger right
frame. (In fact, if you have writings published in more than one issue,
you can in the future just look up your writings in the writings section,
and above every accepted piece of writing appearing in the right frame
will be a link to where it was accepted for publication.) And so you know,
if you look up your writing in the writings section of http://scars.tv, a
link will appear above your writings letting the browser know which issue
the writing is accepted for (and once the issue is published, there will
be links there to the Internet/web page and the printer ordering link for
the issue).
We run print editions of issues as well as Internet (html page) issues,
and your writing is scheduled for magazine publication. Print issues of
Down in the Dirt magazine run as 100+ page 6″x9″ perfect-bound books
available for Internet sale directly through our printer, and starting
with 2014 issues, they will also be released not only as ISSN# magazines,
but ALSO with an ISBN#, suitable for eventual sales at amazon.com.
(Current issues are not available for sale directly through Scars
Publications, but through the printer, on line). Scars Publications does
not give free contributor’s copies of magazines (or books); however, these
books are available for printer sale, and you can view the contents of
issues at our Internet web page versions of issues. Links to ordering all
2021 perfect-bound book issues as print editions will be in the issues
section of Down in the Dirt magazine, which can be reached either through http://scars.tv, or directly through
Missing you missing me
Dreaming about you, do you dream the same
Will love you until end of time; will you remember me then?
If You Have Been Around
If you’ve been around
As much as I have
Decades of memories
Fill up your brain’s hard drive
Remembering the dead
Misremembering the living
Seeing the past fly past
Everywhere you go
Thinking about things
You did and did not do
As your life begins to fade
Sinking into lost worlds past
Seeing the ghosts
Of all you knew
Whispering Soon you will
Be joining us
200,000 Corona Ghosts Voices Screaming in the Wind
corona
200,000 corona ghosts
Their voices screaming
In the burning winds
In the storm ravaged land
Corona ghosts
Declaring they will not be silence
They will hold everyone accountable
All those who refused
To follow the science
Who refused to wear
Their masks
Feckless leaders
Fomenting fear
Every day
A thousand more
People joining the ranks
Of the dead
Their voices
Unheard
When will this madness end
Is anyone guess
Millions more
Are waiting to die
As general corona
Marches across the land
“A” Grade in Alternative World
In an alternative reality
200,000 preventable deaths
Is a great success
Perhaps the best
We could ever be
The most deaths
in the world
as America proves
that they have lost
their way
we have all failed
everyone of us
it is not too late
if we all mask up
if we stop listening
to the lies
and falsehoods
and followed the science
we can overcome this
we are Americans
we can do this
we can beat the virus
if we all come together
as one nation
some day the virus
will recede into history
how many corona ghosts
there will be
is up to us all together
End of America
In 2020 we are seeing the end
of America
a virus spreads out
across the land
the economy craters
200 thousands of Americans
Becoming Corona ghosts
then protests break out
over the brutal murder
of a unarmed black man
in broad daylight
and protests break out
all over the land
America is divided
America is breaking down
America is breaking down,
dying in our streets
and politicians
are calling for a crackdown
is a fascist military take over coming soon
will all protests be deemed illegal
as the police state takes over
and America lies dying
and will the fascists
finally take over the land
and we become just another
failed former democracy?
will the world soon forget
that America died this summer
April 30 In Search of America 1975 – Hitch hiking Tales
John (“Jake”) Cosmos Aller
When I was young and foolish
Broke and stubborn
I hitchhiked across the USA
Started in Salt Lake City
Where my greyhound bus pass
Was stolen
The station manager
Could have helped me
But refused to do so
Threaten to call the cops
When I grabbed my bags Without the stolen tags
I said
Go ahead
But I am so out of here
Wondered about Salt Lake City
Went to a bar
Found I had to buy my booze
Next door
And they would mix it for me
Had to order food too
After a bloody Mary
And a burger
I walked about town
Saw the Mormon Temple
Finally about 3 pm
It was time to hit the road
Did not look back
Ended up in Cody Wyoming
Got a room shower
Steak beer
Using my rapidly depleted cash Spent 25 dollars
Money really went far
Back in those days
A band of professional
Communist agitators
Gave me a ride
To Des Moines
Lots of weed, booze
And politics later
Got off the road
Slept outside
Next day
A beautiful woman
Drove me to near Chicago
In a red mustang
Might have been
The girl in the song
Took it easy
Digging her vibe
She invited home
But was not sure
If her estranged husband
Would welcome me
So, I am being foolish
And inexperienced with women
Did not go to her place
And always regretted
That I had lost
My chance that day
Then on to Chicago
Several rides later
Visited friends
Hit the road again
A series of uneventful rides
With truckers
And others
And a week later
I ended in New York City
Slept along the way
In cars
In truck stops
In high way rest stops
Always moving
Always going
Non stop talking
And lots of free weed
And beer
And conversation
One more memorable ride
Occurred outside Albany
On my return to Chicago
A middle age creepy looking man
Picked me up
In a brand-new Cadillac
He was he said a dynamite deliverer
For the Mafia
Went to various places
To blow up shit
He hated a lot of people
Particularly hippies from California
And Jewish people
Looking at me to confirm
That I was both
I told him that I lived in New York
And had never been to California
And although I might have looked Jewish
As I what was called back in the day
A “Jewfro”
I was not Jewish
Many years later I discovered
That I am indeed part Jewish
But then I did not know
And I felt a bit of strategic information
Might keep me alive
Then I realized that he was just jiving with me
And we relaxed
And he pulled out some weed
And beer
And we mellowed out
But I believe that he really was with the mob
Perhaps not a dynamite dealer
A real made Italian made mafia member
By Chicago
I had enough
I called my Dad
Told him what had happened
Wanted a ticket home
And he sent me a ticket
And 500 dollars
And I went home
I told him I would tell him
My tales some day
But never did
I learned so much
About my fellow Americans
And the strange vibe
That was 1975
And now it is too late
But I wanted to finally
Tell the world
While reading Charles Bukowski poetry
On the metro ride home
Listening to Buddha bar music
On my oh too hip IPod
I begin to see myself as I was
Over 30 years ago when I was merely a bit player
A minor character in a Charles Bukowski poem
A wild young underemployed intellectual
Hanging out in dismal bars and dives all over Asia and California
Hanging with disreputable women and drunks and drinkers
And characters out of his kinds of haunts
A mad poet bard of the underground
A drunken poet in a drunken bum show
That nightly played in his head
Then one day I met the women of my dreams
And went down a different path
A long slow path to respectability
And now 30 years later
I am no longer a wild man
I am still a poet at heart
But I am now also a bureaucrat
In a button down suite
Doing the people’s business
Working for the Government
I’ve become the Man
Sometimes I wonder
Would I have been better off
Going down that another path
Would I have ended up
Somewhere else
Doing something else
Would I have been as happy
Would I have been as successful?
There is no answer that satisfies
The longing in my heart
For that wild thing
That still lurks beneath
It’s civilized cover
And I know that I am still
A mad poet at heart
Railing against the injustice of the world
As I work day by day in the belly of the great beast of State
I recall the ancient Chinese saying,
“Confucian during the day while Taoist rebel at night”
Playing out in my head and nightly dreams
In the true American Upper class patrician tradition
I close the book and look out the window
Get off the train, and walk slowly home
And realize I had no choice
But to take the path that I’ve trodden on
And so I put aside my misgivings
And say goodbye to my “Bukowskian”desires
For another night of domestic contentment
Was it worth it all to take the conventional path
And not take the bohemian road to hell and back
I look at my wife and realize
I had no choice, had no choice
But to follow her to the ends of the earth
And beyond by her side as we walked our path
Of shared destiny
Goodbye Charles Bukowski wherever you are
May I meet you in a bar in the next life
And figure out where we should have gone
Until then the drinks are on me.
I like to start my day with a hot cup of coffee
I pound down the coffee
First thing I do every day as the dawning sun
Lights up my lonesome room
Yeah, but not just a simple cup of java Joe, but a God damn snarling sarcastic smarmy cup of coffee
I mean, – we are talking about an alcoholic, all speed ahead, always hot, always fresh, always there when I need it, angry, attitude talk to the hand Ztude, bad, bad assed, beats breaking, beatnik, bluesy, bitter, bitchy, bombs away, capitalistic, caffeinated up the ass, cinematic, communistic, Colombian grown, Costa Rican inspired, Cowabunga to the max, crazy assed, devilishly angelic, divine, divinely inspired, dyslexic, epic, extreme vetting, evil eye, expensive, erotic vision inducing, Ethiopian coffee house brewed, euphoric, freaky, freazoid, foxy, Frenched kissed, French brewed, funkified, foxy lady, graphic, GOD in my coffee, with Allah, Ganesh, Jesus, Kali, Buddha, Christians, Durga, Hindus, Mohamed, Jesus and Mo and their friend, the cosmic bar maid, Sai Babai, Shiva, Taoists, Zoroastrians, drinking my god damned coffee in Hell; growling, gnarly, happy, hard as ice, Hawaian blessed, high as a kite, hippie, hip, hipster, hip hoppy, hot as hell yet strangely sweet as heaven, jazzy, jealous, Kerouac approved, kick ass, kick my god damn ass to Tuesday, kick down the doors and take no prisoners, grown in the Vietnam highlands by ex-Vietcong, Guatemalan grown, kiss ass, illegal in every state, imported from all over the god damn world, insane, lovely, loony, lonely, lonesome, malodorous mean old rotten, motherfucking, nasty, narcotic, never whatever, never meh, never cold, not approved by the CIA, not approved by DHS, not approved for human consumption by the FDA, not your daddy’s sissified corporate cup of coffee, NOT DECAFE coffee, not your Denny’s truck driver weak as brown water cup of fake coffee, not your establishment friendly cup of coffee, Not your FBI coffee, Not FAKE Herbal coffee substitute, but a real cup of coffee, not your farmer brothers dinner crap, not made in America for Americans, not safe for work, not your Starbucks average expensive overpriced crappy corporate chain cup of coffee, Not pretentious, Not White House approved, not State Department safe, nuclear, Not Patriotic, operatic, Peets’s coffee approved, paranoid, pornographic, psychotic, pontific, politically aware, rapping, rhyming, right here, right now in River city, rock and roll up the Yazoo, sad, sadistic, sarcastic, sassy, satanic, schizoid, shitting, silly, sexy, smarmy, smelly, smooth, snarky, snarling, stupid, stinking, sweet as honey, sweat inducing, symphonic, Trump can’t handle this coffee, vengeful, Wagnerian, wicked, with nutmeg and cinnamon swirls, with a hint of stevia, with a hint of vanilla, with a hint of rum, with a hint of whisky, with a hint of cherry, with a hint of fruit overtones, with a hint of drugs spicing up the coffee, spendific, speeding, splendid, superior accept no substitutes, survived the Vietnam war, the Iraq war, the Afghan war, the first and Second Korean war, World War 11, the war on poverty, the war on drugs, the war on black people, the sexual revolution, Soulful as a summer’s night in MOTOWN- James Brown approved, TOP approved, Berkeley approved, the coffee that Jimmy Hendrix drank before he died, the coffee that Elvis drank on his last breakfast, the coffee that Barry White crooned as he drank his cup of coffee – and the coffee that made the white boy play stand up and play that funky music, the coffee that made Jonny B Goode play his guitar, and made Jonny bet the devil his soul after he drank his morning cup of righteous coffee and the coffee that make the Rolling Stones Rock and Roll, the coffee your mother warned you against drinking, the coffee that Napoleon drank when he became the Emperor of all Europe, the Coffee that Beethoven drank when he wrote the Ninth symphony, the coffee that Mozart drank as he wrote his last symphony, the coffee that Lincoln drank before he was killed, the Hemingway drank before he killed himself, the coffee that started the 60’s, and ended the 20th century, the coffee that Lenin drank as he plotted revolution, the coffee that Hitler and Stalin drank with FDR as they divided up the world after World War 11, the cup that JFK drank before he was blown away, the coffee Jerry drinks while driving in cars with random celebrities and political figures, the coffee that Jon Stewart drinks before he goes on an epic take down of some foolish politico, the cup of Arabic coffee that Sadaam drank the day he was executed, the coffee that GW and Cheney drank when they bombed Baghdad, the Indian cup of coffee that Bid Laden drank before 9-11 and just before the seals blew his ass to hell, the cup of coffee that Tiger Woods drank with his mistresses while playing a 3, 000 dollar round of golf at Sandy Lane golf course in Barbados, the last legal drug that does what drugs should do, the cup of coffee that Obama drank when he became President, Vietnamese, Vienna brew, wacky, whimsical, Whisky Tango Foxtrot, wild, weird, wonderful, WOW, Yabba dabba doo! Yada Yada yada Zappa’s favorite cup of cosmic coffee, and Zorro’s last cup of coffee, Good to the last drop rolled into one simple cup of hot coffee
As I pound down that first cup of coffee
And fire up my synaptic nerve endings with endless supplies
Of caffeine induced neuron enhancing chemicals
I face the dawning day with trepidation and mind-numbing fear
I turn on the TV and watch the smarmy newscasters in their perfect hair
Lying through their teeth about the great success the government is having Following the great leader’s latest pronouncements
I want to scream and shoot the TV and run out side Shouting
“Stop the world.
I want to get off this fucking crazy planet”
The earth does not care a whit about my attitude
It merely shrugs and moves around the Sun
In its appointed daily run
And I sit down
The madness dissipating a bit
And enjoy my second cup
Of heaven and hell
In my morning cup of Joe
On the night of the blood red super full moon
I sat in an evil, depraved godforsaken bar
Drinking drams of demented, fermented dream dew
Washed down by endless rounds of whiskey
rum, tequila, vodka, soju and of course beer
drinking with my buddies the Jack Daniels Gang
Drinking my way to Hell and beyond
Just as fast as I could
twenty damn drinks too sober
Just an unhinged lunatic
Dreaming of howling at the full moon
Watching the world walk by
Looking at all the fine-looking babes
Walking by the street
Thinking wild, erotic thoughts
Of endless wild libertine passions
When into the bar
That din of cosmic depravity
Walked the most beautiful women
In the Universe
So wild, so free
So wonderfully alive
I did not know what to do
As this vision of delight
Sauntered through the bar
In a skin-tight leather pant
Looked so fine
That my eyeballs hurt
And finally, I had to say something
So, I gathered up my manly courage
And walked up to her
And she looked at me
And instantly bewitched my soul
With a devilish grin
I lost all reason
And became a raving lunatic
Unhinged lunatic
Howling at the blood red full moon
Foaming at the mouth
A wild, free werewolf
Howling at the lunatic light
Of the blood red blue full Moon
General Corona Cried
General Corona Appears in a Vision
Total Success or Total Failure
General Corona Says I Am Going to Mess You Up
Dejavu All Over Again
and I have included two additional poems, not published.
Corona Ghosts Message for our Feckless Leaders
Herman Cain Was His Name
Journal of Expressive Writing Updates follow:
Journal of Expressive Writing will publish Dawns 21 Haiku. The previously published, “Vision of General Corona, “
Dawns 21 Haiku
2020
2021Dawns
Politics are still uncertain.
thousands still are dying.
2021Dawns
The New president offers.
Hope new beginning.
2021Dawns
The Madness never ends it seems.
Consuming us all
2021Dawns
The hope springs enterally
We will overcome.
2021Dawns
35,000 lies.
Fading like ghosts
2021Dawns
Politicians still lying.
Thousands still dying.
2021Dawns
Coronavirus spreading
More corona ghosts.
2021Dawns
There is new hope in the air.
Will politics kill it?
2021Dawns
The news stills scream death and despair.
I turn it all off
2021Dawns
As I wake up at dawn
I see my sleeping wife.
2021Dawns
We wait for the coming fires.
End of the world fears
2021Dawns
Q continues to spread hate.
Millions still follow him.
2021Dawns
Will optimism and love?
Overcome the hate.
2021Dawns
Many questions still remaining.
I have no answers.
2021Dawns
With hope I leap out of my bed
Watching TV kills hope
2021Dawns
Will this be the end of my days?
Will I overcome it?
2021Dawns
2020 hangover
Like a dark nightmare
2021Dawns
Politicians still refusing.
To do anything
2021Dawns
The rich are still getting richer.
The poor remain poor.
2021Dawns
We hope the past will fade away.
Into dark memories
2021Dawns
2021Dawns
I wake up hoping for best.
Dreading worst to come
2021Dawns
I am still alive, thank god.
Filled with love for my wife.
Visions of General Corona
PROMPT—During Covid-19 …
One day I was half napping
Watching the President drone on
About him being a wartime president
battling an invisible army
I beheld a vision of great terror
I saw a huge black General Corona himself
Dressed in Star Wars
imperial black stormtrooper
Robocop uniform
Riding a black horse
The black horseman
From revelations
Live and in living color
And he took off his helmet
And turned to me
He screamed
Death to all humans
Addressing his invisible army
Newly visible to me
Millions of virus bots
In imperial stormtrooper uniforms
Carrying imperial ray gun weapons
The virus bot army
Joined in the battle cry
Death to all humans
Death to all humans
All humans must die
I woke up
And turned off the TV
And went for a walk
To clear my head
Of this vision,
Of General Corona
General Corona Cried
General Corona cried
despite everything
his armies were being defeated
the stupid humans got smart
and masked up
total Success or Total Failure
corona virus
The President’s Son-in-law declares
that the government’s response
to the coronavirus
has been a total success
as the government
step up to the plate
to fight the virus from hell
I have to wonder
on what planet
does the words
total failure
becomes a total success?
Are we living in a bizarro world
Where everything
Means the opposite
Do words no longer
Have any connection
To underlying reality
Can we tell a lie
From the truth anymore?
For his statement
Is impossible to be
Anything other than the opposite
His total success is everyone’s total failure
As 450,000 American Corona ghosts
Will attest
just more verbal diarrhea
from our dear leader
And his cult-like followers
And corrupt court jesters
Corona fever – I am going to mess you up, Dude!
corona testing
In this day and age of temperature testing
Everywhere one goes
It is important to remember what the tests mean
And what they don’t mean
First temperature tests are a crude instrument
All it is saying is that you are sick
Dude with something bad
Could be the flu
Could be the dreaded corona
Could be malaria, yellow fever
Zika or many terrible things
But whatever dude,
you got temperatured
And it is high
so dude, just deal with it
So stay away from here
Until you are better
Test negative for the dreaded Corona
Or die of it
That is all it means
And many people pass it
And many have it
And many people will spread it
Even though they are temperatured
Clear negative good to go
And free of the fever
For the sad reality
Is that the fever comes
Near the end
And what is means
Is that the mean old general corona
Has a message for yah
It goes like this
Dude, you got a fever
And you know it ain’t the flu
Ain’t dengue, malaria
or yellow fever
Or Zika or any other strange tropical disease
It is the dreaded Corona
It means that I your general
Has grabbed you
And I am going to mess you up
So when you get c virus dude
You will wish you were dead
You will ache all over
Have pain from hell
And you will cough
Up a storm
Maybe even rush to the ER
Be told
Ain’t no room for ya
You damn fool
Go home to die
Or wait outside
Until we can see yah
We don’t care any more
Dude!
You are now just a damn
Statistical number
Potential death number 51000 today
And you will beg me
To release you
To send you to your maker
God or the devil is waiting
Grimm reaper has your number
And you know what
I might do that
Or I might just say
You will live
And walk away
And my minions will infect
Yet another foolish dude
Not wearing a mask
And so it goes
Nothing political
I don’t care who you are
Who you voted for
And the blood of Jesus
buddha or any other god
Won’t save your sorry ass
As they say
Dude your ass is mine
And I am the lawnmower
Yeah dude
When I get my hands on yah
It means I am going to have my fun
Dude, it means I am going
to mess you up
And your loved ones
And your cute cousin
And that girl you’ve been crushing on
Particularly if you know kissed her
Yeah way to go dude
Spread me around
I love it dude !
But don’t fret
Dude, it ain’t personal
Hell no, is just ya know
it’s a virus thing
You would not understand
Just the sort of thing I do ya know
Dejavu All Over Again
masked woman
Looking at the news
As the virus spreads
Out of control
With no end in sight
Back in April
Hospitals begged for relief
From a lack of PPD
And equipment etc
And for a few weeks
It seemed we were fine
But we failed to prepare
For the continuation of the pandemic
And our stockpile has been overwhelmed
Our hospitals are overwhelmed
And it could have been prevented
If our leaders had kept up
Stockpiling for the inevitable second wave
Even as the first wave has yet
To reach its peak
So I say
It is all dejavu all over again
And two bonus poems just written today
150,000 Corona Ghosts Messages for Our Feckless Leaders
500,000 Corona ghosts
Have a message
For our feckless leaders
Their voices crying out
In the corona winds
That are sweeping the world
Led by the implacable enemy
General Corona
And his army of virus bots
The corona ghosts cry out
Why Mr. President
Can’t you take responsibility
And apologize to the world
For the mess you made
Due to your incompetence
Why Mr. president
Do you continue to listen to quacks
Whether than your own experts
And why dear God
Don’t you mask up
Right now?
Mr. President
Why can’t you get
The senate to get off
Their proverbial buts
And deliver Corona relief
To those fortunate
To still be alive
And Mr. President
The way things are going
We may see you soon
As you too may become
Just Another Corona Ghost
Herman Cain was his Name
Herman Cain was his name
Being President of Godfather Pizza
That was his name
And his claims to flame
He ran his company with pizzaz
Being famous for being famous
Knew all the right people
Did the right thing
But still on that date
He met his fate
And became
Just one of the 500,000 Corona Ghosts
Ghosts in the corona winds
That are sweeping the land
Killing people left and right
As General Corona marches forward
With his army of virus bots
Infecting everyone they met
And in the end
It did not matter
Who Herman Cain was
He became just
Another
Corona Ghost
Herman Cain, US ex-presidential candidate, dies after contracting Covid
Image copyrightREUTERS
Herman Cain, the Republican pizza chain CEO who ran for president in 2012, has died after contracting Covid-19.
Mr. Cain, 74, was hospitalized after being diagnosed with the disease earlier this month.
“Herman Cain – our boss, our friend, like a father to so many of us – has passed away,” a message posted on his official website said.
Mr. Cain, who in 2006 survived late-stage colon cancer, is one of the best-known US victims of Covid-19.
His social media accounts had been providing regular updates on his condition. On 7 July, a post from his Twitter account said “doctors are trying to make sure his oxygen levels are right”.
“This is a tough virus,” it said. “Please continue praying.”
Mr. Cain appeared without a mask at a rally held by President Donald Trump in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on 20 June.
They admitted him to the hospital with coronavirus on 1 July, though it is unclear when or where he caught the infection.
The president paid tribute to Mr. Cain on Thursday at the White House, saying: “He was a very special person… and unfortunately he passed away from a thing called the China virus.”
Who was Herman Cain?
Born in Tennessee to a father who worked three jobs as a janitor, chauffeur, and barber, and a mother who worked as a servant, Mr. Cain studied for a degree in maths and a master’s in computing.
He worked variously as a Baptist minister, a radio talk show host, and as an entrepreneur.
Mr. Cain was an advocate of a flat tax system – his 9-9-9 plan – and ran for office after a stint as CEO of Godfather’s Pizza.
During his run, he told reporters he would not stand for any “gotcha questions”.
“And when they ask me who is the president of Ubeki-beki-beki-beki-stan-stan, I’m going to say you know, I don’t know. Do you know?”
He initially proved popular, but later found himself at the center of a number of sexual harassment allegations.
Although he denied the accusations against him, his popularity soon suffered, and he suspended his campaign. Mitt Romney later became the Republican candidate in an unsuccessful race against President Barack Obama’s bid for a second term in office.
Image copyrightREUTERSImage captionMitt Romney and Herman Cain both stood as Republican candidates
In 2019, Mr. Trump sounded him out to sit on the Federal Reserve Board, but he withdrew his nomination after several Republican senators refused to back his appointment.
Mitt Romney was also among those paying tribute to Mr. Cain.
“Saddened that Herman Cain – a formidable champion of business, politics, and policy – has lost his battle with Covid,” he wrote on Twitter.
Former employee Dan Calabrese also praised Mr. Cain’s legacy.
“Most people heard of Herman for the first time when he ran for president in 2011. What they didn’t know was his business background,” he wrote on Mr. Cain’s official website.
“They didn’t know how he had started his career as a civilian employee of the Navy. It was funny to us because sometimes political pundits portrayed him as kind of a goof – not understanding that during his time working for the Navy, he was literally a rocket scientist.”
Mr. Cain had enjoyed good health in recent years, Mr. Calabrese wrote but added that the previous diagnosis with cancer meant “he was still in a high-risk group” in the current pandemic.
Corona Virus Stalks Me
News is still grim
Mad Mask Fears -content tracing Dante Inferno Canto one Line 1 to 3
Wearing a Mask is not a political statement
General Corona Leads His Troops Into Battle, crown of sonnets
Corona Ghosts Stalk the President
Corona Virus Stalks Me
the dreaded corona virus
led by the demented general Corona
seems to be stalking me
everywhere I go
images of the dead
come to life
accusing me of something
as they fade in and out of view
ghostly images fill\ my fogged up glasses
as i walk down the street
hidden deep inside my masks
and I fear everyone
which is of course
part of the corona virus’s
evil’s plan
to drive us all mad
sending us to hell
News is still grim
cnn logo
watching the daily news
the constant doom and gloom
makes me want to cry
and hide away
waiting
waiting
waiting
for the end of the news
and a return to normal
but that seems
like a distant dream
perhaps it is our fate
perhaps it will be over
perhaps it will never
be over
and the news drones
on
and
on
and
on
overwhelming
me
with
cosmic
dread
Mad Masks Fears Corona Sonnet Form
no masks
I don’t understand
this fear of wearing a mask
somehow making you weak
that wearing a mask
is a political statement
“Midway upon the journey of our life
I found myself with a forest dark
for the straightforward pathway had been lost”
THE THOUGHT COMES TO MIND
WHAT IS WRONG WITH THESE PEOPLE
ALL
LOST
THEIR
MINDS
content tracing Dante Inferno Canto one Line 1 to 3
Wearing a Mask is not a political statement
masked woman
to my friends in America
and around the world
to those who think
that somehow the corona virus
only infects other people
that it is all a liberal hoax
overblown
nothing more than a bad flu
and nothing to do with me
demanding that we all go
back to work
what is wrong with you?
have you lost your humanity?
will millions have to die
so you can have a Big Mac?
so you can have a Big Mac
and a beer
whenever you damn please
and no one can tell you
please wear a mask
have you lost all reason
is it all now
about owning the dems
and the damn libtards
is there any thing left
in your cold greedy heart?
and you still proclaim
that you are Christian
as you violate all the Christian principles
what would Jesus do
what would Jesus do
what does the bible say
we should do
in the midst of this pandemic
is it the Christian thing to do
to let millions of people die
did not Christ talk about love
compassion and mercy
would not Jesus
wear a mask
to protect himself
and others
from this ravaging disease
that does not care
who you are
who you voted for
which church you go to
and Jesus and God
are not there
watching all of us
as the virus spreads
it will affect you
sooner or later
and when it does
perhaps if you had worn
a mask
you might have prevented
a few more people
have died
a few more people
including your grandfather
grandmother
friend
relative might be alive
if you were not such
a self- centered person
and I appeal to you my friend
to grow up, become a member
of the human race again
also published in Plethora Magazine in India
General Corona Leads His Troops Into Battle, crown of sonnets
corona
General Corona leads his forces across the world
riding on a black horse
from out of the Apocalypse
ride the four horsemen
which are let loose upon the world
He leads his forces across the world
into battle as the leader of his evil forces
The enemy of humanity
General Corona he does not care
nor does his virus minions care
about your nationality he does not care
about your politics he does not care
or your wealth or who you are
for all you are nothing but humanity
the corona general sees humanity
as nothing but hosts for his virus army
chanting death to humanity
until his evil army
sweeps throughout the world
throughout the world
and millions must die
it is the will of the general all must die
and it is the end of the world
or perhaps the beginning of a new world
filled with hope and love through out the world
humanity comes alive throughout the world
fighting back against the virus army
peace, love and compassion defeats the army
and general corona will finally himself die
Corona Ghosts Haunting the President
corona virus
The corona ghosts are angry
Watching the news every day
In limbo land
The corona ghosts decide
To pay the president a visit
To show him the humans
Who have died
Due to his incompetence
And lack of leadership
175,000 Corona ghosts
Descend upon the white house
At midnight
And surround the president
Screaming at him
Saying look at me
Look at me
You did this
You did it
You Mr. President
You are not the smartest man
In the world
Far from it
It is all on you
And you will soon
Be joining us
Be afraid
Your time is up
General corona
Is on the march
Failure is not an option
My failures
Presidential failures
Total failure or Total Success
Dejavu All Over Again
General Failure Reading Disk Drives
Failure is Not an Option
Failure is not an option
Is a weasel word
Weasel words
Are Orwellian words
Designed to shut down
Rational thought
And ironically these words
Often leads to spectacular failure
Because logically speaking
Failure is always an implied option
and the null hypothesis
doing nothing at all
letting the status quo
remain the same
is also always an implied option
Leaders need to look at all options
Including what to do
If they fail to achieve their goals
They must have a plan
To learn from their failures
If not following the dictates
The false macho posturing
That failure is not an option
Will lead to the feared failure
On Failure
They say that failure
Is the best teacher of all
And I have learned
So much from my failures
And I have failed so much
In my life
But I have gotten better
Stronger and wiser
Because I have failed
And embraced my failures
Failed first grade
Almost failed math and physics
Failed music college
Almost failed statistics in college
and in graduate school
Almost failed my life in the Peace Corps
Dealing with Typhoid
Almost failed in Bangkok
Almost failed my life
In the hospital for almost a year
Almost failed to learn Spanish
Failed as a visa chief in Spain
And throughout my failures
There is one thing I learned
With the support of my wife
And my friends
I can and will overcome
All my failures
President Trump’s Failures
Presidentail failures to date
failure to tell the truth 18,000 lies
Failure to deal with COVID 160 thousand dead
who have become corona ghosts
And 4 million cases piling up
and another great depression looms
And it is all his fault
He refuses to take responsibility
Part of his failure to lead
Failure to lead the country
Insisting on premature re-opening
Making things a thousand times worst
With his epic tweets
Which are a failure
To communicate
Failure to get America rebuilt
Failure to get immigration reform
Failure to reform our trading practices
Failure to lead on climate change
Failure to lead on fighting forest fires
Failure to lead on police reform
failure on health care
Failure to lead on healing out country
As he pours gasoline
On the flames of our discontent
And so I leave these thoughts
Thinking of the greatest failure
Of our life
Watching our president
Fail so miserably
At his job
And unlike me
He refuses to admit
That he has failed
Leading him to an epic
Spectacular failure
Ushering in the end
Of his presidency
In the fading failing light<
Of his life
Will he finally learn
From his failures
Sadly I must conclude
That he is incapable
Of learning from failure
Because in his mind
He is the smartest man
In the world
And it inconceivable
That he could ever failure
For he is a winner
Are we all tired
Of his failed winning by now?
And sadly I must
give him a grade of F
total Success or Total Failure
Jared_Kushner_June_2019
The President’s Son-in-law declares
that the government’s response
to the corona virus
has been a total success
as the government
stepped up to the plate
to fight the virus from hell
I have to wonder
on what planet
does the words
total failure
becomes total success?
Are we living in a bizarro world
Where every thing
Means the opposite
Do words no longer
Have any connection
To underlying reality
Can we tell a lie
From the truth anymore?
For his statement
Is impossible to be
Anything other than the opposite
His total success
is everyone’s total failure
As 160 thousands
American Corona ghosts
Will attest
just more verbal diarrhea
from our dear leader
And his cult like followers
And corrupt court jesters
Dejavu All Over Again
corona
Looking at the news
As the virus spreads
Out of control
With no end in sight
Back in April
Hospitals begged for relief
From a lack of PPD
And equipment etc
And for a few weeks
It seemed we were fine
But we failed to prepare
For the continuation of the pandemic
And our stockpile has been overwhelmed
Our hospitals are overwhelmed
And it could have been prevented
If our leaders had kept up
Stockpiling for the inevitable second wave
Even as the first wave has yet
To reach its peak
Their epic failure
To plan
For what was sure to come
Is an epic failure
Of deadly consequences
Hundreds of thousands of people
will join the ranks
of corona ghosts
they Will fail to live
Because of this failure
To plan
So I say
It is all dejavu all over again
General Failure Reading Disk Drive
evil computer
My computer loves
Spitting out error messages
Written like haiku
Mysterious messages
Hard to understand
My favorite has always been
General Failure
Reading Disk drive
The question comes to mind
Who is this General Failure
And why is reading my disk drive
Anyway
April 30 In Search of America 1975 – Hitch hiking Tales 
