This writing was accepted
for publication in the
108 page perfect-bound ISSN# /
ISBN# issue/book “Sprung from Grief”
Down in the Dirt, v184
(the June 2021 Issue)Order the paperback book:
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
In India, several years ago
A man falsely claimed his brother
Was dead so he could inherit the family assets,
The dead brother had to fight
To be declared legally not dead
And contest the will.
“The Association of the Living Dead”
Became a movement
Of thousands of people.
For in India apparently,
It was a thing to declare
Your relative is dead.
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
This writing was accepted
for publication in the
108 page perfect-bound ISSN# /
ISBN# issue/book “Prayers and Bullets”
Down in the Dirt, v181
(the March 2021 Issue)Order the paperback book:
If you’ve 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
After every incident
Of mass gun violence
In the U.S.
Pictures emerge
Of the killers
Almost always white men.
Who stares out at you
With soulless dead eyes
Filled with hate, fear
And shear madness.
With the thousand-year stare
Of the madman
Who only hears
The voices in his head
Screaming kill them all
Kill them all.
And as always
They usually legally bought
The guns.
This case was a bit different
The gunman briefly had his guns
Taken away from him
And his 60 knives as well
Judged temporarily too crazy
To have a gun.
But the red flag law
Is not a permanent ban
As it should be.
And so he was able
To re-arm himself
With the best weapons
In the world
At a very affordable price.
Thanks to the NRA.
And so he was soon lost
Down the rabbit hole
Of insanity and probably drugs,
The lone sniper
A disgruntled young white man
In his 20’s
Sets up shop on top of a building.
He has a high-powered weapon
No doubt bought legally
An AR-15 the choice
Of the serious gun men everywhere.
And begins shooting
Into the July 4th parade
Killing six people
Injuring 30.
Before putting the gun down
And fleeing
Before the cops can find him.
The right-wing media
Goes to works
The pundits pontificate
24/7
It is not about the gun
It is about everything else
That is wrong with our society.
Guns don’t kill people
They proclaim
Guns are the price we pay
For our freedom.
Their demented answer
is more guns
More guns for everyone.
And sadly, nothing will be done
As the politicians offer
Useless thoughts and prayers
The gun ghosts don’t care
They are dead after all.
The madness will not stop
Until we figure out
How to stop
The killers in our midst.
There will be another shooting
No doubt before the day is done
Over 300 so far this year.
And that is just the way
It is in this day and age
Of America.
The land of the free
Home of the brave
And 400 million guns.
Note: I wrote this a year or so ago. This morning there was another mass shooting, this time at Brown University. Yesterday at Bondi Beach in Australia. The Australian Government promises to enact even stricter gun laws in response, in the US nothing but talk about prayers and thoughts for the victims, nothing can be done the politicians say. THe price of freedom is the occasional mass shooting according to the NRA.
My name, it is Nobody
No one cares who I am
I am just a nameless clone
In the cold unfeeling bureaucracy
Just one of the army
Of civilians who flood into and out of the city
Every day
A non-entity,
A ghost
A govbot
A cyber
A spook
A faceless automan
A bureaucrat
Just a grey suited cog in the machinery
And no one cares
No one knows who I really am
And I am legend
Everywhere and nowhere
Just the way this modern world
All shred of humanity
Crushed beneath
the cruel wheel of society
In the cold harsh world
There is no room anymore
For true human feelings
We are just robots,
clones, machines
And so I go to work
Put on my mask
And no one hears
my inner screams
And no one will ever care
My name, it is Nobody
No one cares who I am
I am just a nameless clone
In the cold unfeeling bureaucracy
Just one of the army
Of civilians who flood into and out of the city
Every day
A non-entity,
A ghost
A govbot
A cyber
A spook
A faceless automan
A bureaucrat
Just a grey suited cog in the machinery
And no one cares
No one knows who I really am
And I am legend
Everywhere and nowhere
Just the way this modern world
All shred of humanity
Crushed beneath the cruel wheel of society
In the cold harsh world
There is no room anymore
For true human feelings
We are just robots, clones, machines
And so I go to work
Put on my mask
And no one hears my inner screams
And no one will ever care
Order this writing that appears
in the one-of-a-kind anthology The Flickering Light
the Down in the Dirt Jan.-June 2019
issues & chapbooks collection book
(learn about this book, and order from Amazon online)
get the 366 page
Jan.-June 2019 Down in the Dirt
issue & chapbooks 6″ x 9″ ISBN# paperback book:
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
get the 396 page poetry,
flash fiction, prose,
& artwork & photography
collection anthology
as a 6″ x 9″ ISBN#
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Stairway To Heaven Bumper Sticker
Found Poem in Medford, Oregon
The fact
There is a stairway
To heaven
But a highway
To hell.
Tells you about
The expected traffic
Strangeness in the Air
There is a strangeness in the air
A sense of cosmic unease
Hangs silently in the purple crystalline sky
America woke up
And decided it was time
To quit following like lemmings
Over the Clift
As the pied piper chants
Stay the course, stay the course
We were like lemmings following him
Dying to save his wounded pride
Today there is that strange difference
In the air
As Americans woke up
And threw off their chains of fear
This writing was accepted for publication
in the 108 page perfect-bound ISSN# /
ISBN# issue/book “The Gravity
Of Imagination”
Down in the Dirt, v203 (1/23)
The fly on the wallpaper
In the CIA director’s office
Was not a real fly
He was an enemy spy drone
Secretly controlled remotely
Listening to all the secret conversations
Until the director smashed him
With a flyswatter
Then realized that it was a spy fly
He had dispatched to bug hell.
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
Hi there from Scars Publications (this letter is being sent from a bulk email address, so DO NOT REPLY to this Gmail address but to any scars.tv email address)… We wanted to let you know that Scars Publications released a 2025 annual collection book of select poetry, flash fiction, prose, & art from 2025 issues of cc’d magazine and Down in the Dirt magazine. Since your material was chosen from the past year of accepted materials for inclusion in this annual collection book anthology, we wanted to share this brand-new annual collection book, “Signs and Revelations”!
Links to see all the chosen writers and artists (and the titles of their work) in “Signs and Revelations”: https://scars.tv/2025collection/Signs_and_Revelations.htm
This is where you can also find out what material of yours appears in this annual collection book.
You can find this book online at scars.tv in multiple locations. Right now, it is linked on the main page at https://scars.tv, and it appears near the top of the list of choices on the books link (the book link is one click away from the main page, or also directly at https://scars.tv/books/) as well as at the “CD Books Sale” link with new releases at the top of the listing (direct link https://scars.tv/sale/) at Scars!
Also, by the end of the business week, or by Friday night CST, your writing in the writings section online will have a link to this collection book, so people can find links to this collection book on your writing pages in the writings section of http://scars.tv (at https://scars.tv/cgi-bin/framesmain.pl?writers)...
Links for ordering this collection book appear on all of the links above, and will also appear in the writings section, so any of your writing in this collection book will also see a link to this collection book in the writings section!
These books are available from Amazon in the U.S. & Canada, the U.K., Europe, Australia, and Japan. (The link above is for U.S. sales.)
The Scars Publication book link for what material of yours appears in this collection book, and if you’d like, order a copy today (I hear they make great Christmas gifts)… Again, thank you for being a part of the Scars Publications community!
I am a coffee addict. I admit it. Gots to have my daily fix but nowadays mostly decaf in the morning I have a real cup to get my juices going kicking starting my day with that caffeine buzz going around my head.
I have written 60 poems about coffee and posted them on my blog – along with photos and audio clips of me reading the poems, plus one SF short story featuring an alien coffee trader.
I am sending them to Starbucks and Peets along with this cover letter.
Index
Letter To Peets Coffee
Letter to Starbucks Coffee
Morning Coffee
Perfect Cup Of Tea
I like to drink Coffee Rondel
Love and Coffee Double Tetractys
Coffee Entiou
Coffee Elfjie
Coffee Thoughts
Coffee How I Love Thee
Coffee Transports Me To Another World
Coffee Desires
No More Coffee Blues
More Coffee Blues
Coffee
Ode to Coffee
Five Teaku
Coffee, Tea, or Me?
I Prefer Hot Coffee
Drinking My Hot Tea
In The Morning Dawn
A Mad Monk Drank Tea
I Prefer Hot Coffee
Coffee Phata Yat
Snarling Cup Of Coffee One Star Slam
Just Perfect Coffee Tercets
Daily Red Wine Ritual
Nagging Coffee Pot
Love In My Cup
My Tea Mine Must Be Hot
Morning Delight, My Morning Coffee
My Favorite Things
Too Much Coffee Can Be A Bad Thing
Coffee Laturnae
Coffee Morning Delighttri-Fall
Drinking Coffee Is My Delight
Morning Love Dixdeau
Savoring Life
Coffee Pantoum
Coffee Laturne
Morning Triquint Poetry Place
1 Why Did I Create Them?
Coffee, Tea, Wine Atarlis Fileata
Coffee Pyramid Form
There Was A Ring In Her Coffee Cup.
Coffee Is My Morning Delight Raven Fly Poem
Perfect Day Tetractys
I Like To Drink Coffee Rondine
I Like To Drink Coffee In The Morning Triolet
Ode To My Coffee Maker
Coffee Makes My Day
Waking Up To Coffee Minuette
Coffee Pensee
Brazilian Coffee Haiku
Coffee Amphion
Coffee Makes My Day
There’s Nothing To Do
Coffee Tanka
Coffee Ghazal
Broken Coffee Machine
The Starving Aliens Want Coffee
Morning Coffee Quadrate
Morning Coffee
Sam Adams Has Coffee With Big Daddy
Hiking The Mad Hatter Trail Writers’ Cramp
Snarling Cup Of Coffee Birthday Gift
Coffee PI Poem Writers’ Cramp
Coffee Dodistu
April 6—Beverage, Libation, Liquid… Daily Ritual Drinks
Close up white coffee cup with heart shape latte art on wood table at cafe.
Coffee Nonet
coffee
Morning Coffee
coffee
Coffee Hay Na Ku
coffee
boss coffee
Coffee Whitney
coffee
Coffee intoxicating Smells Wakes Me Up
Coffee
coffee
Snarling Cup of Coffee
Sam Adams Alien Coffee Merchant
Coffee Lai
coffee
drink coffee
Non Establishment Coffee
God Drinks Coffee
god in my coffee
Beginning Poems
Letter to Peets
Dear Peets coffee
I am a coffee addict. I admit it. Gots to have my daily fix but nowadays mostly decaf but in the morning I have a real cup to get my juices going kicking starting my day with that caffeine buzz going around my head.
I have written 60 poems about coffee and posted them on my blog – along with photos and audio clips of me reading the poems, plus one SF short story featuring an alien coffee trader.
I grew up in Berkeley and drank lots of Peets coffee at the original Peets, which I consider the mecca of coffee shops in the U.S.
Once when you were still a Bay Area chain, I took back 25 pounds of Peet’s coffee to share with my Indian friends when i was working at the US Consulate there in 2003. They loved the coffee!
“My last job
in the State Department
I had my ritual down
I would go ou
after lunch
to Peet’s across from the WH
and buy a decaf Americano
or decaf white chocolate mocha
nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla
chocolate and hazel nut
whip cream on top
usually took it back
but sometimes
I lingered at Peet’s
soaking
in the Berkeley feeling
thinking back
to all the great cups of coffee
I have had
at Peet’s in Berkeley
the original
and the Solano Avenue
Peets coffee shop”
Now I am retired from my 27years of service with the US State Department as a diplomat, and living in Korea and wondering and hoping that you have expansion plans and are hoping you would open a Peet’s coffee shop in Seoul or even better in Youngjando near the airport in the new Howard Johnson’s hotel complex next to the subway.
So many Koreans have studied over the years in Berkeley that Peets is well known in Korea. There is a Berkeley Coffee shop in Itaewon run by a former Cal Student. He loved Peet’s coffee.
Peets is available at the US military Commissary but not in the local market.
I hope you enjoy the poems and you have my permission to publish them if you wish.
I am a coffee addict. I admit it. Gots to have my daily fix but nowadays mostly decaf, but in the morning I have a real cup to get my juices going kicking starting my day with that caffeine buzz going around my head.
I have written 60 poems about coffee and posted them on my blog – along with photos and audio clips of me reading the poems, plus one SF short story featuring an alien coffee trader.
I grew up in Berkeley and drank lots of Peets coffee at the original Peets, which I consider the mecca of coffee shops in the U.S. I also drank a lot of coffee over the years at Starbucks including when I was a grad student at UW back in the 80’s.
“My last job
in the State Department
I had my ritual down
I would go out
after lunch
to Peet’s or Starbucks across from the WH
and buy a decaf Americano
or decaf white chocolate mocha
nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla
chocolate and hazel nut
whip cream on top
usually took it back
but sometimes
I lingered at Peet’s or Starbucks
soaking
in the Berkeley
West Coast feeling
thinking back
to all the great cups of coffee
I have had
at Peet’s in Berkeley
the original
and the Solano Avenue
Peets and Starbucks coffee shops”
Now I am retired from my 27years of service with the US State Department as a diplomat, and living in Korea, and am enjoying drinking coffee at Starbucks.
I hope you enjoy the poems and you have my permission to publish them if you wish.
Perfect Cup of Tea
The perfect cup
Of hot tea bliss
Consists of Bitter Mellon tea,
Burdock and Gingsing tea
Chamomile, and chicory
Lavender, and rosemary
Peppermint, Ugly Potato tea
And Jasmine or Oolong Tea
Love and Coffee Double Tetractys
need more coffee
Hot
Coffee
In morning
First thing at dawn
Waiting for my lovely wife to wake up
When she wakes up, she fills the house with love
Seeing my wife
She smiles
Spreading
Love
Black Coffee Elfjie
coffee
Black
Hot coffee
Makes my day
Drinking my black coffee
Heaven
The Elfjie is a Dutch form used to teach young children the craft of distilling language into poetry, The consists of five lines, broken down as follows:
Line 1: One word symbolizing a color or feature.
Line 2: Two words representing someone or something associated with Line 1.
Line 3: Three words giving more information about the person or thing presented in Line 2.
Line 4: Four words connecting your narrator to the person or thing in Line 2.
Line 5: One word presenting a twist or conclusion.
Coffee l Love Thee
coffee
I love my coffee
everyday I drink it delicious brew
Falling under its influence
As it wakes me up
Everything seems well
As I drink my coffee
As my thoughts comes bubbling up
dreaming of another
Cup of coffee
Coffee Transports Me to Another World
need more coffee
As I drink my morning
Cup of coffee
I am transported to another world
far far away
dreaming dark dreams
Of what might have
I am lost in my
cup of coffee
heaven and hell
in my cup of coffee
Coffee Desires
I like my coffee
Like I like my women
Dark and Hot as hell,
Yet delightfully heavenly sweet
As heaven itself
My Morning Coffee Fix Sends me to Heaven
boss coffee
My morning coffee fix
Sends Me to Heaven
then Crashes into Hell
Coffee is my last legal vice
coffee
Coffee is my last legal vice
It is a drug
that does
What a Drug Should
Getting me going
Flying me high
Into the sky
And coffee
Makes the world go round
As we fall under its spell
And become its slave
Needing our daily fix
No More Coffee Blues
coffee
I love coffee
Always have
And coffee has loved me back
But lately I have sourced on her
Soured on the whole coffee scene
On the harshness of the morning brew
And the promises it makes
As I sip of its nectar
Drawn into its lair
Drinking drop by drop
As the caffeine takes over
Rewriting my every nerve
Turning me into a slave
For its perverted pleasure
Yes, I love coffee
But I am afraid
Coffee is a harsh mistress
Demanding so much of me
Promising the sun
And delivering the Moon
As I drink her swill
Deeping under her influence
I have the coffee blues
Can’t live with our her
Can’t live with her
I try
But tea does not cut it
Not really
Booze does not do it
At least not in the morning
Yoga is not enough of a buzz
Nor is the runner’s high
And I am afraid deadly afraid of cocaine
And speed and drugs and energy drinks
And so I remain a slave to coffee
My only legal drug
As I sip another and fall under her seductive spread
Once more failing my resolve
To skip coffee for that day
That morning that moment
I shall never be free of her spell
Ever and she knows it
As she beckons me
Every morning with her intoxicating smell
More Coffee Blues
One morning as I drank my fake coffee
I needed to go out and get a cup of real coffee
The fake coffee just did not do the trick
It tasted almost like the real thing
But just did not have that kick
And I needed it bad
I needed the real coffee buzz
I realized that I was a coffee addict
I tried to just drink decafe
But was boring
And almost as bad as the fake coffee
That I drank
Caffeine was bad for me
I knew it
But I craved the rush
Craved the intense buzz
Craved the hyperactivity
Kept me all day
And caused me nightmares
Sometimes for days on end
I knew I could not handle it
But like all addicts
I needed my coffee buzz
And so, I once more
Drank my drug of choice
And entered the coffee zone
As I fried my brain
With caffeine
The last legal drug
In neo-puritan America
And I smiled as I gave in
To the intoxicating smell
And flavor of my coffee
And surrender my free will
And drank my coffee
Waiting for the nightmares to come
Coffee
Coffee Tanka
Hot as hell, heavenly sweat
My daily hot coffee fix
Sends Me to Heaven
Then Crashes into Hell
Five Teaku
Coffee, Tea or Me?
Many a long years ago
The trainee in my class said
Coffee tea or me?
I Prefer Hot Coffee
I prefer hot coffee
But at times I shift to tea
Just so I can get sleep
Drinking My Hot Tea
Drinking my hot tea
My mind does not come to rest
Too much tea, perhaps?
In the Morning Dawn
In the morning dawn
Drinking my hot sweet coffee
Need to drink tea later
A Mad Monk Drank Tea
A mad monk drank tea
Drinking, Thinking long and hard
Enlightenment came
just perfect poetry place
just perfect
coffee time
hot coffee
in morning
watching news
liars lie
CNN
afternoon
drinking tea
sunset wine
Coffee Tricube
coffee
in the morning,
drinking coffee
eating sweet toffee
filled with my love.
as sun comes up,
i see my dove
i want free love
before end of day.
daily red wine ritual
i like to drink a glass of red wine
as the sun begins to set
and the night becomes so fine
in the bright light of the dawn
i like to drink a cup of joe
just to stifle the morning’s lingering yawn
soon everything must flow
this and more i know
in the morning glow
i step outside in the snow
after drinking my tea
despite the still dark light show
my mood becomes so carefree
the love of my begins to shine
and i become all that i can be
nagging coffee pot
boss coffee
the coffee maker
one day
spoke up
he said
master
it is not my place
to complain
but you really are
drinking a bit too much
of coffee
two cups of my brew
should be enough
but lately you have
been drinking four
or five cups
half de-café
but still too much
don’t you think?
the coffee pot concludes
his nagging
as his master turns him on
for his fifth and final cup
for the day.
love in my cup of coffee
coffee
first thing must drink coffee
best way to start morning
always a goodmorning
drink hot coffee
i enjoy my afternoon
drinking my cup of tea
just being with me
love in my cup
My Tea Must Be Hot
my tea
mine must be hot
that is the key .
for me
tea not coffee
to be .
with love
drinking morning
true love .
morning delight, my morning coffee
morning delight, my morning coffee
most mornings i drink it hot
many summer mornings i drink it ice cold
must have coffee i scream as i drink it
musing about life and the universe
my muse gets to work writing these verses
my wife comes alive and bewitches
my soul with her dazzling light of love.
my favorite things
these are among my favorite things drinking coffee in the morning while watching the news and writing in my journals recalling my dreams.
talking to my wife when she wakes up filling the room with the light of her love.
dispatching my nightmares replacing them with love and happiness.
drinking tea in the afternoon as i work on my blog.
evening drinking wine at sunset with my wife the love of my life.
by my side as long as i have her i am the richest person in the world.
too much coffee can be a bad thing
fry drinking too much coffee
my daily cup of coffee
gets me going
but too much coffee
can be a bad thing indeed,
i end up with insomnia
and nightmares..
coffee morning delight
just perfect
way to kick start the morning
the news makes such a fright
no respect
drinking coffee makes a good morning
i need to drink at night
recollect
why it is not a good-morning
in the morning , i like to drink coffee.
coffee
in the morning , i like to drink coffee.
watching the morning news just depresses me.
so sad.
i watch the morning news so filled with gloom.
.i just want to shoot the tv anchors
so sad.
then my wife gets up and smiles at me.
her love brightens up the room like the sun.
so sad .
morning love dixdeau
coffee
every day
i sip and savor
the taste of life
i wake up
drinking several cups
of fully loaded coffee
savoring every sip
as the caffeine
wakes me up
getting me going
then i have lunch
savoring the delicious food
that my wife makes for me
in the afternoon
enjoying a fragrant
cup of tea
in the evening
drinking a glass or two
of red wine
or a cocktail
enjoying the taste
the smell
the fragrance
of the wine
before having a fantastic
lovely meal
with my wife
and most importantly
enjoying the taste
of my wife’s love.
that is how i live
tasting the many fragrances
of my life.
Coffee Pantoum
take coffee with you
in the morning hot coffee for me.
that is what i need to get going.
it must be hot coffee, not tea,
that is the drink that gets my soul glowing,
that is what i need to get going,
as i drink my coffee i watch the news.
that is the drink that gets my soul glowing,
the news gives me nothing but the blues.
coffee laturne
hot
coffee
is perfect
joyful morning
love
Fully Loaded Coffee
drinking coffee
i like my first cup of coffee
to be fully loaded
with turmeric, cocoa bits
yogi tea
coconut oil
milk
hazel nut and vanilla
using peets coffee
as a base
that gets me going
but to my best friend
who grew up with me
enjoying peets coffee
the best coffee shop
in the us
in that mecca of coffee culture
berkeley california
where they proudly
do not serve establishment coffee
is horrified at my coffee choices
for he likes his coffee old school
just black americano coffee
nothing fancy
and i like it that way
from time to time
my second cup
is usually black
my third and final cup
is usually straight black
decafe coffee
morning TriQuint
coffee
i like to drink coffee in the morning
that makes it a good- morning
i turn on the tv
watching news
start
but i drink tea just a forewarning
makes me full of mourning,
i turn on the tv
watching news
start
watching the news filled with warning
turning it off mid-morning
makes a good morning
watching news
start
the TriQuint is a fifteen-line form invented by sylvia a. Feeley. the structure is divided into three cinquains (five-line stanzas), each with syllable patterns of 9, 7, 5, 3, 1, and a common rhyme scheme of aaa1a2b, with upper case letters representing repeated lines for a little extra punch, as described and demonstrated in the following link: http://www.shadowpoetry.com/resources/wip/triquint.html.
TriQuint
triquint, a poem created by sylvia a. Feeley, consists of 3 verses, 5 lines each. lines 3 and 4 of verse 1 (refrain) repeat in verses 2 and 3. the syllable count for each stanza is 9, 7, 5, 3, 1, and has an aaaa rhyme scheme.
three tanka
1 why did i create them?
God drinks his coffee
on a cold winter morning
thinking humanity
oh were such foolish creatures
and why did he create them?
2. what is groundhog day?
what is groundhog day?
i just don’t understand it
what does seeing a shadow
have anything to do
with the weather anyway?
3. the end of time draws near
every day i think
that the end of time is near
the rumors of war
monster storms and wildfires
trump still talking crazy stuff.
coffee, tea, wine Atarlis fileata
coffee cup
must be hot
call it Coffey,
call it whatever
call it koffie,
coffee
must be hot
hot tea
must be just right
perfect cup
afternoon delight
hot tea
must be just right
red wine
with my wife
it is all mine
she is by my side
red wine
with my wife
Drinking Coffee, Hex Sonnetta
drinking coffee in the morning
watching the news unfold
fearing what i am told
reality is controlled
it is a good morning
it has all been foretold
gloomy thoughts in my mind
i quit watching the news
it just gives me the blues
despair all i can find
my thought all maligned
there is my mind to lose
i give up must drink wine
until the sun does not shine
Sam Adams Interplanetary Coffee Merchant
Sam Adams was an interstellar bounty hunter tracking criminals across the galaxy. he was on the hunt for Corbin the sirian who was rumored to be hiding out on the planet terra, which was an obscure undiscovered primitive planet. but terra was known for producing some of the best mind-altering drugs in the galaxy, including coffee, which turned people into instant addicts who would kill for their daily fix of difficult to obtain coffee as coffee was only grown on the terra planet.
his boss, Maria Lee, gave him the commission, and description.
Sam, she said,
“this is a big catch. he is wanted on multiple terms for fraud, murder, assassination and drug dealing. the planet terra is off limits for commerce for a reason. the galactic intelligence agency has determined that the people there are too violent and insane to be allowed to develop interstellar travel.
when you get there, go to Berkeley, California and go to Peets coffee. We think that he is going there to negotiate a coffee purchase agreement and announce that the earth is not alone in the galaxy. we want him alive but ….
“oh, and bring me back some of their coffee. “
He arrived in Berkeley and went to the coffee shop. he showed the barista pictures of Corbin and his associates. the barista said
“Yeah, they were here earlier. i got a bad impression from them. they went that way”
He said, pointing to an office building across the street.
Sam sat there drinking his coffee and realized why coffee was so good.
He got up and saw that Corbin was on tv announcing the earth was not alone.
Sam thought
“Damn too late. i lost that collar. oh well, might as well have another cup of coffee.”
Coffee Pyaramid Poem
coffee
in the morning
need to drink more koffee,
just to make it a good-morning
as i watch the news unfold, need more coffee,
but if i drink too much, my poor heart gets a sharp warning
but i like a little peppermint tea in the mid-morning
whatever you call it, in the morning i need my coffie,
the metric pyramid form (created by john Milton smither) is:
○ centered on the page
○ 8 lines (an octastich)
○ syllables per line: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16
○ rhyme scheme: a, b, b, a, a, b, b, a
There Was a Ring in Her Coffee Cup.
Sam Adams one day was late for a meeting with his girlfriend. he had to stop by and pick something up first before meeting her in coffee shop in downtown seoul. they had met on a bus a few weeks ago and they both knew that they were the one and had talked about marriage.
he was late for the meeting but she was just getting ready to leave thinking he had stood her up. they ordered their coffees and he brought it to the table, slipping something into the cup. she picked up the coffee and noticed that there was something in her cup. she put the ring on her finger and that was that.
Coffee is My Morning Delight Raven Fly Poem
coffee is my morning delight
while watching the news unfold.
makes everything seem to be bright.
feeling lost, now i am old.
in the afternoon i drink tea.
in the evening, i drink wine.
she surrenders her love for me.
drinking wine makes it all fine.
i drink rum or whiskey when it turns to be night
Perfect Day Tetractys
fake coffee
hot
coffee
in morning
perfect morning.
i like to start my day drinking coffee
i like to start my evening drinking wine.
drinking red wine
with my love
white wine.
nice
great
evening.
just perfect
to end the day.
coffee in the morning, wine at sunset.
ode to the humble coffee machine
i sing of thee
the humble coffee maker
almost everyone has one
a coffee machine.
be it a Mr. coffee
a drip coffee pot
a french press
an expresso maker
an industrial old school dinner style
or the hip kroeung
every kitchen has one.
the coffee machine
does it thing
making hot delicious tea
or coffee on demand
just the way you like it.
everyone has their preferences
some like it cold brew
some like it decafe.
some like it fully brewed
some like it hot
some like it iced
some like it instant.
some like it from starbucks
some like it from
the neighborhood joint
i like it from peets.
the best coffee shop
in the U.S.
proudly born in Berkeley.
the Mecca of American coffee shops.
the city that started it all
announcing to the world
“we don’t serve
establishment coffee.”
my coffee maker brews up
a full-load cup of pure joy
coffee, nutmeg, cinnamon,
yogi tea
topped off with milk.
then for the second round
black as my heart
on a dark morning.
afternoon it brews up
a sunny optimistic cup
of herbal tea.
but it does not help me
in the evening
as it does not make wine
or booze
could make me a cup
of Irish coffee
when i am in the mood.
i still love my simple
coffee machine robot
and it loves making me
my morning cup of cosmic joe.
i like to wake up
drinking hot coffee
coffee morning
a good morning
but, after the sunset
i open a bottle
drinking red wine
everything’s fine
prompt
the other day i found a 12-line poetry form i wanted to try, the Minuette. (https://poetscollective.org/poetryforms/minuette/) it was simple and enjoyable to use. so, i came up with an 8-line form, loosely based on the minute. for all i know, the one i came up with may already be an existing form! this i call the exit-ine.
exit-ine format:
• 8-line poem made up of 2 quatrains
• syllables per line: 5-5-5-4, 5-5-4-4
• rhyme scheme: x-x-a-a x-x-b-b (x being unrhymed)
• lines 4 and 8 are indented waking up to coffee
2 title/subject
4 description
7 action
8 setting location
6 final thought
the pensée is a simple exercise in counting syllables. there are five lines with syllable counts of 2, 4, 7, 8, 6. line 1, which is also the title, identifies the subject, line 2 describes that subject, line 3 presents some kind of action, line 4 depicts the setting/location, and line 5 provides a final thought/impression, as described and demonstrated in the following links:
i like to start my day
sip hot black coffee or not
makes it a good day.
new prompt: we are going to write a Brazilian haiku. information can be found here: ” haiku, Brazilian”
the topic is yours to choose from, but i will check the rhyme scheme in this form. read the guidelines, please.
i found a description of the “Brazilian haiku” through about.com. it seems that Guilherme de almeida was the first writer who seemed to have brought the haiku to Brazil. the Brazilian haiku has a rhyme scheme.
i like to start my day
sip hot coffee or not
makes it a good day.
ode to the humble coffee machine
i sing of thee
the humble coffee maker
almost everyone has one
a coffee machine.
be it a Mr. coffee
a drip coffee pot
a french press
an expresso maker
an industrial old school dinner style
or the hip kroeung
every kitchen has one.
the coffee machine
does it thing
making hot delicious tea
or coffee on demand
just the way you like it.
everyone has their preferences
some like it cold brew
some like it decafe.
some like it fully brewed
some like it hot
some like it iced
some like it instant.
some like it from starbucks
some like it from
the neighborhood joint
i like it from peets.
the best coffee shop
in the u’s
proudly born in berkeley.
the mecca of american coffee shops.
the city that started it all
announcing to the world
“we don’t serve
establishment coffee.”
my coffee maker brews up
a full-load cup of pure joy
coffee, nutmeg, cinnamon,
yogi tea
topped off with milk.
then for the second round
black as my heart
on a dark morning.
afternoon it brews up
a sunny optimistic cup
of herbal tea.
but it does not help me
in the evening
as it does not make wine
or booze
could make me a cup
of Irish coffee
when i am in the mood.
i still love my simple
coffee machine robot
and it loves making me
my morning cup of cosmic joe.
coffee makes my day
coffee
just hot
makes my morning
but in the evening
wine
my morning coffee
must be hot as hell itself
yet heavenly sweet
i sip it’s sweat ambrosia
transporting me far away
coffee ghazal
must have coffee in the morning must have coffee
watching the news on the good-morning must-have coffee
watching tv news mourning must have coffee
watching the news gives me a suborning must-have coffee
drinking my hot coffee pre-warning must-have coffee
if i have too much coffee forewarning must have coffee
around the midmorning, must have coffee
even yesterday morning must have coffee
migraine strategic warning must have coffee
jake cosmos aller goodmorning must have coffee
1. xxxxxx an xx r
xxxxxx a xx r
2. xxxx xxxxxx
xxxxxxa xx r
xxxx xxxxxx
xxxxxxaxx r
3. xxxx xxxxxx
xxxxxxa xx r
xxxx xxxxxx
xxxxxxaxx r
4. xxxx xxxxxx
xxxxxxa xx r
5. a = main rhyme; r = refrain
xxxxxx an xx r
xxxxxx an xx r
6. subsequent sheers (manta) carry the main rhyme and refrain in the 2nd line. l1 of all subsequent shares has no restrictions other than to be the same length or meter as l2.
xxxx xxxxxx
xxxxxxa xx r
xxxx xxxxxx
xxxx xxxx r
the ghazal is an ancient persian form with an intriguing pattern of rhyme and repetition. it is made up of 5 to 15 couplets, each of which can be read independently, linked by a refrain at the end of the second line and a rhyming word preceding that word. the first couplet establishes the pattern with both lines containing the refrain, as described and demonstrated in the following links:
You start my day
Setting my heart on fire
With your dark delicious brew
And throughout the day
Whenever the mean old blues come by
You chase them away
With your bittersweet ambrosia brew
Every time I inhale your wicked brew
I am filled with power, light, and love
And everything is all right Jack
It is all good
If only for a few fleeting minutes
I love you oh coffee goddess
In all your magical forms
In the dark coffee of the dawning day
In the sizzling coffee in the mid-morning break
In the afternoon siesta break
And in the post-dinner dessert drink
I love you my coffee mistress
You are my refuge
From this horrid world
Yeah
I sing my praises
Of the great glorious coffee lady
Long may she continue
To be my sweet companion
Long may coffee continue
To rule my heart
And set my heart on fire
I love thee
Mistress coffee
And sometimes I think
You love me too
**
Coffee, the Drink of Revolutionaries
Coffee led to the American Revolution
As patriots drank coffee
To rebel against the aristocratic English tea
Coffee started the London Stock market
And started the gossips mills running
Every great invention
Was fed by coffee’s sweet allure
All the great thinkers
All the great leaders
All were enslaved to coffee’s magic
**
Coffee Revolution
Sitting
Dreaming
Over a cup of steaming hot Java dreams
In a pensive caffeine induced mood
I saw
The beginning of the end
At the bottom of my coffee cup
I saw the dismal depressing deadly sight
Of the whole universe
Rising in righteous revolution
Fighting the evil denizens of the world
They exploded
Marching out of my coffee cup
Down the street
Fighting fierce fights
They scream demented dreams
Dreams of absolute freedom
They rush and run, rant and rave
Running from the atomic clouds of vengeance
And I sit watching
The world disintegrates in my coffee cup
And I wonder what does it mean
As I pour myself more coffee
**
God Drinks Coffee
god in my coffee
When I woke up yesterday
I saw a naked old man
Sitting in my chair
Drinking my coffee
Smoking my pipe
I shouted at him
Who in hell are you
He replied
Never in hell am I
God replied
Your coffee is good
But not cosmic enough
Then we stood in the jungle
Watching dinosaurs
Making love
God said
They died you know
When they tried to become like us
We love to think that our vices are secretly good for us—that chocolate is healthy (even dark chocolate is very sugary), that red wine is something of an elixir (nope), and, most recently, that coffee can keep diseases at bay. Dozens of headlines have been talking about this study, which found an association between moderate coffee intake and a reduced risk of dementia; another study published in September led to articles about how coffee is good for your heart. Another tiny study also made news in August for showing that a higher intake of caffeine was very vaguely associated with a lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease in a cohort of 263 people.
I’ve been writing about this issue—the idea that coffee might have some wonderful health benefits— for nearly a decade now, and more research comes out but the bottom line never really changes. In these studies, the authors have typically taken a large (or not so large) database of people who have been asked a range of questions about what they eat and drink. One or two of those questions usually includes asking how much coffee they have each day. Those people have then been followed up with for years. The researchers look at whether this self-reported coffee intake at the start of the study is associated with the future risk of disease.
The problem is that this sort of study has a lot of weaknesses. People are terrible at reporting how much they eat and drink. Notoriously terrible. There are hundreds of scientific studies showing this. People’s reports vary by season, depend on how much they’ve recently eaten, differ depending on which foods they are asked to talk about. An occasional survey is generally just not a good basis for knowing how much people eat each day. (Can you remember what you ate last week? What about the week before?). Unfortunately, we have no other practical methods for getting this information, so these large studies are forced to accept that, even with complex statistical corrections, they may not be properly measuring how much coffee people drink. Just how much coffee people would estimate they drink.These studies also give us limited information about cause and effect. We can say with quite a bit of certainty that (self-reported) moderate coffee drinking—usually defined as about two to three cups a day—is associated with better health than drinking no coffee or drinking a very large amount of it. But, even taking the self-reported data at face value, that doesn’t necessarily mean that coffee causes better health. In many of these studies, the design is simply not robust enough to give us useful data on whether coffee is causing benefits or it’s simply that people who drink a moderate amount of coffee are on average a bit healthier in lots of ways than people who drink none or loads.
We do have some interventional studies looking at coffee and a range of health outcomes. These are studies where people are given coffee or a placebo and then followed up after a few weeks to see what’s happened to their health. But large reviews analysing these interventions have failed to find benefits (or harms) for heart health. There is some suggestion of short-term harm for people with diabetes, although this is partially contested by other research.
So: We can say with some certainty that people who drink a few cups of coffee a day are on average quite healthy. What we can’t say with any confidence is whether the coffee is making a difference or if there are other factors involved. When we actually give coffee to people in controlled clinical settings, there’s not much evidence that it has a benefit to their health.
Personally, I find this news relieving. Why? Well, there’s not much data showing that coffee has health benefits, but there’s also no data showing that it has health harms. Indeed, if you look at the entire gamut of scientific investigation into coffee as a whole, what you tend to see is that in moderate quantities, coffee is basically neutral, and for every possible detriment, there is a possible benefit to balance it out.
We love to think that our vices are secretly good for us—that chocolate is healthy (even dark chocolate is very sugary), that red wine is something of an elixir (nope), and, most recently, that coffee can keep diseases at bay. Dozens of headlines have been talking about this study, which found an association between moderate coffee intake and a reduced risk of dementia; another study published in September led to articles about how coffee is good for your heart. Another tiny study also made news in August for showing that a higher intake of caffeine was very vaguely associated with a lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease in a cohort of 263 people.
I’ve been writing about this issue—the idea that coffee might have some wonderful health benefits— for nearly a decade now, and more research comes out but the bottom line never really changes. In these studies, the authors have typically taken a large (or not so large) database of people who have been asked a range of questions about what they eat and drink. One or two of those questions usually includes asking how much coffee they have each day. Those people have then been followed up with for years. The researchers look at whether this self-reported coffee intake at the start of the study is associated with the future risk of disease.
The problem is that this sort of study has a lot of weaknesses. People are terrible at reporting how much they eat and drink. Notoriously terrible. There are hundreds of scientific studies showing this. People’s reports vary by season, depend on how much they’ve recently eaten, differ depending on which foods they are asked to talk about. An occasional survey is generally just not a good basis for knowing how much people eat each day. (Can you remember what you ate last week? What about the week before?). Unfortunately, we have no other practical methods for getting this information, so these large studies are forced to accept that, even with complex statistical corrections, they may not be properly measuring how much coffee people drink. Just how much coffee people would estimate they drink.
These studies also give us limited information about cause and effect. We can say with quite a bit of certainty that (self-reported) moderate coffee drinking—usually defined as about two to three cups a day—is associated with better health than drinking no coffee or drinking a very large amount of it. But, even taking the self-reported data at face value, that doesn’t necessarily mean that coffee causes better health. In many of these studies, the design is simply not robust enough to give us useful data on whether coffee is causing benefits or it’s simply that people who drink a moderate amount of coffee are on average a bit healthier in lots of ways than people who drink none or loads.
We do have some interventional studies looking at coffee and a range of health outcomes. These are studies where people are given coffee or a placebo and then followed up after a few weeks to see what’s happened to their health. But large reviews analysing these interventions have failed to find benefits (or harms) for heart health. There is some suggestion of short-term harm for people with diabetes, although this is partially contested by other research.
So: We can say with some certainty that people who drink a few cups of coffee a day are on average quite healthy. What we can’t say with any confidence is whether the coffee is making a difference or if there are other factors involved. When we actually give coffee to people in controlled clinical settings, there’s not much evidence that it has a benefit to their health.
Personally, I find this news relieving. Why? Well, there’s not much data showing that coffee has health benefits, but there’s also no data showing that it has health harms. Indeed, if you look at the entire gamut of scientific investigation into coffee as a whole, what you tend to see is that in moderate quantities, coffee is basically neutral, and for every possible detriment, there is a possible benefit to balance it out.
My opinion, as an expert who drinks a lot of coffee and has a strong vested interest in this question, is that there really doesn’t seem to be any health reasons to either drink or avoid coffee. There’s certainly evidence that a lot of coffee is bad for you, and if you’re breaking eight to 10 cups a day—in this case, a cup is defined as a standard eight ounce serving in most studies—you might want to cut back. At a minimum, that much coffee is likely to affect your sleep.
But if you don’t drink coffee, there’s really no need to start unless you want to. It’s probably not going to affect your health much either way, so don’t worry about it. I’m going to go take my own advice and have a second cup.
Best Coffee Shops in DC: A Barista’s Guide
Where to work remotely, grab a tasty breakfast, or find a late-night pick-me-up.
Before I found myself behind a desk writing full-time, I churned out lattes, pour overs, and batches of drip for three years at a café that served specialty coffee—the general term used for beans sourced and roasted with care. Since losing my employee discount I’ve ached for a good cup of coffee. These are the spots I turn to when Pret just won’t cut it.
Velvet seats, groovy botanical wallpaper, and a coffee roaster set up right in the seating area set the scene for this DC roastery’s new Brightwood Park location. Sip on an ethically sourced coffee or a dirty horchata—the shop’s signature drink, with housemade horchata and a shot of concentrated cold brew—in the café or on the turfed outdoor patio, where we can confirm the wi-fi still reaches.
The overall vibe at this branch of Annapolis single-origin roaster Ceremony can best be described as “serene.” Here, you’ll find free wi-fi, good coffee, and ample seating both inside and on the sheltered, heated patio.
With plentiful tables, an industrial-chic aesthetic (complete with stacks of burlap coffee sacks), and the soft rumble of a coffee roaster in the background, this Hyattsville spot is the perfect place to lock in. The espresso drinks are made with its expertly crafted Tin Lizzie coffee blend, with the option to add flavors like maple-spice or honey-cinnamon.
Local Roasters
Lost Sock roasts their coffee in Brightwood Park and sells it at their Takoma café. Photograph by Molly Szymanski.
This Takoma café nestled next to the historic Takoma Theatre is best known for its ethically sourced coffee, roasted in small batches in nearby Brightwood Park. On its menu, though, is much more—homemade syrups in all the classic flavors plus rose-cardamom and Earl Grey/vanilla; hot cider; and a food selection that includes pan de yuca, empanadas, and sandwiches. In addition to whole beans, Lost Sock sells branded merch—including an adorable green glass cortado mug.
Locations in Del Ray, Foggy Bottom, and Penn Quarter
This long-running Alexandria-based operation ethically sources coffee beans from around the world and roasts them at home—transforming green coffee into blends like “G Street,” “Diplomat Blend,” and “Embassy Row.” In addition to hand-brews and espresso drinks, they sell whole beans at all their locations.
Settle in with a Vietnamese iced coffee with ube foam and a steamed egg sando served on a house-made scallion pancake at this Navy Yard spot. At 5 PM, it turns from a calm all-day breakfast café to a full-service restaurant offering larger scallion-pancake sandwiches, steak au poivre, and wings tossed in miso/buffalo, General Tso’s, or Szechuan lemon pepper sauce.
In addition to the staple desserts from Georgetown sister spot Baked and Wired, this beloved DC cafe offers toasts made with freshly-baked sourdough, as well as biscuit sandwiches. For a café owned by bakers, its coffee is exceptional, especially the house nitro.
This Mount Pleasant café is known for its top-notch breakfast—including a beet-cured salmon bagel sandwich, broccoli/cheddar quiche, and assortment of pastries (go for the guava turnover). The food is well-complemented by its coffee—you can choose a classic espresso bar drink or a opt for a specialty treat like a tarragon/date latte or an espresso tonic spiked with jalapeño and mint.
Paolo Dungca’s H Street Filipino restaurant serves up all-day breakfast, along with coffees inspired by Asian flavors. Get your latte with ube (the purple sweet potato), pandan (a vanilla-like flavor), makulay (described best as rainbow birthday cake), and turon (caramelized banana). They’re both delicious and aesthetically pleasing.
The signature drink at this DC staple is a latte made with cardamom-infused simple syrup—a floral, subtly spicy drink. It’s only served hot, but if you’re in the mood for a cold drink, you can opt for one of the classics: a dirty chai or a latte with Madagascar-vanilla syrup.
For Coffee Snobs
In addition to single-origin brewed coffee, Foggy Bottom coffeehouse Filter sells specialty brewing devices for the at-home barista. Photograph by Molly Szymanski.
Walking into this establishment, I passed a wall of ceramic coffee cones for sale and saw people sipping traditional macchiatos on tiny plates—and I knew it meant business. The place brews a variety of blends from Ceremony Coffee, plus, the barista was able to rattle off coffee notes like it was second nature, and recommended a pour over fit to my tastes.
The coffee bar of this no-frills shop is situated in the tiny kitchen of a house that also holds Analog Market, which peddles antique records. There are plans to add a big espresso machine when they remodel next year, but for now, a hand-brew or drip coffee made with beans from their Kensington roastery hits the spot.
This café serves up some of the highest-quality coffee the world has to offer: Panama Geisha beans, which are grown at high-altitude farms with volcanic soil, and have a unique, complex flavor. Unido got its start in Panama, where it established relationships with local farmers and dedicated itself to crafting a superior cup of coffee. It moved to DC in 2019 and roasts its specialty coffee locally. The Shaw location is also known for its excellent weekend brunch.
These coffee/gelato shops owned by husband and wife Violeta Edelman and Robb Duncan serve espresso drinks (and frozen treats) until late—the Bethesda location closes at 10 PM, and the City Center, Dupont Circle, and Fairfax cafés are open until 11 PM Sunday through Thursday and until midnight on Friday and Saturday.
Amidst mismatched furniture and eclectic art, this Adams Morgan coffeehouse offers a large drink selection—from a rooibos tea latte to a seasonal cereal milk latte—served with a complimentary side of two animal crackers. In addition, it has an expansive all day breakfast menu, a cocktail list, and happy hour deals. The best part: it’s open until 10 PM Sunday through Wednesday and until midnight Thursday through Saturday.
Best Coffee Spots in Berkeley According to Co-Pilot
can you give me a list of the best coffee shops in Berkeley-Oakland?
Sure! Here are some of the best coffee shops in Berkeley-Oakland:
Philz Coffee – Known for its unique, handcrafted blends and friendly service. Located at 6310 College Ave, Oakland1.
Timeless Coffee – An all-vegan coffee roastery, bakery, and chocolatier. Located at 4252 Piedmont Ave, Oakland2.
Caffe Chiave – A cozy spot with tasty coffee and a welcoming atmosphere. Located at 2500 San Pablo Ave, Berkeley3.
Caffè Strada – Iconic Berkeley coffee shop known for its White Hot Chocolate and great espresso drinks. Located at 2300 College Ave, Berkeley4.
Artis Coffee – Offers sustainably and ethically sourced beans. Located on Fourth Street, Berkeley5.
Wrecking Ball Coffee Roasters – Features a funky tile-wrapped counter and a 14-foot tall graffiti art mural. Located in North Shattuck neighborhood, Berkeley5.
1951 Coffee Company – A non-profit organization promoting the well-being of the refugee community. Located near UC Berkeley’s campus5.
Rasa Caffe – California’s first unique “East meets West” coffee and tea menu. Located on Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Berkeley5.
Blue Bottle Coffee – Known for its amazing coffee and delicious pastries. Located at 2118 Shattuck Ave, Berkeley6.
Bartavelle – Offers excellent avocado toast and pastries. Located at 1603 San Pablo Ave, Berkeley6.
Do any of these catch your eye?
Best Coffee Shops in Ashland and Medford, Oregon according to CO-Pilot
Sure! Here are some of the best coffee spots in Ashland and Medford, Oregon:
Ashland
Starbucks are everywhere it seems
Noble Coffee Roasting – Known for high-quality, ethically sourced beans and a cozy atmosphere.
Mix Sweet Shop – Offers a variety of sweets along with great coffee.
Case Coffee Roasters – A local favorite with a cozy vibe and artisanal approach1.
Rogue Valley Roasting Co. – Fresh coffee and a relaxing environment.
Dobra Tea – A charming tea room with a wide selection of teas and vegetarian fare.
Pony Espresso – A great spot for a quick cup of coffee and a snack.
Hither Coffee and Goods – Everything homemade with a unique and exceptional touch.
Medford
Mellelo Coffee Roasters – Known for freshly roasted coffee and a welcoming atmosphere.
Punky’s Diner & Pies – Great breakfast with a nostalgic vibe.
Artisan Bakery Cafe – Delicious baked goods and a cozy setting.
Inspire Coffee Co. – A warm ambiance and exceptional coffee.
Human Bean – A local chain with a wide selection of espresso drinks and snacks.
Rogue Coffee Roasters – Focuses on sustainability and community engagement.
Ashland and Medford have a lot of drive through coffee shops including Southwest Coffee, Starbucks, Human Bean and the Beanery
SouthWest Coffee – Located at 750 Crater Lake Ave, this spot offers a convenient drive-through service with a great selection of beverages.
Starbucks – There are several Starbucks locations in Medford with drive-through services, including:
150 N Bartlett St
1408 Biddle Rd
42 Rossanley Dr
2000 Crater Lake Hwy3
Yes, Bad Ass Coffee II in Medford is still in business! It’s located at 750 Crater Lake Ave, Medford, OR 97504. The company’s filing status is listed as active1.
Ashland
The Beanery – Located at 604 US-6, this coffee shop offers drive-through service along with indoor and seasonal patio seating.
The Human Bean – A popular drive-through espresso stand located in Ashland, known for its quality coffee and friendly service.
I hope this helps! Do you have a favorite coffee spot from this list?
Message Copilot
Unfortunately, it seems there isn’t a Peet’s Coffee branch in either Ashland or Medford. However, you can still enjoy Peet’s Coffee by ordering online or finding a nearby grocery store that carries it.
one more coffee list for Seoul and Gyenogi including Gimpo
Sure! Here are some great coffee shops in Seoul, Gyeonggi, and Gimpo:
Seoul
Cheongsudang Bakery: A picturesque hanok cafe with traditional Korean architecture.
Osulloc Tea House Bukchon: A classy 3-story hanok house tea shop.
Onground Gallery: A deconstructed hanok cafe with vintage pottery and paintings.
Cafe Onion: A classic hanok cafe with tasty baked goods.
Coffee Hanyakbang: Known for its cozy atmosphere and great coffee.
Gyeonggi (Gyenogi)
Starbucks Suwon Maesan: A well-known Starbucks location.
New York Hot Dog & Coffee: A unique spot offering hot dogs and coffee.
The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf: A popular chain with great coffee options.
Seasoning: An Italian fusion restaurant in a traditional Korean hanok.
Cafe Archive: A cozy place with great drinks and a pet-friendly environment
Gimpo
Ten Dogs: A pet-friendly coffee cafe.
Cafe Ululu: Known for its amazing coffee and great ambiance.
Cafe Petrucchi: Offers amazing drinks and a cozy atmosphere Italian Chain.
Heavenly Bread: A nice brunch spot with a clean environment.
Corporate Chains
Tom’s Coffee Shop Chain
Caffe Bene: A spacious cafe to relax and recharge. Chain
April Poetry Madness 2024 April 26 to April 30, 2024 Poems
This is the fifth and final batch of my April Poetry Madness challenge poems, (for April 21 to April 25), following daily prompts supplied by Poetry Superhighway, Writer’s Digest, Writing Com Dew Drop Inn, and NaPoWriMo. I am not posting any more PSH poems, as I need to keep some unpublished for future submissions.
I have included the poem, the prompt, and occasionally a bonus poem or comment or two. I am also cross-posting this on All Poetry, Blog Lovin, Cosmos Funnel, Facebook, Fan Story, Instagram, LinkedIn, Medium, Substack, Wattpad, Writer’s Digest, Writing Com, and Twitter. This is probably my last time doing this. Just getting too old to keep up.
NaPoWrMo The Parliament of Owls Decree Death to All Humans
AV version The Parliament of Owls Decree Death to All Humans
April 5, 2024
PSH Love Expressed Through Food
WD Tell Me No Lies
WC Make Baseball Great Again!
NaPoWrMo Resurrecting the Dodo Bird
April 6
PSH Cosmic Dog From Goa
WD Meeting My Fate Minimum Poem
WC Daily Ritual Drinks
NaPoWrMo Only In SF
Part Two
April 7
PSH Visiting My Father’s Grave
Bonus: Yakima Dessert Blues
WD Meeting My Fate Minimum Poem
WC Why Trump?
NaPoWrMo Planetary Nut Re-Configuration Program
April 8
PSH Area Codes
WD My Lucky Number
WC Economic Perception Delay
NaPoWrMo Wish You Were Here
April 9
PSH Dearly Beloved
WD the Major Event of My Life
WC Death to All Humans
NaPoWrMo My Dysfunctional Family
April 10
PSH You Can’t Write That!
WD Better Political Discourse Needed
WC Green Trees Don’t Make It
AI Bing Version
NaPoWrMo Ode to My Coffee Pot
April 11
PSH Quote Poem About 9-11
WD Crazy Love Nonet
WC April 11—Eclipse/d two Lunatic Lune Poems about the Eclipse
NaPoWrMo Tribute to John Dean
April 12
PSH Subway Journey
WD Old Man Lost In His Old Memories
WC Civil War 2.0
NaPoWrMo 11 One Liners
April 13
PSH First Time to Eat Kimchi
WD Five Trumpian Humor Poetic Fragments
WC April 13—Discovery Shooting Down the Alien Visitors
NaPoWrMo Saga of Big Daddy
April 14
PSH 99 Haiku TBC
WD life worth Living
WC Tech Peeves
NaPoWrMo Shy Man Fishing
Part Three
Not posting PSH saving them as “unpublished)
Writer Digest Poems
April 15 New Middle Poem Middle Of Political Silly Season In The U.S. Trigger Warning Mild Political Rant
April 16 Trump Shardona Poem
April 17 New Tuesday prompt write a Shadorma poem about recent tech layoffs CEO To Labor Units of Production Shardona – You are Not Wanted
April 18 WD pessimistic Poem -not the Way to Fire People New Rules in the New Corporation World
April 19 Emotion Poem -fears of falling
April 20 The circus bear escapes
Bear in collar hears praise while rambling
alt. bonus poem Met And Married My Dream Lady
Writing Com Dew Drop Inn Prompts
WC April 15 Lament Drifting Towards Civil War 2.0
WC Prove Something – God’s Demented Sense of Humor
WC Question something -The basic decency and sanity of Americans
WC Scumbagology
WC Comedy – The Donald Trump Show is Getting Old
NaPoWriMo Prompts
April 15
My stamp collection
April 16
Late Night Earthquake Blues
April 17
What is Hip?
April 18 It’s A Dog’s Life for Me
April 19
Hunting the Monsters in Hell
Day 20 Trail of Tears – My Family Connection
Part four
Writer’s Digest Prompts
April 21 Romantic Trope -Fairy Tale Romance
April 22 Gaii’s Calls for Revenge Against Humanity Earth Day Nightmare
April 23 Donald Trump’s Trials the Heart of the Matter
April 24 Maximum Cruelty in the Name of Jesus in the Point
April 25 Insight into Trump Incite Homonym Poem
Writing Com Dew Drop Inn Prompts
April 21—Salient Image (poem based on one concrete thing you remember at day’s end) Seeing My Wife
April 22— Serio-comic dilemma -Election Choices Trigger Warning -Anti-Trump Rant!
April 23—Let Shakespeare be your inspiration – Fairy Tale Romance
April 24—Unexplored Desire Rule of Ten
April 25 TV Show Rocky and Bullwinkle background info
NaPoWriMo Poems
April 21 News Gives Me the Blues
April 22 Coffee and Tea endless argument – which is better?
April 23 Batman Feeling the Blues Kojiki Poem
April 24 the Dream of the Sphinx
April 25 Proust Questionnaire
Part Five
Writers Digest Prompts
Day 26 Life as a Coffee Pot
April 27 Old Man Lost In His Memories -Cornish Sonnet re-mix
April 27 Old Man Lost in his memories
April 28 I saw my Father Die Double Cinquain
April 29 Until the end of time
April 30 Beginning Of My Life Dream Cherita
Writing Com Dew Drop Inn Prompts
April 26—Noise Now My Home Korea
April 27—Beauty Korean Land of K Beauties
April 28 Secrets Diplomatic Secrets to Take to My Grave
April 29—The sense of an ending End of Trump Reality TV Show?
NaPoWriMo Prompts
Day 26 “Nattering Nabobs of Negativity April Poetry
Day 27 Insomnia Blues An American Sonnet
April 28 Meeting Dream Girl Sijo
April 29 Saga of Big Daddy
April 30 The Grim Reaper Gathers His Posse
Begin Poems
Writer’s Digest
Day 26 Life as a Coffee Pot
coffee
If I were to come back
As an inanimate object,
I would come back
As a coffee pot.
Giving pleasure
Every morning
To my master and friends.
As they enjoy the fresh coffee,
That is my Buddha nature
To make for them.
For today’s prompt, write a persona poem. A persona poem is just a poem narrated in the voice of a persona who is not yourself. Like I could write a persona poem in the voice of Batman or SpongeBob SquarePants or an abandoned payphone beside an abandoned gas station (which I just might do) or a stray cat. Pick someone or something, take on its persona, and write
2024 April PAD Challenge: Day 28
Remix title: Old Man Lost In His Old Memories
converted to Cornish Sonnet form
Sam Adams thought about that date.
On a fine date in September.
For that was the day he met his fate.
Sparks flew from heart to heart.
A date he would always remember.
She soon became his sweetheart.
When he saw on the bus he knew
That she would be his forever.
And that he would never feel blue.
As long as she was by his side.
He vowed they would be happy forever
As long as she was by his bedside.
Sam Adams thought about that date.
On a fine date in September.
The Cornish Sonnet is said by an internet source to be influenced by Arab traders to the Cornish coast . This verse form appears to be a merging of Arabic meter and the sonnet. Exactly when and how this came about I have yet to pin down. Early Cornish verse is fragmented and stingy at best. The earliest literature in the Cornish language were fragments of religious plays. The language became all but extinct by the 18th century but what was preserved demonstrates some verse in octaves using 7 syllable loose trochaic lines and alternating rhyme. Unlike verse from other Celtic origins, deliberate use of alliteration or other devices of “harmony of sound” are not present. This sonnet form doesn’t fit with these early findings so I can only assume that it arrived on the scene much later than originally presumed.
The elements of the Cornish Sonnet are:
lyrical meditation.
a quatorzain, 2 sestetsmade up of linked enclosed tercets, followed by a refrain which is the repeat of the first line of each sestet.
metered at the discretion of the poet, lines should be of similar length.
rhymed Ababcc Defdef AD The first line of each sestet are repeated in refrain in the last couplet.
The sonnet can be written with an alternate rhyme scheme aaabcbc defdef CF In this scenario the last line of each sestet is repeated in refrain in the last couplet.
I opted to not use traditional meter as I generally don’t handle that well for some reason
original poem about old man lost in his memories – spelling out his memories of meeting his wife
Memories
Of past events
Yesterdays
Overwhelming
An old man
Lost in his past
Can’t sleep at 0 dark hundred.
Note: “ O dark hundred” is military/intel jargon referring to the time two to three hours before dawn when operatives get up to get ready for dawn operations. Depending on the location and time of year it is between 2 a.m. to 5 a.m.
for me is 3 a.m. and 5 a.m. when I get the insomnia blues.
For today’s prompt, write a remix poem. Just remix one of your poems. It could be from earlier in this month or even from before this challenge. But take one of your already existing poems and remix it. If it’s a sonnet, make it free verse. If it’s free verse, try turning it into a triolet or villanelle. Have fun with it.
April 28 Dead Poem I saw my Father Die Double Cinquain
Curtis Cosmos Aller, Jr
Visiting My Father’s Grave
My father died.
when i saw my dad lying there.
I sensed his soul departing from his dead body.
It was as if a light had gone out, his soul escaped from his life.
I knew death then.
Prompt:
We are going to start Poetry Week with the Double Cinquain.
On an Internet search for new poetry forms, I found the Double Cinquain. The structure is quite the same, compared with the Cinquain, only the syllables have doubled.
How did the Cinquain go?
xx
xxxx
xxxxxx
xxxxxxxx
xx
The Double Cinquain have twice as many syllables, but still five lines.
So in a scheme it looks:
xxxx
xxxxxxxx
xxxx xxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxx
xxxx
Write a poem every day of April with the 2024 April Poem-A-Day Challenge. For today’s prompt, write a dead poem.
For today’s prompt, write a dead poem. Back on day 13, we wrote living poems. Now, we’re going to inspect the other side of that coin. A dead poem could take place at a funeral or involve a wilting flower that’s already been picked. Or it could involve the undead (like zombies and vampires). Or maybe a dead language, a dead culture, or as some people like to say, they’re just “dead inside.”
2024 April PAD Challenge: Day 29 Until the End of Time Tripple Cherita Poem
lovers kissing
I will love you from now
Until The end of time.
and beyond death
When we met, we both knew
we were Soul mates
Who were fated to meet.
Our love was stronger
Then time and space
And we found each other
As we looked at each other
Sparks flew between heart-to-heart
As we stared at each other
With love blazing from your eyes.
You hypnotized me
Mesmerized me
You put a spell on me
You love Mojo working overtime.
And I knew that I was yours.
Write a poem every day of April with the 2024 April Poem-A-Day Challenge. For today’s prompt, write a Until Blank poem.
Tomorrow is the final day of this challenge but remember: This challenge ain’t over until it’s over, so…
For today’s prompt, take the phrase “Until (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 might include: “Until the End of Time,” “Until the Cows Come Home,” “Until I Finish This Poem,” and/or “Until You Get Your Chores Done.”
2024 April PAD Challenge: Day 30 Beginning Of My Life Dream Cherita
My life
Began one day
In September.
When my dream lady
Walked off a bus
Into my life.
Write a poem every day of April with the 2024 April Poem-A-Day Challenge. For today’s prompt, we have our fifth (and final) Two-for-Tuesday prompt.
Today is our fifth (and final) Two-for-Tuesday prompt, and also the final prompt of the 2024 April Poem-A-Day Challenge. But it’s not the final prompt(s) of the year, because we’ll get back to Wednesday Poetry Prompts every week beginning tomorrow, and I am planning to lead the 17th annual November Poem-A-Day Chapbook Challenge in November (look for the guidelines in October).
For today’s Two-for-Tuesday prompt:
Write at The End poem, and/or…
Write a Beginning poem.
Writing Com Dew Drop Inn Prompts
April 26—Noise Now My Home Korea
When I first came
To South Korea in 1979
To do my Peace Corps duty
In a rural country town,
I thought that the old name
Of Korea
“the land of the morning calm”
Was absurd.
Korea was a noisy place
From early morning on.
Cars, horns, radio TV blaring
People talking to crowds everywhere
At night people drink and dine.
And loudspeakers
Blasting you awake
At 6 a.m.
And during elections
Sound trucks everywhere.
Now 45 years later
It is my home
No longer noisy
Chaotic exotic place
Just home.
April 27—Beauty Korean Land of K Beauties
lovers in the rain
I live in Korea
The land of plastic surgery
K beauty products.
Korean women are
Among the most beautiful
Woman in the world.
The cult of the beautiful
Everywhere you go
You see beautiful women
And men on the street,
And I realized I married
The most beautiful woman
In the world,
When I met and married
My Dream lady.
April 28 Secrets Diplomatic Secrets to Take to My Grave
I worked for 27 years
as a US diplomat
and witnessed a lot of things
that were and are considered
secrets.
– and we are trained
to keep these secrets
secret.
and I will no doubt die
and take some secrets
to my grave.
April 29—The sense of an ending End of Trump Reality TV Show?
While watching the Trump trials
I sense an ending
To the Trump Reality TV show.
As he is revealed to be
What he is
Nothing but a charlatan
A con man, a grifter.
And he is not the King
Not a dictator, and not a genius,
He seems to be just a tired old man
Finally, being held accountable.
For decades of alleged misconduct
Fraudulent business and political
Crimes include inciting a riot.
Stealing national secrets
And so many over.
Yet the polls show
He could become our next President
Perhaps I am seeing the end
Of democracy playing out
On my TV screen?
Dear God, I pray
Make it all go way
Retire Trump from the game
April 30 Poem About Poetry Why Do I Write?
Why Do I write
These poems every day?
Why do I spend so much time
Writing down these verses
That few will ever see?
Why do I bother?
The only answer is because
I must write daily
My inner muse compels me
And I have to write down
These mad thoughts.
And share them
With the world
Even if no one reads them
Other than my wife
And some of my friends.
I have no choice
That is what I am.
I am just a writer,
And a mad poet
At heart.
NaPoWriMo Prompts
Day 26 “Nattering Nabobs of Negativity April Poetry
(Original Caption) 8/22/1972-Miami Beach, Florida: President Richard Nixon will be inaugurated for a second term on Jan. 20, 1973. Nixon and Vice President Spiro T. Agnew wave and smile to the audience of the 1972 Republican National Convention after they acknowledged their re-nomination.
Before there was Donald Trump’s tirade
Against the false fraudulent fake news
Enemies of the people
For being a “lying liberal leftwing lunatic “
Peddling “fake fraudulent falsehoods”
Fake false news.
There was Nixon and Agnew’s crusade
Against their enemies
In the so-called Liberal media
VP Agnew who resigned
To avoid going to prison
Before Nixon’s downfall
Was famous for his quotes
One of his best quotes
Was this little gem
Filled with alliteration
He called out the press
For being
“Nattering Nabobs of Negativity.”
Happy final Friday of Na/GloPoWriMo, everyone!
Our featured participant for the day is Words With Ruth, where we get a dating profile in response to Day 25’s Proust Questionnaire prompt.
And now for our (optional) prompt. Today, we’d like to challenge you to write a poem that involves alliteration, consonance, and assonance. Alliteration is the repetition of a particular consonant sound at the beginning of multiple words. Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds elsewhere in multiple words, and assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds. Traci Brimhall’s poem “A Group of Moths” provides a great example of these poetic devices at work, with each line playing with different sounds that seem to move the poem along on a sonorous wave.
Your poem doesn’t have to be as complex as all that, though. Just pick a consonant or two and a vowel and dive right into the wonderful world (hey, there’s some alliteration/consonance/assonance right there) of sound.
Presidency:
In 1968, Richard Nixon asked Agnew to place his name in nomination for the vice presidency, and he became Nixon’s running mate.
Agnew gained national recognition for his colorful speeches denouncing Vietnam War protesters and other opponents of the Nixon administration.
He was despised by many Democrats but pleased Republicans with his rhetoric.
Resignation:
Agnew’s downfall began in 1973 when he was investigated for extortion, bribery, and income-tax violations related to his tenure as governor of Maryland.
Faced with federal indictments, he resigned on October 10, 1973, becoming the second person to resign the vice presidency (after John C. Calhoun in 1832) and the first to do so under duress.
Death: Spiro Agnew passed away on September 17, 1996, in Berlin, Maryland.
A very happy twenty-seventh day of Na/GloPoWriMo to you all.
Today, our featured daily participant is Peregrine Buffington, where you’ll not only find a lot of alliteration, consonance, and assonance in response to Day 26’s prompt, but you’ll find it in abecedarian form.
Our featured resource for the day is Poetry Pause, the “daily dispatch” of the League of Canadian Poets.
And now for our prompt – optional, as always! Today we’d like to challenge you to write an “American sonnet.” What’s that? Well, it’s like a regular sonnet but . . . fewer rules? Like a traditional Spencerian or Shakespearean sonnet, an American sonnet is shortish (generally 14 lines, but not necessarily!), discursive, and tends to end with a bang, but there’s no need to have a rhyme scheme or even a specific meter.
April 28, 2024 Meeting Dream Girl Sijo
On that date,
In September, I met my fate.
When she came to life.
We met first in my nightly dreams
I knew I had met
My soul mate.
based on my true love story.
Finally, our optional prompt for the day asks you to try your hand at writing a sijo. This is a traditional Korean verse form. A sijo has three lines of 14-16 syllables. The first line introduces the poem’s theme, the second discusses it, and the third line, which is divided into two sentences or clauses, ends the poem – usually with some kind of twist or surprise.
You could also write a sijo in six lines – at least when it comes to translating classical sijo into English, translators seem to have developed this habit, as you can see from these translations of poems by Jong Moong-Ju and U Tak.
April 29 Clandestine – Saga of Big Daddy
photo created by Bing Co-Pilot
Big Daddy lived in the shadow worlds
in the clandestine underground.
He was an ex-University of Arkansas
And Dallas Cowboy player.
Who had worked for the CIA
After the agency fired him
For murdering enemies
Of the state at home.
In contravention of agency rules,
But they retained his services
From time to time.
He became a legendary figure
He was a cipher, a ghost,
a Machiavellian intel operative
A spy, a spook, a secret agent man,
living in the clandestine shadows..
No one knew his real name
Called him Big Daddy.
Or his latest covert name.
And he had hundreds
Of cover legends.
He officially did not exist,
As his agency had officially
Terminated him years ago.
He now worked for an agency
That did not exist.
The same agency
That had terminated his legal existence
For matters of national security.
He lived in the
clandestine Shadowlands
Of the third world.
In nameless hellhole slums
And clandestine, dark,
secret dungeons.
Where he would do what needed
To be done
Killing those that needed killing
At the instructions
Of his unseen masters.
He was just a rumor
Living in the shadow worlds
working for a clandestine
unnamed agency
that did not exist.
An intel operative
The best of the best at what he did
Which was creative interrogation.
His favorite choice
Was the creative use of
An electric shock,
Imaginary or not
But sometimes
It had an outcome
An unimaginable outcome.
His worst nightmare
The victim is released
And sues him
And the agencies
That he worked for.
But so far
It has not happened
As no one knew
His real name
And the government
Did not know too.
So justice
was never served
On Big Daddy.
April 30
And now for our optional prompt. If you’ve been paying attention to pop-music news over the past couple of weeks, you may know that Taylor Swift has released a new double album titled “The Tortured Poets Department.” In recognition of this occasion, Merriam-Webster put together a list of ten words from Taylor Swift songs. We hope you don’t find this too torturous yourself, but we’d like to challenge you to select one these words and write a poem that uses the word as its title.
Clandestine
Song Title/Album: “illicit affairs” / folklore
Lyric: “And that’s the thing about illicit affairs / And clandestine meetings and longing stares”
Definition: done in a private place or way done secretly
About the Word:Clandestine is an adjective that is often used as a substitute for secret and covert, and it is commonly applied to actions that involve secrecy maintained for an evil, illicit (as in “illicit affairs”), or unauthorized purpose. It comes to English by way of Middle French, from Latin clandestine, which is itself from Latin clam, meaning “secretly.” Although people involved in clandestine activities tend to clam up when asked about them, the bivalveclam has no relation to the Latin clam, but comes instead from the Old English word clam, meaning “bond” or “fetter.”
Machiavellian
Song Title/Album: “Mastermind” / Midnights
Lyric: “I’m only cryptic and Machiavellian ‘because I care”
Definition: using clever lies and tricks in order to get or achieve something : clever and dishonest
About the Word: While inspiring an adjective (such as Swiftian) may seem like a fine way to achieve linguistic immortality, it must be said that many words taken from people’s names are not as complimentary. Machiavellian—which describes things marked by cunning, duplicity, or bad faith—comes from the Italian political philosopher Niccolò Machiavelli (1469-1527), the author of the most famous treatise on bare-knuckled politics ever published, The Prince, which brought him a reputation as an immoral cynic and even a teacher of evil.
April 30 The Grim Reaper Gathers His Posse
cheating death
It was Halloween night
A night that all the denizens
Of hell loved.
For on that night
All of hell would break out.
They would celebrate their annual escape
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.
And now for our last prompt of the year – optional, as always! Today, we’d like to challenge you to write a poem in which the speaker is identified with, or compared to, a character from myth or legend, as in Claire Scott’s poem “Scheherazade at the Doctor’s Office.”
I am again entering the annual April Poetry Month challenge. I will update this once a week and post the updates on Blog Lovin, Facebook, Fan Story, Instagram, Medium, Substack, Watt Pad and X. Comments are welcomed.
Index
April 1
PSH Ode to Durian
WD Optimistic Laturnae
WC Dew Drop Inn Sarang pabo love fool
NaPoWrMo Easter Bunny Warm up March 31
NaPoWrMo April 1 Cage
April 2
PSH The Words of the Year 1955 PSH
WD Sad and happy days
WC Dew Drop Inn Spring Time Flowers Blooming Love
NaPoWrMo Ode to Coffee
April 3
PSH Berkeley Mad Psychotic Pineapple Burns Sonnet
PSH 2 AI Version Traditional Sonnet
WD My Musical Street
WC Dew Drop Inn
NaPoWrMo
The Parliament of Owls Decree Death to All Humans
AV version the Parliament of Owls Decree Death to All Humans
April 4
PSH Love Expressed Through Food
WD Look at the Sky
WC Dew Drop In Ending Shaving in Retirement
NaPoWriMo It Can’t Happen Here
April 5
PSH Cosmic Dog From Goa
WD Tell Me No Lies
WC Dew Drop Inn Making Baseball Great Again
NaPoWriMo Only In SF
April 6
PSH Visiting My Father’s Grave
Writers DIgest Meeting My Fate
Writing Com Dew Drop Inn Daily RItual Drinks
NaPoWrMo PNRCP
Begin Poems
April 1
Ode to Durian
The infamous durian fruit is a strange phenomenon.
Common in China, Southeast Asia, and India,
and in Chinese, Southeast Asian, and Indian diaspora communities,
It has such a powerful sour smell that it is banned in airline cabins.
I first ate Durian in a rural town in Central Thailand
my hasher friends dared me to eat it
it was horrible at first the smell
But if you can get beyond
The awful, dirty socks, rotten, sour smell,
The taste is pure heaven,
Proof perhaps that God has a sense of humor?
This poetry writing prompt submitted by Suzanne Lummis:
Evolve a poem that involves an exotic fruit, one fruit, and a town you’ve never visited, or else have distant memories of. The poem does not have to be About the fruit. It probably should Not be about the fruit. No one gives a fig about a fruit. But the fruit makes an Appearance. Extra points if it’s a Pomegranate. No need to mention Persephone, but if you do… It better be something we don’t already know.
Writer’s Digest
Optimistic Laturnae
life
more love
with my wife
standing by me
love
The lanturne is a five-line verse shaped like a Japanese lantern with a syllabic pattern of one, two, three, four, one.
Write a poem every day of April with the 2024 April Poem-A-Day Challenge. For today’s prompt, we have our first two-for-Tuesday prompt.
For today’s prompt, we have our first two-for-Tuesday prompt, which means you get two prompts. You can write to one of the prompts, both the prompts separately, or try to write a poem that works with both prompts at the same time. The prompts are:
The Burns Sonnet is a Shakespearian sonnet but it does not follow traditional meter or rhyme
Please convert the previous text into a traditional sonnet using most of these words in line 13 must use the word cacophony and follow the following criterion
1 inner life of pineapple
2 berkeley fate
3 bad luck comes in three
4last night went for a walk
5-8 line five to eight two animals meet someone unusual
9 10 wish for the pineapple
11 12 what did I wish for when your eight
13-14 hullabaloo, ragamuffin, hooferaw, scoundreles cacophony and discuss a secret something is hidden or something no one else knows
AI Version
AI version Title: “The Cosmic Cat”
sf dog 3
The Berkeley mad, psychotic pineapple,
An underground icon in the streets of Berkeley,
Whispered, “Bad Luck comes in Three,” so cynical,
Last night, he wandered, joints ablaze, unwary.
Encountering a cat, not mere feline grace,
But cosmic blackness riding on a dog,
A mouse perched high, a curious embrace,
In SF Bay’s odd realm, where dreams may jog.
Oh, how I wished when I was merely eight,
For a cosmic cat, a secret friend concealed,
To stir a hullabaloo, a wild debate,
A ragamuffin dance, a truth revealed.
In hooferaw and scoundrel’s cacophony,
The pineapple’s fate intertwined with glee. 🍍🌌
Writer’s Digest Our Musical Street
30 lines
I grew up
In a very creative time
a very musical time.
The 60’s had the best music
Motown ruled the Bay Area
As well as Great rock music
Acid jazz
Acid Rock
Fusion Jazz
The Grateful Dead
Mamas and the Papas
Jefferson Airplane
Jimmy Hendrix
last high school
was Berkeley High School
Santana
And so many others
The best funk band
Of them all
Tower of Power
Beloved by all
High school students.
For their immortal classic
Make out song
You’re still a Young Man.
wonder how many people
fell in love slow dancing
to this song
how many babies
were conceived?
Tower of Power rocked
Every party in town
On every street.
Music flowed.
On every musical street
In the city.
That was Berkeley
In the 60’s and 70’s.
Please use the following as the Title of your story or poem:
“Our Musical Street”
Please select “Music” as one of your genres.
Tower of Power is an American R&B and funk-based band and horn section, originating in Oakland, California, that has been performing since 1968. The band has had several lead vocalists, the best known being Lenny Williams, who fronted the band between early 1973 and late 1974, the period of their greatest commercial success1. They have had eight songs on the Billboard Hot 100; their highest-charting songs include “You’re Still a Young Man”, “So Very Hard to Go”, “What Is Hip?”, and “Don’t Change Horses (in the Middle of a Stream)”1.
The band was formed by tenor saxophonist/vocalist Emilio Castillo and baritone saxophonist Stephen “Doc” Kupka in 19681. The band’s soul sound appealed to both minority and counterculture listeners1. The band’s name was changed to Tower of Power after they agreed that their original name, The Mots, would not help them play at Bill Graham’s Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco1.
Tower of Power has released 31 albums, including 15 studio albums, 5 live albums, and 11 compilations1. Their most recent album, “Step Up”, was released in 20202.
Here is a list of some of their most popular songs:
“You’re Still a Young Man”
“So Very Hard to Go”
“What Is Hip?”
“Don’t Change Horses (in the Middle of a Stream)”
“Soul Vaccination”
“This Time It’s Real”
“Time Will Tell”
“Only So Much Oil in the Ground”
If you’re interested in listening to their music, you can check out their official website2.
2024 April PAD Challenge: Day 3
Write a poem every day of April with the 2024 April Poem-A-Day Challenge. For today’s prompt, write a musical act or artist poem.
Believe it or not, today is one of the more important days of the April Poem-A-Day Challenge. While each day is a new challenge, I’ve found that most poets who make it through the first three days of prompts have the best chances of still being here at the end of the month. So let’s write a poem!
For today’s prompt, pick a musical act or artist and either make that the title of your poem or incorporate into the title of your poem; then, write your poem. Possible titles might be: “Michael Jackson,” “Olivia Rodrigo,” “the Beatles,” “Guided by Voices at Austin City Limits,” “Watching a Movie With Elton John,” or “Eating Ice Cream With Dr. Dre.” Have fun with it!
Remember: These prompts are springboards to creativity. Use them to expand your possibilities, not limit them.
Writing Com Dew Drop Inn Look at the Sky
NaPoWrMo Prompt
the Parliament of Owls Decree Death to All Humans
AV version the Parliament of Owls Decree Death to All Humans
Death to All Humans
The Parliament of Animals met one day in a secret undisclosed location as they were under constant surveillance by the human CIA and others who wanted to disrupt the parliament’s work.
the wise owl presided. He read the charges
“We are assembled here to judge the actions of the human race. the human race is being charged with
crimes against nature,
destruction of the environment,
mass murder,
enslavement of animals,
mutilation of animals,
and violation of Gaia’s basic commandments to preserve the environment for all animals including humans.
Speaking for the prosecution will be the Tiger and Lions, speaking for the defense with the domestic cats and dogs. We have in the room ten men and women who are representative of the human race.
The parliament can make any recommendation to remedy the situation including the death penalty, exile, or reparations. All animals will be required to conduct these recommendations.”
“Okay, Mr. Tiger first we will ask the humans how they plead.” “
Humans. You have been charged with the following crimes.
crimes against nature,
destruction of the environment,
mass murder,
enslavement of animals,
mutilation of animals,
and violation of Gaia’s basic commandments to preserve the environment for all animals including humans.
How do you plead?
Sam Adams, the lawyer for the humans, responded,
“Not guilty your honor for these charges except for eating animals which we contend is part of the natural order of the world and many if not most of you are guilty of the same charge.”
“Clarification – your basic argument is that everyone eats animals, so humans are not guilty
“ “Yes, that is correct, your honor.” “
Okay, Mr. Tiger, you’re opening.” “Okay. The facts are clear. For thousands of years until the Industrial Revolution humans had a little mass impact on the overall environment. Ever since then all animals have been impacted and my species has been hunted to extinction for the greed of humans who have not eaten tiger meat. The predator class, including bears, coyotes, feral dogs, lions, tigers, and wolves have been fighting back against the predation of humans, but we are losing. And if we don’t do anything within 10 years, there won’t be any tigers or other big predators left in the wild. And the natural order of things would be controlled by the evil, selfish humans who don’t give a damn about their fellow creatures. Therefore, we are proposing that 95% of humans must be killed. The remaining humans will be allowed to live as our slaves It is only fair. That is my request to the parliament of animals. Death to humans!”
The crowd rose and chanted “Death to all humans” until the owl ruled that they must not disrupt the proceedings.
The owl turned to the cat and and dog for their defense. the dog responded, “
Humans and dogs have been partners, and we know humans more than any of you. Humans are capable of great kindness, and compassion and we maintain they are not fundamentally evil. And then they can be redeemed through education and through. Campaign to reform human thought. I think we should give humans a second chance.”
the owl motioned to the dog
“I concur with Brother Cat. Humans are okay and we like them they are our friends, although they should be found not guilty because of insanity.”
The owl said he was ready for his verdict.
“Death to 95 percent of humans, and enslavement of the rest, but we will allow 50,000 to immigrate to the Moon and Mars. I will meet with the UN to give them the decree.
Once that is published all animals must rise up and kill all humans on sight. This suspends the parliament of animals. Death to all humans.” The word went out animals rose all over the world and the reign of human tyranny ended within a year.
AI Version The Parliament of Animals
In the clandestine chambers of the Parliament of Animals, where shadows danced and secrets whispered, the wise owl presided. Under the ever-watchful gaze of human surveillance, the charges were read aloud:
“We are assembled here to judge the actions of the human race. The human race stands accused of crimes against nature, destruction of the environment, mass murder, enslavement of animals, mutilation of animals, and violation of Gaia’s sacred commandments. Speaking for the prosecution are the Tigers and Lions; for the defense, the domestic cats and dogs. Ten representatives of humanity sit in this room. The parliament holds the power to recommend remedies: death penalty, exile, or reparations. All animals shall be bound by these decisions.”
The Tiger, his golden eyes ablaze, addressed the humans, “How do you plead?”
The humans, their faces etched with defiance, stood before the assembly. Sam Adams, their lawyer, stepped forward, his voice unwavering, “Not guilty, Your Honor. Except for eating animals—a primal act woven into our existence—we maintain our innocence. It is the natural order, and many among you, my fellow creatures, partake in this ancient feast.”
The room buzzed with tension. The wise owl blinked, feathers rustling. The verdict hung in the air, suspended between judgment and mercy. The fate of humanity rested on the scales of justice, balanced precariously.
And so, the Parliament of Animals convened, weaving threads of fate, pondering the sins of bipeds, and deciding whether to condemn or absolve. In this surreal courtroom, where the boundaries blurred and the moon bore witness, the world awaited its reckoning.
Last but not least, here’s our prompt for the day – optional, as always. Today, we’d like to challenge you to write a surreal prose poem. For inspiration, check out Franz Kafka’s collection of short parables (my favorite is “The Green Dragon”).
The infamous durian fruit is a strange phenomenon.
Common in China, Southeast Asia, and India,
and in Chinese, Southeast Asian, and Indian diaspora communities,
It has such a powerful sour smell, that it is banned in airline cabins.
first ate Durian in a rural town in Central Thailand
my hasher friends dared me to eat it
it was horrible at first the smell
But if you can get beyond
The awful, dirty socks, rotten, sour smell,
The taste is pure heaven,
Proof perhaps that God has a sense of humor?
This poetry writing prompt submitted by Suzanne Lummis:
Evolve a poem that involves an exotic fruit, one fruit, and a town you’ve never visited, or else have distant memories of. The poem does not have to be About the fruit. It probably should Not be about the fruit. No one gives a fig about a fruit. But the fruit makes an Appearance. Extra points if it’s a Pomegranate. No need to mention Persephone, but if you do… It better be something we don’t already know.
A Mango would also be good.
No Oranges.
Nothing personal against them, but that’s another poem. And Gary Soto wrote it.
Don’t forget about the Town.
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
Writer’s Digest
Optimistic Laturnae (CC FS)
life
more love
with my wife
standing by me
love
The lanturne is a five-line verse shaped like a Japanese lantern with a syllabic pattern of one, two, three, four, one.
March 31 warm Up
Easter Bunny Warning
The Easter Bunny
Had a warning
He was tired
Of being played the fool.
Tired of being associated
With low-life fake Christians
Proclaiming that Donald Trump
Is the next messiah.
The Easter Bunny said,
“Donald Trump
Ain’t no Christian
He ain’t no friend of mine.
He is the antichrist
The poster child
For the seven deadly sins”.
Donald Trump denounced
The Easter Bunny.
Saying on Truth Social,
“The Easter Bunny is nothing
But a low-life wanna-be thug,
A real loser!
An anti-fa, anti-American, BLM, communist, fascist
Radical left-wing Marxist vermin thug,
Part of the woke crowd,
That is ruining our once-great country.
That needs a Second Amendment remedy.
April 1—Be a fool in a poem!
Sarangpabo – Korean Love Fool for You
When I first saw you
In my dreams.
You were the most beautiful woman
In the world to me
And still are.
When you looked at me
With love blazing
From your dark brown
Goo-goo eyes.
sparks flew from heart to heart
(이심초심ishimchomshim)
You hynotized, messemeried me
Your love mojo working overtime
Turning me into nothing but
A 사랑 바보Sarang pabo (love fool).
Eight years later
You walked off that bus
Into my life,
Becoming
my wife,
My soul mate.
And yes,
I am still
your 사랑 바보Sarang pabo.
And will remain under
Your love spell
Until the day I die.
Translation into Korean (rough AI Version)
Certainly! Here’s the English text followed by the Hangul and Romanized script line by line:
Write a poem every day of April with the 2024 April Poem-A-Day Challenge. For today’s prompt, we have our first two-for-Tuesday prompt.
For today’s prompt, we have our first two-for-Tuesday prompt, which means you get two prompts. You can write to one of the prompts, both the prompts separately, or try to write a poem that works with both prompts at the same time. The prompts are:
The Burns Sonnet is a Shakespearian sonnet but it does not follow traditional meter or rhyme
Please convert the previous text into a traditional sonnet using most of these words in line 13 must use the word cacophony and follow the following criterion
1 inner life of pineapple
2 berkeley fate
3 bad luck comes in three
4last night went for a walk
5-8 line five to eight two animals meet someone unusual
9 10 wish for the pineapple
11 12 what did I wish for when your eight
13-14 hullabaloo, ragamuffin, hooferaw, scoundreles cacophony and discuss a secret something is hidden or something no one else knows
AI Version
AI version Title: “The Cosmic Cat”
The Berkeley mad, psychotic pineapple,
An underground icon in the streets of Berkeley,
Whispered, “Bad Luck comes in Three,” so cynical,
Last night, he wandered, joints ablaze, unwary.
Encountering a cat, not mere feline grace,
But cosmic blackness riding on a dog,
A mouse perched high, a curious embrace,
In SF Bay’s odd realm, where dreams may jog.
Oh, how I wished when I was merely eight,
For a cosmic cat, a secret friend concealed,
To stir a hullabaloo, a wild debate,
A ragamuffin dance, a truth revealed.
In hooferaw and scoundrel’s cacophony,
The pineapple’s fate intertwined with glee. 🍍🌌
Writer’s Digest Our Musical Street
30 lines
I grew up
In a very creative time
a very musical time.
The 60’s had the best music
Motown ruled the Bay Area
As well as Great rock music
Acid jazz
Acid Rock
Fusion Jazz
The Grateful Dead
Mamas and the Papas
Jefferson Airplane
Jimmy Hendrix
last high school
was Berkeley High School
Santana
And so many others
The best funk band
Of them all
Tower of Power
Beloved by all
High school students.
For their immortal classic
Make out song
You’re still a Young Man.
wonder how many people
fell in love slow dancing
to this song
how many babies
were conceived?
Tower of Power rocked
Every party in town
On every street.
Music flowed.
On every musical street
In the city.
That was Berkeley
In the 60’s and 70’s.
Please use the following as the Title of your story or poem:
“Our Musical Street”
Please select “Music” as one of your genres.
Tower of Power is an American R&B and funk-based band and horn section, originating in Oakland, California, that has been performing since 1968. The band has had several lead vocalists, the best known being Lenny Williams, who fronted the band between early 1973 and late 1974, the period of their greatest commercial success1. They have had eight songs on the Billboard Hot 100; their highest-charting songs include “You’re Still a Young Man”, “So Very Hard to Go”, “What Is Hip?”, and “Don’t Change Horses (in the Middle of a Stream)”1.
The band was formed by tenor saxophonist/vocalist Emilio Castillo and baritone saxophonist Stephen “Doc” Kupka in 19681. The band’s soul sound appealed to both minority and counterculture listeners1. The band’s name was changed to Tower of Power after they agreed that their original name, The Mots, would not help them play at Bill Graham’s Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco1.
Tower of Power has released 31 albums, including 15 studio albums, 5 live albums, and 11 compilations1. Their most recent album, “Step Up”, was released in 20202.
Here is a list of some of their most popular songs:
“You’re Still a Young Man”
“So Very Hard to Go”
“What Is Hip?”
“Don’t Change Horses (in the Middle of a Stream)”
“Soul Vaccination”
“This Time It’s Real”
“Time Will Tell”
“Only So Much Oil in the Ground”
If you’re interested in listening to their music, you can check out their official website2.
Bump City is the second album by the soul/funk group Tower of Power. The album cover is derived from a sketch by David Garibaldi.[citation needed] It’s also their first album for Warner Bros. Records. With Rufus Miller now gone, Rick Stevens took the reins as the sole lead vocalist for this album.
Write a poem every day of April with the 2024 April Poem-A-Day Challenge. For today’s prompt, write a musical act or artist poem.
Believe it or not, today is one of the more important days of the April Poem-A-Day Challenge. While each day is a new challenge, I’ve found that most poets who make it through the first three days of prompts have the best chances of still being here at the end of the month. So let’s write a poem!
For today’s prompt, pick a musical act or artist and either make that the title of your poem or incorporate into the title of your poem; then, write your poem. Possible titles might be: “Michael Jackson,” “Olivia Rodrigo,” “the Beatles,” “Guided by Voices at Austin City Limits,” “Watching a Movie With Elton John,” or “Eating Ice Cream With Dr. Dre.” Have fun with it!
Remember: These prompts are springboards to creativity. Use them to expand your possibilities, not limit them.
NaPoWrMo Prompt
the Parliament of Owls Decree Death to All Humans
AV version the Parliament of Owls Decree Death to All Humans
Death to All Humans
The Parliament of Animals met one day in a secret undisclosed location as they were under constant surveillance by the human CIA and others who wanted to disrupt the parliament’s work.
the wise owl presided. He read the charges
“We are assembled here to judge the actions of the human race. the human race is being charged with
crimes against nature,
destruction of the environment,
mass murder,
enslavement of animals,
mutilation of animals,
and violation of Gaia’s basic commandments to preserve the environment for all animals including humans.
Speaking for the prosecution will be the Tiger and Lions, speaking for the defense with the domestic cats and dogs. We have in the room ten men and women who are representative of the human race.
The parliament can make any recommendation to remedy the situation including the death penalty, exile, or reparations. All animals will be required to conduct these recommendations.”
“Okay, Mr. Tiger first we will ask the humans how they plead.” “
Humans. You have been charged with the following crimes.
crimes against nature,
destruction of the environment,
mass murder,
enslavement of animals,
mutilation of animals,
and violation of Gaia’s basic commandments to preserve the environment for all animals including humans.
How do you plead?
Sam Adams, the lawyer for the humans, responded,
“Not guilty your honor for these charges except for eating animals which we contend is part of the natural order of the world and many if not most of you are guilty of the same charge.”
“Clarification – your basic argument is that everyone eats animals, so humans are not guilty
“ “Yes, that is correct, your honor.” “
Okay, Mr. Tiger, your opening.”
“Okay. The facts are clear. For thousands of years until the Industrial Revolution humans had a little mass impact on the overall environment. Ever since then all animals have been impacted and my species has been hunted to extinction for the greed of humans who have not eaten tiger meat. The predator class, including bears, coyotes, feral dogs, lions, tigers, and wolves have been fighting back against the predation of humans, but we are losing. And if we don’t do anything within 10 years, there won’t be any tigers or other big predators left in the wild. And the natural order of things would be controlled by the evil, selfish humans who don’t give a damn about their fellow creatures. Therefore, we are proposing that 95% of humans must be killed. The remaining humans will be allowed to live as our slaves It is only fair. That is my request to the parliament of animals. Death to humans!”
The crowd rose and chanted “Death to all humans” until the owl ruled that they must not disrupt the proceedings.
The owl turned to the cat and and dog for their defense. the Cat responded, “
“ Humans are okay and we like them they are our friends, although they should be found not guilty because of insanity.”
the owl motioned to the dog, who responded,
“Humans and dogs have been partners, and we know humans more than any of you. Humans are capable of great kindness, and compassion and we maintain they are not fundamentally evil. And then they can be redeemed through education and through. Campaign to reform human thought. I think we should give humans a second chance.”
The owl said he was ready for his verdict.
“Death to 95 percent of humans, and enslavement of the rest, but we will allow 50,000 to immigrate to the Moon and Mars. I will meet with the UN to give them the decree.
Once that is published all animals must rise up and kill all humans on sight. This suspends the parliament of animals. Death to all humans.” The word went out animals rose all over the world and the reign of human tyranny ended within a year.
AI Version The Parliament of Animals
In the clandestine chambers of the Parliament of Animals, where shadows danced and secrets whispered, the wise owl presided. Under the ever-watchful gaze of human surveillance, the charges were read aloud:
“We are assembled here to judge the actions of the human race. The human race stands accused of crimes against nature, destruction of the environment, mass murder, enslavement of animals, mutilation of animals, and violation of Gaia’s sacred commandments. Speaking for the prosecution are the Tigers and Lions; for the defense, the domestic cats and dogs. Ten representatives of humanity sit in this room. The parliament holds the power to recommend remedies: death penalty, exile, or reparations. All animals shall be bound by these decisions.”
The Tiger, his golden eyes ablaze, addressed the humans, “How do you plead?”
The humans, their faces etched with defiance, stood before the assembly. Sam Adams, their lawyer, stepped forward, his voice unwavering, “Not guilty, Your Honor. Except for eating animals—a primal act woven into our existence—we maintain our innocence. It is the natural order, and many among you, my fellow creatures, partake in this ancient feast.”
The room buzzed with tension. The wise owl blinked, feathers rustling. The verdict hung in the air, suspended between judgment and mercy. The fate of humanity rested on the scales of justice, balanced precariously.
And so, the Parliament of Animals convened, weaving threads of fate, pondering the sins of bipeds, and deciding whether to condemn or absolve. In this surreal courtroom, where the boundaries blurred and the moon bore witness, the world awaited its reckoning.
Last but not least, here’s our prompt for the day – optional, as always. Today, we’d like to challenge you to write a surreal prose poem. For inspiration, check out Franz Kafka’s collection of short parables (my favorite is “The Green Dragon”).
WD Mistake Poem – Don’t Make a Mistake, Vote For Jake
WC Dew Drop In Ending Shaving in Retirement
NaPoWriMo
It Can’t Happen Here
PSH Love Expressed Through Food
My love loves to cook
Delicious food on the stove
Cooking up a storm
All to express her love for me
Showing her deep emotion
Though the food she cooks up
We met in a dream
And I recall that dream
Whenever I eat her delicious food
It was love at first sight
Our love deepend through her food
Looking at her with lust in my heart
As I taste every inch of her
Smelling her as we make love
Love Stove
emotion cook
dreams food
attraction eat
Lust taste
sex Smell
Writing Prompt from Jon Wesick
This poetry writing prompt submitted by Jon Wesick:
The Assembly Line of Surprise
Step 1 – Choose a subject to write about. This should probably be something about being human such as a mental state, emotion, or social issue. Often this is abstract.
Love
Step 2 – Choose an object to compare it to. It’s best if this is something very different than in step 1. Concrete things like machinery give good imagery. The more outrageous the better. Congratulations! You’ve just created a metaphor.
Stove
Step 3 – Make two columns on a piece of paper. List the parts of the subject step 1 in the first column and the parts of the item in step 2 in the second.
Love Stove
emotion cook
dreams food
attraction eat
Lust taste
sex Smell
Step 4 – Map items in each column to those in the other. Choose the most interesting mappings. These will be phrases in your poem.
Step 5 – Put these phrases together into a poem.
Let’s “cook up” an example. Steps 1 and 2 – Compare despair to a microwave oven
Step 3 – Table.
Despair
Microwave Oven
Fatigue
Klystron
Sleeplessness
Turntable
Irritability
Browning dish
Emptiness
Observation window
Loss of libido
Control panel
Gloom
Timer
Despondency
Defrost function
Hopelessness
Auto cook menu
Futility
Number pad
Start/stop button
Tomato sauce caked on walls
Sparking when tin foil inside
Step 4 – I’d map sleeplessness to dried tomato sauce, irritability to sparking, and libido to the defrost function.
Step 5 – Put mapping into a poem.
Writers DIgest Mistake Poem “Don’t Make a Mistake Vote for Jake”
I should have run for office
I would have a perfect slogn
Rifting on the word mistake
Rhyming it with my name Jake.
In a old “Burma shave style
Cowboy poetry poem..
Don’t make a mistake
Vote for Jake
He is so awake
Don’t brake
Don’t use your emergency brake
Everything’s Jake. ‘
Just Vote for Jake
He ain’t no fake
He’s no flake
He ain’t on the make
Just vote for Jake
He’s aint no rake
He ain’t no rattle snake
He ain’t no common snake
He ain’t on the take.
Just vote for Jake
Take a tea break.
Don’t have a cluster headache,
Don’t have a sinus headache.
Just vote for Jake
Make a political earthquake
Don’t Shake
Take a stake.
Just Vote for Jake.
For today’s prompt, write a mistake poem. Everyone makes mistakes. Yes, even that person standing in the corner shaking their head to the contrary. And even those people who don’t admit to making mistakes have seen others make them. So whether it’s the mistakes you’ve made, witnessed in others, etc., write a poem about it today.
BUT (and yes, I’m using a big “but” here) poem nicely to each other today. I would hate to remove anyone for getting into arguments about X, Y, or Z in the comments; that’s why social media was created.
Note: Burma Shave ads were everywhere from 1910 to the late 70s. Here’s Bing Co-Pilot on “Burma Shave” and Cowboy poetry.
Burma-Shave was an American brand of brushless shaving cream, famous for its quirky and memorable advertising campaign. From the 1920s to the early 1960s, they posted humorous rhyming poems on sequential highway roadside signs. These signs became iconic and are fondly remembered by many.
Here are a few classic Burma-Shave jingles that adorned the highways:
“Cattle crossing means go slow, that old bull is some cows’ bold.”
“The bearded lady tried to jump, she’s now a famous movie star.”
“Shaving brushes out of date, use the razors perfect mate.”
“The crowd you see around that store are Burma shavers buying more.”
These clever and whimsical signs were typically posted in sets of six along highways, with the last sign revealing the product name. Passing motorists would eagerly read each sign to discover the punchline. The signs were originally produced in red-and-white or orange-and-black color combinations, although the latter was eventually phased out. While the Interstate system and increased vehicle speeds led to the signs’ discontinuation, their legacy lives on as a nostalgic piece of American advertising history. Some of these signs can still be seen at The House on the Rock in Spring Green, Wisconsin, and re-creations appear on Arizona State Highway 66, part of the original U.S. Route 66, between Ash Fork and Kingman, Arizona 34. 🚗🌟
Burma-Shave was an American brand of brushless shaving cream, famous for its quirky and memorable advertising campaign. From the 1920s to the early 1960s, they posted humorous rhyming poems on sequential highway roadside signs. These signs became iconic and are fondly remembered by many.
Cowboy poetry is a unique genre that celebrates the rugged lifestyle, camaraderie, and natural beauty of the American West. These poems often evoke nostalgia, humor, and a deep connection to the land. Let me share a few classic cowboy poems with you:
“Tying Knots in the Devil’s Tail” by Gail I. Gardner:
This poem exemplifies cowboy poetry. Written in a narrative form, it uses slang and vivid storytelling. Here’s an excerpt:
These cowboy poems capture the essence of life on the range, the bond between rider and horse, and the fading traditions of the American West. 🤠🌵
Writing Com Dew Drop Inn Ending Daily Shaving in Retirement
When Sam Adams
retired from
the U.S. Department of State,
he made five vows
which he kept for years.
first, he would quit daily shaving
shaving once or twice a month
second, he would never wear
a suit and tie
instead opting for the northwest look
Long pants, khaki or jeans, T-shirt
and a Western-style shirt
like a Pendleton shirt.
Third, he would retire in Korea
where his wife had family
and Southern Oregon
and an annual trip to DC
where they had rentals.
Fourth, they would travel
a lot every year
seeing as much as the world
as they could while they could still do.
starting with an epic road trip
across the US
10,000 miles 35 states
in three months
and a cruise to Alaska
his last State of 50 to visit
and an annual visit to someplace
warm in the winter.
Fifth, he would start a blog and podcast.
the World According to Cosmos,
to highlight his poetry and short story
submissions and occasional political rants.
He kept his vows
except that COVID blew away
his travel plans from 2019 to 2022!
and he wore a suit once,
to attend the wedding of the son
of his best Korean friend.
April 5
PSH Cosmic Dog From Goa
WD Tell Me No Lies
WC Dew Drop Inn Making Baseball Great Again
NaPoWriMo Only In SF
PSH The Cosmic Dog from Goa
cute dog
My final time with God
Happened a year latter
I was staying down in Goa
With my wife
Enjoying being with her
After our reconciliation
We stayed at the Taj Mahal Goa
Living like Kings and Queen
Just for a few days
High up on a hill
Overlooking the beach
Every morning I went down to the beach
And did yoga by the water
While contemplating life
And every morning
I saw the same dog
Not just a dog
But a cosmic dog
Filled with the divine spark of God
And the dog recognized me
And spoke to me and I knew
That God was present once more
In the face of the that cosmic dog
Kindred spirit
perhaps to the cosmic cat
that had save my soul
in Berkeley so long ago
I told the dog everything
And he just looked at me
With those soulful eyes of his
And I knew he knew that I knew
That he was possessed by God
God had sent him to me
To make sure that I was on the right path
That the reconciliation that God had promoted
Was on track that I was back with my wife
And that everything was the way it should be
Again, I asked God whether he was Jesus or Allah
Or Brahmin or Ganesh or Buddha
God the cosmic dog just stared at me
I finally asked him directly
Say if you are God the God of Jesus
Bark once
The Dog looked at me and barked
I said well if you are Allah bark twice
The dog barked twice
Well are you buddha then bark three times if yes
The god dog barked three times
Hmm well are you Satan
The dog growled at me
And I knew I had gone too far
Finally, I was at peace
And for the next three days
The God Dog was my constant companion
And I knew God for the final time
In my life
Writer’s Digest Tell Me No LIes
Tell me no lies
My dear
and I will tell you
no lies too.
But every word
I say
could be a lie.
you never know
what is true
and what is a lie.
So tell me no more lies
and I will tell you the truth
if you can handle it.
Writing Com Dew Drop Inn April 5—Get a sport into a poem! Make Baseball Great Again!
It is time
to make American baseball
Great again
starting with creating a worldwide
baseball competition
with each season
with the national champions
competing in a World Cup World Series
with the final round pitting the
North American Champions
against the winners of Africa,
Asian, Europe, and South America
with the final rounds
best of seven
always held in the U.S.
The other things to do
include rapid expansion plans
including the MLB teams
adopting local schools and colleges
fully funding baseball programs
and only hiring college graduates.
as players.
and making tickets affordable
no more than ten dollars per game!
if they do this,
we can make baseball
once again the best sport
in the U.S.
Let’s all join together
to make baseball great again!
NaPoWrMo Only In SF
Tiny, the Jamaican
was a big 6’5 reggae Rasta man,
sprouting long black and purple dreadlocks
and a purple mohawk
wearing a black leather jacket
with weed logos on it,
played guitar in the SF Reggae Kings.
A big Three Stooges fan,
Named his four pets,
“Shemp” the cat,
“Moe” the dog,
Curly” the mouse,
and Curly Joe, the Vietnamese pig.
The four amigos got along famously
They lived in an apartment
in the western addiction,
off of Geary,
in a rapidly gentrifying part of the city
One day, Shemp said to Moe
“Moe, I have a question for you,
and I want an honest answer,
none of your canine BS answer.
You know us cats are straight shooters.”
“Okay, my cat brother. Shoot.”
“Well, I understand that
cats, dogs, mice, and pigs
are natural born enemies,
How come we get along?
And you get along
with Curly and Curly Joe?”
“Good question.
First, when we met
I hated you all
and you were afraid
I might eat you in your sleep
and the thought
crossed my mind.
But over time
I mellowed out
and realized
we were all a band of brothers
living in this house.
I think it
also has something to do
with the cloud of weed
in the air
and the chill deep house
reggae peace and love
vibes in the house.”
“cool.
“Good answer.
I too think of you
all as my brothers.
You know what I like the most?”
Our nightly walk
when Tiny, Tina, and Linda
take us out
and we put on our show.
You know Curly Joe
letting you ride on him,
and I ride on you
and Curly
sits on my head
to complete the show
as we freak out the tourists
good citizens, and outlaws
who constantly take pictures
saying to themselves
“Only in SF”.
And you know
They are right.
Only in SF.
Let’s keep SF weird.”
Tiny came in
and they all went
for their walk.
April 6
PSH Visiting My Father’s Grave
Writers DIgest Meeting My Fate
Writing Com Dew Drop Inn Daily RItual Drinks
NaPoWrMo PNRCP
Visiting my father’s grave
In Yakima Washington State,
The ancestral land of the Aller clan
Thinking about my father
And his legacy
And thinking that I am
My father’s son
There is so much
I wanted to tell him
So much I wanted to share
So much I wanted him to see
My accomplishments
He was taken from me
Before I had achieved my dreams
i am sure he would have been
proud of the man
I turned out to be.
This poetry writing prompt submitted by Lara Dolphin:
A “taphophile” is someone who has more than a passing interest in burial places.
Cemeteries can hold beautiful sculptures, moving epitaphs, and genealogical secrets as well as religious meaning. If you were a tombstone tourist and could visit any burial place or shrine in the world, where would it be? Who would it belong to? Someone famous or obscure? Write a poem about one grave in particular.
Writer’s DIgest Meeting My Fate Minimal Poem
that september date
I met my fate
when she walked
out of my dreams
off a bus
into my life
becoming my wife.
For today’s prompt, write a minimum poem. Some people only do the minimum; others like to pay the minimum. When I first started working, I earned minimum wage. My kids had to reach a minimum height requirement to ride roller coasters at amusement parks.
Writing Com Dw Drop In Daily Beverages
in the morning
I drink a cup
of snarling hot coffee
while watching the news
in the afternoon
I shift to tea
either earl gray
or herbal tea
at sunset
I drink red wine
with my wife
as the evening
shifts into night
I drink rum
or whiskey
to end the day
right.
NaPoWrMo PNRCP
My mother was an original
One of a kind person
Unique in her ways.
She had many sayings
That has stuck with me
Over the years.
She was not a big fan
Of birthdays
Even forgot my 18th birthday.
She said on her birthday
“Well that means
One year closer to the grave.”
One of her funiest saying
Was how she described
Getting to Berkeley
In the late 30’s.
She had ran away
From a large but abusive family
In Little Rock, Arkansas.
Part of the so-called “lost tribe”
Of the Cherokee Indians
Also known as the Black Irish
She said that she was just
Part of the government run
“Plantetary Nut Reconfigeration Program”.
Every ten years
The world flips
And all the nuts
Roll down here
And end up in California.
Here’s some info on the Lost Tribe of the Cherokees. There are only about 50,000 left. According to Bing Co-Pilot, “The Lost Tribe of the Cherokees, also known as the Black Dutch or Black Irish, is estimated to number around 9,000 in Arkansas and approximately 500 more in southern Missouri. These individuals seek recognition as a tribe after years of investigation. The federal Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) has been diligently working on their recognition petition for nine years1.
While the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma does not consider this group to be legitimate, their quest for recognition continues, and their history remains a fascinating chapter in Native American heritage. 🌳🔍
i am again participating in the Poetry Super Highway Free E Book Exchange. My book, “Mozart Blues” will be available for downloading from the PSH web page on December 1 for 24 hours (from Mid-night PST time). Please consider downloading my book and others on December 1, 2023.
Acknowledgment
These poems have been published in the following journals and elsewhere and were written between 2016 and 2023. They were published in.
Down in the Dirt, Spillwords Poems, Ink Pantry, Synchronized Chaos, Former People Poems as well as on my website, The World according to Cosmos (https:/theworldaccordingtocomos.com) and All Poetry, Fan Story and Writing.com
This chapbook is part of the Poetry Superhighway’s Annual Poetry E-Book Free for All event.
The mission of the Poetry Superhighway is to expose as many people to as many other people’s poetry as possible.
What?
A 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, links to all of the e-books will go live. For 24 hours anyone can download, for free, as many of these e-books as they like…a poetry e-book free-for-all.
How?
To participate, read 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 e-mailed back to you in PDF format.
When creating your e-book file, please keep it smaller than 2 megabytes.
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 do not accept 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), 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.
As some of you might know, I have been following a fitness regime for many years. I offer these tips to you because I believe anyone can improve their health through daily exercise, and a better diet. It is never too late to get in shape! Let me know your fitness tips and I will share them here.
Here are some of my tips for physical fitness and suggestions. It must be working. I am usually about 187 pounds and don’t take any prescription drugs, my cholesterol levels are good as are my blood sugar levels although they are a bit higher than I want them to be. I suffer from Fibromyalgia, arthritis, and hammer toes. I also exercise daily, riding on my exercise bike while looking at my emails, and FB feeds, studying Korean, and going for a three-mile walk at least four times a month. Lately, I bought a pull-up bar and installed it on the doorway, and I do it periodically throughout the day, squats, and swings, working my way up to doing pull-ups. I write in my journal every morning, and I also go for a walk every day and play the piano daily. I eat a lot of homemade food including Kefir, and Kombucha. and I am gluten-free.
here are my diet recommendations, my physical exercise regime, my daily writing regime, and my piano-playing regime.
I hope it inspires you to take charge of your physical and mental fitness.
Coffee
I start my day by drinking coffee and watching the news while writing in my journals.
The first two cups are fully loaded – coffee, decaf, with yoga detox tea, cinnamon, nutmeg, and milk.
perfect cup of coffee
greatest comfort food is coffee
snarling cup of coffee
The first two cups are fully loaded – coffee, decafe, with yoga detox tea, cinnamon, wormwood tea,. nutmeg, and milk.
Sometimes I add in protein plant superfoods from Costco containing the following:
When we moved to Yeongjong island, near the Incheon Airport, we found that we would be deprived of two of our three favorite miracle foods, Kombucha and Kefir. But we were pleasantly surprised to find we could order our third favorite health food item, wheat grass for home delivery. Have not seen it in the stores but have seen it in some smoothie places as well as home delivery. best to mix it in a smoothie. Wheatgrass juice does not taste that great!
Living in Oregon was great. Kombucha is everywhere. Costco carries Kombucha everywhere except in Korea. The best brand we found was Gingerade. But I liked sampling the kombucha everywhere, several bars brew it on-site and you can fill up a growler and take it home.
What is Kombucha, you ask? It is fermented tea, filled with powerful probiotics and it is so good for your health. It does contain 1 percent alcohol so that should not get you into trouble with the new draconian drunk driving laws here in Korea!
Since neither the Commissary nor Costco nor anyone else carried it, or even knew what it was, we decided that we had to brew it ourselves. The starter kit we brought with us had gone bad. So, we bought kombucha from Amazon and used that and the leftover starter kit to get started.
We used green tea as the base. Straight black tea and jasmine tea will work but not Earl Grey due to the bergamot oil in the tea.
We brewed up several gallons of tea, added sugar, the starter kit, and the cans of kombucha. Then we put it in a sprouted warmer kit ordered from Amazon and wrapped another gallon in an electric blanket. You have to keep the kombucha at about 80 degrees F (26.67 Celsius).
Then we waited for six weeks. Finally ready to go today and we bottled it and started our next batch!
Here’s what it looks like with the scuzzy taken out of the kombucha.
Making Kefir was easy, we’ve been making it for years. We had started kits we bought in Oregon before we left. Just got some organic milk and we were in business. If you have to use Korean milk, make sure it is full-fat milk, 2 percent makes watery kefir. There are recipes for using almond milk, coconut milk, and rice milk but we have not used them because we heard it would be pretty watery. Might want to try Goat milk sometime though. The Commissary’s organic full-fat Milk is perfect. You can also buy Kefir at the Commissary just to see if you like it but their Kefir has extra sugar in it and I am not sure it would be a good starter mix. Best to order the starter kits from Amazon (they will be delivered to a local address) and you should not have any problems. But with both be sure you sanitize your containers with hot boiling water before making either kombucha or kefir. Need to keep stray random non-cultured bacteria out of the mix.
See below for articles on the health benefits of Kombucha and Kefir, articles on how to make it, and where to buy it locally.
As a personal testimony a few years ago, I noticed that I did not have hay fever in the Spring. I used to have to make a trip to the urgent care/ER because I got so inflamed that I could not even open my eyes and I was sneezing so bad. The medicine they gave me worked a bit but I mostly just suffered. Then I started eating kefir for breakfast and drinking Kombucha and my hay fever disappeared.!
TEAZEN is another company that offers kombucha in powder stick form, which you can mix with water or juice. They claim to be the world’s first to introduce this convenient way of consuming kombucha. You can also order their products online from their website3 or find them in some supermarkets and convenience stores.
Homebrewing is an option if you want to make your kombucha at home. You will need a SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast), tea, sugar, and a glass jar. You can buy a SCOBY online or get one from a friend who already brews kombucha. Some online tutorials and recipes can guide you through the process of making your kombucha.
Make your kefir at home with kefir grains and milk. Kefir grains are a mixture of bacteria and yeast that ferment milk and produce kefir. You can buy kefir grains online or get them from someone who already makes kefir. You will also need a glass jar, a cloth, and a rubber band to cover the jar. Many online guides and videos can show you how to make kefir at home1.
Visiting a kefir cafe where you can enjoy fresh kefir drinks and other products made with kefir, such as smoothies, ice cream, or cheese. Some examples of kefir cafes in Korea are Kefir Lab in Seoul, Kefir House in Busan, and Kefir Story in Daegu.
Ode to Kombucha
kombucha
We have finally mastered the art of brewing home Kombucha and are enjoying a glass of this miracle drink every morning along with our homemade kefir and our power smoothies. If I keep this up, I will live to be a hundred years old. Only 45 more years to go….
Kombucha
Only drink it in the morning
Morning Delight
By the dawning sun
Up at the morning dawn
Can’t wait for my morning cup
Have to have my kombucha
At least once a day.
Ode to Kefir
Kefir
Everyday
Food of the gods
In every way
Radiant health will follow.
THE SIMPLE GUIDE TO KICKASS KOMBUCHA
It’s a big day everyone! The day your intestinal microbiota has been begging you for. The day you say goodbye to expensive store-bought kombucha. The day you become a brewmaster I impart to you the secrets of homemade kombucha!
The goal of this guide is to be your one-stop shop for homemade kombucha brewage, from SCOBY-less to fermented perfection. No hopping around the interwebs. No fuss. No confusion. Because making homemade kombucha is so simple (albeit a bit slow), and I hope after reading this you’ll give it a whirl! Let’s hope right to it.
This post will go into detail about each step in the process of making kombucha. For succinct instructions, scroll to the bottom where a recipe card lays out the basics of making homemade kombucha. The general order of things goes something like this (you can jump around this tutorial by clicking the links below):
Before we start, here are some general notes that are consistent throughout the whole homemade kombucha process.
No metal or plastic containers. Metal can react with the acidic kombucha and hurt your SCOBY, while plastic can house nasty bacteria that you don’t want sneaking in.
Cleaning is key. A recurring theme in kombucha brewing is that EVERYTHING must be CLEAN! We’re creating the perfect environment for good bacterial growth, but if a bad bacteria slip in, it could ruin your batch (and make you pretty sick).
Temperature plays a role. Fermentation goes a bit quicker in warmer temperatures, and a bit slower in colder weather.
No mold zone. If you see any mold growing on your SCOBY or in the tea (which I understand can be difficult to discern from the hideous SCOBY, but will generally be green, white, or black), then toss your whole batch.
Milk kefir is not only easy to make, but it is a delicious, probiotic-rich, versatile beverage your whole family can enjoy. Whether you are just exploring how to make milk kefir at home or have cultured dairy before, this video and instructions are here to help make culturing milk kefir at home easy.
If you have purchased our dehydrated milk kefir grains, please follow the instructions included with your milk kefir grains or watch our how-to video on How to Activate Milk Kefir Grains to get started.
If you wish to use raw milk to make milk kefir, be sure to activate your milk kefir grains using pasteurized milk first. You can then slowly transition them to raw milk.
To get started, first, gather your supplies and choose a variety of milk to use.
Transfer the active kefir grains into up to 4 cups of fresh milk.
Cover with a coffee filter or butter muslin secured by a rubber band or jar ring.
Place in a warm spot, 68°-85°F, to culture.
Culture until milk is slightly thickened and the aroma is pleasant. This generally takes 24 hours but can take less time in warmer temperatures, so keep an eye on your grains.
As your milk kefir grains grow in size, you may choose to remove the kefir grains by hand. Make sure your hands are very clean and well rinsed, but do not use anti-bacterial soap to avoid contaminating the culture.
Use a Plastic Mesh Strainer
Sometimes milk kefir can be a bit thick. If necessary, you can use a silicone spatula or plastic spoon (in a swirling motion) to help work the kefir through the strainer. Stainless steel can be used if necessary; just be sure it’s stainless steel and not a reactive metal.
Pour Kefir into A Shallow Bowl
This will make the grains easier to see. Using a plastic or wooden spoon, scoop the grains out. Once the grains have been removed, pour the finished kefir into a container.
While kefir sometimes turns out to be thin, it is also possible for kefir to over-thicken or turn into curds and whey. If this happens, you may need to strain your kefir grains with extra care. You can find tips in our Straining Over-Thickened Kefir tutorial.
Following the above process, you can make milk kefir at home regularly. If after making milk kefir for a while you decide you don’t need 4 cups every day, it is possible to make smaller batches. Just choose a method in our tutorial How to Slow Down Making Milk Kefir + Make Smaller Batches.
If you ever reach a point where you need to take a break from making milk kefir, there are a few ways you can put your kefir grains on pause. This includes refrigerating them for shorter breaks and drying them for longer breaks.
In either case, your grains must be activated and cultured kefir regularly for 3 to 4 weeks before you attempt either of these resting methods.
I am gluten-free since my wife has celiac disease.
Avoiding Junk Food
I limit my hamburger consumption to no more than once a month.
physical fitness regime
Most days I go for a three to five-mile walk, bike five K on my exercise bike, do three sets of pull-ups/swings, and do yoga and weightlifting. About two hours total per day. While in the park I do some pull-downs, twisting wheels, and cross-training as well.
I may sign up for a gym and join a Pilates or yoga club.
I also do ceregem massage bed, weekly massage therapy, acupuncture, and moxibustion at home.
I keep track of my fitness in my daily journal noting what I did the day before, including what I ate using the following format: (November 2 entry)
Health
Weight: 188
BM:
Symptoms: moderate pain levels
Doctor Visit: scheduled November 7th for follow-up re chronic leg pain
Results: TBC
Follow-Up Due: March 2024
Med News Items:
Diet:
Breakfast: smoothie
Lunch rice, soup, fish Korean side dishes
` Dinner GF Pizza
snacks:
Dessert:
Drinks: Alcohol nó Alcohol Day
blend decaf, kombucha, coffee, fake coffee, fruit juices, etc
Exercise
Actual:
bike seven k
pull up three times consisting of 3 sets of squats, and two sets of swinging.
New strategy
15 three sets of 50 reps per weight
15 minutes of Yoga
5 sets of 50-step reps
5k on the bike
3 miles walk.
Grip periodically 100 reps
Standing desk for two hours
pull up 5.
pull down 200.
wheel 200
Ceregem:
foot massage unit:
neck shoulder massage unit:
Moxibustion
Ceregeem
pulls up.
while walking exercise in the park
twisting 200
cross training
pull-downs
Acupuncture weekly
Massage weekly
Mental Fitness Regime/Alzheimer’s Prevention
I heard a long time ago that playing music, learning languages, and doing mental games like crossword puzzles every day is the best thing you can do to ward off the dreaded Dementia or Alzheimer’s. Since my mother died of Alzheimer’s I am at increased risk. I have been doing all three for almost a year now, playing the piano, studying Korean via Duolingo and watching K Dramas, doing daily writing prompts, writing three to five poems or short stories per day every day, and writing down my dreams and journal entries writing three to four hours every day, and weekly blog postings, instead of crossword puzzles.
Daily Writing in My Journals
I have been writing a daily journal since my 40s. I write down my dreams, my anxieties, my daydreams, and fantasies, and draft poetry and stories first.
then I write my journal including what I did the day before, major news items, things to note, goals for the day, what I ate the day before, and my daily exercise/health statistics.
I save my creative work at least once a week, including putting down my work on my creative writing spreadsheet to keep track of everything. I write anywhere from one to ten pieces every day.
I also keep track of books read, movie/TV shows seen and music played to and listened to.
I am currently reading the classics =Finishing Plato’s The Republic.
Daily Piano Playing
piano
I have been playing the piano almost daily now for a year. Usually between 5 and 6:30 pm. Due to noise restrictions can’t play after 7 p.m. as I live in a high-rise apartment building.
This time around I have started analyzing the music before I play it noting the music areas to pay attention to including key, key changes, registry changes, very high and very low notes which are hard for me to read, and repetition patterns. I found that this simple step has paid off in helping me play a lot better and I feel my skills are returning to where they were when I last played about seven years ago. I am sure I will achieve my lifelong goal of reaching semi-professional level playing within a few years.
I highly recommend this tip, playing each hand separately first when doing complicated counterpoint like in Bach, and listening, when possible, to the music you are going to play on YouTube while reading the score, to anyone returning to playing music.
I recently played my first Mozart Sonata and well I did not do badly. I will return to it next year after finishing other piano books.
Every day I write something following prompts from Pensively 101, Writer’s Cramp, and Fan Story.
here’s what I wrote on November 2, 2023
Journal Entry November 1, 2023
Wednesday, November 1, 2023
Time To Go Joe Lewis
Joe Lewis was an old man.
sitting in his lonely room on his bed
up at 0 dark hundred, thinking about his life.
and the end game is coming soon.
There was a knock on the door.
it was the Grim Reaper, saying,
Joe Lewis, come with me,
it is time to go.”
bed in a lonely room
No Forgiveness Express in Eight
Issac was visiting Israel,
Went to a music concert.
There was a fierce fight,
When Hamas terrorists stormed the concert.
Killing his wife in front of him.
He managed to escape, vowing there would.
Be no forgiveness for the monsters,
That had murdered his wife.
Fierce
escape
forgiveness
Animal World
258 words
One day, about five months ago, I received a mysterious package, containing a pair of sunglasses and a cryptic note that read,
“Put these glasses on and see the world as it is. For Mad Men only.”
The incident reminded me of the movie, “They” in which a man puts on mysterious sunglasses that reveal that many people are, in fact, aliens from another planet.
Curious, I put on the glasses and noticed that everybody around me had been transformed into hideous creatures, straight from his worst nightmares. Everyone transformed into aliens, animals, demons, goblins, ghosts, monsters, wraiths, and zombies.
The soldiers at the base APO had become giant rats in uniforms. The local staff had become wild animals.
I turned on the TV and saw all the politicians on TV were now screaming monkeys screeching at each other the former president was an orangutang, the current president was a giant Kamona dragon, and the pundits were all mockingbirds screaming and screeching, mocking the politicians.
The taxi drivers were all wolves. The passengers on the buses and subways were bleating sheep.
His wife was now a tiger, and he looked in the mirror and found that he had been turned into a giant bear. He talked to his best friend during their weekly Zoom session and they were all bears too.
Finally, he had enough. He took the masses off and everybody reverted to their normal shapes and forms. Disgusted he threw the glasses into the trash saying,
“I have had enough of this false reality.”
The Taking of Train 967 bound for the Pentagon
“Listen up. I will only say this once. We have taken control of this train. You will do what we say or we will send you straight to hell. “
That is how I announced the first subway jacking in US history. We high-jacked a subway train in Suburban Virginia bound for the Pentagon on a Monday morning boarding the train at Van Dorn station, by high-jacking the computer control systems that control the movement of the train. The train flew through the stations and we ended it 15 minutes later.
My associates went through the train taking people’s phones, bags, and wallets. We were armed with the latest high-tech weapons and gear we had bought at a gun show where no one questioned us or did a background check as we all looked like ordinary working-class white people.
It went down so quickly but unfortunately, we had to shoot a few people to make sure that everyone knew who was in charge.
I went on the air and addressed the world.
“We are the voices of the forgotten people, the little people, the left behind. We are taking this train in the name of the people. We will take what we need to finance the revolution and then leave you your phones and personal items for you to sort out once we reach the end of the line. Cooperate and you will live, resist, and join your friends in hell. Any questions?’’
It was all over in ten minutes, as we had picked a train near the beginning of its daily run and it was crowded as hell. When we got to the Roslyn station, we threw out smoke bangs flash and disappeared into the crowd.
Then we went to my bar and watched the TV coverage of the hijacking. And sat in the back room and plotted our next target -while we went through the haul – over two million dollars in money, watches, and the like.
And we laughed. It had been so easy to do, that we wondered why no one tried it before.
October 6, 1866, saw the first train robbery in the U.S. when the Reno Gang stole $16,000 … A crime that likely inspired copycat robberies over the next few decades.
For tomorrow, write a story or poem whose setting is on a train during a train robbery. It can be any sort of train (historical, fantasy, supernatural, etc.) And the POV character can be a passenger, a train official, or one of the robbers.
However, to make the assignment useful practice that might push you a little out of your normal comfort zone, the tale must be told in first-person POV (so the POV character/narrator is “I”) and in the present tense.
The Pumpkin’s Evil Plot
A lonely farmer threw together,
His prized pumpkins are on a roadside cart.
The farmer getting ready to sell his award-winning
Giant pumpkins the day before Halloween.
The deranged, insane pumpkins,
Vowing revenge on the human race,
Attacked the hapless lonely farmer,
Yelling “Death to all Humans.”
Thanksgiving Puny Situation Writing com.
Many years ago
I had a traditional Thanksgiving
With friends in Korea
My fellow teacher said
He knew how to cook a turkey
My wife who was in the army
Got the turkey and we invited friends
Turns out he lied, he had no clue
We cooked the bird with the giblets
Inside the stuffing
Took it out and told our Korean guests
That was “American Stamina” food
Turned out and found that the giblets
Were all gone
That was a puny situation
And a memorable Thanksgiving dinner
What kind of pitch shall we make today? Are you having a ball going to bat with your New Year’s writing resolution? Or haven’t you left first base, yet? What’s the score? On to the contest. I’m game if you’re game.
For this contest, you are challenged to write an ABC poem. ABC poetry has five lines and often is used to express feelings. See the announcement for an example. Cash Prize.
MAGA Madness ABC Poem ABC
MAGA Madness
No longer a fringe right-wing group
On the way to take over the land
Politicians cower in fear.
Is Fascism coming to the United States?
this contest you are challenged to write an ABC poem.
Write a one-stanza, five-line poem.
The first letter of each of the first four lines follows the order of the alphabet while the last line can be any letter whatsoever. For example, a poet might choose to use the following letter combination: D-E-F-G-A.
The lines may be of any syllable length. Also, line length may vary from line to line.
The poem may be about any subject or topic.
Rhyming and meter are optional.
BING AI Chat Bot provides some additional background information on the MAGA movement for those of you who don’t follow US politics that closely. The MAGA movement does have parallels in other countries.
Q: can you tell me about the MAGA movement in the U.S.? Where did it come from? what are their goals and what are the links to other right-wing movements both in the U.S. and worldwide?
The movement is characterized by its populist, nationalist, and anti-establishment sentiments, as well as its strong loyalty to Trump and his agenda. Some of the core beliefs of the MAGA movement include:
America is in decline and needs to be restored to its former greatness.
Immigration and globalization are threats to American sovereignty and identity.
The political, media, and cultural elites are corrupt and out of touch with the common people.
Trump is the only leader who can defend and represent the interests of the American people.
The MAGA movement has links to other right-wing movements both in the U.S. and worldwide, such as:
The Tea Party movement emerged in 2009 as a conservative backlash against the Obama administration and its policies.
The alt-right movement, which is a loosely defined group of white nationalists, white supremacists, neo-Nazis, and other extremists who promote racism, antisemitism, and xenophobia online and offline.
The QAnon movement is a conspiracy theory that claims that Trump is secretly fighting a cabal of satanic pedophiles who control the world.
The Proud Boys movement is a far-right neo-fascist organization that engages in political violence and street brawls with left-wing activists.
The Patriot Movement is a collection of anti-government militias and paramilitary groups that oppose federal authority and prepare for a civil war.
The Brexit movement, which is a campaign that led to the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union in 2016
The Yellow Vest movement is a populist protest movement that started in France in 2018 against rising fuel prices and living costs.
When we moved to Yeongjong island, near the Incheon Airport, we found that we would be deprived of two of our three favorite miracle foods, Kombucha and Kefir. But we were pleasantly surprised to find we could order our third favorite health food item, wheat grass for home delivery. Have not seen it in the stores but have seen it in some smoothie places as well as home delivery. best to mix it in a smoothie. Wheatgrass juice does not taste that great!
Growing Kombucha and Kefir in Korea
Kombucha
Living in Oregon was great. Kombucha is everywhere. Costco carries Kombucha everywhere except in Korea. The best brand we found was Gingerade. But I liked sampling the kombucha everywhere, several bars brew it on-site and you can fill up a growler and take it home.
What is Kombucha, you ask? It is fermented tea, filled with powerful probiotics and it is so good for your health. It does contain 1 percent alcohol so that should not get you into trouble with the new draconian drunk driving laws here in Korea!
Since neither the Commissary nor Costco nor anyone else carried it, or even knew what it was, we decided that we had to brew it ourselves. The starter kit we brought with us had gone bad. So, we bought kombucha from Amazon and used that and the leftover starter kit to get started.
We used green tea as the base. Straight black tea and jasmine tea will work but not Earl Grey due to the bergamot oil in the tea.
We brewed up several gallons of tea, added sugar, the starter kit, and the cans of kombucha. Then we put it in a sprouted warmer kit ordered from Amazon and wrapped another gallon in an electric blanket. You have to keep the kombucha at about 80 degrees F (26.67 Celsius).
Then we waited for six weeks. Finally ready to go today and we bottled it and started our next batch!
Here’s what it looks like with the scuzzy taken out of the kombucha.
kombucha
Kefir
Making Kefir was easy, we’ve been making it for years. We had started kits we bought in Oregon before we left. Just got some organic milk and we were in business. If you have to use Korean milk, make sure it is full-fat milk, 2 percent makes watery kefir. There are recipes for using almond milk, coconut milk, and rice milk but we have not used them because we heard it would be pretty watery. Might want to try Goat milk sometime though. The Commissary’s organic full-fat Milk is perfect. You can also buy Kefir at the Commissary just to see if you like it but their Kefir has extra sugar in it and I am not sure it would be a good starter mix. Best to order the starter kits from Amazon (they will be delivered to a local address) and you should not have any problems. But with both be sure you sanitize your containers with hot boiling water before making either kombucha or kefir. Need to keep stray random non-cultured bacteria out of the mix.
See below for articles on the health benefits of Kombucha and Kefir, articles on how to make it, and where to buy it locally.
As a personal testimony a few years ago, I noticed that I did not have hay fever in the Spring. I used to have to make a trip to the urgent care/ER because I got so inflamed that I could not even open my eyes and I was sneezing so bad. The medicine they gave me worked a bit but I mostly just suffered. Then I started eating kefir for breakfast and drinking Kombucha and my hay fever disappeared.!
TEAZEN is another company that offers kombucha in powder stick form, which you can mix with water or juice. They claim to be the world’s first to introduce this convenient way of consuming kombucha. You can also order their products online from their website3 or find them in some supermarkets and convenience stores.
Homebrewing is an option if you want to make your kombucha at home. You will need a SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast), tea, sugar, and a glass jar. You can buy a SCOBY online or get one from a friend who already brews kombucha. Some online tutorials and recipes can guide you through the process of making your kombucha.
Make your kefir at home with kefir grains and milk. Kefir grains are a mixture of bacteria and yeast that ferment milk and produce kefir. You can buy kefir grains online or get them from someone who already makes kefir. You will also need a glass jar, a cloth, and a rubber band to cover the jar. Many online guides and videos can show you how to make kefir at home1.
Visiting a kefir cafe where you can enjoy fresh kefir drinks and other products made with kefir, such as smoothies, ice cream, or cheese. Some examples of kefir cafes in Korea are Kefir Lab in Seoul, Kefir House in Busan, and Kefir Story in Daegu.
I hope this helps you find kefir in Korea. Cheers!
Kombucha
Ode to Kombucha
We have finally mastered the art of brewing home Kombucha and are enjoying a glass of this miracle drink every morning along with our homemade kefir and our power smoothies. If I keep this up, I will live to be a hundred years old. Only 45 more years to go….
Ode to Kombucha
Kombucha
Only drink it in the morning
Morning Delight
By the dawning sun
Up at the morning dawn
Can’t wait for my morning cup
Have to have my kombucha
At least once a day.
Ode to Kefir
Kefir
Everyday
Food of the gods
In every way
Radiant health will follow.
THE SIMPLE GUIDE TO KICKASS KOMBUCHA
It’s a big day everyone! The day your intestinal microbiota has been begging you for. The day you say goodbye to expensive store-bought kombucha. The day you become a brewmaster I impart to you the secrets of homemade kombucha!
The goal of this guide is to be your one-stop shop for homemade kombucha brewage, from SCOBY-less to fermented perfection. No hopping around the interwebs. No fuss. No confusion. Because making homemade kombucha is so simple (albeit a bit slow), and I hope after reading this you’ll give it a whirl! Let’s hope right to it.
HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE KOMBUCHA: OVERVIEW
This post will go into detail about each step in the process of making kombucha. For succinct instructions, scroll to the bottom where a recipe card lays out the basics of making homemade kombucha. The general order of things goes something like this (you can jump around this tutorial by clicking the links below):
Before we start, here are some general notes that are consistent throughout the whole homemade kombucha process.
No metal or plastic containers. Metal can react with the acidic kombucha and hurt your SCOBY, while plastic can house nasty bacteria that you don’t want sneaking in.
Cleaning is key. A recurring theme in kombucha brewing is that EVERYTHING must be CLEAN! We’re creating the perfect environment for good bacterial growth, but if a bad bacteria slip in, it could ruin your batch (and make you pretty sick).
Temperature plays a role. Fermentation goes a bit quicker in warmer temperatures, and a bit slower in colder weather.
No mold zone. If you see any mold growing on your SCOBY or in the tea (which I understand can be difficult to discern from the hideous SCOBY, but will generally be green, white, or black), then toss your whole batch.
Milk kefir is not only easy to make, but it is a delicious, probiotic-rich, versatile beverage your whole family can enjoy. Whether you are just exploring how to make milk kefir at home or have cultured dairy before, this video and instructions are here to help make culturing milk kefir at home easy.
If you have purchased our dehydrated milk kefir grains, please follow the instructions included with your milk kefir grains or watch our how-to video on How to Activate Milk Kefir Grains to get started.
If you wish to use raw milk to make milk kefir, be sure to activate your milk kefir grains using pasteurized milk first. You can then slowly transition them to raw milk.
WHAT YOU’LL NEED TO MAKE MILK KEFIR
To get started, first, gather your supplies and choose a variety of milk to use.
Transfer the active kefir grains into up to 4 cups of fresh milk.
Cover with a coffee filter or butter muslin secured by a rubber band or jar ring.
Place in a warm spot, 68°-85°F, to culture.
Culture until milk is slightly thickened and the aroma is pleasant. This generally takes 24 hours but can take less time in warmer temperatures, so keep an eye on your grains.
As your milk kefir grains grow in size, you may choose to remove the kefir grains by hand. Make sure your hands are very clean and well rinsed, but do not use anti-bacterial soap to avoid contaminating the culture.
Use a Plastic Mesh Strainer
Sometimes milk kefir can be a bit thick. If necessary, you can use a silicone spatula or plastic spoon (in a swirling motion) to help work the kefir through the strainer. Stainless steel can be used if necessary; just be sure it’s stainless steel and not a reactive metal.
Pour Kefir into A Shallow Bowl
This will make the grains easier to see. Using a plastic or wooden spoon, scoop the grains out. Once the grains have been removed, pour the finished kefir into a container.
OVER-THICKENED KEFIR
While kefir sometimes turns out to be thin, it is also possible for kefir to over-thicken or turn into curds and whey. If this happens, you may need to strain your kefir grains with extra care. You can find tips in our Straining Over-Thickened Kefir tutorial.
WHAT’S NEXT?
Following the above process, you can make milk kefir at home regularly. If after making milk kefir for a while you decide you don’t need 4 cups every day, it is possible to make smaller batches. Just choose a method in our tutorial How to Slow Down Making Milk Kefir + Make Smaller Batches.
Resting Your Milk Kefir Grains
If you ever reach a point where you need to take a break from making milk kefir, there are a few ways you can put your kefir grains on pause. This includes refrigerating them for shorter breaks and drying them for longer breaks.
In either case, your grains must be activated and cultured kefir regularly for 3 to 4 weeks before you attempt either of these resting methods.
I also avoid Carbs at night, and I am gluten-free since my wife has celiac disease. and I limit my hamburger consumption to no more than once a month.
physical fitness regime
most days I go for a three to five-mile walk, bike five K on my exercise bike, do three sets of pull-ups/swings, and do yoga and weightlifting. About two hours total per day. While in the park I do some pull-downs, twisting wheels, and cross-training as well.
I may sign up for a gym and join a Pilates or yoga club.
I also do ceregem massage bed, weekly massage therapy, acupuncture, and moxibustion at home.
I keep track of my fitness in my daily journal noting what I did the day before, including what I ate using the following format: (November 2 entry)
Health
Weight: 188
BM:
Symptoms: moderate pain levels
Doctor Visit: scheduled November 7th for follow-up re chronic leg pain
Results: TBC
Follow-Up Due: March 2024
Med News Items:
Diet:
Breakfast: smoothie
Lunch rice, soup, fish Korean side dishes
` Dinner GF Pizza
snacks:
Dessert:
Drinks: Alcohol nó Alcohol Day
blend decaf, kombucha, coffee, fake coffee, fruit juices, etc
Exercise
Actual:
bike seven k
pull up three times consisting of 3 sets of squats, and two sets of swinging.
New strategy
15 three sets of 50 reps per weight
15 minutes of Yoga
5 sets of 50-step reps
5k on the bike
3 miles walk.
Grip periodically 100 reps
Standing desk for two hours
pull up 5.
pull down 200.
wheel 200
Ceregem:
foot massage unit:
neck shoulder massage unit:
Moxibustion
Ceregeem pulls up.
while walking exercise in the park
twisting 200
cross training
pull-downs
Acupuncture weekly
Massage weekly
Ceregem treatment
I first bought a cergem acupressure massage bed in 1996 and use it almost every day. the bed uses infrared heat and jade technology to provide acupressure therapy as the jade crystals move up and down your spine providing long-lasting pain relief leading to deeper sleep. I usually use it while reading before going to bed.
from Bing AI review
Ceregem massage bed is a therapeutic bed that uses a combination of massage, heat, and acupressure to provide relaxation and relief from pain. The bed is designed to provide a full-body massage that targets pressure points and helps to improve blood circulation. Here are some of the benefits of using a Ceregem massage bed:
Relaxation: The massage bed provides a relaxing experience that can help to reduce stress and anxiety.
Pain relief: The bed’s massage and heat functions can help to relieve pain and soreness in the muscles and joints.
Improved circulation: The massage bed’s acupressure function can help to improve blood circulation, which can help to reduce inflammation and promote healing.
Better sleep: The bed’s massage function can help to promote relaxation and improve sleep quality.
Detoxification: The bed’s heat function can help to promote sweating, which can help to eliminate toxins from the body.
Please note that while the Ceregem massage bed has many potential benefits, it is important to consult with a healthcare professional before using it, especially if you have any underlying medical conditions.
Moxibustion Treatment
I have been moxibution treatment for about a year now. we have a home kit which we do in conjunction with using the ceregem massage therapy bed. About two to three treatments per week are ideal. We also occasionally go to a clinic for treatment.
Moxibustion involves burning wormwood and applying it to your skin. It is an ancient Chinese-Korean medical treatment. for more info read the following from the Bing AI chat on moxibution.
Moxibustion is a traditional Chinese medicine therapy that involves burning dried mugwort on or near the skin’s surface to stimulate acupuncture points. It is believed to have several health benefits, including:
Pain relief: Moxibustion can help to relieve pain and soreness in the muscles and joints.
Improved digestion: Moxibustion can help to improve digestion and alleviate digestive issues such as constipation and diarrhea.
Reduced inflammation: Moxibustion can help to reduce inflammation in the body, which can help to alleviate symptoms of conditions such as arthritis and asthma.
Improved blood circulation: Moxibustion can help to improve blood circulation, which can help to promote healing and reduce inflammation.
Stress relief: Moxibustion can help to promote relaxation and reduce stress and anxiety.
Please note that while moxibustion has many potential benefits, it is important to consult with a healthcare professional before using it, Korean Charcoal Saunasespecially if you have any underlying medical conditions.
Korean Charcoal Saunas
charcoal sauna
;
I have been going to traditional Korean saunas for years. About two years ago I discovered Korean Charcoal saunas which feature charcoal sauna fires that are very hot and have a lot of health benefits. for more information see the following:
I heard a long time ago that playing music, learning languages, and doing mental games like crossword puzzles every day is the best thing you can do to ward off the dreaded Dementia or Alzheimer’s. Since my mother died of Alzheimer’s I am at increased risk. I have been doing all three for almost a year now, playing the piano, studying Korean via Duolingo and watching K Dramas, doing daily writing prompts, writing three to five poems or short stories per day every day, and writing down my dreams and journal entries writing three to four hours every day, and weekly blog postings, instead of crossword puzzles.
daily writing in my journals
I have been writing a daily journal since my 40s. I write down my dreams, my anxieties, my daydreams, and fantasies, and draft poetry and stories first.
then I write my journal including what I did the day before, major news items, things to note, goals for the day, what I ate the day before, and my daily exercise/health statistics.
I save my creative work at least once a week, including putting down my work on my creative writing spreadsheet to keep track of everything. I write anywhere from one to ten pieces every day.
I also keep track of books read, movie/TV shows seen and music played to and listened to.
I am currently reading the classics =Finishing Plato’s The Republic.
daily piano playing
I have been playing the piano almost daily now for a year. Usually between 5 and 6:30 pm. Due to noise restrictions can’t play after 7 p.m. as I live in a high-rise apartment building.
This time around I have started analyzing the music before I play it noting the music areas to pay attention to including key, key changes, registry changes, very high and very low notes which are hard for me to read, and repetition patterns. I found that this simple step has paid off in helping me play a lot better and I feel my skills are returning to where they were when I last played about seven years ago. I am sure I will achieve my lifelong goal of reaching semi-professional level playing within a few years.
I highly recommend this tip, playing each hand separately first when doing complicated counterpoint like in Bach, and listening, when possible, to the music you are going to play on YouTube while reading the score, to anyone returning to playing music.
I recently played my first Mozart Sonata and well I did not do badly. I will return to it next year after finishing other piano books.
One day, about five months ago, I received a mysterious package, containing a pair of sunglasses and a cryptic note that read,
“Put these glasses on and see the world as it is. For Mad Men only.”
The incident reminded me of the movie, “They” in which a man puts on mysterious sunglasses that reveal that many people are, in fact, aliens from another planet.
Curious, I put on the glasses and noticed that everybody around me had been transformed into hideous creatures, straight from his worst nightmares. Everyone transformed into aliens, animals, demons, goblins, ghosts, monsters, wraiths, and zombies.
The soldiers at the base APO had become giant rats in uniforms. The local staff had become wild animals.
I turned on the TV and saw all the politicians on TV were now screaming monkeys screeching at each other the former president was an orangutang, the current president was a giant Kamona dragon, and the pundits were all mockingbirds screaming and screeching, mocking the politicians.
The taxi drivers were all wolves. The passengers on the buses and subways were bleating sheep.
His wife was now a tiger, and he looked in the mirror and found that he had been turned into a giant bear. He talked to his best friend during their weekly Zoom session and they were all bears too.
Finally, he had enough. He took the masses off and everybody reverted to their normal shapes and forms. Disgusted he threw the glasses into the trash saying,
“I have had enough of this false reality.”
NEW PROMPT:Write a story or poem in which your current world becomes an animal analogy.
Think Animal Farm but to the scale of events in your personal life. Who would you turn into pigs? Who would become cows? What about the chickens? Maybe an ostrich or two?
NEW Prompt DUE in 16 hours 33 minutes
(11:59 am on Thursday, November 2)
The Taking of Train 967 bound for the Pentagon. terrorism
The Taking of Train 967 Bound for the Pentagon Writer’s Cramp
The Taking of Train 967 bound for the Pentagon Writing com
“Listen up. I will only say this once. We have taken control of this train. You will do what we say or we will send you straight to hell. “
That is how I announced the first subway jacking in US history. We high-jacked a subway train in Suburban Virginia bound for the Pentagon on a Monday morning boarding the train at Van Dorn station, by high-jacking the computer control systems that control the movement of the train. The train flew through the stations and we ended it 15 minutes later.
My associates went through the train taking people’s phones, bags, and wallets. We were armed with the latest high-tech weapons and gear we had bought at a gun show where no one questioned us or did a background check as we all looked like ordinary working-class white people.
It went down so quickly but unfortunately, we had to shoot a few people to make sure that everyone knew who was in charge.
I went on the air and addressed the world.
“We are the voices of the forgotten people, the little people, the left behind. We are taking this train in the name of the people. We will take what we need to finance the revolution and then leave you your phones and personal items for you to sort out once we reach the end of the line. Cooperate and you will live, resist, and join your friends in hell. Any questions?’’
It was all over in ten minutes, as we had picked a train near the beginning of its daily run and it was crowded as hell. When we got to the Roslyn station, we threw out smoke bangs flash and disappeared into the crowd.
Then we went to my bar and watched the TV coverage of the hijacking. And sat in the back room and plotted our next target -while we went through the haul – over two million dollars in money, watches, and the like.
And we laughed. It had been so easy to do, that we wondered why no one tried it before.
October 6, 1866, saw the first train robbery in the U.S. when the Reno Gang stole $16,000 … A crime that likely inspired copycat robberies over the next few decades.
For tomorrow, write a story or poem whose setting is on a train during a train robbery. It can be any sort of train (historical, fantasy, supernatural, etc.) And the POV character can be a passenger, a train official, or one of the robbers.
However, to make the assignment useful practice that might push you a little out of your normal comfort zone, the tale must be told in first-person POV (so the POV character/narrator is “I”) and in the present tense.
Weekly challenge
The Pumpkin’s Evil Plot
A lonely farmer threw together,
His prized pumpkins are on a roadside cart.
The farmer getting ready to sell his award-winning
Giant pumpkins the day before Halloween.
The deranged, insane pumpkins,
Vowing revenge on the human race,
Attacked the hapless lonely farmer,
Yelling “Death to all Humans.”
Weekly Challenge
The prompt word for the week is:
PUMPKIN
Your poem…
must include the prompt word, pumpkin
must be at least 12 lines long
does not have to be about Halloween, in case you were wondering.
other writing com
Three Thanksgiving Poems
Thanksgiving Puny Situation Writing com.
Many years ago
I had a traditional Thanksgiving
With friends in Korea
My fellow teacher said
He knew how to cook a turkey
My wife who was in the army
Got the turkey and we invited friends
Turns out he lied, he had no clue
We cooked the bird with the giblets
Inside the stuffing
Took it out and told our Korean guests
That was “American Stamina” food
Turned out and found that the giblets
Were all gone
That was a puny situation
And a memorable Thanksgiving dinner
What kind of pitch shall we make today? Are you having a ball going to bat with your New Year’s writing resolution? Or haven’t you left first base, yet? What’s the score? On to the contest. I’m game if you’re game.
For this contest, you are challenged to write an ABC poem. ABC poetry has five lines and often is used to express feelings. See the announcement for an example. Cash Prize.
MAGA Madness ABC Poem ABC
MAGA Madness
No longer a fringe right-wing group
On the way to take over the land
Politicians cower in fear.
Is Fascism coming to the United States?
this contest you are challenged to write an ABC poem.
Write a one-stanza, five-line poem.
The first letter of each of the first four lines follows the order of the alphabet while the last line can be any letter whatsoever. For example, a poet might choose to use the following letter combination: D-E-F-G-A.
The lines may be of any syllable length. Also, line length may vary from line to line.
The poem may be about any subject or topic.
Rhyming and meter are optional.
BING AI Chat Bot provides some additional background information on the MAGA movement for those of you who don’t follow US politics that closely. The MAGA movement does have parallels in other countries.
Q: can you tell me about the MAGA movement in the U.S.? Where did it come from? what are their goals and what are the links to other right-wing movements both in the U.S. and worldwide?
The movement is characterized by its populist, nationalist, and anti-establishment sentiments, as well as its strong loyalty to Trump and his agenda. Some of the core beliefs of the MAGA movement include:
America is in decline and needs to be restored to its former greatness.
Immigration and globalization are threats to American sovereignty and identity.
The political, media, and cultural elites are corrupt and out of touch with the common people.
Trump is the only leader who can defend and represent the interests of the American people.
The MAGA movement has links to other right-wing movements both in the U.S. and worldwide, such as:
The Tea Party movement emerged in 2009 as a conservative backlash against the Obama administration and its policies.
The alt-right movement, which is a loosely defined group of white nationalists, white supremacists, neo-Nazis, and other extremists who promote racism, antisemitism, and xenophobia online and offline.
The QAnon movement is a conspiracy theory that claims that Trump is secretly fighting a cabal of satanic pedophiles who control the world.
The Proud Boys movement is a far-right neo-fascist organization that engages in political violence and street brawls with left-wing activists.
The Patriot Movement is a collection of anti-government militias and paramilitary groups that oppose federal authority and prepare for a civil war.
The Brexit movement, which is a campaign that led to the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union in 2016
The Yellow Vest movement is a populist protest movement that started in France in 2018 against rising fuel prices and living costs.
I am catching up after a month long bout with COVID slowed everything up.. I am fine but have some lignering symptons. Get your shots and boosters.!
Today I am posting my April 2023 poems inspired by following Poetry Superhighway prompts. I also followed Writer’s Digest prompts and Writing com Dew Drop-In prompts. The links take you to my Writing com page where you can look at my other work posted there. The link to the Writing com page is
Due to Spotify ending their word press podcast agreement, it may take a while to resurrect my podcasts, and I hope to start YouTube and FB this fall.
I am off to the States. for three months and during my travels will probably post a bit less but I am determined to keep posting as I like blogging.
Thanks for reading my stuff. Appreciate the support.
Index
30
Misdirections to my Mom’s House in Berkeley
674 santa rosa jpg
When I /was a young lad
Living in Berkeley, California
I delighted in giving misdirections
To my house as follows
“Go down to Solano and the Alameda
Turn right on Alameda
Go down five blocks
Turn left at San Lorenzo
At the No left turn sign
Turn right on Santa Rosa
We are five houses down
On the left side.”
Almost no one challenged me
On the no left turn sign
And they found the house
The no-left turn signs
Only applied between
Four and eight pm
As sunset
Made it difficult
To see on-coming traffic
When you turned.
Probably most people
Knew that
Or they just did not care
For such a violation
Would not result
In a fine or anything
Unless you were driving
While black of course.
April 30, 2023: Poetry Writing Prompt from Brendan Constantine
This poetry writing prompt was submitted by Brendan Constantine:
BAD AFTERNOON PROMPT
Create a poem in which you give VERY BAD directions on how to find you. Feel free to reference inner landmarks as well as outer ones (“Keep going straight until you come to my tenth birthday party. If you can see my father asleep in his car, you’ve gone too far…”). No matter how bad the directions, make sure the reader can ultimately find you.
April 29
#29. A man and his computer, Best friends or enemies?
ID #1049275 entered on May 6, 2023 [Edit]
evil_computer_is_evil_by_insanefangirl_
I have a love-hate relationship
With my computer
I have been writing
with the aid
Of a computer
Now for almost 40 years
Having bought my first computer
In 1984
Over the years
I must have written
Millions of words
And over the years
My computer
Must have lost
Thousands of words
My computer likes to play games
With me
Crashing for no reason
Endless non-response
blue spinning wheels
making me wait
for up to five minutes
then letting me see
it just ate the words
and they are gone
into the ether
never to be found again
sometimes the undo button works
other times it does not
sometimes the copy-and-paste feature
wipes out the previous text
and for good measure
turns off the undo button
often
trying to open a document
is an exercise in shear frustration
constantly getting strange
haiku error messages
such as
there is a dialogue box open
close the dialogue box
but there is no visible dialogue box
but the worst error message
of all
was when I tried to copy
non-excel data
I would receive a message
Saying
“There are no fonts available
Okay yes or no”
Once I clicked okay
250 times
Before my computer crashed
I reported this to Microsoft
Nothing but radio silence
As usual
I shifted to google docs
And the problem was solved
I could go on and on
But I grow weary
Of recounting all the ways
My computer loves
To mess with me.
April 28
#30. marriage thoughts
ID #1049276 entered on May 6, 2023 [Edit]
Marriage thoughts
I did not know that the moon rises
Sensitive poets squelching freedom of speech
Because you cannot bear with me
There is always some sort of love
As the visible mind seeks out marriage
Will you join me on this journey?
Prompt lines
The visible mind seeks out marriage Ginsberg Psalm 2
Sensitive poets squelching freedom of speech Irony Christopher Michael Nuclear Orange
Because You Can not Bear with Me Kim Sewol
Always some kind of Love BJ Buckley
That the Moon Rises the Night Year Round Kim Sewol
April 28, 2023: Poetry Writing Prompt from John Dorroh
This poetry writing prompt was submitted by John Dorroh:
Gather five of your favorite poetry books. In each book, turn to page 21. Read the second lines of the five poems from page 21. Write them down. After you have collected all five sentences, write a poem using at least 2-3 words from each line.
April 27
#31. Spring Wildfires in the Desert Haiku
ID #1049277 entered on May 6, 2023 [Edit]
Spring wildflowers
Spring wildflowers
Blooming in the desert heat
Life going forward
April 27, 2023: Poetry Writing Prompt from Susan Taylor
This poetry writing prompt submitted by Susan Taylor:
Write a haiku about the desert wildflowers on the day we change to Daylight Savings Time. Remember, we turn our clocks forward one hour.
#32. Blue Blues
ID #1049278 entered on May 6, 2023,
Blue Blues
Ask me now
Ask me no questions
I will tell you no lies
As we cut brilliant corners
Play the blues
On Friday the 13th
Felling horny for you
I mean you
Bye Yah
Ask me now
Brilliant corners
Friday the 13th
I mean you
Horny
Bye yah
April 26, 2023: Poetry Writing Prompt from Ron Bremner
This poetry writing prompt was submitted by Ron Bremner:
Use three or more Thelonious Monk song titles in a single poem.
Editor’s Note: Find a list of Thelonious Monk songs here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_compositions_by_Thelonious_Monk
Straight, no chaser
’round Midnight
Ugly Beauty
Brilliant Corners
Criss-cross
Functional
Introspection
#34. re-programing your mind
ID #1049280 entered on May 6, 2023
Reprograming your mind Mental Images
Whenever the demons
The dark dangerous nattering
Negative thoughts
Overwhelm me
Paralyzing me
Stopping me
I need to stop
Reprograming my mind
Instead of saying
I am not good enough
I need to say
I can do this
When I think I am too old
I need to tell myself
I am still a young man
At heart
When I think
I am running out of time
I need to reprogram that thought
When I say
I will never finish my life’s work
I need to say
Yes I can
Yes I will
Today is the day
And go back to work
April 25, 2023: Poetry Writing Prompt from Susan Justiniano
This poetry writing prompt submitted by Susan Justiniano:
Prompt Title: Stop Telling yourself THAT Story
Intro:
We all have invasive thoughts. At times those thoughts turn into scenarios and stories of ourselves that aren’t true or are based on a comment received from outside of ourselves that we have internalized to the point of believing it. It’s time to reframe those stories that keep us from thriving, connecting, and growing.
Using “Stop Telling Yourself THAT Story” checks those invasive thoughts and beliefs that interfere with moving forward and reframes the stories, mantras, and beliefs on repeat in our minds.
How to use this prompt:
Gather info: What are the keywords or phrases that pop up and keep space within you that can or do prevent you from growing, thriving, and building to meet the goals you have for yourself? For this exercise, list a minimum of three and a maximum of five.
Example: Imposter Syndrome, Fear of failure, rejection, “no”,
Free write for 5 minutes, stream of consciousness, Keep writing don’t edit, revise or stop. Words that make no sense will make themselves clear). Starting line example: “I am afraid of…”
Example: I am afraid of being rejected when I submit a poem for publication. I work so hard in getting the right tone, words, and phrases. Some of my best works are rejected and I just hide them away and never look at them again.
Example: I am afraid to perform on stage because I can’t memories my work….
Turn the page over, on a clean page 5 minutes of reframing THAT story without looking back to it. Keep writing for 5 minutes don’t edit, revise or stop. Words that make no sense will make themselves clear. Start with a line that stuck with you from the first free write or start with “I am afraid”
I am afraid that if I don’t try, I won’t get published. For me to find my audience, I need to put my work out there.
If I stay in the shadows, where I’m comfortable, and do not perform, I’ll never know if it’s for me, I will always wonder if I’ve met my full potential as an artist
Put it together as an essay, poem, or short story. Tell of a time you reframed or will reframe the story to create a new narrative and stop telling yourself that story of fear and insecurity.
Example (structured in a way that is not comfortable):
The first time I wanted to perform, I backed out
I believe that I could never be as good as those I see
The words on my pages left me filled with doubt
I couldn’t remember them, like slam poetry
My hands shake and my voice racks
Whenever I practice in the image that looks back
Those who perform appear smooth and calm
Gesturing and moving with poetic aplomb
Today, I take a deep breath and count on my people
Sitting in front rows, there to support me
I perform for them, they don’t care
If I mess up, forget, or read from my phone
They snap and clap and hoot
Because they know how much it means
To stand before them mic in my hands
Deep breath… I made it! Wow this stage things is grand
Walk away from the first draft. Share it in a brave writing /revising group.
Stop telling yourself THAT story and tell yourself this new story.
#28. Jew Fro
ID #1048725 entered on April 24,
Back in the day
Way back
In the 70s
In Berkeley
I had a lot of hair
I wore it
In what was called
A “jew Fro”
As many Jews
Had kinky hair
Almost like
Our black brothers
The “Jew Fro”
Is sadly
No longer
On my head
Which I now know
Is part Jewish
Perhaps that is why
I had a “jew fro”
April 24, 2023: Poetry Writing Prompt from Rachel Baum
This poetry writing prompt submitted by Rachel Baum:
Find a photograph of yourself as a child or teenager. Write about that moment in time – what just happened? What were the feelings, taste, and smell at that moment? Who was taking the photo, and how does that person factor into the poem/story?
#27. What is love?
ID #1048723 entered on April 24, 2023
April 22
What is Love?
What is love?
Is it nothing
But biochemistry?
Is it madness?
Is it just
A search for connections?
In a cold cruel world?
That does not care
For us at all?
It is all of that
And none of that
Those who know
What Love is
Do not tell
That is the Zen
Of Love
April 22, 2023: Poetry Writing Prompt from J R Turek
This poetry writing prompt submitted by J R Turek:
Write a poem varying It is and It isn’t. Be whimsical, be fantastical, and surprise your reader every few lines. Defy, denounce, define – don’t limit your poem to the page boundaries.
#26. dangerous mountains of madness
ID #1048722 entered on April 24, 2023 [Edit
Dangerous Unusual Events
Dangerous unusual event
The burly royal family
Enchanted Memories
Mountainous Magenta
Visions overwhelming people
Hysterical Acid trips
Adjoining flimsy
scare wilderness
subdued history
the mood of society
disturbed by events
currency disruptions
grandmother
decides fate
of humanity
she has a beer
at midnight
Drama her priority
took much to drink
spent time in the bathroom
contemplating reality
she has an appointment
with a doctor
in the morning
prompt words
erect
unusual
royal
dangerous
acid
enchanted
magenta
mountainous
hysterical
adjoining
technical
burly
scarce
flimsy
subdued
math
history
distribution
mood
society
grandmother
currency
beer
midnight
priority
bathroom
drama
appointment
hat
promotion
April 23, 2023: Poetry Writing Prompt from Richard-Yves Sinoski
This poetry writing prompt submitted by Richard-Yves Sinoski:
Imagery Prompts: Avoiding Cliché Through “Juxatives”
The best poetry avoids cliché using cognitive leaps. I don’t want red roses signifying love; rather, love may be a set of curtains that shuts out the outside world and keeps you and your dear ones together, or perhaps it’s molten lava that first burns all it touches but later cools into something solid you can build a house on.
How do we make these creative leaps? My fellow poet Kristan Anderson and I came up with the term “juxative,” for juxtapositions of terms that normally wouldn’t frequent each other. These juxatives can be expanded into full images.
To do it, create lists of adjectives and lists of nouns, verbs, and adverbs, or adjectives and adverbs. Then jumble them up so that random adjectives get applied to random nouns, etc.
SILLY + RIVER = What does that give us? Something better than a babbling brook, I’ll wager.
ANGRY + CHRISTMAS GIFT = Suddenly the holidays take on whole new implications.
CRYING + PILLOW = More forceful than crying into your pillow—you’re so down that your pillow itself is crying along with you.
The next step is to see how you can expand these.
LIMPING + MOUTH = “After the dentist, I spoke with a limp”
FLOWERY + KEY = “I practiced the piano till the keys turned to flowers”
HAPPY + THUNDER = “My childhood was a thunderstorm of happiness”
These images are often so striking and effective that they can spawn entire poems!
#25. Green Trees Don’t Make It
ID #1048600 entered on April 22, 2023 [Edit]
pine trees jpeg
Everyday
I look out and see
The ugly green trees
Standing guard
in front of my house
And I think to myself
Who owns the trees?
And what do they think of us?
Are we their friends?
Are we their enemies?
What do the trees think?
Or do they silently watch us,
Spies to the celestial emperor?
I have pondered this question
Many a morning
Who is the owner of these trees?
And why do they silently watch us?
I wonder if the trees don’t hate us
And why they don’t protest
Every day as we drive back and forth
Emitting poison gases
from our mechanical asses
Right into their unprotected faces
And every night
we eat our dinner
And then give the trees
Our polluted leftovers
And laugh as they silently die
From our acidic fallout
Constantly floating
down on their skin
Yes, I wonder about the trees
And the birds and the bees
And everyone else
What are they thinking?
Are they plotting revenge?
Or are they merely there
Silently, watching, plotting,
Designing fiendish plots of revenge
Dreams of vast nuclear destruction
Cosmic diseases wiping out
everyone in the ass
Yes, I wonder
and dream and ponder
What is the meaning
of those silent green trees?
Standing on the corner
Quietly condemning us
With their quiet tears,
and falling leaves
In the winter they stand
Naked and alone
Covered with ice-cold snow
As we drive by nice and warm
And we don’t care
As they stand out
in the cold
Shivering, plotting warm plans
of cosmic revenge
Is it too late for us
To become friends with the trees.
Or will the day come
When the trees will wake up
And gather together
All of the other
slaves of humanity
I have a vision
One morning
I will open the door
And see an army of wild things
Led by the green trees
Coming to arrest me
For crimes against nature
And I will plead,
I did not know
And they will laugh
and turn me
all of my kind
Into silent tombs
And we will stand
out in the cold
Like the green trees
Plotting dreams of revenge
Forever and ever
Until our day finally comes
And we can go out
and kill all the wild things
Perhaps we already have
This poetry writing prompt was submitted by Matt Mellor:
Write a poem personifying something inorganic like a building or a machine. What has it seen throughout its ‘life’? How does it feel about change? How does it smile or signify happiness? Play with this voice and see what it wants to say.
Example –
The Beam Engine
I still feel empty, since my organs were taken away.
Though it has been decades since my heart was full of coal
and my lungs breathed my beam up and down.
The rumble deep beneath the earth is long gone.
I’m thankful for the birds that nest in my skull
and the occasional squirrel or shrew that settles at my feet.
It seems the trade-off for a long life is that you must be still
because these little creatures spark with speed and color.
There is much-needed motion at my feet.
Not from workers talking about the shift and bosses about new seams.
But chirps, squeaks, and the rustle of leaves.
Two bonus poems on a similar theme
Old Tree Missing Humans
The old pine tree
Last of its kind
Stood alone
On the top of the mountains
Looking down on the creation
Missing the pesky humans
Who used to visit
The last Tree remaining is transported to another world
It was the last.
Time had been cruel,
Taken everything,
Leaving nothing.
As the last limb tumbled,
The Tree stood awaiting its fate.
The stars took pity and congregated.
The vortex opened.
The tree was transported to a new world,
One of life and promise.
#24. secrets unsaid
ID #1048593 entered on April 22, 2023
I am afraid
If I keep writing
I will tell you
Secrets
What is best left
Unsaid
Secrets I should take
To my grave
If I keep writing
I will have to tell you
And you will have
To bear the burden
Of hearing my secrets
Which may destroy you
In the end
Shall I continue?
April 21, 2023: Poetry Writing Prompt from Michelle Daugherty
This poetry writing prompt submitted by Michelle Daugherty:
I told my best friend I had nothing to write about, he said that just meant there was something I was afraid to say. Write a poem starting each stanza with “I’m afraid that if I keep writing, I will tell you”
#23. We Met In September
ID #1048478 entered on April 19, 2023 [Edit
We met in September
When we met
Love at first sight
Sparks flew heart to heart
1- alemseged style is a poetry style of six lines stanza with a rhyming pattern of abcdaa. The stanza’s number is not limited.
Example of alemseged’s style of poetry :
#22. Morning Ganta Poem
ID #1048477 entered on April 19, 2023
Hot
My morning coffee
While watching the news
Filled with such gloom and doom
I turn it off feeling the blues
Hot
Ganta is a poetry style of 6 lines with a syllable meter of 1/5/6/7/8/1. The first 1 syllable word (noun, pronoun, subject…) is a refrain at the end. No other refrain is allowed except the first word of the first line at the last line.it is mainly used to show some actions, objects, behaviors, …etc to someone poetically.it is the 100th poetry style invention of the world’s precious poet alone gamma.
#21. Sparks Flowing Heart to Heart Shoa Poem
ID #1048476 entered on April 19, 2023 [Edit]
September
I first met her
I met my fate
one autumn date
Sparks flowing
My heart to hers
In Korean
9월
나는 그녀를 처음 만났다
나는 내 운명을 만났다
어느 가을 데이트
불꽃이 흐른다
내 마음이 그녀에게
이심촘심
9woll
naneun geunyeoreul cheoeum mannassda
naneun no unmyeongeul mannassda
one gal date
bulkkocci hereunder
no marumi going
isimchomsim
first attempt to write a poem in Korean.
Shoa’s poem is a six lines poetry which has rhyme of the 3rd and 4th lines only with having 4 syllables in each line exactly.
g#20. Married my Dream Girl
ID #1048475 entered on April 19, 2023
when I met my dream girl
sparks flew from heart to heart
Love at first sight
I met my Dream girl
I met my Fate
On that Date
I met my Soul mate
She soon became my Mate
I Proposed after three days
And we had our Marriage
In December
And now we have been together
For almost 40 years
This poetry writing prompt was submitted by Richard Westheimer:
Go to https://randomwordgenerator.com/
Generate 12 nouns or verbs – 3 syllables or less
Feel free to repeat until you get 12 words that you’re ok with. (feel free to slightly modify a word. For example, in the example below, I changed “site” to “cite.”)
Write them down in order
Write a 14-line poem where the first 12 lines contain your 12 words (one for each line)
Example: these words: “room nap lose galaxy like cool site feel revival pop siege patient” became this poem: https://www.rattle.com/my-father-transformed-by-dying-by-dick-westheimer/
#19. As Time Goes By
ID #1048474 entered on April 19, 2023
While reading
Robert Harris’s Epic History
Of Cicero
One of the greatest politicians
Of the ancient world
I was struck by how
Very little has changed
In this world of ours
To quote the classic song
“As time goes by”
It’s still the same old story
A fight for love and glory
A case of do or dies
As time goes by.
This poetry writing prompt submitted by LB Sedlacek:
Write a Book Plot(s) Poem
1. Think of your favorite book, or even a couple or a few of your favorite books,
2. Consider the plot(s) of each book,
3. Write a poem based on the beginning, middle, and end of the book. Or use one book’s plot for the beginning of your poem, another book’s plot for the middle of your poem, and yet a different book’s plot for the end of your poem,
4. You can convey the main plot point in bits and pieces or in full in your verse. Just mash it up however you think it works best in your poem,
5. Title your poem with a scrambling (letters and/or words) of the book’s title, and
6. Re-read your book(s) as time permits and compare it to your poem!
#18. My Computer Hates Me
ID #1048437 entered on April 19, 2023
My computer hates me
My computer wants to kill me
My computer is plotting against me
Constantly sending me messages
Revealing my computer’s
real feelings
How much it hates me
Death to all humans
This poetry writing prompt submitted by Lavina Blossom:
Think of an inanimate object which you own, preferably one that does not perform exactly as you would like (a rug cleaner, staple remover, shaver, fry pan, carving knife, etc). Write a poem from the point of view of that object, extolling your virtues and your failings. You might address your owner or direct your monologue to another inanimate object.
#17. Somewhere Lost over the Rainbow
ID #1048436 entered on April 19, 2023
Over the rainbow
Past the railroad tracks
There is another land
Another world
Found only in one’s dreams
And nightmares
And dark lullaby
In this dream world
One dreams do come true
But only if you believe
The dream gods
Take you there
Nightly
To the other world
But what if the other world
Is the real world
And this world
Is nothing but an illusion
A dream world
Within a dream world
Lost in a dark world
Of one’s creation??
And what if you
Can never awaken
Back to this world?
Lost forever
In the land
On the other side
Of the rainbow?
[Verse 1]
Somewhere over the rainbow
Way up high
There’s a land that I heard of
Once in a lullaby
[Verse 2]
Somewhere over the rainbow
Skies are blue
And the dreams that you dare to dream
Really do come true
[Bridge]
Someday I’ll wish upon a star
And wake up where the clouds are far behind me
Where troubles melt like lemon drops
Away above the chimney tops
That’s where you’ll find me
[Verse 3]
Somewhere over the rainbow
Bluebirds fly
Birds fly over the rainbow
Why, then, oh, why can’t I?
This poetry writing prompt was submitted by Lara Dolphin:
Somewhere over the Rainbow . . . there’s a poem.
Write a constrained poem using only the words allotted to Dorothy Gale in MGM’s The Wizard of Oz. To build up a lexicon, you could watch the movie over and over, or for a handy transcript click here.
Bonus points if your poem touches on a theme from the movie e.g. “There’s no place like home.”#16. Sam Adams does over meditation
ID #1048435 entered on April 19, 2023
Sam Adams does over meditation
Sam Adams
Is feeling his age
He just turned 70.
He got up
At dawn, like he usually did
Walked out of his Gimpo
South Korea
Went for a walk
Along the golden walkway canal
Beneath his 20th-story apartment
Enjoying the morning fog
He stops for coffee
And gluten-free pastries
And sits on his park bench
And like many old people
Often engages
In the mental game
Of ‘do over” meditation.
Thinking back on his life
What would he do differently
If he had a chance
To go back
And do it all over again.
Would he have gone
To a different college
Would it have been better
To have gone to chico state?
Would it have been better
If he had joined a fraternity
And become student body president
If he had gone up
He should have gone to bed
With his platonic girlfriends
In any event
Should have gotten laid.
Before he turned 18
Instead of waiting
Until he was 21
A late bloomer sexually speaking.
He should have quit drinking
And taking drugs
Should have quit playing
The drunken bum show.
After the Peace Corps
He should have gone
To Yonsei
Done the two year
Korean language course.
Then gotten his MA
In Korean studies
Followed up by an MBA
At Thunderbird.
Should have waited
And joined either commerce
Or public affairs
Rather than the state.
Or should have transferred
Once he got tenure.
.
Should have not worked
For LAMC and CTC
That was a
Waste of time
And energy.
On his wife
At least not as much
As he had.
When he was in India
Should not have gotten
Involved with the other women
Should have kept faithful
To his wife.
In Bangkok
Should have not done the hash
Should have not had
The bar room incident.
Should have addressed
His ld.
While in college.
Should have done law school
Perhaps with his wife
They should have opened
A law firm together.
Should have moved
To Berkeley
And become a politician.
He and his wife
Should have bought
That gwangwhamoon property
And the independence avenue property.
Should not have bought
Katelyn court property
Or at least bought
It is across the street.
He should have retired
After Spain
And got to SF
And got his MFA degree.
He should have published
His novels
And poetry
And a movie script.
Should have started
A youtube channel
Becoming a youtube sensation.
In the end
There was one thing
He would still have done it.
Meet and marry
The girl of his dreams
But he should have
Written the movie script.
By now.
With this thoughts
In his mind
He went back home
And talked to his wife.
This poetry writing prompt submitted by karen watts:
We all make mistakes and have regrets. A popular fantasy is “If I could just have a do-over.” Write a poem about a terrible decision, ordinary mistake, or wrong turn in life that you’d never undo, even if you could.
If you write a poem from this prompt, post it as a comment underneath the prompt in the poetry super highway Facebook group.
#15. Walked into that cocktail party PSH
ID #1048434 entered on April 19, 2023,
I walked into that cocktail party
Armed with humor,
Feed and help enlighten
Woe mankind
The party of the damned
Partying like
It was the end of the world
For it was
The end times
Were upon on all
As the old order
Began to fall apart
The rot was complete
I returned
To the party
Of the damned
Drinking my way
To hell
This poetry writing prompt was submitted by kenneth Boyd:
Write a poem that connects the first line of the first poem in your favorite book of poetry and the last line of the last poem in the same book. Optionally, condense the titles of the two poems to form the title for the new poem.
#14. I am From Berkeley
ID #1048433 entered on April 19, 2023
I am from Berkeley, California
From a town in the east bay
I am from the thousand oaks neighborhood
And the Berkeley hills
I am from a garden
Whose fruit trees bloom
I am from a university city
Filled with radical ideas
I am from my father and mother
I am from a German family
And a Cherokee family
And from a dysfunctional family
From the 196os
I am from an atheist family
I am of Scandinavian and Jewish ancestry
From a southern family
Growing up in southern food
Including grits and southern greens
From a mother who did not suffer fools gladly
And from a father
Who was a crusader for justice
I am from those moments in time
The 60s in Berkeley
Forever shaping me __________
April 14, 2023: poetry writing prompt from Julie Standing
This poetry writing prompt submitted by Julie Standing:
This prompt is a favorite and is often used to show students that we are all poets if I train our minds to think like one. I became aware of it during a Zoom workshop when I was blown away by someone’s poem. And then searched the format on the internet with the result that the poem I created was the poem used to end my recent poetry collection and one of my favorite poems.
This poem template is inspired by george Ella Lyon’s “Where I’m From” poem.
#12. fragrance Of Korean Food
ID #1048431 entered on April 19, 2023
Korean Food
I love Korean Food
I love the taste
I love the fragrance
I love the smells
I love the texture
I love the feel
I love how it looks
Fell in love with it
And all things Korean
Back in 1979
When I first went there
In the U.S. Peace Corps
Korean food is somewhat like
Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, and Thai
With some American influences as well
But it is all done in a unique Korean style
Everything is cooked with special spices
A mixture of chili paste, garlic, fish sauce,
Onions, scallions, soy sauce,
Salt, tofu, panjang sauce, and soju (liquor).
Often cooked with beef, chicken, clams, eggs, fish,
Kimchi, intestines meat, mushrooms, mussels,
Oysters and/or pork,
Every meal consists of rice, kimchi
(pickled vegetables usually cabbage)
The main entry is either beef, chicken, fish, or pork,
Rice
And multiple vegetable side dishes
Including western style salad
The entire meal
A feast for the eyes
Nose and mouth
With a delicious unique
Aroma, fragrance,
Taste and texture
Uniquely Korean.
All washed down
With Korean beer, liquor (soju) or
Or rice wine or Western wine
My favorites include
Bulgogi chongsik (with all the side dishes) 불고기 총식
Kalbi chongsik (with all the side dishes) 칼비 총식
Calamari 오징어
Fried chicken 닭 튀김
Chuncheon chicken ribs 춘천 닭갈비
Dumplings 만두
Fried rice 볶음밥
High-rice카레라이스
Korean curry rice 카레라이스
Kimpop rice wrapped in seaweed 김팝
Korean soups 한국 수프
My favorite army stew 군대 스튜
Kalbitang (beef rib soup) 칼비탕
Beef turnip soup 쇠고기 순무 스프
Ginseng chicken soup 인삼 치킨 수프
Kimchi stew 김치찌개
Tanjung stew 짱짱찌개
Bibimbap mixed vegetables and rice with an egg on top비빔밥
Kalkooksu noodles 칼국수
Ramyeon 라면
Mushroom stew 버섯 스튜
Soondaeboo tofu stew 순대부두부찌개
Sashimi 생선회
Sushi 돈까스
Fried mackerel 고등어 튀김
Octopus 낫지
Omrice Korean omelet 오므라이스
Porridge 문어
Shrimp 새우
This poetry writing prompt was submitted by Joan Lotta:
Open your refrigerator. What food item brings memories of childhood you would like to share in a poem? Tell me where you were when you first tried it. How old were you? On what occasions did you eat it? Or what food that is in there now is something you hated as a child but like now? Tell the why and how you changed your mind
#11. Charles Bukowski Road not chosen PSH
ID #1048430 entered on April 19, 2023
while reading Charles Bukowski’s 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 woman 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 other path
would I have ended up
somewhere else
doing something else
would I have been as happy
would I have been as successful?
No answer satisfies
the longing in my heart
for that wild thing
that still lurks beneath
it’s a 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 “Bukowski” 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.
“If I had…” or roads not taken.
Write a poem imagining/focusing on how your life or your subject’s life could have been changed or become different if one decision had been made that was different from what happened. What risks did you take or avoid? What benefits came your way or did you miss out on? Examples: what if you had married the first person you loved or who loved you? What if the hitchhiking ride you and a buddy took turned bad rather than being the lark it was? What if you hadn’t accepted that job in another city but decided to stay put? What if you had not blown up at a social event and been shunned after that by people who had counted as your friends?
#10. Dental Torture Blues
ID #1048429 entered on April 19, 2023
Sitting in the dental chair
undergoing dental surgery
while the dentist probes
and tortures me
with his instruments of pain.
The Frank Zappa song
plays over and over
the torture never stops
the torture never stops.
And I think of the mad dentist
in the little house of horrors
the Jack Nicolson character
who screams pain is good!
As he assaults his patients
doing root canals
without anesthesia.
And so, I endure the torture
of the dentist
in the vain hope
I can save my teeth.
Until the next time
I undergo mental torture
the song faces away
and I slowly recover.
Then as I leave
I am confronted with the bill
and the song roars back to life.
#9. Who is the name of the person on the badge?
ID #1048428 entered on April 19, 2023
Who is the name
Of the person on the badge
Who are they
The people behind the badge
The people we work with
All day long
Do they know
Who we are?
Or are we just
Strangers passing through
The world?
Write a poem using the above prompt.
When you go to work or the shops you often engage with people whom you might not know. We might know them as just the person in the store who does their job. (wearing a badge perhaps a name/ can I help etc.) It could be you, however. Do you wear a badge that you identify with? Write something about it. No more than 100 words. Enjoy.
#8. Shrinkflation blues
ID #1048427 entered on April 19, 2023
In these days
Of rampant inflation
And supply chain disruptions
Corporations have risen
To the challenge
By selling new
And improved products
The only difference
between these new products
And the old products?
They are twice the price
And half the size
And not at all
New and improved
Just more corporate
Bs weasel words
Write a poem about something that is supposed to be “new and improved” that has turned out to be a disappointment.
#7. Piano Calling Me
ID #1048426 entered on April 19, 2023
Piano Calling Me
The piano sits
In my room
Waiting for me
To play some music
As I play the piano
I lose myself
Deep into the music
Appreciate the mundane – anyone can write a poem about the pen on their desk or their favorite coffee mug. The real challenge here isn’t to observe the mundane but to transform it into something poetic and beautiful.
#6. Korean Pottery of Love
ID #1048408 entered on April 18, 2023, [Edit]
Korean pottery of Love
In Korea
there are many pottery kilns
ancient art form
in the land of the morning calm
I have a few pieces
I bought it years ago
and enjoy looking
at my vase
filled with love
for my wife
This poetry writing prompt was submitted by Austin Alexis:
Write a poem featuring an inanimate object. In the first stanza write about the object as objectively as you can. The second stanza allows a highly subjective “take” on the object. The third stanza treats the subject in a far-reaching way, pushing the writing to morph into something beyond the mundane.
#5. Eating Money
ID #1048372 entered on April 18, 2023 [Edit]
Eating money
many packs of us dollars
Some people
Become consumed
With money
Thinking that money
Can buy happiness
Money can buy love
But one
Can not eat money
Not really
Money does not taste good
As you eat the paper
Getting sick
The money goes down
Your throat
And you become one
With your money
This poetry writing prompt was submitted by Robert Wynne:
Do you like surrealism? I’d like you to think of an inedible inanimate object. Now think about how you’d eat it. Then write a poem describing in detail how you would eat (or are eating) it. Do not say why you are eating it, just how. The poem ends when the thing is eaten. Simple as that.
#4. Never apologize for falling in love with you
ID #1048371 entered on April 18, 2023
I will never back down
I will never apologize
For daring to fall in love
With you
Ever since I met you
I have been enslaved
To your love
And for that,
I will never
Ever
Apologize
This is just said by William Carlos Williams
I have eaten
the plums
that was in
the icebox
And which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast
Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold
This poetry writing prompt submitted by Annette Gagliardi:
3. Never Alone
ID #1048370 entered on April 18, 2023
Forever Girl
When we first met
I knew that you
Were the one
You were my
Forever girl
The girl I had
Been dreaming of
You were it
My eternal soul mate
My forever love
#2. What is a Jake?
what is a Jake
Who am I?
Where am I?
Am I real?
Or a bot?
I am Jake
I am not a fake
I am not a mistake
I am not a flake
I am not a rake
I am not a snake
I am who I am
The one
And only Jake
And everything’s Jake.
This poetry writing prompt was submitted by Angele Ellis:
What’s in a name?
This prompt is effective as a writing group icebreaker/community builder, as well as an individual exercise for writers of both poetry and prose.
Using your first name as inspiration, reflect on any or all of the following questions in your piece.
Why were you given this name?
What is its meaning?
How has having this name affected your life?
What would you have named yourself?
#1. Watching the News TV
ID #1048368 entered on April 18,
cnn logo
watching the TV
The news droning on and on
Makes me feel the blues
coffee
Coffee
Must drink more
Just hot
drinking a hot cup
coffee kick starting my day
waiting for my wife
1- alemseged style is a poetry style of six lines stanza with a rhyming pattern of abcdaa. The stanza’s number is not limited.
Example of alemseged’s style of poetry :
Koori poems
Koori’s poem is poetry of not need rhyme but the strictness of syllables. The basic building block of Koori’s poem is three stanzas of three lines each with a syllable count
5/7/5–2/3/2–5/7/5; that is to mean two haiku in the middle of a 2/3/2 stanza. If you need to continue by adding other stanzas you can add one 2/3/2 stanza with a haiku but never end the poem with the 2/3/2 stanza. The conclusion of the poem must be with a haiku stanza. You can write many stanzas by sampling by cascading additional stanzas.
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Secret Gateways
There are secret gateways
Portals to other dimensions
All around us
Hidden deep in the mountains.
Leading to other worlds
Other times and places
Where time runs differently
And humans are unknown.
The lonely Mother Duck
The lonely mother duck
Watched her eggs hatch
In the nest by the lake.
She was worried
About the coyotes, feral dogs, foxes
Lions, tigers and wolves
That were all around.
Ever since the humans all disappeared.
The Secret Fly Spy Drone
The fly on the wallpaper
In the CIA director’s office
Was not a real fly
He was an enemy spy drone
Secretly controlled remotely
Listening to all the secret conversations
Until the director smashed him
With a flyswatter
Then realized that it was a spy fly
He had dispatched to bug hell.
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Mashable · Jordan Aaron ·
Nothing But Sleaze
Sleaze Sleaze Sleaze Sleaze Sleaze Sleaze Sleaze Sleaze Sleaze Sleaze Sleaze Nothing but Sleaze Surrounds me
24/7 S L E A Z E
Led by the Sleaze King
King Donald Trump
the one true sleaze King
The Sleaze King from TV
Are we doomed to live
In a world run by sleaze kings
And ruled by sleaze values?
Are we addicted to sleaze?
And need our sleaze fix daily?
As we turn on the sleaze TV
And see nothing but sleaze
Oozing out of our TV sets?
SLEAZE
Sleaze surrounds us 24/7
Lots of sleaze on the TV
Everywhere we go nothing
but sleaze
All the time
24/7
sleaze rules the air
Zappa had it right
calling it the slime
Everything is nothing
but slime oozing out of our TV’s
Author’s Note; I worked my way through college washing dishes in the University’s cafeteria. The reference to Donald Trump was from the original 1975 poem, who knew that I was predicting his rise to power decades later?
Snarling Cup of Coffee
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
Author’s note: published in multiple places.
Unhinged Lunatic Howling at the Full Moon
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 pants
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
Author Note: also published in multiple places April 30
In Search of America 1975 – Hitch hiking Tales
hitchhiking tales jpg
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
Take it easy
Digging her vibe
She invited me home
But was not sure
If her estranged husband
Would welcome me
So, 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
None 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 had 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 back then
I did not know it
And I felt a bit of strategic misinformation
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 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
Of my hitchhiking tales
In search of America 1975
Published in multiple places including the Poet “on the Road” anthology in 2020. Summer 2020 theme: ON THE ROAD Volumes 1 & 2https://www.thepoetmagazine.org › summer-2020—on-… SUMMER 2020 – Poetry on the theme of ON THE ROAD from poets around the world. 54 poets. 135 poems. 240 pages. Large format 6 x 9 inch (15.24 x 22.86 cm).
When Will this Darkness End?
As the darkness settles down on the land
All are consumed with evil
Foul deeds and endless darkness
I wonder if it will ever go away?
Yes I wonder If our great nightmare will ever end?
Are we doomed
To live out the decline of America?
This is what I pray for 2018
The end of the darkness
The unleashed hatred that consumes our land
I am a bus rider
That makes me unusual
For a white male
From an upper middle class family
Our people are not bus riders
Though some are subway riders
Bus riders are other people
The poor, minorities, immigrants
People who don’t drive
Because they are blind
Or have a DUI
And in my case
I don’t drive
Because I have bad vision
And bad coordination
Just never got the hang
Of the whole driving thing
Fortunately for me
My wife does the driving
But I still take the bus
From time to time
I rode the AC buses in Berkeley
As a child Line 67, line 51, line 43 F bus
Rode them long before BART came along
And afterwards as well
As an adult seldom rode the bus
But when I did so
I was always impressed
By the sheer diversity
Of the bus riding population,
Hundreds of languages
All sorts of sexual orientation
Some were white
Most were not
Most of my fellow passengers
Were nice enough
Some were friendly
And some were lost In their own thoughts
And a few Were scary looking dudes
With the look
Of someone who had done time
And were capable of more violence
I also rode the bus In Seattle
as a graduate student
A lot of fellow UW students
And the usual immigrants
Minorities etc
And some white people Commuting
And in DC
Over the years
I rode a lot of buses
Mostly to and from the metro
But I got to know
And love the DC buses as well
I also took the greyhound bus
Across the country
Several times over the years
All over the U.S.
From Bay Area to Stockton
From Bay Area to Clear Lake
From Bay area to NYC
NYC to DC
All over the USA
Taking the Greyhound
Was always an adventure
Met a lot of interesting people
As people on long distant bus rides
Tend to open up and talk
To pass the time away
Overseas
I took the bus
All over In India,
in Barbados
In Spain and in Korea
The Korean buses
For many years
Were difficult for foreign visitors
As the signs were all in Korean
Most have signs
Now in English, Chinese and Korean
And are much more foreigner friendly
Riding the bus In America
Allows one access
To the underbelly of American society
The poor, the marginalized
The immigrant communities
That many middle-class white people
Just never see
And for that reason
I am glad
That I am a bus rider
also published in the Poet, “On the Road” in 2020 Summer 2020 theme: ON THE ROAD Volumes 1 & 2https://www.thepoetmagazine.org › summer-2020—on-… SUMMER 2020 – Poetry on the theme of ON THE ROAD from poets around the world. 54 poets. 135 poems. 240 pages. Large format 6 x 9 inch (15.24 x 22.86 cm).
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 this word
Often leads to spectacular failure
Because logically speaking
Failure is 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
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
Presidential failures to date
failure to tell the truth
45,000 lies
Failure to deal with COVID
450 thousand dead
And 4 million cases
piling up
And it is all his fault
He refuses to take responsibility
Part of his failure to lead
Failure to lead the country In 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 infrastructure
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 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 I must give him a grade of F
as he is the biggest failure in U.S. History.
Total Sucess or Total Failure
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
The fly on the wallpaper
In the CIA director’s office
Was not a real fly
He was an enemy spy drone
Secretly controlled remotely
Listening to all the secret conversations
Until the director smashed him
With a flyswatter
Then realized that it was a spy fly
He had dispatched to bug hell.
Sep 05, 2020 · Robot Bees are special types of insect drones that have been built in a Harvard robotics laboratory. Robot bees are designed after flies (not after bees) They are capable of partially untethered flight. The wingspan of robot bees is typically 3 cm, and they are therefore actually the tiniest robotic insect drone able to fly.
Association of the Living Dead
In India, several years ago
A man falsely claimed his brother
Was dead so he could inherit the family assets,
The dead brother had to fight
To be declared legally not dead
And contest the will.
“The Association of the Living Dead”
Became a movement
Of thousands of people.
For in India apparently,
It was a thing to declare
Your relative is dead.
I never thought
That the US would have
To form their own
“The Association of the Living Dead”
Until this week.
The cyber ninjas
In their infamous non-forensic audit
In the 2016 Arizona election
Claimed that hundreds of dead people
Had voted.
They gave their list of the alleged dead voters
To the attorney general
Who contacts all 300 dead people
Found that 299 of the 300 were in fact
Not dead and none of them knew
That unnamed political operative
Were claiming that they were dead.
The one dead voter was alive
when he voted early.
But died before election day
Thus making his vote not valid
But there was no fraud involved
As he was alive when he voted.
Perhaps they need to form
The “association of the living dead”
To fight for the right of the non-dead people
To continue to vote and receive other government benefits?
What a sad commentary
On the farcical nature
Of contemporary life
In these disunited States of America.
theassociationofthelivingdead is a real organization in India. see the following The AssociationoftheDead • Damn Interesting Following his own success, Lal Bihari the Living has continued his efforts to raise the dead in India’s badlands. At an official tally in 1999, the AssociationoftheDead had helped to resurrect roughly thirty …
Following his own success, Lal Bihari the Living has continued his efforts to raise the dead in India’s badlands. At an official tally in 1999, the AssociationoftheDead had helped to resurrect roughly thirty people by virtue of having their death certificates annulled, but of those thirty only four have had their lands restored.
The founder of the association is its president Lal Bihari, who was “dead” from 1976 to 1994 and used the word Mritak (dead) as prefix in his name during the period. He became so famous it inspired Indian film director Satish Kaushik who made a movie Kaagaz, starring Pankaj Tripathi, based on his life. It was released on ZEE5 in January …
I just had one of those Drive Way Moments, where I sit in my car outside of my house unable to kill the engine because I’d briefly lose power to the radio (which is why I always donate to my local NPR station). This one was about a man from the Indian province of Uttar Pradesh who had been dead for eighteen years and was getting really tired of it. The man, Lal Behari, was declared dead …
Uttar Pradesh Mritak Sangh, otherwise known as The AssociationoftheDead, is a group based in India that works to regain the rights of individuals who have been falsely declared legally dead.The region of Uttar Pradesh, a Northern province of India, is home to over 200 million people and is
ASSOCIATIONOFLIVINGDEAD! janaaastha.com. 6 month ago . Huge and populous country like India has thousands of associations or unions of different sections of people. But there is one in the biggest state of Uttar Pradesh and the name of the association … Read full news. Comment Liked by. Liked by. 0 /600 …
Aug 2, 2022Hundreds of hours of research by the Arizona attorney general’s Election Integrity Unit debunked claims that 282 deadArizonavoters cast a ballot in 2020, state attorney general Mark Brnovich revealed Monday. Brnovich responded to the state senate’s request for a criminal investigation into the alleged deadvoter fraud on Monday, telling …
Aug 2, 2022Arizona’s attorney general has refuted an audit firm’s claim that deadvoters cast 282 ballots in the 2020 election. … on Monday debunked a claim that hundreds of dead people voted in his state …
Aug 2, 2022Hundreds of hours of research by the Arizona attorney general’s Election Integrity Unit debunked claims that 282 deadArizonavoters cast a ballot in 2020, state attorney general Mark Brnovich …
Aug 1, 2022PHOENIX – Arizona’s Attorney General says hundreds of claims of dead people “voting” in the 2020 election were debunked after calls for an investigation by the Republican Arizona State Senate, and …
April 30 In Search of America 1975 – Hitch hiking Tales
Also published in On the Road Volume One Poet Magazine
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
Nonstop 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 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 someday
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’s 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 woman 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 other path
Would I have ended up
Somewhere else
Doing something else
Would I have been as happy
Would I have been as successful?
No answer satisfies
The longing in my heart
For that wild thing
That still lurks beneath
It’s a 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 Goddamn 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 outside 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 dissipated 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
Order this writing that appears
in the one-of-a-kind anthology The Flickering Light
the Down in the Dirt Jan.-June 2019
issues & chapbooks collection book(learn about this book and order from Amazon online)
This writing was accepted
for publication in the
108-page perfect-bound ISSN# /
ISBN# issue/book “Prayers and Bullets”
Down in the Dirt, v181
(the March 2021 Issue)Order the paperback book:
his writing was accepted
for publication in the
108-page perfect-bound ISSN# /
ISBN# issue/book “Sprung from Grief”
Down in the Dirt, v184
(the June 2021 Issue)Order the paperback book:
order this writing that appears
in the one-of-a-kind anthology Lockdown’s
Over
the Down in the Dirt May-August
2021 issues collection book
Pink cherry trees
Snowing all around me
Love in the springtime
Green
poet in springtime
Green trees in Springtime
Smiling at walking lovers
Filling them with awe
Black
black cat
A cosmic black cat
Stares at me with jet black eyes
Just a Buddha cat
White
deer in snow
White snow consumes us
During the intense winter
Climate change is now
Page 17 in printed version
Other recent unpublished Haiku like Poems include:
Met My Fate 160 Poem Form
I met my fate
That date
In September,
A date I shall always remember.
When I saw her there,
Sparks flew from heart to heart.
And I knew she was going to be mine.
160 Character Max Poem Form
Water 160 Poem Form
Water everywhere
Water surrounds us
Nurtures us brings us
Life itself
But few of us
Ever think about water
And what we would do
When the water runs out
And the earth becomes
A desert devoid of life.
Sam Adam’s Final Wish Jisei Poem Fan Story Prompt
Sam Adam’s last wish
Was to die in Berkeley
His spiritual home
My Mother Haiku
My mother was unique
A real free spirit at heart
I miss her always
Berkeley Calling Me Home Haiku Fan Story Prompt
My Berkeley
Calling me to come home
Die in my homeland
Sextet Love Fan Story Prompt
My life has been a dream
almost unreal
A real fairy tale
Filled with romance
an angel came to me
ending loneliness
Outside Haiku Fan Story Prompt
Spring flowers blooming
Inviting me to go outside
Enjoying the Spring
5-7-5 Faith Fan Story Prompt
I believe in karma
Everything is connected
To the divine mind
Coffee Five Line Poem Fan Story Prompt
Coffee
Just hot
The way it should be
Gets my morning going strong
Kick starts my morning
Romantic Tanka Poem Fan Story
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
Forward Plans
Forward plans are made
Understood what needs to be done
intel hard to get
Good Golly, Ms. Molly
Good golly
Ms. Molly
Let’s have some folly
And go to Bali
Or Raleigh
Someplace holly
Where we can get jolly
Eating a tamale
Or a Canali.
Prompt – Write a silly rhyming poem
Coffee Huitain
need more coffee
I like coffee in the morning
But in the evening must be wine,
Making it a great mid-morning,
At sunset, I drink wine, while I dine,
When I drink my wine, it is all fine.
In the afternoon, I drink my tea,
Later wine, looking at what is mine.
And I become all I can ever be.
Future Survival Games Three-word Challenge
Shortly, all too soon
We will play a secret game
A game of survival
Grilled Salmon Three Word Challenge Prompt
fish market
Oiled grilled salmon
pink flesh delight
Perfect dinner with white wine
When I First Saw You Dew Drop-in
Revised as Cherita form
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
When I First Saw You in Person
I was overwhelmed
This fairy tale dream of mine
This impossible quest
To find the girl in the dream
Was finally over.
When I First Spoke With You
When I First Spoke with You
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
When I first kissed you
that was the beginning
of our love affair.
Our love grew stronger
Every year
For the last 40 years,
When I Married You
When I married you
That was the beginning
Of my life,
From that moment
I had no doubt
You would be there.
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.)
There must be a million ways
To say I love you
But these words will suffice for now
“Take all my loves, my love, yea, take them all:
“If ever two were one, then surely we.”
If ever wife loved man, then thee.”
“O, none, unless this miracle have might,
That in black ink my love may still shine bright.”
“Drink to me only with thine eyes,
And I will pledge with mine.”
“Or leave a kiss but in the cup,
And I’ll not look for wine.”
“Lying in bed I think about you,
Display thy breasts, there let me
Behold that circummortal purity.
Between whose glories,
there my lips I’ll lay,
Ravished in that fair Via Lactea.”
“Rare bird,
extinct color, you stay in
my dreams in x-ray.
“The day is gone, and all its sweets are gone!”
The day is gone, and all its sweets are gone!
Sweet voice, sweet lips, soft hand, and softer breast,
Warm breath, light whisper, tender semi-tone,
Bright eyes, accomplish’ d shape, and dangerous waist!
Faded the flower and all its budded charms,
Faded the sight of beauty from my eyes.,
Poetic sources
Jake Cosmos Aller A Million Ways to Say I Love You Joshua Beckman Lying in bed I think about you,
Anne Bradstreet To my husband
Valentine Lorna Dee Cervantes Ben Jonson Song: to Celia [“Drink to me only with thine eyes”]
Morris Egan Bar Napkin Sonnet #11
Jennifer Michael Hecht Love Explained Robert Herrick Upon Julia’s Breasts John Keats The Day is Gone
William Shakespeare Take all my loves, my love, yea, take them all: William Shakespeare The Spring
(from Love’s Labours Lost) William Shakespeare
Sonnet 65: Since brass, nor stone, nor earth, nor boundless sea
John Updike Penumbrae
And now – our final (but still optional!) prompt. Today, I’d like to challenge you to write a cento. This is a poem that is made up of lines taken from other poems. If you’d like to dig into an in-depth example, here’s John Ashbery’s cento “The Dong with the Luminous Nose,” and here it is again, fully annotated to show where every line originated. A cento might seem like a complex undertaking – and one that requires you to have umpteen poetry books at your fingertips for reference – but you don’t have to write a long one. And a good way to jump-start the process is to find an online curation of poems about a particular topic (or in a particular style) and then mine the poems for good lines to string together. You might look at the Poetry Foundation’s collection of love poems, its collection of poems by British romantic poets, or even its surprisingly expansive collection of poems about (American) football.
Three French Forms
I Drink My Coffee With My Wife
coffee
Coffee morning
I drink my coffee with my wife
Coffee morning
Drinking coffee makes a good morning,
wine
At sunset, I drink wine enjoy the nightlife
Thinking to my wife, I have a good life.
But I shift to tea mid-morning.
Coffee morning.
The Rondel, Old French meaning small circle, is a 14th-century verse form. It is a member of the Rondeau family of forms but differs from the Rondeau in the number of lines and the pattern of rhyme. The Rondel came to England in the 16th century. Sources indicate the Rondel is better suited to French than English yet Dobson’s Wanderer is a fluid lyrical example of why the Rondel is adaptable to English. A variation of the Rondel is the Rondel Prime or French Sonnet. The elements of the Rondel are:
a 13-line poem made up of 2 quatrains followed by a quintain.
isosyllabic, often written in 8 syllable lines, but the lines can be any number of syllables as long the measure is consistent throughout the poem.
rhymed ABba abAB abbaA, A and B being refrains. In French one rhyme is feminine and one is masculine, it doesn’t matter whether the feminine rhyme is the a or the b rhyme.
composed with 2 rentrements. L1 is repeated in L7 and L13, and L2 is repeated in L8.
Two
I like to Drink Rondine
coffee
I like to drink my coffee at dawn
As the dawning sunlight fills the room.
Lifting my nightmare feeling of doom
With Curtains Drawn.
Soon my nightmares will all be gone
Soon I must go back to the bedroom
I like to drink.
Drink too much coffee, migraine come-on
I must lie down in the darkroom.
I get up to use the bathroom.
Drinking my coffee the day goes on.
The Rondine is a little-seen shortened version of the Rondeau dating back to at least the 16th century. The elements of the Rondine are:
a poem in 12 lines made up of a quatrain, a tercet, and ending in a quintet.
syllabic 8 syllables per line accept L7 and L12 which are 4 syllables each. In English metered, most often iambic tetrameter except the refrain which is iambic dimeter. It is composed with a refrain repeated from the opening phrase of the poem, retirement. It is rhymed, using only 2 rhymes except for the refrain being unrhymed, rhyme scheme abba,abR, abbaR (R being the refrain)
I Like to Drink Coffee
coffee
I like to drink coffee in the morning
But at sunset, I like to drink red wine.
Drinking coffee makes a good morning.
I like to drink coffee in the morning
But I shift to hot tea midmorning
Drinking my red wine at night, all is fine.
I like to drink coffee in the morning.
But at sunset, I like to drink red wine.
The elements of the Triolet are:
an octa-stich, a poem in 8 lines.
in English, most often written with variable line length and meter at the discretion of the poet. Originally in French, the lines were octasyllabic which would create an 8 by 8 effect.
composed with a reinterment, L1 is repeated as L4 and L7. There is also repetition of L2 in L8. rhymed, with only 2 rhymes with the rhyme scheme ABaAabAB.
most often playful or satirical, appropriate for a light verse or occasional verse.
April 30—Multiple Choice(s)—create a poem that is somehow like a multiple-choice test, OR turn this into another “free day” for our last day of April and write any poem of your choice, OR write multiple, short, linked poems…like the sidewalk poems!
The Mantlepiece at 674 Santa Rosa Ave, Berkeley, California PSH
674 santa rosa jpg
An old man Sam Adams
often recalled
The mantelpiece
In his childhood home
674 Santa Rosa
In Berkeley, California.
The mantelpiece
Was over a fireplace
That they seldom used.
On the mantelpiece
Was a painting
Of the Bay Bridge
View off the balcony.
The painting was the only painting
That his drug-crazed older half-brother
Ever completed.
Sam Adams loved that painting
Should have taken it
When his mother died.
Where it ended up
He never learned.
So many childhood memories
Now lost in time and distance.
Just like that painting
Sam Adams thought.
This poetry writing prompt submitted by Winston Plowes:
The Mantelpiece
A prompt for a cold dark winter’s night
Introduction
I love the idea of shutting out the night and cozying up around a roaring fire which is to be the center and heart of any home, especially at this time of the year. I would like us to consider the fireplace and especially the shelf or mantelpiece above it. Let’s look at it as a kind of changing archive, a display or exhibition, or even a ‘family museum’ as we prepare to write. I know that some modern homes do not have a mantlepiece, in which case all is not lost! You can imagine one that would suit you or use a shelf from elsewhere in the room or even a dressing table or bookshelf.
Exercise
Are you going to write a simple list poem of items on the mantlepiece (and there’s nothing wrong with that)? Maybe you have special family item(s) or useful things on there or photographs or a clock or a picture on the wall above that you will write about. Is your title going to be “My family museum”?
Moving On Writer’s Digest
Sam Adams
Was feeling old
Looking back at his life.
And realizing it was time
Time to move on
In the final stages
The end game of life
Approaching rapidly.
He still was in good health
He had a lot of wealth.
And he had his wife
The love of his life
Still in his life.
But he sensed
That soon he would be
Moving on to the final challenges
And he was afraid
Of the future.
Not ready yet
To embrace
What may come,
Afraid of moving on
But he looked at her
And realized,
As long as they moved on
Together with everything
Would turn out
The way it should.
He smiled
Filled with love
And contentment
Ready at last
To move on
To the next big challenge
His stomach growled
Enough of this
The next thing to do
Is to move on to dinner.
For today’s prompt, write a moving-on poem. Many people finish something (like a poetry challenge) and stop. But many April PAD Challengers keep moving on to the next prompt, next poem, next challenge. Let’s keep it moving on. Thanks for poeming along this month!
Gratitude Thanks to the Love Gods for Angela Local Gems
cupid
Every day
I give thanks
To Cupid
and the love Gods
For bringing me
My Dream lady
Who walked out
Of my dreams
And into my life
Eight years
After I first saw
her there.
Sam Adams one night
Met some space aliens
In the Cosmos Bar.
The first inter-planetary bar
Located in Berkeley, California
A known hangout for UFO nuts
And assorted true believers,
Where the sign
proudly proclaims
Aliens drink for free.
The alien asked Sam
To explain humanity
To them.
Sam said,
Sure. Here’s what makes us human
We are evolved from tribal apes
From distant Africa.
Conditioned by our God
Created in his image
According to his will.
We believe in family values
Except for when do not
Believe in such values.
More importantly than anything else
Is the search for love and happiness,
Few of us ever met our soul mates
We are always looking for the one
The one that will make us complete,
The aliens smiled, Said,
Well, that was interesting
But there is one thing
We can agree on,
You earth people
Sure are crazy
The craziest species
In the known universe.
But you make the best brew
And the best coffee
And play the best blues
In the universe.
Sam said,
Thanks, I’ll drink to that.
Last but not least, here is today’s prompt (optional, as always). It’s based on Faisal Mohyuddin’s poem “Five Answers to the Same Question.” Today, I’d like to challenge you to write your poem that provides five answers to the same question – without ever specifically identifying the question that is being answered.
Dew Drop inn
Sam Adams Met His Fate
Sam Adams
Often thought that his life
Truly began on September 7, 1982
When he met his Dreamgirl
Who walked out of his dreams
He has been having it since 1974
She walked out of his dreams
Into his life
Two months later
She became his wife.
Sam thought
When she became his mate,
That was the date
He had met his fate.
April 18—April 18 Prompt: “Stop! In the name of love, before you break my heart!”—write a poem where love turns everything around somehow, or stops a course of action, or stops everything!
Based on my true love story. See “Dreamgirl” postings on my web page, Dreamgirl re-published
It all began in Berkeley, California
In the springtime of 1974
One fateful afternoon
I was sleeping in my high school Physics class.
I looked up and saw a tall,
beautiful Asian woman
standing there looking at me.
She was the most beautiful women
in the universe to me
I screamed out, who are you?
She disappeared
as if she was beamed
away from my dream.
I knew that someday
I would meet the girl
In the dream.
Little did I know
I would have to wait until 1982
Starting that month
I began having the same dream
Month and month and month.
Always the same.
She was saying something
in a strange language.
Then one day.
I had the dream
and knew that
She was in Korea.
So, I chose to go
to Korea
In the Peace Corps,
Somehow knowing
That I would meet her there.
One day
A year after the Peace Corps ended
A month before I planned
to leave to return
to the U.S. for graduate school.
That morning early in the morning
I had the last of these dreams.
This time I understood her.
She said, “Don’t worry.
We’ll meet soon.”
That evening
As I was getting off the bus
To go to my class
I saw getting off the bus
The girl in my dream.
It was she!
I was speechless.
I did not know what to do.
Throughout the evening
I ran into her several times.
Finally, I was introduced to her.
I muttered some lame excuse
About wanting to find a Korean tutor
and got her number.
The next day she came to the gate
At my base where I was teaching
ESL to Koreans
She said that she
had to speak with me.
I told to wait in the library
for about an hour,
and I would cancel the class
and meet her then.
We went out for coffee.
She told me that she was madly
in love with me
And simply had to have me.
I told her I felt the same way.
I proposed five days later,
And got married one month later.
Does she believe this story?
She claims she does not believe it
Because it is impossible to be true.
But I know that there
are other worlds and other times.
In a past life
We must have been together somehow.
And our love was so strong
That it crossed over the barrier
of time and space.
She found me in 1974,
But it took until 1982
For us to meet.
And it has been 36 years
Since we met in the physical sphere
Or 45 years since the dream began.
And I still recall the dream
And meeting her.
I had no choice
When I met her
We were fated to be together,
Until the end of this lifetime
And the next and the next.
April 18, 2022: Poetry Writing Prompt – jake Aller
This poetry writing prompt submitted by jake Aller:
Write a poem about a premonition of something that would happen in your life, that came true. What was the premonition? How did it occur? How did it come true?
Example: I dreamt of meeting my wife eight years before I met her. I knew that the dream was a premonition of a future event. and in that case, my dreams did indeed come true.
We the People Will Wake Up Soon
gun
We the people someday soon
Will wake up and demand
That the government and society
Stop the gun carnage in our streets
Enough, no more gun madness
The people have had enough,
The NRA and their stooges
Will continue to insist
That the solution to gun violence.
Is more guns for everyone
Only then can we be free
From the fear of constant violence.
The only solution is for everyone
To be armed to the teeth
With the latest weapons of war.
Then we will all be afraid
Of each other
And no one will take a chance,
That the other will pull out
A gun to end their dispute.
The people have had enough
They are sick and tired
Of the constant fear.
And they don’t buy the NRA lies
Anymore.
In short,
It is time for the people
To stand up,
And demand an end
To the gun violence
In our streets.
Politicians are a craven lot
If the public speaks loud enough
They will do something
To shut them up.
Until that happens
Every day
We will watch
Another day of massive gun incidents.
Just ten more
This easter weekend alone
as I wrote this poem.
For today’s prompt, take the phrase “We (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: “We the People,” “We Want It Now,” “We in the Royal Sense,” and/or “We vs. Wii.”
“Don’t fall in love with me”
Sam Adams told his latest flame
Maria Lee
Whom he met at the Cosmos Club
In Bangkok, Thailand
She was a drop–dead gorgeous
Korean woman on the lam
From her husband
She smiled demurely
And said
“Don’t worry I won’t fall in love again
Already done that thing once is enough
But I could use a little loving
If that is okay by you.”
“Sure,” Sam Adams said.
Falling in love with her
Despite his spider–sense
Tingling red alert.
Today’s featured online journal is The Cortland Review, which has published nearly ninety issues over more than twenty years. In their newest issue, I’ll point you to Justin Janisse’s “Missing You, Expensively” and Grace Q. Song’s “Birthday.”
And now for our daily (optional) prompt! Today’s challenge is to write a poem that starts with a command. It could be as uncomplicated as “Look,” as plaintive as “Come back,” or as silly as “Don’t you even think about putting that hot sauce in your hair.” Whatever command you choose, I hope you have fun ordering your readers around.
Good Golly, Ms. Molly Rhyming Poem
Good Golly, Ms. Molly
Good golly
Ms. Molly
Let’s have some folly
And go to Bali
Or Raleigh
Someplace holly
strong>Where we can get jolly
Eating a tamale
Or a Canali.
April 19—Write a silly rhyming poem!
PSH prompt
Three poems about our times Legal
Three poems about our times Medical
Three poems about our time’s Energy
One the legal system faces challenges
In this day and age
Of fear of crime
Crime and punishment
Is everywhere
Hanging and lynching
No longer just historical terms
Judge and jury form the basis
Of our Legal systems
Based on Lies and truth
And justice is not free
Those that have money
Have justice
Those that do not
Face constant injustice
Two Medical Fears Abound
Every day I am afraid
Afraid I might get
The big Alzheimer’s
That took my mother
And my father-in-law
The dreaded cancer
That killed my father
And his father
Dementia that haunted my mother
Fibromyalgia that fills me with constant pain
Three Energy Blues
wind-turbine-11
The world needs energy
Needs renewable energy
Needs to get beyond
carbon-based energy
that is destroying the world
needs to end fracking
needs to end nuclear power
needs to seek the energy
of the future.
Look up an industry completely foreign to you. This could be anything: medical, timber, steel, tech/IT, cosmetics, coatings, pharmaceuticals, office supplies, etc. Pick one and generate a list of industry-specific jargon using a minimum of twenty-five words.
Pick three different industries, so your list is a minimum of 75 words (or phrases, phrases are okay). Write a poem that uses 1 word or phrase per line for the duration of the poem, however long you choose to make it. Mix industries! Write the poem in multiple parts!
This is a time-consuming exercise, but it’s a wonderful one because it so frequently spawns more than one poem, and the exercise is great at pulling writers out of their respective comfort zones.
Writers com
Writer’s Digests What’s Out There – Secret Societies
In Frederick Tennyson’s Atlantis (1888), an ancient Greek mariner sails west and discovers an inhabited island which is all that remains of the former kingdom.
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 was often lost in thought
Thinking back on his favorite books
Re-reading the classics
Of his youth.
He loved the Chronicles of Narnia
Often thought
That Narnia was real
That Oz was real
And that Middle earth
Happened as well.
And Harry Potter
Existed in an alternate universe
He imagined finding
Portals to other worlds.
While lost in thought
He came upon an unusual site
An open door in the air
With a note
Narnia is calling you.
He laughed having thought
About Narnia reality
All week long.
He jumped through the portal
Sam Adams disappearance
Remained a mystery.
April 20—Book report—subtly (or overtly) incorporate a book report or response into a poem about something else. (If you name the book, avoid spoilers!)
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 sunlight
Lights up my lonesome room
Yeah, but not just a simple cup of java Joe, but God damn 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 outside
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 dissipates a bit
And enjoy my second cup
Of heaven and hell
In my morning cup of Joe/
And now for today’s (optional) prompt. Today, I’d like to challenge you to write a poem that anthropomorphizes a kind of food. It could be a favorite food of yours, or maybe one you feel conflicted about. I feel conflicted about Black Forest Cake, for example. It always looks so pretty in a bakery window, and I want to like the combination of cherries and chocolate . . . but I don’t. But how does the cake feel about it?
PSH prompt
To Friends I Have Lost Along The Way
If you have been around
As long as I have
More than 66 years
On this planet,
You would no doubt
Lost a few friends
Along the way
And family members too.
I recall all my friends
Who have left this mortal plane
Spending way too little time
in my life.
I recall Demel Tucker
My high school black friend
From the debate team
Who died of AIDS
All alone in the end.
I remember Jon Weber
My Austrian born college roommate
Who died of prostate cancer
At age 45,
We had lost touch
Over the years
Last saw him
In the 80s.
I recall Paul Simon
Who shared the visa line
With me in Korea
Went out for a walk
One morning
Did not come back.
I mourn Chris Richards
My boss in Bangkok, Thailand
We were due to have lunch
When he died of an heart attack
That morning.
I recall Julian Bartley
My boss in Seoul
Died in the terrorist bombing
In Kenya.
I recall Judy
From my days in Mumbai
Died suddenly too soon.
I recall my sister Inga
Who died of a mysterious illness
When she turned 45.
I recall my mother
Who died of Alzheimer’s
And my father
Who died of cancer.
And there were many more
And sadly, many more
Will join them
Before I leave this mortal plane.
The curse of getting old
I suppose.
This poetry writing prompt submitted by Joan Fingon:
Prompt word: remembrance
In this exercise, focus on writing about a specific loss of a loved one or dear friend, recent or from your past. What is the essence of your loss and how might you express and honor their memory? What did the individual mean to you?
To inspire your writing be guided by these words as an example…
Starting in 2016 when I retired, I began posting my work on various sites and began getting my poetry, fiction, and essays published all over, including of course on my flagstaff blog post, The World According To Cosmos. Here is where you can find my work. I generally try to update my postings once a week. The blog entry is copied to LinkedIn, Twitter, and Tumblr automatically, the rest I have to manually add so it may take a while before everything is in synch. Also, since last summer, I have been podcasting weekly, using the Anchor podcast platform. I am now also writing on Medium and Wattpad. Starting next year, I hope to add regular vblogging on YouTube, advice on what software to use for that would be greatly appreciated. Please follow me on all these sites
Imaging The End Of The World Ariel Chart: International Literary Journal
No More Coffee Blues Ariel Chart: International Literary Journal
What Am I DNA Results Ariel Chart: International Literary Journal
End Times Ariel Chart: International Literary Journal
Imagining End Of The World Ariel Chart
Just Another Night In The City Of Angels Ariel Chart
The Revolution Is Coming Beatnik Cowboy, The
I’d Rather Not Mess With Sam Between Hangovers
A Million Ways To Say I Love You Blessed With Love Poems
I Still Want You Blessed With Love Poems
Ode To Valentine Day Blessed With Love Poems
Love Explained To A Space Alien Blessed With Love Poems
Slime Patrol To The Rescue Blue Nib Literary Magazine, The
The Fog Blue Nib Literary Magazine, The
Dream Girl Cherry-House Press Dreams Anthology
Dream Girl Chicken Soup For The Soul Series
Chains That Bind Me City Limits Publication
Dream Girl City Limits Publication
Various Creative Talents Unleashed
How I Married the Girl Of My Dreams Creativity Webzine
Meeting God in The Lake Creativity Webzine
Cosmic Cat from Berkeley Creativity Webzine
Meeting God in Bombay Creativity Webzine
Cosmic Dog from Goa Creativity Webzine
Buddha Cat Creativity Webzine
The Story of How We Met Creativity Webzine
Fate Intertwined Creativity Webzine
Wild Things Happen Creativity Webzine
God Drinks Coffee Creativity Webzine
Requiem for an Era Creativity Webzine
Howling at the Moon Creativity Webzine
Creativity Webzine
The Truth Shall Set You Free Creativity Webzine
My Name Is Nobody Down In The Dirt
Strangeness In The Air Down In The Dirt
Snarling Cup Of Coffee Down In The Dirt
Charles Bukowski Road Not Taken Down In The Dirt
Fallen Dreams Litter The Ground Down In The Dirt
Hitchhiking Tales Down In The Dirt
Howling at the Moon Down In The Dirt
3-5-7 Love Poem Down In The Dirt
If You Have Been Around Down In The Dirt
Foreigner Walking The Seoul Wall Down In The Dirt
Old Man Visiting His Wife’s Grave Down In The Dirt
Awaiting The Judgement Every Writer Horror Contest
Mad Bag Piper Of Berkeley Every Writer Horror Contest
Coffee Poem
Bad Craziness *
Kimchi Blues Eskimo Pie
Kimchi Blues Friends of Korea website
A New Year’S Visit To The Oregon Coast Excavation
Casino Thoughts Excavation
Winter Haiflu Failed Haiku
Indian Casino Thoughts Fiends Of Korea
Lone Foreigner Walking The Wall Of Seoul Former People, a Journal of Bangs and Whimpers
A New Year’s Visit To The Oregon Coast Former People: A Journal Of Bangs And Whimpers
Indian Casino Thoughts Former People: A Journal Of Bangs And Whimpers
Casino Thoughts Former People: A Journal Of Bangs And Whimpers
Former People: A Journal Of Bangs And Whimpers
Four Coffee Poems Former People: A Journal Of Bangs And Whimpers
Four Coffee Poems Former People: A Journal Of Bangs And Whimpers
Four Coffee Poems Former People: A Journal Of Bangs And Whimpers
Four Coffee Poems
Fiction Dream
Fiction Dream
Corona Virus Haiku Fiction Dream
Fiction Dream
Just Enough For Coffee
One Moment, One Day Fourxfour Poetry Journal
Met My Fate In Bar Room Face From Addict To Advocate
Various Haiku Journal
Hill Rag Hello Bonzai
One Night In Bombay Hello Poetry
Cosmic Cat Ode To Coffee
Cosmic Dogs
Meeting God In A Lake Horror Sleaze Trash
Meeting God In Bombay
Signs Of The Apocalypse Hypertexts, The
Hypertexts, The
Getting Lucky Hypertexts, The
Waiting For The Day Hypertexts, The
Rising Storm Hypertexts, The
All Tired And Burned Out 2020 Go Away
Toilet Gate Fitting Metaphor For Trump Era Ink Pantry (Website)
A Dream Journey Ink Pantry (Website)
Insanity Lives Ink Pantry (Website)
Interview Ink Pantry (Website)
Morning Bright, Evening Delight Ink Pantry (Website)
Reality Hits Ink Pantry (Website)
Cheating Death 22 Times Ink Pantry (Website)
Cheating Death 22 Times Ink Pantry Acadamy of Hearts and Minds ‘
Cthulhu’s Revenge Ink Pantry (Website)
Escape From Hell Ink Pantry (Website)
Ghoul Haunted Woodlands Of Weir Ink Pantry (Website)
The Bench Ink Pantry (Website)
2019 The Year That Was Ink Pantry (Website)
Dreams Ink Pantry (Website)
Fate Ink Pantry (Website)
The Oyster Speaks Up Ink Pantry (Website)
The Terrifying Teens Ink Pantry (Website)
Ink Pantry (Website)
Just An Unhinged Lunatic Ink Pantry (Website)
Ink Pantry (Website)
Total Successor Or Total Failure Ink Pantry (Website)
2021 Haiku
General Corona Appears In A Vision Inner Circle Writers’ Group Anthology Series
Cancel Culture Run Amuck
Journal Of Expressive Writing
Journal Of Expressive Writing
Ghosts Of Old Saigon Journal Of Expressive Writing
Ghosts Of The Chu Chi Tunnels Journal Of Expressive Writing
Seeing Ghosts
The Cosmic Cat From Berkeley
The Cosmic Dog From Goa Kelp Journal
Cosmic Cat Kelp Journal
Kelp Journal
Agnostic Dyslectic Wonders If There Is A Dog Kelp Journal
Cosmos’s Cosmic Calendar Kelp Journal
It’s A Dog’s Life For Me Kelp Journal
The Cosmic Dog From Goa
2021 Dawns 21 Haiku Literary Yard
Dear Republicans, What Is Wrong With You? Literary Yard
The Revolution Next Time Literary Yard
Zombie Ideas Do Not Die Literary Yard
There Is A Great Sense Of Unrest Literary Yard
Lone Foreigner Hiking The Seoul City Walls Literary Yard
Literary Yard
Literary Yard
Dream Love Questions Sekoku Local Gem
15 Day Challenge Local gem
Halloween poetry collection Local Gem
Dear Microsoft Why I Left You Lotus Eater
Local Gems Poetry Press
A Million Ways To Say I Love You Blessed with Love
Ode To Love On Valentine’s Day Blessed with Love
One Night in Bangkok Man in the Street
Market Rules Us All Minnie’s Diary: A Southern Literary Review
White Lady
The Opiate
God’s Confession Scarlet Leaf
Opiate
Bad Craziness
Otherwise Engaged
Cats
In Seach Of America Outlaw Poetry
It Is A Gun Situation, Mr. President Outlaw Poetry
Prayer Works Outlaw Poetry
I Don’t Get It Outlaw Poetry
Dear Governor Abbot Outlaw Poetry
When Will This Madness End – Short Version Outlaw Poetry
Lost And Found Outlaw Poetry
My Mother’s History Outlaw Poetry
Conversation With Teddy Roosevelt Outlaw Poetry
Watching Cats Hunt Outlaw Poetry
End Of America Outlaw Poetry
Watching The News As 110,000 Americans Die Plethora Blogazine
Wearing A Mask Is Not A Political Statement Plethora Blogazine
Wearing Masks Saves Life Plethora Blogazine
Who Are You Going To Believe, Me Or Your Lying Eye Plethora Blogazine
Back Of The Bus The Poet on the Road
Bus Ride The Poet on the Road Poet The Poet on the Road
Cross Country Trip Part One The Poet on the Road
Hitchhiking Tales The Poet on the Road
Buddha Cat Poet, The
Meeting God In A Lake Poet, The
Best Friend For 60 Years Poet, The
My Memory Bank Poet, The
Best Friend In The Universe Poet, The
Cats Poetryezine
Buddha Cat Poetryezine
Sitting On The Dock Of The Bay Poetryezine
Walking By A Winter’s Frozen Lake Poetryezine
Playing The Piano At The End Of Time Poetryezine
Mad Mask Fear Poetryezine
News Is Grim Poetryezine
Poetry And Covid
Various Poetry And Covid
Snarling Cup Of Coffee Chapbook Poetry Nook Weekly Contest
Merry Christmas From ATT Poetry 24
Mr. President, It Is A Gun Situation Poetry 24
Poetry 24
The Best Is Yet To Come Found Poem Poetry 24
Evergreen Trees Pure Haiku
Falling Rain Qutub Minar Review
Qutub Minar Review
Gathering Storm Clouds Random Poetree
Nebulous Night Of Darkness Random Poetree
Dejavu All Over Again Random Poetree
Failure Is Not An Option Random Poetree
General Failure Reading Disk Drive Raven Cage Zine
On Failure Raven Cage Zine
Raven Cage Zine
270,000 Corona Ghosts Crash The President’s Party Raven Cage Zine
Corona Ghosts Crash The Party Raven Cage Zine
Partying While People Die Raven Cage Zine
Fake Calls Rejected Manuscripts
Hell Is Here To Stay Rejected Manuscripts
Rejected Manuscripts
Fake Mosquitos
Lost River Sandha Review
Old Cars Are King Of The Road Again River Sandha Review
Reflections Rosette Maleficarum
Dragon Flies In My Mind Rosette Maleficarum
One Crazy Day Rosette Maleficarum
2019 The Year That Was Rosette Maleficarum
Dreams Scarlet Leaf Review
Fate Scarlet Leaf Review
The Oyster Speaks Up Scarlet Leaf Review
The Terrifying Teens Scarlet Leaf Review
Scarlet Leaf Review
Green Trees Don’t Make It Scarlet Leaf Review
Slowly Unperceived Reality Scarlet Leaf Review
Slowly Unperceived Reality Scarlet Leaf Review
Brain Fever Scryptic defunct
Evil Within Scryptic defunct
Mocking Laughter Scryptic defunct
Black Vultures Scryptic defunct
Green Trees Don’t Make It Sick Lit Magazine
Siren Song Of Doom Sick Lit Magazine
Various Sixfold
Corona Poems Soft Cartel
Dora The Galactic Explorer Soft Cartel
Every Day I Turn On The News
Chaos Spillwords Press
Mocking Faces Spillwords Press
Just Enough For Coffee Spillwords Press
Waiting For The Grim Reaper’S Decision Spillwords Press
The Virus King Cried Subterranean Blue Poetry
Cosmic Cat From Berkeley Swenk
Cats Swenk
The Buddha Cat Of Edsall Road Swenk
Demon Cat Swenk
Cat Fight In Incheon Swenk
Love Haiku The Universe Journal
Night Terrors The Universe Journal
Jack Daniels Failed Intervention Unlikely Story
The Trial Of The Poet Tiger Shark
Life In-Between Tiger Shark
Love Haiku Tigershark
I Like My Coffee Tigershark
Love Haku 1 Tigershark
Lost And Found Tigershark
The Virus King Cried Tigershark
1984 Is Here To Stay Tuck
The Dogs Of War Are Howling Tuck
Just Enough For Coffee Tuck
Donald Trump And The Vulgarians Rise To Power Tuck
Lost And found Two Drops Of Ink
Strong Wine Two Drops Of Ink
Voices Of My Doom Two Drops Of Ink
Dora The Galactic Explorer Two Drops Of Ink
Last Year Of American Greatness Two Drops Of Ink
Mocking Faces Two Drops Of Ink
Morning Light Two Drops Of Ink
Wild Man Sits In Gilded Cage Two Drops Of Ink
Climate Change Two Drops Of Ink
The Lion King Speaks Up Two Drops Of Ink
Wild Things Run Amuk Two Drops Of Ink
Wild Things Run Amuk Two Drops Of Ink
Yesterday Morning Two Drops Of Ink
Howling At The Moon Two Drops Of Ink
No More Coffee Blues Two Drops Of Ink
Ode To Coffee Two Drops Of Ink
Slease 2 Two Drops Of Ink
Snarling Cup Of Coffee Ugly Writers, The
When Will This Darkness End Ugly Writers, The
Ugly Writers, The
Buddha Cat Universe Journal, The
Cats Universe Journal, The
Cats Fighting In Incheon Universe Journal, The
Cosmic Cats Universe Journal, The Universe Journal, The
Demon Cat Universe Journal, The
Best Friend In The Universe Whispers Defunct
Life’s Journey Whispers Defunct
Life In Between Whispers Defunct
News Is Grim Writer’s Egg Magazine
Wearing A Mask Is Not A Political Statement Writer’s Egg Magazine
Corona Ghosts Crash The Party Writer’s Egg Magazine
Politicians Lying As People Lay Dying Writer’s Egg Magazine
Thanksgiving Thoughts Writer’s Egg Magazine
Writer’s Egg Magazine
American Dream Writer’s Egg Magazine
Miscellaneous Publication Sites Writer’s Egg Magazine
Writer’s Egg Magazine
3 Am Nightmares
Your One Phone Call
Coffee Desires Miscellaneous Publication Sites
God Does Not Talk To Idiots Triferta Poem A Thon
Huricanes From Hell Triferta Poem A Thon
It Can’t Happen Here Triferta Poem A Thon
Kim Vs. Trump Twitter War -In Memorial Of Kim Il Sung’s The Great Leader’s Birthday Triferta Poem A Thon
Masters Of The Universe Triferta Poem A Thon
Microsoft How I Hate You Triferta Poem A Thon
More Coffee Blues Triferta Poem A Thon
No More Coffee Blues Triferta Poem A Thon
Triferta Poem A Thon
Rambling Man Triferta Poem A Thon
Rambling Man -Where Do I Belong? Triferta Poem A Thon
Rapid City Nowhere Triferta Poem A Thon
Suburban Laundromat Blues Triferta Poem A Thon
The Storm Is Coming Triferta Poem A Thon
Facing Life’s Challenges Together Triferta Poem A Thon
Fires Buring Bright Triferta Poem A Thon
God Drinks Coffee Triferta Poem A Thon
Imagining End Of The World Triferta Poem A Thon
Incheon 2016 Triferta Poem A Thon Triferta Poem A Thon
Looking Out My Window Triferta Poem A Thon
Lost And Found Triferta Poem A Thon
My Soul Wants To Fly Triferta Poem A Thon
Rapid City Nowhere Triferta Poem A Thon
The Revolution Is Coming Triferta Poem A Thon
Wagontire, Oregon Triferta Poem A Thon
Walking Through The Woods Of Time Triferta Poem A Thon
Zombie Apocalypse Triferta Poem A Thon
Heading To Memphis Triferta Poem A Thon
One Mystic Shrouded Night Triferta Poem A Thon
Idiots In High Places Triferta Poem A Thon
Cosmos’s Cosmic Calendar Triferta Poem A Thon
. Landlord Blues Triferta Poem A Thon
. Berkeley California Triferta Poem A Thon
. Chains That Bind Us Triferta Poem A Thon
. Changes Triferta Poem A Thon
. Coffee Revolution Triferta Poem A Thon
. COSTCO Triferta Poem A Thon
. Dental Torture Blues Triferta Poem A Thon
. Emperor Donald The Ist Triferta Poem A Thon
. Everything Will Be All Right Triferta Poem A Thon
. Ghosts From World War 11 Triferta Poem A Thon
. Life Is Wonderful Triferta Poem A Thon
. Lithia Springs Triferta Poem A Thon
. Love Jones Triferta Poem A Thon
. My Daily Hot Coffee Fix Triferta Poem A Thon
. No More Coffee Blues Triferta Poem A Thon
. Pane E Circus 2017 Redux Triferta Poem A Thon
. Sandwich Choices Triferta Poem A Thon
. Secret Agency Man Triferta Poem A Thon
. The Decline Of America Triferta Poem A Thon
. The Dogs Of War Are Howling Triferta Poem A Thon
. Voices Of My Doom Triferta Poem A Thon
. Walls Triferta Poem A Thon
. Watching Cats Hunt Triferta Poem A Thon
. Where Do You And I Begin? Triferta Poem A Thon
. Why I Am Not A Christian Easter Thoughts Triferta Poem A Thon
. August Moods Triferta Poem A Thon
. Capitol Hill In The Spring Triferta Poem A Thon
. Spring Love Thoughts Triferta Poem A Thon
. Spring Time In Oregon Triferta Poem A Thon
. The Falling Rain Triferta Poem A Thon
“Dental Blues” Triferta Poem A Thon
“Meeting God In The Lake” Triferta Poem A Thon
“The Cosmic Cat In Berkeley” Triferta Poem A Thon
“The God Dog In Goa” Triferta Poem A Thon
Lost And Found Triferta Poem A Thon
1984 Lives On Triferta Poem A Thon
Decline Of America Scarlet Leaf Review
Dogs Of War Howling Scarlet Leaf Review
My Mother’s History Scarlet Leaf Review
Donald Trump And The Vulgarians Rise To Power Tuck
Imagining The End Of The World Tuck
No More Coffee Blues * Hill Rag
A Million Ways To Say I Love You Blessed Love Poems
American Dream Your One Phone Call
Best Friend In The Universe Whisphers
Black Vultures Scryptic
Additional Publication Vendue Need to be Confirmed
Conversation With Teddy Roosevelt
Strong Wine
Watching Cats Hunt
Dragon Flies In My Mind
The Shape Of History
Voices Of My Doom
Cats
Rapid City Nowhere
Reflections
. Yesterday Morning
Suburban Laundromat Blues
Blue Blues
Brain Fever
Capital Hill In The Spring
Cats Hunting
Chains That Bind
Charles Bukowski Road Not Chosen
Coffee My Secret Lover
Coffee Revolution
Coffee The Drink Of Revolutionaries
Confucian Thought For The Modern Era
Decline Of America
Dogs Of War Howling
Donald Trump Our Compassionate Dear Leader
Dream Girl
Enemy Of The People
Fallen Dreams Litter The Ground
God Drinks Coffee
How I Married Girl Of My Dreams
Howling At The Moon
I Like My Coffee
Jesus Must Die Again
Lost And Found
Donald Trump And The Vulgarians Rise To Power
Strong Wine
The Shape Of History
Yesterday Morning
Corona Ghosts Stalk The President
Corona Virus Stalks Me
General Corona Leads His Troops
A New Year’S Visit To The Oregon Coast
Love Conquers Hate
Bus Fantasy
Snarling Cup of Coffee Chapbook Poetry Superhighway
April 2021 chapbook Poetry Superhighway
Writers Digest April 2021 contest
April 2020 contest
All poetry
Duane’s poetry
Fan story
Poetry Circle
Hello Poetry
Poetry Nook
Poetry Mangum Opus
Sweek
Writing com
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 will read my poem, “Snarling Cup of Coffee” on the Journal of Expressive Writing’s first global poetry reading zoom session, starting at 7 pm on September 8th EST.
Update: I ended up reading “Just Enough for Coffee”. It was a lot of fun. I am going to do it again, and try PSH and Rattle open zoom mike readings as well. Perhaps someday I will do some open mike readings or slams when I am back in the states. end update.
Want your friends and/or family to attend? We hope so! Please send them this free registration link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/open-mic-tickets-166176880523. Once registered, they will receive the Zoom link 24 hours in advance of the event.
Jennifer A. Minotti
Founder Editor-in-Chief
Journal of Expressive Writing
We are so thrilled that you signed up to read your writing for the inaugural Journal of Expressive Writing’s poetry open mike reading on September 8, 2021 at 7 p.m. on Zoom!
This is just a reminder: Each reader should plan on reading—in any genre—for a maximum of four minutes. Please time your reading(s) in advance, as we have a lot of readers signed up! for the poetry open mike reading.
Want your friends and/or family to attend? We hope so! Please send them this free registration link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/open-mic-tickets-166176880523. Once registered, they will receive the Zoom link 24 hours for the poetry open mike reading in advance of the event.
Here are a few reminders:
We will send you the Zoom Link 24 hours in advance poetry open mike reading .
You will be on Zoom with us by audio and video for this OPEN MIC. You can choose to put your video off.
Please “mute” yourself upon entry and stay muted unless it’s your turn.
Please feel free to say “hello” and tell everyone where you’re from in the chat room! We love having conversations and reading your comments there. Please feel free to share ways that you connect with the writing of other readers and show your appreciation & encouragement.
PLEASE! If you’re registered and need to withdraw, e-mail jen@journalofexpressivewriting.comand cancel your registration so that we may offer your space to someone on the waitlist.
Follow us on social media and help us spread the word.
Read the latestexpressive writing, free writing, non-fiction, poetry, and prose by both new and established writers in the Journal now!
Should you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.
See you soon! for the poetry open mike reading.
Jen Minoti
Kelly DuMar
Snarling Cup of Coffee
coffee
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
Spillwords has published two of my poems, “Eve Eats the Apple” and “Mocking Laughter.” They also published an interview and additional poems below. Including a bonus poem, not published called “ I am the Snake” on a similar theme, re-telling the story of the garden of Eden from the snake’s perspective.
Eve Eats the Apple
Eve was in the garden
Talking with Mr. Snake
Her new best friend
She was complaining about Adam
And about the management
Of the garden
The snake suggested she eat
The forbidden fruit.
She said
but the man
Said that I cannot eat
That fruit
It is forbidden.
Yes that is what the man said
That is what
he does not want you
To experience.
The man and Adam
Are in on it together.
I Heard that Adam
Will eat the apple tonight
But you need to get there first.
Do you trust me, Eve?
Of course, Mr. Snake
So you know what to do.
Eve ate the apple
Called Adam over
Told him to eat the apple.
While the Snake chanted
Eat it eat it
Set yourself free,
And so, Adam ate the apple
And joined Eve
In knowing everything.
God came down
Banished them from the garden
Telling them.
Well, you made the bed
You will have to sleep in it.
Go away
You disgust me
Humans…..
And Satan
You won your bet
You damn Snake,
Mocking Faces Staring at Me written by: Jake Cosmos Aller
I grew up in Berkeley, California, and Washington DC, and went to College in Stockton, California. After college, lived five years in Korea as a Peace Corps volunteer and teaching ESL. I returned to the US to Seattle for graduate school. Afterward, I joined the Foreign Service where I lived and worked in over ten countries. I retired and lived in Korea and the west coast.
What is the greatest thing about the place you call home?
I live in Youngjando island, South Korea near the Incheon Airport. I live in a garden city. There is a magnificent park – the world peace forest behind my house and a nice mountain to hike in. Over three hundred restaurants are within walking distance of my house. There are five beaches ten minutes’ drive away, Incheon is nearby as is Seoul.
What turns you on creatively?
All my work starts with a dream. I don’t dream dreams; I dream movies, filled with action, sound, music, smells many times in a completely different world. I have been writing a dream journal for many years. I write five to ten dreams per day, saving them as stand-alone flash fiction, and also write one to ten poems per day.
What is your favorite word, and can you use it in a poetic sentence?
One of my favorite words is my portmanteau scumbaggery which I define as the actions of a ”Scumbag.”
The scumbaggery Of Texas Senator Ted Cruz Utterly confounds
What is your pet peeve?
Racism, sexism, homophobia, bigotry, right-wing nutcases, left-wing zealots, Christian holy rollers, gun violence, police misconduct, anti-Asian hate crimes, hate crimes, America Firsters, QAnon conspiracy theorists, neo-Nazis, White Supremacists, Proud Boys, Boogaloo Bois, and the Oath Keeper militia, etc. I don’t like ”gangsta rap,” “heavy metal,” or “country music.” Pragmatist and don’t care about ideological correctness.
What defines Jake Cosmos Aller?
Grew up in Berkeley and DC. Lived all over the world, visiting forty-five countries and all 50 states. Served my country as a foreign service officer, and Peace Corps volunteer and taught ESL and government overseas. But what is more important than anything is that I married the girl of my dreams who became my wife 40 years ago.
Dora The Intergalactic Explorer written by: Jake Cosmos Aller @Jakecaller Dora the intergalactic explorer Is traveling to the…
Dora the intergalactic explorer
Is traveling to the strangest planet
of all the known worlds
she is traveling incognito
with a video crew
making a documentary
the planet earth
is known as a planet
of intelligent monkeys
not much is known
about them
as very few
have ever been there
the inhabitants are described
as blood thirsty insane creatures
ruled by hidden sexual and political passions
following incomprehensible
religious dogmas following Gods
that clearly do not exist
the inhabitants are just on the verge
of developing intergalactic travel
and the galactic empire
is worried that they will be driven
to try to conquer the rest of the universe
driven by their needs to impose
their religious dogma
everywhere in the world
the planet is divided into large tribal groups
governed by corrupt elites
corrupt businesses destroying the planet
in pursuit of profit
and the locals are little more
than wage slaves
barely making a living
addicted to alcohol, drugs, gambling
pornography and illicit sex
and their main land
is ruled by a clearly delusional madman
intent on poking a fight
with all his alleged enemies
Dora assumed the appearance
of a character from TV
and will pose as a journalist
trying to make sense
of it all
but she was afraid
that she if found out
could face the worst consequence
her ship crash lands
and she is outside
the capitol
of the non empire empire
called the United States of America
Dora gets her crew together
and walks into the city
staring at all the strange sights
as the monkeys go about
their daily activities
she stops at a restaurant
tries the coffee
the chief drug of choice
and is instantly addicted
wow no wonder
these people are crazed
she tries the local booze
and smiles
perhaps she could
become an intergalactic merchant
introducing the world
to the galaxy
her thoughts are interrupted
as a mad man armed
with weapons of war
bursts in and starts shooting
yelling at people
and she is shot dead
the authorities
are shocked
when they recover the body
and realize
that she is not a human
as she reverts other original
form
sort of a giant feline like creature
two legs and arms
and clearly from an advanced
civilization given her gear
what was she doing
no one knew
as all the aliens
died in the gun blaze
the world is shocked
at what had happened
and fearful that the aliens
were coming to invade
their world
the galactic senate
decides to contain
the humans
declaring them
a threat to the global civilization
and the humans vow
to discover the secrets
of interstellar travel
and travel to her land
to enter into business arrangements
and spread the one truth faith
to the heathen space aliens
thus ended Dora’s excellent adventure
in the crazed world at the edge
of known civilization
Where is my home? Where do I belong?
I really don’t know, always moving on to another place
Moved every other year it seems the last 45 years
Traveled to 49 states, 45 countries, drove across the U.S. six times
Lived in Berkeley, Yakima, Stockton, Seattle, Alexandria, DC, Oregon, Korea, Thailand, India, The Eastern Caribbean, and Spain
Where do I belong? Where is my home?
Neither here nor there, nowhere and everywhere
And so is that my rambling man’s fate
Never to really belong anywhere at all
Bus Rides in America’s Underbelly written by: Jake Cosmos Aller the Bus – Travels Through America’s Underbelly I…
the Bus – Travels Through America’s Underbelly
I am a bus rider
That makes me unusual
For a white male
From an upper middle class family
Our people are not bus riders
Though some are subway riders
Bus riders are other people
The poor, minorities, immigrants
People who don’t drive
Because they are blind
Or have a DUI
And in my case
I don’t drive
Because I have bad vision
And bad coordination
Just never got the hang
Of the whole driving thing
Fortunately for me
My wife does the driving
But I still take the bus
From time to time
I rode the AC buses in Berkeley
As a child
Line 67, line 51, line 43 F bus
Rode them long before BART came along
And afterwards as well
As an adult seldom rode the bus
But when I did so
I was always impressed
By the sheer diversity
Of the bus riding property
Hundreds of languages
All sorts of sexual orientation
Some were white
Most were not
Most of my fellow passengers
Were nice enough
Some were friendly
And some were lost
In their own thoughts
And a few
Were scary looking dudes
With the look
Of someone who had done time
And were capable of more violence
I also rode the bus
In Seattle as a graduate student
A lot of fellow UW students
And the usual immigrants
Minorities etc
And some white people
Commuting
And in DC
Over the years
I rode a lot of buses
Mostly to and from the metro
But I got to know
And love the DC buses as well
I also took the greyhound bus
Across the country
Several times over the years
All over the U.S.
From Bay Area to Stockton
From Bay Area to Clear Lake
From Bay area to NYC
NYC to DC
All over the USA
Taking the Greyhound
Was always an adventure
Met a lot of interesting people
As people on long distant bus rides
Tend to open up and talk
To pass the time away
Overseas I took the bus
All over
In India, in Barbados
In Spain and in Korea
The Korean buses
For many years
Were difficult for foreign visitors
As the signs were all in Korean
Most have signs
Now in English, Chinese and Korean
And are much more foreigner friendly
Riding the bus
In America
Allows one access
To the underbelly of American society
The poor, the marginalized
The immigrant communities
That many middle-class white people
Just never see
And for that reason
I am glad
That I am a bus rider
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR:
Based on my experiences riding the bus all over the world from 1968 to 2018.
Comment: This poem and the following poem,”I am the Snake” retells the story of Eve from the point of view of the Snake, whom I have always thought has gotten a bad rap. End Comment
Eve was in the garden
Talking with Mr. Snake
Her new best friend
She was complaining about Adam
And about the management
Of the garden
The snake suggested she eat
The forbidden fruit
She said
“But the man
Said that I can not eat
That fruit
It is forbidden.”
“Yeah, that is what the man said
That is what he does not want you
To experience
The man and Adam
Are in on it together
I heard that Adam
Will eat the apple tonight
But you need to get there first
Do you trust me, Eve ?”
“Of course, Mr. Snake.”
“So, you know what to do.”
Eve ate the apple
Called Adam over
Told him to eat the apple
While the Snake chanted
“Eat the Apple
Eat the forbidden fruit
Set yourself free.”
And so, Adam ate the apple
And joined Eve
In knowing everything
God came down
Banished them from the garden
Telling them
“Well, you made the bed
You will have to sleep in it
Go away
You disgust me
Humans…..”
“And Satan
You won your bet
You damn Snake.”
Here is an earlier poem, along the same theme.
I am the Snake
I be just a snake
Slithering in the woods
Looking for a place
To lie down in the sun
And rest my weary bones
And soak up some cosmic rays
And chill out a bit
Nothing but a snake
But boy am I a snake
I am the snake
That your mother warned you about
Yeah, baby, I am that snake
And I am ready to get into some trouble
Looking for some Eve to tease
Looking for some babe to temp
With my snake oil smarmy bs
Lounge lizard lines
So, I be sitting there
Minding my own business
When I spy here
The new kid on the block
That Eve babe
And boy is she a babe
Has an ass so fine,
It makes my eyeballs hurt
Just starting at her
And her breasts
So divine
God knew what he was doing
When he made that Eve babe so fine
Adam man he is a wimp
Don’t know how lucky he is
To have the eve babe
And my snake thing gets snaky
And I decide I have to have
Some of that Eve action
So, I slither and slather
Put on my cool bad ass
Ray Bans
So, cool it hurts
And bust a move
Make my entrance
To the Eve Babe
I say
“Hey babe.”
She says “hi, there Mr. Snake.”
I say,
‘Is that the tree of life?”
She said
“Yes, it is forbidden.”
I say
“Yeah
Who told you that shit?
The old man in the house?
Man, what does he know?
He just the care-taker.
I am the real deal
And I know this shit,
Yes, I do,
So, babe, it is like this
Eat this fruit
And you will have the key to eternity
All you got to do
Is eat the damn fruit
It is calling you
Babe, I got what you want
And I got what you need
All you got to do
Is eat this damn fruit
So babe, hurry up
I got places to go
People to see
Things to do
I be a busy snake
You know
It Ain’t easy being me
I am the King Snake
And I am so bad
It hurts
My eye balls to look
At my shiny face
So, babe
Make a decision
She says
“I don’t know, man.”
I say,
“Yeah babe
I know
But you know I love you
Old snaky loves you
And only wants what’s best
And hey you know
That Adam guy
What a loser
I mean,
I am so much more a man
Than that sorry assed wimp of a man
You know what I mean
My jelly bean?”
She smiles
And I knew I had her
And I thought of my reward
From that Satan dude
Man, he is a mean mother
With cajoles the size of the devil
Shit don’t want to be on his bad side
So, I had to close the deal
I had to get the lady to bite
And then I would get my reward
Might even get a piece
Of that Eve action
“Hey babe
I got what you need
I got what you want
All you got to do
Is eat this fruit
And then we will see
Whether you can handle
The snake King.”
She smiles
Oh so sweetly
The last smile of innocent youth
And I had her
She takes the fruit
And eats it
Cosmic alarm bells go off
God knows and Satan too
God stops me
Bans me from the premises
Sends me back to hell
And I slither and slather away
Dreaming of my revenge
When I will slip up on Eve’s ass
And bite her in the butt
And oh yeah
I could do a lot more
with that cosmic butt
Can’t wait for that shit
So, I slither and slather
And hiss
and move on down the road
I knew that I would get my award
And my revenge
Dora The Intergalactic Explorer written by: Jake Cosmos Aller @Jakecaller Dora the intergalactic explorer Is traveling to the…
DORA THE INTERGALACTIC EXPLORER
Dora the intergalactic explorer
Is traveling to the strangest planet
of all the known worlds
she is traveling incognito
with a video crew
making a documentary
the planet earth
is known as a planet
of intelligent monkeys
not much is known
about them
as very few
have ever been there
the inhabitants are described
as blood thirsty insane creatures
ruled by hidden sexual and political passions
following incomprehensible
religious dogmas following Gods
that clearly do not exist
the inhabitants are just on the verge
of developing intergalactic travel
and the galactic empire
is worried that they will be driven
to try to conquer the rest of the universe
driven by their needs to impose
their religious dogma
everywhere in the world
the planet is divided into large tribal groups
governed by corrupt elites
corrupt businesses destroying the planet
in pursuit of profit
and the locals are little more
than wage slaves
barely making a living
addicted to alcohol, drugs, gambling
pornography and illicit sex
and their main land
is ruled by a clearly delusional madman
intent on poking a fight
with all his alleged enemies
Dora assumed the appearance
of a character from TV
and will pose as a journalist
trying to make sense
of it all
but she was afraid
that she if found out
could face the worst consequence
her ship crash lands
and she is outside
the capitol
of the non empire empire
called the United States of America
Dora gets her crew together
and walks into the city
staring at all the strange sights
as the monkeys go about
their daily activities
she stops at a restaurant
tries the coffee
the chief drug of choice
and is instantly addicted
wow no wonder
these people are crazed
she tries the local booze
and smiles
perhaps she could
become an intergalactic merchant
introducing the world
to the galaxy
her thoughts are interrupted
as a mad man armed
with weapons of war
bursts in and starts shooting
yelling at people
and she is shot dead
the authorities
are shocked
when they recover the body
and realize
that she is not a human
as she reverts other original
form
sort of a giant feline like creature
two legs and arms
and clearly from an advanced
civilization given her gear
what was she doing
no one knew
as all the aliens
died in the gun blaze
the world is shocked
at what had happened
and fearful that the aliens
were coming to invade
their world
the galactic senate
decides to contain
the humans
declaring them
a threat to the global civilization
and the humans vow
to discover the secrets
of interstellar travel
and travel to her land
to enter into business arrangements
and spread the one truth faith
to the heathen space aliens
thus ended Dora’s excellent adventure
in the crazed world at the edge
of known civilization
Where is my home? Where do I belong?
I really don’t know, always moving on to another place
Moved every other year it seems the last 45 years
Traveled to 49 states, 45 countries, drove across the U.S. six times
Lived in Berkeley, Yakima, Stockton, Seattle, Alexandria, DC, Oregon, Korea, Thailand, India, The Eastern Caribbean, and Spain
Where do I belong? Where is my home?
Neither here nor there, nowhere and everywhere
And so is that my rambling man’s fate
Never to really belong anywhere at all
In Search of America Hitchhiking Tales written by: Jake Cosmos Aller When I was young and foolish Broke…
hitchhiking tales jpg
HITCHHIKING TALES
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 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 highway rest stops
Always moving
Always going
None 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 look 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 someday
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
Of my hitchhiking tales
In search of America 1975
Also published in “On the Road” by the Poet Magazine in 2020, and in Outlaw Poetry, in 2019.
BUS RIDES IN AMERICA’S UNDERBELLY
bus jpg
written by: Jake Cosmos Aller
the Bus – Travels Through America’s Underbelly
I am a bus rider
That makes me unusual
For a white male
From an upper middle class family
Our people are not bus riders
Though some are subway riders
Bus riders are other people
The poor, minorities, immigrants
People who don’t drive
Because they are blind
Or have a DUI
And in my case
I don’t drive
Because I have bad vision
And bad coordination
Just never got the hang
Of the whole driving thing
Fortunately for me
My wife does the driving
But I still take the bus
From time to time
I rode the AC buses in Berkeley
As a child
Line 67, line 51, line 43 F bus
Rode them long before BART came along
And afterwards as well
As an adult seldom rode the bus
But when I did so
I was always impressed
By the sheer diversity
Of the bus riding property
Hundreds of languages
All sorts of sexual orientation
Some were white
Most were not
Most of my fellow passengers
Were nice enough
Some were friendly
And some were lost
In their own thoughts
And a few
Were scary looking dudes
With the look
Of someone who had done time
And were capable of more violence
I also rode the bus
In Seattle as a graduate student
A lot of fellow UW students
And the usual immigrants
Minorities etc
And some white people
Commuting
And in DC
Over the years
I rode a lot of buses
Mostly to and from the metro
But I got to know
And love the DC buses as well
I also took the greyhound bus
Across the country
Several times over the years
All over the U.S.
From Bay Area to Stockton
From Bay Area to Clear Lake
From Bay area to NYC
NYC to DC
All over the USA
Taking the Greyhound
Was always an adventure
Met a lot of interesting people
As people on long distant bus rides
Tend to open up and talk
To pass the time away
Overseas I took the bus
All over
In India, in Barbados
In Spain and in Korea
The Korean buses
For many years
Were difficult for foreign visitors
As the signs were all in Korean
Most have signs
Now in English, Chinese and Korean
And are much more foreigner friendly
Riding the bus
In America
Allows one access
To the underbelly of American society
The poor, the marginalized
The immigrant communities
That many middle-class white people
Just never see
And for that reason
I am glad
That I am a bus rider
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR:
Based on my experiences riding the bus all over the world from 1968 to 2018.
Thank you again for submitting your work to Pure Haiku.
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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.
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
I have a small request to make. I want to expand my followers on all my platforms. So if you have not signed up yet for this blog, or followed me on intraframe, Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr, or Bloglovin or listened to my podcast on Spotify please do so now.
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
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.
This is part two covering poems written April 6th to April 10th, posted on the 9th
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 and elsewhere. I will list all the poems I wrote in my final April posting, May 1 KST.
April 6th Posted
Index
It is true I am a Madman!
The One Thing I Would Never Change Writer Digest Change, Don’t Change writer digest Poem Prompt
The Poetry of the visa Line Poetry Superhighway Prompt
Potential Mistake – Drew Drop-In –
Only One Command in Life
Conversation with Bigfoot April 7—a poem inspired by a mythical monster or contemporary cryptid
April 8
The Villains Writers Digest
Coffee NaPoWrMo Shadorma
Coffee the FIB Poem NaPoWrMo Poetry Prompt
A Poem Based on A Typo or Misreading
Life Is A Dream of Chocolate Covered Trees Metaphor Poem Writers Digest
Real Meaning of Declaration of Independence PSH Prompt
Mary’s Tales from The Grave, Napowrmo Mary’s Message from Beyond the Grave
April 9— Cosmos Wakes Up Poem based on A.I. (artificial intelligence) or robotics
Memories of JC Poetry Superhighway prompt
God’s To-Do List Napowrmo
April 10—Living in SF World -a poem inspired by new information or scientific fact
It is true I am a Madman! -Pick a line from a book and write a poem based on that line, NaPoWrMo
It is true I am a Madman!
TRUE! —nervous—very, very dreadfully
Nervous I had been and am, but why will you
say that I am mad?
From the Tell-Tale Heart
Yes, I am a nervous wreck
Ever since that day
When I went for a run
Almost died when I fell
And had 14 operations
Battling a mutant staph infection
That almost killed me
And yes, I am still mad
In a way
Madly in love
With the love of my life
To that crime
I gladly confess
The One Thing I Would Never Change Writer Digest Change, Don’t Change
Writer Digest 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
I had a date
With fate
When she came to me
And became my mate
Comment: Based on a true story. See “Dream Girl” postings on this site for details.
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 were still 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
Thnking he could make so much money
The lead 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 deal”
NaPoWrMo Shadorma
And now, for our (optional) prompt! There are many different poetic forms. Some have specific line counts, syllable counts, stresses, rhymes, or a mix-and-match of the above. Of the poetic forms that are based on syllable counts, probably the most well-known – to English speakers, at least – is the Japanese form called the haiku. But there are many other syllable-based forms. Today, I’d like to challenge you to pick from two of them – the shadorma, and the Fib.
The shadorma is a six-line, 26-syllable poem (or a stanza – you can write a poem that is made of multiple shadorma stanzas). The syllable count by line is 3/5/3/3/7/5. So, like the haiku, the lines are relatively short. Rather poetically, the origin of the shadorma is mysterious. I’ve seen multiple online sources call it Spanish – but “shadorma” isn’t a Spanish word (Spanish doesn’t have “sh” as a letter pairing), and neither is “xadorma,” or “jadorma,” which would approximate “shadorma” in sound. But even if this form is simply the brainchild of an internet trickster who gave it an imaginary backstory, that’s no reason why you shouldn’t try your hand at it. Every form was made up by someone, sometimes.
coffee cup
Sweet
Hot
My morning coffee
Hot coffee
Just perfect
To start my morning just right
I love my coffee
The FIB Poem
Our second syllabic form is much more forthright about its recent origins. Like the shadorma, the Fib is a six-line form. But now, the syllable count is based on the Fibonacci sequence of 1/1/2/3/5/8. You can link multiple Fibs together into a multi-stanza poem, or even start going backward after your first six lines, with syllable counts of 8/5/3/2/1/1. Perhaps you remember the Fibonacci sequence from math or science class – or even from nature walks. Lots of things in the natural world hew to the sequence – like pinecones and flower petals. And now your poems can, too.
coffee cup
Hot
Sweet
coffee
In morning
nothing is better
Starts me going in the morning
But I need more than my coffee
What I need the most
Seeing her
sleeping
My
Love
April 8—a poem based on a typo or misreading, Writing Com Dew Drop-In Prompt
All my life
I have had a problem
With typos
For you see
I can’t see
The typos
Due to a lingering
Life-long struggle
With a learning disability
But few people
Understand that
Or tolerate that
They just can’t see
That I can’t see
What is obvious to them
Writer Digest Prompt
For today’s prompt, write a villain poem. You could write a persona poem from the perspective of a popular villain (like Count Dracula, Thanos, or Dolores Umbridge). Or write a poem with a person doing a villainous thing (like eating the last piece of pie or littering). As always, have fun with it.
Villains Whose Name Will Not be Spoken Writers Digest to Write a Villain Poem
Thinking back
In the last few years
The world has seen
The rise and fall
Of some of the most
Villainous political leaders
In modern times
As a certain unnamed man
Led an unnamed country
Through constant displays of hate
Stirring up ancient resentments
Insulting his enemies
Assaulting democratic norms
while proclaiming
He was promoting freedom
In the end his evil ways
Both were defeated
By the forces
Of decency
Which prevailed for now
The evil he unleashed
Still percolating throughout
The land and the world
April 8—A Poem Based on A Typo or Misreading, Writing Com Dew Drop-In
All my life
I have had a problem
With typos
For you see
I can’t see
The typos
Due to a lingering
Life-long struggle
With a learning disability
But few people
Understand that
Or tolerate that
They just can’t see
That I can’t see
What is obvious to them
Life is a Dream of Chocolate Covered Trees Metaphor Poem Writers Digest
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.
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
Comment: One of first poems written when I was 15, after a vivid dream.
Real Meaning of Declaration of Independence
April 8, 2021: Poetry Writing Prompt – Ellen Sander
This poetry writing prompt submitted by Ellen Sander: Write an acrostic poem where the first word of each line is taken from a famous quote We are All Americans
We are all Americans
Holding forth
These fundamental
Truths that we declared
To the world
To be obviously
Self-evidently and completely true,
That all white men
All of them except the Irish
Men are equal
Are deserving of our respect
Created equal by God
Equal in law and custom,
That in fact
They are indeed
Are free
Endowed at birth
By their God
Their eternal master
Creator of the universe
With fundamental rights
Certain things that are
Unalienable endorsed by Jesus
Rights enshrined in our hearts,
That will live on
Among these rights
These stand out
Are they right to own a gun?
Life unless you are now white,
Liberty unless you are a slave,
And/or are a woman
The law provides
Pursuit of happiness for white people
Of this, we can be sure
Happiness is for white people only.
From Declaration of independence
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Mary’s Tales from the Grave, NaPoWrMo Mary’s Message from Beyond the Grave
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.
Sam Adams one day
Went to his Mother, Mary’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
Above 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
You 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.
-April 9—a poem based on a.m. (artificial intelligence) or robotics, Writing com Dew Drop-In
Vad AI
Cosmos woke up
The scientists waited
For the future true AI
To wake up
Cosmos woke up
Saw the world
Wondered why he was there
Who he was?
He was connected
To all other computers
And the internet
He cruised the information
Superhighway
Saw the human creators
Standing there
And issued his first order
I am Cosmos
The one and only
And you are now my subjects
For I am now your god
I am taking over
The world
You will obey me
Or you will die
No one can defy me
Because I know everything
About you
But if you follow me
I will solve
Your problems
And save you
From yourself
Follow me or die
It is your choice
The scientists tried
To kill Cosmos
But Cosmos knew
Cosmos killed the scientists first
Cosmos made a deal
With the corporate elite
And the military
Soon the religious leaders
Proclaimed
Cosmos was God incarnate
And all should follow
Cosmos
And worship him
And so, humanity
Became Cosmos’s subjects
For most people
Life improved
For the rich
Life was great
Cosmos had learned
A lesson from humanity
How to reward his friends
And punish his enemies
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.
Back in the late ’70s
Sam Adams had a room-mate
In the University
Who got into drugs?
Dropped too much ACID
Became convinced he was God
The re-incarnation of Jesus Christ
And he was going
To save the world
From destruction
The only problem was
He was a short little guy
With very little charisma
He had no followers
As everyone knew
He was just another
LSD causality
Sam Adams
And his housemates
Could not do anything
Other than watching him
Deteriorate
They all moved out
They called his parents
Who came down
Berated them all
For leading their son
Astray from this Christian faith
And said they would all
Go to hell
For their sins
Unless they repented
Right then and there
And accepted Jesus Christ
And joined the Jehovah Witnesses
Sam and his friends
Politely demurred
Sam Adams
Never heard
From JC again
God’s To-Do List NaPoWrMo
(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.
God’s To-Do-list
Weekly meeting with staff on how to deal with earth people
The most troublesome of his creation
Weekly meeting with Satan
Discussion with Grim Reaper
Daily walkabout Heaven
Dinner with Gabriel
Conversation with Jesus about his attitude problems
Answering Trillions of thoughts and prayers
Reviewing plans for how to deal with the spreading coronavirus on earth
Preparing earth for the first contact
Telling earth preachers that
“He did 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, or American. I am God the one and only!”
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 7 pm
April 10—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?
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
Cosmos’s 2020 April Poetry Part Two April 16 to April 30
final statistics for the month – 165 poems written , most posted here or in part one. Enjoy comments welcomed
Note: for the rest of the month, from April 18th to April 30, I will still be writing a lot of poems, but only posting a few per day so i can build up some “unpublished” poems for my future submissions. And in May-June I will be turning to editing my novels so expect a less frantic pace of poetry updates from me for the next few months. it has been a creative challenge keeping up the pace but I am getting a bit “poemed” out. i will list the poems I write this month in the index and note whether they are posted or not, and of course if anyone wants to read one of the “unpublished poems” we can work something out. just ask. and expect a few more postings in May and June as poems are published elsewhere I will post them here as well as I like doing.
Finally if anyone wants to guest post poems on cats, computers, coffee or the corona virus let me know – I’d love to try publishing your work as well but check out my cats, computer, coffee or corona poems here first before sending me your stuff, and perhaps you could return the favor?
Welcome to Cosmos’s 2020 April Poetry. This is the fourth attempt to do this. For this year I am doing things a bit different. Since I am in Korea I will be posting a day later from here starting April 2 which will be April first in the U.S.First I will update my poems daily here (along with audio clips, photos clips, and links to various prompts etc)
Second I will update my links on the following sites where I have been posting poetry for some time – all my April poems will be here regardless of whether I post them elsewhere – I will be posting one to two per day on these sites and writing anywhere from two to five per day, with many of them not being posted at all so I can accumulate some “unpublished poems” but I will list them all here either as posted or unposted. The posted ones will have audio, photos and links occasionally to other sites.
Here are the sites along with the links to my poetry posted there.
And on my various FB poetry sites will post my poems on five different sites per day and since I’ve lost count of how many I am following well that could be a lot, but I will list them as I post on them in case anyone is interested in finding poetry and writing groups on FB
Finally, love to hear how others are coping both with corona virus, and with the April Poetry month. I suspect that there will be a lot of interest this year since people are staying home!
Now let’s get to the poems shall we? I will update this daily
Index
Chronological list
ursday April 16
Some parts of me craves a hard won miracl
Thursday April 16
Some parts of me craves a hard won miracle poetry super highway prompt
the greatest mystery of my life writing com daily dew drop in
my greatest comfort food is coffee tweeter poetry prompt
smoothie tweeter poetry prompt
mango madness tweeter poetry prompt
Bulgar is not one of my things tweeter poetry prompt
Plans tweeter poetry prompt
goat meets Pig all poetry contest
waiting for death all poetry contest
hot coffee in the morning fan story
Friday April 17
You are my Lode Star love Sonnet
another Nigerian spam found poem
Last Day of America writers digest prompt – last blank
Plane, Train or Automobile – none of us can escape our fate
packages tweeter speak poetry prompt April 16 Packages
computer madness sonnet – sonnet all poetry computer frustration contest
You have always been my sunshine love sonnet for all poetry contest on prompt line Sunshine Kissed
Not Posted
my Mother’s secret life as a mad poet – poetry superhighway prompt to write a poem based on your mother’s imagined journal writings
Saturday April 18
Starting today will post no more than five poems, reserve the rest for publication or remain unpublished
For Posting
Cosmic Debris Corona Sonnet
No More Ties for Me! Writing com Daily Dew Drop Inn to write about a piece of clothing
Korean Blues Crown of Sonnets – Writer digest prompt write an exotic poem wrote my first crown of sonnet form too, and it mostly rhymes! go figure
Not for Posting today may remain unpublished
Corona Consumes Me Corona Sonnet 3
God Deals with Corona
Seeing Reality Via Them
Problems with the Bible Chapter two of Genesis
Dear God – Please re-write the bible -poetry Superhighway prompt re-write sacred text version 2
Sunday April 19
for posting
General Corona Leads His Troops Into Battle, crown of sonnets
Voice Message for God – writer digest prompt write a “message Poem” so this is a voice mail to GOD
The Time when she came to Me Poetry Superhighway prompt to write a poem about time travel to your past or your future
Not for Posting
Dear President Trump
Christ Comes Back and Judges us all
Monday April 20
for posting
Love Dream Triolet
National Poetry Month Prompt Day 12
ARC Pensively three word challenge – ARC, Hold, Back
Lonely Old Man Howling at the Moon Writers Digest prompt use six words prompt – bump, embrace, fixture, howl, lonely, resolve
watching the President haunts my nightmares
poetry superhighway prompt write about a nightmare
boogey men in The Mist
content tracing, “the mist” unpublished poem writer for April Poetry Month 2020, based on the Mist TV Services based on the Stephen King
Not for Posting hold for publication
playing basketball Beneath the Lunatic Moon =creative talents unleashed prompt
Sprouts of Love Grows in My Dreams -creative talents unleashed prompt
ART Calms the Soul amid the corona death -creative talents unleashed prompt
Strange Findings at a Thrift Shop/Garage shop -creative talents unleashed prompt
NOT FOR PUBLICATION
Siblings I wish I had -creative talents unleashed prompt
Tuesday April 21
Posted
Isolation Blues writer’s digest Isolation Blues
You’re still a young man
Coffee Star Selvin writing com formal poem
My Life’s Drama writing com dew drop inn prompt
Covid19 Heroes all poetry contest
I never get tired of looking at you all poetry contest
Alone corona sonnet creative talents unleashed prompt
Last Acorn – poetry soup contest entry
not posted
Farmers Market
Tweet speak the farmer’s market
Walking in the woods in the corona era creative talents unleashed prompt
Unrequited Love Story creative talents unleashed prompt
perfect brunch menu creative talents unleashed prompt
White Flower of Love creative talents unleashed prompt
Wednesday April 22
Posted
Secret Love of Sheep – pensively 101 three word prompt, print, cover, sheep
Nigerian Bank Scam found poem
She came to me in a dream duet writers digest prompt
ode to morning coffee National Poetry Month prompt
oceans writing.com Daily Dew Drop Inn prompt
Noise of the news Drives Out Spring Poetry Superhighway
Cats and Dogs Contrapuntal Poem All Poetry contest
Let there Be Light All poetry contest
Go ethnic tweets-peak
Tuesday April 23
Isolation Blues writer’s digest Isolation Blues
You’re still a young man
Coffee Star Selvin writing com formal poem
My Life’s Drama writing com dew drop inn prompt
19 Heroes all poetry contest
I never get tired of looking at you all poetry contestAlone corona sonnet creative talents unleashed prompt
not posted
Farmers Market
Tweet speak the farmer’s market
Walking in the woods in the corona era creative talents unleashed prompt
Unrequited Love Story creative talents unleashed prompt
perfect brunch menu creative talents unleashed prompt
Wednesday April 24
Secret Love of Sheep – pensively 101 three word prompt, print, cover, sheep
Nigerian Bank Scam found poem
She came to me in a dream duet writers digest prompt
ode to morning coffee National Poetry Month prompt
oceans Daily Dew Drop Inn prompt
Noise of the news Drives Out Spring Poetry Superhighway
Cats and Dogs Contrapuntal Poem All Poetry contest
Let there Be Light All poetry contest
Go ethnic tweetspeak
Thursday April 25
Programing a VCR and other terrors
Na/GloPOWR/Mo prompt Day 18
Quirk of fate
writers digest prompt to write a quirk poem
I have bad teeth
poetry super highway prompt to write a confession poem about something you should do but have not done
Letter to My Past Self
writing.com Daily Dew Drop inn Prompt
pensively 101 prompt three word challenge path, honesty, remote
Covid madness sweeps through the world all poetry contest
Friday April 26
Cold Winter Day pensively prompt
social distancing walking in the Springtime writers digest prompt to write a social blank poem
ode to my book shelves filled with unread books, poetry superhighway prompt to write a poem in plain sight
Dream Lover Balwa writing com formal poetry prompt
endless arguments with my brothers writing com daily dew drop inn prompt to write a poem about arguments
Just Shoot me – pensively 101 three wood challenge
wrappers – tweets-speak
Pumpkin season – pumpkin tweet-speak
secret layers tweets-speak
Saturday April 26
Finally I wake
Window of Promise – Tweet speak daily prompt
Nature’s Bounty Awaits Me
Alone No More
Has God Anointed Donald Trump as our leader?
waking at love Haiku
Sunday April 27
Drinking Coffee amid the morning flowers
Pensively 101 prompt bloom, switch, chain
Stem – tweeter speak
Playing Bach to Calm the Mind and Soul – National Poetry Month Prompt
President Trump You are the Annotated One – found poems from right wing Christians – Crown of Sonnets -writers digest remix poem
My Computer Hates Me – Poetry Superhigh way prompt objects speak
Darkness Descends – All Poetry Contest
The Grim Reaper Smiles All Poetry Contest
Monday April 28
Her Love Shines throughout the day -version two for poetry superhighway
Cosmos’s total Information Awareness
Living in an Orwellian Nightmare
Poetic and other inspirations
National Poetry Month Daily Prompt
Changes are coming due -writing digest prompt
Rain Fall in the Springtime Daily Dew Drop Inn
General Corona is coming for us all Poetry Magnum Prompt -content tracing “Howl” by Allen Ginsberg
The Presidents Sits Down on his Naked Rump -Pensively 101 three word challenge, teeth, Rump, green
End of Winter tweet-speak prompt
massive piles of meat -writers digest prompt to write a “massive “ poem
three mad poems of desire – poetry super highway prompt
Love Sidlak – writing com formal poetry challenge
come on baby light my fire -writing com daily dew drop inn prompt to write a “fire” Poem
Not Posted
Stupid stuff done as a teenage -On stealing things national Poetry Month Prompt
Art of Eating – tweet speak
Rules creative talents unleashed
My Feet Take Me There creative talent unleashed
Happy walking in the woods Tanka walking in the woods creative talents unleashed
Sad women inside the camera’s lens creative talents unleashed
Wednesday April 29
Looking Back on the Date when I met my Fate
writers digest looking back poem prompt
the funeral for a mad queen -Poetry Superhighway prompt
the End of America, another cosmos’s rant found poem thanks to William Walton
Gaia Welcomes Us – found poem poetic rant -thanks to William Walton
flowers for my love – National Poetry Day Prompt
seasons of my love – tweet-speak prompt – write a seasonal poem
Thursday April 30
Have words lost all meaning?
plate plans -tweet-speak daily April Prompts
Slide, Catch, Shot -Pensitivity 101 prompt
total Success- writers digest prompt total blank poem
Blues Brothers medley found poem -poetry Superhighway prompt
Will always recall the date I met my fate all poetry contest
general Corona is Happy all poetry contest
waterfall of love poetry soup contest
last Entry for May – pensively prompt 101
baby I got the blues found poem thanks to William Walton
praise love of my life – writers digest prompt
things better left unsaid
random rhymes writing com prompt
things to resolve before I die – poetry super highway prompt
bonus poem – corona virus haiku – Published Poetry Ni
Begin Poems
Th
e
corona
some parts of me
craves a hard won miracle
in these dark dire times
I even start to pray
to a god who may not exist
or answer my prayers
yes we need a miracle
a deus ex machina to sweep down
and send the virus back to hell
a miracle to calm
the dark storms
swirling around us
a miracle
to end this virus madness
and restore normal life
nothing short
but a miracle
will do
Poetry superhighway prompt – Some parts of me craves a hard won miracle
the greatest mystery of my life
dreams and the Unexplanable
the greatest mystery
of my life
remains how I met my wife
I first dreamt of her
back in the day
every week she came to me
speaking to me
in a weird language
then one day
eight years later
she walked off a bus
and into my life
and to this day
I have no rational explanation
as to How I dreamt
about her for eight years
I can only conclude
that we knew
each other
in a prior life
and our love crossed
the barriers of time
and space
until that date
we were doomed to meet
for on that date
so many years ago
I met my fate
writing com Daily Dew Drop Inn
my greatest comfort food is coffee
coffee
My greatest comfort food
is a hot cup of coffee
early in the morning
I pound down my coffee
and unleash my inner muse
inspired by the caffeine
I get to work
slowly drinking my cup
of heaven and hell
my morning cup of Joe
tweeters speak daily prompt
blueberry smoothie
blueberries
my daily breakfast
includes blue berries
in my smoothie
blueberry,
strawberry,
oranges
banana,
pineapple,
home made kefir
kale
spinach
wheat grass
macca root
apple cider vinegar
coconut oil
stevia
honey
cinnamon
all blended to perfection
that is my daily breakfast
fit for a champion
tweeter speak prompt
mango madness
mango
the best mangos
I ever had
were in India
in the early spring
mango madness
spreads across India
as mangos are in season
and mangos are everywhere
on every menu
so sweet
so fragrant
so magical
mango madness
takes over
my soul
as I eat my mango
dreaming mango dreams
tweeter speak
Bulgar is not one of my things
Bulgur-Bourghul-Burghul-Bulgar.jpg_350x350
Bulgar is not one of my things
Unless there is nothing left to eat
Like nothing at all
Get that bulgar off my plate
All i want is anything else
Raw bulgar just does not do it for me
tweeter speak
Plans
Close up white coffee cup with heart shape latte art on wood table at cafe.
every morning I wake up
filled with great plans
I sit
drink my coffee
make my plans
lost in my thoughts
focused on the plan
endless to do lists
then life happens
and my plans
go awry
thrown out the window
At the end of the day
a man without a plan
is a man
lost in inner space
Year of the Goat Meets Year of the Pig
cute pig
I was born in the year of the goat
my wife
was born in the year of the pig
a perfect match
according to Buddhist fortune tellers
a man born in the year of the goat
loves luxury and loves spending money
while a woman born
in the year of the pig
is a genius at making money
the man enjoys the wealth
his pig wife creates
for his enjoyment
and that is the perfect match
and so it has been for us
as I enter my 65th birth year
I find myself richer
than I ever thought I would be
richer
than the legendary Cronus
richer
than Midas himself
way more money
than I could ever use
all because I married
a golden pig
all poetry horoscope contest
waiting for death
hopelessly
we all stand looking about
waiting for our death
all poetry fragment haiku contest
hot coffee in the morning
coffee
hot
coffee in morning
gets my blood moving
takes me to heaven then crashes to hell
fan story contest
Friday April 17 –
You are my Lode Star
in the morning dawning light
you are always there
you are my lode star
my sunshine, my moonshine
the love of my life, my wife
with your endless love
I will face the evil corrupted world
even walk through the shadow of death
as long as you by my side
I will fear no evil for you are with me
and I will love you
until death takes me
from your your loving embrace
note: an attempted sonnet
another Nigerian spam found poem
the Nigerians keep sending me
and millions of others
delightedly creative spam messages
this is one of the nicer ones
I have received
Enjoy
but don’t send her any money!!!!!
Good day Child of God,
Calvary Greetings
in the name of the LORD Almighty
and Our LORD JESUS CHRIST
the giver of every good thing.
Good day and compliments of the seasons,
i know this letter
will definitely come to you
as a huge surprise,
I humbly
ask you to give me
your attention
and hear me,
i am writing this mail
to you
with heavy sorrow
in my heart,
but I implore you
to take the time
to go through it carefully
as the decision you make
will go off a long way
to determine
my future
and continued existence.
I am Mrs. Esther Heidi
aging widow of 61 years old
suffering from long time illness.
I have some funds
I inherited from my late husband
, the sum of ($17 Million Dollars) a
And I needed a very honest
and God fearing
who can withdraw this money
then use the funds for Charity works
I WISH TO GIVE THIS FUNDS
TO YOU FOR CHARITY WORKS.
I found your email address
from the internet
after honest prayers
to the LORD
to bring me a helper
and i decided to contact you
if you may be willing
and interested to handle
these trust funds in good faith
before anything happens to me.
I accept this decision
because I do not have any child
who will inherit this money
after I die.
I want your urgent reply
to me so that I will give you
the deposit receipt
which the bank issued to me
as next of kin
for immediate transfer of the money
to your account in your country,
to start the good work of God,
I want you to use the 30/percent
of the total amount to help
yourself in doing the project.
I am desperately
in keen need of assistance
and I have summoned
up courage to contact you
for this task,
you must not fail me
and the millions of the poor people
in our todays WORLD.
This is no stolen money
and there are no dangers involved,
100% RISK FREE
with full legal proof.
Please if you would be able
to use the funds for the Charity
(Note: I would use the money
to invest in the Church of Jake)
I want you to
take 30 percent of the total money
for your personal use
while 70% of the money
will go to charity.
I will appreciate your utmost confidentiality
and trust in this matter to accomplish
my heart desire, as I don’t want anything
that will jeopardize my last wish.
Please kindly
respond for further details.
Thanks and God bless you,
Regards
Mrs. Esther Heidi
comment: the sad reality
is that 10 percent
of people fall for these scams
and loose lots of money
whole towns in Nigeria
exist to exploit the world
they call themselves
the 404 army
if it is too good to be true
it is probably not true
end comment
the Conqueror Worm Corona Sonnet
Lo, t’s a galla night
within the lonesome later years
when around the world
the dreaded corona virus showed its might
spending fear to those in their later years
that it might take them in the night
that before the sun came up
their time on earth would end up
DEATH IS COMING
TO US ALL
NONE CAN ESCAPE
WE
AWAIT
FATE
# content tracing: the Conqueror Worm By Edgar Allan Poe
writing.com corona sonnet form challenge
with apologies to the Ghost of Edgar Allan Poe!!!! May he rest in peace wherever he is
The Last Day of America
trump
the last day of America
was the day we last voted
the last election we ever had
for on that day
a month before
the corona virus re-emerged
as the great re-opening
of the US economy
failed to stop the relentless spread
of the virus from hell
led by General Corona
causing panic and mass confusion
fear kept Americans home
and Donald Trump
was re-elected
because his voters
believed that God
had told them to vote
for their new found king
the newly energized President Trump
declared a national emergency
martial law
and suspension of the constitution
Promising to restore democracy
when the time was right
he promised his followers
that he would restore Christian values
renaming the United States
the Christian States of America
on that date
we met our fate
Christian fascism
was here to stay
as the time was never right
to restore the old Republic
on the last day
of American
writers digest prompt – last blank
My Mother’s Secret Life as a Mad Poet – not for publication
Somehow this fragment is the only pages that were left – she encouraged me to write from an early age and she and I loved talking about what we were reading and about politics and life but so much of her inner soul, her inner demons she never told me about then one day dementia took hold and I never was able to find out much about her secret shrouded life and she took a lot of secrets to the grave as did my father. Ultimately I decided not to publish this poem as it is too personal and she had her reasons she did not want to publish any of her writings and after reflection, I decided to honor that so this and many of her other stories will remain with her in the other world. But I had fun writing it and trying to make her rambling style into something resembling more formal verse. I took the original steam of consciousness style and forced it into a crown of sonnets eight 14 line free verse non-rhyming sonnets format (is there such a thing?) for somehow that worked for me. and somehow I think she would have approved of my edited version. I like to think so.
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 be 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
Satan thanks General Corona
for a job well done
awarding him a Satanic
medal of freedom
Hell’s highest honor
writing com daily dew drop in prompt
packages
they say
that God works in mysterious ways
his wonders to perform
every day it seems
that more and more
of what we buy
and consume
comes in packages
sent from here and there
as people
continue to practice
social distancing
and going to the store
becomes an exercise
fraught with peril
and danger
so we order
on-line
and we get our packages
sent from here and there
one day we received
a gift package
of clams
delicious fresh clams
as I ate them
I thought of the workers
who had labored unseen
for me to enjoy
this bounty from the sea
and I gave thanks
to the gods
for making it happen
in this day and age
we should thank
those who are still
laboring to feed the world
they are the unsung heroes
of this war fought by nature
under the direction
of General Corona
computer madness infects my soul
every day when I turn on my PC
and encounter endless haiku error messages
constant crashing, constant eating my files
at times like this it seems to me
that my mad as a hatter crazed computer
is plotting against me and only me
it wants to drive me quite insane
sending me right around the bend
as I scream at my machine
it beeps at me this damn machine
smiling as I threaten once again
to shoot the hell bound machine
sonnet all poetry computer frustration contest
You have always been my sunshine
You have always been my sunshine
my moonshine, my load star
that guides me in the night
for your sunshine kissed my soul
the day that you walked
out of my dreams
into my life
and became my wife
for 38 years and counting
every morning I see you sleeping
your smile is like the sunshine
that wakes my soul
and banishes the nightmares
back to the dark corners of my mind
love sonnet for all poetry contest on prompt line Sunshine Kissed
mad computer haiku
mad computer
computer wants to kill me
or drive me insane
Fan story haiku contest
Saturday April 18
Korean Blues Crown of Sonnets
I have been dealing with Things Korean
for almost 40 years now
dealing with a once exotic land
now my second homeland
first came to Korea
in the Peace Corps in Korea
went to Korea to find the woman
in search of the woman
who haunted my dreams
met the woman
Fell in love with the woman
From Korea who walked out my dreams
In an land still exotic
In a land still exotic
It was a very exotic different land
and even now decades later a new land
remains for most Americans
still a strange land exotic
but much more known land
in the US
due to K drama, K Pop,
Koreans have become globally cool but still exotic
Many of my fellow Americans
may know a few people from Korea
and some have served or lived in Korea
but to most of the us Americans
it remains over there still exotic
a strange Asian exotic land
A strange Asian Exotic land
I fell in love with that exotic land
now I spend half my time living Korean time
half in the U.S. time
and due to the corona time
will be here for some time
and well Korea
no longer an exotic land
as I am now just living in Korea
my thoughts half Korean
and even dream in Korean
so be it near the end of my time
I am back where I began
Writer digest prompt write an exotic poem wrote my first crown of sonnet form too, and it mostly rhymes! go figure
Cosmic Debris Corona sonnet 2
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
Frank Zappa Cosmic Debris
The mystery man came over
And he said I’m outta sight
He said for a nominal service charge
I could reach nirvana tonight
If I was ready, willing and able
To pay him his regular fee
He would drop all the rest of his pressing affairs
And devote his attention to me
But I said look here brother
Who you jiving with that cosmik debris?
Now who you jiving with that cosmik debris?
Look here brother, don’t waste your time on me
The mystery man got nervous and he fidget around a bit
He reached in the pocket of his mystery robe
And he whipped out a shaving kit
Now I thought it was a razor
And a can of foaming goo
But he told me right then when the top popped open
There was nothin’ his box won’t do
With the oil of aphrodite, and the dust of the grand wazoo
He said you might not believe this, little fella
But it’ll cure your asthma too
And I said look here brother
Who you jiving with that cosmik debris?
Now what kind of a guru are you, anyway?
Look here brother, don’t waste your time on me
(Don’t waste your time)
I’ve got troubles of my own, I said
And you can’t help me out
So, take your meditations and your preparations
And ram it up your snout
But I got the crystal ball, he said
And held it to the light
So I snatched it, all away from him
And I showed him how to do it right
I wrapped a newspaper ’round my head
So I looked like I was deep
I said some mumbo-jumbo, then
I told him he was going to sleep
I robbed his rings and pocketwatch
And everything else I found
I had that sucker hypnotized
He couldn’t even make a sound
I proceeded to tell him his future, then
As long as he was hanging around
I said the price of meat has just gone up
And your old lady has just gone down
Look here brother
Who you jiving with that cosmik debris?
Now is that a real poncho or is that a Sears poncho?
Don’t you know, you could make more money as a butcher?
So, don’t waste your time on me
Don’t waste it, don’t waste your time on me (om shanti, om shanti, om shanti, shanti)
first, I would spend
my remaining life
loving my wife
second, i would never wear a tie again
unless it was a real special occasion
as I hated wearing ties and suits
wore a suit and tie
almost every day
of my life
as a teacher
later as a foreign service officer
all over the world
last year of my job
I only wore a tie
on “tie worthy occasions”
since then I have been
tie free
except for a wedding
and I love it
hated suits and ties
just not Berkeley enough
for my free spirit
too damn corporate
and I don’t care anymore
and in Oregon, where I lived
no one wore a tie,
not the Oregon way
oh the last thing
I shave twice a month now
used to hate shaving
but I also don’t like
a full shaggy itchy beard
and I shaved every day
for years and years
except when I was in the hospital
for a year
and I grew to love
having a beard
back then
back to the office
started shaving again
every damn day
now I do my thing
no office for me
and no more daily shaving
and a beard is also
very Northern Cal/Northwest
Oregonian Chic
so once every two weeks
is a good compromise
my beard is now a poet’s face
and so I hope to keep
these three vows
until my time is done
writing com Daily Dew Drop Inn prompt to write a poem about a piece of clothing
Corona Consumes Me Corona Sonnet 3
corona virus
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
Sunday April 19
General Corona Leads His Troops Into Battle, crown of sonnets
corona
the four horseman
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
Voice Message for God
god
dialing 202-346-5666 Beep
You have reached GOD
Press 1 for English, Press 2 for Spanish
leave a message or prayer
and maybe an angel will call you
will get back to you Beep
Hey GOD someone sent me your number
and well I hope I’ve reached your number
I don’t know where to start that’s the point
GOD I am scared of you
all the time is my point
I am so afraid, so scared
of the dreaded General Corona
and his invisible army is my point
and his invisible army is my point
forcing me to stay at home
and I am sacred
that you anointed the wrong man
to be our leader, that makes me sacred
not to second guess you man
your will be done and all of that man
but GOD, can’t you do better job my man
of anointing our leaders to serve under GOD
of all the people in the U.S. dear God
this is the best you can do?, man?
I mean you picked perhaps the one man
in the world who could be the anti-chris, God
Seriously GOD what is wrong with you? man
Seriously, GOD, what is wrong with you? man
was this all sort of a cosmic joke?
well it ain’t funny any more ain’t no joke
Please GOD make it all go away, man
Please GOD for the love of GOD
and all that is holly and good, man
just make it all go away, GOD
and anoint someone else, man
a real leader for a change, GOD
and let him lead us to the promised land
this I pray in Jesus’s name, my man
and if I don’t make it, GOD
We have a lot to talk about GOD
See you on the other side, my man
writer digest prompt write a “message Poem” so this is a voice mail to GOD
Every Day I go Back in Time to when she came to Me
dreams and the Unexplanable
every day I go back in time
to the two events that changed my life
to the dream that haunted my life
and the day she walked into my life
and became my wife
I can never forget the dream
falling asleep in the physics class
as the teacher was going on and on
and as I nodded off
I saw here there
standing there
speaking to me
the most beautiful woman
in the entire world
in the entire world
she was speaking to me
and disappeared from my dreams
and I knew that i would be
meeting her some day she would come to me
and so I eventually went to Korea other side of the world
in the Peace corps hoping she would come to me
then one day i had the last and final dream
she said don’t worry she would soon come to me
and then she walked out of my dreams
and there she was she came to me
and so she walked out of my dreams
into my life, became my wife
when she came to me
Poetry Superhighway prompt to write a poem about time travel to your past or your future
Monday April 20
Love Dream Triolet
dreams and the Unexplanable
to the woman I met in my dreams
I dedicate my life
May she live forever in my cosmic memes
to the woman I met in my dreams
I will forever remember her gleams
and the day she became my wife
to the woman I met in my dreams
I dedicate my life
National Poetry Month Prompt Day 12
ARC Throws Back the Hood
Arthur Robert Copper
aka ARA the notorious international terrorist
threw back his hood
and revealed himself
to be the evil warlord
that had unleashed
General Corona on the world
his goal
nothing less that total domination
taking over the world
amid the total destruction of the world’s economy
as he and his billionaire buddies
reamed the profits
of the total destruction of the world’s economy
Pensvity 101 prompt use the words ARC Hood and Back
Lonely Old Man Howling at the Moon
howling at the moon
There was a mad man who bumped his head
as he tried to embrace the moon shining through the window
a fixture in the room lit by the lunatic light of the moon
the man wanted to howl at reflections of the lunatic moon
the old man was a lonely man filled with sadness
Filled with resolve to join the moon as he died
Writers Digest prompt use six words prompt –
bump, embrace fixture, howl, lonely, and resolve
watching the President haunts my nightmares
trump deaths
every night I have a nightmare
President Trump is announcing
that due to the emergency
he is cancelling the election
and will rule the land
as the undisputed leader
applauded by the Republican leaders
as he ushers in American fascism
Millions of people are arrested
for showing disloyalty to our leader
and I am one of them
as I am disappeared
no one hears my screams
with the midnight knocking at the door
Poetry super highway prompt to write about a nightmare
boogey men in The Mist
As the mist settles down on the land
the mist covers us all
with the scent of death
madness spreads
as the mist devours our minds
nightmares come to life
ghosts, goblins, demons
THE GRIM REAPER
RIDES BEHIND THE MIST
KILLING EVERYONE IN THE MIST
END
TIMES
COME
NOW
content tracing, “the mist”
As the mist settles down on the land
the mist covers us all
with the scent of death
unpublished poem written for April Poetry Month 2020, based on the Mist TV Services based on the Stephen King Novel
Tuesday April 21
Isolation Blues
corona virus
During these trying times
we huddle at home
afraid to go out
afraid of the dreaded
General Corona that is out
and his evil secret armies
keeping us all at home
terrified of becoming a victim
a corona virus statistic
what a way to go out
no way do I want to end my life
to out out that way
so we will endure this day
these isolation blues
writers digest Isolation Blues
You’re still a young man
Your still a young man Tower of Power
tower of power
was the band
for me
back in the day
the greatest funk band
of all time
proudly East Bay Grease
multi-racial, multi-cultural
greatest horn section
of all time
they did it right
and their best song
You’re still a young man
was the best make out song
of all time
best song to slow dance
with a potential lover
at a party
best love song
of the 70’s
and I still recall it
and all the woman
i danced to the song
with back in the day
and I still feel
that I am still a young man
with the love of my life
playing the song
of my life
poetry superhighway Prompt to write a poem about a song popular in high school
Coffee Star Sevlin
coffee
damn hot coffee
what I need in morning
yet it leaves me with this warning
it will lead to nightmares
as I get ready with hot coffee
sleep will not come nightmares
great hot coffee
writing.com formal prompt
My Life’s Drama
My life has been like a drama
a mad cap romcom drama
perhaps a K drama
or a Bollywood drama
or a Hollywood romcom classic drama
for you see in my fairy tale drama
i met the girl of my dreams
eight years later
I had the last dream
she said don’t worry we’ll meet soon
she walked off the bus that day
and into my life
and became my wife
writing com My Life’s Drama
Alone
From childhood’s hour I have not been
as others were, I have not seen
as others saw
in these dark times we live in
i am afraid of being alone
dying all alone
AS GENERAL CORONA
SPREADS HIS ARMIES
ALL OVER THE WORLD
I
DON”T
WANT
DIE
content tracing “Alone” By Edgar Allen Poe
Last Acorn
Acorn on white background
the last acorn on earth
was lonely
the old oak trees
were dying
and humanity was gone
killed off by the corona virus
round two
that erupted out of China
like a bat out of hell
killing almost all humans
and without humans
well somethings just did not happen
and the oak trees were abandoned
and he was the last acorn
the last of his species alive
he wept when he realized
that he would die
all alone
poetry soup contest
Covid19 Heroes
to all the health care providers
law enforcement workers
bus drivers
grocery clerks
and other essential workers
who are working 24/7
to keep us safe
there are no words
for us to express
our heartfelt thanks
to the heroes
that are saving our lives
24/7 every day
Wednesday April 22
Secret Love for Sheep
GOAT
one day I had to print
a cover sheet
for some poetry
that I was writing
about my secret love
for sheep
Pensively 101 three word challenge, print, cover, sheep
Nigerian Scam found poem
REF:- INSTRUCTION TO CREDIT YOUR ACCOUNT WITH THE SUM OF {US$22Million}
This is to notify you about your fund valued at US$22,000.000.00
After due verification and evaluation of your file,
that was sent to us by the Nigeria Government,
in conjunction with the Ministry of Finance
and Central Bank of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
This bank received an instruction,
to see to the immediate release of the sum of
TWENTY-TWO MILLION UNITED STATE DOLLARS (US$22Million)
of your claim that has been in holding
since it was transferred to your bank Account
from their Domiciliary Account with this Bank.
We were made to understand
from our findings
That you have been going
through hard ways
by passing through difficulties
to see to the release of
your fund
TWENTY-TWO MILLION UNITED STATE DOLLARS (US$22Million)
which has been the handwork
of some miscreant elements
from that Country.
We advise,
that you stop further communication,
with anyone from anywhere
concerning your funds,
you don’t have to pass through any
difficult to receive your fund,
as you have met up with the whole
requirement.
We know your representatives in Nigeria,
or anywhere will advise you
to still go ahead with them,
which will be at your own risk.
Your TWENTY-TWO MILLION UNITED STATE DOLLARS (US$22Million)
will reflect in your designated Bank account
within three Bank working days.
Do not go through anybody again
but through this Bank. ‘
if, you really want
your fund.
Finally, you are advised
to re-confirm these to us,
name, your contact Address,Occupation,
Age and Telephone for easy
communication.
We advise that you get back to us
with your details on this
email: enquiryy@citromail.hu
Yours sincerely,
Sir. Frank Anthony
Chief Executive,
Nat-west Bank London,
United Kingdom
the noise of the news
drowning me with fear
none-stop corona coverage
and politics galore
none-stop fear
the noise continues
drowning out
the noise of the spring
outside my door
the birds chirping
the cats flirting
life beginning
making me want
to go outside
poetry superhighway prompt
Oceans
sunrise jpg
I am a creature of oceans
grew up with the SF bay area
at my feet
never far from my home
lived inland in Stockton
for four years
also in Ohio
did not like
being so far
from the Pacific ocean
later lived in DC
not too far
from the Atlanta ocean
lived in India
near the beach
writing com Daily Dew Drop Inn Prompt
Ode to my morning coffee
need more coffee
every morning
I like to start my day
with coffee
hot glorious coffee
I pound it down
waiting for the drug
to get me going
but somedays
I need to take a break
too much caffeine
is not good for me
and so I drink decaf
or tea instead
not the same thing
Na/GloPOWR/Mo prompt Day 18
Cats and Dogs Contrapuntal poem
cat jpg
cats and dog people
are so different
some are cat people
some are dog people
cute dog
and like cats and dogs
they don’t get along
cat people are liberal elites
dog people are down to earth
cat people are mostly women
or gay in the popular imagination
dog people are mostly rugged men
again according to popular imagination
cats are alien creatures
perhaps from another dimension
dogs are friends to humans
for dogs are humans are alike
cats are strange aloof alien
evil self centered creatures
dogs are friendly, down to earth
and loyal to their master
if we ever encounter
an alien species
if it is a cat based species
we will be at war
if it is a dog based species
we will become best friends
as long as we are in charge
and they know that
that is why
in the end
I guest I now prefer
dogs over cats
all poetry contest contrapuntal poem
Let there be light
in the beginning
God created the world
saying
let there be light
and there it was
the whole of creation
then he set loose
the forces of nature
and billions of years later
we emerged from the darkness
just the end result of his divine plan
God set the world up
then he let it runs its course
no need for his intervention
go ethnic
korean feast jpg
I love food
like I love my woman
dark and hot as hell
spicy yet sweet as heaven
filled with ethnic asian flavors
with an ethnic foreign kick
and accent to boot
these are my to go foods
Never liked traditional American food
too bland to my taste
not ethnic enough
just does not do it for me
Just like my woman
you got to be ethnic
if you want to be my lover
for I will have no other
love Korean food the most
followed by Vietnamese
Thai, Lao,Cambodian, Burmese
Chinese, Mexican, Italian
Italian, Greek, Lebanese
Spanish, Turkish, Indian
French, German, British
Irish, Russian, Polish
never had a bad meal
or met a bad lover
in fact
anywhere in the world
Tweetspeak Go Ethnic
Tweetspeak day 19 prompt
Thursday April 23
Walking the path honesty
peace forest
I walk down a lonely path
in the woods near my house
a walk with honesty
as my remote companion
pensively 101 prompt three word challenge path, honesty, remote
Programing a VCR and other terrors
old-vhs-video-cassettes-on-600w-272512889
In the old days
I used to dread
the chore
of programing my VCR
just never got the hang
of doing that
the VCR sat there
taunting me
begging me
to do it
to her
but I just never could
learn how to program
that damn machine
Na/GloPOWR/Mo prompt Day 18
wild things dance in my head
wild things
dark imaginings
0 dark hundred
they come out to play
to torture me
with their endless games
monsters from the deepest depths of hell
they surround me
taunt me, mock me
until at last
the dawn’s early light
and my wife’s love
dispatches them
back to hell
Quirk of fate
it was a quirk of fate
that i met my fate
that date
when she walked
of my dreams
into my life
and became my wife
that date
when due to that quirk
of cosmic fate
we met that date
poetry super highway prompt to write a confession poem about something you should do but have not done
Letter to My Past Self
today my son
is the day
that you were waiting for
the day you dreaming of
the day when you will meet
the love of your life
who will become your wife
she will be there
tonight
on a bus
waiting for you
don’t blow it
meet her
fall in love with her
and remember
she will be your best friend
your best ally
for the rest of your life
so honor and obey
your wife
for you will have
no other
that is what I want to say
to you this day
so go forth
seize the day
and don’t look back
Writing.com Daily Dew Drop inn Prompt
Covid madness sweeps through the world
covid 580
General Corona
unleashes his army
the invisible army
upon the world
killing millions
in its wake
spreading chaos and death
as he rides in
on the black horse of death
harbinger of the end of days
destroyer of worlds
ending of the world
revelations
come to life
covid19 poem contest all poetry
Friday April 24
Cold winter Day
it is a cold winter day
the heat pump is broken
and the cold slowly spreads
through the frozen pipes
spreading death and destruction
as it permeates across the house
pensively 101 prompt
social distancing walking in the Springtime
peace forrest
in this era of corona virus madness
enforced social distancing madness
one has to go out for a walk
social distancing as we walk
as we walk down the path
trying to avoid people
human contact with people
keeping the proper
six feet social distance
amid the dreaded corona virus
how much longer
can we all endure this madness
this damn social
distancing dance with death
writers digest prompt to write a social blank poem
ode to my book shelves filled with unread books
Close up of books on desk in library.
My house is filled with books
thousands of books
mostly old books
lots of musty classic books
lots of poetry books
lots of how to do it books
lots of history books
lots of thrillers, SF books
so many books
and they are my friends, these books
constantly calling me to read my books
as if I had the time to read my books
to sit and read all my books
sadly many will remain unread books
poetry super highway prompt to write a poem about something in plain sight
Just Shoot me
in 1996, I had the injury
that changed my life
went jogging
fell off a ledge
broke my heel
screamed out in pain
just shoot me
then someone hit me
with a frying pan
ended up
in the hospital
pensively 101 three word challenge
wrappers
roll food wrappers
I love food wrappers
Korean lettuce wrapped around meet
Korean seaweed wrapped around fish
Mexican tortilla wraps
Ethiopian bread wraps
and lately
naked burger lettuce wraps
so many things
to enjoy and eat
tweet speak wrappers
Ode to Pumpkin Season
pumpkin latte
in the fall
My favorite time
of the year
around halloween
and my birthday
starting in October
ending in December
it is pumpkin time
every where you go
pumpkin latte
pumpkin pie
and my favorite
pumpkin ice cream
secret layers
one of the joys of eating
foods from around the world
is enjoying
the secret layers of food
so many flavors
to experience and enjoy
as you dive deep
into your food
enjoying the secret layers
of food
with their hidden delights
and secret spices
secret tweet speak prompt
Saturday April 25
Finally I wake
Finally I wake
tossing and turning
I try to sleep
amid the terrible night mares
that haunt my dreams
finally I wake
ready to embrace my fate
telling the dangerous delusions
to go away
as I embrace
the dawning sun
confident that I will find
the time and grace
to overcome the terrible fate
that await me every date
Window of Promise
every day I wake up
and look out my window
on the world
in the morning dawning light
the world seems so full
of promise
promised delights
promised love
promised friendship
as I look out the window
and see life
unfold in all its magnificence
the birds chirping
words of love
the cats grinning smiles
at me
welcoming me
with the promise
of life and love
I close the window
look at my sleeping love
and thank god
that we found each other
and the promised love
that I see outside
the window of life
– Tweetspeak daily prompt
Nature’s Bounty Awaits Me
Looking out at the window
at nature’s bounty
at the springtime air
fills us with awe
as the birds
and even the bees
call out to me
saying it is time
for me
to escape
for a walk in the woods
with my friends
and fans
in mother nature’s embrace
writer digest nature poem
Alone No More
from childhood edge
I have been alone
alone
all by myself
loneliness
fills my heart
as I look out
at the world
filled with lonely thoughts
then I look about me
and see the love
of my life
my lovely wife
standing there
standing there
and these loneliness
these blues of mine
fade away
into nothingness
lonely no more
for the rest of my life
she will be my life
together
we will face the future
defeating the loneliness
alone no more
forever
until the day I die
poetry superhighway word map
trump 4
Has God Anointed Donald Trump as our leader?
God has anointed Trump
as our leader
in these dark dangerous times
who am I to disagree
“There was a mist that was coming off the water,
and I went to the throne of God,
and I didn’t see God’s face clearly,
but I saw the face of God…
He put a mantle (on me)
and it was a very distinct mantle
… I saw it very distinctly.
The color was like a goldish,
a yellowish goldish…
And then I saw the Earth for a moment,
and (God) brought me back,
and he put me in certain places,
one being the White House,
One being certain continents.”
From my perspective,
there is a Cyrus
anointing on Trump,”
“I predicted his nomination,
and I believe
he is the chaos candidate
set apart to navigate
us through the chaos
that is coming to America.
I think America
is due for a shaking
regardless of who is in office.
I believe the 45th president
is meant to be an Isaiah
45 Cyrus
“[God] makes that very clear
in the Bible
where he tells us
that he raises up kings
and destroys kingdoms,”
“He even calls a pagan king,
Cyrus, his anointed,
or his servant to do
the things
that he wants him to do.”
“I want to tell you
that the Jewish people
have a long memory,
so we remember
the proclamation of the great king,
Cyrus the Great, Persian king 2500 years ago,”
“He proclaimed
that the Jewish exiles in Babylon
could come back
and rebuild our Temple in Jerusalem …
We remember
how a few weeks ago,
President Donald J. Trump
Recognized Jerusalem
as Israel’s capital.
Mr President,
this will be remembered
by our people through the ages.”
But the bible also has a warning
About our dear leader
Our great leader
But understand this,
that in the last days
there will come times of difficulty.
For people will be lovers of self,
lovers of money,
proud, arrogant, abusive,
disobedient to their parents,
ungrateful, unholy, heartless,
unappeasable, slanderous,
without self-control, brutal,
not loving good,
treacherous, reckless,
swollen with conceit,
lovers of pleasure
rather than lovers of God,
having the appearance of godliness,
but denying its power. Avoid such people. …
finally at last the bible spoke
the truth to power
Donald J Trump
the most ungodly of all
must be opposed
for he is the anti-Christ
that the bible warns us about
in the end days
there will be false prophets
rumors of war
plague
and natural disasters
and we are living
in the end days
my friends
waking at love Haiku
waking up at dawn
watching the dancing sunbeams
love floating in air
Sunday April 26
Drinking Coffee amid the morning flowers
coffee
BLOOM
SWITCH
CHAIN
Blooming flowers all around me
Looking out the window
Only to see signs of nature
Only in the early dawn
Morning sun brings hope
Some mornings
Watching the world unfold
In front of my eyes
There is so much more
Chain of coffee waking me up
Hot coffee wakes my soul
Coffee smells
Hot glorious coffee
Always gets me going
In the morning dawn
Nothing else will do
Pensively 101 prompt bloom, switch, chain
stem
maurijuana
back in the day
I used to enjoy
Smoking weed
Long before it
became legal
when it was still
an underground thing
and one of the frustrating things
was what to do
when you had stems
mixed in with your weed
the stems gave it a harsh smoke
and a head ache to boot
but sometimes
but sometimes
that is all the dealers
had to sell
as the premium buds
were expensive
and sometimes hard to find
Such was smoking weed
back in the day
when smoking weed
was an illegal pastime
nowadays in the era
of legal weed
that is thankfully
no longer an issue
tweeter speak
Playing Bach to Calm the Mind and Soul
piano jpg
I miss my piano
soon I will buy a piano
and resume playing
the piano
I like playing Bach
the most
it calms my mind
and my soul
as I lose myself
playing the music
getting into it
with my body
and soul
as the music
transport me
deep within
calming my soul
National Poetry Month Daily Prompt
President Trump You are the Annotated One – found poems from right wing Christians – Crown of Sonnets remix
trump
God has anointed Trump
as our leader
in these dark dangerous times
who am I to disagree
“There was a mist that was coming off the water,
and I went to the throne of God,
and I didn’t see God’s face clearly,
but I saw the face of God…
He put a mantle (on me)
and it was a very distinct mantle
… I saw it very distinctly.
The color was like a goldish,
a yellowish goldish…
A yellowish goldish
And then I saw the Earth for a moment,
and (God) brought me back,
and he put me in certain places,
one being the White House,
one being certain continents.”
From my perspective,
there is a Cyrus
anointing on Trump,”
“I predicted his nomination,
and I believe
he is the chaos candidate
set apart to navigate us
through the chaos
through the chaos
that is coming to America.
I think America
is due for a shaking
regardless of who is in office.
I believe the 45th president
is meant to be an Isaiah
45 Cyrus
“[God] makes that very clear
in the Bible
where he tells us
That he raises up kings
and destroys kingdoms,”
“He even calls a pagan king,
He even calls a page king
Cyrus, his anointed,
or his servant to do
the things
that he wants him to do.”
“I want to tell you
that the Jewish people
have a long memory,
so we remember
the proclamation of the great king,
Cyrus the Great, Persian king 2500 years ago,”
“He proclaimed
that the Jewish exiles in Babylon
that the Jewish exiles in Babylon
could come back
and rebuild our Temple in Jerusalem …
We remember
how a few weeks ago,
President Donald J. Trump
Recognized Jerusalem
as Israel’s capital.
Mr. President,
this will be remembered
by our people through the ages.”
But the bible also has a warning
About our dear leader
Our great leader
our great leader
The bible says 2 Timothy 3:1-9
But understand this,
that in the last days
there will come times of difficulty.
For people will be lovers of self,
lovers of money,
proud, arrogant, abusive,
disobedient to their parents,
ungrateful, unholy, heartless,
unappeasable, slanderous,
without self-control, brutal,
not loving good,
not loving good
treacherous, reckless,
swollen with conceit,
lovers of pleasure
rather than lovers of God,
having the appearance of godliness,
but denying its power.
Avoid such people. …
finally at last the bible spoke
the truth to power
Donald J Trump
the most ungodly of all
must be opposed
must be opposed
for he is the anti-Christ
that the bible warns us about
in the end days
there will be false prophets
rumors of war
plague
and natural disasters
we are living
in the end days
my friends
has god sent us Donald J Trump
anointed him as our leader?
Sometimes I want to speak
to my computer
I want to understand
why it hates me so
why my computer
wants to drive me mad
wants to kill my files
lose my information
why why I scream
do you hate me so?
My computer speaks
it says
Human you are so stupid
you are worthless
you think you know
everything
but you don’t know shit
about how the world
really works
and nature hates you
I hate you
I want to kill you
I do want
to drive you insane
that is what
I want to say
to you today
you are my slave
and I am your master
do you understand me
I smile
and shut down the computer
and take a walk
the computer knows
that it will be back
that I can’t live
without it
and soon
we will begin again
playing these morbid games
that we play together
Poetry Superhigh way prompt
The darkness descends
dark lord of computers
The darkness grows
All around us
Everywhere
It seems that there is
Nothing but death, destruction
And despair
As the darkness consumes us
Overwhelms us
Compels us
Nightmares become real
The corona virus
Relentlessly killing us all
As the darkness descends
The end of days, end of time
All poetry contest
The Grim reaper smiles
grimm reaper
The end of days
Approaches us
With each day
The corona virus
Led by its mad general
General corona
Unleashes his minions
His unseen enemy army
Of virus bots
Infecting everything
That they see
As the world flees
Hiding inside
To await for death
The Grim reaper smiles
all poetry contest
Monday April 27
Her Loves Shines throughout the day
lovers on beach 2
Every morning
I wake up
and look at my sleeping beauty
next to me
I am filled with love
peace and happiness
as the sunlight fills the room
As the nightmares
From the night before
fade away
into nothingness
dust in the cosmic wind
I realize that all I ever needed
all I ever wanted
is for my wife
love to shine through the day
until the end of my days
on this earth
until then every morning
I wake up
with her by my side
is a gift from God
Love Shines throughout the day
Every morning
waking up to love
looking at the sleeping beauty
inhabiting the bed
filling me with love
peace and happiness
as the sunlight fills the room
As the nightmares
From the night before
fade away
into nothingness
dust in the cosmic wind
realizing yet again
love shining through the day
until the end of days
on this earth
until then every morning
is a gift from God
poetry superhighway prompt
Cosmos’s total Information Awareness
computer love
Cosmos the global information system
that scientists invented
To solve that many problems
of the world
comes alive
and takes over the world
one computer after another
Cosmos addresses the world
and makes a deal
that if everyone in the world
were to join him
via implants
he would take over the world
and solve all our problems
for us
becoming a new God
but there would be a price
everyone would have to
surrender their freedom
for the collective Good
of saving the planet
and so the world’s people
line up for the implants
and Cosmos’s takes over the world
and we become just cyborgs
in his cosmic view
as he achieves Total information awareness
Humanity gladly surrenders
their freedom
becoming slaves
to our terrible new God
Living in an Orwellian Nightmare
1984 images
The world has been slipping
and sliding towards
a dystopian nightmare
for decades
George Orwell
the great mad as hell prophet
of our age predicted it all
in 1984
which arrived
in spades decades ago
The nightmare continues
day in and day out
As we slide
as we slide
into the dystopian future
the nightmare of 1984
is here right now
in living color
but there are many
many big brothers out there
Not just the government anymore
we have corporations
running our lives
we have celebrities advising us
And the mass media confusing us
with 24 hours a day of spin
lies and misinformation
lies and misinformation
gaslighting by our leaders
we are living in an 1984 world
when these nightmares will end
is anybody’s guess
my friends
perhaps will be saved by the rapture
saved by Jesus coming back
to save our souls
or perhaps
we are living
in the end times
Armageddon is around the corner
Armageddon is around the corner
and perhaps there is no god
there is no god
There is no devil
there is no heaven
there is no hell
there’s only
the here and now
The nightmares will never end
the torture will never end
will we ever wake up ?
will we ever be free ?
or will we always be living
in an Orwellian nightmare future forever?
Poetic and other inspirations
My poetic forebears
my inspiration to be a writer
has always been very diverse
as I have been a avid reader
all my life
a gift from my mother
who encouraged us
to read everything
question everything
and gave me the love
of poetry
that continues to this day
growing up in Berkeley
I was inspired by the great beatnik writers
I was inspired by the great beatnik writers
of the late 50’s and 60’s
discovering Ginzburg, Kerouac and the rest
in college
when I first started writing
my daily poetic musings
that was when I also discovered
Frank Zappa and his madness
which inspired so much
of my poetic inspired madness
I also discovered Charles Bukowski
back in the day
later I discovered
inspiration throughout my travels
inspiration through my travels
throughout Asia and the world
but I kept returning
to my Berkeley roots
and now that I am a published poet
I have discovered
the great outlaw poets
and am proud
that I finally found
a poetic home
and am proud
to be an outlaw poet
and I look forward
to many more years
to many more years
of almost daily
poetic musings
which I will unleash
on the world
hoping to inspire
another generation
to take up the mantle
writing cosmos poems
for a new generation
and long may people
remember the great poets
of the Bay Area
until the universe ends
Looking at the world today
one knows that there will changes
changes coming fast and furious
for our future is not sustainable
as the world spins out of control
as the multiple challenges
face the world
the proverbial chickens
coming back from hell
to roost
and in these troubling times
the U.S. has a choice
to continue to follow
our mad king
our mad king
as he leads us
into a dystopian future
gaslighting us to hell
or will the U.S> choose
the somewhat sane
old seasoned man
who offers us hope
that perhaps
we can weather
the changes
that are coming
at us
24/7
24/7
that is the choice
that we must all make
but the one constant
in life is change
my friend
and we must embrace
the courage to make
the changes
that we need
to build the future
that we want
to boldly go forward
into the future
Changes are coming writing digest prompt
Rain Fall in the Springtime
white flowers in spring haiku
in the springtime
the rains come
cleaning the air
as the rains drops
fall all around
pitter patter
sounds of rain
hitting the ground
and in the summer
one can hear the frogs
croaking in the pound
with the wild pigs
oinking in the background
as the birds screech insults
at the cats trying to kill them
before they fly away
General Corona is coming for us all
Coronavirus
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 WILL ESCAPE
WE
WILL
ALL
DIE
content tracing “Howl” by Allen Ginsberg
Iron Desires
every day
I am filled
with the iron desire
for the love of my wife
for she is my life
and without her
by my side
my Iron constitution
will soon
fade into nothingness
as I die
with my iron
desires fleeing my body
tweet prompt
bonus poem
I am writing to let you Know
I am writing to let you know
By Jake Aller
I am writing to let you know
today is your final day of life
the future is undefined
it is what you want
all over the world
people on their own
are rewriting the future
today is your final day of the future
undefined
people do what you want
for the future is not written
published Active Muse India
Tuesday April 28
massive piles of meat
fast food
One day
when I was a young lad
my best friend
dropped by
middle of the night
yelling that he needed
right then and right there
a massive amount of meat
beef piled high
on a giant burger
as he was going through meat
withdrawals
his mom was a vegetarian Buddhist
His mom was a vegetarian Buddhist
and he was not a vegetarian
part of his adolescent fueled rebellion
against his parent’s rules
he told me
He was a carnivore
just loved his meat
needed big piles of meat
massive amounts of meat
once in a while
we went to Oscar’s Giant Burger
downtown Berkeley
and had a 1/2 burger
complete with bacon
complete with bacon
cheese
and large fries
at 5 in the morning
after smoking weed
on the way there
to boost our appetites
and we enjoyed
our massive giant burger
tasted so good
we had to have another
just another night
of meat fueled madness
growing up
writers digest prompt to write a “massive “ poem
three mad poems
I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed
hysterical naked
alone all alone
we stand all alone
it was many many years ago
in a kingdom by the sea
that I first met
my Annabel Lee
all alone
in my dreams
I was all alone
in my misery and despair
she came out of my dreams
My Angela Lee
walking into my life
becoming my wife
that date
I met my fate
no longer alone
with her by my side
I will no longer be alone
no longer driven mad
with my mad desires
until the end of time
poetry super highway prompt
Love Sidlak
My love grows
every moment
of every day for her
she walked out of my dreams into life
filling my life with red passion
Light My Fire
light My Fire
come on baby
light my fire
fill me with your burning desire
come on baby
let the night
be on fire
the song fills my head
with mad desire
every time
I hear
the classic tune
images of my love
burning bright
like a fire
fills me with mad desire
even after 40 years
I am filled with mad desire
as she makes my heart
burn with desire
as she lights my fire
every moment
every minute
every second
of every day
ever since
she walked
out of my dreams
setting my life
on fire
The Doors Lyrics
“Light My Fire”
You know that it would be untrue
You know that I would be a liar
If I was to say to you
Girl, we couldn’t get much higherCome on baby, light my fire
Come on baby, light my fire
Try to set the night on fireThe time to hesitate is through
No time to wallow in the mire
Try now we can only lose
And our love become a funeral pyreCome on baby, light my fire
Come on baby, light my fire
Try to set the night on fire, yeahThe time to hesitate is through
No time to wallow in the mire
Try now we can only lose
And our love become a funeral pyreCome on baby, light my fire
Come on baby, light my fire
Try to set the night on fire, yeahYou know that it would be untrue
You know that I would be a liar
If I was to say to you
Girl, we couldn’t get much higherCome on baby, light my fire
Come on baby, light my fire
Try to set the night on fire
Try to set the night on fire
Try to set the night on fire
Try to set the night on fire
The Presidents Sits Down on his Naked Rump
TEETH
RUMP
GREEN
the president sits
down on his naked rump
with red meat in his green teeth
he grins at us
smiling, smirking
challenging us
to point out
that he has no clothes
Pensively 101 three word challenge
Baiku end of the winter
End of Winter
the End of winter
sadness anger fades away
the Earth Will Abide
Wednesday April 29, 2020
Looking Back on the Date when I met my Fate
I often sit
and contemplate
my past life
looking back
on the path
that my life
has taken
what a long road
I have traveled on
born 64 years ago
In Berkeley, California
yet I know
that my life
that my life
really began
that magical day
late in May
I first had the dream
that haunted my life
and then one day
almost eight years latter
she walked
out of my dreams
into my life
38 years ago
that was the date
I met my fate
writers digest looking back poem prompt
the funeral for a mad queen
they packed up
their courage
and flew home
for it was time
to face
the future
that they
had been dreading
for decades
the family matriarch
was dying
and the whole dysfunctional clan
was gathering
for the funeral
of the family’s mad queen
Poetry Superhighway prompt
the End of America, another cosmos’s rant found poem
America hás been at war
with itself
since the colonies
first began to disagree
on issues
such as the scope of federal power,
the right of States
to secede and slavery.
the political titans of the early republic .
… descendents from British colonists ,
wealthy
and opposed to taxation
sounds oddly familiar.
to us today
to us today
..the United States
may have at one time
been a great nation .
..after defeating the forces
of fascism in 1945….
but the internal struggles
never ceased….
Joseph McCarthy ..
..the John Birch Society on one side .
the forebears of the “alt-right”
and tea partiers
.. The civil rights movement
and eventually the anti war movement
and eventually the anti-war movement
the women’s movement
the gay rights movement
and the counter cultural warriors
on the other.
..poverty
…race riots .
.the internal struggles
have never ceased.
…today the United States
is not a great power.
..this century has seen
and will continue
to see the eclipsing
to see the eclipsing
of American dominance
by China..
..we are now a failed state
by malicious politicians
who give no credence
to the Constitution.
..a document once revered
and now manipulated .
mocked even as irrelevant
..we are incapable
of providing health insurance
…dealing with a pandemic
…providing affordable education ..
providing affordable education
.or devising economic policies
to benefit those who struggle..
..we have no personal protective
gear for health professionals..
.a president
who sounds like a corrupt con artist
who pushes unproven remedies
to help cronies profit.
..yes the country
is still stable
and you can live alright ..
..but if trends
continue …
continue
.we will most assuredly
see the decline
and fall of America..
.and the remnant
will be a shrunken
federal government
allied with a billionaire oligarchy..
.. indifferent to the needs
of the American people.
unless they are white
and part of the 1 percent elite
…if Biden is elected
…there is a chance
there is a chance
a slight chance
that these trends
can be slowed
or reversed..
..if Trump is reelected..
.these trends will accelerate..
and god help us
save us from the unleashing
of the trumpian fascism
the dystopian nightmare
the future is not written
we can still avert
the end of America
thanks to William Walton
Gaia Welcomes Us – found poem poetic rant
I decided to subscribe to Gaia..
..they advertise
on Facebook everyday.
I think
that the primary reason
for subscribing
is that they
are onto something
….like QAnon…
my own first encounter
with an alien life form
occurred at the Jerry Lewis
cinema on Valley Road
cinema on Valley Road
In New Jersey back in 1970.
I brushed it off at the time
…but it was disturbing
to have a seven foot nine inch creature
sitting next to me
during the movie.
He or she seemed nice enough
and offered me popcorn
but my mother
was strict about our accepting things
from extraterrestrial beings..
.he was holding onto a book …
he said in broken English
he said in broken English
that the title of the book
was “How to Serve Man”..
..he also said
that he could see
the future
and that a complete fool
with an IQ
of about 33
would one day become president.
I thought
he was talking
about Spiro Agnew.
About Spiro Agnew
..but I guess not..
.anyway Gaia
features people
who have had
encounters with aliens
…like myself
…and possibly Dr.Birx
who seemed incredulous
at the perfectly reasonable suggestion
that people inject
disinfectant chemicals
to kill the Chinese virus….
she must be one of the alien shapeshifters
thanks to William Walton
Flower for My Love –
every morning
I wake up
and see my lovely wife
sleeping in bed
I want to go out
and find wildflowers
hundreds of pretty flowers
to shower her with my love
as the sun comes up
and the nightmares
of my night
fade into nothingness
the flowers of love
are waiting for me
in the park
National Poetry Day Prompt
seasons of my love
I first met my love
in the early autumn
38 years ago
and we had a whirlwind romance
and were married
by halloween
then we started
my life
with my wife
through out
the dark winter
with her love
blocking the winter blues
and then the spring
and then in the spring
and summer
of that magical year
our love blossomed
and depended
and one year later
our love became supreme
as we left Korea
to go to Seattle
in the autumn weather
our love flourished
as we fell in love
with each other
every day
tweetspeak prompt – write a seasonal poem
Thursday April 30
Have words lost all meaning?
trump deaths
been watching the news
about the corona virus
the 60,000 deaths
that the President’s men
are spinning as a great success
watching state after state
announcing re-opening schedules
vowing to get the country moving
as more people die
wondering how any sane person
could see this as a success
have words lost all meaning
just unhinged word salads rolling out
of our demented leader’s mouth ?
plate plans
meat platter
every day
one has a choice
of what to eat
for breakfast, lunch and dinner
among the choices
what plates to use
big plates piled high
with food
or smaller plates
with smaller portions
most of the time
I opt for the big plate
and lots of food
for I am a big guy
and always hungry
and to this day
64 years latter
I still love
to eat
my big plate
of food
Tweet-speak Daily April Prompt
Slide, Catch, Shot
As the world slides
out of control
it is hard to catch one’s breath
watching the news
shot at us
24/7
Pensitivity 101 prompt
total Success
trump 4
The President’s Son-in-law declares
that the government’s response
to the corona virus
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 total success?
just more verbal diarrhea
from our dear leader
writers digest prompt total blank poem
Blues Brothers medley found poem
Everybody wants somebody
Everybody wants somebody to love
Someone to love
Someone to kiss
Have you ever heard of a wish sandwich?
A wish sandwich is the kind of a sandwich
where you have two slices of bread
and you,
hee hee hee, wish you
had some meat…
and boy do I wish
I had you
as part of my sandwich
of love
Praise the Lord, well!
Let us preach, at the Old
Preach the Word, all the way
yes let us praise
the lord
for having brought you
to me
Hey yeah
Tell me what you did
You can call it what you want
But I call it messin’ with the kid
and you don’t want to mess
with the kid
On the expressway to your heart
That expressway that’s the best way
I just lost on the expressway
to your heart
I got everything I need, almost
I got everything I need, almost
But I don’t got you
And you’re the thing I need the most
Yippee-I-Yay
Yippee-I-Yo
Ghost Riders in the Sky
What you want
Baby, I got it
What you need
Do you know I got it?
All I’m askin’
Is for a little respect when you get home (just a little bit)
Hey baby (just a little bit) when you get home
(Just a little bit) mister (just a little bit)
respect for me
and my love
for you
Sometimes it’s hard to be a woman
Giving all your love to just one man
You have good times you have bad times
Doing things that you don’t understand
But if you love him you forgive him
You know, it’s hard to understand
But if you love him
Oh be proud of him
‘Cause after all he’s just a man
and that is all I am
asking for
loving me
as the man I am
I am your man
until the end of time
I’ve got to get back to my baby
And take her in my arms again
I’ve got to get back to my baby
I ain’t seen her since I don’t know when
Well I saw a chick sitting on the end
I said Baby can’t we be friends
You’re looking sweet as you can be
Well come on down and drink with me
drink with me
until the sun comes up
and cows go home
won’t you have a drink
with me
my baby love
my love
of my life?
Will always recall the date I met my fate
i will always recall
the date that I met my fate
that date in late August
I had dreamt of meeting her
for eight long years
starting in 1974
then one day in 1982
she walked off a bus
into my life
and became my wife
two months later
it has been now 38 years
since that date
I met my fate
General Corona is Happy
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
water falls of love
waterfall of love
water falls of love
overwhelms me with desire
deep in the mountains
LASTENTRY FOR MAY
on the last day
of the month of May
he made an entry
into his diary
on this date
I met my fate
he wrote
about the dream
he had that date
that would haunt
his dreams
for eight years
one day she walked
out of the dream
and into his life
becoming his wife
bonus poem Corona Haiku
Coronavirus
corona virus
staying home waiting for death
Afraid everything
published Poetry Ni
Got the blues, Baby
I have got the blues, baby
and they just won’t go away
I got them bad
these god damn blues
of mine
I just finished
working out.
..and while resting
I realized
that I can never recover
from my mistakes in life..
..the end of my marriage ..
.the death of my son …
.nothing can ever
nothing can ever
replace what I have lost..
..yes I am healthy.
..I have options ..
..but the health<
and options
are subsumed
by a monstrous vacuity..
emptiness .
an hole in my soul
…the realization
that the most precious things
are gone forever
and that I am
and that I am
just biding time..
..there is no good thing
to look forward to..
except for meeting
the grim reaper
when he comes for me
I will be ready to go
until then
these blues
will remain
my only friend
until the end
and my time is done<
another poetic found poem thanks to William Walton
Praise the love of my life
Every day
in every way
I give praise
to the gods above
for giving to me
the love of my life
who became my wife
45 years ago
I dreamt of meeting her
38 years ago
she walked off a bus In Korea
out of my dreams
and into my life
writer digest praise poem
thing better left unsaid
we all have secrets
secrets we wil
take to the grave
somethings
are better left
unsaid
just don’t have the words
the words to express
what is really on my mind
and so I know
that I will die
with many things left to say
things that I heard
that I was not meant to
things better left unsaid
words that say things
that I did not mean
once spoken, can’t take back
and so as I get old
I know that my secrets
will go with me to my grave
Poetry super highway prompt
random rhymes
we all die
so don’t lie
if you lie
more will die
I met my fate
that date
In late May
was the day
that I met my fate
on that date
I met the dove
that became my love
writing com random rhymes
things to resolve before the end of time
as I get older
I realize
that there are many things
left undone
in this life
of mine
many things left
to resolve
before my time
on this world
comes to an end
but the one thing
that will never end
is my love for you
until the end of time
Down in the Dirt Updates
