Cosmos’s Poems in All Poetry. Fan Story, Poetry Soup, Writing Com and Elsewhere
I have been posting poems on All Poetry, Fan Story, Poetry Soup and Writing Com, and elsewhere since 2016. I have posted over 1000 poems over the years. Many of them were inspired by All Poetry, Fan Story, Poetry Soup or Writing Com contests. I have been posting ten poems every other week since I joined. I have 600 followers and follow over 1600 other poets from around the world. I have also posted poems on Cosmos Funnel, Hello Poetry, Poetry Lore, Poem Hunter, Poetry Magnum Opus, and a few other sites and on FB poetry sites as well. I usually cross post on all these sites, reserving about half my poems as “unpublished” for publication credit.
All Poetry, Fan Story, Poetry Soup, and Writing Com are great sites to meet and read poets from everywhere. You can sign up for free, but I opted to pay for a premium membership. They also offer classes and lots of informational resources for poets. I plan on updating my web page Medium, Substack, Wattpad, Writing.Com pages, and my Spotify podcasts, whenever I post things on All Poetry, Fan Story, Poetry Soup, and Writing Com et al.
You can find my poems at https://allpoetry.com/Jake Aller. And at Cosmos poetry and fiction now on Poetry Soup.
As winter settles in, so too do the ghosts of memory, pandemic fears, and seasonal melancholy.
These ten haiku and senryu reflect the emotional landscape of winter 2021·2022, a time marked by isolation and reflection. Originally published in Failed Haiku, this collection captures fleeting moments of sorrow, resilience, and quiet contemplation.
Sidewalk poems are written in chalk on streets—sometimes during poetic celebrations or community events, other times more unstructured and graffiti-like. I’ve written a few myself, though not directly on the pavement!
In this post, I’ll share a real set of sidewalk poems found on the street near my summer home in Medford, Oregon, followed by a few of my own sidewalk-style poems from years past.
First, you’ll find a poetic intro, then the Medford sidewalk poem (somewhere between classic sidewalk poetry and graffiti, as it wasn’t officially sanctioned). After that, I’ve included photos of the sidewalk poems, my chalk-inspired pieces, and background information provided by Copilot on related poetic forms—found poems, concrete poems, sidewalk poems, blackout poems, and erasure poems—with links for further reading. I wrap up with a few final thoughts.
Enjoy!
Sidewalk Love Poems- Love on the Street
The other day
I came upon
The following sidewalk poem
On a street in Medford, Oregon.
My wife said
They had a fight.
I asked,
Do I need
To do sidewalk
Love poetry.
♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️
For you?
She said,
No need.
It is obvious
On your face
That you love me.
♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️
Medford Sidewalk Love Poem (August 2025)
😍 Always
😍 True love
I love You
Twin Love
♥️♥️♥️♥️
Twin 😍 love
Come home
Twin Love
♥️♥️♥️♥️
Don’t give
up on us
Don’t Give Up On US
meant to be
♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️
Meant to be
ment to be
For the Best You ever Had
For the Best You Had
I 👩❤️♥️♥️♥️👩 You
I miss you.
I love You
I love You
♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️
♥️♥️♥️
Come home
I miss you
Come Home
♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️
Come Home
Bobo
♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️
Jen 4 ever
sidewalk love poem1
My Sidewalk Love Poems
I was lost
And you found me.
You walked out.
of my dreams
And into my life—
And that made
All the difference
In the world.
My love is waiting,
Waiting for me
To return
From this trip.
She is the
most beautiful
Woman
in the world.
Have you seen her—
My Angela Lee?
Tell her I love her.
Tell her.
I will be home.
I am coming.
back to her.
Co-Pilot Backgrounder
📚 Found Poetry
Found poetry is created by rearranging existing texts—from books, articles, speeches, or even street signs—into poetic form. It’s like a literary college.
The poet doesn’t write original words but selects and reshapes existing ones.
Found poetry includes several sub-categories: blackout poetry, cut-up poetry, and erasure poetry.
🕶️ Blackout Poetry
Blackout poetry is made by blacking out words from a printed page (like a newspaper or book) to reveal a new poem.
Uses a black marker to obscure unwanted words.
The remaining visible words form the poem.
Often emphasizes visual design and minimalism.
Example:
Tyler Knott Gregson:
“In my solitude I became aware of lack.
Lie near me in the starlight, quiet and free.”
Sidewalk poetry is poetry displayed in public spaces, often on sidewalks, driveways, or parks. It’s designed to delight and surprise pedestrians.
Created with chalk or etched into concrete.
Often part of city art programs or community projects.
Combines literature and visual art, sometimes with illustrations or creative lettering.
Example:
From Saint Paul’s sidewalk poetry contest:
“Though I worry that everything I held true and firm as rock
Will crumble under my feet—
I can’t forget: no paper, pen, or marble engraved
Can change the fact of my heart…”
Sidewalk Poetry: Reflection, inspiration, public art
Tone:
Graffiti: Bold, rebellious, expressive
Sidewalk Poetry: Gentle, poetic, contemplative
Audience:
Graffiti: Urban passersby, subcultures
Sidewalk Poetry: General public, pedestrians
Final Thoughts
Note: The Medford sidewalk poems were chalk-marked on the street—not spray-painted—and likely not sanctioned by the city. So, they linger somewhere between sidewalk poetry and graffiti—a little rogue, a little romantic.
Whoever left them, I hope the message landed. And best of luck to the couple behind it. As an incurable romantic, I fully endorse this kind of public love. The world could use more of it. After all, love makes us bold—it makes us scribble mad sidewalk poems in the middle of the night.
Have you stumbled across a chalked confession or a poetic whisper on the pavement? Or maybe you’ve penned one yourself? Share your sightings, your verses, your stories. Let’s turn sidewalks into storyboards—one love poem at a time.
This is a shout-out to all the Americans who answered the call to serve in the Peace Corps. As some of you know I served in Gapyeong, Korea from 1979 to 1981 working as a tuberculous control worker in a rural health center. Serving in the Peace Corps changed my life in so many ways. It led to a life-long fascination with South Korea, including becoming reasonably fluent in the language, meeting and marrying my wife whom I met after my service ended, and a MA degree in Korean studies from the University of Washington in 1986. It also led me to join the Foreign Service and serve in the Embassy from 1991 to 1993 and serving on the Korea desk from 1994 to 1996.
Before joining the State Department I taught ESL for the US Army, for the Korean Consolidated Administration school, and later at Kyunghee University for three years and Government and Asian Studies for the University of Maryland in Korea.
Title:The Last Volunteer: Dispatches from the Disbanded Peace Corps
Tone: Satirical, reflective, dystopian Style: Blog-style narrative with historical and personal interjections
Structure:
Title:The Last Volunteer: Dispatches from the Disbanded Peace Corps
In 1980, I served in the Peace Corps working in a public health center as a tuberculous control worker in Gapyeong, a small town in the mountains two hours from Seoul. I shared kimchi recipes with elders, learned the art of bowing without bruising my pride, and discovered that diplomacy often begins with a shared meal.
We were told we were ambassadors of peace.
Now, apparently, we were just wasting taxpayer money.
Chapter 2: The Decree
It came on a Tuesday. Trump stood at a golden podium flanked by ICE agents and a bald eagle wearing aviators.
“The Peace Corps is hereby disbanded,” he declared. “We don’t need volunteers spreading peace. We need patriots sealing borders.”
The budget was rescinded. Volunteers were ordered home. The Peace Corps website redirected to a recruitment page for ICE.
Chapter 3: The Fallout
Returned volunteers were stripped of their federal hiring preference. One was reportedly escorted out of a USDA interview for wearing a tie-dye shirt and quoting Mandela.
Peace Corps offices were converted into detention intake centers. The slogan “Life is calling” was replaced with “Compliance is mandatory.”
My old training center in Korea? Rumor has it it’s now a drone calibration site.
Chapter 4: The Broader Purge
The Presidential Management Fellows program was canceled next. “We don’t need managers,” Trump said. “We need enforcers.”
The State Department announced it would no longer publish annual human rights reports. “We prefer vibes-based diplomacy,” said the new Undersecretary for Global Branding.
The U.S. withdrew from the International Labour Organization. All ILO conventions were declared null and void. Labor rights, it seems, were too socialist.
Chapter 5: Toronto Rising
Late-night comics were fired. Journalists silenced. And somewhere in the chaos, Toronto became the new capital of dissent.
Former Peace Corps volunteers, comedians, and exiled diplomats now broadcast nightly from a converted Tim Hortons.
Their motto: Still serving—just not sanctioned.
Chapter 6: The Last Volunteer
I served in Korea from 1979 to 1981. We believed in bridges, not walls. We believed that service could change the world.
I still do.
Even if the bridge now leads north to Toronto.
Author’s Note:
This piece is satire. But the memories are real. And so is the fear that idealism is being erased, one program at a time.
If you served, if you dreamed, if you still believe—keep writing. Keep resisting.
Peace isn’t dead. It’s just been defunded.
Along the way, Korea changed so much and is not the country I first learned to love back in 1979. Here are a few of my poetic reflections, followed by additional information on the Peace Corps and my letters to my Congressmen and Senators and the Peace Corps director expressing my frustration over the possibility that the Peace Corps could soon join USAID on the chopping block. I will post any responses I might receive.
Korean Poems
author at a Korean temple 1980?
Korea travels
I first came to Korea in 1979
in the Peace Corps
Stayed in the rural countryside
in the town of Gapeyong
where I worked
in a rural health care center
Where I was one of four non-Koreans
Had to speak Korean to survive
Stayed on in a variety of jobs
Including diplomatic service
I last lived there in 1993.
Non-Korean food was hard to get
Outside of the GI ghettos
English speakers were few
And the country was not foreign-friendly
There were few foreign residents
Most American service members
Some missionary types
Diplomatic corps
A few English teachers
A few ex-pat business people
Most women quit after marriage
As it was a male-dominated society
In the rural countryside
No one knew a woman’s name
They were referred
to as so and so “mom”
Or so and so wife,
Or the generic aunt,
or grandmother
Public transit was just getting going
But traffic was not too bad
Few people could afford cars
Back then the old Korea was still there
And it was a very different place and time
Going through the transition
to the country, it has become
Today’s Korea is a very different place
The rural countryside is deserted
Wilderness areas are coming back
Even wildlife is coming back
In the mountain outback regions
50 percent of the public
Live in the Seoul metro area
Including Kyeongi province
And Incheon city where I reside.
Public transit is among the best
In the world.
Internet fast and cheap
Everywhere connected
Highways are decent but overcrowded
The KTX train is fast and convenient
The Incheon airport one of the best
The choices for food are much better
Used to be it was almost impossible
To find non-Korean food
Outside the GI ghetto towns.
Now it is everywhere
Even saw a Mexican restaurant
In a suburban Busan neighborhood.
In the end
Koreans should be proud
Of all that they have accomplished.
I remain optimistic
That someday the two Koreans
Will become one again
And that they will continue
To advance and grow
But the essence of Korea will remain
Waiting for Korean Springtime
poet Hill Korea
The world peace forest
Stretches five miles
Through a delightful forest
Including a nice lotus pound
A winter watering hole for birds
And a small mountain
I welcome the advent of spring
The cherry trees snowing
The Tulips and roses blooming
After a cold sometimes hard winter
Especially during the COVID pandemic
Which kept so many people
Trapped indoors
As I walk the path
With the love of my life
By my side
Enjoying another springtime
Filled with love and affection
That is why I love Korean springtime.
19 lines
Pastoral free verse
Life in a Korean village
I am living in a Korean village as an exchange student. One day my host family asks me to go to the local health center to tell them to change the father’s medicine, and give me a note, the old medicine, and instructions. I am a little apprehensive, but they told me that was fine since the dragon who controlled the village had approved the request already. I smiled I had met the dragon who seemed to like me which made things in the village go much better. The daughter is cute.
The Peace Corps changed my life Not in the obvious ways That it did
I learned a new language A new culture Met many different people Did some constructive development work
And contributed to friendship Between Koreans and the US
All the usual things that Peace Corps Is supposed to accomplish
But the Peace Corps changed me And I became the man I am now
Because of those two years I spend in the countryside Of South Korea
I went to graduate school I became a diplomat
But most importantly If I had not gone to the Korean peace corps program I never would have met the girl of my dreams The women I was fated to meet
I first met Angela in 1974 When I was in high school
And fell asleep in a class And had the dream that haunted me To this day
In the dream I met a beautiful Asian women Who was speaking to me In a weird language
And then she disappeared Like in Star Trek
And I fell on the floor
“Screaming You are you?”
I continued to have these visions Every month for seven years
I eventually learned
that she was in Korea And so I joined the Peace Corps
to go to Korea To find her
After I finished Peace Corps I stuck around for another year
Thinking I would find her But never did
Just when I was
due to return to the US To go to Graduate school I had the final dream
In this dream She said in Korean
“Don’t worry
you will meet me soon.”
That night getting off the bus In front of me Was the girl in the dream
I looked at her And I knew she was it
And she looked at me And knew I was it
We met up for coffee And we dated
I proposed to her
three days after I met her
And then we married Two months later
Despite her family’s attempts To keep us apart
And we have been
married 43 years And I fall in love with her Over and over again
And I still have the dream When I am alone Or when I am stressed out
I see her standing by the bed Smiling at me
Saying Everything will be alright And it is
and so thinking back on my life My life changed forever
When I left the US To join the Peace Corps
Long Live the Peace Corps
this is a true story of the love of my life. I met her in 1982 when I was teaching in Korea after having finished my Peace Corps service in 1981. We got married two months after we met and have been married 33 years. I still recall the dreams of how I would met her from time to time.
I always thought this would make a great love story movie., perhaps a K Drama?
About 30 years ago, American-style coffee chains Discovered Korea. After the 88 Olympics, Koreans discovered the joy Of real brewed coffee, Hot, Sweet, Neat The rest is history.
hot humid weather in Korea, outside like walking in a sauna.
Most people don’t use air conditioning due to both expenses, fear of air conditioning disease (Which is a real thing).
hanging out at a coffee shop or mall discouraged as COVID continues to spread. Only two people can dine out at night
over 2, 00 cases a day now only 20 percent are fully vaccinated.
temperatures will hit 40 degrees (100 + f) later this week as the monsoon season ends and the August heat begins.
Koreans are learning new words to describe this
heat dome tropical nights Polar vortex Monster typhoons Killing floods Killing heat waves are now common.
used to be that July and August were hot and humid but rarely about 100 dF. Now that is becoming the norm, as global climate change begins hitting Korea hard.
the winters are colder but much shorter. Late January to early February Polar Vortex swept through
the summer is longer starting in May and lasting until mid-September.
Autumn is lasting from Mid-September to Mid-December. Spring just late April to early June
So far no killer wildfires. As the monsoon season Came on time Monson flooding Just before the killer heatwaves
the prompt was to write about the local weather Korea is experiencing a heat dome highs in the 90’s (40 C) real feel close to 100 F, with tropical nights in the 80s F. No relief in sight until late august, the second hottest summer in Korea so far but it will probably break the record heat
When Sam Adams first met her The lady of his dreams
There was as the Koreans Would say
Spark from heart to heart 이심촌심 isimchonsim
truly love at first sight 첫눈에 반하다 cheosnun-e banhada
they both knew that it is just fate
운명 unyoung
that they had met that date.
Two months later They were married It all happened 40 years ago
48 years after She first came To him in his dreams.
the prompt was to incorporate foreign words into a poem I chose Korean which is my best foreign language as I have been struggling to learn it for 43 years
May 18, 2021Venice in Korea “Venice in Korea and other Korean Stream Bed Parks ARA Canal Incheon Over the last decade, Korea has build hundreds of stream bed parks throughout Seoul and Korea. There are great… Jake Cosmos Aller — Venice in Korea. 1.5M ratings 277k ratings See, that’s what the app is perfect for. Sounds perfect Wahhhh, I don’t …
Jun 3, 2021I have reached three milestones. the World According to Cosmos now has over 4,000 followers from around the world. Thanks to all of you for visiting my site and caring about my musings about Life, the Universe and everything. Second, I have not posted 264 posts over the last few years since I started this blog late in 2019.
Jul 2, 2022Korean Summer Haiku by jake cosmos aller. General Poetry posted July 2, 2022. jake cosmos aller. Retired US Diplomat (State Department) living in South Korea. Served 27 years in 10 countries. Traveled to 55 countries, all 50 states. Grew up in Berkeley, California. Married, no children.
May 20, 2022jake cosmos aller Retired US Diplomat (State Department) living in South Korea. Served 27 years in 10 countries. Traveled to 55 countries, all 50 states. Grew up in Berkeley, California. Married, no children. A published poet, and short story writer. Finished six nove – more…
Jul 20, 2022by jake cosmos aller. Corners of the world. In 1979-1981. Than my own. I learned to speak Korean. In a town that was in the countryside. Of Seoul or the nearby city of Chuncheon. And foreign agricultural workers as well. Than when I lived there over 43 years ago.
Yeongjongdo Redevelopment Proposals ” Yeongjongdo redevelopment proposals bike rail trail in Yeongjongdo The Korean government has ambitious plans for developing Youngjongdo where I live. Here are my… Jake Cosmos Aller — Yeongjongdo Redevelopment Proposals. 1.5M ratings 277k ratings See, that’s what the app is perfect for. …
Jul 17, 2022Food Imperalism by jake cosmos aller. Biographical Fiction posted July 17, 2022. Retired US Diplomat (State Department) living in South Korea. Served 27 years in 10 countries. Traveled to 55 countries, all 50 states. Grew up in Berkeley, California. Married, no children.
Venice in Korea WHERE TO LISTEN to the World According to Cosmos breaker audio Google podcasts radio public Spotify Korea Radio public c: on PocketCasts: Visit to Gangwha Ginseng Market We…
Jun 3, 2021I have reached three milestones. the World According to Cosmos now has over 4,000 followers from around the world. Thanks to all of you for visiting my site and caring about my musings about Life, the Universe and everything. Second, I have not posted 264 posts over the last few years since I started this blog late in 2019.
Jun 8, 2021Update: Korean River/Stream Bed Parks ARA Canal Incheon Updated letter to NPS and updated photos for Cheongjecheon streambed park. Letter to National Parks Director, Minister of Tourism, and KT One of the little-known gems of Korean tourism is all the great river parks and stream bed parks throughout Korea.
Venice in Korea WHERE TO LISTEN to the World According to Cosmos breaker audio Google podcasts radio public Spotify Korea Radio public c: on PocketCasts: Visit to Gangwha Ginseng Market We…
The Korean government has acknowledged these strong ties by hosting several reunions over the years. Last month, about 80 returned Volunteers and family members traveled to Seoul, South Korea, to mark the 50th anniversary of the Peace Corps arrival in the country. We were there to attend the opening of an exhibit on the Peace Corps at the …
Peace Corps opened its program in Korea in 1966, and more than 2,000 Peace Corps volunteers served there before operations closed in 1981. Since 2008, the Republic of Korea has recognized the service of Peace Corps/Korea volunteers by hosting return trips for many former volunteers so they can again visit the country. Peace Corps and KOICA …
Peace Corps/Korea brought over 2,000 Americans to serve in Korea’s classrooms, farms, and industry. From 1966-1981, the assistance provided by these Volunteers, at a critical period in Korean history, helped to cement U.S.Korea ties. Kevin O’Donnell, the first country director of Peace Corps/Korea, and fourth director of the Peace Corps will …
Peace Corps Volunteers serve in over 60 countries. Find your place in the world. … South Korea 1966-1981 2,060 Volunteers Served Caribbean. The Dominican Republic. 1962-present 13 Volunteers …
It was, as the Peace Corps ad says, “The toughest job you will ever love.” When I left Korea in the mid-70s I was certain I would never see it again. As the years passed, the recollections of my life in Korea crystallized into increasingly romanticized memories. They became nearer and dearer to me in my life’s side-view mirror.
About Friends of Korea. Friends of Korea was founded in 2002 by former Peace Corps volunteers who served in the Republic of Korea between 1966 and 1981. Since Peace Corps ended its program in Korea in 1981, the challenge for Friends of Korea has been to find a mission. Over the past several years we have been engaged in a series of …
Oct 21, 2020Oct 21 2020. 1. by James Mayer (Korea 1978-81) The Korea Times. Friends of Korea. Peace Corps volunteers and others hold a walk-a-thon to raise funds for heart surgery in 1981. / Courtesy of Nancy Kelly. No one likes to be last. But I had that distinction as the Peace Corps Korea country director, and I am forever grateful that it happened.
Connect With the Peace Corps. The Peace Corps. We are inspired by hands-on, grassroots-driven, and lasting impact. Learn more about our mission. In a changing world, building a better future together. New Opportunities Now Available. Dozens of new Volunteering openings are live on our site.
Peace Corps Volunteers and the Making of Korean Studies in the United States. Edited by Seung-Kyung Kim and Michael Robinson. Center for Korea Studies, University of Washington. Reviewed by Steven Boyd Saum . The Peace Corps sent more than 2,000 Volunteers to South Korea 1966-81, to teach English and advise on healthcare.
Mention you’re with the Korea Peace Corps Reunion. Dan Strickland (K-18; danstrickland2001@yahoo.com) is our reunion point person and is available to answer questions or make suggestions. Let us know you’re coming by sending Dan an email with your name(s), your Korean name, K-group #, and check-in/out dates.
🗳️ Congressional Representative for Medford, Oregon
Rep. Cliff Bentz (OR-2)
District Office:
14 N Central Ave., Suite 112
Medford, OR 97501
Phone: (541) 776-4646
Washington, D.C. Office:
409 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
Phone: (202) 225-6730
Website
🏛️ U.S. Senators from Oregon
Sen. Jeff Merkley
Medford Office:
10 South Bartlett Street, Suite 201
Medford, OR 97501
Phone: (541) 608-9102
Washington, D.C. Office:
531 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
Phone: (202) 224-3753
Website
Sen. Ron Wyden
Medford Office:
310 West 6th St., Room 118
Medford, OR 97501
Phone: (541) 858-5122
Washington, D.C. Office:
221 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
Phone: (202) 224-5244
Website
🌐 Director of the Peace Corps
Carol Spahn
Peace Corps Headquarters:
1275 First Street NE
Washington, DC 20526
Phone: (855) 855-1961
Director’s Bio
Peace Corps Contact Page
Rep. Cliff Bentz (OR-2)
District Office:
14 N Central Ave., Suite 112
Medford, OR 97501
Phone: (541) 776-4646
Washington, D.C. Office:
409 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
Phone: (202) 225-6730
Website
🏛️ U.S. Senators from Oregon
Sen. Jeff Merkley
Medford Office:
10 South Bartlett Street, Suite 201
Medford, OR 97501
Phone: (541) 608-9102
Washington, D.C. Office:
531 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
Phone: (202) 224-3753
Website
Sen. Ron Wyden
Medford Office:
310 West 6th St., Room 118
Medford, OR 97501
Phone: (541) 858-5122
Washington, D.C. Office:
221 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
Phone: (202) 224-5244
Website
🌐 Director of the Peace Corps
Carol Spahn
Peace Corps Headquarters:
1275 First Street NE
Washington, DC 20526
Phone: (855) 855-1961
Dear Cliff Bentz
Rep. Cliff Bentz (OR-2)
District Office:
14 N Central Ave., Suite 112
Medford, OR 97501
I am writing as a proud Returned Peace Corps Volunteer who served in Gapyeong, South Korea from 1979 to 1981, working in a rural health center as a tuberculosis control worker. My time in the Peace Corps shaped not only my worldview but also the trajectory of my life. It led me to pursue a Master’s degree in Korean Studies and ultimately serve 27 years in the U.S. Foreign Service before retiring in 2016.
Today, I spend part of the year in South Korea, maintaining the personal and professional ties that were forged through public service and people-to-people diplomacy. I can attest firsthand to the long-lasting goodwill, cultural understanding, and strategic partnerships that Peace Corps volunteers generate. The Peace Corps is not simply a volunteer program—it is a cornerstone of American soft power and one of the most effective tools of diplomacy we’ve ever known.
I urge you, in the strongest terms, to oppose any efforts to dismantle, defund, or diminish the Peace Corps. As geopolitical tensions rise, especially in Asia, it is more crucial than ever to maintain programs that build bridges, not walls.
Please support robust funding for the Peace Corps, protect its independence, and preserve its legacy. The future of diplomacy begins in villages, classrooms, and clinics—not just embassies.
The Korean government has acknowledged these strong ties by hosting several reunions over the years. Last month, about 80 returned Volunteers and family members traveled to Seoul, South Korea, to mark the 50th anniversary of the Peace Corps arrival in the country. We were there to attend the opening of an exhibit on the Peace Corps at the …
Peace Corps opened its program in Korea in 1966, and more than 2,000 Peace Corps volunteers served there before operations closed in 1981. Since 2008, the Republic of Korea has recognized the service of Peace Corps/Korea volunteers by hosting return trips for many former volunteers so they can again visit the country. Peace Corps and KOICA …
Peace Corps/Korea brought over 2,000 Americans to serve in Korea’s classrooms, farms, and industry. From 1966-1981, the assistance provided by these Volunteers, at a critical period in Korean history, helped to cement U.S.Korea ties. Kevin O’Donnell, the first country director of Peace Corps/Korea, and fourth director of the Peace Corps will …
Peace Corps Volunteers serve in over 60 countries. Find your place in the world. … South Korea 1966-1981 2,060 Volunteers Served Caribbean. The Dominican Republic. 1962-present 13 Volunteers …
It was, as the Peace Corps ad says, “The toughest job you will ever love.” When I left Korea in the mid-70s I was certain I would never see it again. As the years passed, the recollections of my life in Korea crystallized into increasingly romanticized memories. They became nearer and dearer to me in my life’s side-view mirror.
About Friends of Korea. Friends of Korea was founded in 2002 by former Peace Corps volunteers who served in the Republic of Korea between 1966 and 1981. Since Peace Corps ended its program in Korea in 1981, the challenge for Friends of Korea has been to find a mission. Over the past several years we have been engaged in a series of …
Oct 21, 2020Oct 21 2020. 1. by James Mayer (Korea 1978-81) The Korea Times. Friends of Korea. Peace Corps volunteers and others hold a walk-a-thon to raise funds for heart surgery in 1981. / Courtesy of Nancy Kelly. No one likes to be last. But I had that distinction as the Peace Corps Korea country director, and I am forever grateful that it happened.
Connect With the Peace Corps. The Peace Corps. We are inspired by hands-on, grassroots-driven, and lasting impact. Learn more about our mission. In a changing world, building a better future together. New Opportunities Now Available. Dozens of new Volunteering openings are live on our site.
Peace Corps Volunteers and the Making of Korean Studies in the United States. Edited by Seung-Kyung Kim and Michael Robinson. Center for Korea Studies, University of Washington. Reviewed by Steven Boyd Saum . The Peace Corps sent more than 2,000 Volunteers to South Korea 1966-81, to teach English and advise on healthcare.
Mention you’re with the Korea Peace Corps Reunion. Dan Strickland (K-18; danstrickland2001@yahoo.com) is our reunion point person and is available to answer questions or make suggestions. Let us know you’re coming by sending Dan an email with your name(s), your Korean name, K-group #, and check-in/out dates.
Here’s the latest on the future of the Peace Corps as of mid-2025, including perspectives from across the political spectrum and a list of countries where volunteers are currently serving.
🌍 Current Status of the Peace Corps
The Peace Corps is facing significant restructuring and budget cuts under the Trump administration. The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has recommended deep staff reductions—up to 80% at headquarters and 25% globally—which could shutter some country programs. While the agency insists it will remain operational, many volunteers and applicants are anxious about its viability.
🗞️ Left-Leaning Analysis
The Hill: Reports that the cuts could “cripple” the Peace Corps and undermine decades of goodwill and soft diplomacy. Critics argue this is part of a broader dismantling of America’s international development efforts.
Peace Corps Connect: The National Peace Corps Association warns that reduced staffing and federal hiring freezes threaten volunteer support and training. They’re urging Congress to restore funding and protect the agency’s mission.
Peace Corps Worldwide: Advocates propose transforming the Peace Corps into an NGO or merging it with AmeriCorps to preserve its legacy and adapt to modern global challenges.
📰 Right-Leaning or Neutral Analysis
EconoTimes: Highlights Trump’s plan to expand and modernize the Peace Corps with a $2 billion budget, focusing on strategic regions like Southeast Asia and Eastern Europe. The goal is to align volunteer efforts with U.S. foreign policy interests.
Next Gen Business: Notes that while some see the cuts as fiscally responsible, others worry they will weaken U.S. influence abroad. The restructuring is framed as part of a broader government streamlining effort.
The Independent: Covers the DOGE-led downsizing and staff buyouts, noting that some posts may close and that the agency’s soft power role is at risk.
📍 Countries Where Peace Corps Volunteers Are Currently Serving
According to the Peace Corps official site, volunteers are actively serving in over 60 countries. Here are some with open opportunities:
Europe: Albania, Armenia, Georgia, Kosovo, Moldova, North Macedonia, Ukraine
Pacific Islands: Palau, Tonga, Vanuatu
Latin America & Caribbean: Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guyana, Jamaica, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, Dominica
Some programs have been paused or closed recently, including those in Mozambique, Ethiopia, Cameroon, Kyrgyz Republic, and South Africa.
This is a shout-out to all the Americans who answered the call to serve in the Peace Corps. As some of you know I served in Gapyeong, Korea from 1979 to 1981 working as a tuberculous control worker in a rural health center. Serving in the Peace Corps changed my life in so many ways. It led to a life-long fascination with South Korea, including becoming reasonably fluent in the language, meeting and marrying my wife whom I met after my service ended, and a MA degree in Korean studies from the University of Washington in 1986. It also led me to join the Foreign Service and serve in the Embassy from 1991 to 1993 and serving on the Korea desk from 1994 to 1996.
Before joining the State Department I taught ESL for the US Army, for the Korean Consolidated Administration school, and later at Kyunghee University for three years and Government and Asian Studies for the University of Maryland in Korea.
Title:The Last Volunteer: Dispatches from the Disbanded Peace Corps
Tone: Satirical, reflective, dystopian Style: Blog-style narrative with historical and personal interjections
Structure:
Title:The Last Volunteer: Dispatches from the Disbanded Peace Corps
In 1980, I served in the Peace Corps working in a public health center as a tuberculous control worker in Gapyeong, a small town in the mountains two hours from Seoul. I shared kimchi recipes with elders, learned the art of bowing without bruising my pride, and discovered that diplomacy often begins with a shared meal.
We were told we were ambassadors of peace.
Now, apparently, we were just wasting taxpayer money.
Chapter 2: The Decree
It came on a Tuesday. Trump stood at a golden podium flanked by ICE agents and a bald eagle wearing aviators.
“The Peace Corps is hereby disbanded,” he declared. “We don’t need volunteers spreading peace. We need patriots sealing borders.”
The budget was rescinded. Volunteers were ordered home. The Peace Corps website redirected to a recruitment page for ICE.
Chapter 3: The Fallout
Returned volunteers were stripped of their federal hiring preference. One was reportedly escorted out of a USDA interview for wearing a tie-dye shirt and quoting Mandela.
Peace Corps offices were converted into detention intake centers. The slogan “Life is calling” was replaced with “Compliance is mandatory.”
My old training center in Korea? Rumor has it it’s now a drone calibration site.
Chapter 4: The Broader Purge
The Presidential Management Fellows program was canceled next. “We don’t need managers,” Trump said. “We need enforcers.”
The State Department announced it would no longer publish annual human rights reports. “We prefer vibes-based diplomacy,” said the new Undersecretary for Global Branding.
The U.S. withdrew from the International Labour Organization. All ILO conventions were declared null and void. Labor rights, it seems, were too socialist.
Chapter 5: Toronto Rising
Late-night comics were fired. Journalists silenced. And somewhere in the chaos, Toronto became the new capital of dissent.
Former Peace Corps volunteers, comedians, and exiled diplomats now broadcast nightly from a converted Tim Hortons.
Their motto: Still serving—just not sanctioned.
Chapter 6: The Last Volunteer
I served in Korea from 1979 to 1981. We believed in bridges, not walls. We believed that service could change the world.
I still do.
Even if the bridge now leads north to Toronto.
Author’s Note:
This piece is satire. But the memories are real. And so is the fear that idealism is being erased, one program at a time.
If you served, if you dreamed, if you still believe—keep writing. Keep resisting.
Peace isn’t dead. It’s just been defunded.
Along the way, Korea changed so much and is not the country I first learned to love back in 1979. Here are a few of my poetic reflections, followed by additional information on the Peace Corps and my letters to my Congressmen and Senators and the Peace Corps director expressing my frustration over the possibility that the Peace Corps could soon join USAID on the chopping block. I will post any responses I might receive.
Korean Poems
author at a Korean temple 1980?
Korea travels
I first came to Korea in 1979
in the Peace Corps
Stayed in the rural countryside
in the town of Gapeyong
where I worked
in a rural health care center
Where I was one of four non-Koreans
Had to speak Korean to survive
Stayed on in a variety of jobs
Including diplomatic service
I last lived there in 1993.
Non-Korean food was hard to get
Outside of the GI ghettos
English speakers were few
And the country was not foreign-friendly
There were few foreign residents
Most American service members
Some missionary types
Diplomatic corps
A few English teachers
A few ex-pat business people
Most women quit after marriage
As it was a male-dominated society
In the rural countryside
No one knew a woman’s name
They were referred
to as so and so “mom”
Or so and so wife,
Or the generic aunt,
or grandmother
Public transit was just getting going
But traffic was not too bad
Few people could afford cars
Back then the old Korea was still there
And it was a very different place and time
Going through the transition
to the country, it has become
Today’s Korea is a very different place
The rural countryside is deserted
Wilderness areas are coming back
Even wildlife is coming back
In the mountain outback regions
50 percent of the public
Live in the Seoul metro area
Including Kyeongi province
And Incheon city where I reside.
Public transit is among the best
In the world.
Internet fast and cheap
Everywhere connected
Highways are decent but overcrowded
The KTX train is fast and convenient
The Incheon airport one of the best
The choices for food are much better
Used to be it was almost impossible
To find non-Korean food
Outside the GI ghetto towns.
Now it is everywhere
Even saw a Mexican restaurant
In a suburban Busan neighborhood.
In the end
Koreans should be proud
Of all that they have accomplished.
I remain optimistic
That someday the two Koreans
Will become one again
And that they will continue
To advance and grow
But the essence of Korea will remain
Waiting for Korean Springtime
poet Hill Korea
The world peace forest
Stretches five miles
Through a delightful forest
Including a nice lotus pound
A winter watering hole for birds
And a small mountain
I welcome the advent of spring
The cherry trees snowing
The Tulips and roses blooming
After a cold sometimes hard winter
Especially during the COVID pandemic
Which kept so many people
Trapped indoors
As I walk the path
With the love of my life
By my side
Enjoying another springtime
Filled with love and affection
That is why I love Korean springtime.
19 lines
Pastoral free verse
Life in a Korean village
I am living in a Korean village as an exchange student. One day my host family asks me to go to the local health center to tell them to change the father’s medicine, and give me a note, the old medicine, and instructions. I am a little apprehensive, but they told me that was fine since the dragon who controlled the village had approved the request already. I smiled I had met the dragon who seemed to like me which made things in the village go much better. The daughter is cute.
The Peace Corps changed my life
Not in the obvious ways
That it did
I learned a new language
A new culture
Met many different people
Did some constructive development work
And contributed to friendship
Between Koreans and the US
All the usual things that Peace Corps
Is supposed to accomplish
But the Peace Corps changed me
And I became the man I am now
Because of those two years
I spend in the countryside
Of South Korea
I went to graduate school
I became a diplomat
But most importantly
If I had not gone to the Korean peace corps program
I never would have met the girl of my dreams
The women I was fated to meet
I first met Angela in 1974
When I was in high school
And fell asleep in a class
And had the dream that haunted me
To this day
In the dream
I met a beautiful Asian women
Who was speaking to me
In a weird language
And then she disappeared
Like in Star Trek
And I fell on the floor
“Screaming
You are you?”
I continued to have these visions
Every month for seven years
I eventually learned
that she was in Korea
And so I joined the Peace Corps
to go to Korea
To find her
After I finished Peace Corps
I stuck around for another year
Thinking I would find her
But never did
Just when I was
due to return to the US
To go to Graduate school
I had the final dream
In this dream
She said in Korean
“Don’t worry
you will meet me soon.”
That night getting off the bus
In front of me
Was the girl in the dream
I looked at her
And I knew she was it
And she looked at me
And knew I was it
We met up for coffee
And we dated
I proposed to her
three days after I met her
And then we married
Two months later
Despite her family’s attempts
To keep us apart
And we have been
married 43 years
And I fall in love with her
Over and over again
And I still have the dream
When I am alone
Or when I am stressed out
I see her standing by the bed
Smiling at me
Saying
Everything will be alright
And it is
and so thinking back on my life
My life changed forever
When I left the US
To join the Peace Corps
Long Live the Peace Corps
this is a true story of the love of my life. I met her in 1982 when I was teaching in Korea after having finished my Peace Corps service in 1981. We got married two months after we met and have been married 33 years. I still recall the dreams of how I would met her from time to time.
I always thought this would make a great love story movie., perhaps a K Drama?
About 30 years ago,
American-style coffee chains
Discovered Korea.
After the 88 Olympics,
Koreans discovered the joy
Of real brewed coffee,
Hot, Sweet, Neat
The rest is history.
hot humid weather in Korea,
outside like walking in a sauna.
Most people don’t use air conditioning
due to both expenses,
fear of air conditioning disease
(Which is a real thing).
hanging out at a coffee shop or mall
discouraged as COVID continues to spread.
Only two people can dine out at night
over 2, 00 cases a day now
only 20 percent are fully vaccinated.
temperatures will hit 40 degrees (100 + f)
later this week
as the monsoon season ends
and the August heat begins.
Koreans are learning
new words to describe this
heat dome
tropical nights
Polar vortex
Monster typhoons
Killing floods
Killing heat waves
are now common.
used to be that July and August
were hot and humid
but rarely about 100 dF.
Now that is becoming the norm,
as global climate change
begins hitting Korea hard.
the winters are colder
but much shorter.
Late January to early February
Polar Vortex swept through
the summer is longer
starting in May
and lasting until mid-September.
Autumn is lasting
from Mid-September
to Mid-December.
Spring just late April to early June
So far no killer wildfires.
As the monsoon season
Came on time
Monson flooding
Just before the killer heatwaves
the prompt was to write about the local weather Korea is experiencing a heat dome highs in the 90’s (40 C) real feel close to 100 F, with tropical nights in the 80s F. No relief in sight until late august, the second hottest summer in Korea so far but it will probably break the record heat
When Sam Adams
first met her
The lady of his dreams
There was as the Koreans
Would say
Spark from heart to heart
이심촌심
isimchonsim
truly love at first sight
첫눈에 반하다
cheosnun-e banhada
they both knew
that it is just fate
운명
unyoung
that they had met
that date.
Two months later
They were married
It all happened
40 years ago
48 years after
She first came
To him in his dreams.
the prompt was to incorporate foreign words into a poem I chose Korean which is my best foreign language as I have been struggling to learn it for 43 years
May 18, 2021Venice in Korea “Venice in Korea and other Korean Stream Bed Parks ARA Canal Incheon Over the last decade, Korea has build hundreds of stream bed parks throughout Seoul and Korea. There are great… Jake Cosmos Aller — Venice in Korea. 1.5M ratings 277k ratings See, that’s what the app is perfect for. Sounds perfect Wahhhh, I don’t …
Jun 3, 2021I have reached three milestones. the World According to Cosmos now has over 4,000 followers from around the world. Thanks to all of you for visiting my site and caring about my musings about Life, the Universe and everything. Second, I have not posted 264 posts over the last few years since I started this blog late in 2019.
Jul 2, 2022Korean Summer Haiku by jake cosmos aller. General Poetry posted July 2, 2022. jake cosmos aller. Retired US Diplomat (State Department) living in South Korea. Served 27 years in 10 countries. Traveled to 55 countries, all 50 states. Grew up in Berkeley, California. Married, no children.
May 20, 2022jake cosmos aller Retired US Diplomat (State Department) living in South Korea. Served 27 years in 10 countries. Traveled to 55 countries, all 50 states. Grew up in Berkeley, California. Married, no children. A published poet, and short story writer. Finished six nove – more…
Jul 20, 2022by jake cosmos aller. Corners of the world. In 1979-1981. Than my own. I learned to speak Korean. In a town that was in the countryside. Of Seoul or the nearby city of Chuncheon. And foreign agricultural workers as well. Than when I lived there over 43 years ago.
Yeongjongdo Redevelopment Proposals ” Yeongjongdo redevelopment proposals bike rail trail in Yeongjongdo The Korean government has ambitious plans for developing Youngjongdo where I live. Here are my… Jake Cosmos Aller — Yeongjongdo Redevelopment Proposals. 1.5M ratings 277k ratings See, that’s what the app is perfect for. …
Jul 17, 2022Food Imperalism by jake cosmos aller. Biographical Fiction posted July 17, 2022. Retired US Diplomat (State Department) living in South Korea. Served 27 years in 10 countries. Traveled to 55 countries, all 50 states. Grew up in Berkeley, California. Married, no children.
Venice in Korea WHERE TO LISTEN to the World According to Cosmos breaker audio Google podcasts radio public Spotify Korea Radio public c: on PocketCasts: Visit to Gangwha Ginseng Market We…
Jun 3, 2021I have reached three milestones. the World According to Cosmos now has over 4,000 followers from around the world. Thanks to all of you for visiting my site and caring about my musings about Life, the Universe and everything. Second, I have not posted 264 posts over the last few years since I started this blog late in 2019.
Jun 8, 2021Update: Korean River/Stream Bed Parks ARA Canal Incheon Updated letter to NPS and updated photos for Cheongjecheon streambed park. Letter to National Parks Director, Minister of Tourism, and KT One of the little-known gems of Korean tourism is all the great river parks and stream bed parks throughout Korea.
Venice in Korea WHERE TO LISTEN to the World According to Cosmos breaker audio Google podcasts radio public Spotify Korea Radio public c: on PocketCasts: Visit to Gangwha Ginseng Market We…
The Korean government has acknowledged these strong ties by hosting several reunions over the years. Last month, about 80 returned Volunteers and family members traveled to Seoul, South Korea, to mark the 50th anniversary of the Peace Corps arrival in the country. We were there to attend the opening of an exhibit on the Peace Corps at the …
Peace Corps opened its program in Korea in 1966, and more than 2,000 Peace Corps volunteers served there before operations closed in 1981. Since 2008, the Republic of Korea has recognized the service of Peace Corps/Korea volunteers by hosting return trips for many former volunteers so they can again visit the country. Peace Corps and KOICA …
Peace Corps/Korea brought over 2,000 Americans to serve in Korea’s classrooms, farms, and industry. From 1966-1981, the assistance provided by these Volunteers, at a critical period in Korean history, helped to cement U.S.Korea ties. Kevin O’Donnell, the first country director of Peace Corps/Korea, and fourth director of the Peace Corps will …
Peace Corps Volunteers serve in over 60 countries. Find your place in the world. … South Korea 1966-1981 2,060 Volunteers Served Caribbean. The Dominican Republic. 1962-present 13 Volunteers …
It was, as the Peace Corps ad says, “The toughest job you will ever love.” When I left Korea in the mid-70s I was certain I would never see it again. As the years passed, the recollections of my life in Korea crystallized into increasingly romanticized memories. They became nearer and dearer to me in my life’s side-view mirror.
About Friends of Korea. Friends of Korea was founded in 2002 by former Peace Corps volunteers who served in the Republic of Korea between 1966 and 1981. Since Peace Corps ended its program in Korea in 1981, the challenge for Friends of Korea has been to find a mission. Over the past several years we have been engaged in a series of …
Oct 21, 2020Oct 21 2020. 1. by James Mayer (Korea 1978-81) The Korea Times. Friends of Korea. Peace Corps volunteers and others hold a walk-a-thon to raise funds for heart surgery in 1981. / Courtesy of Nancy Kelly. No one likes to be last. But I had that distinction as the Peace Corps Korea country director, and I am forever grateful that it happened.
Connect With the Peace Corps. The Peace Corps. We are inspired by hands-on, grassroots-driven, and lasting impact. Learn more about our mission. In a changing world, building a better future together. New Opportunities Now Available. Dozens of new Volunteering openings are live on our site.
Peace Corps Volunteers and the Making of Korean Studies in the United States. Edited by Seung-Kyung Kim and Michael Robinson. Center for Korea Studies, University of Washington. Reviewed by Steven Boyd Saum . The Peace Corps sent more than 2,000 Volunteers to South Korea 1966-81, to teach English and advise on healthcare.
Mention you’re with the Korea Peace Corps Reunion. Dan Strickland (K-18; danstrickland2001@yahoo.com) is our reunion point person and is available to answer questions or make suggestions. Let us know you’re coming by sending Dan an email with your name(s), your Korean name, K-group #, and check-in/out dates.
🗳️ Congressional Representative for Medford, Oregon
Rep. Cliff Bentz (OR-2)
District Office:
14 N Central Ave., Suite 112
Medford, OR 97501
Phone: (541) 776-4646
Washington, D.C. Office:
409 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
Phone: (202) 225-6730
Website
🏛️ U.S. Senators from Oregon
Sen. Jeff Merkley
Medford Office:
10 South Bartlett Street, Suite 201
Medford, OR 97501
Phone: (541) 608-9102
Washington, D.C. Office:
531 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
Phone: (202) 224-3753
Website
Sen. Ron Wyden
Medford Office:
310 West 6th St., Room 118
Medford, OR 97501
Phone: (541) 858-5122
Washington, D.C. Office:
221 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
Phone: (202) 224-5244
Website
🌐 Director of the Peace Corps
Carol Spahn
Peace Corps Headquarters:
1275 First Street NE
Washington, DC 20526
Phone: (855) 855-1961
Director’s Bio
Peace Corps Contact Page
Rep. Cliff Bentz (OR-2)
District Office:
14 N Central Ave., Suite 112
Medford, OR 97501
Phone: (541) 776-4646
Washington, D.C. Office:
409 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
Phone: (202) 225-6730
Website
🏛️ U.S. Senators from Oregon
Sen. Jeff Merkley
Medford Office:
10 South Bartlett Street, Suite 201
Medford, OR 97501
Phone: (541) 608-9102
Washington, D.C. Office:
531 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
Phone: (202) 224-3753
Website
Sen. Ron Wyden
Medford Office:
310 West 6th St., Room 118
Medford, OR 97501
Phone: (541) 858-5122
Washington, D.C. Office:
221 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
Phone: (202) 224-5244
Website
🌐 Director of the Peace Corps
Carol Spahn
Peace Corps Headquarters:
1275 First Street NE
Washington, DC 20526
Phone: (855) 855-1961
Dear Cliff Bentz
Rep. Cliff Bentz (OR-2)
District Office:
14 N Central Ave., Suite 112
Medford, OR 97501
I am writing as a proud Returned Peace Corps Volunteer who served in Gapyeong, South Korea from 1979 to 1981, working in a rural health center as a tuberculosis control worker. My time in the Peace Corps shaped not only my worldview but also the trajectory of my life. It led me to pursue a Master’s degree in Korean Studies and ultimately serve 27 years in the U.S. Foreign Service before retiring in 2016.
Today, I spend part of the year in South Korea, maintaining the personal and professional ties that were forged through public service and people-to-people diplomacy. I can attest firsthand to the long-lasting goodwill, cultural understanding, and strategic partnerships that Peace Corps volunteers generate. The Peace Corps is not simply a volunteer program—it is a cornerstone of American soft power and one of the most effective tools of diplomacy we’ve ever known.
I urge you, in the strongest terms, to oppose any efforts to dismantle, defund, or diminish the Peace Corps. As geopolitical tensions rise, especially in Asia, it is more crucial than ever to maintain programs that build bridges, not walls.
Please support robust funding for the Peace Corps, protect its independence, and preserve its legacy. The future of diplomacy begins in villages, classrooms, and clinics—not just embassies.
The Korean government has acknowledged these strong ties by hosting several reunions over the years. Last month, about 80 returned Volunteers and family members traveled to Seoul, South Korea, to mark the 50th anniversary of the Peace Corps arrival in the country. We were there to attend the opening of an exhibit on the Peace Corps at the …
Peace Corps opened its program in Korea in 1966, and more than 2,000 Peace Corps volunteers served there before operations closed in 1981. Since 2008, the Republic of Korea has recognized the service of Peace Corps/Korea volunteers by hosting return trips for many former volunteers so they can again visit the country. Peace Corps and KOICA …
Peace Corps/Korea brought over 2,000 Americans to serve in Korea’s classrooms, farms, and industry. From 1966-1981, the assistance provided by these Volunteers, at a critical period in Korean history, helped to cement U.S.Korea ties. Kevin O’Donnell, the first country director of Peace Corps/Korea, and fourth director of the Peace Corps will …
Peace Corps Volunteers serve in over 60 countries. Find your place in the world. … South Korea 1966-1981 2,060 Volunteers Served Caribbean. The Dominican Republic. 1962-present 13 Volunteers …
It was, as the Peace Corps ad says, “The toughest job you will ever love.” When I left Korea in the mid-70s I was certain I would never see it again. As the years passed, the recollections of my life in Korea crystallized into increasingly romanticized memories. They became nearer and dearer to me in my life’s side-view mirror.
About Friends of Korea. Friends of Korea was founded in 2002 by former Peace Corps volunteers who served in the Republic of Korea between 1966 and 1981. Since Peace Corps ended its program in Korea in 1981, the challenge for Friends of Korea has been to find a mission. Over the past several years we have been engaged in a series of …
Oct 21, 2020Oct 21 2020. 1. by James Mayer (Korea 1978-81) The Korea Times. Friends of Korea. Peace Corps volunteers and others hold a walk-a-thon to raise funds for heart surgery in 1981. / Courtesy of Nancy Kelly. No one likes to be last. But I had that distinction as the Peace Corps Korea country director, and I am forever grateful that it happened.
Connect With the Peace Corps. The Peace Corps. We are inspired by hands-on, grassroots-driven, and lasting impact. Learn more about our mission. In a changing world, building a better future together. New Opportunities Now Available. Dozens of new Volunteering openings are live on our site.
Peace Corps Volunteers and the Making of Korean Studies in the United States. Edited by Seung-Kyung Kim and Michael Robinson. Center for Korea Studies, University of Washington. Reviewed by Steven Boyd Saum . The Peace Corps sent more than 2,000 Volunteers to South Korea 1966-81, to teach English and advise on healthcare.
Mention you’re with the Korea Peace Corps Reunion. Dan Strickland (K-18; danstrickland2001@yahoo.com) is our reunion point person and is available to answer questions or make suggestions. Let us know you’re coming by sending Dan an email with your name(s), your Korean name, K-group #, and check-in/out dates.
Here’s the latest on the future of the Peace Corps as of mid-2025, including perspectives from across the political spectrum and a list of countries where volunteers are currently serving.
🌍 Current Status of the Peace Corps
The Peace Corps is facing significant restructuring and budget cuts under the Trump administration. The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has recommended deep staff reductions—up to 80% at headquarters and 25% globally—which could shutter some country programs. While the agency insists it will remain operational, many volunteers and applicants are anxious about its viability.
🗞️ Left-Leaning Analysis
The Hill: Reports that the cuts could “cripple” the Peace Corps and undermine decades of goodwill and soft diplomacy. Critics argue this is part of a broader dismantling of America’s international development efforts.
Peace Corps Connect: The National Peace Corps Association warns that reduced staffing and federal hiring freezes threaten volunteer support and training. They’re urging Congress to restore funding and protect the agency’s mission.
Peace Corps Worldwide: Advocates propose transforming the Peace Corps into an NGO or merging it with AmeriCorps to preserve its legacy and adapt to modern global challenges.
📰 Right-Leaning or Neutral Analysis
EconoTimes: Highlights Trump’s plan to expand and modernize the Peace Corps with a $2 billion budget, focusing on strategic regions like Southeast Asia and Eastern Europe. The goal is to align volunteer efforts with U.S. foreign policy interests.
Next Gen Business: Notes that while some see the cuts as fiscally responsible, others worry they will weaken U.S. influence abroad. The restructuring is framed as part of a broader government streamlining effort.
The Independent: Covers the DOGE-led downsizing and staff buyouts, noting that some posts may close and that the agency’s soft power role is at risk.
📍 Countries Where Peace Corps Volunteers Are Currently Serving
According to the Peace Corps official site, volunteers are actively serving in over 60 countries. Here are some with open opportunities:
Europe: Albania, Armenia, Georgia, Kosovo, Moldova, North Macedonia, Ukraine
Pacific Islands: Palau, Tonga, Vanuatu
Latin America & Caribbean: Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guyana, Jamaica, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, Dominica
Some programs have been paused or closed recently, including those in Mozambique, Ethiopia, Cameroon, Kyrgyz Republic, and South Africa.
These poems were written following weekly prompts on writing com. For each poem, I have provided the underlying prompt and additional information following the poems. They are in a wide range of styles and ratings. This is the third time I have completed this challenge, and I look forward to the next challenge starting next month for a year..
#18. Lonely Young WOman
ID #1048804 entered on April 26, 2023 at 3:40am [Edit] [31 views]
#17. Barbados Beckoning
ID #1048740 entered on April 25, 2023 at 2:01am [Edit] [45 views]
Barbados, West Indies – March 4, 2007: A beach scene on the Caribbean Island of Barbados with a yellow lifeguard station and people enjoying the beach and the water.
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. 🌳🔍
Well, it was bound to happen. AI bots now can write tolerable love poems. I experimented with a few and posted my AI-generated love poems below. I did not edit them, although a few needed editing. At the end of this piece, I listed the source sites so you can try them yourself.
Just for fun, I included three of my original love poems and challenge you to tell the difference.
If anyone wishes to submit their own AI love poems please do so and send me the link and I will post them.
Thunderstorm, Lightning
The sound of thunder and rain
The feel of hot rain
Successive weather
Successive, several
one of the coldest winters
a stroke of lightning
Summertime hot weather
Summertime hot weather
Sudden and violent storms,
Exposed to the cold.
Thunder
Lightning and thunder
the cold rain is coming down
they roar through the air.
A love Poem For Angela
Angela my darling, these words are for you
Reflecting affections decidedly true
Your humor and wit is what keeps us on track
Your spirited laugh I always laugh back
We travel the world see sites and explore
Culture, cuisine, couscous and much more
Deciding on details, a daunting task
Where to go, which way, together we ask
Italy, Japan and Thailand too
Sicilian fare that I cherish with you
Tiananmen, Timbuktu, or Toronto
Glorious beaches get set and let’s go
You work hard at your job, that’s what you do best
Your knowhow and skills surpass all the rest
Your charm and your smile just light up your face
I look up to you for wisdom and grace
Savvy intelligence, impressive IQ
Your intellect shines on all that you do
We go to the movies, it’s one of our treats
Munching on popcorn, snug in our seats
I’ll watch any drama with you by my side
Up on the screen, we see life magnified
Combat and court cases, battles to fight
Conflicting passions of wrong and what’s right
When you’re out for a stroll, I now realize
At the top of your list is great exercise
Our lives joined as one our love has no end
Our trust is our bond together we spend
Through ups and the downs, inseparably best
Whether we’re north, south, east or the west
Perseverance guides us through thick and thin
Tenacity bolsters you deep down within
I am ecstatic dear Angela that you are my wife
You light up my world, every day of my life
What is Love?
Space alien
Asks a question
For us humans
What is love?
I don’t know yet
I have thought about it
This much I know
What it ain’t?
Not just madness
Love is not chemistry
It is far more
That is it ?
The Alien smiled
Saying humans are strange
Nothing like them
Anywhere else
Is that the Truth?
Crying on that Date
Crying on that date
I experienced my future death
In my dreams,
I met my fate
My Father came first
Followed by my dream girl
Fulfilling out mad history
Pure insanity overwhelming us
Late in life
We became lovers
Loving every moment
Madness of our marriage
We were mates
Enjoying many moments
She became my mother
My partner
Always in my sight
My soulmate
After our wedding
Became my wife
My love for you is ever so strong,
My love for you is ever so strong,
My admiration for you forever long.
Your beauty is to me a never-ending song,
Your spirit is so vibrant and strong.
Your eyes sparkle with life’s mystery,
Your laughter brings joy and glee.
Your touch is as sweet as honey,
Your presence is a blessing to me.
Your loyalty and kindness so true,
Your love never wavers and its always new.
Your compassion is so pure and true,
Your embrace is like a warm hug from you.
Angela Lee my love for you never dies,
My heart and soul for you in the sky flies.
I love you so much and I will never cease,
My love for you is an eternal feast.
Your beauty intense,
My love for you so spicy,
Forever in love.
Lucky in Love
They say
One can be lucky in cards
Or lucky in love, but not both.
For me that is true
I met my wife
Who entered my life
Changing everything.
Almost as If I had won
The lotto or the jackpot
In a way, she was both.
I never was very good
At gambling
Usually losing when I tried
My luck in casinos.
My wife liked roulette
I played the nickel slots
A low roller gambling man
Won at blackjack once.
Lost at poker
In five minutes
Never learned craps.
22 lines Love Poem
When Sam Adams
Was 22 years old
He was in South Korea
Doing his Peace Corps duty.
He had gone there
In furtherance of a dream
A dream that had haunted him
For almost six years.
He first had the dream
On October 22, 1974
In a high school class
At 2:22 pm.
He fell asleep
Saw the most beautiful woman
In the world talking to him
He knew that he would marry her.
Then on September 22, 1982
At 2:22 pm
She walked off a bus into his life
They were married on October 22, 1982.
On October 22, 2022
They celebrated 40 years together.
Based on a true story. The dates were changed to fit the 22-number theme.
Love zejel
In my dreams, she first came to me,
She was all that I wanted to be.
Meeting her set my heart so free.
We met in early September.
A night that I must remember,
She was my wife by November.
She was all I wanted to see.
I truly met my love on that date.
For on date, I met my fate.
Two months later became my mate.
Filling my heart with cosmic glee.
My love for you, sweet Angela Lee,
My love for you, sweet Angela Lee,
Runs so deep it’s hard to see.
It’s like a fire that forever burns,
Making me yearn for your sweet return.
It’s more than love, it’s more than spice,
It’s a passion that will never cease.
It’s a bond that no one can break,
No matter how hard they try to take.
When I am with you, I feel so alive,
Like I can do anything I strive.
Your presence brings a warmth to me,
That I won’t ever want to flee.
My life is filled with love, joy and bliss,
All thanks to the love I have for you, Angela Lee.
You’re the one that I hold so dear,
And I’ll always be here to love you, my dear.
Love Cromoran
she came into life
on that date
soon became my wife
met my fate.
filling me with love
was my mate
just like a cute dove
it was great.
she is all that I need
cannot wait
just hear my plea
Play it straight,
There’s a sweetheart called Angela Lee,
There’s a sweetheart called Angela Lee,
So naughty and mischievous she can be.
When she’s with me, my heart skips a beat,
And I love her more than any treat.
She’s my special girl, no one can compare,
She’s my life and she’s always there.
When we kiss and hug, it’s always so sweet,
And I’m so lucky to have her as my sweetheart.
Our love is so strong, it’s hard to explain,
Our life together is like falling rain.
So I’ll whisper “I love you” into her ear,
And she’ll know that I’m sincere.
My Love, angela`
Your skin glows like the strawberry, blossoms sweet as the rose in the purest hope of spring.
My yearning heart rises to your violin voice and leaps like a antelope at the whisper of your name, angela`.
The evening ascends in on a great dove wing.
I am calmed by your delicate lace that I carry into the twilight of starbeams and hold next to my heart.
I am filled with hope that I may dry your tears of honey.
As my eyes falls from your eyes, I am reminded of your smile.
In the hushed, I listen for the last splash of the spring.
My heated breast breathes inside my soul. I wait in the crystal moonlight for your secret body so that we may race as one, breast to breast, in search of the glorious blue sensual wings of love.
Your Skin Glows like the Peaches
Your skin glows like the peaches , blossoms sweet as the rose in the purest hope of spring.
My yearning heart rises to your flute voice and leaps like a bear at the whisper of your name, Cutie pie .
The evening ascends in on a great dove wing.
I am calmed by your delicate bra that I carry into the twilight of starbeams and hold next to my heart.
I am filled with hope that I may dry your tears of honey.
As my eyes falls from your eyes, I am reminded of your smile.
In the hushed, I listen for the last splash of the spring.
My heated heart breathes inside my soul. I wait in the crystal moonlight for your secret body so that we may love as one, heart to heart , in search of the glorious black sensual music of love.
Your skin glows like the apples,
Your skin glows like the apples, blossoms adorable as the rose in the purest hope of spring.
My yearning heart rises to your trumpet voice and leaps like a lion at the whisper of your name, anita.
The evening ascends in on a great eagle wing.
I am calmed by your blue jeans that I carry into the twilight of moonbeams and hold next to my heart.
I am filled with hope that I may dry your tears of honey.
As my eyes falls from your eyes, I am reminded of your smile.
In the hushed, I listen for the last splash of the spring.
My heated heart breathes inside my soul. I wait in the crystal moonlight for your secret body so that we may love as one, heart to heart , in search of the glorious black sensual music of love.
For My Adorable Ocean
Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
My name is adorable,
And so are you.
Orchids are white,
Ghost ones are rare,
Your covered is chocolate,
And so is your hair.
Magnolia grows,
With buds like eggs,
Your run is long,
And so are your legs.
Sunflowers reach,
Up to the skies,
Your trout is brown,
And so are your eyes.
Foxgloves in hedges,
Surround the farms,
A way is long,
And so are your arms.
Daisies are pretty,
Daffies have style,
Brightness is dazzling,
And so is your smile.
Ocean is beautiful,
Just like you.
For My Playful Seahorse
Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
Reference is playful,
And so are you.
Orchids are white,
Ghost ones are rare,
Powder is white,
And so is your hair.
Magnolia grows,
With buds like eggs,
My body is fat,
And so are your legs.
Sunflowers reach,
Up to the skies,
A mind is thoughtful,
And so are your eyes.
Foxgloves in hedges,
Surround the farms,
A line is thin,
And so are your arms.
Daisies are pretty,
Daffies have style,
The party is winning,
And so is your smile.
Select one of the 30 poem types below, and our AI system will generate a poem on your topic for you. Choose free verse, haiku, limerick, acrostic, and much more.
This poetry generator tool will write a sad freeform poem for you. In order to create the poem, you will enter a topic phrase. The phrase will be used in the title or body of the poem.
This poetry generator tool will write a dark poem for you. In order to create the poem, enter a topic phrase. The phrase will be used in the title or body of the poem.
This poetry generator tool will write a poem about a broken heart, unrequited love, or a breakup for you. In order to create the poem, you will enter the name of your love interest.
This poetry generator tool will write lines of a haiku for you using AI transformer models. Just enter a word and it will generate a list of haiku stanzas.
This poetry generator tool will write a concrete poem/shape poem about any topic you want. In order to create your concrete poem, you will select a shape and enter a subject and some keywords.
This poetry generator tool will help you write an acrostic poem. In order to create the poem, you will enter a subject word or phrase. The generator will find words that are associated with that word/phrase. Note: if you are writing a poem about a person, use the Name Poem Generator below.
This poetry generator tool will help you write an acrostic poem using a person’s name. This is different from the Acrostic Poem Generator above, which takes a noun as input and uses that to find related adjectives. The name poem generator uses adjectives that describe a person.
This poetry generator tool will help you write an I Am poem. In order to create the poem, you will need to enter a series of words or phrases about yourself.
This is a funny poem generator. You can generate a funny or silly poem with a message for someone (for example, ‘happy birthday’). This is a great gag poem generator for birthdays, anniversaries, roasts, etc..
This poetry generator tool will help you write a positive, loving poem about a friend or family member. In order to create the poem, you will need to enter the name of the person that you are writing about, their relationship to you, and some information about the person.
This tool will generate a love poem for Valentines’ Day. Just enter the name of your love interest, and this tool will generate a beautiful love poem for you.
This tool will use AI to generate a love poem for Valentines’ Day. Just enter the name of your love interest, and this tool will generate a beautiful love poem for you.
This tool will generate a kids’ poem for Valentines’ Day. Just enter the name of your love interest, and this tool will generate a sweet and fun poem about your crush.
This poetry generator tool will write a poem using the latest AI transformer models, trained on over 100 billion parameters. Enter a word or phrase and it will generate a poem.
This poetry generator tool will write lines of a poem for you using AI transformer models. Just enter a word and it will generate a list of poem stanzas.
This tool will use AI to generate a love poem for Valentines’ Day. Just enter the name of your love interest, and this tool will generate a beautiful love poem for you.
Welcome to our new rhyme generator. It has 134,000 words with full and partial rhymes, thanks to CMU’s dictionary. If you want more options to get specific words (prefix search, suffix search, syllable search, etc) try our rap rhyme generator. You can also use the old rhyme generator here.
What I need to find is a poetry dictionary that can tell me what meter my lines are in so I can tackle traditional metrical poetry. Does anyone know where I can find that?
Our love poem generator brings the traditional ‘Roses Are Red’ poem structure to life using adjectives chosen by you, combined with auto-generated similes and metaphors. Sometimes our robot gets the imagery spot on, at other times, the ideas are somewhat more abstract. You can either use our poems as they are, or copy them to a word processor and tweak to perfection.
Create a Love Poem | Love Poem Generator Fill in the form below, then press the “Create My PoetrySoup Love Poem” button to create your “original” love poem. Your Love’s Name Fruit: Adjective (sweet, lovable, adorable, etc.): Flower: Musical Instrument: Type of Animal: Type of Bird: Descriptive Clothing: Noun Body Part: A Liquid: Your Body Part:
Love Poem Generator. Enter the name of the person you are writing about: Start over. Other poetry generators: Funny Rhyming Poem About Someone Generator | Love Poem Generator | Heartbreak Poem Generator | Friend Or Family Poem Generator | Name Poem Generator | Dark Poem Generator | Acrostic Poem Generator | Sad Poem Generator | I Am Poem Generator | Haiku Generator | Haiku With My Own Words Generator | Concrete Poem Generator | Manual Concrete Poem Generator | Limerick Generator | Mothers …
Whether its for Valentines Day, or you need to sweep your significant other off their feet, our Love Poem Generator will get the job done. All we need is a Title for the Poem and the name of the Person or Thing that you love and we’ll make a unique Love Poem that you and your significant other can enjoy for years to come.
Poem Generator: The poem generator from Masterpiece Generator offer sto create an entire poem in a less than minute. The site can generate free verse poems, haiku, rhyming couplets, sonnets, limericks and more. Each of the poem generators creates poem based on text that you provide.
Jan 18, 2017 · Use our poetry generator to create a love poem to go with a bouquet of Valentine flowers for your one and only. Enter a few key words and, like magic, you’ve got an original poem. Shakespeare’s got nothing on you. And when words just aren’t enough, let the flowers do the talking. Love Poetry Gen
39th Anniversary of Marrying the Lady of My Dreams
39th Anniversary – Love Poems and Stories
My life has always had a fairy tale aspect to it. The central mystery of my life has always been how I met and married the girl of my dreams. I first met her in 1974 when I fell asleep in a high school physics class in Berkeley, California. Then I had the “dream” as I quickly dubbed it, week after week until one day she walked off a bus and into my life in South Korea where I had gone in the Peace Corps to find her because I knew that she would be waiting there. I had the last dream the day I had decided to give notice and return to the United States to go to graduate school and give up on the foolish dream quest of mine. That morning she came to me and said
“Don’t worry we will meet soon.”
곧 만날 테니 걱정하지 마
god mannal teni geogjeonghaji ma
She walked off a bus and into my life that day. That night was September 7th, 39 years ago. We married seven weeks later.
Here then are my love poems, and stories, all dedicated to my lady of my dreams, Angela Lee.
Index of First Lines
Stories
Dream Girl
Married My Dream Girl
Poems
A Million Ways to Say I Love You
Ode To Love on Valentine’s Day
Chains That Bind Us
Where Do You and I Begin
Fragments Of a Dream
The Story of How We Met
Fate Intertwined
Darling, My Love of My Life
Eternal Love
One Morning -Memories of You
You Still Haunt My Life
Till The End of Time
Angel Of Desire
Sae Young Ji Ma
You
Your Love Conquers the Darkness
Then One Day
My Spirits Soared and Flew Up
Like A Bee to A Flower
And This Time
10,000 Miles Can’t Separate Us
Me And My Angela Lee
I Love You
You Forever?
A Ray of Light
Fear Of Being Alone
My Only Lady Love
One Fine Day
Your Smile
Eyes
18 Years of Love
Love Jones
Angela Lee Was Her Name Acrostic Poem
I Like to Drink Hot Coffee in The Morning Italian
Drinking My Hot Coffee in the Morning Italian Forms
Drinking My Hot Coffee in The Morning Light Italian Forms
Nighttime Love Blues
Met My Soul Mate
Love
Soul Mate Soul Mate
Morning Greets Me Soul Mate
Eternal Puzzle
Red Wine Not Tea
Decisive Decision Changed My Life
15 Versions of Angela
Begin Stories and Poems
Dream Girl
You know you’re in love when you can’t fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams.
The dreams started when I was a senior at Berkeley High School in 1974. About a month before I graduated, I fell asleep in a physics class after lunch and had the first dream:
A beautiful Asian woman was standing next to me, talking in a strange language. She was stunning—the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. She was in her early twenties, with long black hair, and piercing black eyes. She had the look of royalty. She looked at me and then disappeared, beamed out of my dream like in Star Trek. I fell out of my chair screaming, “Who are you?” She did not answer.
About a month went by, and then I started having the dream repeatedly. Always the same pattern. Early morning, she would stand next to me talking. I would ask who she was, and she would disappear. She was the most beautiful, alluring woman I had ever seen. I was struck speechless every time I had the dream.
I had the dream every month during the eight years during which I went to college and served in the Peace Corps. In fact, when I joined the Peace Corps, I had to decide whether to go Korea or Thailand. The night before I had to submit my decision, I had the dream again and she made me sure that I knew she was in Korea waiting for me.
All she said was when I asked again as always who are you? Where are you?”
“I am in Korea”
After the Peace Corps, I still hadn’t met my dream woman. I got a job working for the U.S. Army as an instructor and stayed in Korea. I kept having the dream, until I had the very last one: She was standing next to me, speaking to me in Korean, but I finally understood her. She said, “Don’t worry, we will be together soon.”
Why was that the last time I had the dream?
Because the very next night, the girl in my dream got off the bus in front of me. She went on to the base with an acquaintance of mine, a fellow teacher, and they went to see a movie. I saw her and found the courage to speak with her.
We exchanged phone numbers and agreed to meet that weekend.
The next night, she was waiting for me as I entered the Army base to teach a class. She told me she was a college senior and she had something to tell me. I signed her on to the base and left her at the library to study while I taught, and then we went out for coffee after class.
She told me she was madly in love with me, and that I was the man for her. I told her not to worry as I felt the same.
That weekend, we met Saturday and Sunday and hung out all day. On Sunday night, I proposed to her. It was only three days after we had met, but for me it felt like we had met eight years ago. I had been waiting all my life for her to walk out of my dreams and into my life, and here she was.
Her mother did not want her to marry a foreigner. One day, about a month after we met, she invited me to meet her parents. I brought a bottle of Jack Daniels for her father and drank the entire bottle with him. He approved of me, but her mother still had reservations.
After a Buddhist priest told her my future wife and I were a perfect astrological combination, she agreed, and we planned our wedding.
The wedding was a media sensation in South Korea. My wife explained it to me years later. At the time, I was overwhelmed just by the fact that we were getting married and I didn’t fully understand how unusual this was.
My wife was of the old royal clan, distant relatives to the former kings of Korea. In the clan’s history, only two people had ever married foreigners: my
wife, and Rhee Syngman, who was the first President of South Korea. My father, who was a former Undersecretary of Labor, came out for the wedding, which fueled even more media interest.
Our marriage defied the stereotypical Korean-foreign marriage where the women
married some hapless GI just to escape poverty and immigrate to the U.S. We were the first foreign/Korean couple to get married at a Korean Army base. Over 1,000 people came to the wedding, and my father was interviewed on the morning news programs.
This all happened thirty-nine years ago, and I am still married to the girl in my dreams. Now in my dreams she watches over me when we are apart.
City Limits Publishing has published an anthology of love stories and poems called Loving Words, which feature two of my stories and poems, “Chains that Bind Me” and “Dream Girl” re-printed at the end of this entry. Order information follows. My work appears in volumes one and three but order all three volumes. The Cost is $16.00 and shipping is $4.00. I don’t believe that they have a kindle friendly version. You may take advantage of the 25% contributor’s discount below.
Good afternoon!
I’m delighted to inform you that our poetry anthologies are on sale now, and they’re beautiful! I’m including the covers below Please share on social media, author websites, and anywhere else you’d like, and include the links below!
You can pre-order copies TODAY for 25% using the coupon code LOVINGWORDS . You can order individual copies or the bundle of all three books! For your friends and family, we’re happy to offer them a discount as well! They can use the discount code LOVINGWORDS15 for 15% off their order! You can share this on social media along with the book covers below! Check out the pages on our website to find where you’re featured!
Please note: if you had multiple poems published, you might be in multiple anthologies.
Please note: if you had multiple poems published, you might be in multiple anthologies. It lists the authors featured in each on the pages linked above.
We’re thrilled to announce that all orders from our contributors will include a copy donated to your local library as part of our commitment to giving back to the community.
Thank you all for making this such an enjoyable experience! We’re so excited about these books!
Sincerely,
Robert Martin | President, Chief Editorial Officer
“If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.” -Toni Morrison
Through Loving Words: Volume 1 A New Love Blooms
$14.99
In the first volume of Through Loving Words, the poems within describe the joy that can be found in the blossoming of new love. Each poet describes falling in love in unique and descriptive ways — from meeting someone and slowly falling in love with them through the mundane minutiae of everyday life to the coveted “love at first sight” spark and the resulting explosion of passion and lust. Pick any poem within the collection and experience anew the fervor of fresh love and lust and let your love bloom!
The following authors contributed to this collection: Alethia Pritikin, Alexandra Graffeo, Alexia Leigh, Bree Leto, Darren Beaney, Donald James, Ellen R. Grace, Emily D. Xi, Farhan Ali Baloch, Gerald O. Ryan, Ginna Wilkerson, Jake Cosmos Aller, James Alexander, Jasmine Tiera Harrell, John Ling, Jonathan Miller, Kaitlin Richcreek, Kevin Grommersch, Kiara Ash, Liz Taylor, Nick Sweet, Oz Hardwick, Peggy M. Earnest, Robert Fife, Samhita K., Taryn Thuynsma, Terril George, Vinod Pachu
Foreword by Peter Fenton
ISBN: 978-1-954403-46-8
Through Loving Words: Volume 3 A True Love Lasts
$14.99
Preorder Now
In the third volume of Through Loving Words, lifelong lovers describe the successes and failures they experience as they face the world together. The poems describe the richness and depth that love brings to our lives. Through the voices of the poets, we learn that love only lasts when you work with your partner and appreciate them through all the twists and turns that life throws your way.
The following authors contributed to this collection of poems: Aziza Aremo, Beatrice de Filippis, Bree Leto, Caitlynn Lowery, Chloe Tonge, Darnini Deer , Lindsey Leggett, Emily Powers, Farhan Ali Baloch, Ginna Wilkerson, Guinevere Schaal, Heidi Guldbaek, Jackson Cass, Jake Cosmos Aller, James Alexander, John Ling, Kate Murray, Kevin Grommersch, Lisa Molina, Liz degregorio, Marie mcmullin, Melanie Boyd, Nick Sweet, Nina Sparling, Nisa Moazzam Gulzar, Robert Fife, Robert Martin, Stephanie Cotta, Susy Kamber, Tania Przywara, Tori Grant Welhouse
Foreword by Peter Fenton
ISBN: 978-1-954403-50-5
Dream Girl – A True Love Story
The dreams started when Sam was a senior at Berkeley high school in 1974, around Maria’s birthday in late May, perhaps. About a month before Sam graduated, he fell asleep in a physics class after lunch and had the first dream:
About a month before Sam graduated, he fell asleep in a physics class after lunch and had the first dream:
A beautiful Asian woman was standing next to him talking in a strange language. She was stunning – the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. She was in her early twenties, with long black hair, and piercing black eyes. She had the look of royalty. She looked at me and then disappeared, beamed out of his dreamlike in “Star Trek.” He fell out of my chair screaming, “Who are you?” She did not answer.
Later that day Sam told his best friend, Robert Sicular who was in the class with him about the dream. He also told them that he knew that he would meet her someday and that was the woman he was destined to marry.
Robert said,
“Man, that is crazy shit, dude. You had best quit smoking weed before class man. You be high. Have any of that shit?
Nah smoked it all up. But dude the dream is real.
Sure.
Sam told Robert’s parents, Bob, and Ruth about the dream. Bob and Ruth were close to Sam. Sam hung out at their house a lot to escape his parents as he had grown up in a very dysfunctional family.
Bob said,
“Well, that is the craziest love story I have ever heard so it must be true.”
Ruth said
“Follow your dreams. You will have to meet her someday, but you may have to go to Asia to find her. Where do you think she is?”
“Maybe Japan, maybe Korea, maybe Mongolia, Thailand, Vietnam? The Philippines? But not China because whatever she is speaking is not Chinese.”
Sam tells them that he had the dream again.
One day Sam was late for his summer job working in the parks department. He had the dream again about 6 am and it woke him up. The same thing occurs. She is standing there talking to him and she has love in her eyes for him. She reaches out to touch him and then disappears. He felt electricity flowing from her as she touched him. Sam got up and accidentally breaks the mirror in the bathroom. Sam tells his mother who said that he will have seven years of bad luck as a result of breaking a mirror and later Sam thought that he had endured seven years of failed relationships and missed romantic opportunities because fate was conspiring to prevent him from getting seriously involved with anyone else because the universe was saving him for his one true soul mate.
A few days later, Sam is hanging out with his friends Matt and Mark playing pool at his house downstairs in the basement. Sam tells them he had the dream again.
Matt says,
“Dude! That is just too creepy to believe. You should not be telling people that shit, they might think that you are some sort of nutter. I mean we know you are nuts but in a good way and we love ya for its bro, but others, well they might think you are certifiable.”
Mark looked at Sam and said,
“Yeah dude, that is crazy shit, I mean shit like that ain’t real you know what I mean?”
“Matt, Mark, I swear to god it is too. I had the dream again. And I know I am going to meet her and marry her someday.”
“Right on dude. Party on! We believe you.”
About a month went by and then Sam started having the “dream”, as he called it, repeatedly. Always the same pattern – early morning, she would stand next to me talking, I would ask who she was, and she would disappear. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, and she struck him speechless every time he had the dream.
Going to Korea to find his Dream girl
One day in late May, about a week before Sam graduated from college, he had been accepted into the Peace Corps. He had a deadline to respond to whether he would accept the proposed assignment. He had a choice going to Korea as a TB control worker in August or to Thailand as an ESL teacher in a rural school in October. He was leaning towards Korea. He had taken Japanese and Chinese history classes in college and he was fascinated with the region and was curious about Korea. And besides, he was ready to get going.
On May 18, 1979, at 5:30 Sam had a slightly different dream. In the dream, she told him when he asked where she was, “Seoul, Korea.” And smiled at him. And disappeared as she usually did”.
Searching for the Dream Girl in Korea
In August 1979, Sam arrived in Korea. He looks around and sees thousands of women who look like the girl in the dream, but none of them are her. He knew he was going to meet her. He started having that dream monthly. Usually near the end of the month and almost always first thing in the morning. The dream was always the same. She would repeat the word Aka which Sam later learned was the Korean word for baby and became her pet name once they met. The rest of the conversation he could not understand at all.
One winter while Sam was in the Peace Corps, he went to Taiwan on a personal visit. He met a famous fortuneteller who made three predictions – He would marry an Asian woman; he would marry when he was 27 and he would become a diplomat. All three predictions turned out to be true.
After the Peace Corps, Sam took a job in Korea and decided that he would give it one more year. If he did not meet her by then he would return to Seattle to go to Graduate school at the University of Washington in Korean studies. Sam moved about the entire country. Sam was lonely, dissatisfied, and. Felt that he was wasting his time. He kept having the dream though.
On Wednesday, August 26, 1982, Sam got on a military bus at Camp Casey near where he lived in Tongduchon in a rented room. He was living basically those days out of a suitcase in a rented room as his employer kept sending him all over the country. He must have moved at least ten times that year.
That morning he had the last dream. And somehow felt that he was about to meet the girl in the dream. In the dream, she came to him again, but this time, Sam understood her Korean. She said, “Don’t worry, we will be together soon and once we are together, we will be together forever. I have been waiting for our last life together. And now I have found you.”
That night, Sam got off the bus in front of Camp Red Cloud where he was teaching. Sam got off the bus and the girl in the dream walked off the bus, out of his dreams and into his life. It was the moment he had been waiting for all his life.
The class went by in a blur. Sam was still stunned that he had met her. He came up with a lame excuse that he wanted a language partner, and she could help him with his Korean, and he could help her with her English
She spoke English well as she was an English Education major at Sungsil Woman’s University and was a senior. She was 23 years old and he was 27 years old. He was born in the year of the goat and she was born in the year of the pig. According to fortune-tellers they had a perfect astrological chart and were soul mates.
That night Sam called his friend Robert, who had been in the room when Sam had first dreamt of meeting Maria, and told him that he had met the girl in the dream.
“Robert,
“I have big news; I met the girl in the dream. The girl I have been dreaming about for these last eight years. She is real. I met her on a bus. She is stunning. She is a college senior, and we are meeting tomorrow. “
“Dude. That is unreal. But whatever you do not tell her about the dream, at least not right away. That might freak her out. It would freak anyone out. Shit like that does not happen you know man. Are you all alright? Been taking drugs? Drinking too much?”
“Dude. It is all good. It is real. And I am going to marry her!
“Whatever dude. I believe you because you believe in the dream, I sure hope it is real.”
“It is real, dude.”
The next night she was waiting for him at the army base where he was to teach a class. She told him that she had to see him as she had something to tell him Sam signed her on to the base and left her at the library to study. She was a college senior she told him. They went out for coffee after class at a classical music cafe. She told him she was madly in love with him and that he was the man for her. He told her not to worry as he felt the same.
Whirlwind Romance
On Friday, Saturday, and Sunday they met each day and went for a long walk in the mountains near the base and had breakfast, lunch, and dinner together. She made him kimbap (Korean sushi rolls) every day.
They talked further about her life and his life so far. Her English was far better than his Korean, so they mostly talked in English. She was a senior at Sungmyeong Woman’s University majoring in English Education. But she wanted to work for a corporation rather than become a high school English teacher. She was also going to start a graduate degree at Seoul working on an MBA degree in a new program that was taught in English.
He told her that he had been accepted to go to the University of Washington for a MA degree in Korean studies but would start that in about a year. He would be teaching for CTC for a few months but wanted to find another teaching job somewhere in Korea as he was tired of teaching on base and the pay was not particularly good. Sam told her that perhaps she could come to Seattle with him and study there. She looked at him and said that she would love that.
Maria looked at Sam and said
“Sam, it is obvious we belong together. You are mine and I am yours.”
“Maria,
“I agree. Let us get married, October 29th is my legal birthday. We can do the paperwork then and have a wedding later. What do you think?”
“Sure. That will work. You have to meet my parents though soon.”
“Okay”
In any event, they agreed that they would do the formal paperwork through the embassy on Friday, October 29th, 1982, which was Sam’s birthday.
They married two months later after a Buddhist priest told her mother that our astrological match was a perfect fit. Her mother did not want her to marry a foreigner. One day about a month after they had met, she invited him to meet her parents, but she did not tell them Sam was a foreigner. Sam brought a bottle of Jack Daniels for his Father-in-Law and Uncle in law and drank the entire bottle with them. He approved of him, but Sam’s Mother-in-Law still had reservations. After the Buddhist Priests told her it was a perfect astrological combination, she agreed, and they planned on getting married. As she put it, “who am I to go against the will of heaven?”
And so, they got married.
audio clips
waterfalls of love
praise the love of my life
my love beckons me
next glass of wine is for love
man plays games with his love
lucky in love
5-7-5 love poem
love cheritas
A Million Ways to Say I Love You
They say
There are a million ways
To say I love you
In this day and age
I could only find
In my computer’s brain
The words to say I love you
In 53 languages of the
10,000 languages
Spoken on this planet
Someday I may be able
To say the simple words
I love you
In all known languages
This will have to suffice for a start
So, I will say it
Loud, and clear
Just so you understand:
I love you (English)
Mein tumse pyar karta hoon (Hindi)
मैं तुमसे प्यार करता हूँ
main tumase pyaar karata hoon
انا احبك
Ana Ahabik Yanooni (Arabic)
Havala (Hebrew)
我愛你
Wǒ ài nǐ
Yongchon (Chinese)
愛してます
Aishitemasu (Japanese)
Aloha (Hawaian)
Cinta (Indonesian)
Dangshinun sarang hayo (Korean)
사랑 해요
salang haeyo
Kasih (Malay)
ผมรักคุณ
P̄hm rạk khuṇ Thai
እወድሃለሁ
iwedihalehu (Ahmaric)
ຂ້ອຍຮັກເຈົ້າ
khony hak chao (Lao)
Akoay Paginghe ikou (Tagalog)
Toi yeu ong(Vietnamese)
Renmen (Creole)
Jesuis l’amour voies(French)
Liefdle (Flemish)
Estoy amor tu (Spanish)
Yosono amore tu (Italian)
Estou o amore tu (Portugese)
Dashuri (Albanian)
Maiteizam (Basque)
обичам те
obicham teOBHYAM (Bulgarian)
Ljubav (Croatian)
Laska (Czech)
Jeger en kaerlighed du (Danish)
Ikben houden van jig (Dutch)
Gra (Gaelic)
Ich bin lieben tu (German)
ε αγαπώ
Se agapó
Agape/eros (Greek)
Ami (esperanto)
Armastama (Estonian)
Rakam (Finish)
Envagyok szeretet te (Hungarian)
Elska (Icelandic)
Ejekirin (Kurdish)
Milestiba (Latvian)
Meile (Lithuanian)
Eu dragoste tu (Romanian)
JHOBOEL Lubush
Я люблю вас
YA lyublyu vas (Russian)
Elske (Norweigan)
Easka (Slovak)
Волим те
Volim te
JBYBAB (Serbian)
Jagdan karlek du (Swedish)
я тебе люблю
ya tebe lyublyu
KOYATH (Ukraine)
Benin sevi sen (Turkish)
Ahava (Yiddish)
Ngingu u thando ungu (Zulu)
Ode To Love on Valentine’s Day
I Love You
Ever since I met you my dear
My life has not been the same
Before I found you
I was lost, sad and lonely
Going nowhere as fast as possible
I was stuck
Did not know what direction to pursue
At the intersection
watching life go by
I was lost, lonely
and full of despair
Then one day I saw you
The girl of my dream
Standing there
on the side of the road
I was filled with terror
Could not speak
What if you refused to see me
What if you denied
my protestations of love
What if you walked away
Never to be seen again
I knew I had to do something
I had to do it then and there
And then you came up to me
Your voice
The voice of an Angel
Sweat, full of light
Fun and entire sunshine
Ever since the day I met you
Whenever I feel down
and depressed
I look at your picture
And sunshine fills my heart
And I am confident, happy, and ready
To face all of life’s travails
As long as I have your love
And your support
I can overcome all obstacles
And face all dangers
Together we can do most anything
Without you I will be lost
In the swamp of despair
So, my dear
Please stay with me
Forever to the end of time
Let us journey forward
Never looking back
My love, my life
The sun in the sky
The moon that lights
my dreams at night
The stars
that beacon far away
Thanks to the Gods above
For bringing you into my life
And I promise I will love you
Forever and a day
Just to see your face
Is heaven itself
Just to hear your voice
Is all that I ever need
My love, my soul mate
Hurry back to me
We have so much loving to do
So much living to do
So much to do together
Walking confidently
Boldly into the future
Without you
All is nothing
But dust
With you
Everything is possible
My love
Until I see you again
A thousand kisses
And a million thoughts of love
That will have to suffice
Until we are reunited
My love, my darling,
My life and dreams
Hurry back to rescue me
From the despair and darkness
All around me
Until then
I salute you
Oh, Queen of my Heart
General of Love
Captain of my Soul
Chains That Bind Us
I realize that my love for you
Is like a chain of steel
Unbreakable, Tough as nails
Yet as your love entangles me
I realize that I embrace my imprisonment
Don’t want to venture out of my cell
Made of our years together
bit by bit
We have become entangled
Where I end,
and you begin
Hopelessly entangled
Even if I wanted
to break free
I could not
For I am you
and you are me
My fate is in your hands
So, I relax
Decide to Just enjoy
The ride of my life
As we move
Towards the final moments
Together as we have always been
Inseparable
merged into one being
Staring at each other
Wondering
who is that creature
Of eternal mystery
That has so captured my soul
And imprisoned
it in her love
I smile thinking
of your love
The endless pleasure
It has brought me
The endless pain
I have endured
Just to be next to you,
Part of you
Until the day
I die
When we meet
in the next world
Where Do You and I Begin Love Poem
I woke up one day and realized
I no longer knew
where you and I began
and where you and I ended
we had become almost one
We talked in half sentences
Knowing what the other wanted
and knowing how it would end
We ate the same foods with some resistance
because I still crave an old fashioned American meal
but still we were becoming more and more the same
and I was scared of losing myself
In your embrace
and becoming you
and you becoming me
and this fear of losing me
in the ocean of us
overwhelms me at time
but I know that I will always
Return to your arms
because I cannot live
A moment without you at my side
and I know you are the same
we feel each other’s inner pain
we feel each other’s outer pain
and our history has merged
into one
and is that the secret
of a long marriage?
Have I figured it all out
in the end does it come to this?
a merging of two souls and two bodies?
I don’t have the answers
But I don’t have any more doubts
or regrets at the path I have taken
I still look forward
to waking up each day
Seeing you there
and knowing that everyday
we have together
is a gift that I will cherish
Until my dying breath
Fragments of a Dream
2-14-2010
I am a fifty plus man
Who lives on in his head
And dreams
With the libido of an 20 year old
Full of dreams
Wild erotic fantasies about this women
And that women
All the time
And desires for his wife
Who when she is in the mood
Is the best he ever had
But getting her in the mood
Makes him weary
And frustrated
And dreaming of sex
So, what can he do
Continue the path
Of least resistance
Waiting for her to get in the mood
Or change his game plan
To get her in the mood more often
That is the question
That has no answer
So, on Valentine’s Day
He dreams of ultimate sex
With the one true love of his life
And waits for her
To come to him
When she is in the mood
The Story of How We Met
It all began in Berkeley, California
In the springtime of 1974
One fateful afternoon
I was dozing in my high school
Physics class.
I looked up and saw
A tall, beautiful Asian women
Standing looking at me.
I screamed out,
Who are you?
She disappeared
Like 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
To me in a strange language.
Then one day I had the dream
And knew that she was in Korea.
So, I chose to go Korea
In the Peace Corps,
Somehow knowing
That I would meet her there.
One day I was in a foul mood.
I had decided to give up
on dating Korean women,
And on women in general
After having had several relationships
That did not go anywhere.
I was thinking of returning to the States
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.
Over the course of 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 of 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 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 past lives.
She found me in 1974,
But it took until 1982
For us to actually meet.
And it has been 39 years
Since we met in the physical sphere
Or 46 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
Fate Intertwined
May 1, 1999
It was many a year ago
about 15 years ago
That I was born again
When I met the love of my life
Who took away my sins, my fear
And my self-doubt
And I began an adventure
That has not ended
Together we have moved
Down the path of Life
And together we shall move on
Forever and a day
Our souls intertwined
Our fates bewitched together
Forever more
My love
My hope, my dream,
my eternity
Darling, My Love of My Life
How much pain I feel today
Because you are in pain
I cannot rest, cannot sit still
All I can do is worried and think
What will I do
If God takes you away from me?
What would I do without you by my side?
I cannot live without you
You have to be there by my side
or in my heart
Forever until the day I die
I will not live without you
This world is so cruel and mean
I need someone like you
By my side to fight the battles
And encourage me to stand up
And be counted
I have learned so much
Watching you
You never back down
Never give up
And you win in the end
With your unique mix of charm, guile and
Iron will hide within a velvet glove
Clearly someday you will become
One of the Masters of the World
And I will be there by your side
Your love, your confident
and your greatest
Fan of all
I need you by my side
Forever and a day
Say you will be mine
And I will die a happy man
If you die before I do
My life would end
In a pit of utter despair
So, get up
Fight
Don’t let the bugs get you down
And I know we will have
Many more years together
Before we become an old couple
Still walking down, the street
Full of wonder and love for each other
My love, Forever
Eternal Love
I woke up
And jumped out of my bed
And stared out wildly
Into a strange new environment
Into the middle of it all
There it stood
A carbon copy man with no heart
Starting down the freeways of my mind
What the Hell can I find
For years and years
All I can do is cry
For months and months
All I can do is curl up
and die
Then overnight
A vision of radiant beauty
Awoke me from my stupor
and drunken bum shows
The vision
of my possible future
Was you
My love, my life,
and my dreams
All I knew I knew alone
All I can do is love you till
The end of time
One Morning -Memories of You
2/22/01
One morning
I awoke with a vicious hangover
Struggled all day
Just couldn’t make it at all
Then I walked out of my gloom
Into the bright light of the day
And on that fine morning
You walked into my life
You were like a ray of light
Piercing through the fog of despair
You were a beacon
Shinning on through the night
You were a mightily candle
In the midst of the darkest night
Angela, my dear,
I have no fear
Wherever you are in this world
Or the next one
You have my love
Till the ends of time
My shinning beacon of hope
And good cheer
You Still Haunt My Life
You
Still haunt my life
You still fill
Every moment of my thoughts
With images of you
Your voice
Your smile
Your way of being
Fills me with awe
Wonder, amazement
And grace
And still, I wonder
Yes, I wonder
How did a wretched sinner
A wretched, vile, no nothing of a man
A low bum of the lowest order
Meet such a radiant princess
Truly
It is a case of beauty and the beast
And how and why
You came into my life
I do not understand
But the moment I met you
All those years ago
I was filled with power
Of your love
Overwhelming me
Overpowering me
Rewiring all my circuits
In my corrupted body
Turning a mere boy
Into a Man
And to you
I salute you
And worship you
And give thanks
Every day
To all the gods above
And the demons deep below
That you found me
Till The End of Time
I wake up out of bed
And stare out wildly
Into a strange new environment
Into the middle of it all
There it stood
A carbon copy man with no heart
Staring down the freeways of my mind
What the hell can I find
For years and years
All I can do is cry
For months and months
All I can do is curl up and die
Then overnight
A vision of radiant beauty
Awoke me from my stupor
And drunken bum shows
The vision of my possible future
Was you, my love, my life, my dreams
And all I knew
I knew alone
Some day
In the future
I will meet you my dream girl
Until then
All I can do is love you
Till the ends of time
Angel Of Desire
One day,
A long, long, long time ago
In a distant land and place
There lived a lonely, wretched man
He was filled with anger, hatred, and despair
All was lost, darkness and gloom
He wandered the world
Here and there
Looking for something
He knew not what
Then one fine evening
He looked up and saw
A vision, an angel of delight
A woman of divine splendor
A lady so fantastic
He thought surely he was dreaming
He did not know what to say
He did not what to do
All he could do
Was stare at this unearthly vision
He approached her
He needed her
He wanted her
He knew that if he could not have her
He would surely die
His mind was aflutter
His mind was filled
With the vision of that beauty
Overwhelming him with desire
Soon he met her
Wooed her, married her
Life changed forever
from that moment forward
The gloom lifted
The darkness was banished
Sunshine filled his heart
And music filled his ears
Every time he looked at her
His heart went aflutter
He could not live without her
Then one day
This man was forced to live
Another life of loneliness
Despair and Darkness
All Around him yet again
The lady of his dreams
The angel of his desire
Lives 10,000 miles away
Leaving him darkness, gloom, and despair
The only hope he has
Is that soon, one day
This separation will end
Forever more
And then he will be complete yet again
With his Angel of Desire
And the Darkness, gloom, and anger
Will be banished forever more
In the brightness of her eternal smile
So, he lies down to sleep
And sees his Angel in his Dreams
Wakes up with a smile
Knowing soon he will be with her
Forever more together
With his Angel of Desire Sae Young Ji ma
Sae Yong Ji Ma
Inscrutable are the ways of the Gods
I think of my fate
often sit and ponder
Deep, dark, dangerous ambitions
Burn deep within me
With a wild never ending flame
And I lust, cringe, and want
o then came
A wonder of the East
A passionate queen of my fantasy
So, I dream on and on
Knowing all along
She was just another mortal being
nd not a goddess
So, I dream on and on
Someday soon
I will meet
The girl of my dreams
Wild, passionate, and free
And we will soar into the sun
Flying forever
on the wings of our cosmic love
Yeah,
Sae Yong Ji Ma
The gods themselves wanted her
Because of her beauty
Tanta potentia forma est
They came to Earth
Out of clouds of mists
They poisoned my queen
And left me alone
A broken man on a misty beach
Suspended forever between the blinks
Of time’s eternal laughter
You
5/7/83
You are the fresh wind
Blowing from the ocean
To wash away the grime of my soul
You are the wildflowers
That freshens the alpine
Desolation of my soul
You are all that I crave
In the darkest hours of night
At five a.m. I awake
Screaming with loneliness
It is then that I need you
It is then that
I crave your company
You are the Moon leading me on
You are the star
Twinkling with a devilish grin
You are my devil and my angel
You are my everything at once
How could I have helped myself
From falling for your charms
And so, I dream on and on
This time is special
This time you won’t fly
Far, far away
So, I dream, hope and cry
This time
The Meaning of Love
At long last
I feel in the bones
I understand and know
The meaning
and substance of my love
Your Love Conquers the Darkness
Many a year ago
I wondered the world
Lost, without purpose
Without meaning,
My life was empty
Full of gloom, and darkness
All around
I tried to see through the fog
But failed to see a way
through the thick illusions
Covering everything, coloring everything
The darkest gloom of night all around me
Love Cheritas
Then one day
Then one day
I saw your face
You lit up my life
You changed my fate
The darkness was lifted
he sunlight rushed in
My spirits soared and flew up
My spirits soared and flew up
To the heavens themselves
and I rejoiced in my love
In my freedom and my glory
Happiness and peace
descended upon my Soul
I am still drawn to your light
Like a bee to a flower
Like a bear to honey
Nothing can keep
me away
I need you
Cherish You and Worship You
Cherish you and worship you
For you are my sunshine
Moon shine and light of my universe
If you ever left me
Never to return
The darkness will come back
And this time
And this time
There will be no escape
From the ever present gloom
All around me
Waiting for our love
to fail
10,000 Miles Can’t Separate Us
In the early light of the rising sun
And underneath the dying
cadences of a decadent moon
I arise out of my light slumbers
Dreaming of my past and of you
A vista of happiness fills my mind
As I realized
That 10,000 miles can’t separate us
Me and My Angela Lee
Fills my mind with regrets
Regret at the 10,000 miles
that lie between our souls
After all
One cannot make love
across a 10,000 mile gap
For my organs
cannot travel that far
Only in the memories of you
And me
Together can I be satisfied
Until the distance between us
Is overcome
And we are together
Once more
I Love You
I am still
The most madly in love person
I love you more and more
I love you more
than mere words could ever say
I love you so much I cannot say
When first ever I saw your face
My heart went beep
And my legs went numb
And the words for the first time
Failed me
If you had not
Seen me that way
I would not have been able to live again
My life began when I first saw your face
And now, my love
I pledge to you
that I shall always be true
And never will a day past
In which I fail to show
My undying love for you
My queen, my princess,
My life and my hope
How can I express in mere words
The thousand torrents
of my love crazed thoughts about you
Truly, life began when I met you
You Forever
Mystical moment
Divine silences
Overwhelm me
With wonder, awe, and fear
The fear of losing control
The fear of destroying myself
In the vain hope of gaining your soul
And all along
I know it is a false dream
That I dare to dream
Wat can I do?
I sit, dream, and think
And in the depths
of my mercurial soul
I can see
You need to be free
Free as a bird
To sail away
Am I holding you back
Imprisoning you
Or am I guarding you
Saving you
Loving you
Hating you
Because I love you
What is it?
What’ll it be?
We’re two people
Joined by unhappy
yet happy fate
Can we be happy together
Living in separate hells
Or occasional heavens
Thus, I cry out
Don’t leave me
Knowing full well
That you will
Maybe sooner, maybe later
Maybe forever
My life began when I met you
And will surely end if you leave me
So, we go on
Living our life
Intertwined so much
We can’t leave
And we are fated
To be together
And so, I have my answer
And I smile
A Ray of Light
In the darkest day of gloom
When all I could do
Was to grab a broom
And vainly sweep away
At the ever present gloom
All I could see
in the fog shrouded doom
Was the cosmic ray of light
Searching the mists of the moores
I arose from my campfires
In search of this
light from afar
Through forests and fountains
I traversed
All I could see was
still more gloom
In the end of the trail
Near where I stored my mail
I came upon the source of the light
I climbed the final step
And opened my mail
And out of it poured
a bright radiant light
Which chased away my gloom
And destroyed my doom
And flew away on my broom
And into my life
This beautiful radiant maiden
This beam of cosmic light was you
My dear
Fear Of Being Alone
Now my dear
More than ever
My mind returns to you in fear
The fear of being
left out in the cold
Alone mounts day by day
Mankind is but a timid ant
Pretending to be a wolf
Alone on a celestial stage
No one cares to watch our folly
Somehow with your presence near
I lose this all-pervading fear
And I feel I am truly human again
Yet my feelings for you
Run as deep as all of creation
And are as profound as a single bell
Chiming lonely in the purple crystalline sky
My love for you
Is as pure as a virgin bottle of wine
Yet my carnal desires are blatant
As youporn.com
My respect for you
Is greater than my respect for God
For a god can’t be loved as a woman can
My Only Lady Love
In the dying decaying luminance
Of the falling
dying setting western sun
I sat under
the fragrance of a pine tree
And watched the real world fly by
In the maddened urge to succeed
One can sometimes
lose track of what success is
With these gloomy thoughts on hand
My mind wrenched itself back to the place
And engaged in reveries
Of my life
My love, and my dreams
My one and only Lady Love
One Fine Day
One day
I awoke
Saw you there
All my pain
Wiped away
A dream comes true Your Smile
Your smile
Lights up the room
And dispels the gloom
And lifts the fog
Your smile
Shines in the night
Like a diamond
In the sky
Eyes
Eyes do not die
Eyes do not lie
They do not tell
The time of day
Nor scream
The pain of nights
Eyes merely reveal
The inner secrets
Of the Soul
Your eyes
Are the very secrets
Of the Universe
Your eyes
Bore into my soul
And root out
All corruption
Leaving me
Free and strong
Your eyes
Are more beautiful
Than the dearest diamond
Sparkling in the silver sky
Your eyes
Are like the very essence
Of God
Staring out at me
Driving me insane
With love
Your eyes are the key
To the deep
Secrets of my own soul
Your eyes
Are beyond words to describe
18 Years of Love
After 18 years of marriage
One knows a few things
About this thing called Love
At first love
Is a wild, euphoric high
It comes over you
Like a drug
Love strikes you
And it goes straight
to your heart
Like a drug junkie
Mainlined
to the heart
Love destroys
All reason
All rationality
You must have
The object of your love
You must
Overcome all barriers
That people put in your way
Then one day
You achieve your love
And your love
Changes, subtly over the years
Gradually changing
From a hot passionate fire
To a mellow, smooth flame
a flickering candle
in the wind of passion
Sustained, steady, lower heat
With occasional flare ups
Now and then
The wild passionate nature
Of the beast called love
Comes back to the foreground
And overwhelms the conscious mind
But the love you felt fades
Away
Replaced by the second phase of love
Contentment, peace,
Happiness
And all you need
Is to be
With the one you love
After ten years
This too changes
And it becomes
Yet another creature
Altogether
You begin to wonder
You begin to doubt
You begin to question
You say is this
All that there is
This mellow, smooth feeling
Has the wild passionate
Flavor of my love
Turned from a sharp
Biting bite of a fiery
Bolt of whisky
To that of a more refined
Smoother blend of drink?
Do I crave that first rush
Of love yet again
Somewhere
At this point
The danger arises
That one begins to look
Around
And think
Is this it
Am I doomed
To be with my love
Forever and ever
You begin to find fault
Your love is too fat
Your love is too thin
Your love is too serious
Your love is too silly
She is just too much
To deal with any more
And you begin
To say
Do I really still love
This lady
Is it still real?
And you look around
And see around you
Many other women
And you think
What about her
What about her
What about her and her and her?
Do I want another flavor
do I want another altogether?
Do I want a different drink?
And then it happens
That crazed bitch called love
Comes back at you
A million miles a minute
And you realize
That Love once achieved
Is never far away
That old feeling
Comes back with a vengeance
The love you felt
Once before
Like a hurricane
like an tornado
like an earthquake
Is still there
Buried under years
Of living together
Of years of compromises
Doing it this way
Because it is her way
And all along
You wanted her
And the dreams come back
The wild crazy days
Begin to come back
And you say
She is the way she is
And I love her
The way she is
And whatever may come
I still want her
I still need her
She is still mine
And I am still hers
And the desire to look
For another
kind of flavor
Fades away
Back into the dark corners
Of your mind
And you say
To all the world
I still love you
Won’t you be mine?
Won’t you be with me?
I still want
To make wild passionate love
Every night of the year
I still want to experience
The wildness of your love
I still want to get freaky
Deaky and meaky with you
Oh God
How I want you
How I want to express
My feelings for you
Bottled up deep inside
All these years
We grow apart
We live in different places
Different times and places
And then when we are together
Sometimes
The love gets missed
Among the arguments
And the disagreements
And the different attitudes
And I know
That you are you
And I am me
And that we are
As opposite
As two lovers could ever be
And it is hard
For the heat of love
To survive
The cooling down of the flame
Of love that occurs with time
But, babe, the love
We shared can come back
To life
And we can be
As wild young lovers
Again
All we have to do is try
So won’t you be
My lover again for me
Won’t you let our love
Blossom forth
And let us
Run wild, naked, and free
And become
As wild as we wana be
18 years of love
Can survive
18 years of marriage
can become 28 years
can become 39 years
of love and madness
And I want to be
With you again
For another 40 years of life
I cannot conceive
Of a life without you
Even though we are separated
Thousands of miles between us
There is not a moment
That goes by
When I don’t think
Of something that makes me smile
People here
Ask me
How come
You can be always
So cheerful and upbeat
Every day
You burst through
The office
Like a ray
Of sunshine
Boosting through the clouds
Radiating joy to all around
And I had no answer
Until it dawned on me
My love for you
My dear
Transforms me
And everytime I think of you
The power of your love
Overwhelms me
And I am filled
With an inexplicable happiness
Joy and passion
Please hurry back to me
My dear
Let me your lover boy
Let us be wild and crazy lovers
Again, and again
Even though I am now
Older, and more decrepit
And much fatter
And slower, with less hair
The physical body is decaying
Starting to show
The effect of age
But underneath it all
There still beats
The passionate heart
That first met you
So, my love
My love I met in a dream
Those many years ago
Will you be mine again
Will you let the wine of our love
Become hot and wild again?
Or are we doomed to slowly
Let the love we felt
Fade away
Into a shadow of itself?
A taste remains of what once was
And we no longer have
That passion for each other
Like so many other
Couples
Married, with the passion gone
Too resigned to each other
To want to break free
But the thrill has gone
Away for good
Let’s us resolve
To find that thrill again
Refire that spark
Of love
Turn on the passion
And ride it out
The tiger of love
Is running in my heart
And we must tame it
And channel it
And make sure it
Is running after you
That is what
One learns
After 18 years of love
Love Jones
I got the Love Jones, baby
And it won’t leave me alone
I got the Love Jones, baby
And it won’t leave me alone
I’ve been writing these love poems
All day long
And I have been dreaming
Of all the ways I could make love
To my secret lover
If only she will let me be
If only she will open her heart
And let me in
Perhaps the love Jones
Might leave me along
But I got the love Jones
Bad baby
Can’t you tell?
That the love Jones
Has grabbed my Soul
Twisted it up into little pieces
And I need you
To unravel the Love Jones
I need you to answer the call
Of the Love Jones Baby
I need you
To let me be free
Of the spell
Of the Love Jones
I got the Love Jones
Baby
I got it bad
And only you can
Put a stop to the love Jones
Baby
Let me enter your life
Put out the fire of desire
Send the Love Jones packing
And let me make sweat love to you
Oh, Love Jones
Go away
Let me be in peace
Love Jones
Leave me be
Baby
I got the love Jones
For you
Can’t you see?
What you do to me?
I got the Love Jones
Baby and it ain’t going away
Until I get to make love to you
Then perhaps this Love Jones
Will leave me be
Love Jones
Angela Lee was her Name Acrostic Poem
Angela Lee Name of an angel
Gone from Heaven
entered the earth
Looking for me Angela
Lee
Even now
Everywhere I go
Was she heaven sent?
Always appearing in my dreams
She was there one day
Here she stood
Ever in my mind
Rarely gone away
No matter what
Always by my side
Married her
Ever since that date
I met my fate
I Like to Drink Hot Coffee in the Morning Italian
I like to drink hot coffee in the morning
Drinking hot coffee makes it a good morning
As I drink my coffee no more mourning
But in the afternoon I like to drink my iced tea
Just like to sit there drinking being one with me
That is all that I want or need just to be
As the day turns into the night I drink wine
Looking at my lovely wife she is just mine
Filling me with love, my heart begins to shine Drinking My Hot Coffee in The Morning Italian Forms
Drinking coffee in the morning
Makes my day a goodmorning
Drinking tea in the afternoon
Just with her by my side
Recalling that date I met my fate
39 years ago, today
Drinking My Hot Coffee in The Morning Light Italian Forms
I like to drink hot coffee in the morning
Drinking hot coffee makes it a good morning
As I drink my coffee no more mourning
But in the afternoon I like to drink my iced tea
Just like to sit there drinking being one with me
That is all that I want or need just to be
As the day turns into the night I drink wine
Looking at my lovely wife she is just mine
Filling me with love, my heart begins to shine Nighttime blues Poetic Bloomings
At night
As the sun sets
In the west
Over my veranda
I sit contemplating the sunset
Drinking a glass of red wine
With the love of my life
By my side
Saying to my wife
Ah, this is life.
Soul Mate Pensively post on Pensively/Tale weaver
I met my Soul Mate
On that date
I met my fate
Later she became my classmate
Just the operation of cosmic fate
For eight years
She haunted my life
Then one day
She walked off a bus
Six weeks later
She became my wife
That was 39 years ago
When we met in reality
47 since the dream
That started my life
Love
true Love
my Soul Mate
I dreamt about her
every day for eight years
then she came to be my wife
“Women are meant to be Loved”
Soul Mate Soul Mate
I met my Soul Mate
On that date
I met my fate
Later she became my classmate
Just the operation of cosmic fate
For eight years
She haunted my life
Then one day
She walked off a bus
Six weeks later
She became my wife
That was 39 years ago
When we met in reality
47 since the dream
That started my life
Morning Greets Me Soul Mate
Morning greets me
As I drink my coffee
And enjoy herbal flower tea
I am filled with gratitude
In the evening drink my wine
With the love of my life
By my side
Eternal Puzzle
The eternal puzzle
Of my life
The central mystery
Of my fairy tale life
Has always been
How I met
And married
the lady of my dreams
How I dreamt of her
For eight years
Until that date
When I met my fate
She walked into my life
Became my wife
39 years later
We are still together
As we are soul mates
Fated to be together
Until the end of days
Red Wine Not Tea
Red Wine Not Tea
Red wine with the wife
does it for me
red wine Not Tea
Just want to be
With my hot wife
Red Wine Not Tea
Red Wine with Wife
Decisive decision Changed my Life
One day
I had a decision to make
I had just met the girl
Of my dreams
On a bus
She walked into my life
I had to decide whether
To postpone going back
To graduate school
For one year
To see how things
Would play out
With the women
I knew would be my wife
It was the best decision
I ever made in my life
15 Versions of Angela
Lee Chongoak
Born in Korea
May 28, 1959
Dream girl
Came to me
46 years ago
39 years ago
Walked off that bus
Into my life
Just like that
My life began
That date
I met my dream girl
She became my wife
entered into my life
She quickly took charge
Ordering my life
Taking over
Looking at her
Love at first sight
She took over my soul
ntense black eyes
Flashing with wit
Overwhelming my defenses
She spoke
With the voice
Of an angel
She changed her name
To Angela Lee
That is who she became
She joined the US army
Rose to the rank of major
Retired for good measure
She made me
Into the man
I was fated to become
for 39 years
She has been there
Through thick and thin
I still look at her
Filled with wild passion
And lustful desire
I want to be with her
Loving her
Until my dying breath
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.
The April Poetry madness is more than half over. I am determined to finish by May 1! (Given that the prompts I use are posted in the U.S. and that I am in KST time I will be finished April 30, 2022 EST), I have some other poetry publication news. Poetry Super Highway published my poem on visiting the holocaust museum for their annual Yom HaShoah issue. You can read that here
Sam Adams
Often thought
He had met his fate
On that date, he met his wife.
She walked into his life
The date he met his wife
Was the best day
Of his life.
On the date, he met his wife
He felt that was the beginning
Of the rest of his life.
And now for our prompt (optional, as always). In honor of today’s being the 22nd day of Na/GloPoWriMo 2022, I’d like to challenge you to write a poem that uses repetition. You can repeat a sound, a word, a phrase, an image, or any combination of things.
Variations on a Theme Fate Dew Drop Inn Writing com Prompt
I have often thought about fate
And how and why I met my wife
The way I did,
For it seems
That we were fated
To meet,
That we knew each other
In a past life
And that our love
Was strong enough,
To overcome the barriers
Of time and space
That somehow her spirit
Was calling me.
Appearing in my dreams
For eight years
Until she walked
Off that bus
And into my life.
That is why
I believe in reincarnation
It is the only way
I can make sense
Of this improbable, impossible
Fairy tale love story.
Coffee Trinet Coffee PSH
need more coffee
Coffee
Just hot
drinking it at sunrise
Just right.
Need more
Strong Coffee
Right now!
Make a pot of tea or coffee in a clear glass pot or container. Pour cream or milk into it. Carefully watch cream or milk swirl into the dark liquid. Write about what you see and any associations with it. You could also try this with anything that swirls, e.g., water going down a drain. Have fun!
If you write a poem from this prompt, post it as a comment below. #napowrimo#poetry
Lion King Revolts Writer’s Digest
lion
The Lion King
Looked out at the assembled animals
In the first ever worldwide parliament
Of animals.
The lion king chaired the conference
Which was called to discuss
The weighty issue
Of what to do about humanity.
Which was rapidly destroying
The habitat of the entire planet
Making it unfit for life
For any organisms.
The lion king recognized
His cousin, the Siberian Tiger
The tiger rose to speak
Denouncing humanity
As the greatest threat
To life itself.
He demanded the right
To hunt down and kill
All humans.
As enemies of the world’s ecological system,
Saying that Gaia was crying out
For revenge.
The animals all debated the question
Finally, the lion king turned
To the sole defenders of humanity
The cat and dog representatives.
The cat shrugged its shoulder
saying,
“Meh, I suppose humans are alright.,
They treat cats right”.
The dog made a passionate defense
Of their best friends, the humans
Saying that they were trying to mend
Their evil, greedy ways.
And deserved a second chance
as did all God’s creatures,
Great and small.
The lion king called for a vote
The vote was 250 to two.
The lion king announced the verdict
Saying,
All humans must die.
That was the day
Of the great animal revolt
That led to the fall
Of humanity.
For today’s prompt, write an organism poem. The cool thing about our planet is that it is loaded with a variety of living organisms, from one-celled prokaryotes and eukaryotes to complex creatures (like blue whales and rhinos). Write about several organisms, or pick one and make it the title of your poem.
Note: this is part of a series of similar magical realism poems I should put together someday as a collection.
Mentee Best JO’s Local Gem
I sometimes think back
When I was working
And think back
What sort of boss was I?
What impact did I have
On those who worked for me.
I had my favorite employees
And I like to think
That I was not that bad a boss
At least I was not
An evil SOB boss
Like some of the bosses
That I have known
That I was fair
Open-minded
And looked after
My employees
Making sure that they got
The support they needed
To do well in their career.
A megadrought (or mega-drought) is a prolonged drought lasting two decades or longer. Past megadroughts have been associated with persistent multiyear La …
Aug 19, 2021 … Simply put, a megadrought is a period of extreme dryness that lasts for decades. Within that period there may be occasional better, wet, years, …
Feb 15, 2022 … U.S. megadrought worst in at least 1,200 years, researchers say. The drought also shows no signs of letting up, with increasing temperatures …
Sam Adams
Was an ecologist
With the Cosmos Institute
He was studying the decline
Of ancient civilizations
In North America
And concluded that
Humanity would soon face
A world in which its existence
Is doomed
As nature will no longer
Support such a large civilization
As climate change leads
To a mega drought
In the western parts
Of North America
And China and India
As well.
It would be
The end of the world.
Prompt The intersection of nature and civilization…
The future is coming and I can’t Wait for NaPoWriMo
Thinking about the future
I am excited
So many amazing things
Are about to happen
Dream and thought recording devices
Internet implants
Human-robot slaves
Self-driving vehicles
True AI Systems
Time Travel
Teleportation
Cloning
Growing new bodies
Life extension leading
To almost immortality
Lunar and Martian colonies
Development of space travel
Meeting alien civilizations
The future is coming
And I can’t wait
I want a robot slave
Maybe even a robot lover
And a new body
And I want to see Mars
And meet space aliens
And now for our (optional) prompt! Today, in honor of the potential luckiness of the number 13, I’d like to challenge you to write a poem that, like the example poem here, joyfully states that “Everything is Going to Be Amazing.” Sometimes, good fortune can seem impossibly distant, but even if you can’t drum up the enthusiasm to write yourself a riotous pep talk, perhaps you can muse on the possibility of good things coming down the track. As they say, “the sun will come up tomorrow,” and if nothing else, this world offers us the persistent possibility of surprise.
How to Make a Perfect Smoothie Writers Digest
How to Make a Perfect Smoothie
My daily breakfast consists
of a perfect super-foods smoothie
Here is how to make
This breakfast of champions
In a blender
Put in Kefir first
Then powered collagen
Insulin powder
Honey
Cinnamon
all blended to perfection
That is my daily breakfast
Fit for a champion.
I often eat it
As cereal as it is so thick
Adding in cereal or oatmeal
and raisins.
2022 April PAD Challenge: Day 13
Write a poem every day of April with the 2022 April Poem-A-Day Challenge. For today’s prompt, write a How to Blank poem.
For today’s prompt, take the phrase “How to (blank),” replace the blank with a word or phrase, make the new phrase the title of your poem, and then, write your poem. Possible titles might include: “How to Win at Life,” “How to Cook Lasagna,” “How to Fall in Love,” and/or “How to Write a Poem.”
Covid Life PSH
covid virus
Ever since COVID hit
I have been laying low
Not going out much
Not meeting friends
But doing weekly zoom
With my best friends
That has kept me sane
Been doing a lot of writing
Lots of COVID poems
Featuring General Corona
And his COVID bot army
General Corona
Appeared to me
in a dream.
I fell asleep after watching
The former guy goes on and on about
Fighting a war against an invisible army.
And thought well
Every army
needs a general.
General corona appeared
In my dream
A tall black man
Dressed in a black general’s uniform
Riding the black horse of revelations.
With an army of imperial storm troopers
In black uniforms
Marching shooting ray guns
Filled with the virus
At everyone they encounter.
That is how
I coped with the COVID
pandemic lockdown,
This poetry writing prompt submitted by Gary Grossman:
We’re all tired of COVID but it is good fodder for poetry. Write a poem about how your life changed specifically during the pandemic. Did you exercise more, did you burn incense more, and did you read books that had been sitting in a pile for years? Focus on describing your mental state and how that translated into your physical state. Did your muscles ache from walking, what was the smell of the hand cream you used to soothe your skin? Did your partner participate with you?
If you write a poem from this prompt, post it as a comment underneath the prompt in the Poetry Super Highway Facebook Group. #napowrimo#poetry
The series is set in the fictional realm of Narnia, a fantasy world of magic, mythical beasts and talking animals. It narrates the adventures of various …
Sam Adams, an old man
Recently returning to his hometown,
Was walking in the Berkeley Hills.
Ended up at Tilden Park
Where he had been hiking
Ever since he was a child.
He was hoping to getaway.
From all the turmoil,
The dismal news of the day
The constant chattering on his TV.
He came upon an unusual sight
An open door in the air
With a note
Narnia is calling you.
He laughed
Recalling his favorite
Childhood stories
The Chronicles of Narnia.
He always wondered
If the stories were true
As he always felt
The stories were.
He jumped through the portal
Sam Adams disappearance
Remained a mystery.
He left behind a tangled mess
Millions of dollars in assets
Scattered across several states.
The unexpected visitor from the Stars Dew Drop Inn
allien
One day Sam Adams
Received an unexpected visitor
Who walked into his office
Of Rebel news
Telling him he was a space alien
Who wanted him to explain
Humanity to him.
The alien had tried
To understand humans
The craziness species
In the universe.
Who believes
in some nonsense
About nonexistent gods.
But the one thing
He did not understand
Was love.
Could Sam Explain love to him?
Sam thought and said,
“Yes, Love is what it is
And love is what it ain’t,
If you are in love
You know it.
But those who know it
Can’t describe it
It is more than just
Chemistry, and biology
It is that but more than that
Love happens
When you least expect it.
When she walks
Into your life.
You know she is the one
The alien said thanks
For the lesson.
And drank his beer
Saying that humans
Make the best beer
And the best coffee
In the universe,
The Palaskian Conspiracy PSH prompt
The leader of Palaskin
Was being briefed
By his national security team
About Operation Disrupt Planet Earth
Their operative Donald J Trump
Had not succeeded in taking over
The number one country yet.
He was tormenting unrest
And his country was floundering
Operative Putin
Was doing a fine job
Preparing the world
for the Palaskinian
Empire’s invasion.
It would be time soon.
To launch the invasion fleet
Which will arrive
And reinstate Trump
And Putin to rule the world
On behalf of their Palaskian overlords.
They would finally reveal
That they are aliens
And the earth is now
Part of the Palaskinian Empire.
The Emperor smiled
Victory would soon be theirs
Long Live the Palestinian Empire
This poetry writing prompt submitted by Ellen Sander:
palish kin
A non-existent word. You decide how it is pronounced. Whether it’s a noun or a verb. Or someone’s name. Perhaps a country? A religion? Up to you, brave soul. Write a poem using what you determine palishkin to mean.
Writer’s Digest The Powers That Be – Who are They? (Revised)
Conspiracy craze: why 12 million Americans believe alien …https://www.theguardian.com › lifeandstyle › apr › con…
Apr 7, 2016 — But when people leap from thinking their boss is trying to undermine them to believing their boss might be a secret lizard person, they probably …
Watching the news unfold
Every day
I wonder who “they” are
The secret powers
That run the world
From behind the scenes?
There are rumors
That the powers
Of the universe,
The masters of the universe
The secret power brokers
Are not-human.
They are shape-shifting
Reptilian creatures
From the Palaskan empire
in Sirius, the dog star.
their agents Trump and Putin
we’re doing a great job
disrupting and weakening the world.
It was time though
Said the head of the committee
The committee does not exist.
That was the control tower
Of the alien conspiracy
Of the secret powers that be.
For the invasion fleet to arrive
And finish the job
Of enslaving humanity
A job that they failed to do
When they controlled Atlantis
And later the Roman Empire.
For today’s prompt, write a power poem. Your poem could somehow involve electricity, solar power, fossil fuels, wind, or water. It could illustrate a power play or someone exerting their power over someone else. Of course, you could also write about a power outage. You alone have the power to poem your way through this prompt.
Computer Blues (revised) Local Gems
evil computer
Sometimes I think
My computer is plotting against me
And only me
Trying deliberately to drive me mad.
My computer knows
when I am busy
Then it throws
A hissy fit.
Refuses to boot up,
and crashes constantly.
Loses data it had the day before.
Or five minutes before,
Or refuses to save the data.
Just fucks with me
As it loves toying with me
Making me yell and scream
At my damn computer screen
Cursing up a blue stream
of blue curses
As the blue screen of death
The borders across the dark blue screen
Smiling at me
As I beg it
To do what
It is supposed to do
Just once I beg it
Do what you
Are supposed to do
Open the document once
Not twenty times
Do “Not respond”
Endless spinning blue wheels.
In endless loops of opening
Not responding
refusing to close
Until I respond to the error code.
Please Mr. Computer
Quit playing games
Play my music, don’t wipe out the sound
On the fifth attempt to play music
Don’t take a half-hour to load Microsoft products
Don’t freeze up on opening music programs
Don’t give me computer haiku error messages
That only makes sense to a computer geek.
Such as general error reading files
Who the ***** is this damn general
And why is NSA reading my files?
Or can’t save the file
Or can’t save the “An open file”
When it just did ten times in a role,
Or kicks me out, while losing my data.
And in Microsoft Excel
Refusing to move the cursor
Just freezing in place for a moment
Before kicking me out.
Excell had a problem
Copying data from other sources
Generating an error message
About not being able to load fonts
Then asking you to say okay
Then kicking you out
Once I did that 200 times
I finally ditched Excel
And moved to Google Docs.
And all the other gobbledygook messages
That pop up every five minutes it seems
As the computer slowly drives me mad
Flashing the final insult
User-driven mad
Mission accomplished.
To show how much
You love someone
The way you glance
At your lover.
The way you laugh
At her jokes
You have heard
A million times before.
The way she smells
The way she eats
Her food.
The way she kisses
The way she makes love
Every time special.
Yes it is the small things
That matters in the end.
Today’s featured participant is a double dose again because you all are producing such lovely work that I’m finding it difficult to pick! In response to Day Eleven’s “big” prompt, we first have Wind Rush‘s quiet meditation on relative size. Second, The Silver Cow Creamer brings us a short and snappy quatrain in homage to a giant poppadom.
Our featured online journal for the day is Stirring. In their latest issue, I’ll point you to these two haibuns by Jennifer Perrine.
Today’s prompt (optional, as always) should come as no surprise. Yesterday, I challenged you to write a poem about a very large thing. Today, I’d like you to invert your inspiration, and write a poem about a very small thing. Whether it’s an atom, a button, a hummingbird’s egg, dollhouse furniture, or the mythical world’s smallest violin, I hope you enjoy your poetic adventures into the microscopic.
The haunted house in Eagle Creek PSH
ghosts
There is a house
In Eagle Creek, Oregon
That is an old mansion.
That is largely abandoned
Except for the owner
Who is over 100 years old
The house has several doors
That led to other worlds.
According to the rumor
The old man has used rituals
From the Necronomicon.
To summon aliens, banshees, bigfoot,
Cerebos, demons, devils, hell hounds,
ghosts, goblins, monsters, leprechauns,
Yeti and Zombies.
The gateway to other worlds
Open up
And they storm through.
From the deepest corner
Of Hell and Hades.
As they chant
From the Necronomicon
The ghosts of the dead
Haunting the old mansion
On the hillside
Outside of Eagle Creek,
This poetry writing prompt submitted by Frog Corpse:
Frog Corpse Writing Prompt:
Create a seven-hundred-word short story or thirty-three-line poem describing a haunted house. The story or poem’s main focus must bear emphasis on the details of the house itself. Explain in detail its architecture/landscape on what makes it stand out. What will make these details different from an average run-of-the-mill home? This prompt is to help improve set & setting when building the locations in your tales.
*Your characters are not the focus of this prompt.
I love You Let Me count the Ways Writing com
I love you
Ever since you walked
Off that bus,
Out of my dreams
Into my life
But why do I love you
Let me count the ways
here are a million
Different reasons.
But these are the most
Important ones
I love your smile
I love your smell
I love your walk
I love your body.
I love your
delightful, wicked
Sense of humor.
I love kissing you
I love making love
To you.
You are the best thing
Whatever happened to me
And I want to proclaim
To the entire world
How much I love you.
Write a poem every day of April with the 2022 April Poem-A-Day Challenge. For today’s prompt (the first Two-for-Tuesday prompt of the month), write a counting poem and/or not counting poem.
The Sound of Temple Bell Brings Me Peace Local Gem
temple blog bell-zen
The sound of a temple bell
ringing in the crisp mountain air
in the Buddhist temple
deep in the mountains.
Brings me peace and joy
and fills me with happiness
as I contemplate
the meaning of Buddha.
And seek to find
peace
in the everyday life
around me.
And I ring the bell again,
wishing hoping for an end
to our suffering
on this planet of ours.
Blessed with Love has published a number of my love poems. These poems are dedicated to Angela Lee. the love of my life, who walked off a bus 39 and half years ago on September 7, 1982. But, as some of you might know, I first dreamt of meeting her in 1974.
See “Dreamgirl” postings and other love poems below. None of these published poems are directly about the “dream” though. My love life has been like a fairy tale romance that is still go strong.
Coffee
In the morn
Great start today
Filling me with joy
Contemplating the news
Drinking a morning cup of joe
Thinking about my life and love
Waiting for the love of my life to wake up
When she wakes up, she fills me with such love.
She talks to me my day begins to fill
With plans and many things, we must do
I smile and finish my drink
Still in awe of her beauty,
Still just madly in love.
Ever since we met
Just wondering
How I met
Her that
Day.
Note: My first attempt at writing a love rock song.
When I first saw you in September
A date that I will always remember
I knew then on that date
I had truly met my fate.
For I knew I had fallen under your spell
You had cast a mad love spell on me
Your mojo was working overtime on me
And I would be forever your love slave.
I had to have you; had to make you mine,
For You are everything I longed for
Everything I was dreaming of
You are my everything.
Chorus
I have the love Jones baby
And I got it bad
I have the love Jones, baby
Can’t you see just what you to me?
Love Jones baby, Love Jones for you.
when you walked off that bus
you entered my life
and soon became my wife
and everything changed.
from that moment on
I was you and You are me
It was 39 years since you walked
Into my life tearing it upside down.
and for 39 years together
every single day, every hour, every minute
every single second whenever I look at you
I fell madly in love again
and again and again.
just the way it is
between you and me
for you are my love angel
sent to rescue me.
Chorus
I have the love Jones baby
And I got it bad
I have the love Jones, baby
Can’t you see just what you to me?
Love Jones baby, Love Jones for you.
when I first saw you there
your cosmic love vibrations
sent me flying to the moon
to Jupiter and beyond.
flying on the back
of your love
returning me once more
to your waiting embrace.
Your love came me such a thrill
the thrill has never ended
like a fine bottle of wine
it gets better and better.
I can no longer imagine
A life without you by my side
And if you go before I do
I will surely soon follow you.
When we met that cosmic date
I knew that I had met my soul mate
And soon we would be together
Until the end of time.
Chorus
I have the love Jones baby
And I got it bad
I have the love Jones, baby
Can’t you see just what you to me?
Love Jones baby, Love Jones for you.
You are my love drug
I do not need any other
With your love by my side
I do not need alcohol
I do not need acid
I do not need booze
I do not need Cialis
I do not need cocaine
I do not need heroin
I do not need magic mushrooms
I do not need speed
I do not need Viagra
for You are all that I ever needed
You are indeed my love drug
Chorus
I have the love Jones baby
And I got it bad
I have the love Jones, baby
Can’t you see just what you to me?
Love Jones baby, Love Jones for you.
We first met one night in September
I knew that I had met my fate
A date I always cherish
The date you came to me
You walked off that bus
Out of my dreams
Becoming
To be
Note: Second attempt after Love Jones to write a love rock song. If anyone is interested in collaborating to turn these two songs into actual songs, please let me know. End Note
when I first saw you in September
a date that I will always remember
I knew then on that date
I had truly met my fate.
for I knew I had fallen under your spell
you had cast a mad love spell on me
your mojo was working overtime on me
And I would be forever your love slave.
For I had to have you; had to make you mine,
for You are everything I longed for
everything I was dreaming of
You are my everything.
Chorus
You are my love bug
You are my love connection
You are my love drug
You are my everything.
My foolish love bugs.
when you walked off that bus
You entered my life
And soon became my wife
And everything changed.
from that moment on
I was you
and you are me
just the way it should be,
It has been 39 years since you walked
Into my life,
turning it inside out
tearing it upside down.
and for 39 years together
every single day, every hour, every minute
every single second whenever I look at you
I fell madly in love again and again and again.
just the way it is
between you and me
for you are my love angel
sent to rescue me.
Chorus
You are my love bug
You are my love connection
You are my love drug
You are my everything.
my foolish love connection,
when I first saw you there
your cosmic love vibrations
sent me flying to the moon
to Jupiter and beyond.
flying on the back
of your love
returning me once more
to your waiting embrace.
Your love came me such a thrill
The thrill has never ended
Like a fine bottle of wine
It gets better and better.
I can no longer imagine
A life without you by my side
And if you go before I do
I will surely soon follow you.
When we met that cosmic date
I knew that I had met my soul mate
And soon we would be together
Until the end of time.
Chorus
You are my love bug
You are my love connection
You are my love drug
You are my everything
my lovely love drug
You are my love drug
I do not need any other
With your love by my side
I do not need alcohol
I do not need acid
I do not need booze
I do not need Cialis
I do not need cocaine
I do not need heroin
I do not need magic mushrooms
I do not need speed
I do not need Viagra
for You are all that I ever needed
You are indeed my love drug
Chorus
You are my love bug
You are my love connection
You are my love drug
You are my everything
One day
a space ship landed
near my house
and a tall alien
Dressed in silver,
accompanied by three shorter aliens
came to my house.
and told me they were
conducting a survey
of the earth,
and had some questions for me
they had picked me
because I was considered
a subject matter expert
on the topic of love
which was one
of the five things
that they could not understand
about humanity
no one else
among the 1 million intelligent species
had such a concept.
I asked what were the other things
that they did not understand?
They said,
“hmm Donald Trump
hmm Donald Trump
how and why he is President
and why so many people
still support him?
Second is God
your race has more gods
than any other race
and no one else
has heard of your god
or Allah or Jesus for that matter
and on the face of it
the whole resurrection thing
makes no sense.
makes no sense
third is gun violence
why is the US
you have to do a strip search
to get on the plane or train
and nowadays a temperature health screening
yet you can not ban guns
can not enact universal gun checks
even though 90 % support it
and why can terrorists
still can buy guns?
fourth climate change
every other successful culture
every other successful culture
went through something similar
and evolve their politics and culture
and overcame it
and finally, the issue of love
You see in the whole universe
There is no such concept
of romantic love
In most cultures there are marriages
and most people are bisexual
and group marriages are the norm
and love is seen as merely sexual attraction
and most people pick their partners
from computer-generated links
From computer-generated links
for we have figured it all out
But you persist in denying
that love is nothing but
a chemical DNA thing
Explain to me
since you are considered
the most romantic man
in the world
What the hell is love?”
I told him that we would discuss
the other issues later over a beer
as I was hardly the authority
but would be happy to share my thoughts
and they agreed to that
but said again
“Tell us what is this thing
you called love?”
I said,
“it comes down to this
Love is mysterious
love is magic
There is a certain zen element
Zen element
to love
a certain Taoist element as well
to it as well
those who can define it
have never experienced it
and those who have experienced it
can never describe it
One can say a few things
love happens
When you least expect it
Love creeps up on you
Love happens
When you are washing dishes
drinking wine
Drinking wine
Dancing at a club
Making love
for the first time
Or the 10,000th time
And every time
is different
then the time before
Love happens when you give up
searching for love
waiting for love
wishing for love
wishing for the one
then one day
the one walks out
of your dreams
and into your life
becoming your wife
My wife one day
was berating me
for all my myriad faults
All my sins against her
My omissions and commissions
Malfeasance and misfeasance
Things I had done
and things I had failed to do
All of which I acknowledge
and apologized for
But finally, I had enough
I said
Well if I am so bad
so horrible
so evil a creature
and a person you hate
so much
Why the hell did you marry me?
She laughed
“temporarily insanity
and I am still insane
twenty-five years later.
We both laughed
and fell in love
again
as always
We fall in love
with each other
Every day
Every moment
Every second
Every second
It dawned on me
I had the answer to the question
And that my friends
Is the true unknowable madness
The true zen spirit of love
Well that was interesting
And I think we begin
to understand you all
a bit more
You are indeed
the most interesting people
in the whole universe
so let’s go out and have a beer
we are dying to try that
as we hear
You have the best beer
in the universe
and the best coffee too
And the best weed
nd so we went
and had our beer
and coffee
and talked all night long
discussing everything.
They told me about the universe
and our place in it
and their plans for us.
They say
There are a million ways
To say I love you
In this day and age
I could only find
In my computer’s brain
The words to say I love you
In 53 languages of the 10,000 languages
Spoken on this planet
Someday I may be able
To say the simple words
I love you
In all known languages
This will have to suffice for a start
I will say it
Loud, and clear
Just so you understand:
I love you (English)
Mein tumse pyar karta hoon (Hindi)
Tu Tane prem karoo chu (Gujarati)
Ame tomake bhalo bashe (Bengali)
Me tula premkarto (Marati)
Hum apse mohabbat karte hain (Urdu)
Mein thoda prem karanga (Punjabi)
Man Dooset Daram (Persian)
Ana Ahabik Yanooni (Arabic)
Havala (Hebrew)
Yongchon(Chinese)
Aloha (Hawaiian)
Cinta(Indonesian)
Dangshinun sarang hayo (Korean)
Ajo (Japanese)
Kasih (Malay)
Phom tirak khun krap (Thai)
Akoay Paginghe ikou (Tagalog)
Toi yeu ong(Vietnamese)
Renmen (Creole)
Jesuis L’amour voies(French)
Liefdle (Flemish)
Estoy amor tu (Spanish)
Yosono amore tu (Italian)
Estou o amore tu (Portugese)
Dashuri (Albanian)
Maiteizam (Basque)
OBHYAM (Bulgarian)
Ljubav (Croatian)
Laska (Czech)
Jeger en kaerlighed du (Danish)
Ikben houden van jig (Dutch)
Gra (Gaelic)
Ich bin lieben tu (German)
Agape/eros (Greek)
Ami (Esperanto)
Armastama (Estonian)
Rakam (Finish)
Envagyok szeretet te (Hungarian)
Elska (Icelandic)
Ejekirin (Kurdish)
Milestiba (Latvian)
Meile (Lithuanian)
Eu dragoste tu (Romanian)
JHOBOEL Lubush (Russian)
Elske (Norweigan)
Easka (Slovak)
JBYBAB (Serbian)
Jagdan karlek du (Swedish)
KOYATH (Ukraine)
Benin sevi sen (Turkish)
Ahava (Yiddish)
Welcome to Cosmos’ annual April Poetry Madness. Last year I wrote 300 poems in one month, this year I will write less as that was just way too much to deal with.
Today’s poems will be April 6th poems followed by April 7 to 10 in separate postings, one per day.
I will post them as I write them, and try to update them every day or so. I will finish May 1 US time, as that will still be April 30 KST (Korea, where I currently reside.) Most will be G rated but a few may not be. I will try to label those or not post them. The topics will be wherever my mad muse takes me, and I usually don’t have a clue until I write them.
I will post here the poems I wrote based on prompts from NaPoWriMo, (the poetry’s world’s equivalence to the annual NaNoWriMo novel competition which I will enter again in November). Writers’ com’s Dew Drop-in, Poetry Super-highway, Writers Digest, and occasionally other prompts. I will write a few more each day, but not post them, as I need to build up more “unpublished poems” for future submissions.
Daily posting All poetry, Anchor, this blog, FB, Medium, PSH, Wattpad, Writing com, and Writer’s Digest.
I will post each poem, followed by the prompt, occasional author and notes, and photos. I will convert it to a podcast later, available on anchor, radio public, blog radio, Spotify, and elsewhere under the name “The World According to Cosmos: or Jake Cosmos Aller. See the following for more information on the podcasts.
At the end of the month, I will add up the total poems written this month, total posted, total not-posted, and total YTD.
I have found that this annual exercise has been a big help in helping me hone my craft as I am entirely self-taught except for having taken the Mod Po class several times. It helps me stretch my poetic muscles. It has been a lot of fun but a challenge.
Sam Adams Was Pondering
The Old Adages
Oil And Water Don’t Mix
Opposites Attract
When It Dawn on Him
The Secret of a Long Marriage
Is The Marriage of Opposites
That Oil and Water Do Indeed Mix Well.
Today’s featured online journal is Thrush, which has been publishing six issues a year since 2011. Each issue is fairly short, giving you plenty of opportunities to savor the poems. In their latest issue, I’ll point you to Tennessee Hill’s “WE BUY BROKEN GOLD” and Chisom Okafor’s “hymn to the bowstring.”
And now for our (optional) prompt! Today, I’d like to challenge you to write a poem that argues against, or somehow questions, a proverb or saying. They say that “all cats are black at midnight,” but really? Surely some of them remain striped. And maybe there is an ill wind that blows some good. Perhaps that wind just has some mild dyspepsia. Whatever phrase you pick, I hope you have fun complicating its simplicity. Happy writing!
Love is Blind Dew Drop Inn
Love is blind they say
I say that love is not blind.
Love is openness
Love is richness
Love is visionary.
Love is the smell
Love is the sound
Love is the sight
Of one’s beloved.
And when one is in love
The blind begin to see
The deaf begin to hear
The mute begins to speak
The lame begin to dance.
With love’s embrace
All the senses
Come to life.
April 7—“Play the opposites”—a theatre term I sometimes don’t like! But here I mean do something unexpected in your poem, once or more than once. Any time you spot a cliché of feeling or words, try its opposite, and somehow make it work!
You PSH
two lovers
You are everything
That a man could ever
Dream of having,
You are the one
The one true love
The eternal soul mate.
When you first came
I knew that the struggle
For love was over.
For you were the one
And will be
Until the end of time.
April 7, 2021: Poetry Writing Prompt – Dick Westheimer
This poetry writing prompt was submitted by Dick Westheimer:
Write a poem where the only pronoun is “you.”
If you write a poem from this prompt, post it as a comment underneath the prompt in the Poetry Superhighway Facebook Group.
#napowrimo #poetry
The Abundance of Love and Money Writers Digest
many packs of us dollars
I have had an abundance
Of love in my life
My cup does run over
Ever since I met you
My life has been filled
With love and happiness
I have had
an abundance
Of money in my life
When I met you
You were
my lotto ticket
You were my golden pig
You were the jackpot
Of the casino of my life
And now that I am an old man
I am overwhelmed
With such an abundance
Of love, happiness, and wealth
What if I die tomorrow
I will die content
With the abundance
Of everything I enjoyed
In my life with my golden pig.
Write a poem every day of April with the 2022 April Poem-A-Day Challenge. For today’s prompt, write an abundance poem.
So believe it or not, and for better or worse, we’ll be a full week finished with this challenge once we write today’s poem! Are you excited? If so, would you say you have an abundance of excitement?
For today’s prompt, write an abundance poem. There can be an abundance of things, both good and bad. An abundance of sunshine, money, and chocolate. Or an abundance of rain, debt, and liverwurst. Today, I hope there will be an abundance of poeming!
No Longer Alone from the First Moment Local Gems
“Composite image of the marker in the grave yard at Baltimore’s Westminster Church. Edgar Allen Poe died in 1849, the church was built in 1852. This marker was erected in 1875 when his grave was moved about 200 feet.I invite you to view some of my other Baltimore photos:”
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
From childhood, I have not been
Like 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 lov’d—I lov’d alone—
Then—in my childhood—in the dawn
Of a most stormy life—was drawn
From ev’ry 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’d
In its autumn tint of gold—
From the lightning in the sky
As it pass’d 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—
Welcome to Cosmos’ annual April Poetry Madness. Last year I wrote 300 poems in one month, this year I will write less as that was just way too much to deal with.
Today’s poems will be April 5th poems followed by April 6 to 10 in separate postings, one per day.
I will post them as I write them, and try to update them every day or so. I will finish May 1 US time, as that will still be April 30 KST (Korea, where I currently reside.) Most will be G rated but a few may not be. I will try to label those or not post them. The topics will be wherever my mad muse takes me, and I usually don’t have a clue until I write them.
I will post here the poems I wrote based on prompts from NaPoWriMo, (the poetry’s world’s equivalence to the annual NaNoWriMo novel competition which I will enter again in November). Writers’ com’s Dew Drop-in, Poetry Super-highway, Writers Digest, and occasionally other prompts. I will write a few more each day, but not post them, as I need to build up more “unpublished poems” for future submissions.
Daily posting All poetry, Anchor, this blog, FB, Medium, PSH, Wattpad, Writing com, and Writer’s Digest.
I will post each poem, followed by the prompt, occasional author and notes, and photos. I will convert it to a podcast later, available on anchor, radio public, blog radio, Spotify, and elsewhere under the name “The World According to Cosmos: or Jake Cosmos Aller. See the following for more information on the podcasts.
At the end of the month, I will add up the total poems written this month, total posted, total not-posted, and total YTD.
I have found that this annual exercise has been a big help in helping me hone my craft as I am entirely self-taught except for having taken the Mod Po class several times. It helps me stretch my poetic muscles. It has been a lot of fun but a challenge.
While drinking coffee
In his camp
Deep in the woods
In the Trinity Alps wilderness
snuggled in his tent,
Rolled in his sleeping bag
Sam Adams had the encounter
That changed his life,
He heard a noise
Went outside
And saw five bigfoots
standing there.
They told him
In his head
They had a message
For humanity
He could videotape them
They would speak slowly
They could speak
But preferred mind to mind talk
The bigfoot was here
They wanted to re-join
The rest of humanity
They were what
Humans called Neanderthals
They lived deep in the woods
All over the world
Perhaps 10,000 were alive
Two of them will go out
With him.
They would hold a press conference
And appoint Sam Adams
As their ambassador.
Sam grinned
Thinking he could make
so much money,
Bigfoot said,
“Not so fast
We will pay you in hidden gold
But you have to promise
Not to betray us”.
Deal
Sam smiled
Yeah, you got a dear
Our featured participant today is Narrative Paralysis, where the write-a-prompt prompt for Day Four produced an extremely zany adventure. I’m not sure if it’s a prompt, but it’s a poem! Or a short story. Or, well, it’s something all right!
Today’s featured online magazine is Waxwing, which has been going strong since 2013 and is much admired for the high quality of the work found on its (web)pages. In their newest issue, I’ll point you to Alfredo Aguilar’s “Palomar Mountain” and Carly Joy Miller’s “Beloved Litany.”
And now for our prompt (optional, as always). Today, I’d like to challenge you to write a poem about a mythical person or creature doing something unusual – or at least something that seems unusual about that person/creature. For example, what does Hercules do when he loses a sock in the dryer? If a mermaid wants to pick up rock climbing as a hobby, how does she do that? What happens when a mountain troll makes pancakes?
Things I Believe Drew Drop Inn Prompt
Things I believe
Who is Jake Cosmos Aller
Dreamgirl and other fairy tales
Dreams Do Come True
When We Met
The beginning of the end
The end of the beginning
April 5—List poem w/no repetition—write a list of things where the title signals what it’s a list of (Example: My Lovers, Things I Wish I’d Said to My Father, Visible at Dusk, etc.)
The Sacrifice of the Fish PSH
sashimi dinner
On New Year’s Day, February 2022
To start the year of the Black Tiger
We went to the wharf area
Near our house in Youngjondo, Korea.
We looked at the fish
Swimming in the tanks
Starting at use
With hate in their eyes.
Resigned to their fate,
Waiting to be taken
Delivered to the human creatures
For their dinner.
We took home the fish
Set the table
Pour our white wine
Ate our sashimi with gusto.
As we ate the fish
We never stop to think
What did the fish think
About that?
That is just
Why it is better to be human
Than being a fish
Swimming in a tank.
Constantine
This poetry writing prompt was submitted by Brendan Constantine:
PHONE GALLERY PROMPT
Open your picture app and begin to scroll through the images.
In very simple language, note down what you see. For instance:
“Here’s me waving
Here’s the moon, too small to see
Here’s a total blur
Here’s a sandwich
Here’s my dog asleep…”
Keep scrolling and making notes.
Chances are, a theme or arc will start to present itself naturally. And real poetry may result from the simplest descriptive details – a color, a texture, the quality of light.
If you want to take things up a notch, start adding descriptions of pictures that don’t exist.
“Here’s you swallowing your car
Here’s me posing with Virginia Woolf
Here’s the cat factory
Here’s God on her birthday
(Great party. Too long, the)…”
However long you make your poem, remember that the last image will always determine its feeling.
If you write a poem from this prompt, post it as a comment underneath the prompt in the Poetry Superhighway Facebook Group.
#napowrimo #poetry
Prompt photos
Save for future poems – this was a fun exercise
Fish swimming looking at me
Endaemae
Smoothie
Smoothie ingredients
More ingredients
Winter snow in park January 2022
More winter snow
New year’s sashimi feast
Wharf area
Mudflats
Oceanview
Fish sign
Fish
Fish
Ocean wharf scene
More wharf scene
More wharf scene
More wharf shops
More wharf shops
More wharf shops
Fascist rabbit
COVID Nonsense Does Not Make Sense Writer’s Digest
covid 580
To this day
There is so much COVID nonsense
Floating about the internet
Being spread by so many right-wing
And left-wing influencers
It just does not make sense
To me.
There are some people
Who believes that COVID
Never really existed.
That it was all a horrid libtard plot
To lock down the economy
Imposed draconian controls
On everyone.
That vaccine mandates
Are the equivalent of
Sending Jews to the death camps,
That the unvaccinated
Will be rounded up
And forced to get vaccines
Which are the equivalent
Of Nazi medical experiments.
That the vaccines were created
To track people
Invented by Bill Gates
Or were the mark of the beast.
Some speculated that
everyone who got the vaccine
Would die in one year
Or become sterile.
Part of the nefarious plot
To depopulate the world
By the global one-world government
UN black helicopter conspiracy.
The nonsense about vaccines
Mask wearing
And COVID in general
Reveal a fundamental flaw
With many human beings.
No matter how hard one might try
To convince people who believe
This nonsense,
It is beyond any ability
To reason with them.
At the end of the day
The only thing that makes sense
Is this:
You can’t fix stupid.
2022 April PAD Challenge: Day 5
Write a poem every day of April with the 2022 April Poem-A-Day Challenge. For today’s prompt (the first Two-for-Tuesday prompt of the month), write a make sense poem and/or don’t make sense poem.
Here we go The first Two-for-Tuesday prompt of the 2022 April Poem-A-Day Challenge! For first-timers or those with short memories, I provide two prompts on Tuesdays, and poets get to decide whether to write one type of poem, the other type of poem and/or tackle both simultaneously (and separately).
Here are the Two-for-Tuesday prompts:
1. Write a Make Sense poem, and/or…
2. Write a Don’t Make Sense poem.
Remember: These prompts are springboards to creativity. Use them to expand your possibilities, not limit them.
Day 5: Imaginary Biography Sam Adams Local Gems
Sam Adams, aka “Big Daddy”
Was an imposing figure of a man.
Ex-football player for the University of Arkansas
And the Dallas cowboys.
Later worked for ten years
During secret work
For unnamed government agencies
Before returning home.
Where he opened
The best bar and grill in Little Rock
With the best breakfasts in the state,
Soon became the place to be
And he was the undisputed Kingmaker
Although he never ran for office
Everyone who was who in Arkansas
Sought him out.
When he died
He turns many secrets
To the grave,
Which was just fine
For his many friends
And even more enemies.
Old Couple In Love Riding a Bike Simply Six
old couple in love
An old couple
Riding a bike
In the springtime
Stop for a break.
Sitting on the park bench
They look at each other
And fall in love again.
Every day for 40 years
At least once they had fallen
In love with each other.
Welcome to Cosmos’ annual April Poetry Madness. Last year I wrote 300 poems in one month, this year I will write less as that was just way too much to deal with.
today’s poems will be April 4, to April 7th poems in separate postings, one per day.
I will post them as I write them, and try to update them every day or so. I will finish May 1 US time, as that will still be April 30 KST (Korea, where I currently reside.) Most will be G rated but a few may not be. I will try to label those or not post them. The topics will be wherever my mad muse takes me, and I usually don’t have a clue until I write them.
I will post here the poems I wrote based on prompts from NaPoWriMo, (the poetry’s world’s equivalence to the annual NaNoWriMo novel competition which I will enter again in November). Writers’ com’s Dew Drop-in, Poetry Super-highway, Writers Digest, and occasionally other prompts. I will write a few more each day, but not post them, as I need to build up more “unpublished poems” for future submissions.
Daily posting All poetry, Anchor, this blog, FB, Medium, PSH, Wattpad, Writing com, and Writer’s Digest.
I will post each poem, followed by the prompt, occasional author and notes, and photos. I will convert it to a podcast later, available on anchor, radio public, blog radio, Spotify, and elsewhere under the name “The World According to Cosmos: or Jake Cosmos Aller. See the following for more information on the podcasts.
At the end of the month I will add up the total poems written this month, total posted, total not-posted, and total YTD.
I have found that this annual exercise has been a big help in helping me hone my craft as I am entirely self-taught except for having taken the Mod Po class several times. It helps me stretch my poetic muscles. It has been a lot of fun but a challenge.
April Poetry Madness Prompts
Daily to do in April
Take poetry prompts
From NaPoWriMo, Writers Digest, Writing com Dew Drop-in,
And elsewhere
Throw it all out there
See where your muse takes you
Then write, write, write
Two-three hours later
Emerge with the poems for the day
In the end, you have met
Your poetry quota for the day
Perhaps for the week
Or even the year
It is all good.
more poetry for all
is the spirit
of April Poetry Madness.
Finally, here’s our optional prompt! Today, I’d like to challenge you to write a poem . . . in the form of a poetry prompt. If that sounds silly, well, maybe it is! But it’s not without precedent. The poet Mathias Svalina has been writing surrealist prompt poems for quite a while, posting them to Instagram. You can find examples here, and here, and here.
Happy writing!
When I First Saw You Dew Drop-in
lovers in the rain
When I First Saw You There
When I first saw you there
You came to me
In a dream
And disappeared,
Haunting me
For eight long years.
When I First Saw You In Person
lovers face to face
I was overwhelmed
This fairy tale dream of mine
This impossible quest
To find the girl in the dream
Was finally over.
She was real,
And she was here.
In front of me.
When I First Spoke With You
lovers at sunset
I knew that this was it
We would be together
From then on
You were the one,
I proposed three days later.
When I First Kissed You
lovers sunset
When I first kissed you
Erotic desires came out
And that was the beginning
Of a 40-year love affair.
When I Married You
declaration of love
That was the beginning
Of my life
From that moment
I had no doubt
Whatever life brought my way,
You would be there
In the end
That is all that matters.
April 4—List poem w/repetition—write a poem that lists things, using some (not necessarily constant) repetition and variation of an initial phrase (Examples: When I was six…, Remember that time…*, Layers of…., etc.)
I often found
Throughout my married life
That we fall in love with each other
At the oddest times and places.
For example, yesterday
While emptying the trash
In our suburban housing estate
In Korea,
I looked at her
And once again
Fell in love.
It has been that way
Every day for 40 years
The love continues to deepen
And grow,
That is just the way
Love happened with us.
Composed while emptying the trash
This poetry writing prompt submitted by LB Sedlacek:
Rewrite where you write! Write where you (or maybe anyone) normally wouldn’t write. That’s right. Take your pen, paper, smartphone, or whatever with you to a school sporting event, or while you’re waiting in line at the drugstore, maybe sitting in the car rider line, or at the doctor’s office, and be ready to write. Jot down a quick poem – whatever comes to mind from what’s happening around you, what you see, hear, smell, feel and think. Then when you’re back in your usual writing spot at your desk or sitting in your favorite chair, you can edit it.
If you write a poem from this prompt, post it as a comment underneath the prompt in the Poetry Superhighway Facebook Group.
#napowrimo #poetry
Catch Up Poem Writer Digest
For today’s prompt, write a catch-up poem. This is not to be confused with a ketchup (or catsup) poem, but hey, write one of those if the poetic spirit moves you! But I’m thinking of catching up on work, catching up on a race, or catching up on some popular TV or streaming series.
Doing the April Poetry challenge
Has been a challenge
Keeping it up to date.
I posted my April 1-3 poems
April 4th
My April 4th poems April 5th etc
But in my defense
The prompts come out
In U.S. time
And I am a day behind
Living in Korea.
I write every day
Takes an hour to write them.
But it takes too much time
To post the poems.
There is still there a lot
Of catching up to do.
You can’t fix stupid something unfixable local gems
Don’t Believe the Lie There is No COVID
To this day
There are some people
Who believes that COVID
Never really existed.
That it was all a horrid libtard plot
To lock down the economy
Imposed draconian controls
On everyone.
That vaccine mandates
Are the equivalent of
Sending Jews to the death camps
That the unvaccinated
Will be rounded up
And forced to get vaccines
Which are the equivalent
Of Nazi medical experiments.
That the vaccines were created
To track people
Invented by Bill Gates
Or were the mark of the beast.
Some speculated that
everyone who got the vaccine
Would die in one year
Or become sterile.
Part of the nefarious plot
To depopulate the world
By the global one-world government
UN black helicopter conspiracy.
The nonsense about vaccines
Mask wearing
And COVID in general
Reveal a fundamental flaw
With many human beings.
No matter how hard one might try
To convince people who believe
This nonsense,
It is beyond any ability
To reason with them.
At the end of the day
You can’t fix stupid.
Weekly challenge (Post)
Shout out to Favorite Poets Meta Poetry
charles bukowski
I have over the years read
A lot of poetry
And written a lot of poetry
My favorite poets include
WD Auden
John Ashbury walking around poems
Blake mystical poetry
Charles Bukowski anything of his
Emily Dickinson
Emerson’s classic poetry of the American romantic period
Allen Ginzburg classic poetry of the beatnik eraLon
Latin Poetry in translation
Jack Kerouac
Korean poetry (in translation but I can read some of it)
KIm Seowol
Japanese Poetry(in translation)
Pablo Neruda (in translation but I can read some of it)
Edgar Allen Poe, alone, the bells, the raven
Robert Jeffries
Henry Longfellow
Rod McKeun
Walt Whitman all of his work
Williams Carlos Williams
Just to name a few
And poems in the Mod Po course.
Of course goes without saying.
All of my poetry has been influenced
by these and other writers.
I like to think of my writing
as in the neo-beatnik style.
or Outlaw poetry school
Maybe a bit New York School
Definitely Berkeley School
And I have so many more poets
To read and contemplate
Before my time is up.
In celebration of National Poetry Month,
Write a poem about your favorite poet!
Form: any or none, author’s choice
Line Count: min of 12, no max
Romantic Tanka Poem Fan Story
Romantic Tanka Poem
lovers kissing 5
When I saw you there
I knew that you were the one
Heaven sent you then
When you came into my life
That was my best day ever
when I first saw you in September
a date that I will always remember
I knew then on that date
I had truly met my fate.
for I knew I had fallen under your spell
you had cast a mad love spell on me
your mojo was working overtime on me
and I would be forever your love slave.
for I had to have you had to make you mine
for you were everything I longed for
everything I was dreaming of
you were my everything.
Chorus
You were my love bug
you were my love connection
you were my love drug
you were my everything.
my foolish love bugs.
when you walked off that bus
you entered my life
and soon became my wife
and everything changed.
from that moment on
I was you
and you were me
just the way it should be,
It was 39 years since you walked
Into my life,
turning it inside out
tearing it upside down.
and for 39 years together
every single day, every hour, every minute
every single-second whenever I look at you
I fell madly in love again and again and again.
just the way it is
between you and me
for you are my love angel
sent to rescue me.
Chorus
You were my love bug
you were my love connection
you were my love drug
you were my everything.
my foolish love connection,
when I first saw you there
your cosmic love vibrations
sent me flying to the moon
to Jupiter and beyond.
flying on the back
of your love
returning me once more
to your waiting embrace.
your love came me such a thrill
the thrill has never ended
like a fine bottle of wine
it gets better and better.
I can no longer imagine
A life without you by my side
And if you go before I do
I will surely soon follow you.
When we met that cosmic date
I knew that I had met my soul mate
And soon we would be together
Until the end of time.
Chorus
You were my love bug
you were my love connection
you were my love drug
you were my everything
my lovely love drugs
you were my love drug
I did not need any other
With your love by my side
I did not need alcohol
I did not need acid
I did not need booze
I do not need Cialis
I did not need cocaine
I did not need heroin
I did not need magic mushrooms
I did not need speed
I did not need Viagra
for you were all that I ever needed
you were indeed my love drug
Chorus
You were my love bug
you were my love connection
you were my love drug
you were my everything
my everything
Request for collaboration
This is my second attempt at writing a love song. For my musician friends out there, if you like it and would like to collaborate to turn this into a real song instant message me, and let’s talk. To the rest of you, hope you enjoyed it.
Love Jones Revised
when I first saw you in September
a date that I will always remember
I knew then on that date
I had truly met my fate.
for I knew I had fallen under your spell
you had cast a mad love spell on me
your mojo was working overtime on me
and I would be forever your love slave.
for I had to have you had to make you mine
for you were everything I longed for
everything I was dreaming of
you were my everything.
Chorus
I have the love Jones baby
And I got it bad
I have the love Jones, baby
Can’t you see just what you to me?
Love Jones baby, Love Jones for you.
when you walked off that bus
you entered my life
and soon became my wife
and everything changed.
from that moment on
I was you and you were me
It was 39 years since you walked
Into my life tearing it upside down.
and for 39 years together
every single day, every hour, every minute
every single second whenever I look at you
I fell madly in love again and again and again.
just the way it is
between you and me
for you are my love angel
sent to rescue me.
Chorus
I have the love Jones baby
And I got it bad
I have the love Jones, baby
Can’t you see just what you to me?
Love Jones baby, Love Jones for you.
when I first saw you there
your cosmic love vibrations
sent me flying to the moon
to Jupiter and beyond.
flying on the back
of your love
returning me once more
to your waiting embrace.
your love came me such a thrill
the thrill has never ended
like a fine bottle of wine
it gets better and better.
I can no longer imagine
A life without you by my side
And if you go before I do
I will surely soon follow you.
When we met that cosmic date
I knew that I had met my soul mate
And soon we would be together
Until the end of time.
Chorus
I have the love Jones baby
And I got it bad
I have the love Jones, baby
Can’t you see just what you to me?
Love Jones baby, Love Jones for you.
you were my love drug
I did not need any other
With your love by my side
I did not need alcohol
I did not need acid
I did not need booze
I do not need Cialis
I did not need cocaine
I did not need heroin
I did not need magic mushrooms
I did not need speed
I did not need Viagra
for you were all that I ever needed
you were indeed my love drug
Chorus
I have the love Jones baby
And I got it bad
I have the love Jones, baby
Can’t you see just what you to me?
Love Jones baby, Love Jones for you.
Love Jones Original Version
I got the Love Jones, baby
And it won’t leave me alone
I got the Love Jones, baby
And it won’t leave me alone
I’ve been writing these love poems
All-day long
And I have been dreaming
Of all the ways I could make love
To my secret lover
If only she will let me be
If only she will open her heart
And let me in
Perhaps the love Jones
Might leave me along
But I got the love Jones
Bad baby
Can’t you tell?
That the love Jones
Has grabbed my Soul
Twisted it up into little pieces
And I need you
To unravel the Love Jones
I need you to answer the call
Of the Love Jones Baby
I need you
To let me be free
Of the spell
Of the Love Jones
I got the Love Jones
Baby
I got it bad
And only you can
Put a stop to the love Jones
Baby
Let me enter your life
Put out the fire of desire
Send the Love Jones packing
And let me make sweet love to you
Oh, Love Jones
Go away
Let me be in peace
Love Jones
Leave me be
Baby
I got the love Jones
For you
Can’t you see?
What do you do to me?
I got the Love Jones
Baby and it ain’t going away
Until I get to make love to you
Then perhaps this Love Jones
Will leave me be
I got the love Jones
For you
Can’t you see?
What do you do to me?
I got the Love Jones
Baby and it ain’t going away
Until I get to make love to you
Then perhaps this Love Jones
Will leave me be
My Wife is My Passion
My passion is life, itself
I love my wife
The love of my life
She fills my heart
With red-hot passion
Ever since we met
She has been
My inspiration
My soul mates
My passion never fades
Please Give me a Kiss New Years Love Poem
Please said
The maiden
On New Year’s,
To her new lover
It is time
To welcome
The new years
Please give me
A French kiss,
She said
Putting down her glass
Of champagne
The man
Glanced at his companion
Flustered a bit
Grimaced,
Called for a taxi
As the Fireworks,
Went off
He twirled his red
Mustache,
She sulked off
With a big caterwaul
Filled with disappointment
Caterwaul- make a shrill howling or wailing noise like that of a cat (just noticed that autocorrect created a made-up word)
On a Fine Date in September, a Date I will Always Remember
On a fine day in September, a date I shalll always remember
she came into my life
A date I shall always remember
a few months later she became my wife
when I met her, I ended my wildlife
for on that fine Autumn date
I truly met my soul mate.
Love etheree Revised
hot
coffee
in the morn
great start today
filling me with joy
contemplating the news
drinking morning cup of Joe
thinking about my life and love
waiting for the love of my life to wake up
when she wakes up, she fills me with such love.
she talks to me my day begins to fill
with plans and many things, we must do
I smile and finish my drink
Still in awe of her beauty,
Still just madly in love.
Ever since we met
just wondering
how I met
her that
day.
Drinking Coffee is My Delight Coffee
coffee
drinking coffee is my morning delight
as I drink my coffee I must write
reflecting upon what has become my life
enjoying every morning I am with my wife
no longer filled with so much strife
I am filled with love for my oldwife
Truly a dream woman come to life
enjoying my love during this midlife
no longer filled with so much strife
feeling so much that is my birthright
knowing that with her love everything is alright.
no longer lost in despair and lowlife
knowing with her love this is real life
no longer filled with fear and affright
no longer filled with so much strife
My Love is as
My love is like a bright
Red rose to bloom in a field
Filling the air
with its sweet perfume of love
My love is like a bright tomato
Filling my plate
with delightful flavors
My love is a hummingbird
Fluttering here and there
Spreading love along the way
My love is like an apple
Filling the air
With its sweet fragrance
And filling me with love
My love is like a race car
Waiting for me to go with her
Exploring the world together
My wife is like a glass
Of the most delicious red wine
As it ages it gets better and better
My wife is bright red
Filled with passionate
And inciting desire
My wife smells
Like the greatest perfume
Ever created
So mysterious and alluring
In her fragrance of desire.
My wife is like the best dessert
That I have ever had
So sweet, so delicious
And all for me.
My wife and I speak
Our language
A mixture of English, Korean
Spanish mixed
Filled with love
And special meanings.
Decorating my Space with memories of Love
I have lived
All over the world
In many different spaces
Many different places
Many different towns
Many different cities
Many different apartments
Many different living arrangements
And each time I decorate
My internal space
My home
It is different
My house is always
A mixture of things
Knickknacks from around
The world
Filled with items
That is filled with memories
Of my and mine wife’s past
As I look at my things
I am comforted
Memories of the past
Fill my mind
With love, peace
And contentment.
Drinking Coffee is My Delight Coffee
Close up white coffee cup with heart shape latte art on wood table at cafe.
drinking coffee is my delight
as I sit and do my morning write
I sit thinking about my wife
wondering yet again is that my fate
on that day was that the date?
I think back on my life
drinking coffee in the morning
with my lovely wife
drinking coffee in the morning
with my lovely wife
the love of my life
drinking coffee makes a great midmorning
as I sit there with her enjoying a good morning.
the morning after enjoying the nightlife
drinking coffee in the morning
with my lovely wife.
but soon my head is filled with warning
as if my head had been struck with a knife
my body and head having a hangover strife.
nothing more than a just forewarning
the end of the day filled with mourning
with my lovely wife.
Sam Adams Met Her on That Date
Sam Adams met her on that date
that day she came into his life.
when he first saw her that morning
Truly he thought it was just fate
he knew she would become his wife.
Meeting her was a great morning
he knew that she was his soulmate
he knew there would be no more strife
every day would be a good morning
Thankful for his Angel
Every day
He woke up
And sees his wife
Sleeping peacefully.
He looks at her
In the dawning light
Filling his soul
With her love.
He drinks his coffee
Contemplating his life
Ever thankful
For the angel
That came to him
Out of his dreams
Walking into his life
Taking charge of him
39 years ago
He met his fate
On that date.
It was the beginning of the End
It was the beginning
Of the end 0f his life
As a young adult
Adrift in life’s turmoil.
He met the love of his life
In a dream
Then when she walked
Out of his dreams
Into his life
He felt
That his life
Truly had begun.
And it was the end
Of his life adrift
Now he had the purpose
Now he had hope
As he walked
With his life’s partner
Facing whatever life
Threw his way
Going together
As always
Becoming one soul
Eternal soul mates.
I found what I was looking for.
Based on Edgar Allen Poe’s Poem Alone
From the Streets of Berkeley, California
Cosmos was my middle name
Has been my pen name now for ten years
Infatuation with Cosmic things
Has filled my heart and soul
Nothing more than searching for love
But in the end, I found what I was looking for.
Today is a special day
Today is a special day
Like most mornings
I wake up
Drink my coffee
Watch the news
Think about the day
Waiting for my wife
To walk into the room
Lighting the room
With her love
And that is why
It is always
Such a special day
My Wife and I Like It Raw
My wife
And I like it raw
Raw food that is
Less cooking is better
For one’s health.
We start our day
With raw ingredients
Blended perfectly together.
Often for lunch
Or dinner
We have a raw food salad.
And sometimes
Well, we do other things
Raw and naked.
Lucky in Love
Indian casino Fun
They say
That once can be lucky
In cards or love
But not in both
I have been
very lucky
In love
Met and married
The lady of my dreams
But for cards
And gambling
I have not been
So lucky
Losing far more
Than I ever won
But the luck
In love
Continues to this day.
Truly Romantic Honeymoon
Unshaven, idiotic,
Insupportable Introvert
Her lifelong secret admirer
Laughing, she said yes
They both Reconnoiter
A Truly Romantic
Honeymoon place
What Makes People a Success
They say
That is what makes a person successful
Is not how much money they have
Is not how many things they have
But rather how many true friends
They have
And whether they have found
Their soul mates.
In my case,
I am successful
Beyond my earlier expectations
Becoming wealthy in my old age.
But most importantly
After 39 years together,
I am still madly in love
With my eternal soul mate
Why am I still madly in love with you, my dear?
Why do I still look at you with such love in my heart?
Why did you enter my life 39 years ago?
Why did you overwhelm me with your love?
I do not have any answers
Other than I will love you
Until the end of time itself.
Seeing Your Love
Whenever I touch you, my dear,
I see red flames of love
Like a red hot volcano of molten desire
Erupting from you.
Whenever I hear your voice
The sweet scent
Of hibiscus, lavender, lemon, oranges,
roses, and wildflowers
overwhelms me with
the fragrance of your love.
Whenever I kiss you, my dear
I hear the voices of angels
Singing in my ear
Hosannas to your love,
As I am transported
On the wings of angels
To heaven itself,
Powered by your love.
Love My Wife More
Every day tell her
My love for her grows daily
Love will never die
Where Do I and You Begin?
I woke up one day and realized
I no longer knew
where you and I began
and where you and I ended
we had become almost one
We talked in half sentences
Knowing what the other wanted
and knowing how it would end
We ate the same foods with some resistance
because I still crave an old-fashioned American meal
but still, we were becoming more and more the same
and I feared losing myself
In your embrace
and becoming you
and you becoming me
and this fear of losing me
in the ocean of us
overwhelms me at times
but I know I will always
Return to your arms
because I cannot live
A moment without you at my side
and I know you are the same
we feel each other’s inner pain
we feel each other’s outer pain
and our history has merged
into one
and is that not the secret
of a long marriage?
Have I figured it all out
in the end, does it come to this
a merging of two souls and two bodies?
I don’t have the answers
But I don’t have any more doubts
or regrets with the path I have taken
I still look forward
to waking up each morning
Seeing you there
and knowing that every day
we have together
is a gift that I will cherish
Until my dying breath
5-7-5 Love Poem
Missing you missing me
Dreaming about you, do you dream the same
Will love you until end of time; will you remember me then?
Chains that Bind Us
I realize that my love for you
Is like a chain of steel
Unbreakable,
Tough as nails
and yet as your love entangles me
I realize that I embrace my imprisonment
and don’t want to venture out of my cell
Made of our years together
bit by bit we have become entangled
Where I end and you begin
Hopelessly entangled
Even if I wanted to break free
I could not
For I am you and you are me
and my fate is in your hands
and so I relax
and decide to just
Enjoy the ride of my life
as we move towards the final moments
together as we have always been
Inseparable, merged into one being
Starting at each other
wondering who is that person
Of eternal mystery
That has so captured my soul
and imprisoned it in her love
And I smile thinking of your love
and the endless pleasure it has brought me
and the endless pain I have endured
Just to be next to you
and part of you
Until the day I die
and we meet in the next world
What Is Love Explained to a Space Alien
one day
a space ship landed
near my house
and a tall alien
dressed is silver
accompanied by three shorter aliens
came to my house
and told me they were
conducting a survey
of the earth
and had some questions of me
they had picked me
because I was considered
a subject matter expert
a subject matter expert
on the topic of love
which was one
of the five things
that they could not understand
about humanity
no one else
among the 1 million intelligent species
had such a concept
I asked what were the other things
that they did not understand
they said
hmm Donald Trump
hmm Donald Trump
how and why he is President
and why so many people
still support him
second is god
your race has more gods
than any other race
and no one else
has heard of your god
or Allah or Jesus for that matter
and on the face of it
the whole resurrection thing
makes no sense
makes no sense
third is gun violence
why in the US
you have to do a strip search
to get on the plane or train
and now a days a temperature heath screening
yet you can not ban guns
can not enact universal gun checks
even though 90 % support it
and why can terrorists
still can buy guns?
fourth climate change
every other successful culture
every other successful culture
went through something similar
and evolve their politics and culture
and overcame it
and finally the issue of love
you see in the whole universe
there is no such concept
of romantic love
in most cultures there are marriages
and most people are bisexual
and group marriages are the norm
and love is seen as merely sexual attraction
and most people pick their partners
from computer generated links
From computer generated links
for we have figured it all out
but you persist in denying
that love is nothing but
a chemical DNA thing
explain to me
since you are considered
the most romantic man
in the world
what the hell is love?
I told him that we would discuss
the other issues later over a beer
as I was hardly the authority
but would be happy to share my thoughts
but would be happy to share my thoughts
and they agreed to that
but said again
tell us what is this thing
you called love
I said
it comes down to this
Love is mysterious
love is magic
there is a certain zen element
zen element
to love
to love
a certain taoist element as well
to it as well
those who can define it
have never experienced it
and those who have experienced it
can never describe it
one can say a few things
love happens
when you least expect it
love creeps up on you
Love happens
when you are washing dishes
drinking wine
drinking wine
dancing at a club
making love
for the first time
or the 10, 000th time
and every time
is different
than the time before
love happens when you give up
searching for love
waiting for love
wishing for love
wishing for the one
then one day
the one walks out
of your dreams
and into your life
becoming your wife
my wife one day
was berating me
for all my myriad faults
all my sins against her
my omissions and commissions
malfeasance and misfeasance
things I had done
and things i had failed to do
and things I had failed to do
all of which I acknowledge
and apologized for
but finally I had enough
I said
well if I am so bad
so horrible
so evil a creature
and a person you hate
so much
why the hell did you marry me
she laughed
temporarly insanity
temporarly insanity
and I am still insane
twenty five years later
we both laughed
and fell in love
again
as always
we fall in love
with each other
every day
every moment
every second
every second
it dawned on me
I had the answer to the question
and that my friends
is the true unknowable madness
the true zen spirit of love
well that was interesting
and I think we begin
to understand you all
a bit more
you are indeed
the most interesting people
in the whole universe
so lets go out and have a beer
so lets go out and have a beer
we are dying to try that
as we hear
you have the best beer
in the universe
and the best coffee too
and so we went
and had our beer
and coffee
and talked all night long
discussing everything
they told me about the universe
and our place in it
and their plans for us
The Story of How We Met
It all began in Berkeley, California
In the spring time of 1974
One fateful afternoon
I was dozing in my high school
Physics class.
I looked up and saw
A tall, beautiful Asian women
standing looking at me.
I screamed out,
Who are you?
She disappeared
like 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
To me in a strange language.
Then one day I had the dream
and knew that she was in Korea.
So I chose to go Korea
In the Peace Corps,
Somehow knowing
That I would meet her there.
One day I was in a foul mood.
I had decided to give up on dating Korean women,
And on women in general
After having had several relationships
That did not go anywhere.
I was thinking of returning to the States
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.
Over the course of 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 of 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 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 past lives.
She found me in 1974,
But it took until 1982
For us to actually meet.
And it has been 26 years
Since we met in the physical sphere
Or 37 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
a million ways to say I love you
They say
There are a million ways
To say I love you
In this day and age
I could only find
In my computer’s brain
The words to say I love you
In 53 languages of the 10,000 languages
Spoken on this planet
Someday I may be able
To say the simple words
I love you
In all know languages
This will have to suffice for a start
So I will say it
Loud, and clear
Just so you understand:
I love you (English)
Mein tumse pyar karta hoon (Hindi)
Tu Tane prem karoo chu (Gujarati)
Ame tomake bhalo bashe (Bengali)
Me tula premkarto (Marati)
Hum apse mohabbat karte hain (Urdu)
Mein thoda prem karanga (Punjabi)
Man Dooset Daram (Persian)
Ana Ahabik Yanooni (Arabic)
Havala (Hebrew)
Yongchon(Chinese)
Aloha (Hawaian)
Cinta(Indonesian)
Dangshinun sarang hayo (Korean)
Ajo (Japanese)
Kasih (Malay)
Phom tirak khun krap (Thai)
Akoay Paginghe ikou (Tagalog)
Toi yeu ong(Vietnamese)
Renmen (Creole)
Jesuis L’amour voies(French)
Liefdle (Flemish)
Estoy amor tu (Spanish)
Yosono amore tu (Italian)
Estou o amore tu (Portugese)
Dashuri (Albanian)
Maiteizam (Basque)
OBHYAM (Bulgarian)
Ljubav (Croatian)
Laska (Czech)
Jeger en kaerlighed du (Danish)
Ikben houden van jig (Dutch)
Gra (Gaelic)
Ich bin lieben tu (German)
Agape/eros (Greek)
Ami (Esperanto)
Armastama (Estonian)
Rakam (Finish)
Envagyok szeretet te (Hungarian)
Elska (Icelandic)
Ejekirin (Kurdish)
Milestiba (Latvian)
Meile (Lithuanian)
Eu dragoste tu (Romanian)
JHOBOEL Lubush (Russian)
Elske (Norweigan)
Easka (Slovak)
JBYBAB (Serbian)
Jagdan karlek du (Swedish)
KOYATH (Ukraine)
Benin sevi sen (Turkish)
Ahava (Yiddish)
Ngingu u thando ungu (Zulu)
ode to love on valetine’s day
Ever since I met you, my dear
My life has not been the same
Before I found you
I was lost, sad and lonely
Going nowhere as fast as possible
I was stuck
Did not know what direction to pursue
At the intersection, watching life go by
I was lost, lonely and full of despair
Then one day I saw you
The girl of my dream
Standing there on the side of the road
I was filled with terror
Could not speak
What if you refused to see me
What if you denied my protestations of love
What if you walked away
Never to be seen again
I knew I had to do something
I had to do it then and there
And then you came up to me…
Your voice
The voice of an Angel
Sweat, full of light
Fun and entire sunshine
Ever since the day I met you
Whenever I feel down and depressed
I look at your picture
And sunshine fills my heart
And I am confident, happy and ready
To face all of life’s travails
As long as I have your love
And your support
I can overcome all obstacles
And face all dangers
Together we can do most anything
Without you I will be lost
In the swamp of despair
So my dear
Please stay with me
Forever to the end of time
Let us journey forward
Never looking back
My love, my life
The sun in the sky
The moon that lights my dreams at night
The stars that beacon far away
Thanks to the Gods above
For bringing you into my life
And I promise I will love you
Forever and a day
Just to see your face
Is heaven itself
Just to hear your voice
Is all I ever need
My love, my soul mate
Hurry back to me
We have so much loving to do
So much living to do
So much to do together
Walking confidently
Boldly into the future
Without you
All is nothing
But dust
With you
Everything is possible
My love
Until I see you again
A thousand kisses
And a million thoughts of love
That will have to suffice
Until we are reunited
My love, my darling,
My life and dreams
Hurry back to rescue me
From the despair and darkness
All around me
Until then
I salute you
Oh Queen of my Heart
General of Love
Captain of my Soul
I Still Want You
I still Want You<
More than anything else in life
I want you
I want you next to me
I want you every moment
Of every minute
Of every day
I need you in my life
I need your wisdom
I need your kindness
I need your beauty
I need your special wit
And I need your ability
To deal with this cruel world
I need you to save me
From the demons
That haunt my Soul
Creativity Webzine has published my poem, “Seek the Light.”‘
Seek the light
My friend,
Seek the lightThe light of the universe
The light of peace and happiness.
The cosmic good of the universe.The ancient battle
Between Good and evil
Light and darkness
Life and death
Love and hate.
War and peace.
Seek the light of love
Seeking love
It is all around you
It is all in you.
Open your soul
And let the light
Of the universe
Flood into your soul.
Seek the cosmic light
My son, if you think it is right
If you think the light
Is the same,
As the light of the Christian faith.
You would be right.
If you think it is Light
Of the Buddhist faith
You would be right.
If you think it is Allah’s light
You would be right.
If you think.
It is Shiva’s light
You would be right.
If you think
It is God’s light
You would be right.
It’s the same light
Of the universe
Which shines on us all.
Regardless of our faith
Or lack of faith,
We can all receive the light.
The light of the universe
It’s flawless
We all seek the light
And it is right
To seek the light.
The light of the universe
Is waiting for you
It is all for you.
And if you find
The light of the universe
You will find love
Peace and happiness
It is your birthright,
You will find that
After you die
The Light will fill you
And take you
To the next world.
Seek the light
It is waiting for you.
Wake up and
Embrace your fate
Seek the light on this date.
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
Hi there from Scars Publications (this letter is being sent from a bulk email address and all replies should NOT go to the Gmail address but to any scars. tv email address) – we wanted to let you know that Scars Publications released a 2021 annual collection book of select poetry, flash fiction, prose, & art from 2021 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 let you know about this brand new annual collection book, titled “Regarding Utopia”!
Links to see all of chosen writers and artists (and the titles of their work) in “Regarding Utopia”: http://scars.tv/2021collection/Regarding_Utopia.htm
This is where you can also find out what material of yours appears in this annual collection book.
Enjoy the 2021 poetry, flash fiction, prose (and don’t forget the artwork) anthology with a 2021 Editor’s Choice contest winner from Scars Publications, titled “Regarding Utopia” of select poetry, flash fiction, prose & art in this one-of-a-kind annual 2021 anthology collection book, which contains select accepted writings chosen from 2021 issues of both cc&d magazines and Down in the Dirt magazine…
To know exactly what is included in this collection book, view the listing below… If your writing or artwork appears in this collection book (or if you know someone with the material in this book, or if you just want to pick up a great book to read), order a copy of “Regarding Utopia” today!
And HEY! Any video recorded readings of material included in this date book are also listed here, so check out the video links here as well…
To know exactly what is included in this collection book, view the listing below… If your writing or artwork appears in this collection book (or if you know someone with material in this book, or if you just want to pick up a great book to read), order a copy of “Regarding Utopia” today!
My poem 5-7-7 Love Poem
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:
81 words has published my short story,
“Dream Girl”
You are receiving this email because you have had one of your stories published via the 81 Words Writing Challenge run on my website.
We have now confirmed the official publication date for the 81 Words Flash Fiction Anthology. It will be published on Saturday 20th November 2021.
The printed version of the book is available for pre-order from Victorina Press. It will also be available globally from Amazon by the release date. Victorina Press will be registering the book with the Nielson database, meaning it will be available from Waterstones and many other book retailers over time. Please note that this may not be in place by the release date as it can take a while to go through their system.
With your help, we could make the 81 Words Flash Fiction Anthology an Amazon bestseller. Please visit the page, read it carefully and follow the plan on launch day – you’ll help us sell more books, gain readers for your stories and generate money for charity 🙂
The launch party will take place on Saturday 15th January 2022 online, via Zoom, at 7pm GMT. It will be held in conjunction with Talking Tales, an established storytelling event. There will be many readings from the book, plus readings by other writers via Talking Tales. You are welcome to read your 81 word story at the event, or just come along and listen if you prefer. If you’d like to attend, please reply to this email.
I will be sending another email to everyone specifically about the launch party nearer the time. I will also set up a Facebook event for the launch.
In case anyone missed my previous emails, sent in January and June 2021, here is a recap: We received our 1,000th story on 17th January 2021 and are now preparing to publish the unofficial world record breaking anthology. Proceeds from book sales will support The Arkbound Foundation, a charity in the UK that aims to widen access to literature and improve diversity within publishing. The book is being published by Victorina Press, an independent UK publisher who follow the principles of bibliodiversity.
A note re communication. All the other writing challenge books I’ve published have 100 authors in them. I would usually just send updates via BCC (blind carbon copy) from Outlook. Because this project requires 1,000 people to be contacted, I have set up an email list in Mailchimp for communication – it’s the only safe way I can send that many emails at once. So, you are on an email list but it will ONLY be used for updates about the 81 Words project. This should result in around 5 or 6 emails that communicate release dates, where you can find the book, details of the launch party etc. Once the book is launched and we’ve undertaken the launch party, the list will be permanently deleted and you will not be contacted again.
If you have any questions, please reply to this email.
Cheers, Chris
==============================================
You are receiving this email because you have had one of your stories published via the 81 Word Writing Challenge run on Chris Fielden’s website. The challenge has been running since April 2017. We received our 1,000th story recently and are now preparing to publish an unofficial world record breaking anthology. You can find all the details here: https://www.christopherfielden.com/writing-challenges/81words.php
Thank you again for submitting your work to Pure Haiku.
The above blog post will automatically be shared to my Twitter account at @purehaikufp and shared later to my other two accounts at @FreyasClippings and @FreyaPickard to get as much coverage as possible.
Please note that I approve all comments on Pure Haiku. Depending on when I can get online will depend on when comments appear.
Please feel free to re-blog and share the post in any way you can.
I wrote 269 poems this month, and 865 for the year to date. A record for me. It would be appropriate to include the first and last poems – both about my love-hate affair with my computer
Index
Every Day I Turn on My Computer Warming Up Writing Digest
Dear Microsoft
Evening Delights
Window of Love
Good-Bye
Howling at the Pink Super Moon in honor of the Pink Super Moon
Unanswered Questions
Bad Teeth Poem
American Dreams -Published in Your One Phone Call
Ode to Berkeley, Writer’s Digest Write a City Poem Prompt
Every Day I Turn on My Computer Warming Up Writing Digest
For today’s prompt, write a warm-up poem. The warm-up could be related to sports, like warming up before a baseball game or track race. Or it could be about a computer warming up, the weather warming up, or even a relationship warming up. I hope everyone is warmed up for some major poeming in April,
Every Day I Turn on My Computer Warming Up Writing Digest
Every day I turn
On my computer
And pray
That everything will work right
Usually, I encounter numerous errors
Non-response errors
Spinning blue balls
Computer thinking
How can I mess
With my master head errors
Refusing
To open documents
Mysterious haiku-like error messages
That makes sense only to computer geeks
From the planet Mars
Saying the file is open
And blocked for use
By the administrator
But I am the
Damn administrator!
And I did not block the document
Or can’t open the document
Due to a dialogue box
Close the dialogue box
To proceed
But there is no dialogue box
Just more lies
From my computer
Designed to drive me
Quite mad
So sad
So bad
Want to shoot my computer
Put it out of its mystery
Joining the other five dead
Computers in my house
Am I a computer serial killer?
Perhaps that is why
They refuse to work for me?
Are they afraid of me?
Sometimes they say
They can’t find the document
Which just kicked me out of
Five minutes ago
Or the computer says
It can’t save a document
With the name of an open document
But it had just saved the open document
Under the same name
Five minutes ago
Usually
After half an hour
These errors recede
But I often have to reboot
The computer
Giving it the old kick up the head
Of a stubborn mule treatment
Before it gets to the point
And gets to work
To give Microsoft some credit
These errors are less frequent
Down to 40% of the time
When I first open a document
Down from 90% error rates
Success in a way
I complained to Microsoft
Sent them a nice frown message
But I would be shocked
If they ever respond
Just not something
That they would do
Part of their “superior”
Listen to their customer
Friendly service
No doubt
Dear Microsoft
Evil Laptop Computer
Yesterday you achieved
An almost impossible feat
In 30 minutes
During 8 attempts
To unsuccessfully open word
I encountered errors each time
I attempted to open word
I was opening the documents
Using viewfinder
Each time viewfinder attempted
To open the document
Only to kick me out
I had to try an average of ten times
Before it would open a stable view
The worst was when
It took me 28 tries
Then when I opened word
I encountered non-response errors
Usually, five to ten
Waiting for an average of one to two minutes
Before word would respond
Before I could type a word or two
And when I did manage
That simple task
The screen froze
Finally, after spending 30 minutes
And writing five words
I rebooted my computer
And finally got
A stable connection
Congratulations Microsoft
For achieving a 100 percent
Error rate
Way to go!
Note: sent to Microsoft. I will be shocked if they respond! I Will update this if they do so,
Evening Delights Writer’s Digest pormpt- Write an Evening Poem
wine
My favorite time of day
Is early evening
Cocktail hour
When I sit down
To dinner
With my lovely wife
The love of my life
Either at home
Or at a restaurant
After our evening walk
As we eat dinner
We salute the end
Of the day
With a glass of wine
Or a cocktail
Or Soju
As the day fades
Into an evening
Filled with Love
Window of Love
loves at sunrise
Every morning
I step outside
Do my morning thing
While my wife
The love of my life
Sleeps peacefully
I look through the window
From the balcony herb garden
And watch her sleeping
My heart filling with love
As she sleeps away
The early morning
When she wakes up
She fills me
With the sunshine
Of her love
Driving my blues
Away
With the dawning sun
Good-Bye
To all those who
Have passed on
To another,
Hopefully better world
I say goodbye
So many people
Have died this year
From COVID
From Gun violence
From the aging
Of the baby boomer generation
Many musicians
Actors and writers
Have played their last songs
And we will remember them all
Walter Mondale VP, Ambassador, Good guy
Prince Philip ultimate husband
DMX great rapper
George Segal great actor
Vernon Jordan ultimate power player
Norman Jester the phantom tollbooth is closed
Lawrence Ferlinghetti One of my favorite writers
Chick Corea one of my favorite musicians
Mary Wilson just supreme
George Schultz my first big boss
Christopher Plummer the Actor
Larry King final interview
Hank Arron greatest baseball player ever
And so many others
Many will soon joins them
As the coronavirus marches on
and guns continue to kill thousands
I am 65 years old
And as I get older
I have had to say goodbye
To so many people
I am losing count
But I will miss them all
They live on in my memories
My father died in 1985
My mother in 2005
My sister in 2007
My friends have also passed on
My HS debate friend
Demel T died from AIDS
I lost my college roommate
Jon W
David C my Peace course
language student
I lost my visa line colleague
Paul S
I lost my second and third bosses
In the foreign service
Julian in a terrorist bombing
Ted H who I worked with twice
Dead of a heart attack
Chris my boss in Bangkok
Also dead from a heart attack
Judy my artistic friend
From Bombay days
And so many others
Have gone on
I only hope wherever they are
That they are thinking of me
As I think fondly of them
Howling at the Pink Super Moon (In honor of the Pink Super Moon)
On a moonlit late night
The Pink Supermoon
Casting a baleful light
On the world below
While inside
Sam Adams sat drinking
In a depraved bar
In a den of iniquity
In an evil part of the city
On the left side
Of society
Drinking up a storm
With his buddies
Johnny Walker, Jack Daniels
Jim Beam, and Mr. Evan
And Old Granddad looked on
Encouraging him to drink
One scotch, one bourbon, and one beer
He was just an unhinged lunatic
Dreaming of howling at the full moon
Watching the world walk by
Looking at all the fine-looking babes
Walking by the street
Thinking wild, erotic thoughts
Of endless wild libertine passions
He looked up
At the naked dancing ladies
Dancing up a storm
With an attitude
A Z tude
That could kill
When into the bar
Walked the most beautiful women
In the Universe
So wild, so free
So wonderfully alive
He did not know what to do
As this vision of delight
Sauntered through the bar
In skin-tight leather pants
Looked so fine
That his eyeballs hurt
Finally, he had to say something
He gathered up my manly courage
He walked up to her
She looked at him
Instantly bewitched his soul
With a devilish grin
He lost all reason
And became a raving lunatic
Unhinged lunatic
Under the lunatic light of the full moon
Of the blood-red lights of the moon
Full of wild passions
The lustful beast stirs again
And starts running and running
Howling at the moon
Riding into the new dawn
On a demented Harley Davis cycle
With two naked babes on his back
Riding into the moon
90 miles per second
At the speed of thought
He disappears into the lunatic light
Of the full Pink Super moon
Sam Adams woke up alone,
In his bed
The naked babes
Having disappeared
From his demented dreams
Saying,
“Man, that was quite a night
I better not go there again”
The wild beast
Laughs
He has heard that before
And joins him
In howling at the Pink moon
In the fading light
Of the lost last night
Of the newly damned
Unanswered Questions
I have so many questions to ask
First, how and why I dreamt
Of meeting my wife.
How did she haunt my dreams?
How did she come to life?
What was our past life like?
Why Do I fall in love with her every day?
What does love at first sight mean?
Why did that occur to me three times?
What does hate at first sight mean?
Also, three times in my life,
What does that mean?
What is this thing called love anyway?
Will we meet aliens in my lifetime?
Will I live to see humans on Mars?
Will I live long enough?
To walk on the moon.
When will we develop new body parts?
When can I get new teeth?
Finally, when I die
Will there be a heaven or hell?
What will my judgment be?
Finally, will people remember
Me after I die?
This is the fifth and perhaps final time I am doing the April poetry challenge. The goal is to write at least one poem per day. I am averaging about eight per day and posting four reserving four as “unpublished”. I am basing the poems on prompts from “Writing com Dew Drop Inn”, “Writers Digest”, “Poetry Superhighway” and “NaPoWrMo” prompt daily prompts and on “Pensively Prompt’ et all daily prompts. I am combining prompts where possible. I will post these here in batches every five days or so. Each poem will have an image that helped inspired the poem. All postings will be podcasted a few days later on Spotify and elsewhere. Each posting will be a separate posting, but the index will be cumulative. The final posting will have the complete list of all poems written whether posted or not. Comments welcome but please keep it civil. Some of my poetry tends to be a bit “in your face” or “political” from a “leftwing perspective.” If it offends you in some way, please accept my apologies in advance. That is never my intent.
This is part three covering poems written April 20th to April 25th, posted on the 26th
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
A Million Ways to Say I Love You, Writer Digest
An Angel in My View, PSH prompt
On That Date, Sijo NaPoWrMo
Justice at Last – Take That Ann Coulter
Uncle Sam Wants You PSH
Poem based on a question Writing com Dew Drop-in What is Love? Vrs one
Make Love to Me as We Used To Writers Digest
My Life Began NaPoWrMo
Free will (or not?!) Writing com Dew Drop-in
Appointment with the Grim Reaper, Writers Digest
PSH Blue Blues
Not Alone – Response to Alone by Edgar Allen Poe
When I was a Young Man, She Came to Me, Sonnet About a Shakespeare Sonnet PSH
Earth Abides, Will Humanity Prevail? Writers Digest Earth Day Poem
Ode to Kimchi NaPoWrMo
Play Around with Historical Facts If China had Discovered Europe
Writing com Dew Drop
Watching Movies with Subtitles
A Million Ways to Say I Love You, Writer Digest
Write a love poem or an anti-love poem
A Million Ways to Say I Love You
They say
There are a million ways
To say I love you
In this day and age
I could only find
In my computer’s brain
The words to say I love you
In 53 languages of the 10,000 languages
Spoken on this planet
Someday I may be able
To say the simple words
I love you
In all known languages
This will have to suffice for a start
So, I will say it
Loud, and clear
Just so you understand:
I love you (English)
Mein tumse pyar karta hoon (Hindi)
Tu Tane prem karoo chu (Gujarati)
Ame tomake bhalo bashe (Bengali)
Me tula premkarto (Marati)
Hum apse mohabbat karte hain (Urdu)
Mein thoda prem karanga (Punjabi)
Man Dooset Daram (Persian)
Ana Ahabik Yanooni (Arabic)
Havala (Hebrew)
Yongchon(Chinese)
Aloha (Hawaian)
Cinta(Indonesian)
Dangshinun sarang hayo (Korean)
Ajo (Japanese)
Kasih (Malay)
Phom tirak khun krap (Thai)
Akoay Paginghe ikou (Tagalog)
Toi yeu ong (Vietnamese)
Renmen (Creole)
Jesuis l’amour voies (French)
Liefdle (Flemish)
Estoy amor tu (Spanish)
Yosono amore tu (Italian)
Estou o amore tu (Portugese)
Dashuri (Albanian)
Maiteizam (Basque)
OBHYAM (Bulgarian)
Ljubav (Croatian)
Laska (Czech)
Jeger en kaerlighed du (Danish)
Ikben houden van jig (Dutch)
Gra (Gaelic)
Ich bin lieben tu (German)
Agape/eros (Greek)
Ami (Esperanto)
Armastama (Estonian)
Rakam (Finish)
Envagyok szeretet te (Hungarian)
Elska (Icelandic)
Ejekirin (Kurdish)
Milestiba (Latvian)
Meile (Lithuanian)
Eu dragoste tu (Romanian)
JHOBOEL Lubush (Russian)
Elske (Norweigan)
Easka (Slovak)
JBYBAB (Serbian)
Jagdan karlek du (Swedish)
KOYATH (Ukraine)
Benin sevi sen (Turkish)
Ahava (Yiddish)
An Angel in My View, reverse that Ending and Rev Up the Chiasms, PSH
The Backflip Poetry Prompt: Imagination’s Reversal Strategy
Anyone who has ever taken a creative writing course with me knows how much I dislike “prompts.” I have read very few poems written by an assignment that has the necessary duende to stand on their own feet.
However, the allusion in Cornelius Eady’s poem “Sherbet,” in The Best of Crazy Horse, to Langston Hughes’s poem about Harlem led me to consider the following prompt: end a poem with the same word that a famous poem concludes with, except you Frame it in the negative. Eaddy ends his poem with “explode,” except that it is framed as “can’t …. Explode.”
A similar approach is to consider any statement, especially at the end of a poem, for the possibility of extending into a chiasm. One obvious example is the ending of James Tate’s “The Lost Pilot.” This is not a matter of “inspiration,” I tell my students, who are almost always unfamiliar with this rhetorical construction. One must simply grow into the discipline of asking oneself if such a reversal is possible, and does it nurture the negative capability of the poem’s endeavor.
The Best of Crazy Horse: Thirty Years of Poetry and Fiction, edited by David Gauss (Fayetteville, Arkansas: The University of Arkansas Press, 1990). Eady’s poem can be found on pages 131 through 133.
An Angel in My View
When I first saw her
I saw an angel
In my view
In my dreams
I knew
From that moment forward
Someday
I would meet her
On that date
I would meet
My fate
Eight years later
She walked off a bus
Into my life
Became my wife
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 lov’d Ilov’d alone—
Then 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—
On That Date, Sijo NaPoWrMo
On that date, truly I met, the love of my life, became my wife
In my dreams, she appeared for years,haunting my dreams
She came to life, on that date, I met my fate
Justice at Last -Take That Ann Coulter!
Justice at Last
George_Floyd
There is Justice in America
At long last
God Bless America
Finally, there is Justice
For the black man
For the victim
Of police abuse
For the underdog
Today the jury spoke
The murder of George Floyd
Was simply that
Murder most foul
Today in America
We begin living up
To our pledge
That we are all
Created equal
And that no one
Is above the law
That black lives
Do indeed matter
And so, I say
To Anne C
And her odious ilk
You lost
Go home
And shut up
Chauvin was not a hero
He was simply a zero
The jury saw him
For what he was
A despicable human being
Who killed a black man
Because he thought
That as a white policeman
He could get away it
He was wrong
And so today
Is a great day
As Justice comes
To America
Uncle Sam Wants You PSH
Uncle Sam
Choose 1, 2, or all 3 of these imagistic phrases to write about. Google the phrases for specific images if that will help you to get started.
Old rusty 1940s pickup truck
Uncle Sam wants YOU!
Sunset in black and white
Uncle Sam Wants You
He wants you to sail
The ocean blue
He wants you
To travel the world
He wants you
To meet local people
Then kill them
To preserve democracy
And protect our freedom
what is love? Quesiton Poem NaPoWrMo
Poets have tried for years
To answer a simple question
What is love?
Scientists believe
That Love is a delusion
Nothing but chemicals
Designed to get us
To do our
Reproductive duties
Social scientists
Think they can determine
Our compatibility
That it is all predictable
All can be nailed down
Explained away
But the reality is simply this
Love is not just a matter
Of body chemistry
Love cannot be explained
Love cannot be quantified
Love can only be experienced
Love happens when it happens
When two people meet
Their souls become entangled
Love is mysterious
Love is beyond
Our understanding
In the end
Love simply does
What love does.
Make Love to Me as We Used To Writers Digest
For today’s prompt, take the phrase “(blank) Me,” 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: “Tell Me,” “Forgive Me,” and/or “You’ve Got to Believe Me.” Of course, feel free to bend the rules and have a title like “Home Sweet Ho(me)” or “Pick a (me).”
Make Love to Me as We Used To<
All I want to do
Is to have you
Make love to me
Like we used to
(Ba-ba-ba-ba-boom)
Take me in your arms and never let me go
(Ba-ba-ba-ba-boom)
Whisper to me softly while the moon is low
(Ba-ba-ba-ba-boom)
Hold me close and tell me what I wanna know
(Ba-ba-ba-ba-boom)
Say it to me gently, let the sweet talk flow
Come a little closer
Make love to me
(Ba-ba-ba-ba-boom)
Kiss me once again before we say goodnight
(Ba-ba-ba-ba-boom)
Take me in your lovin’ arms and squeeze me tight
(Ba-ba-ba-ba-boom)
Put me in a mood so I can dream all night
(Ba-ba-ba-ba-boom)
Everybody’s sleeping so it’s quite all right
Come a little closer
Make love to me
My Life Began NaPoWrMo
And now for our (optional) prompt. Have you ever heard or read the nursery rhyme, “There was a man of the double deed?” It’s quite creepy! A lot of its effectiveness can be traced back to how, after the first couplet, the lines all begin with the same two phrases (either “When the . . .” or “I was like,”). The way that these phrases resolve gets more and more bizarre throughout the poem, giving it a headlong, inevitable feeling.
Today, I’d like to challenge you to write a poem that, like this one, uses lines that have a repetitive set-up. Here’s an example I came up with after seeing this video of . . . a bucket of owls.
My Life Began
My life began with a Dream
My life began with a scheme
My life began that date
My life began when I met my fate
My Life began when she came to me
My life began when she came to be
My life began when she walked into my life
My life began when she became my wife
Appointment with the Grim Reaper, Writers 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
Tell no one
This appointment is high
Q level classified.”
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 soon entered
A dark forbidding forest
The road ended
They got out
And walked
Found themselves
In a large field
They parked
And walked
To a large black tent
A demon attendant
Barked
Name and DOB
Sam Adams
10-30-195
You have an appointment
With Mr. GR
Proceed to door number 2
For you 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 GR
For final status determination
Has been confirmed for
Five years from today’s date
We advise you to get
Your affairs in order
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 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
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
The 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
Free will (or not?!) Writing com Dew Drop-in
I believe in fate
I believe that we are doomed
To live out our life
As our fate unfolds
40 years ago
I met my fate
On the date
That I met my mate
For eight years
I had dreamt
Of meeting her
Then on that date
She walked out of my dreams
Into my life
Becoming my wife
That was foreordained
Nothing but the operation
Of fate
April 23—Poem based on a play (It’s Shakespeare’s birthday, but any play!) Writing com Dew Drop-in
Juliet and Romeo Romance
My life at times
Seems to be
Like a Fairy tale
Or like a play
Written by Shakespeare
My wife commented
That our love affair
Was like Juliet and Romeo
But without the tragic ending
Even Shakespeare
Could not have dreamt up
How we met
We met in a dream
45 years ago
She haunted my dreams
For eight long years
Then one day
She walked out of my dreams
Into my life
Becoming my wife
That was the date
I met my fate
I often say
That if I had heard the story
From one of my visa applicants
I would have denied the visa
For they were obviously
Either lying
Or clinically insane
I have often thought
Our story would make
A great rom-com movie
a great K Drama maybe
or a Bollywood romantic comedy
Perhaps one day
I will write it
But I am not sure
Anyone would believe
The reality of our love
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
Earth Will Abide, Will Humanity? Writers Digest
For today’s prompt, write a nature poem. Write about the natural world, sure. But don’t be afraid to delve into human nature or the nature of love or whichever other interpretation comes naturally to you. Poem on!
Earth Will Abide, Will Humanity?
On this earth day, world leaders
Held a climate summit
And for the first time, in four years
The US president led the meeting
Recognizing that the future
Of the earth lay in the balance
The earth will no doubt abide
Until the end of time
I wonder if humans
Will do the same?
Ode to Kimchi NaPoWrMo
kimchi
In a prompt originally posted this past February, Poets & Writers directs us to an essay by Urvi Kumbhat on the use of mangoes in diasporic literature. As she discusses in her essay, mangoes have become a sort of shorthand or symbol that writers use to invoke an entire culture, country, or way of life. This has the beauty of simplicity – but also the problems of simplicity, in that you really can’t sum up culture in a single image or item, and you risk cliché if you try.
But at the same time, the “staying power” of the mango underscores the strength of metonymy in poetry. Following Poets & Writers’ prompt, today I’d like to challenge you to write a poem that invokes a specific object as a symbol of a particular time, era, or place.
Ode to Kimchi
Kimchi
The essential element
Of Korean cuisine
Like Koreans
Hot, spicy, uncompromising
Full of love
And mystery
April 24—Play around with historical facts Writing com Dew Drop-in
If China had Discovered Europe
What if China had discovered Europe>
One of the greatest mysteries of history
Is why did China close down
Their great global expedition
That in 1430 would have resulted
In China discovering Europe
And probably the Americas
The fleet was sailing around
The Cape of Good Hope
When the order
To return came down
The greatest maritime expedition
In history at that time
Turned around
The ships were decommissioned
China turned inward
And never met their destiny
I often wonder
How the world would have been different
If the Chinese had discovered Europe
Back in the day
In 1430, China was way ahead
Of Europe
By the 1600s, when the Europeans
Began knocking on their doors
Europe was racing ahead
And China was still in their
Epic century-long decline
If they had discovered Europe
Would I be writing this in Chinese?
Would China have colonized America
Would my homeland
San Francisco be a colonial outpost
Of the greater Chinese Empire?
Subtitles Writing com Dew Drop-in
Watching Movies with Subtitles
For the last 40 years
I have been watching movies
With subtitles
My wife
Is not a native speaker
And she early on decided
That when she watched
English language movies
She needed Subtitles in English or Korean
I went along
And found that subtitles
Do help
Sometimes
In the midst
Of action
It can be hard to hear
The dialogue
Subtitles help
When I watch Korean programs
I still need
English subtitles
I find I get 60 percent
Of the dialogue
Without the subtitles
Many years ago
When I was
Teaching ESL
One of my students
Had a part-time job
Writing subtitles in English
I smiled
His English was clearly
Not up to the task
But I must say English subtitles
Have gotten better
In the last few years
Nowadays when I watch Korean TV
They usually have Korean subtitles
That helps me a lot
As I can read Korean
A lot better than
I can speak it
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
author at a Korean temple 1980?
author at a Korean temple 1980?
