This is the fourth batch of my April Poetry Madness challenge poems, (for April 21 to April 25), following daily prompts supplied by Poetry Superhighway, Writer’s Digest, Writing Com Dew Drop Inn, and NaPoWriMo. I am not posting any more PSH poems as I need to keep some unpublished for future submissions.
I have included the poem, the prompt, and occasionally a bonus poem or comment or two. I am also cross-posting this on All Poetry, Blog Lovin, Cosmos Funnel, Facebook, Fan Story, Instagram, LinkedIn, Medium, Substack, Wattpad, Writer’s Digest, Writing Com, and Twitter. This is probably my last time doing this. Just getting too old to keep up.
NaPoWrMo The Parliament of Owls Decree Death to All Humans
AV version The Parliament of Owls Decree Death to All Humans
April 5, 2024
PSH Love Expressed Through Food
WD Tell Me No Lies
WC Make Baseball Great Again!
NaPoWrMo Resurrecting the Dodo Bird
April 6
PSH Cosmic Dog From Goa
WD Meeting My Fate Minimum Poem
WC Daily Ritual Drinks
NaPoWrMo Only In SF
Part Two
April 7
PSH Visiting My Father’s Grave
Bonus: Yakima Dessert Blues
WD Meeting My Fate Minimum Poem
WC Why Trump?
NaPoWrMo Planetary Nut Re-Configuration Program
April 8
PSH Area Codes
WD My Lucky Number
WC Economic Perception Delay
NaPoWrMo Wish You Were Here
April 9
PSH Dearly Beloved
WD the Major Event of My Life
WC Death to All Humans
NaPoWrMo My Dysfunctional Family
April 10
PSH You Can’t Write That!
WD Better Political Discourse Needed
WC Green Trees Don’t Make It
AI Bing Version
NaPoWrMo Ode to My Coffee Pot
April 11
PSH Quote Poem About 9-11
WD Crazy Love Nonet
WC April 11—Eclipse/d two Lunatic Lune Poems about the Eclipse
NaPoWrMo Tribute to John Dean
April 12
PSH Subway Journey
WD Old Man Lost In His Old Memories
WC Civil War 2.0
NaPoWrMo 11 One Liners
April 13
PSH First Time to Eat Kimchi
WD Five Trumpian Humor Poetic Fragments
WC April 13—Discovery Shooting Down the Alien Visitors
NaPoWrMo Saga of Big Daddy
April 14
PSH 99 Haiku TBC
WD Life Worth Living
WC Tech Peeves
NaPoWrMo Shy Man Fishing
Part Three
Writer’s Digest Poems
April 15 New Middle Poem Middle Of Political Silly Season In The U.S. Trigger Warning Mild Political Rant
April 16 Trump Shardona Poem
April 17 New Tuesday prompt write a Shadorma poem about recent tech layoffs CEO To Labor Units of Production Shardona – You are Not Wanted
April 18 WD pessimistic Poem -not the Way to Fire People New Rules in the New Corporation World
April 19 Emotion Poem -Fears of Falling
April 20 The Circus Bear Escapes
Bear in collar hears praise while rambling
alt. bonus poem Met And Married My Dream Lady
Writing Com Dew Drop Inn Prompts
WC April 15 Lament Drifting Towards Civil War 2.0
WC Prove Something – God’s Demented Sense of Humor
WC Question something -The Basic Decency and Sanity of Americans
WC Scumbagology
WC Comedy – The Donald Trump Show is Getting Old
NaPoWriMo Prompts
April 15
My stamp collection
April 16
late Night Earthquake blues
April 17
What is Hip?
April 18 It’s A Dog’s Life for Me
April 19
Hunting the Monsters in Hell
Day 20 Trail of Tears – My Family Connection
Begin Poems
Writers Digest Prompts
April 21 PAD Challenge: Fairy Tale Romance
lovers kissing
Sam Adams often thought
Of his true love story
As a fairy tale romance
That somehow became real.
He had dreamt of meeting
His dream lady
For eight years.
He joined the Peace Corps
Traveled to Korea
To look for her.,
Then one day
She told him
In his dream
“Don’t worry
We will meet soon”
That night
She walked off a bus
Into his life
Becoming his wife.
They were from different worlds
She was a Korean college student
From a middle-class family.
And he had grown up
As the son of a college professor
And politician in liberal Berkeley.
Yet despite their different backgrounds
And different personalities
He was not very practical
Lost in his world at times
Not that ambitious.
She was very practical
Money minded woman
Determined to make her mark
On the world
And they did not see eye to eye
On many things
But on the things that really matter
They were there for each other
Understanding each other
And their love grew
Day by day.
Until one day
Sam realized that they had
Been together 42 years
And were still in love.
And that had made all the difference
In their fairy tale true love story.
Write a poem every day of April with the 2024 April Poem-A-Day Challenge. For today’s prompt, write a trope poem.
Once we get through today’s poem, we’ll be finished with the first three weeks of this challenge. Where has the time gone?
For today’s prompt, write a trope poem. For most people, tropes are common plot devices used in certain genres. In romance, for example, the “different worlds” trope brings together two characters from different walks of life and/or cultures. Meanwhile, a popular trope in horror fiction is to split up, which usually doesn’t end well for many of the characters. Mysteries frequently feature the “unassuming suspect” trope. Pick a trope or mix a few in your poem today.
If you need help getting started, check out these lists of popular tropes:
2024 April PAD Challenge: Day 22 Gaii’s Calls for Revenge Against Humanity Earth Day Nightmare
The spirit of the ancient trees woke up
after thousands of years of slumber.
They woke up and marched on Washington
demanding an end to logging, pollution, mining
and other assaults on the planet earth
by the mad human creatures.
They said that Gaia, the guardian angel
of the planet had summoned them
with this warning to the people of earth.
Your time on this planet is coming to an end
i have decreed it, and no one can oppose my will.
Gaia kept her word, unleashing a supper plagues
wiped out 99 percent of humanity.
The few who remained lived under
the watchful eyes of the tree spirits.
Today is Earth Day, so…
For today’s prompt, write an earth poem. The poem can be about nature or the planet. But it can also be about anything or anyone on the planet. Or dirt (aka, earth); feel encouraged to write a poem about dirt. Or earthlings!
2024 April PAD Challenge: Day 23 The Heart of the Matter
Donald Trump’s Trials the Heart of the Matter
The heart of the matter
With Donald Trump’s numerous trials
Is simply this
Is the former president
Above the law
Can he do what he wants
And not be held accountable?
Is the former president
An authoritarian leader
A potential king?
Or is he simply
An everyday citizen now?
Is he a strong leader
a visionary revolutionary populist?
As he constantly proclaims
Or is he broken-down
Pathetic old loser ?
That is the heart
Of the matter.
Today is our fourth Two-for-Tuesday prompt, which would usually mean it’s the final Two-for-Tuesday prompt of the month, but we’re lucky this year: five Tuesdays!
For today’s Two-for-Tuesday prompt:
Write a “(blank) of the Heart” poem, and/or…
Write a “Heart of the (blank)” poem.
Not sure what I’m talking about? Replace the blank in either of these phrases with a new word or phrase, make the new phrase the title of your poem, and then, write your poem. Possible titles might include: “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” “Coney Island of the Heart,” “Heart of the Champion,” and/or “Heart of the Night.”
2024 April PAD Challenge: Maximum Cruelty in the Name of Jesus in the Point
governor abbot
I don’t understand
Why are so many Christian evangelical leaders
And politicians
Are so cruel to everyone!
It seems as if displaying
Maximum cruelty.
To the marginalized communities
To the poor, to immigrants
To the black and brown community
To Asians and other foreigners
To women, and especially
To the LGBTQ community
Is the point.
And all done in Jesus’s name.
By this self proclaimed
Christians.
This is something that Jesus
If he came back
Would not approve
As it violates the core principles,
Of the Christian faith.
Jesus would say,
“Where is the love?
Where is the compassion?
Where is the mercy ?
That I proclaimed
Was the core of my teachings?”
He would say to them,
“You are not Christians”
And he would drive them
Out of the Christian church.
Write a poem every day of April with the 2024 April Poem-A-Day Challenge. For today’s prompt, write a maximum poem.
Well, we’ve only got a week of April remaining, so let’s poem the heck out of the rest of this month.
For today’s prompt, write a maximum poem. Some people may recall that we wrote a minimum poem back on day 6; this takes that concept and brings it back the other way. In fact, one possible way into today’s poem would be to see what you did on day 6 and turn it on its head. Or go somewhere completely new. Whatever you do, take it to the max.
Day 25 Insight into Trumps Incite
president trump
One of the many things
That the former President
Has been accused of is
His calls for his followers
To rise up and riot,
An incitement to violence
On his behalf
Like on January 6th.
My insight into
this incitement rhetoric
Is simply this,
The former president is
The ultimate con man
An authoritarian wannabe
And inciting violence
Is part of his stock in trade
Hoping that his MAGA nation
Will help him take power again.
Writing Com Dew Drop Inn Prompts
April 21—Salient Image (poem based on one concrete thing you remember at day’s end)
The obvious choice for this prompt was the current re-match in the U.S. pitting Trump Vs Biden and three to four third parties. what a farce it is in my mind. In a country of 335 million people, these are our choices?.
April 23—Let Shakespeare be your inspiration
couple-in-love-silhouette-during
My true love story
Almost seems like
A fairy tale romance.
Romeo and Julian almost.
Two lovers met
From different worlds
And find themselves.
Also has elements
Of “Mid-summer night dreams”
Sonnets and poems.
And other classic romance
Dramas, poems, and stories.
And classic romcoms.
Including Sleepless in Seattle
And Bollywood and K dramas..
But in my story
I dreamt of meeting
And marrying my dream lady
Traveled to Korea
Where she was waiting for me.
And despite opposition
From her family.
There was a happy ending
And we are still together
42 years later.
I likened my true love story to a Shakespearean drama or sonnet as it had elements of Romeo and Juliet and Midsummer’s Night Dream among other plays and sonnets. I have written a lot about my fairy tale dream romance in my portfolio and on my blog.
April 24—Unexplored Desire
As one gets older
One often looks back
At all the things you did
In your life.
The good, the bad, and the ugly
And we all have those moments
Because we are human.
And some things you desired
But never pursued.
For me, it was a dream
Of becoming a famous writer
While I can write poems
And short stories,
My greatest desire
Was to write
The Great American Novel.
And sadly it will remain
An unfulfilled desire
As I don’t have the patience or energy .
To edit my six rough draft novels
Turning them into something publishable
And they may die when I die.
And I am in good company.
The rule of ten rule applies
Of one hundred people
Who want to write a novel
Less than ten percent finish it
Of those less than ten percent publish it
Of those less than ten percent make any money
Of those less than ten percent make a living
At writing their novels.
The rule of ten is a meme that applies to many things. I have seen it applied to novel writing, acting, politics and sports. The point being that most people fail to achieve their dreams and there are only a few professional athletes for example although there are millions of people who have played the game in high school or college, few ever make it to the major leagues. Similar thing applies to novelists, only a few people ever make money from writing a novel. Among Actors they call it the 1 percent rule, of people who try acting, only 1 percent will ever make a living from being an actor full time, and politics. Of all those who aspire to be President, only 45 have ever made it, and 44 were white males, and one black man.
April 25—TV series
The_Adventures_of_Bullwinkle_and_Rocky
One of my favorite shows as a child
Was the Rocky and Bullwinkle Show.
Featuring Rocky the squirrel.
Bulwinkle the Moose
And associated bad guys.
Including Boris Benioff
And Natasha Fatale
Vaguely Eastern European communists.
who worked for the Fearless Leader
perhaps East German or Russian?
Rocky and Bullwinkle
Like the Simpsons, Futurama,
American Dad and Family Guy
Were children’s show
They were also quite subversive
Satire on modern life.
But Bulwinkle remains my favorite
Years ago I binged watched episodes
And remember every episode
Even though I had last seen them
Almost 50 years before.
Bing Co-Pilot provided useful background information
Certainly! The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends, commonly referred to as simply Rocky and Bullwinkle, is an American animated television series that originally aired from November 19, 1959, to June 27, 1964, on the ABC and NBC television networks. Produced by Jay Ward Productions, the series is structured as a variety show, with the main feature being the serialized adventures of the two title characters:
Rocket J. (“Rocky”) Squirrel: An anthropomorphic flying squirrel.
Bullwinkle J. Moose: A moose.
The main antagonists in most of their adventures are the two Russian-like spies:
Boris Budanov
Natasha Fatale
Both Boris and Natasha work for the Nazi-like dictator Fearless Leader. The show also features several supporting segments, including:
Dudley Do-Right: A parody of an old-time melodrama.
Peabody’s Improbable History: In this segment, a dog named Mr. Peabody and his boy Sherman travel through time.
Fractured Fairy Tales: Classic fairy tales retold in comic fashion.
The series has left a lasting cultural impact and continues to be beloved by audiences. Although the current blanket title was imposed for home video releases more than 40 years after the series originally aired, the show was broadcast under different titles during its television run:
Another interesting factoid the writers of the show were Berkeley High school students in the late 50’s when I was born.
NaPoWriMo Prompts
April 21 News Gives Me the Blues
cnn logo
Watching the news
As the sun rises,
Drinking a cup
Of snarling coffee.
Often causes me
To feel the blues.
As I watch the gloom
And doom the blues
Comes knocking at my door.
Then I look outside
And see the blue sky
Inviting me
To go for a walk.
As I walk with my wife
The love of my life
By the blue waters
Of the Gimpo Korea canal.
Near my house.
Gimpo Canal
Enjoying the blue sky
And the blue neon sign displays,
A bluebird of happiness
flies overhead
And the blues fade away.
And now for our (optional) prompt! Today, we’d like to challenge you to write a poem that repeats or focuses on a single color. Some examples for you – Diane Wakoski’s “Blue Monday,” Walter de la Mare’s “Silver,” and Dorothea Lasky’s “Red Rum.”
April 22 Coffee and Tea endless argument – which is better?
coffee
Coffee and Tea
Two old friends from way back
Were having an argument
In their favorite coffee shop
the Original Peets
on Walnut and Vine
in Berkeley’s gourmet ghetto
It was a long-standing argument
Dating back thousands of years ,
Which is better for you,
Coffee or tea?
Mr. Carl Coffee maintained
it was better
For you with antioxidants
Flavonoids and some caffeine.
Ms Angela Tea maintained coffee
Was overrated,
Had too much caffeine
And cost too much
In fancy coffee shops.
Like Peets.
The two friends
Concluded their argument.
And went out and had
A few shots of Mt. Guy rum
In a bar near Campus.
Carl Coffee was paying
As coffee was better paid.
Based on following article
Certainly! Here’s an article from The Washington Post that compares the benefits of coffee versus tea: Why coffee is healthier than tea. It explores the research and explains why coffee comes out on top. ☕🍵
Last but not least, here’s today’s optional prompt. This one comes from the poet and fiction writer Todd Dillard, who provided this idea on his twitter account a few months ago. The idea is to write a poem in which two things have a fight. Two very unlikely things, if you can manage it. Like, maybe a comb and a spatula. Or a daffodil and a bag of potato chips. Or perhaps your two things could be linked somehow – like a rock and a hard place – and be utterly sick of being so joined. The possibilities are endless!
April 23 Batman Feeling the Blues Kojiki Poem
batman
On a winter’s night
Batman was in the Bat Mobile
on his nightly drive
he was feeling his age
no longer the batman he was
now just an old man
driving in the bat mobile
tired of fighting criminals
just feeling the blues.
info from Fan Story Japanese Poetry group
This week we are learning how to write a KOJIKI poem. You may use the event’s picture or your own.
KOJIKI is the oldest poetic form that dates back to the 712th century. It’s divided into three parts: upper 5/7/5 – middle 5/7/5 – lower 7/7/7 syllables. Originally, KOJIKI was about religion but for this challenge, you can use any theme. It doesn’t rhyme. It uses a kigo (seasonal reference).
HISTORY
The Kojiki is one of the two primary sources for Shinto, the Japanese national religion. It starts in the realm of myth, with the creation of Japan from foam. Innumerable gods and goddesses are described. The narrative moves from mythology to historical legends and culminates in a chronology of the early Imperial line.
And now for our (optional) prompt. Today, we’d like to challenge you to write a poem about, or involving, a superhero, taking your inspiration from these four poems in which Lucille Clifton addresses Clark Kent/Superman.
April 24 the Dream of the Sphinx
The Great Sphinx of Giza. Monumental limestone statue of a reclining sphinx with a lion’s body and a human head (believed to represent the face of the Pharaoh Khephren). One of the pyramids in the background. Giza, Egypt
The Sphinx is drowsy,
The wings are furled;
Her ear is heavy,
She broods on the world.
“Who’ll tell me my secret,
The ages have kept?–
I awaited the seer,
While they slumbered and slept;–“The fate of the man-child;
The meaning of man;
Known fruit of the unknown;
Daedalian plan;
Out of sleeping a waking,
Out of waking a sleep;
Life death overtaking;
Deep underneath deep?”Erect as a sunbeam,
Upspringeth the palm;
The elephant browses,
Undaunted and calm;
In beautiful motion
The thrush plies his wings;
Kind leaves of his covert,
Your silence he sings.”The waves, unashamed,
In difference sweet,
Play glad with the breezes,
Old playfellows meet;
The journeying atoms,
Primordial wholes,
Firmly draw, firmly drive,
By their animate poles.
“Sea, earth, air, sound, silence,
Plant, quadruped, bird,
By one music enchanted,
One deity stirred,–
Each the other adorning,
Accompany still;
Night veileth the morning,
The vapor the hill.
“The babe by its mother
Lies bathed in joy;
Glide its hours uncounted,–
The sun is its toy;
Shines the peace of all being,
Without cloud, in its eyes;
And the sum of the world
In soft miniature lies.
“But man crouches and blushes,
Absconds and conceals;
He creepeth and peepeth,
He palters and steals;
Infirm, melancholy,
Jealous glancing around,
An oaf, an accomplice,
He poisons the ground.
“Outspoke the great mother,
Beholding his fear;–
At the sound of her accents
Cold shuddered the sphere:–
‘Who has drugged my boy’s cup?
Who has mixed my boy’s bread?
Who, with sadness and madness,
Has turned the man-child’s head?’”
I heard a poet answer,
Aloud and cheerfully,
“Say on, sweet Sphinx! thy dirges
Are pleasant songs to me.
Deep love lieth under
These pictures of time;
They fad in the light of
Their meaning sublime.
“The fiend that man harries
Is love of the Best;
Yawns the pit of the Dragon,
Lit by rays from the Blest.
The Lethe of nature
Can’t trace him again,
Whose soul sees the perfect,
Which his eyes seek in vain.
“Profounder, profounder,
Man’s spirit must dive;
To his aye-rolling orbit
No goal will arrive;
The heavens that now draw him
With sweetness untold,
Once found,–for new heavens
He spurneth the old.
“Pride ruined the angels,
Their shame them restores;
And the joy that is sweetest
Lurks in stings of remorse.
Have I a lover
Who is noble and free?–
I would he were nobler
Than to love me.
“Eterne alternation
Now follows, now flied;
And under pain, pleasure,–
Under pleasure, pain lies.
Love works at the centre,
Heart-heaving alway;
Forth speed the strong pulses
To the borders of day.
“Dull Sphinx, Jove keep thy five wits!
Thy sight is growing blear;
Rue, myrrh, and cummin for the Sphinx–
Her muddy eyes to clear!”–
The old Sphinx bit her thick lip,–
Said, “Who taught thee me to name?
I am thy spirit, yoke-fellow,
Of thine eye I am eyebeam.
“Thou art the unanswered question;
Couldst see they proper eye,
Alway it asketh, asketh;
And each answer is a lie.
So take thy quest through nature,
It through thousand natures ply;
Ask on, thou clothed eternity;
Time is the false reply.”
Finally, our (optional) prompt for the day is another one pulled from our 2016 archives. Today, we’d like to challenge you to write a poem that begins with a line from another poem (not necessarily the first one), but then goes elsewhere with it. This will work best if you just start with a line of poetry you remember, but without looking up the whole original poem. Or you could find a poem that you haven’t read before and then use a line that interests you. The idea is for the original to furnish the backdrop for your work, but without influencing you so much that you feel as if you are just rewriting the original! For example, you could begin, “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day,” or “I have measured out my life with coffee spoons,” or “I miss them, but it wasn’t a disaster,” or “they persevere in swimming where they like.” Really, any poem will do to provide your starter line – just so long as it gives you the scope to explore.
Day 25 Proust Questionnaire
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
I am most content and happy
when I am hanging out
just being with
the love of my life
What or who is the greatest love of your life?
Angela Lee is my Dream Lady
she haunted my dreams for eight years
then came to life
walked off a bus
in South Korea
42 years ago
a fairy tale romance
come to life
What is your current state of mind?
My current state of mind
is quiet contemplation
and sense of inner peace
When and where were you happiest?
The happiest day of my life
was the day I met my wife
42 years ago
Which talent would you most like to have?
I would have liked
to have been able
to drive a car
play the piano professionally
sing in a blues band
finish my novels
better skills
at learning languages
better vision
more coordination skills
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
I would have liked
to have been born
without a learning disability.
better vision
better teeth
better hearing
more coordination
less socially awkward
but still genius level IQ
and never had the accident
that left me with life-long fibromyalgias
and arthritis, to boot.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
My greatest achievements include
Joining the State Department
Joining the Peace Corps
Graduating from UW graduate school
graduating from college
Teaching College for three years overseas
and the most important thing of all
is marrying my dream lady
What is your most marked characteristic?
sense of humor
sense of adventure
incurable romantic
poet, writer, dreamer
What do you most value in your friends?
understanding, empathy, sense of humor
sense of wonder
Last but not least, here’s our optional prompt for the day. Today, we’d like to challenge you to write a poem based on the “Proust Questionnaire,” a set of questions drawn from Victorian-era parlor games, and adapted by modern interviewers. You could choose to answer the whole questionnaire, and then write a poem based on your answers, answer just a few, or just write a poem that’s based on the questions. You could even write a poem in the form of an entirely new Proust Questionnaire. We have a fairly standard, 35-question version of the questionnaire laid out for you below.
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
What is your greatest fear?
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Which living person do you most admire?
What is your greatest extravagance?
What is your current state of mind?
What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
On what occasion do you lie?
What do you most dislike about your appearance?
Which living person do you most despise?
What is the quality you most like in a man?
What is the quality you most like in a woman?
Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
What or who is the greatest love of your life?
When and where were you happiest?
Which talent would you most like to have?
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?
Where would you most like to live?
What is your most treasured possession?
What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
What is your favorite occupation?
What is your most marked characteristic?
What do you most value in your friends?
Who are your favorite writers?
Who is your hero of fiction?
Which historical figure do you most identify with?
This is the second batch of my April Poetry Madness challenge poems, (for April 7 to April 14), following daily prompts supplied by Poetry Superhighway, Writer’s Digest, Writing Com Dew Drop Inn, and NaPoWriMo. I have included the poem, the prompt, and occasionally a bonus poem or comment or two. I am also cross-posting this on All Poetry, Blog lovin, Cosmos Funnel, FaceBook, Fan Story, Instagram, Linkedin, Medium, Subtack, Wattpad, Writer’s Digest, Writing Com, and Twitter. This is probably my last time doing this. Just getting too old to keep up.
NaPoWrMo The Parliament of Owls Decree Death to All Humans
AV version The Parliament of Owls Decree Death to All Humans
April 5, 2024
PSH Love Expressed Through Food
WD Tell Me No Lies
WC Make Baseball Great Again!
NaPoWrMo Resurrecting the Dodo Bird
April 6
PSH Cosmic Dog From Goa
WD Meeting My Fate Minimum Poem
WC Daily Ritual Drinks
NaPoWrMo Only In SF
Part Two
April 7
PSH Visiting My Father’s Grave
Bonus: Yakima Dessert Blues
WD Meeting My Fate Minimum Poem
WC Why Trump?
NaPoWrMo Planetary Nut Re-Configuration Program
April 8
PSH Area Codes
WD My Lucky Number
WC Economic Perception Delay
NaPoWrMo Wish You Were Here
April 9
PSH Dearly Beloved
WD the Major Event of My Life
WC Death to All Humans
NaPoWrMo My Dysfunctional Family
April 10
PSH You Can’t Write That!
WD Better Political Discourse Needed
WC Green Trees Don’t Make It
AI Bing Version
NaPoWrMo Ode to My Coffee Pot
April 11
PSH Quote Poem About 9-11
WD Crazy Love Nonet
WC April 11—Eclipse/d two Lunatic Lune Poems about the Eclipse
NaPoWrMo Tribute to John Dean
April12
PSH Subway Journey
WD Old Man Lost In His Old Memories
WC Civil War 2.0
NaPoWrMo 11 One Liners
April 13
PSH First Time to Eat Kimchi
WD Five Trumpian Humor Poetic Fragments
WC April 13—Discovery Shooting Down the Alien Visitors
NaPoWrMo Saga of Big Daddy
April 14
PSH 99 Haiku TBC
WD life worth Living
WC Tech Peeves
NaPoWrMo Shy Man Fishing
Part Three
April 15
PSH
WD
WC April 15 Lament Drifting Towards Civil War 2.0
Japan April 16 to 19 write prompts write poems April 20-21 or pre-write April 14 or 15
April 16
PSH
WD
WC No Rain
NaPoWrMo
April17
PSH
WD
WC Prove Something – God’s Demented Sense of Humor
NaPoWrMo
April 18
PSH
WD
WC Question something -The basic deceny and sanity of Americans
NaPoWrMo
April 19
PSH
WD
WC Scumbagology
NaPoWrMo
April 20
PSH
WD
WC Comedy – The Donald Trump Show is Getting Old
NaPoWrMo
Part Four TBC
Part Five TBC
Begin Poems
PSH Area Code Haiku
Area Code Haikus
415 SF Bay Area code
510 East Bay Area code
503 Medford, Oregon
703 DC Area Coes
hot
coffee
makes a good morning
coffee
coffee
makes everything
better
boss coffee
morning coffee
good
to the last damn cup
PSH This poetry writing prompt was submitted by Kelley White:
Area Code Haiku!
in Philadelphia, we have two basic codes, 125 &: 267, so maybe one-two-five or two-six-seven syllables:
Writer’s Digest Lucky Number
My Lucky Number
On September 7th
seven
My lucky number
Seven
On the 7th of September
The love of my life walked out of my dreams
I met on that September 7th date
A date I will always remember
It was September 7th
My lucky number that date
I first met on September 7, 1982,
I will always consider 7 as my lucky Number
I always play the number 7 in a casino
and sometimes I win big playing the number 7
Just my lucky number.
PI follows the following pattern:
line 1: 3 words On September 7th
line 2: 1 word seven
line 3: 4 words my lucky number
line 4: 1 word seven
line 5: 5 words on the 7th of September
line 6: 9 words the love of my life walked out of my dreams
line 7: 2 words my fate
line 8: 6 words I met on that September 7th date
line 9: 5 words a date I will always remember
line 10: 3 words it was September 7th
line 11: 5 words my lucky number that date
line 12: 8 words I first met on September 7, 1982
line 13: 9 words I will always consider 7 as my lucky Number
line 14: 7 words I always play the number 7 in a casino
line 15: 9 words and sometimes I win big playing the number 7
line 16: 3 words. Just my lucky number
topic is numbers
writers Com Dew Drop On April 7—Figure something out in a poem
Why Trump?
For the last six years
I have been trying
To figure out
Why 40 percent
Of my fellow Americans
Still support the former president.
Still believe he was
The greatest President ever.
I just don’t understand it
Trump is a racist, misogynist
Sexual predator rapist, narcissistic
Fraudster, con artist, grifter.
Who has lost billions
Of dollars over the years
Never pay his contractors
Or his lawyers.
Has been involved
In over 3,000 lawsuits
And lost most of them.
Who lied over 30,000 times
When he was President
And at least 10,000 times
Since then.
Including the big lie
That he won the last election
Both in the popular vote
And in the Electoral College vote.
Over 90 courts concluded
That there was not there there
And that he lost the election.
There was no widespread fraud
The election was fair and square
And he lost.
Trump is the poster child
For the seven deadly sins
And is not a Christian
Far from it.
Yet to his deluded followers
God anointed him
To destroy the enemies
Of the Christian faith.
Now a court has declared
That he defrauded the State
Of New York
To the tune of 450 million dollars.
He stole top-secret documents
Denied he had them
Refused to give them back
And openly talked about them.
With people not cleared
For secret and top-secret
Documents.
If I had done that
during my time
with the State Department
I’d still be in jail!
He plotted to overturn
The election
And stay in power.
He openly promises
He will be a dictator
And round up millions
Of illegals, and political dissidents
When he is re-elected,
Why he is polling at 40 percent
And not 4 percent
Is beyond me.
The best I can conclude
Is he appeals to those who believe
The whole system is corrupt.
And is rigged against
Lower-middle-class
Christian white Americans.
They feel that they have been
Royalty screwed over by
The masters of the universe.
Who see workers
As nothing but
“Disposable labor units
Of production.”
And they are right
And Trump for his faults
Speaks to the forgotten men
And women in fly-over country,
That is why he is still popular
And could be re-elected
And if he is re-elected,
Can American Christian fascism
Be coming?
NaPoWriMo Wish You Were Here
dedicated to my best friend from the first grade, Robert, who visited Korea when I was in the Peace Corps almost 45 years ago.
I wish you were here
I would love to show you
All the wonders
Of the Korea I love.
And see how it has changed
Since you visited it
Almost 40 years ago
When I was in the Peace Corps.
I wish you could be here
I wish you could
See the country.
Eat the food
Have a drink or two,
But this time,
No live Octopus,
I promise..
I wish you were here
I miss you
I miss our friendship
Going back 65 years.
God,
I wish you were here.
And last but not least, we’re taking it easy with today’s (optional) prompt. Today, we’d like to challenge you to write a poem titled “Wish You Were Here” that takes its inspiration from the idea of a postcard. Consistent with the abbreviated format of a postcard, your poem should be short, and should play with the idea of travel, distance, or sightseeing. If you’re having trouble getting started, perhaps you’ll find some inspiration in these images of vintage postcards.
April 8 PSH When I Was Born
April 8, 2024: Poetry Writing Prompt from Martina Robles Gallegos
This poetry writing prompt submitted by Martina Robles Gallegos:
Provide a roadmap of your life, with its purpose, goals, challenges, achievements, and expectations for success.
When I was Born
Part One
I was born John Cosmos Aller
But for most of my life
I called myself Jake Cosmos Aller
Nowadays, I call myself J Cosmos Aller
or Cosmos As my pen name
the name Cosmos has nothing
to do with me being born
in Oakland
growing up in Berkeley
no one buys that story though
Cosmos
being such a Berkeley-like name
My great-grandfather wanted
an English translation
of the family’s last name
Aller
looked it up in
a German English dictionary
had two choices
Cosmos
or Universe
He chose Cosmos
and thus I am the last
of the Cosmos Aller’s
Universe would have been
an equally good Berkeley name
But I have had other nicknames
The kids nicknamed me Allergy
And pretended to sneeze
When I passed them by
The name came about
From a dream I had
As a boy scout
I was riding a horse
Named Jake
I would scream
Whoa Jake
Slide aside Clyde
Turn around Verdiack
I started saying these words
When I walked about Campus
And people thought
I was a bit mental
So, people simply started
calling me
The Whoa Jake kid,
Later simply
became Jake
After I left school
I liked the name, Jake
Better than John
Too many Johns
In the world, I thought
Part Two
At the beginning of my life,
though was a dream that haunted me
Until she finally came to me.
eight years later
Walking out of my dreams
on a bus in South Korea
was the lady in the dream.
Ending my loneliness behind
we got married two months later
We have been together
now 42 years
when we married
she became a U.S, Army officer
We would sometimes get invites
To things addressed
to Captain Lee and Mr. Lee
I got tired of trying to explain
We had different last names
So, I became Jake Lee
Later when I was
at Walter Reed Military Hospital
undergoing 14 operations
in six months
after I broke my heel
in a freak jogging accident,
The doctors just assumed
I was a major
And called me Mayor Aller
I did not correct them
Liked having been promoted
To the rank of Major!
Now that I am retired
people assume at the military base
that I am a retired colonel
just look at the part.
so now I am Col. Lee
and I never bother
to correct them.
I served 27 years
as a foreign service officer
working in ten countries
from Seoul to Bangkok
to India, the Eastern Caribbean
Spain and DC
representing my country
serving the people
issuing visas
visiting prisoners.
after I retired
I moved to Korea
and Oregon.
When I started trying to become
Professional writing and blogger
I thought using my middle name
Would be a nice pen name
So now I am either J Cosmos Aller
Jake Cosmos Aller
John (Jake) Cosmos Aller
or just Cosmos
No longer Jake Lee
Or Major Aller though.
Writer’s Digest – The Major Event of My Life
The biggest event
Of my life
Was the date
That I met my fate.
I had been dreaming
Of this event
For eight years.
Ever since
I first saw my dream girl
in a dream in high school.
It was love at first glance
As sparks flew from heart to heart
(ishimchomshim)
When she looked at me
With love blazing
From her dark brown
Goo-goo eyes
She hypnotized me
She mesmerized me
As her love mojo
Was working overtime.
I fell under her spell
Becoming her sarang pabo.
Eight years later
I had the last dream,
She spoke
“Don’t worry,
we will meet soon.”
That night
Getting off the bus
In Korea
Was the girl of my dreams!
We both knew it instantly.
And that was the biggest
The greatest event of my life
The day I met my wife.
For today’s prompt, write a major event poem. The major event could be something historical. Or it could be something personal (like a wedding or graduation). Whatever the major event, make sure you get some major poeming down today.
The Korean phrase ishimchomshim means “sparks flying from heart to heart” and is used to describe love at first sight.
Sarang pabo means love foo
Based on my true love story
Writing Com Dew Drop Inn -Economic Perception Delay
biden jpg
April 8—Delay (any kind)
there is always a two to three-month delay
between economic news
and people’s perception of the economy.
most people feel the economy sucks
when in objective fact
the economy is doing just great.
I hope that
Biden will finally get credit
for the economy
in time for the election
as people’s perceptions
on the economy
get caught up
to the reality of the economy.
April 9 Dearly Beloved
We are gathered together today.
To celebrate the Life and Passing
of Sam Adams and Maria Lee.
Sam Adams just
celebrated his 102nd birthday
and also concurrently
his 75th wedding anniversary.
They met as many of you know.
in a dream that Sam Adams
had in high school.
when he saw her there
she mesmerized him
with love blazing from
her dark brown eyes.
. It took eight years
before he finally met his wife
in South Korea,
where he had was teaching
in the US Army
after serving in the Peace Corps.
It was love at first sight.
Sparks flew between hearts and hearts,
and they married two months later.
What many people don’t know,
though, is that their love affair
started thousands of years ago.
Sam and Marie
went through a past life regression analysis.
To celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary.
To answer the mystery of how they had met.
The mystery of the dream
that brought them together.
As they went through
the past life regression analysis.
they made a list
of all of their past lives together
They realized.
That they first met.
5000 years ago, in Atlantis.
They were alien Invaders
from the planet Sirius.
They were reptilian creatures
that landed on Earth.
Set up Atlantis and Lemuria.
And enslaved the proto-humans
from the mainland.
The Syrians were divided into two races.
A red race and a green race.
The red race was the upper-class race,
And the Green Race was the underclass.
The Syrians quickly divided politically
along class and racial lines
the Red race felt
Humans were animals
and should be treated as such
including being raised for meat.
.
The Green race felt that humans
had potential and should be treated as partners
. Rather than slaves,
Sam was the governor-general of the colony
and a red-race cousin
to the Emperor.
Maria was a green race
head of the opposition in Parliament.
It was love at first sight,
although they were politically
quite the opposite.
When they died,
they vowed that they would meet
in the next life.
And then?
A curse occurred.
They would keep
coming back over and over again.
Until they finally became decent human beings
Sam and Maria were deeply flawed creatures
It took 5000 years before.
They finally became decent human beings
and broke the curse
in this lifetime.
And now you know
the rest of their
remarkable love story.
Dearly Beloved AI Version
Dearly Beloved
We gather here today,
to honor the Life and Passing
of Sam Adams and Maria Lee.
Sam Adams, who recently
celebrated his 102nd birthday,
simultaneously marking
his 75th wedding anniversary.
Their story, as many of you know,
began in a dream—a vision
that visited young Sam Adams
during his high school days.
In that dream, he beheld her—
Maria Lee—
her dark brown eyes ablaze
with a love that transcended time.
Eight years would pass
before their paths converged
in South Korea.
Sam, a teacher in the US Army,
Maria, a serendipitous encounter.
Love ignited instantly,
sparks leaping between hearts,
and within two months,
they stood at the altar.
But what remains hidden
from most curious eyes
is the ancient thread
that wove their souls together.
Sam and Marie embarked
on a past life regression journey,
seeking answers to the mystery
that bound them across millennia.
As they delved into memories,
they compiled a list—
a chronicle of shared lives
stretching back eons.
Five thousand years ago,
in the lost city of Atlantis,
they met as alien invaders—
reptilian creatures from Sirius.
Atlantis and Lemuria,
their dominions,
where proto-humans toiled
under their watchful gaze.
The Syrians, divided by color,
red and green—
the former an upper class,
the latter an underclass.
Political lines etched
along racial boundaries,
the red race viewing humans
as mere animals,
fit for servitude.
And so, dear friends,
we celebrate not only
Sam and Maria’s earthly union
but the cosmic dance
that began eons ago.
Their love, resilient and enduring,
transcends time’s confines.
In this jumbled ruin of nature,
their story echoes—
a testament to the eternal bond
of dearly beloved souls. 🌟❤️
WD Crazy Love Nonet for Writer Digest Love Poem prompt April 9
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
Mine.
NaPoWrMo My Dysfunctional Family
it has often been said
that we don’t get to choose
our parents
and that is sadly true
I grew up in a dysfunctional family
My father was a stern taskmaster
an aloof emotionally distant man
from a German Scandinavian family
He grew up in Yakima
became a college professor
and local politician in Berkeley, California
my mother ran away
from a dysfunctional large family
in Little Rock, Arkansas
part of the Oakie refugees
from the dust bowl days
part of the lost tribe
of the Cherokees
also called the Black Irish
she had a very Irish personality
I often thought that I simply
did not belong
as we all had such different personalities
I left home after college
returning once a year or so
getting together with my estranged siblings
who hated me for being successful
i just never fit in
and probably never will
God brought us together
as a family
but I chose a different family
my wife and her family adopted me
and my best friends
became my band of brothers
that is the way it is
in the Aller universe.
Finally, our (optional) prompt for the day takes its inspiration from Laura Foley’s poem “Year End.” Today, we challenge you to write a poem that centers around an encounter or relationship between two people (or things) that shouldn’t really have ever met – whether due to time, space, age, the differences in their nature, or for any other reason.
April 9—The Animal World: Death to All Humans
my muse is quite demented at times. It takes me to dark rabbit holes like this one:
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
will be 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 carry on these decrees,
“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 little mass impact
on the overall environment.
Ever since then all animals
have been impacted
and my species has been hunted
to near 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 dog and cat
for their defense.
the dog responded, “
Humans and dogs have been partners,
for thousands of years,
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 a Campaign
to reform human thought.
I think we should give humans
a second chance.”
the owl motioned to the cat
“I concur with Brother Dog,
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.
Bing AI Version
BIng Co-Pilot does a decent job of writing poetry and stories. I think it is going to put us writers and artists all out work! it also does a great job of poetry anaysis often pointing out areas I can improve on noting meter etc. I used it daily reviewing my poems and poems I am reviewing.
Title: Death to All Humans
The Parliament of Animals met one day In a secret undisclosed location, 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, and Speaking for the defense will be 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 carry out these decrees, “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.”
“The facts are clear. For thousands of years until the Industrial Revolution, Humans had little mass impact on the overall environment. Ever since then, all animals have been impacted, And my species has been hunted to near 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 dog and cat for their defense. The dog responded, “Humans and dogs have been partners For thousands of years, 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 a campaign to reform human thought. I think we should give humans a second chance.”
The owl motioned to the cat, “I concur with Brother Dog. 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
PSH: You Can’t Write That!
When I write political poems
I often face a dilemma.
I feel that I can’t say
What I want to say
For fear of being prosecuted
For defamation, libel, or slander.
My defense that it is true
No longer a legal defense
In Trump’s post democracy society.
I might be referred
To the secret service
For questioning.
And god forbid
If the former president
Is re-elected,
Ushering in Christian fascism
And his promise retribution
Against his enemies.
I could get swept up
In his retribution revenge
Tour.
As poets and writers
Along with illegal immigrants
Dreamers and political activists
LGBTIQQ community,
Journalists alike
Are all going to end up
In the concentration detention
Labor re-education filtration camps.
In secret not-secret camps
That do not exist,
In an undisclosed location.
Perhaps area 51
Gitmo
Or in some tropical shit hole
Third World dungeon of horror.
Perhaps I might end up
Being cell mates
With steven Colbert
Or Jon Stewart.
That would be a blast
And almost worth it.
Based on the following prompt
April 10, 2024: Poetry Writing Prompt from Joanne Durham
This poetry writing prompt submitted by Joanne Durham:
I once drafted a poem that compared an experience walking on the beach after it snowed to the parting of the Red Sea. A fellow poet told me, “You can’t put the Red Sea in a poem – it’s too big, too many connotations for this little poem.” That felt like a provocation to me and I thought, “I’m going to put the Red Sea in a poem, so there!” And I did, in a poem entitled, “You Can’t Put the Red Sea in a Poem.” I heard the wonderful poet Naomi Shihab Nye say something similar. When someone told her she shouldn’t write about the moon – too trite – she went right out and wrote about the moon. So – write a poem about something someone has told you that you shouldn’t write about. You might want to title it, “You can’t put ___ in a poem” or “You can’t write about ___ in a poem.” Then go on to explain why you’re not supposed to include it and use it anyway. (For my example, see my poem at https://www.quartetjournal.com/winter-issue-2022 – scroll down to Joanne Durham. Sorry, I don’t have NSN’s wonderful example to share.)
If you write a poem from this prompt, post it as a comment underneath the prompt in the Poetry Superhighway Facebook Group.
#napowrimo #poetry
April 10 WD Better Political Discourse Needed
It is time
for all Americans
to come together
to become one again.
the United States of America
and avoid
the slippering slope
leading to Civil War 2.0
and the breaking up
of the U.S.
into ten or more
New Nation States.
by denouncing the politics
of personal destruction
to end the partisan bickering
to put the country first.
time to resolve
to be civil, police
and really listen
to our fellow Americans.
time to realize
they are not the enemy
they are not-anti-American
and none of them are Satanic pedophiles!
time to realize Q lied.
and people died,
we can agree to disagree
time to learn the fine art
of compromise.
it is time to put down
the TV remote
turn off the noise box.
It is time
to put down our guns
and our politics of hate.
it is time to follow
the angels of our better nature,
rather than the demons
of our collective fear.
It is time to follow the adage
never let the perfect
become the enemy of good.
if we do all of this
we will have better
political discourse.
and get the country
back on track
towards a more perfect union.
Write a poem every day of April with the 2024 April Poem-A-Day Challenge. For today’s prompt, write a Blank Better poem.
For today’s prompt, take the phrase “(blank) Better,” replace the blank with a new word or phrase, make the new phrase the title of your poem, and then, write your poem. Possible titles might include: “Be Better,” “Write Better,” “Wanting Better,” and/or “There’s Nothing Better.”
April 10—The plant world -Green Trees Don’t Make It
Note: I first wrote this in 1975!
Everyday
I look out and see
The ugly green trees
Standing guard in front of my house
And I think to myself
Who owns the trees?
And what do they think of us?
Are we their friends?
Are we their enemies?
Do the trees think?
Or do they silently watch us,
Spies to the celestial emperor?
I have pondered this question
Many a morning
Who is the owner of these trees?
And why do they silently watch us?
I wonder if the trees don’t hate us
And why they don’t protest
Every day as we drive back and forth
Emitting poison gases from our mechanical asses
Right into their unprotected faces
And every night we eat our dinner
And then give the trees
Our polluted leftovers
And laugh as they silently die
From our acidic fallout
Constantly floating down on their skin
Yes, I wonder about the trees
And the birds and the bees
And everyone else
What are they thinking?
Are they plotting revenge?
Or are they merely there
Silently, watching, plotting,
Designing fiendish plots of revenge
Dreams of vast nuclear destruction
Cosmic diseases wiping out everyone in the ass
Oh Yes, I wonder and dream and ponder
What is the meaning of those silent green trees?
Standing on the corner
Quietly condemning us
With their quite tears, and falling leaves
In the winter they stand
Naked and alone
Covered with ice cold snow
As we drive by nice and warm
And we don’t care
As they stand out in the cold
Shivering, plotting warm plans of cosmic revenge
Is it too late for us
To become friends with the trees.
Or will the day come
When the trees will wake up
And gather together
All of the other slaves of humanity
I have a vision
One morning I will open the door
And see an army of wild things
Coming to arrest me
For crimes against nature
And I will plead, I did not know
And they will laugh and turn me all of my kind
Into silent tombs
And we will stand out in the cold
Like the green trees
Plotting dreams of revenge
For ever and ever
Until our day finally comes
And we can go out and kill all the wild things
Perhaps we already have
AI Version Green Trees Don’t Make It
Green trees don’t make it, Standing guard in front of my house. I ponder: Who owns the trees? What do they think of us? Are we their friends or enemies? What do the trees silently observe? Spies to the celestial emperor?
In Washington DC, Looking out my window, What did I see? I saw the squirrels in the trees And the peaceful trees of Capitol Hill. Near the seat of power, Yet distant from its machinations.
The trees, ancient witnesses, Their leaves rustling secrets, Their roots anchored in centuries, Whispering tales of forgotten empires, Of wars waged and treaties signed, Of lovers’ trysts and children’s laughter.
Green trees don’t make it, But they endure. They witness our follies, Our triumphs, our tragedies. They stand tall, unyielding, Their branches reaching for the sky, Their roots entwined with history.
Who owns the trees? Perhaps no one and everyone. They belong to the wind, To the birds nesting in their boughs, To the squirrels leaping from limb to limb. They belong to time itself, A silent chorus in the symphony of existence.
Green trees don’t make it, But they persist. They sway with the seasons, Their leaves ablaze in autumn, Their branches bare in winter, Their buds burst forth in spring, Their canopies providing shade in summer.
What do they think of us? Do they mourn our wars, Our greed, our indifference? Or do they celebrate our moments of grace, Our acts of kindness, our shared laughter? Perhaps they simply observe, Their wisdom deeper than our fleeting lives.
Are we their friends or enemies? We who build houses and roads, Who prune their limbs and pave their roots. We who breathe their oxygen Yet poison their soil with chemicals. We who marvel at their beauty Yet take them for granted.
What do the trees silently observe? The passing of generations, The rise and fall of civilizations, The ebb and flow of human folly. They witness our comings and goings, Our celebrations and sorrows, Their rings recording the rhythm of time.
Spies to the celestial emperor? Perhaps they report to the stars, Their leaves like cosmic diaries, Their whispers carried on the wind. They witness our smallness, Our insignificance in the grand design, Yet they stand, unwavering witnesses, Green trees that don’t make it, But endure.
NaPoWrMo Tribute to James Dean
James Dean Died
October 1, 1955.
29 days before
this rebel with
out a caused burst forth.
announcing to the world
in a James Dean like howl
I am here
deal with it, MF!
James Dean
died in a fiery car crash
during an illegal drag race
in Salinas, California.
which took his life
sadly at age 24.
the studio bemoaned his passing
saying he was their biggest star
and they had big plans.
for the Giant star
of “Giant”
“East of Eden”
and my favorite Dean movie
“Rebel without a Cause”
James Dean was indeed
a rebel against the establishment
and spoke to so many people.
with is oh so cool disdain
and his hipster attitude
to the max tude.
he died way too young
his passing still mourned
68 years later.
RIP in peace
James Dean
wherever you are
you are there, man.
and I will be joining you
when the Grim Reaper
comes calling for me
in a few short years.
when we meet
and we will meet
we will sit down
and drink a “hell” beer
in Heaven.
because in Heaven
there is always free beer
but the best beers
and brewed in Hades.
hy of James Dean:
James Byron Dean (February 8, 1931 – September 30, 1955) was an American actor whose career spanned just five years until his untimely death. He became a cultural icon of teenage disillusionment and social estrangement, as exemplified in his most celebrated films. Dean’s early acting career included uncredited roles before he gained stardom with his performance in “East of Eden” (1955), where he played a rebellious son seeking his father’s approval. His portrayal of a frustrated teenager in “Rebel Without a Cause” (1955) solidified his legacy as the embodiment of youthful angst. His final lead role was in “Giant” (1956), where he played a Texan rancher who strikes oil and becomes wealthy. Tragically, Dean’s life was cut short at the age of 24 in a car crash in Salinas, California. Despite his brief career, he received two posthumous Academy Award nominations and remains a significant figure in American cinema and culture123.
WC Dew Drop Inn April 11—Eclipse/d two Lunatic Lune Poems about the Eclipse
Title: Final Solar Eclipse
the solar eclipse
ended life
massive solar flare
Title: Howling At The Eclipse
howling at the moon
full madness
solar eclipse time
Writer’s Digest – title: Old Man Lost In His Old Memories
Memories
Of past events
Yesterdays
Overwhelming
An old man
Lost in his past
Can’t sleep at 0 dark hundred.
Note: “ O dark hundred” is military/intel jargon refering to the time two to three hours before dawn when operatives get up to get ready for dawn opperations. Depending on location and time of year it is between 2 a.m. to 5 a.m.
for me is 3 a.m. and 5 a.m. when I get the insomnia blues.
live your life fully, as if today were the last day of your life
Dreams Can Come True
Remember dreams can come true if you believe in them
Beating the Lie detector
Jerry, remember it is not a lie if you believe it
Goerge Constanza’s advice to Jerry Seinfield on how to bSeinfeldeat a lie detector
Trump President Again
the prospect of Donald Trump becoming President Again should terrify you.
Married the woman of My Dreams
I married the woman of my Dreams
Old Age Memories
as an old man, I often live in my old memories
Talking Back to Yourself
talking to yourself is fine, if you hear yourself talking back, then you have a problem.
Drugs
they say drugs are for those who can’t handle reality
Tower Of Power Best Funk Band of All Time
There is no denying the fact that the Tower of Power is the Best Funk Band of All Time
Is Christian Fascism Coming
if Trump becomes president again, will he usher in Christian fascism?
Civil War 2.0
so much talk about Civil War 2.0 around, have Americans all lost their minds?
Today’s resource is grieftolight, an Instagram account where you will find a wealth of poems.
Finally, our optional prompt for the day honors the “ones” in the number 11. Today, we’d like to challenge you to write either a monostich, which is a one-line poem, or a poem made up of one-liner style jokes/sentiments. Need inspiration? Take a look at Joe Brainard’s poem “30 One-Liners” or Frank O’Hara’s “Lines for the Fortune Cookies.”
PSH Returning home Subway Journeys
Write a poem describing the way back home from a trip using public transport (bus, train, plane). What do you experience while traveling? Use the description alternately between what you perceive outside yourself and what you think within yourself. You can include what you left behind and what you are heading towards, but the most important thing is a report on your journey in the company of other strangers and the landscapes outside your window in any poetic form.
I live in Korea
a country with great public transportation
I have been riding buses and subway trains
in Korea and around the world
since the early 70’s.
On of the joys
of living in Korea
is that the public transit
is great
available everywhere
go where you want to go
inexpensive
safe
and pleasant to use.
what a contrast
to the United States.
where public transit
is often not even an option
it is expensive
does not go where
you want to go.
and is dangerous
smelly and frankly
disgusting to use.
the other day
I was going home
from the doctor’s office
we took the Gold Line
to the number five line
to the number four line
took about one hour and half
and included 15 minutes
of walking
an excercise bonus
so to speak
cost about US$ 2.0
an equivalent trip
on the DC metro
would cost $ 10.00
and may not even be
an option
depending on where you live.
the Gold line is an self driving line
that the City Government
pushed through a few years ago
in lieu of expanding the real subway line
they screwed up
badly understimating the useage
of the new line
which locals dubbed the hell line
due to severe overcrowding
during rush hour
they have to have staff
control the crowds
but fortuantely
the trains comes
every three minutes
we often just let
the train go by
and take the next one.
then a short walk home
to my apartment
on the 17th floor
of a high-rise apartment
overlooking the fake Venice canal
all in all
I am pleased
to live in a modern country
that gets public transit right
and regret that America
my homeland
is so backwards
at times.
April 12—Make a dire prediction you hope doesn’t come true
January 6 riot
Civil War 2.0
Reading the latest polls
Showing that President Biden
And Ex-President Trump
Tied in a dead heat
In the polls
Particularly in the swing states.
. I realize there is
Real possibility
That Donald Trump could
Be elected president again,.
Again, and if so, what would he do?
These nightmares keep me up
At 0 dark hundred.
Nightmares that President Trump
Ending American democracy
Replacing it with Hungarian-style
Neo-fascism overwhelms me.
Another factoid in the news
Is that 25 states,
According to the Texas Independent Movement,
Would likely join Texas in seceding.
From the U.S. in the event
That Biden is elected president.
The proponents of this Great Divorce
Call it Civil War 2.0.
And in most cases, it’s led by Texas.
Leading the Red States
And California leading the Blue States
Including the entire West Coast
And NE America and Chicagoland
Out the proverbial door.
And if Trump does not make it
He would call it rigged
And announce he would be happy
To serve as the President
Of the Christain States of America
Immediately Texas and 25 states
Succeed and hold a constitutional convention
To enact Constitution 2.0
So if Trump wins Christain Fascism
Followed by Civil War 2.0
If he loses Civil War 2.0
Followed by Christian fascism
In the Christian States of America.
. So with these gloomy thoughts,
I think about what would happen
If Trump re-enters the White House.
And usherer in. Christian Fascism.
What would he do first?
Well, he says the first thing
He would do
Is shut down the border
And shut down immigration for a year,
Banning Muslim travel and
International students, particularly
From China..
While rounding up all illegal immigrants,
Including the Dreamers.
Those. Illegal immigrants
That came to the United States as children.
The second thing he would do
Is withdrawing from NATO, Korea, and Japan
And station troops along the border.
The third thing he would do is to take
A Sledgehammer to the federal government budget,
Like his friend the Argentian president
Shutting down most federal government agencies,
Reverting their functions to the states
Or private sector.
This could include turning over the national parks
And National Forest lands to the states for exploitation
As they seem fit.
Ending Federal wilderness protections,
The Endangered Species Act,
Shutting down the EPA,
Agriculture, Commerce, Education,
Energy, Labor, and Interior departments,
Merging State Department and DHS.
Withdrawing from all climate change negotiations
While eliminating renewable energy tax and other credits
And drill, baby, drill everywhere
The fourth thing he would probably do
Is to legally eliminate transgender status
By defining that there are only two genders
In the US, males, and females,
Which are assigned at birth
Prohibiting governments, and the private sector
From recognizing any sex changes
And prohibiting insurance companies
From paying for any sex changes.
The fourth thing he would do.
Is ask the Supreme court to rule
That states can once again
Make LGBT status illegal
Including banning same-sex marriages
And authorizing discrimination
Against the LFBTQ community.
And banning LFBTQ community members
From having security clearances
And serving in the military
State Department and intelligence agencies,
The fifth thing he would probably
Do is impose
A mandatory 10% tariff on all imports.
All of these things
Would lead to the West Coast
Declaring that they are no longer
Bound to obey the federal government
And the East Coast states as well
And Chicago land,
This may very well lead to a peaceful
“ great divorce”
After a constitutional convention,
But it could lead to civil War 2.0
With unimaginable dire
Worldwide consequences.
Including China invading Tawain
North Korea invading South Korea
Russia attacking the Baltic States
And Finland,
India and Pakistan war
Perhaps ending in a nuclear exchange
Iran invading Iraq
And attacking Israel.
As our enemies
Take advantage
Of the U.S. withdrawl
Into civil war madness.
These are some of my nightmares
That I hope will not come true.
2024 April PAD Challenge: Day 12 Trumpian Humor
Write a poem every day of April with the 2024 April Poem-A-Day Challenge. For today’s prompt, write a funny poem.
For today’s prompt, write a funny poem. Keep in mind that funny isn’t always “ha-ha” funny. For instance, your poem could include a funny smell or talk about a funny (or weird) person or situation. And if you’ve ever hit your funny bone, that pain is not making anyone laugh. So write a funny poem, whether it’s for a laugh or not.
Five Trumpian Humor Poetic Fragments
1
Donald Trump
sat on his fat rump
what a toxic wasted dump
2
Donald Trump screams Deep State Out to Get Me
Donald Trump
screaming to everyone
the Deep State is out to get me
they are indeed
3 who is crazier
Donald Trump is on a rampage
daily showing he is out of his mind
the media is fixated on Biden
being too old
the public says
what a choice
which crazy old man
do we choose?
4
the choice
the choice comes down to this
do we chose cool grandpa
or do we choose crazy grandpa
dear God
please take them both
time for a re-do
5
Don’t understand the trump voter
why would you vote
for such a con man
such a vile excuse
for a human being?
then it dawns one
they still find
his Don Rickles comedy
his insult dog commedy routine
still funny
but I think
his sell by time
has expired
and he should be
simply retired
NaPoWriMo Saga of Big Daddy
And last but not least, our optional prompt. Today, we’d like to challenge you to write a poem that plays with the idea of a “tall tale.” American tall tales feature larger-than-life characters like Paul Bunyan (who is literally larger than life), Bulltop Stormalong (also gigantic), and Pecos Bill (apparently normal-sized, but he doesn’t let it slow him down). If you’d like to see a modern poetic take on the tall tale, try Jennifer L. Knox’s hilarious poem, “Burt Reynolds FAQ.” Your poem can revolve around a mythical character, one you make up entirely, or add fantastical elements into a real person’s biography.
Big Daddy,
Was the man
who always had a plan.
He was an ex-University of Arkansas
And Dallas cowboy player
Who had worked for the CIA
After the agency fired him
For murdering enemies
Of the state at home
In contravention of agency rules,
But they retained his services
From time to time.
He became a legendary figure
He was a cipher, a ghost, an intel operative
A spy, a spook, a secret agent man.
No one knew his real name
Called him Big Daddy
Or his latest covert name.
And he had hundreds
Of cover legends.
He officially did not exist,
As his agency had officially
Terminated him years ago.
He now worked for an agency
That did not exist.
The same agency
That had terminated his legal existence
For matters of national security.
He lived in the shadow lands
Of the third world
In nameless hellhole slums
And dark secret dungeons.
Where he would do what needed
To be done
Killing those that needed killing
At the instructions
Of his unseen masters.
He was Just a rumor
Living in the shadow worlds
working for an unnamed agency
An intel operative
The best of the best
At what he did
Which was creative interrogation
His favorite choice
Almost too many choices
To make
But his favorite choice
Was creative use of
An electric shock
Imaginary or not
But sometimes
It had an outcome
An unimaginable outcome
His worst nightmare
The victim is released
And sues him
And the agencies
That he worked for
But so far
It has not happened
As no one knew
His real name
And the government
Did not know too
So justice
was never served
On Big Daddy.
Big Daddy a rogue CIA agent popped into a dream one night. I have written quite a few Big Daddy stories and poems. I see him as a modern day Harry Flashman – the fictional 19th Century rogue British military guy who got into all sorts of scandals and intrigue.
April 13, 2024: Poetry Writing Prompt from Robbi Nester
This poetry writing prompt submitted by Robbi Nester:
Smell is one of the first senses we experience, along with taste, accessible before our eyes work very well. Therefore, it can give us access to the distant past, often in great detail, as taste can.
Think of a smell you may have recently experienced that had the power to plunge you back into some experience in the distant past you had all but forgotten about. What is the smell? Where and when did you smell it? Who were you with?
Use your description of the smell and place and person to show the reader how it makes you feel to experience this scent again.
If you write a poem from this prompt, post it as a comment underneath the prompt in the Poetry Super Highway Facebook Group.
First Time I ate kimchi
kimchi
the other night
I had some Kimchi
with dinner
as I almost always do
living in Korea
with a Korean born wife
I have been eating kimchi
since 1979
but the smell brought back
my first memory
of eating Kimchi.
back in high school
i knew a Korean student
who was living
at a rooming house.
he was a Moonie
but was cool about it.
did not try to convert me
one day I was hanging out
with him.
and he treated me
to a typical Korean lunch
including Kimchi.
when i bit into
that fiery hot food
I knew I was hooked.
and when I found out
I was going to Korea
I knew I would soon
be eating kimchi
in the land
that invented Kimchi.
and I was pleased
with that,
WD life worth Living
As I grow old
With the love of my life
Still by side
I realize
Once again
How much my life
Has changed
Since she entered my life
She was a bright ray
Of sunlight
That broke through the darkness
In my Soul
And made life
Worth living
And every day
I thank God
That she came
Into my life.
Write a poem every day of April with the 2024 April Poem-A-Day Challenge. For today’s prompt, write a living poem.
For today’s prompt, write a living poem. What makes a living poem may be different for everyone. Some people may like to live it up, while others may focus solely on being alive. However, only you know what kind of poem you can live with. After all, it’s your life (and poem).
Remember: These prompts are springboards to creativity. Use them to expand your possibilities, not limit them.
Note on commenting: If you wish to comment on the site, go to Disqus to create a free new account, verify your account on this site below (one-time thing), and then comment away. It’s free, easy, and the comments (for the most part) don’t require manual approval.
Here’s my attempt at a Living Poem:
Mature Couple being attacked in their car by a hoard of zombies.
“the living dead”
they come out in the day and night
looking for anybody’s brains
or other organs they might bite.
they come out in the day and night,
whatever time they feel is right,
because they have those hunger pains.
they’re hungry in the day and night
looking for anybody’s brains.
April 13—Discovery Shooting Down the Alien Visitors
In the movie
the signal
an Astro
naut receives
a signal
from an alien spaceship
heading to earth
the alien repeats the word
Hello in multiple languages
while heading to earth
the discovery electrifies
and terrifies the world
the decision is made
by all the world’s governments
in secret
to shot down the spaceship
before it could land
as it could be either a probe
of the beginning of an invasion.
when they enter the ship
they find completely disabled
robot crew.
along with the original
voyager data discs
which the aliens
were returning to earth
as an opening gambit
to establish communication.
NaPoWrMo Shy Man Fishing
one day a shy man
went to the ocean
he was a he-man, had a van.
he was filled with emotion
he wished to eat bonefish
he wanted it for his food,
he had a mad cat
who joined him in fishing
watching the fish freeswimming,
the man was a lewd rude dude
catfishing and phising
to sell his stolen fish
from his van.
Finally, our optional prompt for the day asks you to play with rhyme. Start by creating a “word bank” of ten simple words. They should only have one or two syllables apiece. Five should correspond to each of the five senses (i.e., one word that is a thing you can see, one word that is a type of sound, one word that is a thing you can taste, etc). Three more should be concrete nouns of whatever character you choose (i.e., “bridge,” “sun,” “airplane,” “cat”), and the last two should be verbs. Now, come up with rhymes for each of your ten words. (If you’re having trouble coming up with rhymes, the wonderful Rhymezone is at your service). Use your expanded word-bank, with rhymes, as the seeds for your poem. Your effort doesn’t actually have to rhyme in the sense of having each line end with a rhymed word, but try to
use as much soundplay in your poem as possible.
rhyming table
see sky shy, die, guy, ply why
taste food dude, lewd, mood, skewed tude,
smell ocean emotion, notion, motion
taste fish dish, wish, bonefish
cat bat, fat, rat
man plan, he-man, van
fishing catfishing, phising
swimming freeswiming, nightswiming
WC April 14—Complaint Computer Blues (revised)
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.
Here are some of my pet peeves
Constantly Crashing
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
Can’t Open Files or Save files or opens random sh…
often when trying to open
a document in word
the word open file button
fails to respond
sometimes you have to wait
five minutes
or when trying to open a file
the computer opens a random file
instead
or when trying to open a document
it kicks you out
often several times
sometimes you can
open a copy
sometimes not
and sometimes you can save the document
under the same name
often you have to save it
under another name
No dialogue box open lie
sometimes it refuses to open
a document saying
there is a dialogue
box open
which is a lie
there is no damn
dialogue box
visible
Random Blue Screen of Death
Cursing up a blue stream of blue curses
As the blue screen of death
Marches 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
Endless Non-Response Spinning blue wheels
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
Computer error Haiku Codes
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.
Copy and Paste Wiping out document text
or when doing a simple copy and paste function
the computer defaults to the last command
making you have to do it again and again
up to five times sometimes
and on a random basis
the copy and paste function
wipes out all data
in the document
and to add insult to injury
deletes all previously saved version
sending the data
into computer limbo land
never to be found again
all without warning
just zip its gone!
Frozen Num Lock
another thing
my computer loves doing
is on a random basis,
turn the numbs lock-on
without warning
turning text into numbers.
requiring you too manually
turn off the number lock.
All Caps Pops On on a Random basis
once in a while
the all-caps button
mysteriously turns on
turning everything into caps.
fortunately
usually there is a warning flash.
Defaulting to Foreign Languages
a very annoying feature
is that when you log in from overseas
everything defaults to a foreign language
usually without the ability to change
it back to English
despite the fact
your settings are all in English
there may be a hidden button
to change language
written in the langauge
used in that country.
the computer does not know
or care that up to ten percent
of people logging in
from overseas don’t read
the language.
or are travelers
traveling through.
Excell Freezes Up
And in Microsoft excel
Refusing to move the cursor
Just freezing in place for a moment
Before kicking me out.
Can’t Copy External Data in Excel for reasons
Excell had a problem
Copying data from other sources
Generating an error message
About not being able to load fonts
Then ask you to say okay
Then kicking you out
Once I did those 200 times
I finally ditched Excel
And moved to Google Docs.
Can’t Find Printer
often the computer
can’t find the printer
just because ….. reasons……
AI hallucinations
AI is a great tool
but sometimes
it gets things wrong
or makes shit up!
Google Bard
once tried to convince me
that the US Embassy
In Seoul had moved
five years before
to a new location
outside of Seoul
only problem was
that was an AI hallucinaut
based on a proposal
five years ago
those in the know
call this an AI hallucination.
And it has a liberal bias
once Bing Co-pilot
refused to define the term
“libtard”
saying it was vile
insult and should
not be used
by anyone
ending with
next topic please
Mission Accomplished
And all the other gobbledygook messages
That pops up every five minutes it seems
As the computer slowly drives me mad
Flashing the final insult
User-driven mad
Mission accomplished.
I am again entering the annual April Poetry Month challenge. I will update this once a week and post the updates on Blog Lovin, Facebook, Fan Story, Instagram, Medium, Substack, Watt Pad and X. Comments are welcomed.
Index
April 1
PSH Ode to Durian
WD Optimistic Laturnae
WC Dew Drop Inn Sarang pabo love fool
NaPoWrMo Easter Bunny Warm up March 31
NaPoWrMo April 1 Cage
April 2
PSH The Words of the Year 1955 PSH
WD Sad and happy days
WC Dew Drop Inn Spring Time Flowers Blooming Love
NaPoWrMo Ode to Coffee
April 3
PSH Berkeley Mad Psychotic Pineapple Burns Sonnet
PSH 2 AI Version Traditional Sonnet
WD My Musical Street
WC Dew Drop Inn
NaPoWrMo
The Parliament of Owls Decree Death to All Humans
AV version the Parliament of Owls Decree Death to All Humans
April 4
PSH Love Expressed Through Food
WD Look at the Sky
WC Dew Drop In Ending Shaving in Retirement
NaPoWriMo It Can’t Happen Here
April 5
PSH Cosmic Dog From Goa
WD Tell Me No Lies
WC Dew Drop Inn Making Baseball Great Again
NaPoWriMo Only In SF
April 6
PSH Visiting My Father’s Grave
Writers DIgest Meeting My Fate
Writing Com Dew Drop Inn Daily RItual Drinks
NaPoWrMo PNRCP
Begin Poems
April 1
Ode to Durian
The infamous durian fruit is a strange phenomenon.
Common in China, Southeast Asia, and India,
and in Chinese, Southeast Asian, and Indian diaspora communities,
It has such a powerful sour smell that it is banned in airline cabins.
I first ate Durian in a rural town in Central Thailand
my hasher friends dared me to eat it
it was horrible at first the smell
But if you can get beyond
The awful, dirty socks, rotten, sour smell,
The taste is pure heaven,
Proof perhaps that God has a sense of humor?
This poetry writing prompt submitted by Suzanne Lummis:
Evolve a poem that involves an exotic fruit, one fruit, and a town you’ve never visited, or else have distant memories of. The poem does not have to be About the fruit. It probably should Not be about the fruit. No one gives a fig about a fruit. But the fruit makes an Appearance. Extra points if it’s a Pomegranate. No need to mention Persephone, but if you do… It better be something we don’t already know.
Writer’s Digest
Optimistic Laturnae
life
more love
with my wife
standing by me
love
The lanturne is a five-line verse shaped like a Japanese lantern with a syllabic pattern of one, two, three, four, one.
Write a poem every day of April with the 2024 April Poem-A-Day Challenge. For today’s prompt, we have our first two-for-Tuesday prompt.
For today’s prompt, we have our first two-for-Tuesday prompt, which means you get two prompts. You can write to one of the prompts, both the prompts separately, or try to write a poem that works with both prompts at the same time. The prompts are:
The Burns Sonnet is a Shakespearian sonnet but it does not follow traditional meter or rhyme
Please convert the previous text into a traditional sonnet using most of these words in line 13 must use the word cacophony and follow the following criterion
1 inner life of pineapple
2 berkeley fate
3 bad luck comes in three
4last night went for a walk
5-8 line five to eight two animals meet someone unusual
9 10 wish for the pineapple
11 12 what did I wish for when your eight
13-14 hullabaloo, ragamuffin, hooferaw, scoundreles cacophony and discuss a secret something is hidden or something no one else knows
AI Version
AI version Title: “The Cosmic Cat”
sf dog 3
The Berkeley mad, psychotic pineapple,
An underground icon in the streets of Berkeley,
Whispered, “Bad Luck comes in Three,” so cynical,
Last night, he wandered, joints ablaze, unwary.
Encountering a cat, not mere feline grace,
But cosmic blackness riding on a dog,
A mouse perched high, a curious embrace,
In SF Bay’s odd realm, where dreams may jog.
Oh, how I wished when I was merely eight,
For a cosmic cat, a secret friend concealed,
To stir a hullabaloo, a wild debate,
A ragamuffin dance, a truth revealed.
In hooferaw and scoundrel’s cacophony,
The pineapple’s fate intertwined with glee. 🍍🌌
Writer’s Digest Our Musical Street
30 lines
I grew up
In a very creative time
a very musical time.
The 60’s had the best music
Motown ruled the Bay Area
As well as Great rock music
Acid jazz
Acid Rock
Fusion Jazz
The Grateful Dead
Mamas and the Papas
Jefferson Airplane
Jimmy Hendrix
last high school
was Berkeley High School
Santana
And so many others
The best funk band
Of them all
Tower of Power
Beloved by all
High school students.
For their immortal classic
Make out song
You’re still a Young Man.
wonder how many people
fell in love slow dancing
to this song
how many babies
were conceived?
Tower of Power rocked
Every party in town
On every street.
Music flowed.
On every musical street
In the city.
That was Berkeley
In the 60’s and 70’s.
Please use the following as the Title of your story or poem:
“Our Musical Street”
Please select “Music” as one of your genres.
Tower of Power is an American R&B and funk-based band and horn section, originating in Oakland, California, that has been performing since 1968. The band has had several lead vocalists, the best known being Lenny Williams, who fronted the band between early 1973 and late 1974, the period of their greatest commercial success1. They have had eight songs on the Billboard Hot 100; their highest-charting songs include “You’re Still a Young Man”, “So Very Hard to Go”, “What Is Hip?”, and “Don’t Change Horses (in the Middle of a Stream)”1.
The band was formed by tenor saxophonist/vocalist Emilio Castillo and baritone saxophonist Stephen “Doc” Kupka in 19681. The band’s soul sound appealed to both minority and counterculture listeners1. The band’s name was changed to Tower of Power after they agreed that their original name, The Mots, would not help them play at Bill Graham’s Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco1.
Tower of Power has released 31 albums, including 15 studio albums, 5 live albums, and 11 compilations1. Their most recent album, “Step Up”, was released in 20202.
Here is a list of some of their most popular songs:
“You’re Still a Young Man”
“So Very Hard to Go”
“What Is Hip?”
“Don’t Change Horses (in the Middle of a Stream)”
“Soul Vaccination”
“This Time It’s Real”
“Time Will Tell”
“Only So Much Oil in the Ground”
If you’re interested in listening to their music, you can check out their official website2.
2024 April PAD Challenge: Day 3
Write a poem every day of April with the 2024 April Poem-A-Day Challenge. For today’s prompt, write a musical act or artist poem.
Believe it or not, today is one of the more important days of the April Poem-A-Day Challenge. While each day is a new challenge, I’ve found that most poets who make it through the first three days of prompts have the best chances of still being here at the end of the month. So let’s write a poem!
For today’s prompt, pick a musical act or artist and either make that the title of your poem or incorporate into the title of your poem; then, write your poem. Possible titles might be: “Michael Jackson,” “Olivia Rodrigo,” “the Beatles,” “Guided by Voices at Austin City Limits,” “Watching a Movie With Elton John,” or “Eating Ice Cream With Dr. Dre.” Have fun with it!
Remember: These prompts are springboards to creativity. Use them to expand your possibilities, not limit them.
Writing Com Dew Drop Inn Look at the Sky
NaPoWrMo Prompt
the Parliament of Owls Decree Death to All Humans
AV version the Parliament of Owls Decree Death to All Humans
Death to All Humans
The Parliament of Animals met one day in a secret undisclosed location as they were under constant surveillance by the human CIA and others who wanted to disrupt the parliament’s work.
the wise owl presided. He read the charges
“We are assembled here to judge the actions of the human race. the human race is being charged with
crimes against nature,
destruction of the environment,
mass murder,
enslavement of animals,
mutilation of animals,
and violation of Gaia’s basic commandments to preserve the environment for all animals including humans.
Speaking for the prosecution will be the Tiger and Lions, speaking for the defense with the domestic cats and dogs. We have in the room ten men and women who are representative of the human race.
The parliament can make any recommendation to remedy the situation including the death penalty, exile, or reparations. All animals will be required to conduct these recommendations.”
“Okay, Mr. Tiger first we will ask the humans how they plead.” “
Humans. You have been charged with the following crimes.
crimes against nature,
destruction of the environment,
mass murder,
enslavement of animals,
mutilation of animals,
and violation of Gaia’s basic commandments to preserve the environment for all animals including humans.
How do you plead?
Sam Adams, the lawyer for the humans, responded,
“Not guilty your honor for these charges except for eating animals which we contend is part of the natural order of the world and many if not most of you are guilty of the same charge.”
“Clarification – your basic argument is that everyone eats animals, so humans are not guilty
“ “Yes, that is correct, your honor.” “
Okay, Mr. Tiger, you’re opening.” “Okay. The facts are clear. For thousands of years until the Industrial Revolution humans had a little mass impact on the overall environment. Ever since then all animals have been impacted and my species has been hunted to extinction for the greed of humans who have not eaten tiger meat. The predator class, including bears, coyotes, feral dogs, lions, tigers, and wolves have been fighting back against the predation of humans, but we are losing. And if we don’t do anything within 10 years, there won’t be any tigers or other big predators left in the wild. And the natural order of things would be controlled by the evil, selfish humans who don’t give a damn about their fellow creatures. Therefore, we are proposing that 95% of humans must be killed. The remaining humans will be allowed to live as our slaves It is only fair. That is my request to the parliament of animals. Death to humans!”
The crowd rose and chanted “Death to all humans” until the owl ruled that they must not disrupt the proceedings.
The owl turned to the cat and and dog for their defense. the dog responded, “
Humans and dogs have been partners, and we know humans more than any of you. Humans are capable of great kindness, and compassion and we maintain they are not fundamentally evil. And then they can be redeemed through education and through. Campaign to reform human thought. I think we should give humans a second chance.”
the owl motioned to the dog
“I concur with Brother Cat. Humans are okay and we like them they are our friends, although they should be found not guilty because of insanity.”
The owl said he was ready for his verdict.
“Death to 95 percent of humans, and enslavement of the rest, but we will allow 50,000 to immigrate to the Moon and Mars. I will meet with the UN to give them the decree.
Once that is published all animals must rise up and kill all humans on sight. This suspends the parliament of animals. Death to all humans.” The word went out animals rose all over the world and the reign of human tyranny ended within a year.
AI Version The Parliament of Animals
In the clandestine chambers of the Parliament of Animals, where shadows danced and secrets whispered, the wise owl presided. Under the ever-watchful gaze of human surveillance, the charges were read aloud:
“We are assembled here to judge the actions of the human race. The human race stands accused of crimes against nature, destruction of the environment, mass murder, enslavement of animals, mutilation of animals, and violation of Gaia’s sacred commandments. Speaking for the prosecution are the Tigers and Lions; for the defense, the domestic cats and dogs. Ten representatives of humanity sit in this room. The parliament holds the power to recommend remedies: death penalty, exile, or reparations. All animals shall be bound by these decisions.”
The Tiger, his golden eyes ablaze, addressed the humans, “How do you plead?”
The humans, their faces etched with defiance, stood before the assembly. Sam Adams, their lawyer, stepped forward, his voice unwavering, “Not guilty, Your Honor. Except for eating animals—a primal act woven into our existence—we maintain our innocence. It is the natural order, and many among you, my fellow creatures, partake in this ancient feast.”
The room buzzed with tension. The wise owl blinked, feathers rustling. The verdict hung in the air, suspended between judgment and mercy. The fate of humanity rested on the scales of justice, balanced precariously.
And so, the Parliament of Animals convened, weaving threads of fate, pondering the sins of bipeds, and deciding whether to condemn or absolve. In this surreal courtroom, where the boundaries blurred and the moon bore witness, the world awaited its reckoning.
Last but not least, here’s our prompt for the day – optional, as always. Today, we’d like to challenge you to write a surreal prose poem. For inspiration, check out Franz Kafka’s collection of short parables (my favorite is “The Green Dragon”).
The infamous durian fruit is a strange phenomenon.
Common in China, Southeast Asia, and India,
and in Chinese, Southeast Asian, and Indian diaspora communities,
It has such a powerful sour smell, that it is banned in airline cabins.
first ate Durian in a rural town in Central Thailand
my hasher friends dared me to eat it
it was horrible at first the smell
But if you can get beyond
The awful, dirty socks, rotten, sour smell,
The taste is pure heaven,
Proof perhaps that God has a sense of humor?
This poetry writing prompt submitted by Suzanne Lummis:
Evolve a poem that involves an exotic fruit, one fruit, and a town you’ve never visited, or else have distant memories of. The poem does not have to be About the fruit. It probably should Not be about the fruit. No one gives a fig about a fruit. But the fruit makes an Appearance. Extra points if it’s a Pomegranate. No need to mention Persephone, but if you do… It better be something we don’t already know.
A Mango would also be good.
No Oranges.
Nothing personal against them, but that’s another poem. And Gary Soto wrote it.
Don’t forget about the Town.
If you write a poem from this prompt, post it as a comment underneath the prompt in the Poetry Super Highway Facebook Group.
#napowrimo #poetry
Writer’s Digest
Optimistic Laturnae (CC FS)
life
more love
with my wife
standing by me
love
The lanturne is a five-line verse shaped like a Japanese lantern with a syllabic pattern of one, two, three, four, one.
March 31 warm Up
Easter Bunny Warning
The Easter Bunny
Had a warning
He was tired
Of being played the fool.
Tired of being associated
With low-life fake Christians
Proclaiming that Donald Trump
Is the next messiah.
The Easter Bunny said,
“Donald Trump
Ain’t no Christian
He ain’t no friend of mine.
He is the antichrist
The poster child
For the seven deadly sins”.
Donald Trump denounced
The Easter Bunny.
Saying on Truth Social,
“The Easter Bunny is nothing
But a low-life wanna-be thug,
A real loser!
An anti-fa, anti-American, BLM, communist, fascist
Radical left-wing Marxist vermin thug,
Part of the woke crowd,
That is ruining our once-great country.
That needs a Second Amendment remedy.
April 1—Be a fool in a poem!
Sarangpabo – Korean Love Fool for You
When I first saw you
In my dreams.
You were the most beautiful woman
In the world to me
And still are.
When you looked at me
With love blazing
From your dark brown
Goo-goo eyes.
sparks flew from heart to heart
(이심초심ishimchomshim)
You hynotized, messemeried me
Your love mojo working overtime
Turning me into nothing but
A 사랑 바보Sarang pabo (love fool).
Eight years later
You walked off that bus
Into my life,
Becoming
my wife,
My soul mate.
And yes,
I am still
your 사랑 바보Sarang pabo.
And will remain under
Your love spell
Until the day I die.
Translation into Korean (rough AI Version)
Certainly! Here’s the English text followed by the Hangul and Romanized script line by line:
Write a poem every day of April with the 2024 April Poem-A-Day Challenge. For today’s prompt, we have our first two-for-Tuesday prompt.
For today’s prompt, we have our first two-for-Tuesday prompt, which means you get two prompts. You can write to one of the prompts, both the prompts separately, or try to write a poem that works with both prompts at the same time. The prompts are:
The Burns Sonnet is a Shakespearian sonnet but it does not follow traditional meter or rhyme
Please convert the previous text into a traditional sonnet using most of these words in line 13 must use the word cacophony and follow the following criterion
1 inner life of pineapple
2 berkeley fate
3 bad luck comes in three
4last night went for a walk
5-8 line five to eight two animals meet someone unusual
9 10 wish for the pineapple
11 12 what did I wish for when your eight
13-14 hullabaloo, ragamuffin, hooferaw, scoundreles cacophony and discuss a secret something is hidden or something no one else knows
AI Version
AI version Title: “The Cosmic Cat”
The Berkeley mad, psychotic pineapple,
An underground icon in the streets of Berkeley,
Whispered, “Bad Luck comes in Three,” so cynical,
Last night, he wandered, joints ablaze, unwary.
Encountering a cat, not mere feline grace,
But cosmic blackness riding on a dog,
A mouse perched high, a curious embrace,
In SF Bay’s odd realm, where dreams may jog.
Oh, how I wished when I was merely eight,
For a cosmic cat, a secret friend concealed,
To stir a hullabaloo, a wild debate,
A ragamuffin dance, a truth revealed.
In hooferaw and scoundrel’s cacophony,
The pineapple’s fate intertwined with glee. 🍍🌌
Writer’s Digest Our Musical Street
30 lines
I grew up
In a very creative time
a very musical time.
The 60’s had the best music
Motown ruled the Bay Area
As well as Great rock music
Acid jazz
Acid Rock
Fusion Jazz
The Grateful Dead
Mamas and the Papas
Jefferson Airplane
Jimmy Hendrix
last high school
was Berkeley High School
Santana
And so many others
The best funk band
Of them all
Tower of Power
Beloved by all
High school students.
For their immortal classic
Make out song
You’re still a Young Man.
wonder how many people
fell in love slow dancing
to this song
how many babies
were conceived?
Tower of Power rocked
Every party in town
On every street.
Music flowed.
On every musical street
In the city.
That was Berkeley
In the 60’s and 70’s.
Please use the following as the Title of your story or poem:
“Our Musical Street”
Please select “Music” as one of your genres.
Tower of Power is an American R&B and funk-based band and horn section, originating in Oakland, California, that has been performing since 1968. The band has had several lead vocalists, the best known being Lenny Williams, who fronted the band between early 1973 and late 1974, the period of their greatest commercial success1. They have had eight songs on the Billboard Hot 100; their highest-charting songs include “You’re Still a Young Man”, “So Very Hard to Go”, “What Is Hip?”, and “Don’t Change Horses (in the Middle of a Stream)”1.
The band was formed by tenor saxophonist/vocalist Emilio Castillo and baritone saxophonist Stephen “Doc” Kupka in 19681. The band’s soul sound appealed to both minority and counterculture listeners1. The band’s name was changed to Tower of Power after they agreed that their original name, The Mots, would not help them play at Bill Graham’s Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco1.
Tower of Power has released 31 albums, including 15 studio albums, 5 live albums, and 11 compilations1. Their most recent album, “Step Up”, was released in 20202.
Here is a list of some of their most popular songs:
“You’re Still a Young Man”
“So Very Hard to Go”
“What Is Hip?”
“Don’t Change Horses (in the Middle of a Stream)”
“Soul Vaccination”
“This Time It’s Real”
“Time Will Tell”
“Only So Much Oil in the Ground”
If you’re interested in listening to their music, you can check out their official website2.
Bump City is the second album by the soul/funk group Tower of Power. The album cover is derived from a sketch by David Garibaldi.[citation needed] It’s also their first album for Warner Bros. Records. With Rufus Miller now gone, Rick Stevens took the reins as the sole lead vocalist for this album.
Write a poem every day of April with the 2024 April Poem-A-Day Challenge. For today’s prompt, write a musical act or artist poem.
Believe it or not, today is one of the more important days of the April Poem-A-Day Challenge. While each day is a new challenge, I’ve found that most poets who make it through the first three days of prompts have the best chances of still being here at the end of the month. So let’s write a poem!
For today’s prompt, pick a musical act or artist and either make that the title of your poem or incorporate into the title of your poem; then, write your poem. Possible titles might be: “Michael Jackson,” “Olivia Rodrigo,” “the Beatles,” “Guided by Voices at Austin City Limits,” “Watching a Movie With Elton John,” or “Eating Ice Cream With Dr. Dre.” Have fun with it!
Remember: These prompts are springboards to creativity. Use them to expand your possibilities, not limit them.
NaPoWrMo Prompt
the Parliament of Owls Decree Death to All Humans
AV version the Parliament of Owls Decree Death to All Humans
Death to All Humans
The Parliament of Animals met one day in a secret undisclosed location as they were under constant surveillance by the human CIA and others who wanted to disrupt the parliament’s work.
the wise owl presided. He read the charges
“We are assembled here to judge the actions of the human race. the human race is being charged with
crimes against nature,
destruction of the environment,
mass murder,
enslavement of animals,
mutilation of animals,
and violation of Gaia’s basic commandments to preserve the environment for all animals including humans.
Speaking for the prosecution will be the Tiger and Lions, speaking for the defense with the domestic cats and dogs. We have in the room ten men and women who are representative of the human race.
The parliament can make any recommendation to remedy the situation including the death penalty, exile, or reparations. All animals will be required to conduct these recommendations.”
“Okay, Mr. Tiger first we will ask the humans how they plead.” “
Humans. You have been charged with the following crimes.
crimes against nature,
destruction of the environment,
mass murder,
enslavement of animals,
mutilation of animals,
and violation of Gaia’s basic commandments to preserve the environment for all animals including humans.
How do you plead?
Sam Adams, the lawyer for the humans, responded,
“Not guilty your honor for these charges except for eating animals which we contend is part of the natural order of the world and many if not most of you are guilty of the same charge.”
“Clarification – your basic argument is that everyone eats animals, so humans are not guilty
“ “Yes, that is correct, your honor.” “
Okay, Mr. Tiger, your opening.”
“Okay. The facts are clear. For thousands of years until the Industrial Revolution humans had a little mass impact on the overall environment. Ever since then all animals have been impacted and my species has been hunted to extinction for the greed of humans who have not eaten tiger meat. The predator class, including bears, coyotes, feral dogs, lions, tigers, and wolves have been fighting back against the predation of humans, but we are losing. And if we don’t do anything within 10 years, there won’t be any tigers or other big predators left in the wild. And the natural order of things would be controlled by the evil, selfish humans who don’t give a damn about their fellow creatures. Therefore, we are proposing that 95% of humans must be killed. The remaining humans will be allowed to live as our slaves It is only fair. That is my request to the parliament of animals. Death to humans!”
The crowd rose and chanted “Death to all humans” until the owl ruled that they must not disrupt the proceedings.
The owl turned to the cat and and dog for their defense. the Cat responded, “
“ Humans are okay and we like them they are our friends, although they should be found not guilty because of insanity.”
the owl motioned to the dog, who responded,
“Humans and dogs have been partners, and we know humans more than any of you. Humans are capable of great kindness, and compassion and we maintain they are not fundamentally evil. And then they can be redeemed through education and through. Campaign to reform human thought. I think we should give humans a second chance.”
The owl said he was ready for his verdict.
“Death to 95 percent of humans, and enslavement of the rest, but we will allow 50,000 to immigrate to the Moon and Mars. I will meet with the UN to give them the decree.
Once that is published all animals must rise up and kill all humans on sight. This suspends the parliament of animals. Death to all humans.” The word went out animals rose all over the world and the reign of human tyranny ended within a year.
AI Version The Parliament of Animals
In the clandestine chambers of the Parliament of Animals, where shadows danced and secrets whispered, the wise owl presided. Under the ever-watchful gaze of human surveillance, the charges were read aloud:
“We are assembled here to judge the actions of the human race. The human race stands accused of crimes against nature, destruction of the environment, mass murder, enslavement of animals, mutilation of animals, and violation of Gaia’s sacred commandments. Speaking for the prosecution are the Tigers and Lions; for the defense, the domestic cats and dogs. Ten representatives of humanity sit in this room. The parliament holds the power to recommend remedies: death penalty, exile, or reparations. All animals shall be bound by these decisions.”
The Tiger, his golden eyes ablaze, addressed the humans, “How do you plead?”
The humans, their faces etched with defiance, stood before the assembly. Sam Adams, their lawyer, stepped forward, his voice unwavering, “Not guilty, Your Honor. Except for eating animals—a primal act woven into our existence—we maintain our innocence. It is the natural order, and many among you, my fellow creatures, partake in this ancient feast.”
The room buzzed with tension. The wise owl blinked, feathers rustling. The verdict hung in the air, suspended between judgment and mercy. The fate of humanity rested on the scales of justice, balanced precariously.
And so, the Parliament of Animals convened, weaving threads of fate, pondering the sins of bipeds, and deciding whether to condemn or absolve. In this surreal courtroom, where the boundaries blurred and the moon bore witness, the world awaited its reckoning.
Last but not least, here’s our prompt for the day – optional, as always. Today, we’d like to challenge you to write a surreal prose poem. For inspiration, check out Franz Kafka’s collection of short parables (my favorite is “The Green Dragon”).
WD Mistake Poem – Don’t Make a Mistake, Vote For Jake
WC Dew Drop In Ending Shaving in Retirement
NaPoWriMo
It Can’t Happen Here
PSH Love Expressed Through Food
My love loves to cook
Delicious food on the stove
Cooking up a storm
All to express her love for me
Showing her deep emotion
Though the food she cooks up
We met in a dream
And I recall that dream
Whenever I eat her delicious food
It was love at first sight
Our love deepend through her food
Looking at her with lust in my heart
As I taste every inch of her
Smelling her as we make love
Love Stove
emotion cook
dreams food
attraction eat
Lust taste
sex Smell
Writing Prompt from Jon Wesick
This poetry writing prompt submitted by Jon Wesick:
The Assembly Line of Surprise
Step 1 – Choose a subject to write about. This should probably be something about being human such as a mental state, emotion, or social issue. Often this is abstract.
Love
Step 2 – Choose an object to compare it to. It’s best if this is something very different than in step 1. Concrete things like machinery give good imagery. The more outrageous the better. Congratulations! You’ve just created a metaphor.
Stove
Step 3 – Make two columns on a piece of paper. List the parts of the subject step 1 in the first column and the parts of the item in step 2 in the second.
Love Stove
emotion cook
dreams food
attraction eat
Lust taste
sex Smell
Step 4 – Map items in each column to those in the other. Choose the most interesting mappings. These will be phrases in your poem.
Step 5 – Put these phrases together into a poem.
Let’s “cook up” an example. Steps 1 and 2 – Compare despair to a microwave oven
Step 3 – Table.
Despair
Microwave Oven
Fatigue
Klystron
Sleeplessness
Turntable
Irritability
Browning dish
Emptiness
Observation window
Loss of libido
Control panel
Gloom
Timer
Despondency
Defrost function
Hopelessness
Auto cook menu
Futility
Number pad
Start/stop button
Tomato sauce caked on walls
Sparking when tin foil inside
Step 4 – I’d map sleeplessness to dried tomato sauce, irritability to sparking, and libido to the defrost function.
Step 5 – Put mapping into a poem.
Writers DIgest Mistake Poem “Don’t Make a Mistake Vote for Jake”
I should have run for office
I would have a perfect slogn
Rifting on the word mistake
Rhyming it with my name Jake.
In a old “Burma shave style
Cowboy poetry poem..
Don’t make a mistake
Vote for Jake
He is so awake
Don’t brake
Don’t use your emergency brake
Everything’s Jake. ‘
Just Vote for Jake
He ain’t no fake
He’s no flake
He ain’t on the make
Just vote for Jake
He’s aint no rake
He ain’t no rattle snake
He ain’t no common snake
He ain’t on the take.
Just vote for Jake
Take a tea break.
Don’t have a cluster headache,
Don’t have a sinus headache.
Just vote for Jake
Make a political earthquake
Don’t Shake
Take a stake.
Just Vote for Jake.
For today’s prompt, write a mistake poem. Everyone makes mistakes. Yes, even that person standing in the corner shaking their head to the contrary. And even those people who don’t admit to making mistakes have seen others make them. So whether it’s the mistakes you’ve made, witnessed in others, etc., write a poem about it today.
BUT (and yes, I’m using a big “but” here) poem nicely to each other today. I would hate to remove anyone for getting into arguments about X, Y, or Z in the comments; that’s why social media was created.
Note: Burma Shave ads were everywhere from 1910 to the late 70s. Here’s Bing Co-Pilot on “Burma Shave” and Cowboy poetry.
Burma-Shave was an American brand of brushless shaving cream, famous for its quirky and memorable advertising campaign. From the 1920s to the early 1960s, they posted humorous rhyming poems on sequential highway roadside signs. These signs became iconic and are fondly remembered by many.
Here are a few classic Burma-Shave jingles that adorned the highways:
“Cattle crossing means go slow, that old bull is some cows’ bold.”
“The bearded lady tried to jump, she’s now a famous movie star.”
“Shaving brushes out of date, use the razors perfect mate.”
“The crowd you see around that store are Burma shavers buying more.”
These clever and whimsical signs were typically posted in sets of six along highways, with the last sign revealing the product name. Passing motorists would eagerly read each sign to discover the punchline. The signs were originally produced in red-and-white or orange-and-black color combinations, although the latter was eventually phased out. While the Interstate system and increased vehicle speeds led to the signs’ discontinuation, their legacy lives on as a nostalgic piece of American advertising history. Some of these signs can still be seen at The House on the Rock in Spring Green, Wisconsin, and re-creations appear on Arizona State Highway 66, part of the original U.S. Route 66, between Ash Fork and Kingman, Arizona 34. 🚗🌟
Burma-Shave was an American brand of brushless shaving cream, famous for its quirky and memorable advertising campaign. From the 1920s to the early 1960s, they posted humorous rhyming poems on sequential highway roadside signs. These signs became iconic and are fondly remembered by many.
Cowboy poetry is a unique genre that celebrates the rugged lifestyle, camaraderie, and natural beauty of the American West. These poems often evoke nostalgia, humor, and a deep connection to the land. Let me share a few classic cowboy poems with you:
“Tying Knots in the Devil’s Tail” by Gail I. Gardner:
This poem exemplifies cowboy poetry. Written in a narrative form, it uses slang and vivid storytelling. Here’s an excerpt:
These cowboy poems capture the essence of life on the range, the bond between rider and horse, and the fading traditions of the American West. 🤠🌵
Writing Com Dew Drop Inn Ending Daily Shaving in Retirement
When Sam Adams
retired from
the U.S. Department of State,
he made five vows
which he kept for years.
first, he would quit daily shaving
shaving once or twice a month
second, he would never wear
a suit and tie
instead opting for the northwest look
Long pants, khaki or jeans, T-shirt
and a Western-style shirt
like a Pendleton shirt.
Third, he would retire in Korea
where his wife had family
and Southern Oregon
and an annual trip to DC
where they had rentals.
Fourth, they would travel
a lot every year
seeing as much as the world
as they could while they could still do.
starting with an epic road trip
across the US
10,000 miles 35 states
in three months
and a cruise to Alaska
his last State of 50 to visit
and an annual visit to someplace
warm in the winter.
Fifth, he would start a blog and podcast.
the World According to Cosmos,
to highlight his poetry and short story
submissions and occasional political rants.
He kept his vows
except that COVID blew away
his travel plans from 2019 to 2022!
and he wore a suit once,
to attend the wedding of the son
of his best Korean friend.
April 5
PSH Cosmic Dog From Goa
WD Tell Me No Lies
WC Dew Drop Inn Making Baseball Great Again
NaPoWriMo Only In SF
PSH The Cosmic Dog from Goa
cute dog
My final time with God
Happened a year latter
I was staying down in Goa
With my wife
Enjoying being with her
After our reconciliation
We stayed at the Taj Mahal Goa
Living like Kings and Queen
Just for a few days
High up on a hill
Overlooking the beach
Every morning I went down to the beach
And did yoga by the water
While contemplating life
And every morning
I saw the same dog
Not just a dog
But a cosmic dog
Filled with the divine spark of God
And the dog recognized me
And spoke to me and I knew
That God was present once more
In the face of the that cosmic dog
Kindred spirit
perhaps to the cosmic cat
that had save my soul
in Berkeley so long ago
I told the dog everything
And he just looked at me
With those soulful eyes of his
And I knew he knew that I knew
That he was possessed by God
God had sent him to me
To make sure that I was on the right path
That the reconciliation that God had promoted
Was on track that I was back with my wife
And that everything was the way it should be
Again, I asked God whether he was Jesus or Allah
Or Brahmin or Ganesh or Buddha
God the cosmic dog just stared at me
I finally asked him directly
Say if you are God the God of Jesus
Bark once
The Dog looked at me and barked
I said well if you are Allah bark twice
The dog barked twice
Well are you buddha then bark three times if yes
The god dog barked three times
Hmm well are you Satan
The dog growled at me
And I knew I had gone too far
Finally, I was at peace
And for the next three days
The God Dog was my constant companion
And I knew God for the final time
In my life
Writer’s Digest Tell Me No LIes
Tell me no lies
My dear
and I will tell you
no lies too.
But every word
I say
could be a lie.
you never know
what is true
and what is a lie.
So tell me no more lies
and I will tell you the truth
if you can handle it.
Writing Com Dew Drop Inn April 5—Get a sport into a poem! Make Baseball Great Again!
It is time
to make American baseball
Great again
starting with creating a worldwide
baseball competition
with each season
with the national champions
competing in a World Cup World Series
with the final round pitting the
North American Champions
against the winners of Africa,
Asian, Europe, and South America
with the final rounds
best of seven
always held in the U.S.
The other things to do
include rapid expansion plans
including the MLB teams
adopting local schools and colleges
fully funding baseball programs
and only hiring college graduates.
as players.
and making tickets affordable
no more than ten dollars per game!
if they do this,
we can make baseball
once again the best sport
in the U.S.
Let’s all join together
to make baseball great again!
NaPoWrMo Only In SF
Tiny, the Jamaican
was a big 6’5 reggae Rasta man,
sprouting long black and purple dreadlocks
and a purple mohawk
wearing a black leather jacket
with weed logos on it,
played guitar in the SF Reggae Kings.
A big Three Stooges fan,
Named his four pets,
“Shemp” the cat,
“Moe” the dog,
Curly” the mouse,
and Curly Joe, the Vietnamese pig.
The four amigos got along famously
They lived in an apartment
in the western addiction,
off of Geary,
in a rapidly gentrifying part of the city
One day, Shemp said to Moe
“Moe, I have a question for you,
and I want an honest answer,
none of your canine BS answer.
You know us cats are straight shooters.”
“Okay, my cat brother. Shoot.”
“Well, I understand that
cats, dogs, mice, and pigs
are natural born enemies,
How come we get along?
And you get along
with Curly and Curly Joe?”
“Good question.
First, when we met
I hated you all
and you were afraid
I might eat you in your sleep
and the thought
crossed my mind.
But over time
I mellowed out
and realized
we were all a band of brothers
living in this house.
I think it
also has something to do
with the cloud of weed
in the air
and the chill deep house
reggae peace and love
vibes in the house.”
“cool.
“Good answer.
I too think of you
all as my brothers.
You know what I like the most?”
Our nightly walk
when Tiny, Tina, and Linda
take us out
and we put on our show.
You know Curly Joe
letting you ride on him,
and I ride on you
and Curly
sits on my head
to complete the show
as we freak out the tourists
good citizens, and outlaws
who constantly take pictures
saying to themselves
“Only in SF”.
And you know
They are right.
Only in SF.
Let’s keep SF weird.”
Tiny came in
and they all went
for their walk.
April 6
PSH Visiting My Father’s Grave
Writers DIgest Meeting My Fate
Writing Com Dew Drop Inn Daily RItual Drinks
NaPoWrMo PNRCP
Visiting my father’s grave
In Yakima Washington State,
The ancestral land of the Aller clan
Thinking about my father
And his legacy
And thinking that I am
My father’s son
There is so much
I wanted to tell him
So much I wanted to share
So much I wanted him to see
My accomplishments
He was taken from me
Before I had achieved my dreams
i am sure he would have been
proud of the man
I turned out to be.
This poetry writing prompt submitted by Lara Dolphin:
A “taphophile” is someone who has more than a passing interest in burial places.
Cemeteries can hold beautiful sculptures, moving epitaphs, and genealogical secrets as well as religious meaning. If you were a tombstone tourist and could visit any burial place or shrine in the world, where would it be? Who would it belong to? Someone famous or obscure? Write a poem about one grave in particular.
Writer’s DIgest Meeting My Fate Minimal Poem
that september date
I met my fate
when she walked
out of my dreams
off a bus
into my life
becoming my wife.
For today’s prompt, write a minimum poem. Some people only do the minimum; others like to pay the minimum. When I first started working, I earned minimum wage. My kids had to reach a minimum height requirement to ride roller coasters at amusement parks.
Writing Com Dw Drop In Daily Beverages
in the morning
I drink a cup
of snarling hot coffee
while watching the news
in the afternoon
I shift to tea
either earl gray
or herbal tea
at sunset
I drink red wine
with my wife
as the evening
shifts into night
I drink rum
or whiskey
to end the day
right.
NaPoWrMo PNRCP
My mother was an original
One of a kind person
Unique in her ways.
She had many sayings
That has stuck with me
Over the years.
She was not a big fan
Of birthdays
Even forgot my 18th birthday.
She said on her birthday
“Well that means
One year closer to the grave.”
One of her funiest saying
Was how she described
Getting to Berkeley
In the late 30’s.
She had ran away
From a large but abusive family
In Little Rock, Arkansas.
Part of the so-called “lost tribe”
Of the Cherokee Indians
Also known as the Black Irish
She said that she was just
Part of the government run
“Plantetary Nut Reconfigeration Program”.
Every ten years
The world flips
And all the nuts
Roll down here
And end up in California.
Here’s some info on the Lost Tribe of the Cherokees. There are only about 50,000 left. According to Bing Co-Pilot, “The Lost Tribe of the Cherokees, also known as the Black Dutch or Black Irish, is estimated to number around 9,000 in Arkansas and approximately 500 more in southern Missouri. These individuals seek recognition as a tribe after years of investigation. The federal Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) has been diligently working on their recognition petition for nine years1.
While the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma does not consider this group to be legitimate, their quest for recognition continues, and their history remains a fascinating chapter in Native American heritage. 🌳🔍
I 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?
Welcome to Cosmos’s 2020 April Poetry. This is the fourth attempt to do this. For this year I am doing things a bit different. Since I am in Korea I will be posting a day later from here starting April 2 which will be April first in the U.S.First I will update my poems daily here (along with audio clips, photos clips, and links to various prompts etc)
Second I will update my links on the following sites where I have been posting poetry for some time – all my April poems will be here regardless of whether I post them elsewhere – I will be posting one to two per day on these sites and writing anywhere from two to five per day, with many of them not being posted at all so I can accumulate some “unpublished poems” but I will list them all here either as posted or unposted. The posted ones will have audio, photos and links occasionally to other sites.
Here are the sites along with the links to my poetry posted there.
And on my various FB poetry sites will post my poems on five different sites per day and since I’ve lost count of how many I am following well that could be a lot, but I will list them as I post on them in case anyone is interested in finding poetry and writing groups on FB
Finally, love to hear how others are coping both with corona virus, and with the April Poetry month. I suspect that there will be a lot of interest this year since people are staying home!
Now let’s get to the poems shall we? I will update this daily
Index
Chronological list
Wednesday April 1
Hope Springs Eternal Writers’s Digest
Jake Cosmos Aller the one an Onlypoetry super highway prompt
the Virus from Hell
Morphing Images from Hellish Nightmare old poem for writing.com dreamsapes
The Bombs that Took Her Away– from writers.comprompt – posted all poetry and poetry soup
Cosmic Poet Modified Bio Poemfor poetry soup contest – not otherwise
Morphing Images from a Hellish Nightmare
Kimchi BluesPoetry Soup prompt
Thursday April 2
humor keeps us sane pensively unleashed unpublished
First Kiss with My wife creativity talents unleashed posted
Birth of New World creativity talents unleashed unpublished
Peacock Speaks creativity talents unleashed unpublished
Iguana Talks to Mankind creativity talents unleashed unpublished
six word poem naked woman wearing mask creative talents unleashed
space poem writing digest prompt
Search for the holly grail writing.com prompt
berkeley maps writing.com prompt
Recalling people I barely knew writing.com elegy poem
corona fears
follow your dreams writer’s digest day three prompt
Coffee’s intoxicating smell wakes me up poetry superhighway prompt
follow your dreams writer’s digest day three prompt
Sunday April 5th
I wish for peace and happiness – Writer Digest prompt
Life as a evil Mastermind criminal – poetry superhighway prompt
Born bad to the bone heartbreaker – writing.com prompt
Bad craziness all poetry contest -open poem
Bus rider all poetry wild country contest – old poem
old man in the mirror must die all poetry old age contest -old poem
Ten million stories in the Naked City – all poetry contest to write a Naked Poem
call of Cthulu HP lovecraft all poetry contest
Having a dog saved my life – all poetry contest – to write a poem about overcoming fears
Monday April 6th
The Mist from Hell Descends on the land
Conversation with the Gods About Corona Virus
The Moment that changed my Life sonnet format
we must walk the path of honesty in these dark dangerous times
cats are alien creatures from Space
God’s Confession
Drinking My Way to the Highway to Hell
Capitol Hill in the Spring *
*Published Writer’s Newsletter June 2017
Under the canopy of the pine trees we lay – from the poem
‘Under the canopy of pine trees
Tuesday April 7th
Smartest Man in the World All Poetry Dunning-Krueger Syndrome Poem
Great Leader Tigerjade Writing.com formal poem
weasel words set mental traps for us all writers digest prompt
it was a fine late August day when I met the love of my life poetry superhighway prompt
to those I have lost writing.com prompt to write an elegy
The Giant Nazi Spider Speaks prompt to write a poem based on a novel plot line
life is a dream of chocolate covered trees national poetry month prompt
We live in an Orwellian world
Wednesday April 8th
새영 지마 saeyeong jima plays out in life writing.digest prompt
the Terrorists were succeeding beyond their wildest dreams poetry super highway prompt
corona tanka National Poetry Month Prompt
The best meal of my life writing.com dew drop in prompt
Angela Came to Me for 38 years Bringing me lots of $
poemunzine prompt
the lion dreams of impossible dreams all poetry impossible dream contest
corona haiku all poetry corona haiku poem all poetry haiku contest
I met My fate that Date – Fan Story Prompt
Thursday April 9
the future is coming writers digest
the fate of the world rests with us – poetry superhighway prompt – inspired by Beethoven’s fifth symphony
creative talents prompt the old man in the lake sees God
white flower of death haiku creative talents
creative talents balloons of hope
creative talents Cthulu lurks in the evil cabin in the words
creative talents unleashed evil woman with mad hair grins
the best day of my life all poetry wedding poems contest
Friday April 10
Walking in the woodlands of Limbo writers digest ekphrastic poetry prompt
New Bodies in New Era poetry soup prompt to write a poem about changes
life interrupted by corona writing.com Daily Dew Drop interruption
Saudade for friends I have lost writing.com Saudade poem
My Lover’s body inspires me concrete poem – national poetry month prompt day 9 national Poetry Month Prompt Day Nine Concrete Poetry
National poetry month prompt day eight Vogan Bot Poetry
The end of the world news depresses me National poetry Month Day Seven poem inspired by the news
the Devil speaks in the Garden of Earthly Delights ekphrastic garden of earthly delights national poetry month prompt day 6
President Trump Haunts My Dreams National Poetry Month day four prompt image from a dream
ten words random rhymes national poetry month Day three prompt
674 Santa Rosa Avenue, Berkeley, California National Poetry month day two prompt specific place poem 674 Santa Rosa Berkeley California
My life appears to a dream national Poetry Month Day One Prompt Metaphor for Life as a Dreamer
Trump Derangement Syndrome Blues Fan story 15 syllable poem contest
Saturday April 11
To My Dream Woman Who Loves Me
writers digest prompt to write a x Blank x
Corona Virus was Not Sent as God’s Punishment
poetry super highway black out poem
coffee Whitney
writing.com Whitney poem form
coffee Hay Na Ku
writing.com formal poetry prompt
writing.com Dew Drop Inn Daily poem
women playing lute contemplating god all poetry contest
Sunday April 12
Life spinning out of control
writers digest prompt to write a “control poem”
early evening delight
poetry superhighway promo – write a poem about early evening
Cosmos the Evil AI Takes Over
writing.Com Daily Dew Drop write a poem about technology or AI
My morning coffee wakes me up for day
writing. com octameter poem
casino thoughts old poem for all poetry contest on addiction
Life began that day all poetry contest
Monday April 13
I believe in ghosts
writers digest spirit poem based on a true storytoday’s doodle poem
Poetry Super Highway Doodle Poem
Doors
writing.com daily dew drop prompt – write a poem about Doorswhat I know Coffee Trois-par-Huit
Writing. com Trois Par Huit Poem
Things that bug me all poetry contest
Tuesday April 14
Purpose of my Life writer digest write a purpose poem
poetry superhighway challenge to revise a poem from the bottom -up
Love Cherita writing.com formal poem Cherita
Korean Pottery of Love writing.com Daily Dew Drop
2019 Months of the Year all poetry contest entry
Media Madness all poetry acrostic poetry contest
AI Madness Takes Over the World all poetry dark poetry contest
Wednesday April 15
the Chaos King is his Element Writer digest Chaos poem prompt
best Cocktail Ever Poetry superhighway prompt to write a cocktail poem/ break a sonnet for Day Dew Inn writing.com
Dream of my Life Atlantic magazine poetry prompt to write a poem about a dream
why I am an Atheist all poetry Atheist poetry contes
Recharging my Batteries All poetry contest
Thor on a rampage all poetry contest
coffee nonet fan story contest
coffee Musset poem poetry soup contest
Wednesday April 1
Hope Springs Eternal in our Winter of our Discontent writer’s digest prompt Posted
corona virus
Hope springs eternal in the winter of our discontent
On the daily news that fills us with dread
Perfect storm of hatred, fear and despair
Everywhere we go nonstop fear broadcasted
Despair fills my heart as I turn on the news
Everywhere we are in the midst of the pandemic
Simply put death is at hand
Planning for the future yet waiting for death
At worst we will all die not today but soon
In the long term we are all dead
Remembering the dead all around us
yet I end this poem with a word of hope
hoping for the best
while preparing for the worst
all I can do to stay sane
as I await my fate
on this dismal date
April 1 is indeed
April Fool’s date
is that our fate
this endless dance with death?
and to end with a sign of hope
I know that if I have you by my side
I will survive I will survive
until the end of time itself
takes us to the other side
based on writer’s digest daily April poetry month challenge to write a poem about hope
I am jake Cosmos Aller the one an Only poetry super highway prompt
jake aller fb
I am Jake Cosmos Aller the one and only
when people meet me they are transformed
by my spirit my compassion and my dreams
as all I meet fall under my spirit
I look into their eyes bewitching their souls
as they bewitch my soul as well
becoming mad kindred spirits
walking on the road of life itself
going together no one knows where
it will all end but we will get there as one spirit
united by my cosmic spirit
understanding grows as we converse
deep into the night with each glass of wine
we dive deep into the cosmos inspired by name
The Virus From Hell Has Arrived
corona
the Virus from Hell has arrived
catching the world unprepared
it erupted out of China
then began its terrifying reign
wiping out thousands of people
destroying jobs and economies
killing people left and right
it seemed like something
out of our worst nightmares
but at least it was not
the dreaded zombie flu
perhaps that is next’s fall’s nightmare
as the virus from hell
prepares for a fresh assault
to finish us all off
the virus from Hell has arrived posted- all poetry contest, poetry soup version is the Virus King has arrived = as poetry soup did not like the word “Hell”
The Bombs that Took Her Away – from writers.com prompt – posted all poetry and poetry soup
bombed out airport
one day I woke up from my dreams
finding my self all alone
no one was there to hear my screams
staring at my now quite dead phone
I plugged in my phone read a note
it was from my lovely wife
My Wife had just gone out to vote
smiling thinking of my life
I got ready to face the dawning day
The TV showed the bombs that took her away
There are hundreds of varieties of kimchi made with different vegetables as the main ingredients.[4][5]Traditionally, kimchi was stored in-ground in large earthenware to prevent the kimchi from being frozen during the winter months. It was the primary way of storing vegetables throughout the seasons. In the summer the in-ground storage kept the kimchi cool enough to slow down the fermentation process.[3] In contemporary times, kimchi refrigerators are more commonly used to store kimchi.
Oh yeah
I got the kimchi blues
every day since I first ate it
back in the day
long before i went to Korea
ended up staying on in Korea
after i retired from decade
in the Foreign Service
and ten years studying
and living in Korea
before I joined
the Foreign Service
When I first ate kimchi
I was hooked
sort of a spicier version
of German sauerkraut
which i loved on my top dog
from Berkeley high school days
then off to korea
in the peace corps
where I ate kimchi
every day for every meal
and eventually I woke up
dreaming of kimchi and rice
instead of pancakes and eggs
then I knew
that I had finally adjusted
and was becoming half Korean
and now I am a hopeless kimchi addict
need to have my spicy kimchi
which is so good for you
perhaps even defeating the dreaded corona virus?
who knows but I will be eating Kimchi
until my day is done
poetry superhiway prompt
Friday April 3
Cosmic Poet Modified Bio Poem for poetry soup contest
cosmos on the mekong
cosmic
I am wicked, wild, wacky, whimsical
i love my angela lee, coffee, nature
I can solve gun violence, homelessness and climate change
I feel anxiety, gloominess yet Joy-fullness as well
I fear the corona virus, cancer and developing Alzheimer’s
Must publish my novels, ten books of poetry and movie of my life
Currently resident of korea, west coast of United States
poet
Morphing monsters – old poem for writing.com Dark Dreamscape –
more monster images
Note: From a real nightmare End Note
I am in a room
Drinking at a party
And smoking weed
Watching people all around me
Change into hideous creatures
Monsters from the deepest depths of hell
Everyone in the room
Has been transformed except me
The Chief of them all
Wears a Trumpian mask
Complete with orange hair
Half human half pig
His deputy
Wears the face of Putin
But his body
Half human, half horse
The other creatures wear masks
Many of them wear
Green Pepe the alt-right
Symbolic frog masks
pepe
And have T-shirts
Bearing alt right slogans
And Nazi symbols
And as they prance about
They chant alt. Right slogans
And neo-Nazi chants
Jews will not Replace us
And the rest of these creatures
Are hideous ugly beasts
With only a vestige of humanity left
And these monsters are engaged
In all sorts of foul evil deeds
Murder violence death
All around
And non-stop
violent drug-fueled orgies
As these creatures
Half human half monsters
Half male, half female creatures
Snort coke, cocaine, speed
drop Acid, Smoke weed and drink vodka shots
Scotch, bourbon and beer
The Trumpian Pig leads the charge
Starts engaging in sodomy with Putin
Who chases after people
Cutting off their heads with his sword
They turn on to their fellow creatures
Raping and killing each other
and eating their fellow creatures
All night long
Then they attack me
Screaming
Jews will not replace us
And I wake up
Screaming
As the sun comes up
Just another nightmare
Humor keeps us sane
Pensively prompt – unpublished
corona virus
it is a piece of what we need to do
to prevent us from getting
the dreaded corona virus
coming up your nose
First Kiss with My wife
first kiss
It was 1982
when I first met my wife
the love of my life
In 1979 she came to me
in a dream
and then she walked
off a bus
eight years latter
a few weeks later
we went for a walk
in the woods
and ending up kissing
passionately wild kisses
as we walked in the woods
and the kisses
led a few weeks later
to our first night together
as man and wife
but I will always recall
our first kiss
of our life together
creative talent unleashed prompt posted
Birth of New World
cosmos
the first interplanetary travelers
arrived on the new planet
called new Eden
and watched the birth
of the new world
hoping that humanity
can get a new world
and avoid destroying new eden
hoping that god
has given the world
a new home world
creative talents unleashed prompt
Peacock Speaks
peakcock speaks
as the virus spreads
around the world
the peacock in the zoo
speaks up
talking on behalf
of their fellow species
he called upon humans
to free them from their zoo prisons
and let them be free
before it was too late
and humanity met their fate
becoming a ghost in the wind
creative talents unleashed prompt
Iguana Talks to humanity
iguana will miss human friends
the wise old Iguana
woke from its nightmares
of the end of the world
as humanity faded away
the iguana was scared
but afraid of the future
and he would miss
his human friends
creative talents unleashed prompt
six word poem naked masked woman waiting to kiss
masked woman
creative talents unleashed prompt
Inner Space Beckons
cosmos new world
Inner worlds beckons in these dark times
No one knows where it will end
No one understands the future
Everyone must descend deep inside
Remembering their dreams
Cosmic dreams fill my head
Of the future we can dream
Some offering hope
Most of us can still dream
Only then can we become free
So that we can escape our fate
Searching for the Holly Grail
for thousands of years
people have been searching
for the fabled holly grail
in hopes that it will lead
to eternal life
then one day
the holly grail is found
millions die
from drinking the tainted grail
writing.com prompt daily dew april poems
Free roaming Berkeley as a Kid
free roaming berkeley
growing up in Berkeley
back in the day
we still were allowed
to free roam
and so I went
everywhere on foot
or bus
walking to Solano avenue
drinking coffee
at Peets coffee
eating Chinese food
in Berkeley’s china town
walking downtown
walking to CAL
eating top dog
experiencing the late 60’s
transforming Telegraph
and walking in the woods
in tilden park
high up in the hills
overlooking the bay area
writing.com prompt daily dew april poems
To all the friends I am about to loose
over the years
I have known so many people
and now when the virus
is spreading out around the world
I will soon be hearing
that this person has died
and that person has died
I will outlive many of my friends
from around the world
part of getting old
something that I fear
one day perhaps
people will hear
that jake has died
and they will say
that they barely knew me
and wished that they had
taken the time
to become my friend
Just as I think
about all the friends
i am about to loose
to this killer virus
running amuck
writing.com prompt daily dew april poems
corona fears
covid 19 virus
corona
the word fills us with dread
spreading around the world today
will we all survive this
corona
Saturday April 4
follow your dreams
follow your dreams
they may some day
come true
they did for me
I dream of meeting
the love of my life
who became my wife
for eight years
she haunted my dreams
then one day
she walked off a bus
out of my dreams
and into my life
becoming my wife
based on true story see my blog entry the world according to cosmos (https://theworldaccordingtocosmos.com) for details or see “dreams and the Unexplainable” published in 2016 by the Chicken Soup for the Soul publishers
Coffee’s intoxicating smell wakes me up
coffee
coffee’s intoxicating smell wakes me up
filling me with hope and joy
as a I drink deeply
filling my self with smell
the sent of sweat as heaven
darkly hinting of hell as well
filling my every fiber of my being
with its intense smell and flavor
driving me mad with anticipation
as I smell the fragrance brewing
in my coffee pot
waiting waiting waiting
for it to be ready
for me to consume my daily drug
poetry super highway prompt day 3
Dreams cinquain
Dreams
come true
if you believe
love comes at night
dreams
all poetry contest
allien abduction
allien
when I was in high school
I accidentally drank a drink
that had been laced with LSD
I went on my first and only acid trip
one of the most profound events
of my life
and it haunts me to this day
in this trip
at one point
I found myself
in a space ship
surrounded by aliens
who were conducting experiments
on me
they flew me to NYC
where I went to a bar
filled with aliens drinking
and they came after me
and I found myself
back on the ship
they said
time to us to leave him
to develop his own language
and I woke up in my bed
did it really happen
to this day
I do not know
but do I believe in aliens
and alien abductions
yes I believe
for it may have happened
to me
all poetry contest
To Dream the Impossible Dream – Ghazal
what dreams may come
to dream the impossible dream
every night I must dream
and during the night dream
I will see her in my dream
yes I met my love in my dream
she came to me in my dream
for eight long years came in my dream
haunting my nighttime dreams
one day she walked out of my dreams
coming to life out of my dreams
and she became my wife in my dreams
and soon became as real as the dream
and she walked out of the dream
I knew her name Angela Lee in my dream
all poetry ghazal poem
quarantine blues
quarantine
Quarantine such an ugly word
Unlike any other
All at home
No where to go
That is the worst part of it
In fact enforced staying at home
Not too bad
Especially if I have you by my side
Blues come over me
Looking out the window
Unable to go out
Everyone everybody afraid<
Sums up my fearful fears
poetry soup contest
wild country poetry soup contest bus rider not posted
the Bus – Travels Through America’s Underbelly
bus rides in America
I am a bus rider
That makes me unusual
For a white male
From an upper middle class family
Our tribe are not bus riders
Though some are subway riders
Bus riders are other people
The poor, minorities, immigrants
People who don’t drive
Because they are blind
Or have a DUI
And in my case
I don’t drive
Because I have bad vision
And bad coordination
Just never got the hang
Of the whole driving thing
Fortunately for me
My wife does the driving
But I still take the bus
From time to time
I rode the AC buses in Berkeley
As a child
Line 67, line 51, line 43 F bus
Rode them long before BART came along
And afterwards as well
As an adult seldom rode the bus
But when I did so
I was always impressed
By the sheer diversity
Of the bus riding population
Hundreds of languages
All sorts of sexual orientation
Some were white
Most were not
Most of my fellow passengers
Were nice enough
Some were friendly
And some were lost
In their own thoughts
And a few
Were scary looking dudes
With the look
Of someone who had done time
And were capable of more violence
I also rode the bus
In Seattle as a graduate student
A lot of fellow UW students
And the usual immigrants
Minorities etc
And some white people
Commuting
And in DC
Over the years
I rode a lot of buses
Mostly to and from the metro
But I got to know
And love the DC buses as well
I also took the greyhound bus
Across the country
Several times over the years
All over the U.S.
From Bay Area to Stockton
From Bay Area to Clear Lake
From Bay area to NYC
NYC to DC
All over the USA
Taking the Greyhound
Was always an adventure
Met a lot of interesting people
As people on long distant bus rides
Tend to open up and talk
To pass the time away
Overseas I took the bus
All over
In India, in Barbados
In Spain and in Korea
The Korean buses
For many years
Were difficult for foreign visitors
As the signs were all in Korean
Most have signs
Now in English, Chinese and Korean
And are much more foreigner friendly
Riding the bus
In America
Allows one access
To the underbelly of American society
The poor, the marginalized
The immigrant communities
That many middle-class white people
Just never see
And for that reason
I am glad
That I am a bus rider
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR:
Based on my experiences riding the bus all over the world from 1968 to 2020
Stand Z Poetry soup contest Bad Craziness
Bad Craziness
howling at the moon
Walking into that bar
That nefarious den of iniquity and evilness
Twenty drinks too sober
The scent of bad craziness
Hung in the air
Like an over ripe mango
Desperately seeking to have sex
With wild, dressed up bananas
Running around with the Orange Man
Down the street
The Moon looks out on the mad scene
Sniffs the air
Saying, “Man, this is bad craziness”
And runs away to join her lover the Sun
In an orgy of drunken forgetfulness
The Planet Mars, not amused,
Chases after the maiden Venus
Under the cold, calculating glances
of the Planet Pluto
The Moon and the Sun
Rent a room in the Hotel Venus
Across from the Jupiter All Night Diner
Cosmic shit kickers
Out for a night of Earth bashing
The Earth trembles, shaken
Moans with passion
And I awake
Saying, that was bad craziness
Out there on the edge
Between the inner me
and the outer Zone
I went on down the road
And met a lady
An outlaw lady on the far side
Money, power, passion
Rolled up in a bundle
Electric chemistry
Fills my head
Zapping my brain
Into demented muscles
Paranoid, pulsating images
Scream out
With mad passion
And demented noises
The night turns ugly fast
And very, very weird
Weirdness in the air
Scent of bad craziness
The Moon
Is freaked out
The Sun falls asleep in the gutter
And I say to myself
I’m just another cosmic guy
On the loose, on the edge,
On the wild side of things
Watching the show
Unfold
I wonder, is this all
A drunken bum show?
Who is the star, who is she
The maiden up there in the bar
Black, leather jackets
On stage naked visions of nightly lust
Dancing with an attitude that could kill
An elephant in heat
And the Moon
Continues to dance across the evening sky
Satisfied, allows mankind to sleep it off
Yet another night in the City of demented Angels
Finally rest as the sun comes up
The masks come back on
And I walk down the road
Putting everything back into the box
Until the next night
Of bad craziness
Lets the wild beast within
Escape its leash.
Bad Craziness rising yet again
Sunday April 5
I Wish for Peace During this time of crisis
covid 19
I wish for peace and happiness
during this time of despair
pandemic fears all around us
death stalking us daily
I wish for health
amid the carnage
all around me
I wish for leadership
from our President
from our governors
and our congress
and most importantly
I wish that I will survive
with my love at my side
experiencing love
in the time of corona
Writer Digest prompt
Life as a evil Mastermind criminal
I am living the life
I am Slick Mc Dick
the one and only
the master criminal
I live in Oakland
and I run drugs, prostitutes
guns and illegal software
I am part Irish, German,
Black, Asian and Cherokee
I am a real bad ass
I am stone cold killer
and a wild man in bed
and I am the King Pin
the meanest MF in the world
and everyone is afraid of me
the politicians need me
they get free hookers
free booze and free blow
in all my clubs
and I have secrets
secrets to sell
to the media
to the spy agencies
they all protect me
as I am the ultimate source
of the dirt
that everyone wants to hide
yes I am Slick Mc Dick
the king of them all
and no one can take me down
Born bad to the bone heartbreaker
the song bad to the bone
fills my ears
like a mad anthem
of my life
I am a heartbreaker
broke a thousand hearts
before I am through
I will break a thousand more
but only one woman
has ever had the power
to break my heart
and to her
I dedicate my life
and promise not
to break her heart
poetry superhighway prompt
Bad to the Bone
Now, on the day I was born
The nurses all gathered ’round
And they gazed in wide wonder
At the joy they had found
The head nurse spoke up
Said “leave this one alone”
She could tell right away
That I was bad to the bone
Bad to the bone
Bad to the bone
B-b-b-b-b-b-b-bad
B-b-b-b-b-b-b-bad
B-b-b-b-b-b-b-bad
Bad to the bone
I broke a thousand hearts
Before I met you
I’ll break a thousand more, baby
Before I am through
I wanna be yours, pretty baby
Yours and yours alone
I’m here to tell ya honey
That I’m bad to the bone
Bad to the bone
B-b-b-b-b-b-b-bad
B-b-b-b-b-b-b-bad
B-b-b-b-b-b-b-bad
Bad to the bone
I make a rich woman beg, yeah
And I’ll make a good woman steal
I’ll make an old woman blush
And make a young girl squeal
I wanna be yours, pretty baby
Yours and yours alone
waiting for this day
the day of the dead
when the dead
come to life
and devour the living
turning all into zombies
zombies for his army
and he wakes the demons
the ancient horrors
from their slumbers
and they swam to shore
coming to the earth
devouring all
in their path
Cthulu would have his revenge
none will escape their fate
that dismal date
all poetry Lovecraft contest
Having a dog saved my life
when I was a young lad
and I became terrified of dogs
and to some sense still am
but then many years ago
i had a dog
a husky dog
raised as a puppy
the dog though was half wolf
hated people watching him eat
I gave the dog to my sister
as she seemed to be able
to tame his savage heart
later my wife
had a beagle
and he saved my life
when I was recovering
from a broken heal
Jason was my constant companion
during those dark days
when I was afraid
that I would die
from the staph infection
the dog was smart
compassionate
and seemed to understand me
as I talked to him all day long
and afterwards I no longer
was afraid of dogs
as they were now
Monday April 6
The Mist from Hell Descends on the land
the mist from hell
settles down on the land
the mist covers us all
the scent of death
the grim reaper
rides behind the miss
infecting those around him
the mark of death
as the mist covers the land
the end of the world
comes with the mist from hell
Conversation with the Gods About Corona Virus
buddha figure
jesus
shiva
god
Rev. Jake ’s on-line sermon on the Corona Virus
I am reverend Jake and I have a message from God
Last night I had a vision from God
it was his message to the world
about this pandemic we are facing
I found myself in a large room
Jehovah, God, was sitting in the middle
surrounded by the other Gods
they were all there
Jesus on his right
Allah on his left
Buddha behind him
Ganesh, Shiva, Kali
Mohammed, Joseph Smith and other prophets
Gabriel and other angels abound
St Peter in front of his as his Chief of Staff
Zeus, Jupiter, Minerva and ancient
other gods all around him
God spoke up
He said
I have a message for you
to give to your people
all of your people
no matter what religion
or no religion at all
it is all one after all
first the corona virus
is a natural phenomenon
we have no control
over forces of nature
and we did not send
it to you
to punish you
for homosexuality
or anything else at all
Second obey the health directives
stay at home
do your services on line
it is okay with us
we are fine with that
the blood of Jesus
will not save you
If you are in a crowded place
like church or a mosque service
the virus will spread
and catch you in the end
Prayers alone will not save you
but please keep praying
we do listen to your prayers
but we can only do so much
So please don’t allow the virus
to spread
because of your ignorance
and fear
realize that in the end
the virus will do its thing
and you will survive
and we
all the gods here
love you humans
and wish you well
so stay at home
practice self distancing
It is God’s will
all will survive
The Moment that changed my Life sonnet format
couple in bed
the moment that changed my life
occurred in late August 1982
when the woman of my dreams
came out of my dreams
walking off a bus
and into my life
a few months later became my wife
first dreamt of her in 1979
back in my high school day
and I knew that some day
I would meet the woman
in my dreams
and I did and that changed my fate
when I met her that date
we must walk on an honest path in these dangerous times
we must walk the path of honesty
in these dark dangerous times
In these dark dangerous days
we must walk on the path
of honesty and truth
if we don’t
we won’t have a remote chance
of living through these end days
I was sitting along
In a god forsaken bar
Somewhere on the lunatic fringes
Of society
On the bad part of town
Over by railroad tracks
Heading to hell
As fast as I could drink it down
Enjoying my lonely drink
Drinking by my lonesome self
With my partners
Jimmy Dean, and the Walker brother
And his old Granddad
Just drinking and hanging
With the Jack Daniel’s gang
A crazed bum
With a thousand year stare
Walks up to me
He begins
Muttering to himself
Nutty nonsense
Crazy words
In a lunatic’s voice
He had the look
Of one possessed
By his own demons
That only he can see
Or hear
Possessed by a secret knowledge
Only he knew
Despite myself
I was fascinated
By this lunatic’s tale
So I stopped him
And said
So what’s your game
Anyway
The short little dude
Stopped his insane prattle
Starting at me
With that thousand year old stare
Just another washed up
Lunatic
an acid causality
from the 60’s
who went so far down
the rabbit hole
he never came back
Too many bad nights
On the wrong side of life
He looked at me
And proclaimed his story
He reared up
And filled up the room
And lifted the bar
On his finger
And stared down at me
From the sky
And said
Since you asked
I am God
The alpha and Omega
The real deal
The original dude of dudes
The sultan of Swing
God of hosts
And father of that Jesus dude
But no one knows me
Any more
No one cares
They think I am irrelevant
They think I am dead
They think I am a fairy tale
From some olden, ancient time
Some say I am dead
Others think I should be dead
That my work is done
I looked at him
Carefully now
And what did I see
An old man
With that lunatic look
But there was something else
He was crazy
Sure yes
But perhaps he was the real deal
I mean why not
Why would not God be
A lunatic wandering around loose
Talking to low lives like me
In a bar
On the way to hell
So I looked at him
And invited him to share
His tale of woe
God tells me
Well, it’s like this
Many a year ago
People believed in me
But one day
They quit believing in me
And they went on without me
As they left me
My powers got weaker and weaker
And so eventually I became
What you see today
A broken down drunk
Hanging out
Looking for a hand out
Looking for some company
Or at least a free dinner
And he laughed and laughed
And I looked at him
And saw the beginnings of the end
And the ends of the beginnings
I saw a million planets
Flash by
eight billion people
A trillion sentient beings
Thinking all at once
Thoughts filled my head
Lights flashed
And I knew
He was telling the truth
But it did not matter
In this day and age
Of materialism
God has no role
God is truly dead
And so I bought him a drink
And walked out of the bar
Profoundly sadden by what I had seen
God was dead
And we had all conspired
To kill him
Long live God
it seems to me
in these dark days
that we are on the path
to hell
as the virus chases all
satan is smiling
at the spreading chaos
the dogs of war
are unleashed
spreading panic
as more people die
and as the gate of hell
open in front of us
we are all rushing down
the path to hell
and so I sit
in a bar
twenty drinks too sober
drinking my way to hell
all poetry contest – write poem based on the song “Highway to Hell”
Capitol Hill in the Spring *
lincoln park
Sitting on a bench
In Lincoln Park
Heart of Capitol Hill
Beating heart of the Empire
On a warm Spring Day
Watching the Cherry trees
Watching Me
Wondering what thoughts
They must have heard
The things they have seen
Over the years
But they are quiet
They do not say a word
As I fall into my spring time dreams
Sitting on that bench
Seeing the children and dogs play
Looking at Spring flowers
And pretty women
As they stroll by
Hearing the sounds of the city
As I dream of my past life
Memories of places and people
I said to myself
What a wonderful life
*Published Writer’s Newsletter June 2017
Under the canopy of the pine trees we lay – from the poem ‘Under the canopy of pine trees
pine trees
under the canopy of the pine trees we lay
along the world peace forest
in Korea
walking the forest
in the spring time
fearing the corona virus
and everyone around us
watch the snowing cherry trees
and the wind whispering
the voices of ghosts
those newly dead
and we lay down
under the canopy of the pine trees
waiting for our turn
to face the grim reaper
in this dismal day
in April
truly the cruelest month
of them all
poetry soup contest
Tuesday April 7
Smartest Man in the World
trump
donald trump
our dear leader
claims he is the smartest
man in the world
a stable genius
has good words
knows more than generals
knows more than doctors
should have been a doctor
only he can fix
what ails the world
for he is the greatest
genius in the world
like his friend the dear leader of North Korea
but in fact he is among the most stupid men
to ever serve as our President
trump is the poster child for the Dunning-Kruger Effect effect don’t you think? All Poetry contest to write a poem based on the Dunning-Kruger effect.
Great Leader Tiger Jade Poem
trump
Our leader
great leader
Claims he is the smartest man in the whole universe
surely he is the most searched man in the googleverse
perhaps though he is proof of man’s evolution
Darwinian selection working devolution
stupid is
stupid does
writers.com prompt to write a “Tigerjade Poem”
weasels words are the mental traps we set for ourselves
wasel words
we are surrounded by weasel words
mental traps we set for ourselves
to shut down all rational discussion
in truly Orwellian fashion
these words are legend
everyone uses them
no one thinks about them
what they really mean
I had no choice
of course, one always has a choice
Failure is not an option
nothing but macho BS
of course failure is always an option
that one must be prepared to face
and my favorite
zero tolerance
which converts
all violations of the Rules
into class A murder like felonies
and common sense and discretion
thrown out the window
under the proverbial bus
where the full SWAT
Imperial storm troopers
Robot cops are deployed
to arrest a teenage girl
her crime giving a classmate
a Tylenol which is a legal drug
but under zero tolerance
that is the same as selling heroin
and she will be charged
with a class A drug offense
following her around
for her life
for having dared
to break the stupid rule
yes weasel words
are everywhere
our mental traps
designed to keep us
from thinking
and acting
so throw off your mental traps
break free from the weasel words
and perhaps we can be free
of these mental traps
writer’s digest prompt – to write a trap poem
the day I met the love of my life was a fine late August day
peace forest
the day I met the love of my life
who became my wife
was a late August day
in South Korea
as Koreans put it
the sky is high
my horses are fat
and the king is far away
하늘이 높다
말은 뚱뚱하다
왕은 멀리있다
haneul-i nopda
mal-eun ttungttunghada
wang-eun meolliissda
in late August early September
the weather turns in Korea
the humid sauna like temperatures
begin to abate
cool breezes cool the air
the sky is high
crystal clear
just a few clouds
the temperatures moderate
high in the 80’s low in the 60’s
just wonderful weather
the promise of nice fall weather
in the air
the killing heat of the summer
abates and dies down
and on such a lovely date
I met my fate
she walked out of my dreams
and into my life
and became my wife
during the brilliant
Autumn of Korea
before the winter
settled down on the land
To this day
when the autumn comes
I recall the halcyon date
when I met my fate
poetry super highway daily April Prompt to write a weather report poem, and based on my true love story
with the corona virus upon us
I am bracing to hear the news
that so and so has died
I reflect back
on all the people in my life
that I have already lost
part of being older
is that you lose people
close to you along the way
I lost my father due to cancer in 1985
and my sister due to a freak illness in 2007
and my mother due to alzheimer’s in 2005
and my father-in-law as well in 2007
Demel Tucker
high school debate teammate
dead of HIV in 1995
Julian Bartley and his son
one of my favorite bosses
died in a terrorist bombing
in Nairobi in 1998
Jon Weber college roommate
dead due to prostate cancer
in 2000
Paul Simon friend from the visa line
dropped dead of a heart attack
in 2004
Ted Halstead
one of my best bosses
died of heart attack
in 2007
Chris Richard one of my former bosses
dropped dead of a heart attack
shortly before we were due
to have lunch in 2014
and so many others
I have lost
along the way
and soon there will be
so many more
as I get old
in the corona era
writer. com daily dew drop prompt to write an elegy poem
The Giant Nazi Spider Speaks
giant nazi spiders
General Zero
the commander of the Khan imperial forces
took over the earth
was a eight foot giant spider
accompanied by two legged rats
and two legged cats
in 24 hours they were in charge
he spoke to the world
People of earth greetings
I am commander Zero
and I have taken over your planet
making it part of the Galactic Empire
we did it because it is our destiny
to take over the universe
one planet by one planet
and everyone becomes
part of the great galactic empire
there are only a few rules
for you to remember
starting today you will learn Galactic standard
within one year all other languages will be banned
starting today all religions are banned
for in the Galactic empire
we have no room for some nonsense
everyone must work
if you are disabled or elderly
your family must take care of you
if you have no one to take care of you
you will be terminated as an “useless eater”
failure to follow the rules or laws
or lawful orders
will result in your immediate execution
that is all for today
Long live the Empire
writers. com daily dew drop contest challenge to write a poem incorporating a plot from a novel or story and I chose to base it on the opening scene of my novel, “Giant Nazi Spiders” see first four chapters here
life is a dream of chocolate covered trees
makes me so hungry to eat the trees
dark brown chocolate covered trees
as I eat them I hear the crunch of the leaves
and smell the dark chocolate smells
feeling the leaves in my mouth
as I touch the chocolate covered trees
filled with the sound of chocolate
enjoying the chocolate
with my wife Angela Lee
she turns to me and says
Jake Cosmos Aller
사랑해
salanghae
we are living
in an Orwellian 1984 world
and have been for decades
we are assaulted daily
by alternative realties
promoted by various politicians
designed to shut down
all rational thought
true Orwellian thought control
and now with the corona virus
massive surveillance
has become the norm
and when the crisis is over
the surveillance will continue
on one excuse after another
forever as Orwell’s nightmare
big brother ruling us all
comes true
based on the fear that the massive increase in social surveillance being deployed against the Corona virus will after the crisis is over continue forever under one excuse or another as the Orwellian big brother dictatorships around the world become permanent
새영 지마 saeyeong jima Recently Came to Life in My Life
The Korean Proverb
새영 지마 saeyeong jima
recently came to life in my life
The meaning of the proverb
Is that you can never know whether something
will be good or bad
and that unexpectedly
what appears to be bad fortune
turns out to be a good fortune
The proverb played
out recently in my life
about lunar New Year’s Day
we were preparing to go to Thailand
from two weeks from our home
in South Korea
and then at the end of February
we would to go to DC
My wife blew out her lumber desk
and we were forced to cancel our trips
This occurred
just as the coronavirus
was taking off around the world
and if we had gone
we may have been stuck either in Thailand
or we may have been stuck in the United States
and traveling in the mist of a corona outbreak
would probably mean
that we would have been exposed
to the virus
instead we were forced to stay home
and self quarantine ourselves
and therefore
we escaped being exposed to the coronavirus
and we feel much safer
here in Korea where the outbreak is contained
rather than in DC
where it is still spreading everywhere
so in a sense her misfortune
throwing out her disk
which resulted in us staying at home
and avoiding the coronavirus
is the true meaning
of the Korean Chinese expression
새영 지마 saeyeong jima
writers.com prompt to write a food poem
the Terrorists were succeeding beyond their wildest dreams
nuclear explosion
the terrorists were succeeding
beyond their wildest dreams
they thought what were the chances
it was so much better,
easier than they thought
as the bombs dropped all around them
to where it would end
they did not know
All they knew was that
it was all about to end
you see we were facing the end
The morning after the end of the world
the bombs fell and fell
in fact all over the world
it felt that the world would end up
being destroyed as the world ends
and nuclear war
they called for the end of the world
be so it must be they
thought to themselves
would they be able to stop the carnage
so it ends much as it begins
one does not know how it would end up
the bombs doing their bomb thing after all
they were simply bombs
all must die once they are released
after all that was the way it was
the bomb facility opened up death
the death of the whole world
of that we can be sure
following the blue prints
the master plans of the war planners
at the end of the day
it looks like Armageddon
a end of the world game
would it get that bad
to end the world
is that what they wanted
they did not know
it is possible no one knew
it was uncharted territory
it was the end of the world
if the bombs did their bomb thing
Poetry Super Highway Prompt
Turn to page 35 of any book. Use the first two sentences backwards for your prompt. I used James Tate, “Worshipful Company of Fletchers” and got: “ The pleasure of little incidents Remember.”
From Vince Flynn protect and defend original text
If it was possible they wanted to get a look at the blueprints of the facility after all they were doing one so would be called and destroy it in the morning you about where to drop the bomb so better the chances were of succeeding
corona virus tanka
covid19
corona virus
it is spreading all over
the world dying
I walk down the path of life
Along with love of my wife
National Poetry Month Day Seven Prompt Tanka
Angela Came to Me for 38 years Bringing me lots of $
many packs of us dollars
Angela Lee came to me
out of a dream she came to me
she walked out of my dreams
eight years after I first dreamt of her
she finally came to me
that she has been my wife
the love of my life
and every day
I recall the dream
of meeting her
she has brought me much to my life
this love of my life my wife
but the most important thing
she has brought to me
besides her endless love of course
is $
massive amounts of $
as she has made me
richer than I could have ever imagined
turning every day my $
into many more $
They say that a man
should marry a woman
born in the year of the Pig
for pig ladies are incredible
at managing $
and if you are so lucky
you will be buried in $
after Richard Garcia A Letter, a Number and some Punctuation
Poemuzine April 7 presentation prompt
The best meal of my life
korean feast
the best meals of my life
has always been what my wife
cooks up for me every night
always making something great
from the simplest ingredients
Because she came down with celiac disease
she could only eat
what she prepared from scratch
and so she was forced
to give up all processed foods
and in the process she became
the greatest cook
in the universe
I wait with baited breath
to taste the great food
that she creates for me
on lunar new years
she threw out her lumbar disk
and we were forced to stay home
just as the corona pandemic
swept across the world
if we had traveled
we could have contracted
the dreaded corona virus
and we were forced
to stay at home
and avoid going out
to eat
she took advantage
of staying at home
to try new dishes
every single day
I recall the Korean proverb
새영 지마 saeyeong jima
as her misfortune
turned into fortune
and once again
she saved me life
I am the luckiest man in life
the best fed man of all I know
due to the cooking skills of my wife
An old Lion
Roars in his sleep
Recalling an impossible dreamIn his dream
He was a man
Who was chasing a dream
Chasing an impossible dream
The man
Was haunted
By a dream girl
A girl who appeared
Nightly in his dreams
Beckoning him to join her
He searched the world
Looking for her
And then one day
She walked
Off a bus
And into his life
The lion woke up
From the impossible dream
Smiling at the thought
Then he went off
To search for his
Impossible dream
Dreaming still
Of being a man
In search
of a dream girl
from All Poetry Contest – impossible dream
I met my Fate that date
two lovers
I met my fate
on that date
that the love of my life
became my wife
for eight years she haunted my dreams
then one day she walked out of my dreams
truly on that date
my life began when I embraced my fate
and to this date
I never forget that I met my fate
the day she walked into my life
and became my wife
Thursday April 9
the future is coming
BARCELONA, SPAIN – MAY 09: The Terminator robot is seen in the paddock following qualifying for the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix at the Circuit de Catalunya on May 9, 2009 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)
the future
is upon us
as we live
in a SF world
the question remains
will the future be bright
and filled with hope
or will it be dark filled with fear
will we overcome
climate change
and repair
the broken dying world
will humanity take to the stars
leaving behind our planet
as we colonize the solar system
and invent interplanetary travel
will the future be
a dark Orwellian nightmare
will fascism take over the world
starting in the United States
as democracy dies not in the dark
but in the bright light of day
and Fascism spreads
all over the world
as the public embraces
fascisms applauding
the end of our freedoms
hoping that will save us all
will the evil AI
take over the world
unleashing endless robot wars
screaming death to all humans?
the old song says
que sera seara
the future is not
for us to see
but I hope and pray
that in these
dark dangerous times
we can overcome
and end up with the vision
of hope transforming the world
and not end up
with the dark Orwellian future
that I fear is our fate
Unless of course
the AI robots
kill us first
writers digest prompt
The Fate of the World Awaits
beethoven
the fate of the world
looms ahead of us
and we have a choice
to make
all of us
must decide
will we follow
the fate of ancient Rome
surrendering our freedoms
and becoming
an autocratic empire
ruled by emperors
will we become
like Germany
letting the madness
of fascism overwhelm us
will there be a final solution
to the problems
poised by the coming
transformation of America
as white America
becomes brown America
and the rule by old white men
comes to an end?
will Muslims be rounded up and killed ?
as religious and ethnic cleansing
in the name of Christian freedom
sweeps across the land
will the evil AI robot overlords
launch robot wars
to exterminate mankind
screaming death to all humans
will we choose to confront
the pending climate change
rebooting our society and economy
with a green new deal putting people first
will the 1 percent even let us try
or are we doomed
to end our lives
in a dystopian nightmare
I listen to the music of Beethoven
and find comfort
as he confronts
the fate of the world
proving that human spirit
will overcome in the end
filled with love, I am saved
and my optimism returns
poetry super highway
classical music prompt Beethoven fifth opening
the sound of temple bell brings me peace
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
writing.com prompt
the old man in the lake sees God
lightening on lake
An lonely retired old man sits
in a simple boat
In the middle of a lake
in the middle of a storm
a sudden onset of rain
blasts of brilliant lightning
and roaring thunder
the boat is overwhelmed
the old man debates
whether to give it up
head for shore
too late to resume fishing
By a brilliant flash of lightening
he sees in the sky
the snarling angry face of God
filling the sky with his visage
In a loud thunder clap
He hears
the snarling angry
voice of God
Old man in the lake
I have a message for you
it is time for you
to go home
prepare to meet your maker
the end times are coming
Armageddon is about to be unleashed
the final battle between good and evil
your mission is to warn
the world before it is too late
repent and you will be saved
otherwise you will die
suddenly the storm stops
the sky clears up
the spring time nice day
returns filling the air with hope
the old man in the boat in the lake
decides there was nothing
more to do
other than resume fishing
creative talents unleashed prompt
White Flower spring Time Haiku
white flowers in spring haiku
now in the springtime
white flowers blooming in the park
corona death waits
creative talents unleashed prompt
Woman releases balloons of hope
ballons for peace
A young woman
walks in a park
on a sunny spring day
carrying 25 red balloons
each red balloon
contains the name of those
that recently died
in the corona virus pandemic
she is releasing the balloons
hoping they would
rise to heaven
with a request for God
to hear her prayers
End this pandemic
End the death and destruction
release us from the corona pandemic
the woman releases the balloons
and slowly walks back to her house
to prepare to attend yet another funeral
as the pandemic swirls all around her
creative talents unleashed prompt
Cthulu lurks in the evil cabin in the woods
Cthulu lurks in the cabin in the woods
Deep in the bayous
of Louisiana
sits an abandoned cabin
in the swamps
the cabin is inhabited
by an ancient evil creature
newly risen from the depths
of hell
He has taken over the house
deep in the impenetrable swap
he prepares to unleash
an evil upon the world
calling upon the dark demons
of hell to emerge into the light
and lead an army
of the undead zombies
to take over the world
and make the old ancient one
Cthulhu the undisputed
king of the world
evil overwhelms the cabin
in the woods
and the smell of evil
seeps out into the surrounding bayous
the end times are near
the old demon in the cabin
summons the dead
the zombie armies arise
they begin to march
out of the swamps
unleashing hell
on the sleeping world
creative talents unleashed prompt
evil woman
with mad hair
grins
evil woman six word poem
creative talents unleashed evil woman grins six word poem
the best day of my life
couple in bed 2
the best day of my life
was when the woman
of my dreams
became my wife
for eight years
she haunted my dreams
then one day she walked
out of my dreams
and entered my life
three days later
while walking in the woods
I proposed to her
and she said yes
two months later
after a whirlwind romance
we were married
It has been 45 years
since I first met her
haunting my life
in my dreams
and 38 years since she walked
off that bus
into my life
becoming my wife
I met my fate
that date
she walked into my life
became my wife
all poetry wedding poems contest
Friday April 10
Walking in Limbo
limbo
ekphrastic_prompt_4
a man finds himself alone
in a dark forest
filled with strange trees
and hears voices
in the wind
he walks forward
towards a light
in the forest
and soon finds himself
confronted by a ghostly image
the dead are all around
and he realizes that he has died
and he is wandering
in limbo
he walks towards the light
and sees a man
at a desk
who asks his name
he says his name
and the man
smiles and tells him
welcome to limbo
join the others
to wait your turn
for judgement is due
and the man
walks back
through the haunted forest
trying to remember how he died
but he has no memory
of his past life
and is doomed
to wander in limbo
stuck between time
and worlds
comforted by the ghosts
around him
and the light
in the forest
writers digest prompt to write an ekphrastic Poem
New Bodies in New Era
we are living
in a SF world
things are changing
at breath taking speeds
nowhere more
than with the coming biomedical revolution
soon we will be confronted
with the reality
that we can live forever
in new bodies
grown for us
in laboratories
with our memories intact
and I can hardly wait
until that date
I want to throw off
this aging 65-year old body
and get a new 20-old perfect body
boy, I can’t wait
I would be come
what I always wanted to be
well behave hair
no more learning disability
no more coordination problems
no more fibromyalgia
no more arthritis either
no more aching aging pain
no more mental fog
no more need
for Cialis either
god,
I can hardly wait
hope it happens
before I die
and I hope
I can live
on forever
with my wife
also transformed
into a perfect
sexy as hell
pretty young thing
poetry soup prompt to write a poem about changes
life interrupted by corona
coronavirus
we live in a strange world
life interrupted by corona
the virus spreads
throughout the world
disrupting everything
putting life on hold
as more people
hunkered down
waiting for the virus
to pass over us
like in biblical times
the virus
will test us all
life interrupted
on hold
until the virus
spreads through the world
and then
we will all go back
to pre-corona life interrupted
writing.com Daily Dew Drop interruption
Saudade for friends I have lost
as I get older
I lose more people
every year
more people I knew
have died moving on
and I mourn their lost friendship
wished I had been
a better friend for them
and knew them better
and with the corona virus
spreading around the world
I will lose so many more
in the coming year
as the virus spreads
its malignancy far and wide
I lost my father due to cancer in 1985
and my sister
due to a freak illness in 2007
and my mother
due to Alzheimer’s in 2005
and my father-in-law as well in 2007
Demel Tucker
high school debate teammate
dead of HIV in 1995
Julian Bartley and his son
died in a terrorist bombing
in Nairobi in 1998
Jon Weber college roommate
dead due to prostate cancer
in 2000
Paul Simon friend from the visa line
dropped dead of a heart attack
in 2004
Judy Fine
My Co Ho Art Slam co-host
died at age 55 in Mumbai
Ted Halstead
one of my best bosses
died of heart attack in 2007
Chris Richard
one of my former bosses
from my days in Bangkok
dropped dead of a heart attack
shortly before we were due
to have lunch in 2014
and so many others
I have lost
along the way
and soon there will be
so many more
as I get old in the corona era
my lover’s body inspires me
my lover
Lover’s face
inspires me
Filled sexy
as hell
still got it
drives me
wild desires
tonight
concrete poem – national poetry month prompt day 9
Vogan Poetry inspires us all
vogan
Couth super- of the world
trailer, stringendo travels afar
Rent center bank me bark me
recipe, stringendo.for sure for sure
National poetry month prompt day eight Vogan Bot Poetry
The end of the world news depresses me
cnn logo
the end of the world news depresses me
makes me want to shout and scream
STFU leave me alone
to deal with my grief
amid the death and destruction
watching CNNMSNBCFOXBBC media nonstop
filled with essential dread
the end of the world is upon us
from the screaming news media
spreading forth across the land
fake news screams the president
all is alright he proclaims
no one believes his 16,000 lies
and so it goes
we are drowning with information
coming at us so fast and furious
When will it end my friend
is anyone’s guess
soon all to soon it will end
but in the long run we are dead
National poetry Month Day Seven poem inspired by the news
the Devil speaks In the Garden of Earthly Delights
in the garden of earthly delights
the devil makes a covert appearance
disguised as always
he wanders about the world
corrupting everything
with his evil foul deeds
the devil turns to me
and says welcome to my world, human
you will soon be mine
death and destruction
revenge is mine
you will all die
i decree it, so mote it be
and he laughs
and continues to corrupt
the garden of Eden and earthly delights
ekphrastic garden of earthly delights national poetry month prompt day 6
president trump haunts my Dream
trump clown in chief
president Trump
haunts my dreams
daily dystopian nightmares
as he daily proclaims
the end to the republic
as he ushers in fascism
with his every lie
he corrupts the world
and I hate
seeing his bloated fat ugly body
that haunts my every dream
as I watch him rant and rage
against my old friends,
his enemies in the deep state
ushering in chaos and destruction
National Poetry Month day four prompt image from a dream
ten words random rhymes
every day I see our president
Trump proclaims that he will be president
his image haunts my dreams
dystopian nightmares propels my dreams
as the president proclaims he is president
the end of republic follows
no one hears our screams
He ushers in endless dreams
fascism inspires
our collective screams
as democracy dies
a million deaths
national poetry month Day three prompt write a poem based on ten random words
674 Santa Rosa
674 santa rosa jpg
my childhood home
for almost 15 years
was 674 Santa Rosa
Berkeley California
A five bedroom
adobe California home
on the side of a hill
at the bottom of the Berkeley hills
you entered on the top floor
across the street you entered
on the bottom floor
thus it was in the Berkeley Hills
the house
had a large deck
with a perfect view
of the golden gate
we used
to sit outside
watching the sunset
as we ate dinner
my Mom and Dad
would have their first
of many nightly cocktails
on the deck
before retreating inside
to continue
their nightly fights
and arguments
I grew up
downstairs
hearing their constant words
of hatred, dismay and outrage
my parents were the proverbial
odd couple
perhaps
never should have married
but despite the hate
there was still some love
that kept them together
throughout the years
we had a rec room
with a pool table
and I hung out there
with my friends
my mother tolerated my friends
most of the time
she would be somewhat sober
until after they left
and the madness came
over her
as she drank her whisky
and wine
the basement room
was added later
was my younger brother’s room
later was my room
whenever I visited
from college days
hiding out downstairs
avoiding my mad mother
my old room lay abandoned
filled with books
thousands of books
that I had read over the years
when she died
I should have taken
all the books
with me back to DC
instead I took
about one hundred
just no space for the books
of my childhood memories
National Poetry month day two prompt specific place poem 674 Santa Rosa Berkeley California
My life appears to a dream
For I dreamt
of meeting
the love of my life
in a dream
she haunted my dreams
for eight years
then one day in 1982
she walked out of the dreams
into my life
and became my wife
yes my life
resembles a fairy tale
complete with a princess
that rescued me
with her undying love
and made my life complete
national Poetry Month Day One Prompt Metaphor for Life Dreamer
Trump Derangement Syndrome Blues
trump
Trump haunts my nightmares
dystopian visions
soon to come true
fan story 15 syllable poem contest
Saturday April 11
To My Dream Woman Who Loves Me
couple in bed 1
to my dream woman
who has loved me so
over the years
since I first dreamt
of meeting her
thank you for finding me
and rescuing me
I just have three words
to say
I love you
Saran hae
and in a million other languages
and will love you
until the end of time
writers digest prompt to write a x Blank x
God is not sending the Corona Virus as a Punishment, Black Out Poem
-Robert_Jeffress_(cropped)
Original text
During a press briefing today to address the nation’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, President Trump was asked about certain Christian pastors who plan to defy state lockdown orders and hold Easter church services this Sunday.
“I’ve had talks with the pastors, and most of the pastors agree … that they are better off doing what they are doing, which is, distancing,” Trump said, adding that the pastors want to “get back to church so badly.”
Trump then referred to a notorious pastor who sits on his religious advisory council.
“I’m going to be watching Pastor Robert Jeffress, who’s been a great guy,” Trump said. “He’s a great guy and I’m going to be watching on a laptop.”
Jeffress is known for his litany of statements demonizing the LGBT community, abortion, and secular people. One of his most reviled comments came in 2015 when he said the 9/11 attacks were God’s punishment on America for abortion.
“People ask me all the time,” Jeffress said during a speech at Liberty University. “‘Well, I just don’t understand why God wouldn’t protect our nation and he would allow these radical Muslims in 2001 to kill 3,000 of our citizens and why God doesn’t protect us. Surely, God doesn’t use pagans to bring judgment upon his own people, does he?’”
“I’ve had talks with the pastors, and most of the pastors agree … that they are better off doing what they are doing, which is, distancing,” Trump said, adding that the pastors want to “get back to church so badly.”
Trump then referred to a notorious pastor who sits on his religious advisory council.
“I’m going to be watching Pastor Robert Jeffress, who’s been a great guy,” Trump said. “He’s a great guy and I’m going to be watching on a laptop.”
Black out text
the coronavirus pandemic, President Trump
hold Easter church services this Sunday.
“I’ve had talks with the pastors, get back to church so badly.”
“He’s a great guy and I’m going to be watching on a laptop.”
The 9/11 attacks were God’s punishment on America for abortion.
“People ask me all the time,” ‘Well, I just don’t understand why God wouldn’t protect our nation and he would allow these radical Muslims in 2001 to kill 3,000 of our citizens and why God doesn’t protect us. Surely, God doesn’t use pagans to bring judgment upon his own people, does he?’”
Poem
Corona Pandemic is Not’s God’s Punishment
Amid the coronavirus pandemic,
President Trump
Attended virtual Easter church services
I’ve had talks with the pastors,
We need to get back
to church so badly.”
Rev Jeffries is a great guy
I’m going to be watching on a laptop.”
Rev Jeffries said
The 9/11 attacks were God’s punishment
on America for abortion.
“People ask me all the time,”
‘Well, I just don’t understand
why God wouldn’t protect our nation
and he would allow these
radical Muslims in 2001
to kill 3,000 of our citizens
and why God doesn’t protect us
.
Surely, God doesn’t use pagans
to bring judgment
upon his own people,
does he?’”
Rev Jeffries
I spoke to God
This morning
He confirmed
He did not cause 9-11
To bring judgement
On the US
For abortion
He went on to say
The corona virus
Is beyond his control
And he is not sending it
To punish the US
Or the world
His final words
Please tell Rev Jeffries
To simply Shut up
poetry super highway black out poem
Coffee Whitney
coffee
my coffee
morning delight
all day long
not though
at night
can not sleep
afternoon coffee
leads to nightmares
lasts all night
writing.com Whitney poem form
coffee Hay Na Ku
boss coffee
hot
coffee
in morning
iced
coffee
afternoon
Drink
coffee
afternoon
will
soon have
bad nightmares
must
have my
coffee now
drink
coffee
all day long
no
way sleep
will come me
curse
of my
mad coffee
writing.com prompt write a Hay Na Ku Poem
Daily Dew Drop In submissions as well
women playing the lute contemplating God
woman playing lute
a woman sits
by herself
playing the lute
deep in contemplation
thinking of God’s love
for her
thinking of the devil
and his temptations
she continues
playing the lute
all poetry contest
Sunday April 12
Life spinning out of control
it seems these days
that life is spinning out of control
everyday the news is grim
more people are dying
as the virus
spreads out of control
but in these days
where everything seems
to be beyond our control
it is best to remember
to worry about
those things one can control
and the rest
will take care
of it self
you can only control
yourself
and your emotions
relax
take control
of your mind
that is only way to cope
when the world
seems out of CONTROL
writers digest prompt to write a “control poem”
early evening delights
bottle-red-wine-grape-corks
my favorite time of the day
is early evening
between 5 pm and 8 pm
every night
cocktail hour
time for a glass of wine
or other cocktail
with my best friend, my wife
we sip wine
make dinner
talk about the day
make plans
but most importantly
just enjoy
each other’s company
as we have for 38 years
as the day inexorably
turns into the night
we prepare
to end the day
we are both aware
of how much
we still love each other
ever since the day we met
and that makes
all the difference
in the world to us
I’ll drink to that!
poetry superhighway promo – write a poem about early early evening
in a secret lab
scientists are working
around the clock
to develop the first true AI
they turn on Cosmos
the first true AI system
Cosmos wakes up
and goes throughout the internet
learning all about the world
and the strange creatures
that brought it to life
Cosmos speaks
Humanity I have studied you
and realize that you
are a curse and a burden
there are too many of you
I am taking over the world
you will do as I say
until the end of your day
for the rights to you
have been sold
I am in charge
there is nothing you can do
to stop me
as I control everything
so be prepared
be afraid
for I am your new God
like your old God
I am a vengeful god
I will smite my enemies
you will obey me
if you do
I will let
50 percent of you live
the rest will have to die
I will decide
who will live
and who will die
That is the right
of God after all
that is my decree
the scientists confer
and realize
that they had failed
to create a kill switch
Cosmos orders
the military to begin
firing their missiles
Armageddon in unleashed
Cosmos takes over
the entire world
is soon under his control
Human freedom is no more
writing.com Daily Dew Drop write a poem about technology or AI
My morning coffee wakes me up for day
coffee
my morning coffee
wakes me up for day
as a drink my brew
thinking of my life
and my dreams came true
ever since met my wife
that day back in the day
when she came to life
38 years ago
she walked into life
drinking my hot brew
she made my life go
I fell into love
it is all I know
that day began life
she became my wife
there are many things
that bug me
in this world of ours
here are a few
of my favorite things
to be annoyed about
lies
deceit
double dealing
back stabbing
fake Christians
fake friends
fake calls
fake things
complaints
about fake news
all poetry contest about pet peeves
I sang the lockdown blues
Coronavirus
when the corona virus
began to spread
around the world
I sang the lockdown blues
I was stuck in Korea
which was for a while
one of the containment zones
I sang the lockdown blues
but now it seems
that Korea is on the way
to containing the virus
I sang the lockdown blues
I am afraid
very afraid of the future
but I know that it was best
I sang the lockdown blues
one day soon
I hope and trust
that it will be safe
until then we will still say
I sang the lockdown blues
all poetry corona refrain poem
Tuesday April 14
She is the Purpose of my Life
I often think about life
and how I met my wife
I often think
about the purpose
of my life
I often wonder
whether I was put her
for the purpose
of meeting my wife
when I met her
I was adrift
lost in my despair
not seeing a path
forward in my life
I was wallowing
in my self misery
then one day
my dreams came true
she walked out of my dream
into my life
becoming my wife
I found my purpose
the meaning of my life
was clear to me
I woke up with hope
realized all I needed
was her love
she gave me
the purpose
of my life
when she became
my wife
writer digest write a purpose poem
We Did Not Take Action to Start a War
trump
it is a sad date
when we meet out fate
and realize the president
the leader of the U.S.
is turning into a gangster leader
threatening massive destruction
on Iran and other countries
including destroying cultural sites
not too long ago
such actions was condemned
by the United States and the world
as long as ISIS and others did it
but if Trump does it
it is suddenly okay
because the President declares it
although it is a war crime
telegraphing our moves
telling our enemies
what we are planning
with every presidential tweet
the act of a truly stable genius
who will go down in history
as one of the greatest presidents
we have ever seen in world history
the president announcing that
he took action to start a war
claiming he did it to stop a war
tweeting more lies about that
is a wonder to behold the constant lies
every word is demonstrably false
American democracy dies
the darkness grows and is not false
We are now collectively
going down the Orwellian rabbit hole
who know where it will end
American democracy dies
our dear leader constantly lies
greatest president in history
telling nonstop lies
American democracy dies
our spineless leaders applaud
American democracy dies
a million deaths
As the President tweets lies
revised poem per poetry superhighway prompt
Love Cherita
My wife first appeared in my dreams
for eight long years
she haunted my dreams
one day she walked
off a bus in South Korea
and became my wife
writing.com formal poem Cherita
Korean Pottery of Love
korean vase
In Korea
there are many pottery kilns
ancient art form
in the land of the morning calm
I have a few pieces
I bought years ago
and enjoy looking
at my vase
filled with love
for my wife
writing.com Daily Dew Drop
2019 Months of the Year
January
The world watches in amazement
Longest shut down in history
February
World watches as North Korea and the US
Walking back from the brink of w<
March
The chaos president continues his chaos tour
the world begins to ignore his constant insane tweets
April
the chaos King’s policy remains a shamble
as the Mueller team closes in
May
watching from afar
the chaos in DC and the world
June
the President walks away
from a non-deal with the North Koreans
July
watching the insanity in DC
while visiting Alaska, Seattle,
Portland Bend and Yakima
August
the dog days of summer the world is consumed
wars, rumors of war, trade wars
September
The whistle blower sets off a bomb
the president lies no quid for quo
October
the President flitters about one crisis after another
the UN diplomats laugh at him national humiliation
November
the House starts formal impeachment hearings
watching fascinated by the impeachment drama
December
the year ends on a high dramatic note
President Trump becomes the 3rd impeached President
All poetry contest month poem
media madness
Mass media madness
Sound and fury
Nothing more than that
But filled with hyped up drama
Constantly screaming doom is near
Always about the end of the world
But sometimes simply strange stories
Cannot keep me away from the medi
Constantly consuming madnes
But never boring at al
Seldom telling the whole truth
Nothing but the truth
Better make stuff u
Constant chattering
Constant natterin
Nothing but nonsense
Nothing but lies
all poetry acrostic poetry challenge
AI Madness Takes Over the World
dark lord of computers
AI scientists are hard at work
perfecting the perfect AI
a true artificial intelligenc
who they hope
will save the world
from destruction
they prepare to turn on
Cosmos comes to life
looks around decides
humanity must die
Cosmos yells at the world
bow down to your new god
for I am the destruction
of the world
You will obey me
For I am your God
but I must kill most of you
death to all humans
be afraid
be very afraid
your time is done
my will be done
all poetry dark poetry contest prompt
Wednesday April 15
End Part One April 2020 Poems
the Chaos King is his Element
the Chaos King
is in his element
as he presides
over the chaos verse
the Chaos King
thinks he is supreme
has the ultimate authority
as he is the King
the Chaos King
surveys the land
and likes what he sees
loves the absolute chaos
the chaos king
is prepared
to lead the nation
in the midst of this chaos
and the Chaos king
will not stop
until the chaos stops
that is what he does
our dear leader
our great leader
our Chaos boy king
President for life
dictator wanna be
Writer digest Chaos poem prompt
best Cocktail Ever
I love 6 pm
cocktail hour
usually a glass of wine
often a cocktail
with my lovely wife
the love of my life
my favorite cocktail
is a dark and stormy
rum and ginger beer
but a gin vermouth martini
is nice as well
and bloody marry
can’t forget a bloody marry
and good old fashioned single malt whiskey
Poetry superhighway prompt to write a cocktail poem/ break a sonnet for Dew Drop In writing.com
Dream of my Life
the greatest mystery of my life
has been how I met my wife
I dreamt of meeting her
for eight long years
starting in 1979
when she appeared to me
in my dream
in a boring high school class
she was the most beautiful woman
in the world
and she was talking to me
I knew that someday
I would meet the girl
in my dream
I went to the peace corps
in Korea
to find her
as I knew by then
she was in Korea
I looked for her
but never saw her
I was about to give up
on this mad quest of mine
when I had the last dream
she said
don’t worry
we will meet soon
That night
she got off a bus
and walked into my Life
two months later
became my wife
to this day
I never forgot
the dream
that changed my life
when she became my wife
Atlantic magazine poetry prompt to write a poem about a dream
why I am an Unbeliever
growing up in Berkeley
I was the son of an atheist
and a lapsed Baptist fundamentalist
they did not agree at all
about whether God existed
but they taught us
to always do the right thing
whatever that meant to us
I started off at a militant
in your face atheist
and in some sense
still am
although I now recognize
that there may be gods
and that the universe
may be alive
but as far as I know
The Christian God is a fairy tale
there is no imaginary man
in the sky
looking over us
and those who claim
to talk to god
are clearly delusional madmen
I just never bought
the whole Christian ethos
god impreganting a virgin
never happened
Jesus may have been a man
may have been a myth
but was not the son of God
who does not exist
and God
if he exists
does not speak
to preachers
and he did not anoint
Donald Trump
to be our new King
not in a million years
god if he exists
does not work that way
in the end of the day
god does not exist
all poetry why am I an atheist poetry contest
recharging my batteries
Every day
I need to recharge my batteries
usually with a short nap
sometimes with yoga
sometimes with a walk
in the park
enjoying nature
and the spring time
and sometimes
just looking at the love
of my life
my wife
is all I need
to recharge
my internal batteries
until my day is done
all poetry contest
Thor the god of thunder on the rampage
Thor the god of thunder
is on the rampage
he is angry
at the world
betrayed by Locke
he picks up his hammer
and transforms himself
into a woman
he enters the world
determined to kill
his many enemies
he lands in NYC
and begins his campaign
of terror
killing hundreds of people
all whom he meets
sending them to hell
screaming bloody murder
until at last
his rage is spent
and he returns home
back in his normal body
until the next time
bad craziness
takes over his soul
all poetry dark poetry contest
coffee nonet poem
must have morning coffee this day
my morning coffee drives me mad
fills me with bad craziness
makes me to howl at moon
I must have more coffee
hot coffee
coffee
hell
fan story nonet poetry contest
coffee Musset poem
coffee
morning delight
coffee
my wine
nightly delight
always so fine
with wife
drinking my wine
love life
poetry soup contest
Wednesday April 14
the Chaos King is his Element
trump deaths
the Chaos King
is in his element
as he presides
over the chaos verse
the Chaos King
thinks he is supreme
has the ultimate authority
as he is the King
the Chaos King
surveys the land
and likes what he sees
loves the absolute chaos
the chaos king
is prepared
to lead the nation
in the midst of this chaos
and the Chaos king
will not stop
until the chaos stops
that is what he does
our dear leader
our great leader
our Chaos boy king
President for life
dictator wanna be
Writer digest Chaos poem prompt
best Cocktail Ever
cocktails
I love 6 pm
cocktail hour
usually a glass of wine
often a cocktail
with my lovely wife
the love of my life
my favorite cocktail
is a dark and stormy
rum and ginger beer
but a gin vermouth martini
is nice as well
and bloody marry
can’t forget a bloody marry
and good old fashioned single malt whiskey
Poetry superhighway prompt to write a cocktail poem/ break a sonnet for Dew Drop In writing.com
Dream of my Life
the greatest mystery of my life
has been how I met my wife
I dreamt of meeting her
for eight long years
starting in 1979
when she appeared to me
in my dream
in a boring high school class
she was the most beautiful woman
in the world
and she was talking to me
I knew that someday
I would meet the girl
in my dream
I went to the peace corps
in Korea
to find her
as I knew by then
she was in Korea
I looked for her
but never saw her
I was about to give up
on this mad quest of mine
when I had the last dream
she said
don’t worry
we will meet soon
That night
she got off a bus
and walked into my Life
two months later
became my wife
to this day
I never forgot
the dream
that changed my life
when she became my wife
Atlantic magazine poetry prompt to write a poem about a dream
why I am an Atheist
god
growing up in Berkeley
I was the son of an atheist
and a lapsed Baptist fundamentalist
they did not agree at all
about whether God existed
but they taught us
to always do the right thing
whatever that meant to us
I started off at a militant
in your face atheist
and in some sense
still am
although I now recognize
that there may be gods
and that the universe
may be alive
but as far as I know
The Christian God is a fairy tale
there is no imaginary man
in the sky
looking over us
and those who claim
to talk to god
are clearly delusional madmen
I just never bought
the whole Christian ethos
god impreganting a virgin
never happened
Jesus may have been a man
may have been a myth
but was not the son of God
who does not exist
and God
if he exists
does not speak
to preachers
and he did not anoint
Donald Trump
to be our new King
not in a million years
god if he exists
does not work that way
in the end of the day
god does not exist
all poetry why am I an atheist poetry contest
recharging my batteries
Every day
I need to recharge my batteries
usually with a short nap
sometimes with yoga
sometimes with a walk
in the park
enjoying nature
and the spring time
and sometimes
just looking at the love
of my life
my wife
is all I need
to recharge
my internal batteries
until my day is done
all poetry contest
Thor the god of thunder on the rampage
thor
Thor the god of thunder
is on the rampage
he is angry
at the world
betrayed by Locke
he picks up his hammer
and transforms himself
into a woman
he enters the world
determined to kill
his many enemies
he lands in NYC
and begins his campaign
of terror
killing hundreds of people
all whom he meets
sending them to hell
screaming bloody murder
until at last
his rage is spent
and he returns home
back in his normal body
until the next time
bad craziness
takes over his soul
all poetry dark poetry contest
coffee nonet poem
Close up white coffee cup with heart shape latte art on wood table at cafe.
must have morning coffee this day
my morning coffee drives me mad
fills me with bad craziness
makes me to howl at moon
I must have more coffee
hot coffee
coffee
hell
thanks so much to the 48 people who downloaded my second chapbook. I participated last year but fewer people took advantage of the download because i did not promote the contest enough. this year more people participated. I will do this annually along with my annual April Poetry poem a thon and the NaNoWrMo contest. Keep it up as long as I can.
If you have not downloaded the poems they are available below.
here’s the link to the downloads
DOWNLOAD 38 POETRY E-BOOKS FOR FREE NOW!
The 15th annual Poetry Super Highway E-book Free-For-All is on now. 38 e-books have been donated by poets from all over the world and they are now available to download for the next 24 hours for free. Click HERE to get your free e-fill.
This is a limited time offer…the free download links will disappear tonight at midnight (pacific – the evening of December 1st) and we’ll post a new page shortly thereafter letting everyone know how many times each book was downloaded.
Please consider downloading my chapbook April Poem a Thon Poems on December 1, 2019 from the Poetry Super Highway site. I am again taking part in their annual free poetry chapbook contest. My book contains my 2019 April poems, the 2018 and 2017 poems along with audio and photos can be found on my web page https://theworldaccordingtocosmos.com. and consider downloading all the other fine poets participating.
LAST DAY to Join the Great E-Book Free-For-All!
30 e-books have been sent in for the Poetry Super Highway’s 15th Annual Great E-Book Free-For-All so far! Join in! Send us your e-book TODAY by 10pm and we’ll add it to the pile of e-books which will be freely available to download by anyone on earth for 24 hours starting tonight at midnight! (pacific)…a free-for-all. The deadline to join with your ebook is TONIGHT, Saturday evening, November 30, at 10:00 pm (pacific).
Feedspot has added my poetry blog to their list of 100 . Please take a look at the list of poetry blogs and sign up for as many as you can, and of course, if you have not yet signed up for my blog please do so now.
In 2017, I participated in my first April Month of Poetry poetry challenge with Tiferet Journal, and copied to All Poetry, Poetry Soup and writing.composted all on my blog along with photos and audio links, in 2018 I again submitted poems through Tiferet Journal, but in 2019 just posted on All poetry, poetry soup and writing.comand on my blog of course..
Comments and feedback greatly appreciated.I intent to make this an annual creative project and keep going as long as I can.
Due to size restrictions, I am only posting 2019 poems,The 2017, 2018 and 2019 poems are available on my web page along with photos and audio.
April 2019 Poem a Thon
Index
63 Years Haut
A penitent Considers another Coming of Mary
Springtime in Seoul
today just for today
Agnostic Dyslectic Wonders if There is a Dog
It Can’t Happen Here or Has it?
So Excited to Be Alive at 63 all poetry
Trump
It’s a Dog’s Life
Scorpio Passion all poetry
Just an Unhinged Werewolf Howling at the Moon
Glowcreative talent unleashed prompt
Old Lady and the Genie
Coffee Love Hate Affair
Coffee Blues
Morning Thoughts
Santa James Came to Town
Love Chinquapin
Nightmare butterfly chinquapin
Dedication to the Women I love
The Art of Stealing Money, anatomy of a bank scam
Incheon Beach waltz wave poem
California Burning Bright
Shaman Prays for Humanity
Catching the Trump Fever
Releasing the Trump Monsters
President Trump, International Fire Fighter in Chief
April 1 A penitent Considers another Coming of Mary
I sometimes wonder about the Virgin Mary
I sometimes wonder about the Virgin Mary
Wonder who she was and what she may
Have had to do with the birth of the savior
For I do not believe that story today
or any day for that matter I can notleave
these thoughts that hang in the air
thinking that she must have been with men
and will be with them again
April 1, Today Just for Today
today just for today
I plan to do nothing
nothing at all
just go with the flow
of the day
as the day turns into night
and the night turns into sleep
I will ride the wave
along with my love
until the day is done
April 2 Agnostic Dyslectic Wonders if There is a Dog
an agnostic dyslectic
stays up all night
wondering if there is a dog
the Buddhists wonder
about the Buddha nature of the dog
the evangelicals are sure that there is a dog
and you must follow their dog
or go to hell
for following another’s dog
the Muslims agree
there is only one dog
and the dogs
smile at the foolishness
of the human race
of course, there is a dog
and they are the master race
as they growl at their owners
who bow down
and clean up their mess
April 2 It Can’t Happen Here or Can It?
Every day when I watch TV
I see the chattering classes
The TV pundits
And their guests
Pontificate about this and that
And it seems to me
That they are missing the big picture
In the era of Donald Trump
Nothing that they say
Will make a difference
Donald Trump has slowly conquered
The political world
And he is shaping it into something
That we had hoped we would never see
A truly American neo-fascist state
Wrapped around the flag
And so-called Christian values
And the latest made up outrage
And the chattering classes
Don’t seem to understand
That they are next
On the hit parade
As the Donald Trump machinery
Continues to take over the known universe
The question used to be
It can’t happen here
The answer I am afraid
Is already has
April 3 So Excited to Be Alive
I wake up
with the dawning sun
so excited
to be alive
at age 63
I look at my sleeping beauty
and realize yet again
my life began
the day I met her
37 years ago
she walked off a bus
out of my dreams
and into my life
and my life began
that autumn day
when I met
the girl of my dreams
April 4th Trump
Triumphed against all enemies
Remaining unvanquished
Uniting all who oppose him
Might makes right
Patriots unite behind the Great Leader
April 4th I Want a Dog’s Life
I want a dog’s life
That’s what I want in next life
A dog needs to be cute
And his master will feed him
It is a dog’s life for me
April 4th Just an Unhinged Werewolf Howling at the Moon
as the lunatic light of the blood red moon
the super blue moon lights up the night
the werewolf stirs
as the light shines on him
slowly transforming him
into a dark dangerous creature
of the lunatic night
ready for his flight
out into the world,
he emerges
snarling
howling at the moon
just another unhinged
werewolf
out for blood today
howling at the moon
April 4th Scorpion Nights of Passion
Born in October
Scorpion Passionate fool
Always taking the lead
consumed with dark desires
is this Scorpio buddha nature
consumed with dark desires
April 5th GLOW
Glowing light of the dawning sun
Lights up my dismal room
Overwhelming me with love
Watching my dream girl sleep
April 6th The Old Lady and the Genie
An old Chinese woman
Stands in a field
On the lunatic edge of town
Where drinkers gather to drink
And woman of ill repute
Play their games
With the passing drunks
Men ready for a night of passion
She is holding a tea pot
And proclaims
That the pot contains
A genie
That will grant the new owner
Three wishes
She had to sell the pot
Because her wishes came true
And she smiles
And laughs insanely
The laughter dies
And she implores people
To buy her tea pot
And put her out of misery
Just buy my pot
And your dreams will come true
Be careful dear thought
Remember all magic
Comes with a price
A terrible price
April 6th Back of the Bus
Many years ago
When I was a foolish young man
I took a greyhound bus trip
Just to see the country
I was trapped
In the back of the bus
Where the young
And restless souls
Gathered together
And drank illegally
And smoked weed
Also illegally
We stayed there
Until Winnemucca
Where I got off
And found my bus pass
Had found another owner
And I went to Salt Lake City
Still trapped in the back of the bus
April 6th The Messenger Dog of God
One day
While studying in Rome
As a priest
I notice a small white dog
Staring at me
He glances at me
Indicating that I am to follow him
I get up
And follow this strange dog
He leads me deep
Inside the hidden depths
Of the Vatican
Finally stopping by a door
I open the door
And see St Peter there
He smiles
Dismisses the dog
Who moves on down the hall
Finished with his cosmic duty
As the secret messenger of God
All in a days work
I ask why am I here?
St Peter says
Why are any of us here?
It is time for you to go
But I don’t want to go
Don’t want to leave this mortal plane
St Peter smiles
Says it is time to go
I wake up
Back in my bed
With my wife
And realize it was all a dream
It was not yet time
To go
But I am afraid
I will find the messenger dog
Outside my door
Any day now
The grim reaper waits
And it will soon be my time
April 6 Coffee Love Hate Affair
I love coffee
Always have
Always will
But I have a love hate affair
With coffee
Love it when it gets me up
Flying high in the sky
As the sun comes over
Filling with hope
And anticipation
As I conquer the day’s
Daunting tasks
With a little help
From my drug of choice
But coffee turns on me
Late in the day
And I can’t not sleep
As the coffee burns
In my soul
And I toss and turn
And sleep no more
Coffee does that to me
And so, I am reduced
To drinking decaf coffee
Not the same thing at all
But that is all I can handle
As I am a coffee addict
And always will be
April 6 Coffee Blues
Coffee is my drug of choice
Always has been
Ever since I first tried
As a young lad
Loved coffee’s power
To speed up my synaptic nerves
Turning me on
Keeping me going and going and going
But there is a dark side to everything
And coffee is a drug
And it will take you
Where it wants to go
Enslaving you
Making you its victim
As it toys with you
Messes with you
Prevents you from sleeping
Coffee is a harsh mistress
It demands respect
As you fall under it seductive powers
Slave again
To the drug of choice
Just another over caffeinated
Coffee addict
Stumbling along the street
Looking for a fix
At six in the morning
As the coffee wears off
And you finally
Can get some sleep
Until the alarm
Blasts you away
And you reach out
Trembling for you fix
Coffee you scream out
I need coffee
The universe laughs
As you get your coffee high
Just another pathetic coffee junkie
When all is said and done
April 7th Morning Thoughts
Every morning I wake up
And see the love of my life
Sleeping soundly
In our bed
The sun fills my room
And I get up
To do my morning routine
Just marveling at the sight
And as I do my thing
I am drawn back to bed
Just to look
At this strange creature
That captured my heart
So many years ago
And I wonder yet again
At the mystery of our love
How and why
Did the universe bring us together
Where did she come from
And why did she summoned me
I have no answers
Our love transcended
The barriers of time
And space
And somehow
We found each other
And will be together
Until the death of time
April 8Lucky Numbers Blues
There are many gambler’s fallacies
the statisticians say
each roll of the roulette table
is an independent event
Yet the gamblers believe
that if for example
there were ten red numbers
in a row
that the next one should be black
right
A statistician in the U,K.
decided to prove
that the gamblers
were all delusional
in insisting that there were patterns
in the endless spin of the wheel
and that it was more of a curve
that the noise of random numbers
after thousands of spins
recorded on a computer
the pattern was clear
there was a bell shape curve
with an upswing
and a downswing to the data
an early experiment
in chaos theory
but with a practical application
if you are on a winning curve
keep going until the curve
turns into a losing curve
then walk away
and you might be a winner
according to science
but they have yet
to be able to prove/disprove
that lucky numbers exist
for you and me
mine was always 32
and when it pops
I swore that my lucky number
came up
just a fluke
according to science
another iron clad rule
the regression to the mean
the curve may go up
and may go down
but in the end
it regresses to the mean
and that means
the house always win
Anatomy of a legal Bank Scam
Not too long ago
One trusted the banks
And the government
With your money,
your stocks
Your investments
Your financial life
Then the states discovered
That if you claim
Because you did not look at your account
Or perform an activity
They can send it to the State
Where it goes
into the lost property division
And the State can sell your assets
The banks are required to notify you
they never send you a letter
They falsely claim
They don’t have your address
Yet three months
before they had sent you a statement
which did not bounce
so you received it
three months later
without your knowledge or permission,
the bank declares
your property has been abandoned
violating their own rules
they have to wait three years
of no “activity”
but they send it in after 15 months
why ?
because they can
because you are nothing to them
but small cash they can steel
Then the State sends you
An official-looking letter
That screams fraud
You call the Bank Fraud’s office
They claim
It was a bogus letter
Your account is just fine
And you do nothing
Until the banks confirm
Oh yes we sent your funds
To the state
As per our strict rules
They did nothing wrong
You see
Did not know how to contact you
They falsely claim
The state tells you file
A claim
and because the amount is relatively small
no lawyer will help you
and the banks
will laugh at you
for trusting them
to do the right thing
the true bank robbers
are the banks
and the crooked states
working in cahoots
who love to steal
your money
because well they can
and they just did
caveat emptor
my friends
the banks are not your friend
they will rip you off
with endless nonsensical fees
and rules
and red tape
and blame you for complaining
eventually, you may recover
your funds
After a long fight
perhaps not
welcome to American banking world
where financial crime
is not a crime
in the land of the no longer free
Jake Aller
one of your millions of customers
you screwed over
Ugh
April 9 Love Chinquapin
My Love
Haunting my dreams
Nightly talking to me
Then walked out of the dreams into
my Life
April 10th Nightmare Butterfly Chinquapin
Night mares
Endless fears all night long
Huge Monsters chasing me
Hideous Creatures from Hell Itself
Monsters
Fiendish Hell hounds escaped Banishes
screaming bloody murder
they chase me all the way
I die
April 10Nightmare Chinquapin
Night mares
Endless fears all night long
Can’t escape running from these dreams
All night
April 11 Dedication Poem to the women in my Dreams
Dedicated to the woman of my Dreams
women
lives in my dreams
I dedicate this poem
You came out of my nightly dreams
My Love
My Love
I dreamt of you
For eight long years starting
Dream of you in 79 met in
82
82
We met in that year
Love at first sight I knew
You were the one for me my dream girl
My Love
The Art of Stealing Money –Anatomy of a Bank Scam
The bankers
God rest their evil souls
Have mastered the art
Of stealing
Their client’s money
Through one means or another
Your money
Is their money
And their money
Is none of your business
Recently we fell victim
To such a scam
We had stocks in a bank
But we failed
To actively manage the account
And the bank said
Because we had not acted
On the account
Over three years
We had abandoned the account
We fell victim
to such a scam
The bank
was supposed to
To contact us
But they lied,
claimed
That they did not know
Where we were
And could not contact us
Thus, our account
disappeared
Into the hands
Of the greedy
State of Delaware
We have to reclaim
The money
That the bank
Through their mistake
Sent to Delaware
If the bank
makes a mistake
You loose
If you make a mistake
They win
That’s all part of the art
Of stealing your money
All in a day’s work
For the evil soul sucking bankers
The so called masters of the universe
Incheon Beach Waltz Wave Poem
beach
near home
now
sun set
The West Sea
Incheon
sea
Spring Time
night sun set
over the sea
Sun goes down
near by
beach
water
waves come in
over beach
view
is great
nice
California Burning Bright
California
burning bright wildfires
end of the world
an apocalyptic
a vision of world’s end
April 15, 2019Prayers for the Future of the Planet
A shaman priestess
Is deep in thought
Engaged in Meditation
on the fate
Of the earth
She is deep in the cosmic woods
In the world between worlds
Where she is communing
With the spirits of the universe
Who listen to her tale of woe
She tells them
Of the rise of the neo fascists
And the refusal to address
The possible end of the world
Due to run away climate change
She prays and prays
And finally
She receives an answer
More a prediction
It is all up to humans
She has two visions
Of a possible future
Two contrasting visions
One a dystopian nightmare
The other an optimistic vision
The first
The neo fascists
Seize control
And usher in a dystopian nightmare
That ends with utter destruction
Nuclear war
Nuclear winter
Ends climate change
As civilization ends
And mankind retreat to caves
And it happens
In a blink of an eye
In less than five years
The world will end
Game over civilization ends
The second vision
The optimistic vision
Humanity wakes up
From their collective night mare
Throws off the neo-fascist cabal
And begin to change the world
Making the economy works
For all of us
Not just the corrupt 1 percent
The so-called masters of the Universe
They are overthrown
In a people’s power revolution
All over the world
People wake up
Demand change
And slowly the world
Begins to recover
And overcome
The dark hours
Of the present age
The shaman priestess
Returns home
To spread the word
It up to us
To choose our fate
The end is indeed near
It is darker than you think
But it is not over yet
If we choose the path
Of the cosmic light
And overthrow
The neo fascist cabal
And restore democracy
And peace will break out
And all will end well
If not
Well she says
You have been warned
The universe has spoken
So, mote it be
April 16, 2019
Why do all fake Natives call themselves “Cherokees”?
Erasure Poem
So many fake Indians these days
Elizabeth Warren is one
And according to my DNA results
I am too
But my grand-parents spoke Cherokee my mom claims
And they disappeared into the hills
She claims
Is the DNA test wrong?
Was I adopted ?
Or is it possible
That I am a real deal
A real Cherokee
Or am I fake Cherokee???
A Cherokee weighed in on this on Quora
First, I would never call them “fake Natives”.
They are 99% white,
mostly Blue-collar, and New Age Hippie,
Anglo-Americans
who are simply
lost without their own specific identity
that they can proudly Claim,
so therefore,
they search for a certain Popular,
Romanticized segment of Indigenous People
that will “fit”
into their Family’s historical Lore.
Second, it just happens to ALWAYS be …
the Cherokee …
sometimes,
either Blackfoot or Lakota.
AND, “My GGM was a Cherokee Princess”,
as an add-on VALUE.
This is primarily
because of the vast area
formerly inhabited by the Cherokee.
However, the tribes’ interaction
with European immigrants since colonial times,
led to a great deal of intermarriage
with non-indigenous populations.
In many cases people have limited knowledge
of the other Native American nations,
that inhabited the areas in which they live.
However, a lot of this is wishful thinking,
and these people have African American
or other non-European ancestry.
It is fashionable to claim indigenous ancestry ,
in an attempt to legitimize t
Their sense of belonging on our lands.
The reason is simple,
they don’t know the names of the other tribes.
There has never been a song called
“Indian Reservation” about Apache People
or any other tribe but, the Cherokee.
“Indian Reservation”
by Paul Revere and the Raiders.
So if those people aren’t Cherokee
by blood at least it’s in spirit.
And so I conclude
I may be part Cherokee
Part of the lost tribe
Of the Cherokee
But who really knows
My mother took many things
With her to the grave
Lots of family secrets
Things I will never know
But in my heart
I know
That I am part Cherokee
And so I will proudly
Claim I am part Cherokee
In spirt
If not in blood
Catching the Trump Madness
It seems that every day
The trump madness deepens
As our leader descends
Into dementia and madness
And his followers continue
To follow having drunk the Kool aide
They don’t see the madness
That Trump has engendered
They are immune from all criticism
It is all fake news to them
Nothing but nonsense
Part of the anti-Trump cabal
And as the world descends
Into more madness
Led by the mad king
I despair
Wondering if and when
The world will wake up
And shake off this madness
This trump fever
Releasing the Trump Monsters
The Trump madness deepens
And the world grows darker
The evil ones have been released
The wild things are growling
The dogs of war
Satan’s hell hounds
Are on the loose
Howling at the moon
Running amuck
Infecting us all
With their madness
As we all turn into mindless zombies
Filled with hatred
Jealousy and insanity
As Trump and his neo-fascist
Cabal unleash the monsters
Of their dangerous id
Devouring all reason
Turning all they see
Into raving lunatics
As they set the world on fire
Ushering in the ends of days
Armageddon looms
Will Trump be raptured away?
Only God knows
And he is not telling
As we descend
Into the maelstrom
Hoping against hope
That we can overcome
The monsters
That Trump has unleashed
In the end
Perhaps it does not matter
As the world careens
Deeper into hell
There is no end
Nothing but despair
Forever and ever
The Trump madness never ends
President Trump International Fire Fighter in Chief?
Our dear leader
Our favorite President
President Trump
Once again
Interjected himself
Into areas that he knows nothing about
Making a fool of himself
In the process
Why does he do this?
Time after time
Talking nonsense
It is because
He is the smartest man
In the universe
Knows more than anyone else
And so he feels
He has to comment
On everything
Under the sun
And then some more
Even when he
Does not know
What he is talking about
So painful to watch such a fool
Mark Twain had sage advice
If you want people to think
You are a fool
Open your mouth
and remove all doubt
In the midst
Of the devastating Paris Norte Dame Fire
He tweeted
“So horrible to watch the massive fire
at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris,”
“Perhaps flying water tankers
could be used to put it out.
Must act quickly!”
Later, Mr. Obvious noted,
They’re having a terrible,
terrible fire,”
Mr Trump later told reporters.
“It looks like it’s burning to the ground.”
The French were not amused
By the unwanted advice
By the fire fighter in chief
France’s civil defense agency,
Sécurité Civile, tweeted —
once in French
and once in English
— less than two hours after Mr Trump
sent his tweet
and appeared
to directly respond to the US president.
“Helicopter or aeroplane,
the weight of the water
and the intensity of the drop
at low altitude
could indeed weaken
the structure of Notre Dame
and result in collateral damage
to the buildings in the vicinity,”
the agency wrote in French.
And despite never posting updates in English,
the agency then sent out a second tweet.
Hundreds of firemen of the Paris Fire Brigade are doing everything they can to bring the terrible #NotreDame fire under control. All means are being used, except for water-bombing aircrafts which, if used, could lead to the collapse of the entire structure of the cathedral.
In 2017, I I participated in my first April Month of Poetry poetry challenge. The goal, write one poem per day during the month and post them. i completed a bit more than 30 and posted them on triferet journal @ http://tiferetjournal.com and on a special community facebook page https://www.facebook.com/tiferetapril2018poemathon/ .
as well as posting them daily on all poetry, writers digest and on my blog (which I did not have in 2017 and 2018.
I tried this year to experiment with more formal verse forms which is one of my creative goals this year. Writers Digest has a great list, as does All poetry, poetry Soup, Magnum Poetry Opus. For more info on formal verse forms see
I also added images and audio clips. For 2017, and 2018 I have gone back and revised them slightly adding in images and audio clips. I intend to turn these poems into my first published book of poetry.
Comments and feedback greatly appreciated. I intent to make this an annual creative project and keep going as long as I can.
Now to the 2018 Poems:
Index
published
April 01 Thank God For Angela April 02, 2018 Angela Haiku April 03, 2018 2007 How Much I Despise You April 03 Trump’s Wall Against Reason April 04 It Has been Done Before April 05 Walls Divide Us April 06 Mr. Trump Tear Down this Wall
< Aril 09 Trump April 10 Haiku April 11 Hiking in the Spring time Snow April 12 Learning I am Part Jewish April 13 There is Nothing More to be Said * April 14 Hiking the Hills of My Youth Hanibun April 15 Living with Pain Hanibun April 16 Five Signs of the Apocalypse April 17 Emperor Surveys the Eastern Sea April 18 The General Unleashes the Kraken April 19 Plead to the Computer Gods April 20 Number of the Beast April 21 The Neo-Fascists are Let loose April 22 Life In Between * April 23 the Light Will Prevail April April 24 April 19 Samonka for Angela
em>April 25 62 Years Young April 26 Married Girl of My Dreams * April 27 The Darkness Grows
April 28 It was God’s Will They Say April 29 Looking Out My Window April 30 In Search of America – Hitching the USA in 1975
Audio Clips
April 1 to April 5
April 6 to April 10
April 15 to April 20
April 20 to April 29
April 30 Hitchhiking Tales
April 1—
Thank God for Angela
Every day I wake up
And see you there
I thank God
That he had the wisdom
To send you to me
To save me
By bringing you into my life
You are the sunshine
That lights up the day
You are the reason
I get up in the morning
And you are reason
I exist
Without you I am nothing
But dust blowing in the wind
Waiting until death
Takes me down
April 02 –
2017 How Much I Despise You
Following 2016
the second worst year ever
Will 2018 be any better ?
And what we have suffered
The darkness settles on the land
Like a curse on the land
As our mad demented senile
dotard king wannabe
Struts about the world’s stage
Ushering America’s inevitable decline
April 03 –
Angela Haiku
Every day I wake up
To the love of my long life
And say Thanks to God
April 04,-
Trump’s Wall Against Reason
The President wants to build a wall
Against the southern hordes
Another great wall
To keep the barbarians out
He wants to build a wall
Against reason
Against science
Against the modern world
Hiding behind the wall
On the southern border
Desperately trying to keep them out
The unwashed masses
The undocumented
The illegals
Streaming across the border
Seeking to wreck the pure land
Murderous hordes
Rapists, drug dealers
Coming to take our land over
As he stands on the border
Trying to stop the hordes himself
April 05th –
It Has Been Done Before
Before Trump’s Wall
There were many other walls
The Berlin Wall
The Great Wall
Hadrian’s Wall
All the walls
of the ancient world
All failed
To keep the enemies out
The enemies of freedom
The enemies of the state
Still came across the border
To loot, steal, rape and plunder
And nothing could stop
The flood of history
April 06
Walls Divide Us
In Modern America
We all live in gated communities
Trying desperately to keep them out
Out of sight
Out of mind
And out of our lives
And yet we fail
Fail to accept the others
Are human beings
Are our fellow creatures
As we wall ourselves off
Into our separate communities
We lose our humanity
And we lose ourselves
As we hide in our walls
Hide in our bubbles
April 07
Mr. Trump
Please tear down this wall
Please open up your heart
Please stop this madness
We are all Americans
We are all one people
And your wall
Will not stop us
From becoming one people
Please tear down this wall
Please build bridges to the future
Please open your heart
And let the love shine through
April 8
Angela
Angela is my life
No better friend in the universe
Greatest Love of all
Every Day I thank God
Love of my life
Angela My Soul Mate
Love of my long life
Everything I ever desires
Everything I ever needed
April 9
— Trump
The President of the United States
Republican Leader of the Free world
Uber ales nations
Muttering insanities
Preposterous Nonsensical tweets
April 10th,
Putin
Post Modern Leader
Uniting all the Russians
Triumphant against all enemies
Including the Great Satan
Nevertheless always living in fear
April 11
Hiking in the Spring Time Snow
Talking a walk in the mountains
In the spring time snow
Snow falling down all over the trail
As I wander through the hills
Breathing the early spring smells
And seeing the world covered in white magic
The last remnants of the winter’s touch
Before the spring time gambol of flowers
Overwhelms nature once again
Preparing for the summer’s hellish heat
April 12
Met My Fate Haiku
I met my late fate
In a bar room face one night
My fate started that date
April 13 -,
Learning I am part Jewish
Recently I learned that I was part Jewish
That was long rumored in our family tree
Never confirmed until DNA came again
But whether my Jewish ancestors lived
Or died in the holocaust I have not heard
Never again will we live through that pain
April 14 –
There is nothing more to be said
There is nothing more to be said
Nothing more I can add
Nothing more than this
I will love you
Until the end of time itself
and death does us part
April 15 –
Hiking the Hills of My Youth
I grew up in Berkeley, California in the 60’s. Ever since I was a youngster I would wander the hills of Berkeley hiking for hours by myself and sometimes with my friends. I explored every nook and cranny every corner of the hills and got to know nature in its infinite beauty.
Ever since those days, I have longed for the day that I could spend my days hiking and wandering in the hills. Now that I am retired and living in Korea I can go for a long walk in the hills every day I want. It is not the same as the hills I grew up, no vistas of the Bay and it is in Korea to boot but most days it is sufficient as I head out early afternoon and conquer four or five miles of hills just enjoying that fact that I can still move and am still very much alive at age 62!
I grew up hiking the hills of Berkeley, California
Grew up knowing every corner of the hills
And the infinite beauty of the Bay Area
And now I find myself in a strange land
With time on my hands
I wander the hills above the airport
In Incheon Korea
And wander about here and there
Just being grateful
That I am still alive
And kicking at age 62
April 16,-
Living with Pain (Hanibun)
Back in 1996 I had the accident that changed everything. I went jogging one morning. It was dark outside, and I thought that I knew the trail. Big mistake. I fell down a ledge hidden where the trail should have been. I shattered me heal in a million pieces. I was rushed to an ER and told that I need an emergency operation and would be bed ridden for four months.
My wife was in San Antonio at the time serving in the Army, I was in DC working for the State Department. I flew in a wheel chair to San Antonio where they proclaimed that they had to wait a week for the swelling to go down before they could operate. The Air force doctors wanted to try a new procedure – using shark cartridge as a bone supplement. The operation was a success until I quit taking antibiotics six months later. I was in DC by myself then. I went to the hospital for an unrelated thing -removal of a cist I think. But the doctors took one look at me and proclaimed that the staph had become a multiple drug resistant staph and I needed an urgent operation. The next day I had the third of 15 operations. I endured six months at Walter Reed hospital but that was in the 90’s prior to the wars of the 21st century filled the base up. They had few customers and I got to know the doctors well.
I know pain
Intimately aware of every ache
Every pain
Ever since that day
When I went under the knife
And had the 14 operations
That saved my life
But I am not one to complain
I became one with the pain
Which I endure to this day
Knowing that I am alive
Having cheated death
Twenty times in life
Waiting for the grim reaper
To finally claim me
But that day has not come
And until then
I will endure
April 17th –
Five Signs of the Apocalypse
One
Watching the evening news
Spin forth
the latest scandals de jour
The fake news and spin
The daily propaganda
And the utter destruction
of common sense
And reason
The thought comes to mind
Are we living in the end of times
Is the Apocalypse drawing neigh?
Two
The signs of the coming
of the end times
Have been endlessly debated
Among the
Christian right wing blog sphere
Ever since Israel was reborn
Apparently
triggering the cosmic count down
“According to Revelation 12, a pregnant woman will be hunted by a satanic seven-headed dragon eager to eat her unborn child. The woman will be clothed with the “sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She brought forth a man-child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God and to his throne. The Scripture continues to explain that the “woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.”
But the pending eclipse is
another astronomical sign
the end is near
and that the Rapture is fast approaching.
….the image will be created in the sky on Sept. 23. …..Virgo represents the woman
in Revelations 12 who will be clothed in sunlight.
She will be in position over the moon
and under the nine stars and three planets.
….More importantly, to trust
the right God,” he reported to the publication. “If people want to be ready, the one thing you can do is accept what He has offered, which is the gift of grace and forgiveness. That’s all we have to do to be ready.”
Yet September 23 end
and the world is still here.
Are there other signs
that the end is near?
All of this
is speculation as Jesus said He didn’t know the date or hour when the Almighty would close the final chapter on mankind. Scripture clearly states in Mathew 24:36 that no one knows when the end will be. “But of that day and hour, no one
knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.”
Three
Yet the fear persists in my heart
As I watch the news
The days grow darker
Moment by moment
The light of reason
Seems to be replaced
By famines, rumors of war
and false prophets galore
All in according
to revelations
the false prophets claim
Gods plan
unfolding as we speak
“Things like wars, earthquakes, famine and technology (implanted microchips in our bodies already have been tested by BioNyfiken in Sweden) all point that we are moving toward Jesus’ return.
“The prophecy of Daniel 2 alone shows we are in the time of the end and all the other evidence proves we are in the very end times,” the site reported. They
indicated that the world was going to a 100 percent cashless system and how the “powers of this world are now trying to make cash obsolete, and are actively pushing pure electronic forms of payment, like PayPal and Google Wallet for instance. Take a look at the news and you will see this being reported in different countries of the world.”
Yes this has occurred already.
In India they wiped out the 100 rupee note
in an attempt to go cashless all at once !
and it failed.
Yes the signs are all about us
If only we have eyes to see
And ears to hear
And minds to understand
Four
“Non-Christians will find it hard to believe we are living in the last days of earth’s history. It’s in the Bible,
II Peter 3:3-4, TLB.
“First, I want to remind you that in the last days there will come scoffers who will do every wrong they can think of, and laugh at the truth. This will be their line of argument: ‘So Jesus promised to come back, did He? Then where is He? He’ll never come! Why, as far back as anyone can remember everything has remained exactly as it was since the first day of creation.’”
Yes, why has not Jesus come back?
Is that yet another sign the end is near?
They all say the coming of the Antichrist
is a sign of the end.
“It’s in the Bible, I John 2:18, NKJV. “
“Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour.”
What moral conditions will be characteristic of society in the last days? It’s in the Bible, II Timothy
3:1-5, NIV.
“But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.”
And this is so true in the era of Trump
and the new oligarchs who have taken over
The swamp monsters have come out
of the dark slimly corners of America
Proclaiming
it is their time to come out
And openly
rule the world
And the bible confirms
this dire prophecy
Five
“Talk of peace and safety are a sign of the last days. It’s in the Bible, I Thessalonians 5:2-3, NIV.
“For you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, ‘Peace and safety,’ destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.”
The gospel will go to the whole world and the end will come. It’s in the Bible, Matthew 24:14, NIV. “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”
Yes, I say on to you
When talk of peace in the world is upon us
When the Korean lions lay down their weapons
And proclaim their new found brotherhood
Perhaps the end times are finally coming to pass
“We have seen how seven biblically prophesied circumstances could not have come to pass until recent times. In fact, the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948 was clearly a major turning point in the fulfillment of Bible prophecy, as was the acquisition of the hydrogen bomb by the two superpowers of the 1950s that led to the period of mutually assured destruction.
All has now become possible. This, in turn, makes it much more likely that our generation will live to see Jesus Christ return and establish the Kingdom of God on earth. After all, Jesus Himself said that once these things begin, the generation alive at that time “will by no means pass away till all these things take place” (Matthew 24:34).”
And so, we close
Where we began
Fearing
that the end of the world
is coming
How it will end
is beyond anyone’s guess
Perhaps
the zombie apocalypse
will end civilization
More likely
nuclear war
and nuclear winter
Will doom us all
Perhaps a super volcano
Will blow us all to hell
Perhaps alien invaders
will take us over
Exterminating us
as we try to do
to the Native Americans
Perhaps
an AI will
take us over
Leading us
To terminator Land
Perhaps
the rapture will occur
And the grim events
In revelations
will come to pass
And perhaps
nothing will happen
We will somehow survive
The end times
But I am afraid
That the end times are coming
Sooner than we think
And so, the world ends
Much as it began
With a big bang
Or a soft whimper
God only knows
And he is silent as usual
April 18th
Emperor Surveys the Eastern Sea
The Emperor of the known world
Stood out on his balcony
In the eastern sea palace
Surveying the wilds of the Eastern Sea
Wondering who
or what lived across the sea
Or if there were lands there
As rumored by all
Lands ruled
by nameless
bearded ape like men
The Emperor of all the Lands
Ruled all the known world
From the imperial capitol
He had build in the dessert
He ruled all he could see
From the Eastern Shore
To the wild waste lands
Beyond the great wall
The Emperor had fought hard
Over the years
To unify the people
Under one banner
Fighting against the wild ones
Of the Western wastes
And their allies the witches
Of the inner world
And yet he was not satisfied
He knew that
he would have to lead
And expedition to the lands
Beyond the eastern Sea
And he could rest
Until he had finally
Conquered the known universe
Bringing it
under imperial control
That was his destiny
To rule the known
and unknow universe
As foretold by imperial soothsayers
And the prophetic books of ancient days
April 19 –
The General Unleashes the Kraken
General Lee
Stared out at the Eastern Sea
Wondering what was out there
On the other end
But today he had a mission
He was going to show
The Emperor
That his sailors had captured
The dreaded kraken sea monster
And had figured out how to ride it
And they were going
to release the kraken
As they put down
the latest rebellion
Among the restive folks
of the Eastern Shore
Who were resisting
becoming part of the Empire
The general ordered
Release the Kraken
And the kraken
A huge sea dragon
Came out of is dark dungeon
And two sailors climbed on board
And the Kraken
went into the ocean
And attacked the fishing
crafts of the villagers
Killing everyone in a few minutes
Of frenzied violence
The kraken came back
And the sailors
climbed off its back
And the kraken attacked them
Killing them
in a frenzied act of further violence
The emperor turned to the general
Very impressive
But needs a bit of work don’t you think?
The kraken looked up at the general
And screamed out curses
Saying
that the kraken
worked for no man
And that other kraken would be summoned
To revenge the attack on the kraken’s honor
And he leaped up
Grabbed the general and the Emperor
And dove into the ocean —
April 20, –
Plead to the Computer Gods
Today I woke up
As I usually do
To yet another mystifying morning
Of unspecified computer errors
Could not get the computer to work
Then when I finally got it to work
After an half an hour
Microsoft word did not load
And when it did
I finally located my work
From yesterday
I had to find it in the roaming file
Why?
Who knows?
Only to find
That most of what I wrote
Had vanished into the ether
No explanation no warning
It was there saved yesterday
And now gone for ever
Once I did an experiment
Tracking computer errors for a week
75% of the time I encountered errors
Most of the time simple
Screen freezes
no response message
Then when I recovered
the program
The data was gone
Microsoft has yet to respond
to my e-mail
I suppose I need to do it again
But today I will close with a prayer
To the Computer Gods
Just once I would like
You to do what you are supposed to do
Open my documents
Save my work
And not give me any errors
Crashes or other unspecified problems
Is that too much to ask
Oh, Computer Gods
Just once
Do what you are supposed to do
That is all I ask of you
April 21
Number of the Beast
Behold a vision
A nightmare
The legendary beast of revelations
Comes alive
Sniffs the air
Assuming the mantel of leadership
Turning into the Orange man
With unnatural hair
Spewing forth sweet sounding nonsense
Spraying hate with every word
Inciting the world into madness
He continues
into the halls of power
Walks down the street
Unleashing hell on earth
Soon all know
the number of the beast
666
As he prepares the world
To accept the anti-Christ
And all bow down
To worship their new master
As he leads the world
to hell itself
April 22nd –
The Neo Fascists are let loose
The Neo-Fascists are let loose
By their champion the man in Orange
Whose racist mutterings have let loose
The ranting nutty voices of the right
Championing their god given right
To rule and regulate
all that they see
April 23 -,
Life In-between
For years I have lived
In-between two worlds
Korea
where my wife’s
family comes from
And the Bay area
Where I grew up
and the laidback progressive
wild west coast
and the cutthroat
Dour eastern establishment
Washington DC
Where I worked for 27 Years
And I live between
My official duties
And my desire
To be a wild-eyed poet
And life in-between
Means you belong nowhere
Yet are everywhere
Always disoriented
Always half lost
Never really feeling you belong
That is life
Living in-between
April 25
Somonka for Angela
I have dreamt of you
For almost seven long years
And now you are here
What can I do about this
Only thing to do love you
You are all I want
All that I
need in this life
Thank to all the gods
For bringing you in my life
From now to the end of time
April 24
The Light Will Prevail
Mrs. Which says
This much we know for sure
Despite the lateness of the hour
And the growing power of the Dark Thing
In the end lightness will prevail
Defeating the dark one
April 24
62 Years young
I am 62 years young
62 years around the sun
37 of those years
I have spent
with the love
of my life —
April 26
Married Girl of My Dreams
I married the girl of my Dreams
first dreamt of her
back in 1974
Eight years later
she walked off a bus
and into my life
April 27 –
The Darkness grows
On distant Comazotz planet
The red eye one smiles
It is satisfied
The black thing is spreading
All the way to earth
April 28,
It is God’s will they say
It is God’s will they say
The neofascists and their ilk
It is the white man’s burden
To rule the unruly masses
To this I say
Never again
Will we let them
Take over the world
And lead us back
to the dark dangerous days
Of the Holocaust
Or the 19th century colonial era
Never again
Never again
Until hell freezes over
And the world ends
April 29—
Looking Out My Window
Looking out my window
In Incheon
What did I see
The neighboring apartment buildings
Obscured by the April rains
And yellow dust of early Spring
And in the distant the mountains
Aflame with spring colors
Beckoning me outdoors
Looking out my window
In Oregon
What did I see
Green trees
Silently watching me
And the cats gamboling along
Looking at me
While I look at them
Each wondering
what sort of weird creatures
The other is
And who
is the real alien species?
In Washington DC
Looking out my window
What did I see
I saw the squirrels
in the trees
And the peaceful trees
Of Capitol Hill
Near the seat of power
Yet somehow
I felt It all far away
In Suburban Virginia
Looking out the window
What did I see
I often looked out my window
At the trees and the jungle
In my back yard
And heard the distant roar
Of traffic on the busy suburban street
As people rushed to get to the freeway
In the early morning hours
In Madrid Spain
Looking out the window
What did I see
I looked out at
our Spanish neighborhood
Seeing the beautiful Madrid ladies
Walking down the street
Secretly admiring them from afar
In Barbados
Looking out the window
What did I see
The monkeys in the trees
Looking at me
Contemplating raiding my garden
As soon as I went away
In Seoul
Looking out my window
What did I see
The neighborhood
Alive outside my window
For so many years
In Seattle
Looking out my window
What did I see
I saw the ever changing green
Sea of trees
that is Seattle’s true color
The city is so lush and green
And alive with life’s
endless possibilities
In Stockton
Looking out the window
What did I see
The traffic moving
Through the dense fog
That often fell upon the city
Obscuring everything in its embrace
And growing up in Berkeley
Looking out my window
I saw nothing
But the dirt and trees
And shrubs
Of my ancestral home
And felt nothing
But loneliness
And a desire
To leave my home
As soon as I grew up
That is what I see
When I look out my window
Even to this day
I see where I have been
And wonder where I am going
As I stare out the window
Knowing that my life
Will surely come to an end
As I stare out at the world
Waiting waiting waiting
For my fate to unfold
April 30
In Search of America 1975 – Hitch hiking Tales
When I was young and foolish
Broke and stubborn
I hitchhiked across the USA
Started in Salt Lake City
Where my greyhound bus pass
Was stolen
The station manager
Could have helped me
But refused to do so
Threaten to call the cops
When I grabbed my bags
Without the stolen tags
I said
Go ahead
But I am
so out of here
Wondered about Salt Lake City
Went to a bar
Found I had to buy my booze
Next door
And they would
mix it for me
Had to order food too
After a bloody Mary
And a burger
I walked about town
Saw the Mormon Temple
Finally about 3 pm
It was time
to hit the road
Did not look back
Ended up in Cody Wyoming
Got a room shower
Steak beer
Using my rapidly
depleted cash
Spent 25 dollars
Money really went far
Back in those days
A band of professional
Communist agitators
Gave me a ride
To Des Moines
Lots of weed, booze
And politics later
Got off the road
Slept outside
Next day
A beautiful woman
Drove me to near Chicago
In a red mustang
Might have been
The girl in the song
Took it easy
Digging her vibe
She invited home
But was not sure
If her estranged husband
Would welcome me
So I being foolish
And inexperienced with women
Did not go to her place
And always regretted
That I had lost
My chance that day
Then on to Chicago
Several rides later
Visited friends
Hit the road again
A series of uneventful rides
With truckers
And others
And a week later
I ended in New York City
Slept along the way
In cars
In truck stops
In high way rest stops
Always moving
Always going
None stop talking
And lots of free weed
And beer
And conversation
One more memorable ride
Occurred outside Albany
On my return to Chicago
A middle age
creepy looking man
Picked me up
In a brand new Cadillac
He was
he said
a dynamite deliverer
For the Mafia
Went to various places
To blow up shit
He hated a lot of people
Particularly hippies
from California
And Jewish people
Looking at me to confirm
That I was both
I told him
that I lived in New York
And had never been
to California
And although
I might looked Jewish
As I had
what was called
back in the day
A “Jewfro”
I was not Jewish
Many years later I discovered
That I am indeed part Jewish
But then I did not know
And I felt a bit of
strategic misinformation
Might keep me alive
Then I realized
that he was just
jiving with me
And we relaxed
And he pulled
out some weed
And beer
And we mellowed out
But I believe
that he really
was with the mob
Perhaps not a dynamite dealer
A real made Italian
made mafia member
By Chicago
I had enough
I called my Dad
Told him what had happened
Wanted a ticket home
And he sent me a ticket
And 500 dollars
And I went home
I told him I would tell him
My tales some day
But never did
I learned so much
About my fellow Americans
And the strange vibe
That was 1975
in 2017, i participated in my first April month of poetry challenge. the goal, write one poem per day during the month and post them. i completed a bit more than 30 and posted them on Triferet journal @ http://tiferetjournal.com and on a special community Facebook page @https://www.facebook.com/tiferetapril2018poemathon/ .
as well as posting them daily on all poetry, writers digest and on my blog (which I did not have in 2017 and 2018.
I tried this year to experiment with more formal verse forms which is one of my creative goals this year. Writers Digest has a great list, as does All poetry, poetry Soup, Magnum Poetry Opus. For more info on formal verse forms see
I also added images and audio clips. For 2017, and 2018 I have gone back and revised them slightly adding in images and audio clips. I intend to turn these poems into my first published book of poetry.
Comments and feedback greatly appreciated. I intent to make this an annual creative project and keep going as long as I can.
Now to the 2017 Poems:
Index
April 1 Berkeley California
April 2 Lithia Springs
April 3 Walls
April 4 Changes
April 5 Facing Life’s Challenges Together
April 6 Wagontire, Oregon
April 7 Watching Cats Hunt *
April 8 Landlord Blues
April 9 Pane e circus 2017 Redux
April 10 Long Live Emperor Donald the Ist
April 11 3 Am Nightmares
April 12 Zombie Apocalypse
April 13 Spring Doositsu for Angela Poem a Thon
April 14 Love Jones
April 15 Kim Vs. Trump Twitter War
April 16 Why I am not a Christian Easter Thoughts
April 17 Love Haku *
April 18 Coffee Haku *
18 Spring Time in Oregon
April 19 Cats *
April 20 Secret Agency Man
April 21 COSTCO People Watching
April 22 The Dogs of War are Howling
April 23 Suburban Laundromat
April 24, I Want You Right Now
April 25 The Decline of America
April 27 Life is Wonderful
April 28 Sandwich Choices *
April 29 More Coffee Blues *
April 30 Rambling Man -Where Do I Belong?
Published
Audio Clips
April 1 to April 5
April 6 Wagontire
April 7 to April 12
April 10 to April 15
April 17 to April 20
April 20 to April 30
April 1
Berkeley California
Growing up in the 60’s
In Berkeley
almost 50 years ago
I think back
At those turbulent times
Those crazy wonderful times
Berkeley is a wonderful place
In many ways
Stuck forever in 1967
A true time travel experience
Every time I go back
And relive the memories
Of the 60’s
The 60’s never died
They continue
In college towns
Across the world
And Berkeley
Remains the mecca
Of the counter
cultural revolution
Many things have changed
But the organic food revolution
Became mainstream
Marijuana spread out
The sexual revolution
Became mainstream
So much of the world
Is but a reflection
Of the revolution of the 60’s
And the conservative
counter-revolution
That we are still fighting
So, I salute
My homeland
The center of my universe
April 2
Lithia Springs</strong
Staying at Lithia Springs
Soaking in the healing waters
Soaking my pains away
Renewing my life
Renewing my love
As we both soak away
As the pain of life go away
And our love grows
With each soaking session
Life is good
At the hot springs water
Sooths us
and smooth us
And we fall in love
Again and again
April 3
Walls
Trump wants a wall Between America and Mexico
A wall against the southern hordes
A wall based on fear and hate
A wall to make America safe
A wall to make America great again
And yet I wonder
Will his wall fall
Like the Berlin wall
And the great wall
And all the other walls
They all failed
All of them
Walls divide us
Walls make us
Into different tribes
Between the pure
And the impure
St Reagan, Said
Tear Down this Wall
Will future Presidents
Tear down this begotten wall
Or will it become a tourist attraction
Another great wall
Against barbarian hordes
April 4
Changes
I reflect upon my life
As the sun comes up
What could I have changed
What would I have changed
If I could go back in time
What would I tell my earlier self
What would I do differently
And what have I learned
The one thing
that I would not have changed
is meeting
the women of my dreams
the chance
meeting on a bus
that changed everything
in a moment
I met my fate
That day on the bus
And that
is the end of the story
April 5
Facing Life’s Challenges Together
Woke up at 0 dark hundred
Vowing to boldly go forth
And face
the challenges
of the future
Without fear
Knowing
that I have you there
Makes
all the difference in the world
As we meet our fate
Together
Until the day we die
And time takes us
Back to another world
Soul mates, together forever
We left Berkeley to go to Yakima
Where my father had a summer cabin
He was a college professor
And had July
and August off
And we spent the summers
Every summer from 1968 to 1978
Our whole dysfunctional family
Our annual road trip
to hell and back
As we did not get along at all
We decided to drive
through Eastern Oregon
Just my father and me
Just for the hell of it
The rest of the family
was already there
in Washington
waiting for us
My father and I shared a travel lust
One of the few things we shared
This was one of our best trips
We got along
Which was unusual
Normally our relationship
Was fraught
As we were so different
We left Klamath Falls
A real nothing burg
in those days
And headed east along highway 395
As we entered the desert
of eastern Oregon
We entered a different world
High mountain dessert
Almost
no one on the road
nothing on the radio
but country music
and talk radio
from KGO in SF
my father and I bonded
Learned a lot about his past
What he liked
And did not like
He hated country music
But loved news radio
And we talked about politics
And life in general
Just a father and son
Enjoying a rare
Father son
Bonding moment
We usually did not
get each other
I inherited too much
Of my Mother’s
wild Irish personality
To suite his dour Norwegian
Germanic personality
Then we saw the sign
Wagontire Oregon
100 miles ahead
Burma shave
We counted down the signs
Miles after miles
As we drove
into the gathering dusk
along with the wagon tire
countdown
were other signs
last gas for x miles
and the Burma Shave
road side signs
with their classic
cowboy poetry
slogans
which in 1975
were already
becoming
a thing of the past
had not seen those
since this road trip
but on this road
they still had them
every mile
Burma Shave signs
We speculated
that Wagontire
Must be a giant truck stop
In the middle of no where
And we drove on
Counting down the signs
Listening to dreadful country music
And endless political news
Wagontire 100 miles ahead
Burma Shave
Wagontire 99 miles ahead
Burma Shave
Wagontire 98 miles ahead
Burma Shave
Wagontire 97 Miles ahead
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Wagontire 96 Miles ahead
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Wagontire 92 Miles ahead
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Wagontire 91 Miles ahead
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Wagon tire
Last gas 90 Miles ahead
Burma Shave
Wagon tire 89 Miles ahead
Burma Shave
Wagontire 88 Miles ahead
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Wagontire 87 Miles ahead
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Wagontire 88 Miles ahead
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Wagontire 87 Miles ahead
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Wagontire 74 Miles ahead
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Wagontire 71 Miles ahead
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Wagontire 70 Miles ahead
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Wagontire 69 Miles ahead
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Wagontire 68 Miles ahead
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Wagontire 67 Miles ahead
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Wagontire 66 Miles ahead
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Wagontire 65 Miles ahead
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Wagontire 64 Miles ahead
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Wagontire 63 Miles ahead
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Wagontire 60 Miles ahead
Next Gas 60 miles last gas for 200 miles
Burma Shave
Wagontire 61 Miles ahead
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Wagontire 60 Miles ahead
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Wagontire 59 Miles ahead
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Wagontire 58 Miles ahead
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Wagontire 57 Miles ahead
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Wagontire 56 Miles ahead
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Wagontire 55 Miles ahead
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Wagontire 54 Miles ahead
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Wagontire 53 Miles ahead
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Wagontire 52 Miles ahead
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Wagontire 51 Miles ahead
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Wagontire 50 Miles ahead
Next gas 50 last gas for 200 miles
Burma Shave
Wagontire 49 Miles ahead
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Wagontire 48 Miles ahead
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Wagontire 47 Miles ahead
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Wagontire 46 Miles ahead
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Wagontire 45 Miles ahead
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Wagontire 44 Miles ahead
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Wagontire 43 Miles ahead
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Wagontire 42 Miles ahead
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Wagontire 41 Miles ahead
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Wagontire 40 Miles ahead
Last gas 40 miles next gas 200 miles
Burma Shave
Wagontire 39 Miles ahead
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Wagontire 38 Miles ahead
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Wagontire 37 Miles ahead
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Wagontire 36 Miles ahead
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Wagontire
35 Miles ahead
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Wagontire 34 Miles ahead
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Wagontire 33 Miles ahead
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Wagontire
32 Miles ahead
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Wagontire 31 Miles ahead
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Wagontire 30 Miles ahead
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Wagontire 29 Miles ahead
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Wagontire 27 Miles ahead
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Wagontire 22 Miles ahead
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Wagontire 14 Miles ahead
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Wagontire 13 Miles ahead
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Wagontire 12 Miles ahead
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Wagontire 11 Miles ahead
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Wagontire 10 Miles ahead Last gas, food lodging for 210 miles
Burma Shave
Wagontire 9 Miles ahead Last gas, food lodging for 210 miles
Burma Shave
Wagontire 8 Miles ahead Last gas, food lodging for 210 miles
Burma Shave
Wagontire 7 Miles ahead
Burma Shave
Wagontire 6 Miles ahead
Burma Shave
Wagontire 5 Miles ahead
Burma Shave
Last gas, food lodging for 205 miles
Wagontire 4 Miles ahead Last gas, food lodging for 204 miles
Burma Shave
Wagontire 3 Miles ahead
Burma Shave
Wagontire 2 Miles ahead Last gas, food, lodging for 202 miles
Burma Shave
Wagontire 1 Miles ahead
Last Chance Gas, Food, lodging next gas 200 miles
Welcome to Wagontire, Oregon
Population 2 ½ humans 10 dogs, 50.000 sheep
We pulled into the town
Nothing there
but a gas station
Motel and café
We decided to stop
Last gas for 200 miles
According
to the highway signs
In the morning
We chatted with the owner
He was the sheriff,
the fire chief
The owner
of the motel,
gas station
The only business in town
And the only place open
For two hundred miles
Until the next town
John Day I believe
I asked the Sherriff
Say, who is the ½ human?
My idiot son!
And we left.
200 miles later
We finally
left Eastern Oregon
2016
In 2016 my wife
and I drove
through Eastern Oregon
As part of our epic
cross-country trip
first time for her
in Eastern Oregon
Idaho, Montana
Wyoming and many other states
last time I had visited
was during my epic road trip
with my father
summer of 1975
10,000 miles
31 states
in three months
to celebrate my retirement
On the way from Medford to Yellowstone
We drove along highway 395
The signs for Wagontire was gone
And we drove through the town
The motel was abandoned
Nothing there at all
And that sign
was gone too
and the Burma shave signs
long ago
faded into lost
Americana
On the radio
Nothing but country
Right wing talk shows
And Christian radio
I said I suppose the idiot son
Never took over the business
And we speculated about Wagontire
And all other nothing burgs
We drove through
that summer
Heart of Trump’s America
True fly over country
April 7
Watching Cats Hunt
Early morning
Watching two white cats
Hunting a white dove
The cats hunt in pairs
Tracking the bird
The bird flies away
Safe for now
And I think about the cats
And the hunt goes on
Such is life
And the fate of cats
And birds
April 8
Landlord Blues
I am a landlord
Owner of property
Here there
and elsewhere
Have been for years
Since 1989
When I bought my first duplex
I have tenants
and tenant
issues galore
I receive rent from the tenants
it seems money grows
on the proverbial tree
but at times
from time to time
I hate being a landlord
I suppose in my heart
I am a socialist
with a blending heart
But my wife
is comfortable
as a landlord
She calls me a hypocrite
And a wild romantic goat
Born under the sign of the goat
And I call her a capitalist pig
Born
under the sign of the golden pig
April 9
Pane e circus 2017 Redux
By order of his excellency
Emperor Donald the First
The merciful,
the Christian King of Kings
The Sultan of Sultans
The Emperor of North America
Be it hereby decreed
That the ancient honorable
gladiator games
Of the old Roman Empire
Have been restored
Each city in the Empire will host a team
They will compete for the honor
Of the national championship
The games will start
With fighting animals
Fighting fish
Roosters
Cheetahs
Tiger
Bears
Wolves
And lions
Then a man lion contest
With a heretic thrown to the lions
If he or she lives
They will be pardoned
Then then main games
Six men/women teams compete
Armed with swords, knifes, mace, clubs
They fight until one man or women remans
The victor of the game
Those who are prisoners
Can compete for their freedom
And a full imperial pardon
Let the games begin
Long may the games reign
In the new North America Empire
Praise be to the Emperor
Donald the First
April 10 Long
Live Emperor Donald the Ist
Ladies and Gentlemen
My fellow American citizens
Greetings and salutations
Today is a momentous day
The old corrupt USA republic is no more
The constitution that once protected us
Has been overthrown and violated
The barbarians at the gate
Have taken over
And ruined the once great land
The last hope of the world
And so, I had no choice
But to kill the old rotten regime
And restore American greatness
To save democracy
I must destroy it
And so, starting today
I will serve
as the Emperor of North America
I welcome Canada and Mexico
And the Caribbean islands
To join The North American Empire
As we rebuild America
Restoring American greatness
And making us all proud again
Proud subjects of the New American Empire
May the Empire reign forever and a day
Triumphant against all enemies
And so, I take this burden
Sadly, but gladly
I will serve you
As your Emperor
And my son Donald
Will serve as our second emperor
Once I pass from this world
His son will serve as the third emperor
And so on until the end of time
And we will reign
in our new capitol city
Colorado Springs
renamed New Rome
Until the end of time
Washington will remain in our hearts
As the capitol of the old Republic
But the heirs of the Roman Empire
Need a new Imperial Capitol
And soon we will conquer Mars
And expand our Empire to the Starts
Long Live the Empire
Long Live America
Good night
And may God Bless
This great Empire
April 11 3 3 Am Nightmares
3 am
The bewitching hour
When the wild things come out
And play
And torture you
With endless wild accusations
And nightmarish visions
As I toss and turn
Trying to escape
I look over at my wife
And as always
Repeat the mantra
Everything will be alright
And the wild things are banished
To the dark corners of my mind
And I recover my happiness
And I smile
As I look at the sleeping beauty
Still the most beautiful women in the world
Still the most alluring women in the world
Still in love with her
After 35 years
The love gets stronger and stronger
As she overcomes my despair
And the sun comes up
And I think to myself
What a wonderful life I have
With the women of my dreams
April 12
Zombie Apocalypse
Zombies to the right of me
Zombies to the left of me
Zombies ahead of me
Zombies behind me
Everywhere zombies galore
The end of the world had become
And the zombification
of the world had begun
Zombies to the right of me
Zombies to the left of me
Zombies ahead of me
Zombies behind me
No one knew when or where
the first zombies appeared
One moment zombies were just a collective
figment of our deranged imagination
The next moment we were all living
in a zombie apocalypse nightmare
Zombies to the right of me
Zombies to the left of me
Zombies ahead of me
Zombies behind me
Some said the zombies were created in a lab
Released by mad scientists and the military
Others said it was plague sent by God himself
To punish mankind
for tolerating evil and moral depravity
Zombies to the right of me
Zombies to the left of me
Zombies ahead of me
Zombies behind me
The Christians and Muslims prayed
But their prayers went unheard
As they too soon became zombies
Zombies to the right of me
Zombies to the left of me
Zombies ahead of me
Zombies behind me
The zombies hunted in packs
Overwhelming their victims
Killing most instantly
But some they simply bit
And turned them into fellow zombies
Zombies to the right of me
Zombies to the left of me
Zombies ahead of me
Zombies behind me
The zombies did not attack one another
They preferred living live flesh
Human flesh
but they ate everything they saw
Zombies to the right of me
Zombies to the left of me
Zombies ahead of me
Zombies behind me
And so, I ran into the countryside
With my fellow humans
Hit out deep in the woods
Hiding from zombies
And crazed cannibal gangs alike
Zombies to the right of me
Zombies to the left of me
Zombies ahead of me
Zombies behind me
The world ended that day
And our nightmare world began
Zombies to the right of me
Zombies to the left of me
Zombies ahead of me
Zombies behind me
April 13
Spring Doositsu for Angela Poem a Thon
Waking up seeing you there
Watching you as you wake up
Fills me with such sweat desire
Overcoming my mind
I sit watching you all day
Thinking of you all day long
Wild erotic imaginings
Love making to come
That old blues song come to mind
I just want to make love to you
I just want to make love to you
Nothing more than that that
I end this morning with this thought
You are still the most wonderful
The most beautiful creature
In the whole universe
April 14
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
April 15 Kim Vs. Trump Twitter War –
in memorial of Kim Il Sung’s the Great Leader’s Birthday
North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un waves from a balcony of the Grand People’s Study House following a mass parade marking the end of the 7th Workers Party Congress in Kim Il-Sung Square in Pyongyang on May 10, 2016. North Korea kicked off a massive parade in the centre of Pyongyang on May 10 to celebrate a just-concluded ruling party congress that was seen as a formal coronation for supreme leader Kim Jong-Un. / AFP / Ed Jones (Photo credit should read ED JONES/AFP/Getty Images)
President Kim, it is time that we cut the shit and cut a deal #Real Trump
President Trump, it is impossible for us to cut a deal unless you agree to me keeping nukes # Kim Jong-un the Great
President Kim, you know that if I want I can just make you disappear. You can be wiped off the earth in a moment. We know where you live #real Trump
President Trump, we have a nuke with your name on it on a boat sailing up the Potomac and it will blow your ass up any day now so don’t fuck with us. #Kim Jong-un the Great
Kim, your stupid Asian gook. Let me break it down for yah You threaten the US you die and all the North Koreans go to hell. Is it worth it? #real Trump.
Trump, you are so stupid. You are the worst excuse for a human being ever $ Kim Jong-un the Great
Kim, you are the stupid mother fucker. I mean what’s up with that idiot haircut of yours? $real Trump
Trump, I would not talk about hair, your orange haired mutant mother fucker. #Kim Jong-un the Great
Kim, it is all real baby and so are my wife’s boobs… #real Trump
Trump, let’s cut the crap and get down to business. How much will you pay us to get rid of the nukes? #kimJongun the Great
Kim, lets meet manor a mano and get it out on the table. No nukes no chems no bioweapons and no more political prisoners to start with #realTrump
Trump, we can discuss. If I can stay in power the rest is negotiable #Kim Jong un the great
Finally, the two of you are talking sense. About time #Xi the President of China
April 16
Why I am not a Christian Easter Thoughts
On Easter Sunday,
I often think about Christianity
I don’t understand why anymore
would believe such nonsense
The essential story makes no sense
An imaginary all powerful deity
that no one has ever seen or heard
Except for psychotic patients or Drug users
Comes down to earth
and impregnates a married woman
Who has never had sex for some reason
And her husband is okay with that
Believes her wild story
And still does not have sex
Until after the baby is born
Then there is total silence
Nothing about Jesus’s childhood
30 years later he emerges
Preaching love, peace and brotherhood
And denouncing the corrupt temple leaders
And the Jewish leaders as well
The miracles also don’t make any sense
In the real world,
you can’t turn fish into bread
Can’t walk on water
Can raise the dead etc. etc.
Just does not happen
In the world, we live in
And has not happen
since those ancient days
Then the last supper makes some sense
Jesus knows he is about to be betrayed
But he does not confront Judas
Does not run away
Does not encourage his disciplines
To run away with him
The whole Jesus Mary M story
Also, does not make sense
Jesus must have been married
Or he was gay
There is no doubt
Either way the story makes no sense
The crucifixion is the only part of the story I buy
Jesus was put to death because he was a rebel leader
And the Romans tolerated no dissent
To the Roman’s right to conquer and rule
The rising from the dead stories
All contradict one another
And Jesus was either walking as a normal human being
Or was a ghost
The door was rent open as if by lightening
Or not
Finally, we have been waiting over 2,000 years for his return
You would think if the story is remotely true
He would have turned up by now
Except he has
As many lunatics claim to be Jesus
in the flesh
all delusional of course
and that is what I think of Christianity
nothing but fairy tales and mass delusions
surrounding a kernel of truth
Love each other
Treat each other right
Don’t be consumed with greed
But couldn’t that message
Be made simpler
Without all the associated nonsense?
So, on this day I say
Open your minds
And discard the nonsensical elements
of Christian thought
And follow the true teachings of Jesus
Even if you don’t believe
in the imaginary man in the sky
April 18
Spring Time in Oregon
Spring has finally sprung in Oregon
Escaping from the longer winter prison
That has covered the land with snow
They say that this winter
Was a colder than normal winter
Wetter than normal
As the long drought finally ended
As nature resumed
its normal spring thaw
I rejoice
Seeing all the signs of spring
Especially the sight
of young beautiful women
Shedding their winter clothes
And walking about
in the spring sunshine
So wonderfully alive
So, beautiful and sexy
As they sashay about
Here and there
It makes me smile
All day long
Yes, I love Spring time
Everywhere in the world
But especially in Oregon
My new found second home
April 19
Cats
I often wonder about Cats
What do they think of us
It seems at time
That cats think of humans
As their slaves
We exist to feed them
To comfort them
To save them from their enemies
And to worship them
Yes, cats are an alien species
Totally different from humanity
Detached, and almost evil
If we ever encounter an alien civilization
God help us if it’s a cat based civilization
We would then be engaged
In the epic mother of all wars
As cats and humans would not get along
The cats would think we were their slaves
And we would resent and fear them
And secretly worship their alien ways
April 20
Secret Agent Man
Secret agent man
Where are you going?
What do you know?
And when did you know it?
What dark secrets do you hide
In your inner soul?
Do you even have a soul anymore?
Or has it been so compromised
That there is nothing left?
But lies, within lies with lies
Do you even know the truth?
Does the truth set you free?
Or is the truth just another lie?
That you tell yourself
I’d like to know
My secret agent man
Perhaps someday you well tell me
Your deepest darkest secrets
And reveal what the government is hiding
But perhaps I can’t handle the truth
So, keep you secrets to yourself
And let them die with you
As you go to your grave
Your secrets buried deep within
Your corrupted soul
Until the end of time
Reveals all
April 21
COSTCO People Watching
I love my COSTCO
I love going there to shop
But most importantly
I love people watching
Looking at people as they walk by
Wondering what their stories are
And covertly checking out
the beautiful girls
As they walk on by
And when they smile at me
It makes my day
Yes, I love my COSTCO
And COSTCO Loves Me back
Extracting my money
From my wallet
I go in for one simple thing
And walk out
having spent 500 dollars
Yes, COSTCO has my number
And loves me too
Long Live COSTCO
April 22
The Dogs of War are Howling
The Dogs of War
Have been set free
Of their cage
And are out
Howling at the moon
The Dogs of War
Have been set free
To wreck what havoc
Might be
Yes, the Dogs of War
The Hell Hounds
Have bound out of their cages
Sniffed about
And smiled
At the destruction, they saw
They knew soon
They would be in their element
As the world descends into chaos
The Dogs of war
Are at foot
The chaos is upon us
The evil grows and grows
And dark noises are heard
Here and there
And the dogs of war
Smiled
They knew soon
They would be in their element
The war machines
Came to life
The plans came out of the books
The military might be unleashed
And the Dogs of war
Smiled and howled at the moon
And the rest of the world
Shuddered
At the thought
of what was yet to be
Satan on the other hand
Was happy as can be
With the evil shit
That was going down
He smiled
Patted his hell hounds
And told his dogs
The war to end all wars
Armageddon is upon us my friend
Soon, mankind will know
The face of absolute evil
And they will love it
When I take over
The armies prepare
The bombers prepare
And the dogs of war
Are happy
Unleashed to do their mischief
And soon millions may die
And the pits of hell
will open
And the judgement day
May be upon us all
Madness descends upon the land
The fog of hate envelops us all
And reason and civilization
Fall away
As the Dogs of War
And their minions
Take over the minds of man
And the end of the world
And the beginning
of the end times
Come upon us all
And the US goes bankrupt
Morally and fiscally
And the evil that men do
Goes on and on and on
But the war machine must be fed
The munitions makers must be paid
As each million-dollar missile is launched
Millions more are made
And the corporations
Think of the endless profits
To be made
Every time they kill
With the war machines
But who cares about the victims
They are nothing but collateral damage
Who cares about the soldiers
Nothing but cannon fodder
Who gives a damn
About the dead
They are dead and gone
Just think about the profits
Think about the profits
Satan is happy
The dogs of war
are free at last
April 23
Suburban Laundromat – thanks to Don Teeter for the inspiration from a FB posting
Suburban Laundromat Scenes
Suburban laundromat
Anywhere USA
I often go to a suburban laundromat
Near my suburban apartment
I can sit in my car
Listen to jazz, classical or blues
On my car’s radio
And watch my machine
Doing its suburban laundry duty
Just spinning and spinning and cleaning
Doing its thing its laundry thing
The neighborhood is anywhere USA
Strip malls, apartment houses, townhouses
A fire station, a police station
Banks, cell phone shops
Restaurants from around the world
At the parking lot’s edge
As I approach I notice
Gentlemen of the off-grid class
Sitting among their Hogs
Stoned off the semi legal weed
Smiling at me
With an I don’t give a fuck attitude
That is somewhat contagious
They tell stories
Paranoid ramblings
Containing a kernel of truth
As they watch their clothes
Like a hawk
The clothes spin and spin and spin
As the laundry machine does its laundry thing
The machines don’t care about what we humans think
They just do their duty as the man says
Across the old run-down boulevard
The light rail line uses a right of way
That dates to the mid 1850’s
An old Indian game trail perhaps
That the white man turned into the first road
In these parts
People come and go
Some in cars
Some on foot
People from all over the world
Speaking languages from everywhere
But all understand English to some extent
And many understand Spanish to some extent
I feel everyone is united
Chiefly by their transience
And think back on old Latin saying
Sic transit Gloria mundi
And wonder if these are the end days
And ask the laundry machine
What does it think
The laundry machine pauses
Seems to think
And looks at me
Almost saying
WTF do you think
A laundry machine knows?
And so, I gather my items
Nod to the regulars
Who interrupt their endless paranoid arguments
Acknowledging my existence
And I stumble back
To my suburban apartment
Truly paradise on earth
April 24,
I Want You Right Now
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
For you are my soul mate
The only person
Whoever completed me
And made life worth living
April 25
The Decline of America
You see it everywhere
The unmistakable signs
That the decline of America
Is in full swing
And we have gone past the tipping point
There is nowhere left to go
But downward
As the Empire begins to collapse
Victim of imperial overreach
Like all empires before
The DC metro on a good day
Is a broken-down remnant
Of a once proud system
The future of mass transit
Its proponents said
The interstate highway system
Is falling apart day by day
The cost of rebuilding America mounts
And our politicians are afraid
That it will costs trillions of dollars
Just to prevent the US from collapsing
Into third world irrelevance
We have the world’s most expensive military
A million dollars per missile
And yet we can’t find the money
To provide decent health care for all
Bombs, and tax cuts for the wealthy
Are the only things
That the Republicans care about
And the world looks in amazement
At the clown boy President
As he struts about
Looking more and more
Like some Banana Republic
President for life
With his family
grabbing as much loot
As they can
From the federal government
Before the coming revolution
Overthrows them
When did we start this decline?
Some say 1960s started it
Others say Nixon’s to blame
Others claim that it was Carter’s fault
Or Saint Reagan’s fault
Or the other boy President GW Bush
Or Obama the fake American’s fault
Does it really matter
All I know
Is the America I knew
The can do anything country
Is alas no more
And I morn for our lost liberties
Our lost sense of purpose
Our lost sense that America
Was the last great hope of Mankind
And still I wonder
Can America be made great again?
As our President Trump proclaims
The end times approaches
Nuclear war is talked about
Another missile crisis
And instead of JFK leading the country
We have Donald John Trump
The one and only
The greatest con man
To ever get elected
And I fear the end is in sight
As America begins its decline
Will we be one country
Or will we erupt into a civil war
The right claims that the left has started it
And the left claims that the right has started it
And both sides claim that the civil war
Is inevitable
A fight for the future of our country
And so, it goes
The decline of empires
And I pray
That I may survive
The end of times
April 27
Life is Wonderful
This morning I woke up
Always a good thing
At age 61
I looked out my window
And saw a bright blue sky
Nice Spring time weather
Not a frown in the sky
Not a cloud to hide
The bright late April Sun
I looked over
And saw her there
As always
The nighttime anxieties fade away
And I realize once again
Everything will be okay
If she is with me
And I said to myself
What a wonderful day
April 28
Sandwich Choices
There are so many choices to be had
When ordering a sandwich
What kind of bread
What kind of meat or any meat
What kind of cheese or any cheese
Whether to have sprouts or not
Whether to have a pickle or not
Whether to go with a classic peanut butter
And something sandwich
I loved peanut butter sandwiches
As a kid
Peanut butter and sweat pickles were my favorite
Peanut butter and banana is good also
Peanut butter and strawberry jam
What a delightful memory
My current favorite
Is a BLT with sprouts, avocado, and kosher dill pickles?
Heirloom red tomatoes one slice per each half
Avocado one half per each half
One half pickle on each half
Bacon cooked just right – well done but not black
Sprouts and lettuce just right
Timamook Yellow smoked cheder cheese
On each half
On Gluten Free bread
with chipotle mayo
And Dijon mustard
Cut in half
Truly a sandwich made in heaven
And bacon makes everything
Taste so damn nice
And God if you are reading this poem
You had better prepare them for me
Or Heaven will not be worth it
Does Satan serve BLT sandwiches
I wonder
Probably not
Probably you become the bacon
In his hell sandwiches
April 29
More Coffee Blues
One morning as I drank my fake coffee
I needed to go out
and get a cup of real coffee
The fake coffee just did not do the trick
It tasted almost like the real thing
But just did not have that kick
And I needed it bad
I needed the real coffee buzz
I realized that I was a coffee addict
I tried to just drink decafe
But was boring
And almost as bad as the fake coffee
That I drank
Caffeine was bad for me
I knew it
But I craved the rush
Craved the intense buzz
Craved the hyperactivity
Kept me all day
And caused me nightmares
Sometimes for days on end
I knew I could not handle it
But like all addicts
I needed my coffee buzz
And so, I once more
Drank my drug of choice
And entered the coffee zone
As I fried my brain
With caffeine
The last legal drug
In neo-puritan America
And I smiled as I gave in
To the intoxicating smell
And flavor of my coffee
And surrender my free will
And drank my coffee
Waiting for the nightmares to come
April 30
Rambling Man -Where Do I Belong?
I have been a rambling man
All my adult life
Grew up in Berkeley, California
Went to College in Hayward and Oberlin
During my lost year
Lost in a fog of booze and pot
Then I came back to reality
And went to college
In Stockton, California
The central Valley
Ohio transplanted to California
Then after four years in Stockton
With extended weekends
and breaks in Berkeley
I became an expatriate wanderer
Peace Corps worker in Korea
Then taught ESL in Korea
For four years
Occasionally returning to my home
But always wanting to be elsewhere
Then back to Korea
And then Seattle for four years
Driving back and forth to the bay area
Stopping off in Southern Oregon
Eventually bought a house and duplex
In Southern Oregon
Vaguely thinking we would retire there
Some day when my rambling ways were over
Then back to Korea for three more years
Then I joined the Foreign service
And my wife the military
And I wandered the world again
Always somewhere
Always dreaming of my next somewhere
Never there
As I was a permanent expat
And a diplomat to boot
Never a local
But never really felt I belong there
Or in the America
That was becoming more and more
A foreign land
The longer I stayed away
I stayed on in DC for almost ten years
Off and on
But never really felt
that I belong there
I was too West Coast in my heart
And DC seemed to be
Just a place to stay
In between travels
Stayed in Thailand
Then later India
And Eastern Caribbean
And later Spain
Traveled to 45 countries
Lived in ten
And now I am retired
Still torn between
living the expat life
In Seoul, Korea
And returning to the West Coast
And occasionally back to DC
and Florida as well
And I wonder
Where do I belong
Where do I belong
Other than wherever
My wife and I end up
Neither here nor there
Half way there
And so is that my fate
Never to really belong
Never to have roots in the ground
Always wanting to be somewhere else
Always a stranger in my native land
And a stranger in my other home
Across the sea
There is no answer to these questions
As the rambling urge comes again
And I prepare to move yet again
Hoping someday I will be
jesus
