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Thursday, April 26, 2018

The Passerby


The Passerby

All the birds that fly
put on a show for free.
The sun up in the sky
creates shadows for me.
Everyday, I pass by
things I don't see.

The sun up in the sky
creates shadows for me.
I don't know why
I ignore flowers and bees.
Everyday, I pass by
things I don't see.

I don't know why
I ignore flowers and bees.
I should modify
my routine to some degree.
Everyday, I pass by
things I don't see.

I should modify
my routine to some degree.
Tomorrow I will try
to gaze at a tree.
Everyday, I pass by
things I don't see.


This is my attempt at a roundelay (guidelines) for Day 24 of the PAD Challenge.

Links




Tuesday, April 24, 2018

What Demands Such Concentration?


What Demands Such Concentration?

What demands such concentration
that the seagull walks with its head
down, eyes focused on the ground?
It makes its morning check of the
inventory--what the tide brought in
and what it washed away.
The bird scours the shoreline and
steps past polished stones and
shattered shells. When it stops,
it picks up the remnants it likes best--
the ones it can digest.

The prompt for this poem was to start a poem with a line from one of the other poems you had written for the PAD challenge. I used a line from Portrait of a Goose Swimming.


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Thursday, April 19, 2018

Is Spring Shy?


Is Spring Shy?

Spring is shy this year.
She shows her face
for a day or two then hides
behind the bluster of winter.

She lets her warmth be felt
so we change to light clothes
then withdraws it, leaving us cold.

She enjoys the flowers for
a few hours then retreats
under a blanket of snow.

I have fallen for her ruse.
Spring is not shy. She is a
prankster who turns us all
into April fools.


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Thursday, April 12, 2018

Seagulls in the Neighborhood



Seagulls in the Neighborhood

When I went out
to play one day,
I saw seagulls
in the sky
above the houses.
They were not
flying by but
circling, like planes
waiting to be
cleared to land.

I went inside.
"Mom, look!
Seagulls."
She peaked
out the window.
"That means
a storm is coming."

I don't know if
that is fact
or superstition;
but whenever
I see gulls inland,
I take it
as a warning.

This poem was written for Day 11 of the Poem-A-Day Challenge. The prompt was warning.

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Thursday, April 12, the Kansas Time + Place Poets will be reading in Pittsburg, KS. The reading begins at 8 p.m. in the Governors Room, Overman Student Center, Pittsburg State University.


Links



Tuesday, April 10, 2018

On the Horizon


On the Horizon

There is something on the way.
What it is, I cannot say.

Nothing will keep it at bay.
It may even come today.

It could bring joy or dismay,
but I will not run away.

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Thursday, April 12, the Kansas Time + Place Poets will be reading in Pittsburg, KS. The reading begins at 8 p.m. in the Governors Room, Overman Student Center, Pittsburg State University.



Links


Thursday, April 5, 2018

Frozen in Winter


Frozen in Winter

We are frozen in winter.
Time sprang ahead
but the weather didn't.
What will fall from
the sky is anyone's guess.
The wind chills and
the temperature drops.
Will you join me in asking,
"Please, make it stop?"

Links



Tuesday, April 3, 2018

Portrait of a Goose Swimming


Portrait of a Goose Swimming

This portrait is
set in landscape,
a photograph of
a goose swimming.
The body is angled,
white chest down
and brown tail up.
The black neck
curves forward, but
the beak is level.
Beady eyes
focus frontward.
What demands such
concentration?
Friend or foe?
Frolic or function?
The answer is not
in the picture.


This poem was inspired by the Day 2 prompt of the 2018 PAD Challenge, portrait. It's not too late to join in. See the guidelines under Links. If you don't want to take the writing challenge,  check in to see the diverse work that is inspired by the prompts.