No Closer

The moon was closer to the earth Saturday than it has been in 18 years. Unfortunately for me, the clouds were even closer.

No Closer

A closer moon
A brighter glow
What would
the nearness
help us know?
Would the view
of each crater
be greater?
Would a gust
kick up
moon dust?
What would
we see
due to
closer
proximity?
Our scrutiny
revealed
nothing new.
The crowd
of clouds
got the
better view.

Mix Up

Some friends of mine were going to perform poetry and music one evening. Unfortunately, the bar they were going to perform in got closed down that day. They didn't find out until they got there and the door was locked. Just had to write about it. The situation also gave me a rare chance to combine poetry and basketball.

Mix Up

Amid the hustle and bustle

of basketball games,

the bar would offer

music with a poetry chaser.

An homage to the Doors and

reflections on "The End."

Alas, the end came

before the beginning.

There was only

one door through

which to access

this collaboration

and, to eveyone's surprise,

it remained locked.

The bar was closed,

not because of

a personal foul,

but due to

a simple violation.

Baby's Blues

This was one of the first poems I wrote as I began this journey of writing poetry. Even though my mother had died several years earlier, her loss through Alzheimer's disease was one of the first topics that came out in my poetry. I am the youngest in my family and my mother often introduced me as the baby. When I got old enough to roll my eyes at that introduction, she would remind me I would remain the baby, no matter my age. By the time she died, she no longer had that memory.

Baby's Blues

You said I'd always be your baby.
Now, you ask if I'm your sister.
You say I'm not your daughter.
You no longer know me,
but I'll always be your baby.

Snow in Spring

Last year, we had snow on the first day of spring. Today, we are having a thunderstorm in February. Today's post is about last year's snow. The thunderstorm will probably pop-up later.

Snow in Spring

Like snow on the first day of spring,
the unexpected falls in our path.
It may be serendipity or tragedy.
The former reflects the light
and covers us like a warm blanket.
The latter clouds our vision
and sends us sliding
down the street.
It is easy to snuggle up
to the pleasant,
but the painful tests our skills.
These are the times we must
remember to steer into
the skid and hang on.

Valentine's Hangover

One of the regular readings/open mic's I attend at The Writer's Place is tonight. This month, the event has been named Valentine's Hangover. When I began to think about what I might read during the open mic segment, I decided I should write something new with the same name as the event. Here is my version of a

Valentine's Hangover

Hearts that

once held

center stage

sit in

shopping carts

marked with

50 percent

off signs.

Greeting cards

purchased in

anticipation of

reciprocation

lie in

the trash

without

a mate.

Leftovers

from a

romantic

dinner

sit in

the 'frig

likely to

go to waste.

The weight of

"might have been"

or

"used to be"

bears down now

but is carried

year round.

Resilience

This was inspired by a talk I heard at a luncheon. In my opinion, the speaker didn't just persevere. She experienced a loss of faith in her abilities and overcame that to refocus on, and eventually, attain her goals.

Resilience

Bounce
back from
disappointment
Stretch
to reach
a new goal
Adapt
to any
situation
Adjustments
become
second nature
Remember
who you
want to be
and
Recapture
the conviction

The Right Way

I wrote this poem about a year ago after watching some news commentary. I had fun playing with the word "right" to express the wish that we could find some middle ground.

The Right Way

Am I all right?
If I'm all right,
are you all wrong?
What if we're both
a little right and
a little wrong?
If we take my right
and your right,
maybe we can make
things all right.
That makes us better
when we work together.
Right?