Two Tanka Poems

Mint spreads like wind blown

leaves filling my garden bed

with round leaves climbing

toward sunshine   ready for

hot   honeyed   light morning tea

Cornflower blue sky

heavy with cotton ball clouds

changing from castle

to ghostly cattle grazing

in a periwinkle sky

 

 

 

Dessert Too

 (Cupcake and photo by Stephanie Pride)

It should be something that

announces itself in the baking

enticing aromas

infusing the air we breathe

creating a longing

for the taste

texture

moment of bliss

as we hold each fork full

to our lips

on our tongues

just for a moment

enjoying it to the fullest

before we swallow

and it is gone

Dessert in the Desert

These despised hot days

here in the desert
collecting cacti
with my camera
heat dripping down
from my scalp
to the soles of my
crispy baked feet
all I can think of is ice cream
mint ice cream
cold
soothing to my
lips
tongue where heavenly flavor rules
In my imagination I ate
the entire carton
then went back to work
with heat dripping down
from my scalp
to the soles of my
crispy baked feet

Five Poems

These are written in response to a prompt by Robert Lee Brewer in his Poetic Asides column.  You can find it in Writer's Digest Magazine and online at http://www.writersdigest.com/ .    As always, thank you, Robert.

The Sun Fell (The Sun Also Rises)

That day he admitted his

crimes against you

against God

against me

against family

His words boiled in

my belly until

I needed to vomit

I did not know where

to turn what

to do

my mind spun out of

control I couldn't think

all I know is that evening

the sun fell

Emma's Wonderland (Alice in Wonderland)

Wonderland made of night dreams

day dreams

imaginings

passages from books

lines from poems

brush strokes from paintings

stippling from charcoal drawings

verses from songs

instrumentals in their entirety

poem song stories built in my soul

No matter what part of Wonderland

I am visiting you are always there

I wake with you travel by your side

give you sparkling silver kisses

or deep red kisses never ending

you play my heart like a piano

late late night or early morning together

waking ends with you by my side

no matter what land one thing remains

I will always love you

Lord of Lies (Lord of the Flies)

Something is not right

way inside the core of you

truth is what you decide

it is

at that moment

lies are only explanations

or evidence of

the problem being with everyone else

never you

not your fault

ever

because you know

what real truth is

an insight no one else has

 

A Good Soil (The Good Earth)

Shrubs gone

wall built

weed cloth laid

now

build a good soil

to feed my garden

potting mix, organic

so much better

than what they sell as topsoil

light compared to heavy

lets roots grow

instead of suffocation

peat moss

compacted treasure of the ages

holds raindrops

giving drink to flowers and fruit

veggies and herbs

long after a thunder storm

compost black gold

feeds continuously

coaxing growth

from stems leaves buds

in turn gifting us with

blooms in purples pinks yellows whites

fruits red blue green purple

vegetables enough for

now Thanksgiving bounty saving for winter

it is with love

I build a good soil

joy comes with harvest

Invisible Child (The Invisible Man)

Wake up to mother's general call

to all brothers sisters

Time to get up

Sit at the table

behind the row of cereal boxes

spread for each to choose

Eat in silence

Dress for school

Walk alone thinking alone

Take my seat in the classroom

saying nothing

following directions

Walking home thinking alone

come in the door to my

shared room without hello

Pick up a book

lie down on my bed

to read my mind's adventures

Dinner nervous time

dad is intelligent stern aloof

mom sighs too often

Back to my room

to read in peace not even

wondering how many words

I have said

or not said this day

of invisibility

Spring Squirrel

Good mornin' little guy

Streets are bustling

park is still quiet

yours to play in

run

flick your tail

wiggle your nose

up on haunches

looking

checking

just in case

but then

drop and sniff

run again

scamper part way up a tree

turn head down and

look

scurry down into the grass

stop go

run wait

dig for something planted

before winter

how can you remember where they are?

grasping with paw hands

transfer to mouth

teeth firmly gently hold a gem

once again you run

run

up the tree

far

to the branch

holding your nest

winter is gone

Uninhabited

Sign of the times

so beautiful a structure

stunning beauty

strong

nestled protected

between two

sometimes bustling buildings

Carefully modernized

without sacrifices

to an earlier time

For Sale

sign

like so many others

is it noticed at all?

Who could buy

this glorious building

and love it

as I do?

Down in the city

where night is

as busy as day

Dress the windows

in lovely drapes

with a center of sheers

Three floors to live in

One for meeting

teaching

buying and selling

Garden on the roof

giant pots and cauldrons

overflowing with

flowers

trees

breakfast lunch and dinner

basking in the sun

Envision this place

in early morning

when people hurry

down the street

briefcase and coffee in hand

Off to work!

Quickly now!

Think of winter

looking out from the

warmth upstairs

at shoppers in

coats hats gloves

shiny paper bags labeled

Banana Republic Ann Taylor Dillard's

Consider summer nights

Theatre down the street

Opera just a skip away

Music venues all around

Chatting over a late dinner

seated in the patio area

Have another glass of wine?

Who could buy

this glorious building

and love it

as I do?

Down in the city

where night is

as busy as day.

Working

Please accept my apologies as I go through the posts AGAIN, seeing what I can do to improve, update, renew and edit.  Most of these writings are my response to experiences and work at healing.  I have new posts to add, some I may want to remove. This blog is a labor of love as I work and begin writing again, something I was prevented from doing for many, many years.

Emma