Poetry – Page 29 – Poetry, Short Prose and Walking

Vertical

The vertical rise of the morning sun
Carries our hope when the day’s begun.
Though the darkness returns in late afternoon
Then the dreams, those sweet dreams, show the dreamer what's true.

Linked to Cosmic Photo Prompt where Dales offers the theme “vertical”. The top photo looks vertically into the forest canopy. The bottom shows a contrast between the vertical trees and the flat region that has been cut as part of forest management.

Also linked to Trent P. McDonald’s The Weekly Smile. The forest preserve has been beautiful and the weather has provided many opportunities to enjoy it. Even after a rain, I smiled.

Another reason for a smile is that a very short story of mine, “Cliff”, appeared in Whispers and Echoes. I am grateful to Sammi Cox for accepting it.

Fate

When things went well I'd rarely say
I ought to credit God or fate,
Statistically at any rate.
I took full credit for my day
At least when outcomes went my way.
The magic dust no one could see
I thought I sprinkled liberally.
I don't know why I gave up this.
I did. Perhaps it was that kiss,
That slap, of Grace that conquered me.

Linked to Ronovan Writes Décima Poetry Challenge where the challenge is to use the word “fate” in the B lines of a décima having the rhyme pattern ABBAACCDDC.

Ronovan's Decima Poetry Challenge Image — Ronovan’s Decima Poetry Challenge Image

A Different Kind of Boutique

I know she would have rather gone to some boutique, but I took her to the forest preserve at the height of autumn color. The interest in her eyes once we reached the maple trees gave me encouragement. And there were no bugs.

Walking down a short side trail almost completely buried in leaves she asked me if I knew where we were going. Admittedly if this were my first time down that trail I would have turned around, but I knew the trees here were particularly impressive. And I knew the way.

Linked to Six Sentence Story where Denise offers the prompt word “boutique” to be used in a story of six sentences.

A very short story of mine, one sentence long, was published as part of the Tiny Terrors theme in Whispers and Echoes. I am grateful to the editor Sammi Cox for selecting it.

GirlieOnTheEdge Denise Farley's six-sentence-stories icon — GirlieOnTheEdge Denise Farley’s six-sentence-stories icon

Shadow Play

It's ominous when shadow play
Deceives and hides the truthful way.
We need good light and strength to seek,
But shadows love to keep us weak.

Linked to Cosmic Photo Prompt where Dale offers the theme of shadow play.

Also linked to Trent P. McDonald’s The Weekly Smile. There is no news on the 3x+1 problem, but the forest preserves have been beautiful. Many, many smiles watching the leaves change and drop in the wind and rain. I think I will go back again today right after posting this.

Chores

While raking leaves Bill thought back to the farm his parents had with asparagus, pickles, pumpkins, corn, hay and soybeans. The chores back then were not so bad. He hoed corn from the beans and stacked baled hay. There was the busy time of harvesting, but harvesting had to be done.

The worst were those chickens. He’d reach his hand under a sitting hen to gather eggs only to have it pecked. Sometimes he’d shoo them off the nest. Sometimes they wouldn’t go.

He wouldn’t want some hen doing that to him, but he had to get those eggs.

Linked to Carrot Ranch’s October 15 Flash Fiction Challenge where Charli Mills offers the theme of chores.

Whispers and Echoes published one of my very, very short stories, “Lecture”. I wrote it for the Tiny Terrors theme and I am grateful to Sammi Cox for selecting it.

Among other challenges this month, Ronovan Writes announced an annual spooky 13 challenge today and the Carrot Ranch Rodeo is going on.

Bliss

Ignore the pain. I do not miss
The pleasure out there tempting me.
Such blindness! How I failed to see
That there's a whole world more than this
With righteousness that brings pure bliss.
Manipulators walk around
With advertisements safe and sound.
Beware their busted sugar rush
Deceiving while our morals blush.
It sinks like dust on lifeless ground.

Linked to Ronovan Writes Décima Poetry Challenge where the rhyme word “bliss” is to be used in one of the A lines of a décima having rhyme scheme ABBAACCDDC.

Tent Revival in Fresno, California

Almighty God made an emphatic statement in Fresno tonight. This was not a good meeting. I have been to good meetings. This was an explosion. This was the vengeance of God crashing into Satan’s agenda.
Mario Murillo, Fresno Explodes! October 12, 2020

Given Mario Murillo’s support for Donald Trump as evidenced by his recent posts HOW SATANISM AND DEMOCRATS FOUND EACH OTHER and WHEN CHRISTIAN LEADERS ARE SO OPEN MINDED THEIR BRAINS FALL OUT I don’t think he will mind me closing with this photo taken at a Pro-Trump rally in Northbrook, Illinois, on September 25th which was only a few blocks from where we live when in Northbrook. I didn’t know about the rally in advance but when I saw the gathering I stood with the Trump supporters even though I’m a registered Democrat.

I’ve been puzzled over the past four years why the Democratic Party has overplayed its hand demonizing President Trump. If you take into account their deceitful impeachment, their slandering through fake news of Trump and his administration, who, by the way, handled the coronavirus very well, and their toxic self-righteousness in the BLM rioting, I don’t see how anyone could shamelessly vote for a Democrat for any office. With their current top candidate most likely compromised by the Chinese Communist Party, and so unable to effectively stand for America, one could say that it would be outright unpatriotic to vote for them.

If you go down in the woods today

Green is fading from the leaves.
Yellows, reds surround the trees.
They seem to know that winter nears
Approaching it with trust, not fears.

Linked to Cosmic Photo Challenge where Dale offers the theme of “if you go down in the woods today”. These photos were from Friday in Sunset Ridge Woods Forest Preserve.

Also linked to Trent P. McDonald’s The Weekly Smile. I did nothing this past week with the 3x+1 problem. I don’t know if that is something worth a smile, but it did make me smile. The changing forest preserve was clearly worth a smile. I took so many photos yesterday, I used up the battery on my phone. Perhaps that was a sign that I took enough of them. It amazes me that the trees know winter is coming.

I am also linking this to Robin’s Walktober.

Swing

There's just one problem with a swing:
Its cyclic motion to and fro
Since we all know how it must go
And without purpose like a fling
Or sorry tune the mindless sing -
Emotional, but nothing new,
No clue of what one ought to do,
No hint of why we're anxious here.
Stay covered up with lust or fear
Or busy back and forth on cue.

Linked to Ronovan Writes Décima Poetry Challenge where the challenge is to use the word “swing” as one of the A rhymes in a décima where the rhyme pattern is ABBAACCDDC.

Sunday – 2 PM

I worry now if I'll remember -
"Take a photo, 2 PM."
While wondering about November
I'll take those photos. I'll remember
Then post a few or all of them.

Linked to Cosmic Photo Challenge where Dale offers the theme of photographing wherever we are within one hour after 2 PM on Sunday. I set the alarm on my phone.

Also linked to Trent P. McDonald’s The Weekly Smile. One of my poems, Narrow Trails, appeared in the October 2020 issue of Snakeskin 277. I am grateful to George Simmers for accepting it and thereby giving me something to report for the weekly smile besides the many walks this past week.