Category: Poetry

Twist – A Six Sentence Story

Gerald said the only problem with Tim’s life was that it had no twist to it.  

This surprised him.  He owned a multi-trillion-dollar company that gave the Moon a sustainable atmosphere allowing mass colonization.  His manipulated philanthropic foundations kept the world rational during the Second Propaganda War.  As he saw it, twist or no twist, someone should give him a medal (and many had).

Gerald admitted he couldn’t pin down precisely what bothered him about Tim except to say, “The only twist I see in your life, Tim, is that you were born, but that should have been just the beginning.” 

Linked to Six Sentence Stores where Denise offers the prompt word of “twist”.

Light Twisting Through the Trees
GirlieOnTheEdge Denise Farley's six-sentence-stories icon
GirlieOnTheEdge Denise Farley’s six-sentence-stories icon

An Interesting Perspective

Even pigeons have a view
When looking out on me and you.

Linked to the Cosmic Photo Challenge where Dale offers the theme of “an interesting perspective”. I chose what might be called the “pigeon perspective” assuming the pigeon is walking on the ground.

Also linked to Trent P. McDonald’s The Weekly Smile. Another week went by. From some perspectives that may seem inconsequential, but the thought that we were all given the privilege to live it made me smile.

Pigeon Perspective Street Lines
Cosmic Photo Challenge

Smile

In summer-spring when flowers bloom
We know what's pretty soon will be
Allowed to drop indifferently.
For autumn's seeds we made this room.
We danced around the bride and groom.
They faced each other with a smile
Rejoicing, talking, thinking while 
The feast was laid out fresh with food.
Recall that early springtime mood
When brides walked down the wedding aisle.

Linked to Ronovan Writes Décima Poetry Challenge where the rhyme word “smile” must appear in a c line where the rhyme scheme is abbaaccddc.

Tall Grass
Ronovan's Decima Poetry Challenge Image
Ronovan’s Decima Poetry Challenge Image

Choose Your Masks

Linked to Cosmic Photo Challenge where Dale offers the theme of “choose your masks”. I interpreted this as what shows on the surface. That could be trees masking the morning sun or flowers masking the fertile ground.

Also linked to Trent P. McDonald’s The Weekly Smile. The corona virus hasn’t got me yet and so I’m still smiling. Besides that, one of my poems, “Stronger”, appeared in The Lyric and a copy arrived a few days ago. This week I’ll be reading the other poems in the issue and hopefully come up with something else to submit.

Masking the Forest Floor with Yellow and Green
Cosmic Photo Challenge

Ride

Since none of us get very old
Why stand in line to take this ride?
Why worry what is left to hide?
But demons tempt, "Don't leave your gold."
We count all that our hands can hold.
Around our magic carousel
We hear the call of some church bell.
We’re counting still. Wait til we're through.
There's so much counting left to do
Before the popping of the spell.

Linked to Ronovan Writes Décima Poetry Challenge where the word “ride” must rhyme on one of the B lines where the rhyme pattern is ABBAACCDDC.

Tall Grass
Ronovan's Decima Poetry Challenge Image
Ronovan’s Decima Poetry Challenge Image

Stay

I often want bright blooms to stay
But they perhaps are restless too.
There’s more ahead for them to do.
They serve their seeds which go away
Like snowflakes on a winter’s day.
Nor have I stayed long anywhere. 
I might live under skies less fair
Or wander somewhere else and try
To find bright blooms that please my eye
Or serve in ways that show I care.

Linked to Ronovan Writes Décima Poetry Challenge using “stay” as a rhyming word in the a position of the abbaaccddc rhyme pattern for this ten line form with eight syllables per line.

Somme Prairie Nature Preserve

One of my poems has appeared in Potcake Chapbook 7, Murder! – Poems of killings past and present. I am grateful to Robin Helweg-Larsen for accepting it.