Poetry – Page 43 – Poetry, Short Prose and Walking

Autumn Gratitude

Colder weather, cloudy skies,
Foliage brilliant to the eyes.

Liked to dVerse Open Link Night. Linda Lee Lyberg is hosting.

From Night to Day

As Philip watched the evening shine
With tiny stars to pierce the dark,
He felt a cooling calm and peace
Then dread turned on his mind to mark
With fear that all about his head
Were coffin lids to seal the dead.

Then Philip saw how dawn was cast,
How darkness bowed and night flew past.

Linked to dVerse Poetics. Sarah is hosting with the theme of presenting a story through the experiences of a character.

Sun, Sea and Sand

Suffering’s a blessing,
Waves caressing shore,
Sand absorbing moisture,
Turning hearts once more.

Liked to K’lee and Dale’s Cosmic Photo Prompt with the theme “sun, sea and sand”.

Quiver

I’d quiver uselessly with fear
But autumn weather’s very nice.
Let this fall come settle here.
I’ll hold off worrying of ice.

White stuff that the winter brings
May bury me in frigid snows,
But not today. Autumn sings
Final songs before it goes.

Linked to dVerse Quadrille. De Jackson is hosting with the word “quiver”.

Dreaming of Winter

Leaves are turning red in fall.
Watch the geese go somewhere new.
With a conscience true may all
Of winter’s sorrows not turn you.

Linked to dVerse Open Link Night. Lillian is hosting.

Majestic

The thought of being here at all must be
The source of unexpected majesty
That leads us, should we look, upon the way
And turns the night with brightness into day.

Linked to dVerse Poetics. Amaya is hosting with the theme of majestic.

Indigenous Behavior

The 40 degree weather didn’t stop locals and non-locals, all of us indigenous to this planet, from running, or cheering on the runners, in the Chicago Marathon.

Admittedly there is something odd about 45 thousand members of an indigenous species voluntarily running 26.2 miles and even keeping track – to the second – of records such as the 2:14.04 top time set by Kenyan’s Brigid Kosgei for women runners. I can imagine aliens from another planet, ready to invade, having second thoughts because of that, but if these marathons help keep out those non-indigenous species I’m all in favor of them.

The photo I took was from the very last mile at the very end of the race going up Michigan Avenue. The top winners had finished hours ago. If I were a runner and I got that far, which is questionable, that’s where I’d be. About midway under the Chinatown arch what made me smile was a sign that read, “Hurry up and finish, your mom’s freezing out here”.

Run past Chinatown
in windy Chicago weather
back home to Grant Park

Linked to Trent P. McDonald’s The Weekly Smile. Also linked to dVerse Haibun Monday where Frank J. Tassone hosts with the theme to “celebrate all things indigenous”.

Inside Out

Inside the oak it’s rich with rings,
Ringing without sound.
Richly rests this oak that clings
Still soundlessly on ground.

Linked to K’lee and Dale’s Cosmic Photo Prompt with the theme to pick one or more of inside out, outside in or upside down.

The poem illustrates the figure of speech known as a polyptoton where a root word is repeated but not exactly such as “rings” and “ringing” or “rich” and “richly” or “sound” and “soundlessly”. I will be featuring polyptoton on dVerse on October 24th.

Pop Art

This poem is a can of soup,
But please don’t try to drink it.
It’s real, I guess, well, more or less.
Perhaps more less would be my guess,
So only try to think it.

Linked to dVerse Meeting the Bar where Victoria C. Slotto hosts with the theme “Pop Art”. The can of soup refers to Andy Warhol’s Campbell’s Soup Cans to stay within the theme just in case it wasn’t obvious.

The Flip-Side of I-Thou

The voyeur’s mind imagines lust.
He sees her sitting there.
His heart beats, but his life’s a bust.
The proof? He doesn’t care.
Much like some god imploding trust
He cages with his stare
And all those nymphs who thought he must
Be good are now nowhere.

Linked to dVerse Poetics. Anmol is hosting with the theme of profiles and portraits.