2023 Poem-A-Week Challenge (Poems Only Thread)

[Angeline]

Three Autumn Tankas

I.
An October moon
full, silver and luminous
shines in both our skies,
a prescient messenger
inviting us to the dance

II.
On a clear, crisp night
where leaves shiver, make merry,
Artemis shoots twice
and we are fallen in love,
struck by moonlight and music

III.
In the chill morning
a fox and her kits seek food;
we watch from the deck
and hungry for each other
seek sustenance in our bed



Week 37, Poems 1-3, Total 46

 

[Wonderer67]

Sweet Things

On road trips
I want a real family owned cafe or bar
Always on the lookout for good local food
We found it
No shit – the place was called the Tumbleweed Café in Magdalena, NM
You almost couldn’t make it up

“What’ll you sweet things like to drink?”
The waitress, maybe in her early 50s
A hard looking woman
Graying, straight hair
Nice body, but missing a tooth
She rattled off 10-12 drink options
Rebecca got a lemonade and I got coffee
Black

“Here ya go, sweet things.” Our waitress said as she brought us our drinks

“Sweet things need more time for your order?”

Our waitress called us “sweet things”
Each time she came around
A lovely and loving endearment

Rebecca got a grilled cheese
And I got a burger
We watched and listened to our waitress
She made all of the other customers
Feel like they
Were the most important people in the world
The sweetest things…

She was the nicest lady
We made small talk with her
Said she lived just outta town
And didn’t care for people in general
But her mannerisms belied that

“Here ya go sweet thing.” and she dropped
Off Bex’s slice of cherry pie
She tried to sell me on their dessert special:
Strawberry shortcake
I wasn’t in the mood
But she brought me a teeny-tiny piece anyway
“Free of charge, sweet thing.”

It was seriously good
A real sweet thing
The pink strawberry juices soaked up by shortcake
Topped with some homemade whipped cream
The black coffee was the perfect compliment

I tipped her heavy
“Oh, thank you, sweet things! You’re too kind. Safe travels!”

We went back outside to our car
Squinting in the sunlight
Not a single cloud was in the sky as we left
Seemed like a magical moment
We almost didn’t want to leave
Both of us, satiated and happy

42/52

 

[Wonderer67]

West Texas Intermediate

I hadn’t been in Texas
In 15 years
I had some reservations
Bad memories
2007, separated from my now ex-wife and baby girl
Two deployments to the sandbox
And back to Ft Hood
It’s not even called that anymore: Fort Cavazos now

But this time I wasn’t tethered
To my contract with Uncle Sam
Or anyone
Or anything
Just Rebecca
And having to be back at work on September 12th

West Texas was still west Texas
High chaparral
Prairies
Oil wells
Bobbing up and down like birds
Or dinosaurs
Sucking up that Texas tea…
Oil that is…black gold

Ranching towns
One horse towns
Oil towns
One stop-light towns
Just a cafe and a gas station
And a cluster of houses and other stores
Sometimes a bar or a bank
A red flashing light in the middle of west Texas
A huddle of buildings or houses
Where two roads meet
One road going north-south
The other east-west

Past more oil wells
Prickly pear cactus
Cattle grazing on brown grasses
Telephone poles
Bobbing oil wells

Hot outside - hundred on the dot

I forgot how hilly west Texas was
Quite beautiful really
For a few hot minutes
I could see Rebecca and I retiring here
But calmer minds prevailed

We didn’t really have a destination
Just Austin for Wednesday and maybe Thursday
Ready to see some live music
Get our dance faces on
And a wedding in Houston on Friday night

It was nice taking back roads
Two lane roads
Driving past ranch after ranch
Oil well after oil well
Endless wire fence
And not one Trump sign
At least not yet

43/52

 

[Tzara]

Freud Salad

Sometimes a cigar
is just a cigar
unless it is a banana,
yellow, curved, ripe,
thrust into the cleft
of a firm peach,
its furred skin split
and dripping.

Or, perhaps, this
is just me hungry
and thinking about
fresh fruit. Or
maybe I just need
another, another poem.

Week 37: Poem 1: Total 51

 

[Ambient4190]

bottle to glass
virgin
brilliant bubbles stream north
effervescent chill
moments later half empty
on the bar

minutes tick by
slowly warms
ice melts
goes flat
youth passed
innocence gone

patron leaves
bartender discards remains
down the sink

 

[29wordsforsnow]

I haven't felt the poetry
of a night sky bejeweled
with those catchy keyholes
looking inside lighter worlds
in days
but swam the large river
sunken thirsty, watery eyes
drinking paragraphs, chapters
wave after wave black-on-white
for weeks
kindled by a sweet voice
temptation across the sea
soft calls for my mind to dive
beneath the waterfall of words
on hand
their modern fairy tales
of steel-laced fists closed
around the fragile seed within
is it a cage to protect or possess?
a twin
but curiosity willed the trap
tendrils of new slipping through
cracks only a smile can break into
peeling the prison of gold, cold hold
over time
breath-taking at last
wings of their own unroll
to tame the ancient currents
soon dust rises from a single beat
at last
in front of the window
see the cocoons break
free from the bandages
to seize the skies and see
where this goes

 

[butters]

poem #45

the aftermath of a death
it's been working quietly
without complaint
without a thank you
for more than sixty years
down in the basement
by the shelves of jellies
jams and pickles
but
the day it died
the vast chest freezer
spurred creativity
beyond the mess and slop
of thrown-out ruins

and though quite unprepared
unable to resuscitate
the lower-level casualties
i saved the corn
yes, that corn
tomatoes
peas and beans
masses of strawberries
peaches, cantaloupe
figs and more

but the corn
oh man
creamed corn by the gallon
and as i eat it for breakfast
laced with bacon bits and love
i give thanks to a deceased machine
and adapted internet recipe
salute my respect with a spoon
—and know heaven can wait

 

[Broken_paladin]

Distant thoughts of times long gone
When dreams were filled with sex and braun
Give a little smile with breaking dawn

Say goodbye
Embrace the day
Be not sad along the way

If we linger much our feelings flush
Hearts will rush and skin will blush
Enoughs been said its time to hush

My love, my friend, in you resides all I miss
Your touch, your skin in a midnights kiss
Left broken now by shattered bliss

 

[Wonderer67]

Highs and Lows

Prelude (Saturday and Sunday)

I felt so good
Really felt at peace for a few months
Saturday night, a fire with Rebecca
Outside on the back patio
Looking up at that big bear
Ursa Major
What did our ancestors wonder when they looked up at her?
I wondered

It was cool out, almost sweater weather
A good roaring fire in the fire pit
We had worked hard at the farm Saturday
And it was nice to just relax

And Sunday too
We picked pumpkins and put them
Out at the farm stand
Someone came by with little kids
And we gave them misshapen gourds and pumpkins
For free
Kid smiles and laughter
The best sounds and sights

And Monday night
Coming home from the farm
In the fading blue light
If someone said, imagine a beautiful late summer early evening
This would have been it
The crescent moon was there
Peeking at us from behind trees

But there was some kind of pull later Monday night
Looking back
My mood changed and I got irritable


Tuesday Morning

Trapped in the turret
Hydraulic fluid all over me – a ruptured line
The smell of an electrical fire
Struggling to get out
A dream…

So fucking real I could have been right in there
In fact I was there for a bit
Maybe minutes
Maybe seconds
Not 100% sure
I don’t think it was too much longer than that
A moment of absolute terror
My worst fear – fire inside the turret
Tank fires leave nothing left…
Dead of night
Heart racing, my body stretched like a rubber band

I know the routine now, tho
Ground and breathe
Get control of your surroundings
Only 1:22… Fuck! Four more hours of this shit?
Unless I can sleep
I know this routine now, unfortunately

Left hand over heart, right over stomach
My breathing mantra
In: I am right here…
Out: I am right now…
Deep breaths
The dream creeps in and loops and loops and loops
It doesn’t want to give up
Distract, Tim…
Baseball, Sprint cars, Onomatopoeia, 86 Mets
Get a song worm going
Breathe and count

I remember my therapist, Veronica
She told me to make the lullaby
Sleep is the most important thing
But the trick is to get back to sleep
Just sleep it off, Tim
Close your eyes
Breathe, seven seconds in
Seven seconds out
Count it…try to sleep

No good
The dream kept on replaying
And looping
Then I thought about other things eating at me
It cascaded into my head
Guilt
Work shit
Overcommitting
My son and daughter
Then the fucking loop again

Last resort, walk the laps
But by this time
It was all that was left to do
Do something physical
Almost 2am now
My usual circuit: Living room, dining room, kitchen hallway and back
A new loop
A Steve Earle song popped into my head
As I walked lap after lap
I couldn’t remember all of the lyrics
But it was not a happy song
It don’t get any lonelier than this…

Loop after loop
Lap after lap

I know I’ve got shitty chemicals in my head
Or I am weak
Or yes

What pisses me off
Is that I felt so goddamn good
For weeks prior
Two stepping with Rebecca at The White Horse
Both of us fantasizing about a threesome
Our wonderful trip and friends
Even Saturday night
I looked up at the Big Dipper and felt so calm and peaceful
Giving away pumpkins and gourds to kids

I know it’s temporary
But it replays in my head
Loop after lap after loop
It’ll fade
But I know I gotta feed my mind something else
To
Re-program that shitty brain
Damaged goods

But it impacts everything around me
My relationships
Work
Making shitty choices
Snapping at people I love

Off kilter
Abnormal brain
Abby normal
Hans Delbrück (I smiled... immature humor never fails me)

Intellectually I know
That this is not forever
And I will come back into balance
Time does heal it
And I do have the tools now

This is what a ptsd episode looks and feels like for me

Wednesday

Shitty sleep the night before
Up and down
I got up at five at masturbated to
A hot thread on Lit

I was hard
I felt needy
I needed love and affection
With someone but all alone
Rebecca was asleep
So I worked out
I had a lot of energy and worked out hard
My usual routine
But much harder

I needed a hard fuck afterwards
I was really horny
Rebecca was up for it
Even tho I was kinda gross and sweaty
That is true love
I started really going to town
From behind in spoons – her go to position
Hammering her
I had to remember the golden rule
This was all on her terms
Slow down, baby. Not too hard. She told me
She pushed her hand onto my waist to guide the pace
I want it nice and slow she told me
And I slowed down
I have to remember
That it’s about her pleasure
I saved my sacred fluid
Like I am always ordered to
Blue balls…

But then a manic feeling
Anxiety
I couldn’t stop moving all morning
I was hardly dressed
Zoom outfit - nice shirt and cargo shorts
The work mullet:
All businesses up top
All party down below

I worked from home Wednesday
Couldn’t focus - brain racing
Two quick Teams meetings from 9-10
And then Rebecca hugged me before she went to work at 10
She hugged me tight
I hugged her back
And kissed her
Then she squatted down
Took down my shorts
And sucked me again before she left for work
I think she felt bad for me
I’ll take it
Still no release
But it felt good at least
God, how I love that woman
A saint in blue jeans

I was a mess all morning
Trying to keep my shit wired tight

At lunch
I mowed the lawn and split firewood
I was out of breath
Anxiety and energy
Tugging at me all day

Thursday Morning

As if it had almost never happened
It was a gorgeous morning
I admired the beauty as I traversed Sourland Mountain
On the way to work
A sunny morning, cool
Dew on the trees and in the fields
First day of fall
I felt good again
Whole

Like when I was looking
Off of the top of the Mogollon Rim
Dancing at the White Horse
Looking up at momma bear

It was nice to just listen to XMU
And enjoy the morning

And work was good
Productive
Back in balance

It’s been a year of learning
It’s been a week of learning
That’s for sure

Note: Sorry to sound like such a little depressive bitch. I am not dumping. Just being 100% transparent. This is just my reality. These episodes happen every so often and it’s helpful to write about it.

I don’t know if it’s even poetry.

Sorry if it’s upsetting or repetitive or overly long. I’m actually usually fairly happy.

44/52

 

[Angeline]

Then and Now

I remember the dogwood tree,
a slim sapling with tentative branches
planted in the front yard for Mama
on a summer day long ago, a picnic
day at the backyard redwood table.

I wore a ridiculous costume, pretending
to be the Statue of Liberty, one arm
rigid, holding up a flashlight and oh
I was such a serious child. I had to
grow up to learn how to laugh,
but no one laughed at me
that day. Grandpop
called me a patriot and later
bought me Mr. Softee ice cream.

The dogwood grew to tower
over us all, but it's gone now just like
Mama, Grandpop, everyone
pretty much.

The Statue of Liberty stands
in New York Harbor still, so why
does America seem so far away?




Week 38, Poem 1, Total 47

 

[Ambient4190]

legs spread wide
next to me
he stinks

straight off golf course
or job site
I redeem him
in my head
he has a family
caught afternoon flight
wife gave ultimatum

I shift away as far
as seat belt permits
my eyes closed
my mind writes
until
a female voice
would you like something to drink

 

[Tzara]

Tai Chi in the Rain

During cat stance, rain
begins to fall like feathers.
I shift to bow stance,
press, and her body pivots
and seems almost to vanish.

Reverse positions,
and I lead her off balance
as if a current
has shifted, guiding a leaf
right past a glistening stone.

All things are water,
or light, or wind, fire, or earth.
I strive to capture
the flow of these elements.
I do not, but yet I try.

Week 38: Poem 1: Total 52

 

[Tzara]

Rondeau of the Ever-More-Desperate Poet

Another week, another verse,
Or poèm, not to be perverse.
An elegant and spry ballet
Of words, or just a kind of play.
Just recognize it could be worse.

To write one weekly's like a curse
(One needs one's themes to be diverse)
And over time one's talents fray—
Another week.

Still, I press on. Indeed, traverse
Poetic landscapes glib or terse
Intrepidly, for come what may,
I've sensibilities to flay
Until deliverèd by hearse.
Another week!

Week 39: Poem 1: Total 53

 

[Ashesh9]

POETRY....prose....whatever....
world goes on .........bombs fall in distant Kherson...
Zelensky rages ......Asian Games take place in Hangzhou...far off China
A rapist is let off early and murders a 30 something Tech CEO....
life goes on......World/Olympic records tumble at athletic meets....
G-20 Summit takes place .... Grain exports are embargoed .......Africans suffer......
but life goes on .....Presidents join striking picketers......Writers reach agreement in Hollywood....
life/ world goes on.........
[ all news items were reported today in CNN portal and i didn't even touch impeachment proceedings or Republican Primary debates...]

 

[Broken_paladin]

Sit in silence and contemplate,
All thats past and came to date,
Remove the anger and burning hate,
There is still so much upon my plate,

Spoken words when feelings flare,
Looking back we were quite the pair,
Pretty lady with raven hair,
For far to long I stood and stared,

Its better now as time moves on,
Wasted breath has come and gone,
Its not in me to be a pawn,
I wish my dog could shit your lawn,

Straight ahead your plotted course,
Dont look back and feel remorse,
In time you will find your magic source,
From deep within like a gentle force,

Vented here and here its stays
Carry not throughout my days
In a toast my cup is raised
Venture back into the haze
Not again your name I'll praise

 

[Ambient4190]

autumns darkness
all sleep
pumpkins goblins
black coffins

winters blue
frozen lake skates
ice snow sleet
mittens boots capes

spring leaves
all greens
secret places to play
hide and seek

summers humidity
sinuous heat
sandy beach
sprinklers in the street

one year past

 

[Angeline]

A Domme's Triolet

If I tell you it's not yet time
For I command and you submit,
You mustn't touch; wait for my sign.
If I tell you it's not yet time
It's ended if you cross the line:
The finish comes when I permit
If I tell you it's not yet time
For I command and you submit.


Week 39, Poem 1, Total 48

 

[Ashesh9]

O Kruel Mistress Mine......
Thy edging is exquistely divine.....
As i inch/yearn to Cum
Thou whippest Ass....
as if my Glutes are Thy Drum....
To orgasmic nirvana Gain
I must Submit to Disciplinary Pain
and from premature ejaculation refrain....
Or our Mistress-sub relationship will:
flow down Drain!!!!????
Thy Majesty doth rebellious MCPigs sternly Train!!!!
until it enters each Neanderthal Brain.....
She is Mistress Who must be Obeyed:
he is mere chattel : more chaff than Grain!!?

 

[Wonderer67]

The Best Medicine

Believe it or not
A rainy night in NYC
Was good medicine
For anxiety
For ptsd
For depression
For suicidal thoughts

Yep
A rainy Saturday night
No farm work
No yard work
Housework all done
And no one on the roads
Tropical Storm Ophelia saw to that
One hour thirty two minutes to get into the city
A new record
A date night with Rebecca
Dinner at a fun bar on 11th ave
And walked over to the venue
Only drizzle now
The bright lights and neon in the rain
Made it all look surreal

Down down down – seemed like three stories underground
I’ve been to just about every music venue in NY
But never to Sony Hall

I love ska
And so does Rebecca
We danced the dance
Rebecca ponied up and did the pony
We both skanked the skank
Moshed the mosh
I did the windmill
The pit was a whirlpool
At 56 I still dive into the washing machine
I still pogo the pogo

Four bands
Four hundred of our best friends
The universal language: music and joy

Bad Manners brought it
I’ve always wanted to see them
Second generation ska
Coulda been 1981 again
Buster Bloodvessel is still a giant of a man
Lip up, Fatty
Inner London Violence
This is Ska

At the end of the night
My voice was hoarse
My bad knee and back were far worse
Than the beginning of the night
I scarcely gave a fuck

It was a night of pure joy
I felt like every cell In my body was alive and happy
Five days earlier was a completely different story

But this was a great night
The knee and back pain were well worth it
It was

The best medicine

45/52

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[29wordsforsnow]

Six AM Trianglet

Sex
never
was a test
in the darkness
of tightly shut eyes
she told all the guys
lights on, lids up
for the best
ever
Sex​

 

[29wordsforsnow]

Polyamorous*

complicated
interlaced
matrix
love
never failed us
​

*Teacup Dictionary, from my latest** shape/visual quick reference
** sorry, if I have to catch up a lot

 

[29wordsforsnow]

Crimson Cyclus

Welcome
you monthly mess
for weeks you stayed away
that tender hope is gone
when I see red
Again
Twelve years
you did not care
it's visitation day
fuck you, family law
you break my heart
Again

 

[29wordsforsnow]

The most Concrete Poetry

its
grey
so so
grey
so grey so
is so dull and grey and dull so is
grey gray grey gray grey gray grey
and more so without so more and
and too gray too and
hard dull grey dull hard
so all is grey is all grey is all so
unforgiving grey is understating
grey grey grey grey grey grey
hard
grey
cold
dull
flat
so grey and gray so
is given shape and taking, aching
no black-and-white but pure
grey brutal human hate
so
so
...........................................\ so?/............................................


​

 

[29wordsforsnow]

Commited Circlet

around
my spinning wits
the words we said, not meant
tumbling downwards like maple seed
on the ground, oversalted by dried tears
we'd waited for rain to come, even years
but no streamlet would bathe our feet
this last thoughtless dissent
it stayed and sits
around​

 

[Ashesh9]

& then there was this Runaway Bride:
Who thrashed poor hubby free of Toxic Pride!?
& relieved him of his Entitled Wealth:
Made him scream 'Mummy!?' By Force Not Stealth!!!!??