He’s Past Tense (A Poem for Day 7 of PAD)

After his death, dandelions spread
through the yard like wildfire.
Inside his garden shed,
jugs of industrial-grade vinegar
lined the walls
like soldiers waiting to deploy.
It had become his ritual
after that morning pour over
of double dark decaf—drink up
then slay those weeds birthing
their yellow buds against his wishes.
They didn't belong, he said,
in his garden. They were
unwelcome, unwanted,
had transplanted to his yard
without his permission.
It was his duty to annihilate them
before they spread
their seeds
throughout the neighborhood.
But he became careless,
dousing them
without first donning
his protective gear.
She found him,
arms & legs shooting up
like tender blossoms
reaching for the sky,
his body wedged
between his concrete-block
retaining wall
& the neighbor’s cedar fence,
his red plaid shirt
soaked from the contents
of his vinegar jug.
After his death, dandelions spread
through the yard like wildfire.

The Day 7 prompt is to write a tense poem. 

* * * 

Oh, Fedora

I adored your

soft, wide brim
& indented crown,
your heat-pressed
          felt,
your playboy
          flare,
your one-
          of-a-kind
reputation.

But that
was then.
Now, I’ve learned
to wear
my hair
down.

I Still Wear You Once in a While

For today’s prompt, pick an article of clothing, make it the title of your poem, and then, write your poem. It could be as general as “Ankle-cut Socks” or “Bell-bottoms.” Or get more specific like “My Bearcats Hoodie” or “Reebok Pump High Top Shoes.”

* * * 

Canine Rivalry

That old flattened

bed with stuffing erupting
from one side like a giant
puffball mushroom
never looked so cozy
until the new whipper-
snapper of a pup
wriggled her way
in,
nudged the elder pup
out.

Sometimes They Share

I don't know why this prompt tripped me up so much. But I wanted to stay in the challenge, so I'm glad I came up with something. Ugh!

Here is the prompt for Day Seven (copied from Writer's Digest):

For today’s prompt, write a jealous poem. Maybe you’re jealous. Or maybe someone else is jealous of you–or someone else. Whether envious of another or suspicious of a partner, dive deep into this emotion today.

*****

Memorial (A Poem for Day Seven of PAD)

For today’s prompt (day seven), write a senses poem. That is, write a poem that uses one or more of your senses. Smell, taste, touch, sound, sight, or even a sixth sense. Focus in on one of them or try to incorporate them all.

Only Smudges of Him Remain

Memorial

On Thursday, she wore a violet
dress, plucked a jasper stone
from the dish upon her desk,
wandered to her garden
where the scent of rosemary
and thyme awakened her
taste buds to flavors
she savored
at their last supper.

She burrowed her hands down
into red clay and dirt,
trying to feel her existence,
trying to find her worth.

She wondered what it’s like
to sleep and never wake.

Would there be peace
beneath the surface or would
all memory of her ex-
        istence
disintegrate?

*****

[Please note that all prompts have been copied from the Writer's Digest Poetic Asides website.]

Sometimes It’s Better to Read Than Write - a Poem for Day Seven of PAD

The prompt for day seven of PAD to write a discovery poem:

This poem could be about making a discovery; it could be about something discovered (by someone or something else); or something you’d like to discover. I can’t wait to discover what new poems poets will create.

Some Days It's Even Better to Just Enjoy the View

Sometimes It’s Better to Read Than Write

Some poems
are so disappointing,
not worth the wait,
not worth the late-
night struggle to write.

A glass of whiskey
and a snuggle
with Rumi,
I’ve discovered,
never leave me discontent
like those
cantankerous words
holed up
inside the barrel
of my pen. 

***

He Was Twelve Things I Can't Live Without (a Poem for Day Seven of PAD)

I'm tired, so I'm keeping this brief. 

It's day seven of PAD. I wrote a poem. It's below the photo. 

Here is the prompt from Poetic Asides: 

It took an entire week to get to our first "Two for Tuesday" prompt this year, so I’m going to make it the one that I run every single year:

1. Write a love poem. Yeah, I said a love poem, or, if you don’t like that option…
2. Write an anti-love poem. I know there are some haters out there; go ahead and hate on love and/or love poems if that’s your thing."

 

He Was One Cloud in a Perfect Sky

He Was Twelve Things I Can't Live Without

(1)
He was an abandoned
mining town, his shoulders crumbling
mountains under a parched sun.

(2)
He was a castle with a rubber
slide that lovers hid inside
at 90 degree angles.

(3)
He put me together
each night and laid me
out before sleep.

(4)
He was the plaid
pants to my floral
camisoles.

(5)
He undid my ordinary,
and transformed me into
a quirky showcase.

(6)
He conceived art
with a pull
of my heart.

(7)
He was a luxurious
departure
from city life.

(8)
He was my battery
backup in a power
outage.

(9)
He was a kaleidoscope
of colors that refused
to blend.

(10)
He was the drama
in my mundane
space.

(11)
He turned me into a second
edition, and then donated
my body to the library.

(12)
He is the nights
I stay awake on the sofa
composing poems about love.

*****

Recommended Reading:

• "H is for Hands" 

*****

Poetic Asides PAD Challenge Results for April 2014

In the midst of, among other things, pursuing my editing career—leaving me with little time for poetry writing—I have received a nudge of inspiration.

Write Poetry Wherever You Can

Something I look forward to twice a year since I learned of it is Robert Lee Brewer's Poetic Asides Poem-a-Day Challenge. It's a period to give myself permission to put in whatever time I need to write a poem each day, something I often find difficult during my busy life the rest of the year. So this past April when I participated in the challenge, I looked at is a way to indulge myself in playing with words, but without worrying about contest results. 

Robert has just announced the top ten poems for some of the days and I was humbled to see my name in two of the lists—for days seven and nine. (The links go to my blog post version of the poems.)

Standing at the bottom of the writing ride and looking upwards, I am grateful for the encouragement. 

Thank you to Robert, who not only runs this challenge, but also encourages so many poets and is a wonderful poet himself.  

Congratulations to the winners, to the rest of the writers who made it to the Top Ten, and to those who participated in the challenge!

And thanks to you, my blog readers as well. Your support means a lot to me.

Enjoy your day! 


* * * * *

Self-Portrait (a Poem for Day Seven of PAD)

I am not thrilled with the below poem, but since I want to keep up with the challenge, I'm posting it anyway. I will probably get around to editing it someday. It was written for the Day Seven prompt for PAD:

For today’s prompt, write a self-portrait poem. Pretty straightforward, right? That doesn’t mean there’s not a lot of room for creativity. Just look at artists and their self-portraits; there’s a lot of differences in the self-portraits of Kahlo, Schiele, Dali, Van Gogh, and others–and not just because the artists look different themselves.

How Do You See Yourself?

Self-Portrait

I am letters rearranged in countless
combinations. I am still life of The Scream
with fruit. I am watercolor instead of sketch.
I am outstretched seams of secret
pockets. I am globs of paint with no
instruction. I am mountain peaks
and carrot tops. I am metal detector
built of fleshy heart. I am inedible carets
and ampersands. I am search-and-rescue
for drought-plagued worms. I am a hot iron
leaving no impression. I am blown away,
weightless, like love’s heartfelt wishes
on dandelion seeds, forgotten
once out of sight.

*****